Tuesday 31 January 2012

Tuesday Jan 31

Nice sunny day, 76F I think. Rode the bike in the morning, and got my exercise in early. Went as far as Idaho and back. Marg did laundry and I helped with the carrying, folding and using it. LOL A guy from Calgary was leaving this AM to go to Lake Havasau. He has one of those hydraulic lifts on the back of his motorhome to carry his Harley. Anyway the motor on it burned out, so he couldn't pack up as he had no way of lifting the bike. About 5 of us offered to help & he gladly accepted. We raised the hoist with the bike on it and locked it in to place. It was a full dresser, so about 700+ pounds of iron, but we got it in place. He was sure grateful. Played some pool after lunch & then Gerry & Deb showed up with Wayne & Martha. We were having a cocktail with Kenny & Doris when they got here, so just joined right in. They just arrived in Phoenix late in the afternoon today. We all went out to the chinese buffet on Apache Trail, which was good as usual. Over a few wobbly pops us 3 guys played pool while the women went to bingo. Wayne kept complaining he hadn't played pool for years & with only one eye wouldn't keep up with us. That was just before he cleaned our clocks. LOL Deb won at the bingo and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. After we had cocktails again and then coffee and a late nite snack, complete with cheesecake; you know Marg's snacks.

Monday 30 January 2012

Last Monday in January

What a gorgeous day. I think it was in the mid-70's today. Emailed pictures to friends around the park from the dance on Saturday night & got a few laughs. Went for a long bike ride, well long for me. Had to go and help Kenny move some furniture out of their park model so the floor layers can start tomorrow. Marg did the vacuum thing this AM and is in love with her new vac. After lunch I played pool. Marg went to her hairdressers and had a manicure/pedicure.Must have been quite a work-over, I think she was gone about 3 hours. After she got back it was time to get together with Blanke's as Kenny was driving tonight for us and Ron & Mary. We went to the Az Opry, everyone here calls it the Barleens, as they are the owners and main entertainers of the venue. It was a great dinner, roast beef tonight and show. They are both great musicians and singers and have very entertaining acts. I think there were about 40 or more from the park at the show tonight. At intermission Marg & I shared a rootbeer float, they have the best ones around. A fun evening. Joke from the show: A guy & his wife sitting on the patio. The guy is having a beer. Out of the blue he says - I love you! His wife asks is that you or the beer talking. The guy says - that is me; talking to my beer.

Sunday 29 January 2012

Ice Cream Sundae

Great sunny day, temps were about 77F today. We went out to check out some swap meets today. There were a few interesting things, but I have never seen such a collection of things that no one needs. I think Marg got a something-or-other, but I left empty handed. After that we went to an outdoor mall down by Superstition and Marg got some great deals on a couple of dresses & something like lounging pj's. Me on the other hand I got some books at the book store and an SD card at Best Buy. Supper tonight was steak sandwiches & garlic toast on the bbq with cottage cheese. Nice steaks, it's not Alberta beef but Az beef is pretty good! No dessert as it was ice cream social tonight in the hall. Tonight it was banana splits or sundaes. Marg was with the ladies in charge of adding the bananas, pineapple, strawberries, chocolate. Jerry & I scooped as usual. After all was said & done Marg had a sundae, me [with no will power] I had a split. I think we served a record number tonight, so a good job by all. Kenny organizes it and he was kidding around when announcing it about other parks trying to hire us away at double the money - 2 times zero - hah.

Saturday 28 January 2012

Saturday Jan 28

Breakfast in the park this AM with friends. No Marg did not make it, in fact the people at breakfast on Saturday AM have even stopped asking where she is. It was great as usual.
The weather was windy, but hot. Had to wear short pants, it got to 77F, I think that would be about 22C. We went to the market in Mesa & I exchanged my books. Marg got a good deal on something else, bread knife I think. After that we went to Home Depot & got another short piece of wire. I must almost have everything I need to install the surge protector. Pretty cool store, they sure have lots of things we don't in our store in GP. Marg was drooling over a gas range, it was exactly what she wants and about 1/3 of the cost of a matching one at home.
Gas went up again today. Arghhh It is probably just ramping up until we have to fill up and head for home. $3.43/gallon today. Diesel was $3.85.
Lunch in the rv and then I went to play pool for an hour or so. Marg went to pick up a few groceries. She wants me to put in that she paid $1.50 for a gallon of milk. After we went to Total Wine and I got a very nice bottle of Irish whiskey, a 12 yr old single malt - Tulamore Dew!
For supper we had some turkey pies Marg got at this cool grocery store. If there is a designer groceteria, that was it. Even the displays were very artistic. Marg said it was the best meat pie she has ever eaten. I'm don't know about best, but it was very tasty. It sure didn't taste like it was warmed up, rather it tasted fresh.
By the time supper was over, it was time to go to the dance. It was in our park and it was the same pair we went to hear on Valentines last year. The hall was packed to capacity, the entertainers were great. I can't recall when we danced this much, but we certainly danced the night away. We waltzed, we jived, we polka'd, we rocked and in the end I was looking for a defibrilator to jump start my heart again. LOL A fun day in AJ for this couple!

