Sunday 16 December 2018

Sunday, Dec 16th

Well this is it, our last post for 3 weeks as we fly home tomorrow.
  I started the day attending the church service here in the park.  It was well attended which was nice to see.  The theme today was the first Christmas so the hymns were Christmas carols, as was the music.  The congregation did an amazing job with them, well for this group.  It was so compelling Gary and I almost sang.  LOL  The sermon was a little long, but a timeless message.
  When I got back, Marg was packing some things and doing up the last of the laundry.  She gets into multi-tasking mode at times like this, so it's hard to accurately describe her activities.  There have been lots of people concerned about pictures on the FB pages for the association while I am away, so I met with Rita, the assoc. president to try and clarify a few things so she can address the issue on Thursday at coffee.
  We went out for lunch to Appleby's.  It was amazing, the place wasn't all that busy, so we got right in.  I don't recollect this ever happening.  We haven't been for quite a while, so it was good.  Marg had an appy combo and when it came there was no way she could eat it all.  Our waitress said she generally gets in on 1/2 price Tuesdays when it lasts her for a couple days.  Well true enough, as Marg took over half of it home for the evening.  I had the whiskey burger.  It is amazing and just about all a person can handle.  We both left stuffed.
  To walk it off we went in to Burlington Coat.  The selection they had was at it's best, probably to accommodate Christmas shoppers.  We went to the baby area, where ggrandma picked up a couple things. I had to remind her we are not checking any luggage, it is strictly carry-on tomorrow.  Well that might of cut the trip short, but it didn't seem it to me.
  When we got back to the park it was almost time for happy hour.  We don't normally go on Sunday, but we did today as we wanted to say a few good byes.  It was on the patio today and the hosts were a couple from Ontario.  There were lots of folks there and even a couple who are new to the park.  They were interesting to talk to and seem to be enjoying it here.  He flies his own plane and has it at a nearby airport, they are from Saskatchewan.
  Happy dragged on a bit, so after a short break it was ice cream social.  Banana split for one of us and ice cream and cake for the other.  You know which each of us had.
  Can't keep this laptop out of the backpack any longer.  So long until January 7th or 8th. 
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Saturday 15 December 2018

Saturday, Dec 15th.

A bit chillier today in the valley of the sun, even though the sun was out doing it's best to warm us up.  Long pants and a jacket were the order of the day, but then you know me a short pants.  I was up at 6:30 this morning as the neighbours across the road were getting a parking pad and the mixer pulled up about that time.  I got an email from friends at home in our complex, inviting us to a happy hour 2 days after we get home.  Good folks and it should be fun, looks the liver gets no break at home after all.
  Still had some monkey bread, so that was breakfast for me.  There was a breakfast at the hall this morning, but just can't waste that delicious bread.  After we got organized we went out to the Mesa market.  I had books to sell and needed to get a couple as I was running low on reading material.  She bought 8 from me, so I still had 4 she didn't want right now.  I guess her business is a bit slow but when it picks up in January she said to bring them back.  In fact the whole market seems to be experiencing a slow start to the winter season as the parking lot had lots of empty space.  We certainly aren't buying stuff like we have in past.  I did get 3 books and Marg found a shirt, then we left.
  We stopped at Harbor Freight on the way home.  There were a couple of limited time offers, so I bought a claw hammer and a multi point electric cord.  I bought the cord to replace a power bar as I've been seeing reports of too many of them melted.  I looked at a 4 1/2" angle grinder, it was $10, but decided that I really don't need it.  Oh yes, the free gift, well today I picked a package of micro fibre cloths.  Marg's response was how may of those do you have?  Well the answer is not enough, LOL.  I use them for different purposes so some get discarded.  As usual I have a stack of the coupons for the free gift.  I get them mailed to me, in the paper and when you buy things get them handed out in the bag.  With my coupon I got the claw hammer for $2.99 and the sales clerk said it has a life time replacement warranty on it.  I've had a lot hammers, but never wore one out yet. LOL
  When we got back I cleaned my golf clubs.  They really get a lot of mud on them at times.  When we play in the morning, the course is usually pretty damp, so if you take a divot [I almost always do] the club gets into the mud.  While some courses have sprinkler systems, many are flooded at night, 
  Supper was bbq steak, another nice piece of Az beef, baked potato and veg.  We never had dessert as we had the Christmas party after and were expecting some treats.  We knew from earlier conversations that 3 guys who too the baking classes a couple years back made cookies for the party. 
  The party started at 7 and Barb had asked me to take pictures, so I had to be there before that.  In the typical manner of the older generation we got there early and found that there were already about 15 couples seated.  The party was good, it started with a visit from Santa and pictures in an area they set up with the jolly old elf.  I play golf and pool with him a bit, in fact a couple of days back he was the fellow I left a game to play with as he was by himself.  The party had a 50/50 draw for the local food bank and they are collecting food as well to donate.  There were a couple of games, one with stacking presents and taking them to the other side, the other was decorating the human Christmas tree.  There were a number of presents given away, cookies and other treats, hot cocoa, spiced cider.  It was a fun time and easy to get pictures.
  Tomorrow will be a busy day as we leave early on Monday, our ride is picking us up at 5:45 AM.  We may get a blog tomorrow, but we'll see.  Merry Christmas!  Ho Ho Ho!
  I don't plan on blogging while at home, so will likely start again around January 8th.