Friday 27 January 2012

Friday Jan 27th

Another nice day. We got up a little later, so we did some odd jobs around the rv. Spent some time with Gary getting advice on how to install my surge protector on the motorhome. It's something I have not done before & he does some complex electrical stuff. I think I have a plan to put it together now. Stopped by Best Hardware to get a few pieces on the way to the bank. Had to go to Wells Fargo and straighten out our bank accounts. We were getting monthly service charges & had to update our geriatric account status to avoid them. We were also able to get a new feature on our account. We can pay bills from anywhere in the world to any U.S. person or corporation; by electronically telling them who to pay what amount & when. They in turn send out either a bank draft or money order to settle the obligation. The charges were kind of our fault for not responding to the 4 warnings they sent us. Went for lunch with Ron & Sue to a deli called Chompies. The place was a bit of a drive down Superstition/University to Mesa. It was outstanding. In true deli fashion the sandwich had about 3 or 4 inches of meat on rye bread. The soups were delicious. On the way out we picked up some creme brule & red velvet cake with cream cheese to have with coffee in the evening. Yumm. No pics, we ate it too fast. LOL Bingo tonight at with Ron & Sue to Happy Days RV park. The attraction was a large superball payout. Marg won a regular game, so the evening was net dollars ahead. Life is good.

Thursday 26 January 2012

Last Thursday in January

Another gorgeous day in the Valley of the Sun, I think it was 75F. Short pants day anyway. I think Willy Nelson sang about 7 spanish angels in the valley of the sun. Fortunately there was no shoot-out in the one we are in. Both of us got up and went to coffee & donuts this AM. People were almost beside themselves, Marg was there 2 weeks in a row. During the morning info session, they asked about any security issues. I almost put up my hand to say there was a robbery at the poker game last night, but I'm OK now - Hah! The only security issue was a coyote came through last night. With any luck he will get a few of the dogs around here. After breakfast, Marg went with 3 other ladies to Sam's Club & some other health food store. The stores were in Gilbert, so one or more of the ladies must have been navigator. From her description of where they were, I believe Marg was driver, but not likely in charge of directions. They did well though as it involved a considerable amount of freeway travel & it was probably about 20 miles from here. They got some great deals, not sure what the deals were but I did hear about a blouse and supper included some stuff I have not seen before. I washed windows on the rv, it was streaky from the rain we had the other night. Oh BTW, I got a free car wash. My wash earlier had a clean car guarantee & it rained during the night within 48 hrs, so.... Thursday is inter-park pool tournament day. I drew Luther as partner, same as last week & we struggled again and won one of our three games [same as last week], although they were all good games. Visited a bunch in the park and helped Kenny fix on his park model a bit. It was funny, Kenny & Doris got back to their rv late, tired & hungry after working on it. Marg had bought a whole chicken that she deboned and put much of it in our salad. Yes I am eating salad as a main course - who would-a thunk it. Anyway she took over the balance of the chicken, some rolls and what was left of the apple pie. You would have sworn she gave them the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We are lunching out tomorrow & not having salad for supper 2 days in a row. LOL Went for a walk after supper and saw the owls, they have been here each of the 4 yrs we have been staying here.

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Robbie Burns day

Busy day in the sun. Gerry came over this AM and we played golf with the park group at Apache Sun. Game went better this week, but score didn't reflect it - go figure. Tried out my new golf sandals & they were excellent. I can hardly believe the support and stability you get from them & they are really comfortable to walk in. Gerry won the pot for the longest putt, so he was probably close to a zero cost day. The weather was perfect for golf & we were done by 11:00.
Back to the RV park for lunch, but was in for a surprise - no one there to make lunch! Kenny came by & told me Marg was at the park model they just bought helping Doris clean the place. It was a trap, I went over there & he got me to help him fix his patio door. We had to take it apart and put new wheels on it, worked perfect after the repair. Marg went back to our unit and fortunately came back with sandwiches which were accompanied by a beer from Kenny's fridge. Things were definitely starting to look up.
Pretty much missed pool this afternoon, but did manage to get in 2 games. Nice stir fry for supper accompanied by apple pie & ice cream. Oh yeh, a wee dram before supper from a nice 15 yr Dalwhinnie. Wow things are really looking up.
A toast to the old bard - "She is a winsome wee thing. She is a handsome wee thing. She is a bonny wee thing, This swee wife o'mine." Happy Robbie Burns Day, a day when everyone is Celtic.
Finished off the day with poker with the guys. Took over an hour before I even won a hand, but managed to win most but not all of my early investment back. Marg did the laundry thing this evening & while it looked like a lot of fun, I had my social obligation to go and donate at the poker table.

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Tuesday Jan 24

Wow 3 weeks already in AJ, hard to believe. Nice sunny day, warm but not hot. Jerry stopped by to ask for computer advice, now that shows you how desparate he was, asking me for computer advice. Actually it was just about how to put stuff in a Word document, so not too complicated.
Put the propane card in the window today as Az propane was in the park and got a fill. Pretty cool, it saves the need to pack everything up and move the rv - $3.75/gal .
Played pool after lunch for a while & then we went out to find some decorative wood for our flower bed. Its actually a dried out old Joshusa tree & when the bark is off it looks sort of like lattice work. While out looking around in the brush, there are all kinds of things you have to wary off, including critters. Getting back to the car, my foot felt kind of like it was being scratched. When I looked down at my running shoe, I saw a Jumping Cholla [a form of spiny cactus] was sticking in my shoe & one of the points went right through, scratching my foot. I never stepped on it, rather it sprang away from the plant and imbedded in my shoe, nasty little plant. It's actually a cluster of spikes. You need to be careful when removing it, so that you don't stick your hand with it, as that usually means a trip to a hospital. It sticks in something like a porcupine quill & the needle sharp spikes are about 4/5 cm long.
Supper tonight was at IHop. We used one of the coupons in the book we got at the Chamber, so taxes included, supper was $13. Ahh the life of a coupon clipping senior. LOL
Went to bingo with Marg tonight. I am under a lot of pressure to go until the super ball jackpot is won. Anyway we both won - life is good; we are bucks ahead today.

Monday 23 January 2012

Monday

Well the start of another work week; wait a minute, work - that's a 4 letter word isn't it? Nicer day, so I went for a long bike ride this AM. Road to Idaho, it's pretty much uphill all the way there, but pretty easy pedaling on the way back. Went to the bathroom when I got back & surprise - there was a scorpion strutting his stuff in there. This is the first one I have seen in the park, so I called Elmer over to have a look at it. He wasn't as impressed & stepped on it - LOL. I think it was pretty good size, as they go; probably 2 inches long. Looks just like a mini-lobster with pincers & all. He didn't seem happy, as he had his tail raised right up with the stinger ready to go. Anyway he now resides in the trash can. Played pool after lunch. The guys I played with were lots of fun today. Marg went to show Mary how her steamer works. While she was doing that [in the laundry room], Pat came along with a couple of Jerry's shirts, saying she hated ironing them and wanted a demo of how it worked. I personally think it was like a Tom Sawyer routine - show me how it works and they get their work done - LOL! After supper Marg went with Sue to Frys and got some good deals, the fresh strawberries were outstanding.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Sunday

Much cooler day today, likely the coolest since we have arrived. Went for a bike ride in the morning, but almost needed gloves. After breakfast we went up to Superstition mall, where Marg checked out Macy's, JC Prenny & her favourite: Dillards. Alas the bargain was not to be had, so she came away with just a picture frame & that was for a friends birthday. Stopped at Costco on the way back for lunch & bought a vacuum. She bought one last year, but decided it was too big for the rv, so left it at home & brought the one from home. It is being donated to Kenny & Doris to put in the park model they bought. Kind of hard to keep current with Marg & vacuums. Oh - for lunch the place is always packed with grey haired customers. You can get a hot dog & 20 ounce drink for $1.50 or a chicken bake for $2.75. Pretty good deal. Checked out the price of booze, but I think Total Wine is better & the scotch tasting is next week and we have to go for that anyway. Went to a birthday party in the park in the afternoon and had cake & ice cream. No ice cream social today with the party taking it's place. The lady is one of Marg's friends and she has been 31 yrs in the park. She is the one Marg helps make sloppy joes during the park-wide patio sale. Went to get fuel & a car wash after the party. They had a deal that you can get an exterior wash for $5 & 10 cents a gallon off of your gas purchase or $12 for interior/exterior [that includes under body & rain guard waxing], towel dry plus 20 cents a gallon off the gas purchase. So we got inside & out. On top of that they give you a rain guarantee that if it rains within 48 hours of the wash, they will re-wash free. In the end I bought the $12 wash & $35 in gas which earned enough points that I will get a free exterior wash next time. Oh yeh, they also give you a free wash on your birthday. A couple of snowbirds told me about it & it almost seemed too good to be true. BBQ for dinner and that was about it.

Saturday 21 January 2012

C&W day

Got up and had breakfast at the park function this AM. It was great, bacon, eggs, pancakes or biscuits & gravy [if you choose]. I told them no biscuits & gravy for us northerners, it clogs our pipes. It really is an acquired taste & I have not acquired it yet. Marg, as usual stayed behind and had her yogurt. After I went for a bike ride. It was cool & overcast out so shortened my ride a bit. Went by a park-wide patio sale at another park on Delaware. Told Marg about it when I got back, so she went right over. The only thing she bought was westerns for me & an old bottle. While any bottle I buy might not be that old, it'll be full of whiskey. I went back with her and bought some more books, ended up with 14 dusters in all. After lunch we went to a legends C&W performance. The performers were from Branson & were very good. It was all old stuff, but good entertainment. The MC was hilarious, as well as a great musician. There were a dozen of us in 3 vehicles from the park that went. Marg & I rode with Ron & Mary. The show started at 2PM, but our tour guide insisted we be there by 1. By then there was already a line up and every seat in the sold-out venue was filled by 1:30. You can tell you are in a snowbird mecca when... After the show we all went to the #1 Eastern Buffet. A great chinese buffet where we have eaten at numerous times in prior years. The main problem today was that Jerry Binger & I were going at the same time and he was putting things on my plate to try. In case you are worried, all 12 of us got the seniors discount - LOL! When we got back to the park, we had to walk it off. Note to self, buy buffet pants if we are to do this again or stay away from Jerry. ;>))

Friday 20 January 2012

Auction day

Got up early & went to a car auction at Fort McDowell, Silver Auctions. The event was webcast and the list of cars was on their website. A number of guys in the audience said it was the best old car auction around. It's a hotel/casino complex north of Mesa just outside of Fountain Hills, a really nice artsy community to the north. Had a nice lunch in the casino and spent the day ogling nice iron.
Pretty cool as we had a number of the vehicles. They had a 1964 Rambler American convertible that was exactly like the one I owned. Another guy was looking at it when I was & commented on it. My response was that it was the worst vehicle I ever owned & now it's a classic. The only redeeming feature it had was the pulmanized seats. The whole car made into a bed, handy for camping - LOL. It sold for $9,000 - now that was hard for me to accept. Marg was trying to encourage me to bid, but I said I had enough trouble getting rid of the first one. Hah!
Then we saw a corvair, but Marg didn't want a picture of it. That was the car she had when she was rear-ended and spent 4 months in the hospital.
Also saw a couple of 1953 Buicks, that was the car Dave Trout & I co-owned. I had bought Wayne out for a $2.50 mickey of whiskey on a Friday. We entered it in a demolition derby, but it wouldn't start, so we sold it for $10. Doubled our money.
Also saw a 1964 Olds Starfire, the car I had when Marg & I were dating. It was a great car and got me the girl I wanted. LOL
There were some good deals, like a 2004 Cadillac with 59K miles for $8,900. Some cars went really high, like a 1955 Ford station wagon for $33,500. All-in-all a good day to be out in under a clear blue sky.