Friday, Dec 15th

Ooops, fell asleep last night after so much time outdoors, I guess.
  It was a busy day.  Marg started the day baking the two pans of monkey bread she assembled the night before.  They turned out excellent and the sauce was perfect, dripping down the sides of the bread.  There was so much that she sent me around to the neighbours [6 of them] with a chink of it.  I saw a few in their dressing gowns or housecoats, not sure which you call them.  Everyone appreciated Marg's generosity.
  After Marg had identified a couple of yard sales she wanted to check out, so after 4 or 5 of them we returned with a lamp shade.  She has taken to looking on line for these and some are better at describing an elaborate sale than others.  Sometimes they are a bit over-rated.  The last one we went to had a Wells Fargo strongbox for $350.  That was quite a price tag, so I looked it over and am pretty certain it was a re-creation looking for an unwary byer.
  When we got back Marg did some laundry.  She had to go to the laundry in the park as she had a lot of bedding and it works better using the dryers.  I generally go along to help fold sheets as it works better with 2.  One of the ladies in the park was there watching and asked how long it took her to train me to fold the fitted bed sheet.  I guess her husband doesn't do that.  LOL
  In the afternoon I played pool.  It was the same 3 as the other day and I think I was on a losing side more than winning today.  Some days the balls just don't go in as well as others.  My game did improve as we got closer to the end, but it's like Brian says:  no one remembers how it went after you walk out the door.
   Marg went over to help the other ladies in the entertainment committee set up for the evening.  They dragged a table over there and Gary got them power.  She took her good deal coffee urn, so between them they had 3; for coffee, hot chocolate & hot spiced apple.  They finished decorating the Christmas tree, something new this year is that it's a memory tree.  People donated ornaments that they put a name on.  If you recall Marg had 2, one for us the other for Nancy.
  The Christmas parade started shortly after.  I believe there were 15 carts, 4 bicycles and a couple people walking.  There were quite a few residents who opted to watch.  Marg had a basket of candy and candy canes that she liberally doled out to the watchers.  In a couple of cases groups of watchers did likewise.
  At one group we got a cup of snacks, at another a jello shooter.  It was all good fun.  After the parade everyone gathered by the tree for the lighting party.  There were carolers and cookies with the hot drinks and a count down to turn on the lights. 
 Well we had been so busy we hadn't eaten when it was all over, so we just had finger food when we got back.  Nacho's here just seem better, which is what we had as well as some shrimp.  I probably dozed off somewhere along there so an making it up this morning.