Thursday 19 January 2012

Thursday

Nice sunny day. Coffee & donuts this AM. Marg came this AM & that caused quite a stir as she is not a regular at this event. The donuts were paid for by the association for Rosie's birthday, she has been a resident here 31 yrs. Got our 2012 version of the residents list at the morning meeting. There are 15 Canadian couples in the park this year. That's about 10%, and half are from Alberta. Rode the bike this AM before the sun got out and started to heat up the day. Some of the guys that ride here asked me to join them, but they ride 10 miles. Not sure I'm up to that distance yet, but may start out with them and see how far I get. Marg was re-arranging the cupboards. When we bought this RV, we were very busy transferring everything from the old one & started re-thinking where things were better placed. As a result half of the stuff in the pantry is now in the overhead cupboards & vice-versa. After lunch was the inter-park pool tournament. We had a road trip and went to Raindance. The pool room there is kind of crowded, to me it's like playing in our basement. Got to play with Luther as a partner & that is usually a formula for success. Not today though; he sank the 8 ball in the first game & I scratched on it in the 3rd, so we were 1 for 3. Oh well, it's just a game - right? The other team was good enough that we didn't have to hand it to them, but that's just our generous nature ;>)) BBQ ribs for dinner, they were great.

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Wednesday

Well finally had a free morning, so played flog, er golf. It was cool, only about 43 this AM, but it warmed through the day. I golfed with a couple from this park and a guy from the other park. We had a good time and other than the "9" I took on the second hole, it was a fun time. I was 51, that's OK for me. The dew was so heavy and cold that I never got to try out my new golfing sandals. Maybe next week. The guys asked me to golf tomorrow morning, so it must have been OK with them as well, but think I will pass as it is coffee & donuts. Had company after lunch, Dave & Elizabeth Chomik, formerly of GP, now somewhat gypsy's. Nice visit with them, they were in to see their grandson play hockey in Tempe. I think they are headed back to Lake Havasau tomorrow. Oh Char, mom gave them your Christmas card, they were quite chuffed. LOL, get it me using chuffed. BTW we have been showing the card Lyzi sent us to friends and they are very impressed. Turkey soup for supper tonight. The park puts this on and it is great. It's almost like a stew as there is very little juice. The place was packed, we sat with some of our friends. Marg had picked up a couple loaves of great bread at the health food store that were the hit at our table. After dinner Marg went to pick up some things we need & I played poker. Turned it around from last week, I might have been the big winner this week. That would probably make me around even. I likely picked up 5 or 6 bucks, big win. Oh yeh, nice hot day today, but it is chilly at night. Like I said at the start it was only about 43F this AM.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Tuesday Jan 17

Nice sunny day. Went for an early morning bike ride. I have discovered that going east first thing, while it is uphill, makes for a very pleasant return trip. LOL After lunch I played pool while Marg went to Bed Bath & Beyond with a friend [Sue]. Thank you friend.
Started a walk around the park after she got back & got as far as Bingers. For those of you not familiar with the park layout, that isn't far. Nice people, they also serve on the ice cream team. Had a cocktail with them and then dinner.
It was bingo night and I was lured in to going by the attraction of the size of the superball pot, it's over $300. Sat with Ron, Pat & Ken. They all won, we did not. Oh well, I would rather save my luck for a big one & the superball prize wasn't won tonight.

Monday 16 January 2012

Monday, Jan 16

Last night we put on the new set of flannel sheets Marg picked up. They are great, even better than our other set. Eat your heart out Brent, I was toastee all night, even with the rain.
A nice day in the Valley of the Sun as the rain clouds moved out. The sun off of Superstition mountain gave us some great photo ops today. Took the bicycle out for a ride this morning. It was perfect weather for that & I managed to work up a bit of a sweat as I toured the area. Most of the residents around here were talking about the weather & comparing it to where ever they come from; but they all just give up trying to compare when I tell them the forecast in GP. Nice to be first at something, even if it is the coldest place to be from. LOL Good luck all you GP'ers, hang in there, or just hop on a plane and do what we do - LOL,
Marg did laundry much of the afternoon, while I had to go for pool lessons. If you knew the people I played today, you would know why I say that. Fun anyway though. She doesn't iron, rather steams the clothes to eliminate wrinkles. You would not beleive how many people have become converts ditching their old irons.
A quick trip to CVS [pharmacy] to pick up things we really needed. Well almost. When we got back & started putting things away, Marg said no more cans of nuts until we eat some of our stock.
BBQ for supper, it was great. As Walter Cronkhite used to say -- and that's the way it was!

Sunday 15 January 2012

Sunday

BTW Char here is a picture of the shoes mom got that are so great for walking.
Got off to an early start & went to a Nordstroms Rack store in Chandler, but they didn't have the sizes we were looking for. Marg drove to their Rack store in Peoria. That was way over to the other side of Phoenix, so she drove right through the centre of the city. In some areas I think the freeway was 10 lanes, 5 on each side. Anyway she got a new dress in the Peoria store that she was very happy about. I drove home [our Az home that is] using the 101 & then the 2o2, it took an hour at 65mph to get back, probably 120 miles return trip & we were never out of the city.
After supper it was ice cream social and tonight everyone had the option of either a banana split or a dish of ice cream & cake or cookies. Pretty good turnout, considering the weather. It was a cooler day, cloudy and sprinkled rain a bit. After dark it started raining a little more, so could be wet by morning. It supposed to clear up after that. Oh well, into every life a little rain must fall. Besides when it is cool or wet the rattlesnakes & scorpions stay home, LOL.

Saturday 14 January 2012

Busy Saturday

Big breakfast for me this AM, french toast, eggs, bacon; not so much for Marg who stayed in and had her yogurt. After we went to the Mesa market and I exchanged a bunch of books. Dusters were pretty picked over, so had to go to a second outlet. Got a few other things as well: hats, bread, etc. Then over to the chamber for a coupon book. Yes all of us snowbirds get these; there are so many good deals, like 2 for 1 entrees, etc. Went to a free concert with a singer from Branson. For anyone not familiar, Branson is a country music mecca, much like Nashville. Big expectations as this guy was awarded male vocalist recognition. Should have had my warning signals go off - it was free, just bring a food bank donation & it was in a church. The place was packed, we got great seats. Marg picked up the brochure & it went on to expound on how great this guy was - a Tenor & several cudos from opera houses. I said to Kenny, if a big woman with a spear and a helmet with horns on it come out, we're in trouble. Well as soon as the first song, I knew I was in for a long one. They tricked us, no woman with a spear, just the TENOR. An elbow in the ribs later, I took it all in. Too bad Kenny didn't get a poke as well as he slept through lots of it. The highlights were the songs from Les Miserables & the songs in Italian written by Mario Lanza. Arghhhhh, opera, the curse of the uninformed. Oh yeh, at the end they passed the collection plate. In case you are wondering, I never purchased the CD's on my way out. Oh did I forget to mention we got there an hour early to get good seats, so we were there for 3 hours. Now there was 3 hours of my life I will never get back. After we went to Los Gringos Locos with the other 6 members of our group for dinner. It was very good, can't always say that about Mexican food. Got to use one of our 2 for 1 coupons, so the coupon book has paid its way. We had to go for a walk when we got back to settle things down. LOL

Friday 13 January 2012

Friday

Another glorious day in the Valley of the Sun. Still cools off to be quite chilly when the sun goes down, but during the heat of the day - glorious. I picked up Ron & Gerry and we went to the big sale at Harbour Freight this AM. Lots of good deals and Ron had coupons for almost everything. He gave me a couple, so I got a free flashlight & 20% off my entire purchase. Life is goooood! After lunch Marg went shopping and got some great deals at Ross. One is a pair of shoes that she claims make her feel like she is walking on a cloud. Whisky does that for me - LOL. I played pool this afternoon and won as many as I lost, so felt good about it. BBQ for dinner & that's about it. Oh yeh - short pants day, but too busy to get out on the bicycle, maybe tomorrow.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Thursday Jan 12

Much cooler day today. I think it only got to about 70F, but they are forecasting warmer for the weekend. I went for coffee & donuts this AM, Marg as usual did not. Funny thing happened - when Joyce saw I was there by myself, she asked why. After I explained Marg does not do breakfast, she turned to her husband & said - see what they do. I don't want breakfast either, yet you always wake me up. Not good; we are not trying to create a bachelor's club - LOL! Went to the post office to mail a few things, along with every other snowbird in AJ. I think it took about an hour. The price of postage is rising by a nickel next week, so they were all trying to beat the financial crisis that will create, LOL. Just got back in time for a quick lunch and then played in the inter-park pool tournament. We hosted Eastgate today, they are the toughest competition we face. My partner & I took 2 of our 3 games against some pretty good competition. We were pretty fortunate. Lots of Canucks in the tourney today from both parks. My partner for today is from Saskatchewan, he was a research scientist with the federal govt. We draw for partners each tourney just to make it fair. One of our guys Elmer, has Parkinsons so bad that his cue stick is in constant motion, but he is deadly accurate. The other team were all commenting how good he is, in spite of it. He is a classic example of: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. ;>)) Marg & I took a good walk before dinner. Off to IHop for dinner, one of my all-time fav's. We had a nice dinner and excellent service. After dinner we went over to Mesa to the Walmart there. Prices in Mesa are a bit less as their tax structure is a bit better than AJ.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Payson - baby

An early start to the day and we boarded the bus to Payson. There is a big casino on the reserve up there. It's about a 2 hour bus ride up past Saguaro lake. Very scenic through the mountains. It's quite a bit higher than here & there was snow on some of the mountain tops. You know when we are adapted well to this life style when we think snow is a novelty. LOL They have a great breakfast there and by the time we got there we were ready for it. We both had a rocky day, up, then not up. Had to pull out the lucky rabbits foot at the end and we each came away down a few bucks. Thats a pun - get it. We were at the casino on the reservation and came a away short a few bucks. Oh; I crack myself up! Cheap entertainment for a day out. One of the ladies asked me if I won & I replied that said I did so well that I would pay for everyone's bus ride home. She said, but the bus ride is free, to which I replied - exactly. When we got back to the park, it was hamburger night. So I cooked and did the dishes ;>)). $4 for a cheesburger & chips. The place was pretty well packed. Poker tonight, maybe I can make enough to pay for my burger.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Tuesday Jan 10

Much nicer day today. Back to short pants, LOL. I went for a bike ride in the AM, then when I got back, a walk through the park with Marg. With all the visiting on the route, lunch was a hurried affair, so that I could get my pool lessons. Played until just prior to happy hour. Marg hosted and we had some friends over for snacks & beverages. This was the group that mostly like the pop-like wine, so that's what they got. Had to keep a close eye on Ron & Mary as they sat in our new P2K fold-up chairs and I had to make sure the chairs were still here when they left, LOL. As soon as the sun starts to settle, they all left. It really cools off when the sun looses its heat. A quick BBQ steak for dinner and then Marg went to bingo. Just waiting to hear about her big win.