Thursday 13 December 2018

Thursday, Dec 13th

We started our day at the koffee klatch, where we were lucky enough to get a fritter.  Neither of us like the donuts with icing, so usually have nothing when that is our only option.  The meeting was well attended this morning so we were lucky as ours was the last table drawn to go up for donuts.
  They had a video to play on the 3 TV sets in the clubhouse this morning but had trouble setting the TV's to the right mode.  Well you guessed it if you thought Dave could so do this.  It seems I am now the recognized authority on another field of electronic expertise.  All this serves to demonstrate how poorly my generation has adapted to technology.  Anyway we had the video on a new activity that is starting on Sunday her in the park - Chair Yoga.  It seems yoga isn't slow enough moving, so now you can do it while sitting on a chair.  Will be interesting to see how many people are interested.
  When we got back I had to drive Marg in for major surgery, she got a pedicure.  LOL If you have ever seen the challenge of her toe nails, you can appreciate this is not far from the truth.  The gal seemed to do a good enough job on the toe nails, although she did cause a minor injury to one toe that caused it to bleed a bit.  Part of the service is they paint the nails after and she chose a nice bright pink.  Well she does wear open toed shoes and flip flops here, so I guess that's important.  We also picked up some Christmas-y candy while out there, so we have some to hand out during the parade tomorrow.  She was also concerned that the park managers grandchildren will likely be here, so wanted something special for them.  They all look for Marg whenever they are in the park.  You may have heard this before, but it goes back to when we were on the hill in the motorhome.  Our RV site was right next to the office for about 6 years where she gave them treats when they were in the park.
  After lunch she washed and cleaned the golf cart.  Then we decorated it.  Marg had some stuff left from last year and some acquired this year which seemed to do the trick. We even have a little string of battery operated lights that she got earlier.  It took a bit of creative work to get some of the stuff, like garlands to stay on and with any luck it will. 
  She also did a bit of steaming of the laundry from yesterday and today.  I took the animal trap back to Gary as we never saw anything of whatever was tunneling under the patio stones.
  It was happy hour at Gary & Patti's so a must go this afternoon.  I had a round wood piece that was actually a lid from something, on which I used my rotary tool to carve a large number "2" and the letters "IT".  I was looking for an opportunity to give it to Gary, so made a bit of a production in the presentation, talking about how busy he is that he can't get around to everything.  It didn't hurt that Patti made the most of saying that was true.  It was certainly good for a laugh.  There were lots of people and Gary had a wood fire in his backyard fire pit.  We were supposed to be hosts tomorrow afternoon, but with the parade, it is cancelled.  We drove the cart over there and nothing fell off, so we should be good for tomorrow.
  Supper tonight was breakfast for supper.  An addition was Marg made biscuits and we had homemade jam from one of our neighbours.  A nice touch.
  As I sit here writing this Marg is making 2 bunt pans of stick buns for tomorrow.  Not certain what the plan is but I'm certain we are not going to be eating all of them.  Stay tuned.
  Just a note on closing.  Phil, I know how miserable a cold can be and hope you get rid of it soon.

Wednesday 12 December 2018

Wednesday, Dec 12th

Another chilly morning that warmed up to shirt sleeve weather by 10.  I think the temp on the truck said 7C this morning, but was in the 20 area by noon.
  Marg went with Lynett to the Fort today.  This was a first for them, the gamblin' gals down to two of them.  They played some bingo without any success and won a bit in the casino. It was a fun day from what I heard and quite different from previous trips.
  Gerry came out and we went to the golf at Apache Sun.  We were paired with a couple of guys from across the road from our site today.  It was the first time we played with them and they were fun to play.  My round started off slow, but picked up.  I did hit one ball out of bounds over the fence on #3.  Not sure where it landed, but that's a cross your fingers thing. It was a zero turtle day and sure enough no one was in the water.  One of the guys across the road won the long putt and the other won the closest to the pin, so that really lightened things up.  My score was better than Monday, so a successful game.
  When I got back I had some activity notices to post on the tenants assoc. FB page.   I have it figured out fairly well now and the new printer is much easier to use for scanning this kind of thing.  A quick sandwich while I did this and then I intended to go play pool.  When I went out I discovered a load in the wash machine, so thought I would take it out.  I got it laid out on Marg's drying racks.  There you have it, now I am doing laundry.  LOL
  Went to play pool and got with 3 guys who are pretty good, so had some good games.  A fellow came in to play, but no one else showed up, so I left the group I was playing with to play the new guy.  The others just played 3, which is pretty common.  It's just something that is commonly done here, so people don't feel excluded.  The guy I played was a character, saying it was a great day for him.  First he beat Mickey at golf this morning and then he beat me at our first game of pool [the first time for both of these wins].  That's the reason we're all here, just to have a little fun.
  By the time Marg got back we had to make our way down to the clubhouse.  It was Gary's burgers tonight and that is always popular.  We were lucky as Blanke's went in just ahead of us, so we sat together.  They are leaving tomorrow, driving home to Kansas for Christmas as well as to get a medical situation looked at.  We sat with the pastor and his wife and a couple from GP.  They had a large turnout at the burgers and we seemed to get fed promptly.
  After eating we stopped at Blanke's to visit for a bit with them leaving tomorrow morning.  Fingers crossed things work out for them and they are back by the time we return. Then I went to poker.  We had 7 players, pretty much the maximum.  Marg's buddy Lynett plays with us on a regular basis.  It was a fun group and we had a lot more laughter than usual.  I won a few hands and think I must have been close to even, a good way to finish the year.