Monday 9 January 2012

Monday Jan 9

Nice sunny day today, but cooler. No shorts for me, lots of people stuck with the short pants, like Marg did, but I was not among the hardy.
Did some running around to get the parts to connect the new surge protector this AM, but will wait until a nice hot day to install it so that the cord will be more flexible. Got to go to Ace hardware out of it and it's always a good stop. Met up with an old friend, Kess there and got to catch up with him.
Got back for lunch & Marg had the internet guru over after lunch to diagnose our poor connectivity. It seems we are picking up parts of the in-park service that we should not be seeing, One of them seemed like a stronger signal & when we connected to it, the system became confused. We are now connected to the correct one and our service no longer seems like dial-up, LOL. I told you earlier, she fixes all the computer stuff.
Me, well I played pool. Got in with a good group, lots of laughs. I was winning again, but so were they. I think it played out about even in the win/loss dept.
Marg made supper in her new $10 slow cooker. She made a stew & it turned out very well. One of my all-time favorites. Usually I like it just as well the second day, but this is such a small cooker, there were no left-overs. After supper we went out to Walgreens, as we needed a few things from the pharmacy. We were out so late that we went for a walk around the park when we got back. 9:30 and there are lots of people up, but no one else out for a stroll. That's life in a snowbird park!

Sunday 8 January 2012

Sunday

Went for an early morning bike ride with the new helmet on. Against my better judgement, for Charlene, a picture is attached.
This was a day of mixed emotions. Started the day with a trip to Camping World where I bought a power converter. We were still having the power problems last night, so bit the bullet and bought it. Took a step up, the old one was 55 amps, the new one is 70 amp. The service people said there had to be a reason the unit cratered, either power spikes or brown-outs. I'm thinking poor power at Shaws Point all summer long, so.... I also bought a hard wired surge protection device. By the time I got out of there it was over $700. Good thing we went to Total Wine yesterday or we would be forced to drink cheaper whiskey, LOL. When we got back to the park, I installed the converter & [fingers crossed] it's working perfectly. Surge protector tomorrow.
Visited around the park today for part of the afternoon & met a couple who used to live in Peace River and have a park model here. She thinks she may have gone to school with Richard Proulx, but wouldn't say any more. Might be a story there??
Ice cream social this evening, the first one of the year. As usual Marg served cake with 2 other ladies, while Gerry & I scooped ice cream. The big news is the new flavour of sugar free ice cream - bunny tracks. It got good reviews. We had a good turn-out for our first event, something like 70. It's a great opportunity to meet & chat with others in the park.

Saturday 7 January 2012

Saturday, Jan 7th

The day started off with breakfast in the park. I went to breakfast and sat with a few other guys who are breakfast bachelors. They also have wives who think that breakfast is a yogurt at 10AM. Pancakes, eggs, bacon great way to start the day. We went to the big flea market at Mesa. Traded in a bunch of books and picked some new ones out. Then we looked around a bit. I bought a set of mini screw drivers [for glasses, etc] for $2. Later in the day I saw the same set at the dollar store for - yeh you guessed it a dollar. So much for the good deals at the flea market. They just stock up at the dollar store & wait for the suckers so they can double their money. LOL Then a trip to Total Wine so we are prepared for a happy hour now. I bought one bottle, Marg picked out the rest of what you see in the pic. I think she might be in party mode. We sure missed Richard in the check out line. The only sampling they had going on was wine, so didn't bother. Did find out that they have - an introduction to scotch on Jan 28th, note to self - make no commitments for that day. LOL Stopped in at Dicks, it's a big sporting goods store in the complex and I got a bike helmet. They have everything for almost every sport. There are guys riding motorcycles here with no helmets, but my wife insists I need one to ride my bike. She's probably worried about me having a senior moment on it. The shopping centre is an outdoor mall, a neat area and one of our favs. We stopped in for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. They have a great salad bar, so we ate healthy for lunch. Got back to the park and everyone had a laugh about my good deal on the mini screwdrivers. Had a BBQ for supper, nice steaks. After supper we played cards [golf] with Ron & Sue. They were the big winners. We play for quarters, so you need 11 to play. One for each hand and 2 for low score at the end. 11:30PM & we are still up, we must be the rowdy young people in the park, NOT. I can see Kenny & Doris still have their lights on. Still seem to be having the electric issue, so likely will replace the power converter tomorrow.

Friday 6 January 2012

Friday, Jan 6th

Friday, not big deal, just another day in the life of a retiree! How we used to look forward to Fridays, now everyday is like that. Sometimes special events make the days special , for example birthdays are special days & today is Kassie's, happy birthday darling. First thing in the morning I took the car in for an oil change. Back to the same place as last year, $18.95, but they charge me an extra $6 because it is a canister type filter. That only took about 25 minutes, so stopped and got a haircut. Didn't go to the hacker I used last year, instead went further down the trail to the guy I saw the prior year. Pretty good job actually, although there is only 10 days between a good or bad haircut. Haircut is one of the few things that is more expensive here than at home. At home I get the seniors discount, so it is $10. Down here every 2nd person is a senior, so I pay full rate $14. It's not all roses here you know! Another warm day in the Az desert. Marg & I went for a walk around the RV park this AM and that is no small task. We are still running into people for the first time, so have to stop for hugs & chats. For the ones we have chatted up already, we just have to wave & yell - we're getting some exercise this morning, otherwise you can't get more than about 30 feet before you have to stop again. Got the velocipede [bike] off of the back rack on the RV and made a tour around the neighbourhood on my own after we got back. This is my first time using it & you run into everyone walking, cycling, etc in the morning before the midday heat builds up. After lunch Marg went to Bells & got some great deals, at least that is what she said. I played pool today. Played in a 3-some, so the means 1 vs 2 in rotation. Did pretty well as I won more than I lost. That's my new definition of excellent, anything over 50%, LOL. In the afternoon I dug out the wheel covers, washed them off and put them on the tires. That would be tyres to our English readers. LOL. The sun is so intense here that it can be hard on tires. Marg went down the streetas well as to the neighbours to catch up on the latest news. Some new people have arrived and asked when our first happy hour is scheduled. I guess we need to go to Total wines in the next day or so. You can google them, but they have something like 1,000 kinds of beer & 3,000 kinds of wine, lots of other spirits as well. Everytime I go there, I chuckle remembering Richard ramming his shopping cart on the next guy in the line. ;>)) With any luck they will have scotch sampling again when we get there, the last one was great. They have sampling of something every day, but they don't give it away, you have to pay - 10 cents. No not per drink, that is for the sampling session. Well that's it, another busy day in the Az sun. Again, Happy Birthday Kassidy

Thursday 5 January 2012

Thursday, Jan 5th

What a nice day, about 75F in the sun, another day in short pants. It was coffee & donuts this AM, so we were up at the crack of dawn, well 8AM anyway. Went & sat with some friends. They have a practice of new arrivals announcing their names and place of origin at the start of the meeting. By meeting, I mean they give you info on the park activities. As usual Marg makes sure I get the microphone to tell them where we are from. Then after coffee Kenny had a meeting of the ice cream crew. Pretty funny when he announced the ice cream social for Sunday he said they were waiting for the professionl scoopers from Canada and could start holding these now. Spent much of the morning messing around with the electrical in the motorhome. We had some issue with the lights going dim last night. Cleaned all the battery terminals, tightened the wire connections on the fuse panel. Then turned the power cutoff on, which seemed to solve the matter. Fingers crossed that was the problem. ( Oh well the connections are all good & tight now. Put out all the lights in the area aound the PALM tree out front & the rope lighting along the patio. Did you get that PALM tree reference. LOL! Went out for fresh vegetables to the superstition farmers market. Got a nice bag of fresh navel oranges, 5 pounds for $2 I think. Also got some beer, a case of 30 cans of MGD for $20. Az land of cheap beer. When we got back to the park, Kenny & Doris had made some bloody mary's so we went over to make certain they didn't have to drink alone. It turns out they had some news to share, they bought a park model, so this will be their last year in their motorhome. Pretty good deal, I think they paid $7,500 for it. It's an older one, but looks to be in nice condition. BBQ for dinner and that was our day.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

AJ, did we really leave here?

It's almost like we never left here. Still re-newing old aquaintences, hard to get stuff done. LOL. Got the motorhome washed today, the guy pressure washed the roof & even put liquid wax on & something to shine up the tires - $80. Everyone on our row got their's done as well it was such a good deal. It was so nice last night that the furnace never cut in. I think it got up to 75F today, first day in shorts for me.
Met up with some of the folks from the Canadian breakfast team, they cooked on Sunday & advised us we don't have to work for 5 weeks now. I guess we never lost that job after all.
I played pool after lunch and my game is rusty. I think I played 5 games and won one. Oh well, I can only get better - right? They want me to play in the inter-park tournament tomorrow, chalk one up for the other side, I guess.
Marg went for groceries & stocked up the fridge, apparently the deals were great. A lady in line with her was complaining about the line ups caused by the snowbirds. Marg got the impression she thought Marg was a local. Perhaps, she does look kind of Spanish at times - LOL.
Hooked up the satellite dish today, my first time doing it without help. I was able to get the dish set up & a pretty good signal strength, but could not get it to actually provide TV. I spent almost an hour on the phone with Shaw waiting for a technician before hanging up. Remember our phone is pay by the minute. After that; Marg figured it out and got the receiver re-started using the touch phone. She likes everyone to think I do these things, but she is the technical star in this marriage.
BBQ for dinner, nice to be able to eat home cooking again.
Played poker tonight. Almost the same group as last year. Had lots of laughs, one of the guys said it was not as quiet tonight with me there. I hope that was a good thing. They did come round to check and make certain I was playing so it probably was. Geez, I guess you could categorize me as an extrovert alright.
Oh BTW, Katy made a change to our Blog so you can post to it using facebook.

Onward to Apache Junction

Went over the new bridge above the Hoover dam and lake Mead. The views around here never cease to impress. I don't know how far down it is to the canyon floor, as the new bridge is at the top of the rim, but it is far.
Took highway #93, the shortest route. Good roads & weather, it kept getting warmer as the day wore on. Saw lots of road construction south of Kingman; on the 2 lane - wouldn't you know it. Travel was much slower & we got into to Sun City [west side of Phoenix] later than planned. As a result we managed to hit the early part of the rush hour on the #101, but not too bad except in Scottsdale, where the traffic was bumper-to-bumper.
Got in to Carefree RV park around 4:30 PM, almost 425 miles today. Not bad considering we were stopped for construction several times. By the time we got to AJ it was 75F, nice & warm. We had difficulty parking & getting hooked up with the number of greeters we had. Certainly made us feel like we belong, no one threw rotten tomatoes at us, anyway. Got all the basic services hooked up, still have to to satellite dish, but it got dark, so left it for Wednesday. Several guys asked if I was playing pool tomorrow. Maybe should have gone to practice in the pool hall after supper, naw, I'll just take my beatings. The first ice cream social is Sunday & already had questions about whether we would be involved. Hardly seems like we left, LOL. Went to the big buffet for dinner, this is almost a tradition with us. We seem to do it every year.

Vegas - Baby!

Got to Las Vegas in the middle of the morning when traffic was light, so made it through in good time. We have been through here so many times that we never stop, thankfully not for fuel as I saw prices for regular around $3.75/gal. That would be pretty close to what we pay around home. These American gallons are only 80% of the Imperial gallon we used to use in Canada, so the conversion is about 4 to 1.
As you can see in the pics, it was a nice sunny, clear day. Good travel day.

Virgin River gorge

Long day, left St George at 8AM, bought gas - $2.95/gal, best rate we saw after leaving Utah. I think that must be around 75 cents/litre. Nice travel day, started out cool & got very warm through the day. The really nice part of this trip is the trip through the Virgin River gorge. Very scenic.

Monday 2 January 2012

Jan 2nd

We were in bed early, so got a good start, well almost. When we got in last night I filled the car with gas & washed it. The problem was the wash, once I opened the drivers door, it would not latch again. Tried everything, even driving & holding it, not something I recomend. The least bit of right hand turn and the door wants to fly open. I hoped the motion sensor that locks the door would latch it, don't try this kids. Finally after sitting with the heater on high it suddenly latched. Happy day. Had breakfast in the hotel & it was great. Note to all travellers on I-15, if you see those free magazines in the rest stops, take one. The hotel deals are fabulous. Another guest was right next to Marg when she checked in with the coupon & with their AMA discount, they still paid $20 more than us. On the road around 7:30AM. I was pretty chilly in the AM: 14F or about minus 8C. Roads were dry & clear, used the cruise control almost all the way, except in the construction zones. That is basically half the way through Salt Lake City. Must have been lots of people with the day of in-place of New Years day as traffic was as light as we have ever seen it. The weather got warmer with each passing mile. Stopped in Nephi for lunch & had a nice salad. We find it helps to eat light when we are sitting in the car all day. When we came out of the restaraunt, 2 mexican women asked Marg for directions to New Mexico, a place we have never been. Her response was - ask my husband, he does all the navigating. As it turns out all they wanted to know was whether to turn left or right to get on the freeway. Pretty adventurous pair as they still had to cross through Colorado to get where they wanted to go. Could not believe the number of speeders on the section of highway that is posted 80 mph, I think we saw 3 or 4 pulled over by the highway patrol. Like how fast do you need to go, who do they think they are, Bill? LOL Got in to St George around 3:00PM [800 kms]. Got the motorhome all flushed out and things packed away in pretty good time. Pretty uneventful, other than it is very dusty. We rented a site of tonight, so will leave for AJ in the morning. Went to Cracker Barrel for dinner & it was very good. Marg went in the store part while we were waiting for our dinner and came out with a shopping bag full of Christmas stuff, like ornaments. After supper to Walmart for groceries, but never saw any of those people in the emails that go around. It just occurs to me that if you don't see any of those people you might be them, gee, I sure hope not. LOL Will try & lighten it up with some pictures tomorrow.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Day two on the Snowbird migration

HAPPY NEW YEAR Wow another year has come & gone, with any luck 2012 will be the best yet. We got away from Lethbridge pretty early & traffic was very light, everyone in town must have slept in, probably happened to most of you. We heard from the Smith's who made it back to B'ham and were pretty tired from the 9 hr flight. Oh yeh, this is about us, so: After leaving Lethbridge on a long lonesome highway, we got to the border at Coutts around 9 AM and managed to liberate two nice bottles of Dalwhinnie - 15 yr to make the journey with us. Got a border agent with no sense of ha-ha, but he let us through anyway. Got to Great Falls for lunch & the first cheap gas we have seen in a while. Funny thing, a guy in the duty free pulled in behind us at the gas pump & asked if I had found a short cut, pretty funny. The roads were bare and dry, so we were able to use the cruise control all the way to Helena. After that we entered the Deer Park/Elk Park pass where they must have had snow last night. Slush & ice all over, but the driving lane was pretty clean. Saw the police & ambulance dealing with a guy who wrapped his SUV around a guard rail shortly before we got there. Everyone slowed to about 55 mph after that - for about 2 miles, anyway. Got to Butte where the weather cleared and the highway was again dry and clear. Back to using the cruise control at 75 mph after that, made pretty good time. Temperature at Lethbridge was minus 14C, but it warmed through the day, we saw 35F near the end of the day. Traffic was fairly light all day, saw quite a few snowbirds. Got into Pocatello, Idaho around 6PM, some 1,000 km's today. Checked into one of our fav hotels, the Best Western, where it's all I can do to keep Marg from stealing the bed covers, they are so attractive. Off to Appleby's for dinner, almost forgot how good the food is there. Made great time today and tomorrow should be within striking distance of the motorhome in St George. Our challenge tomorrow will be getting getting through the dreaded Salt Lake City gauntlet, as we are about 3 hours north of there and noon hour is not a pretty sight.