Tuesday 11 December 2018

Tuesday, Dec 11th

Got out early today as we needed water.  We generally don't drink the tap water, rather buy water in 5 gal. bottles for our water cooler.  At Fry's its $1 to fill the bottle.  I also bought a 24 pack of bottled water.  Even though we are not big fans of the plastic waste, it is a convenience thing when we are travelling or going out.  We prefer water even when out and about and don't like to resort to soda pop or other drinks of that nature. While we often refill the bottles, there is a limit to how many times we do that and still have good water.  We often use the filtered water for coffee or especially tea, so go through a fair amount.
  While out I stumbled on to a nice bottle of scotch at a good price and they said it goes very well with a splash of water.  It was a gift pack with two mini bottles accompanying a 750 ml.  So there seemed like enough good reasons and I bought it to try it.  LOL
  When I got back I called Air Canada to get information on our flight home.  Normally they ask you to be there 3 hours before an international flight.  We are leaving at 8:20 AM, so that would mean leaving the park here before 5AM.  They advised that as we are not checking any luggage, if we print our boarding pass at home we can treat it like a domestic flight and arrive 2 hours before flight time.  The only unknown was the delay going through security, but he suggested that should be fine.  He also said if we are holding a boarding pass we will get on as long as the gate is open.  This is what we anticipated, but wanted a little more assurance that our plans were OK.
  Lunch was planned overs from the chicken and pasta dinner the other night.  It was still good, you can feed me pasta, especially in a tomato sauce almost anytime.  We also finished the last of our oranges and they were still good as well.  Oranges are just that much fresher here and one of the things we look forward to.  We are starting to get into reduce mode.  Reduce the amount of food in the fridge or anything that will spoil as we will be gone for 3 weeks. 
  It was another day of Christmas cards.  Numerous people stopping by to drop off a card and generally Marg chats with them.  Well really there are only women doing this exchange.  We put the cards on the valances over our windows and are running out of room already.  Our count is somewhere around 2 dozen, some are really nice.  They always remind me of when we used to keep them until the following Christmas and then cut pieces out of the front picture to use as gift tags on presents.
  After lunch we did some house work.  I vacuumed, then Marg washed the floors.  It's easier for me to move furniture around to get at places where dust can go unnoticed.  Then I went and cleaned the bbq as we were going to need it for supper.  We also had a facetime with the Smiths and later when our company arrived, Marg had one with Vanessa & Daniel.
  Gerry & Debby arrived around 4:30 so we had time for a cocktail or two before eating.  Supper was burgers and salad finished off with Marg's homemade brownies.  They are always good and popular, tonight was no exception.  After things were all cleaned up we all left for bingo here in the clubhouse.  We were pretty close all night by Gerry & Deb both won.  They split their good fortune with us, so it cost us nothing to play tonight.
  A topic at the hall tonight among us Canuck Snowbirds was the dollar.  We are taking a real beating this year and close to $1.40 for a U.S. buck.  I jokingly said if we don't return they will know why.  We haven't been reduced to no name beer yet, but it could happen.

Monday 10 December 2018

Monday, Dec 10th

It was a bit chilly and windy in AJ this morning.  Got up and out to go golfing with Mickey & Gerry.  Mickey picked me up at 9 and I drove to Encanto.  The 202 was mostly pretty good, but by the time we got to where it meets the 51 and then through the city center it was very busy.  We got to Encanto in good time, out tee time was 10:15 and we were there about a half hour early.  The change in weather from AJ to downtown Phoenix was amazing.  It was very warm at the course, too warm for the sweater and jacket or long pants.  Fortunately I wore the zip off pants, so played in shorts.  The course was not too busy so they sent us out a bit early.  I had a few bright spots in a tough day, I never lost a ball.  Probably because I didn't hit it very far, LOL.  Struggled with the driver and putter, but I did hit the 60 degree wedge a couple of times where it bailed me out.  The course played well, we were sent out a bit early and turned in the carts shortly after 2.  So this put us on the road back to AJ at an ideal time of day.
  Marg went out for a few things today.  She got a few things for the bbq tomorrow. Gerry and Deb are coming here for bingo, so we invited them for burgers if they came a bit early.  She also stopped by Bells and I think she may have picked up something for Paityn.  She got a couple more Christmas cards out and a few more showed up at our place.  The place is looking more festive with them hanging about.
  There is going to be a park model for sale very soon.  It is owned by a friend of Marg's in Alberta as she has not intention to return here.  She told Marg there are 8 interested or prospective buyers with both Mickey & Gerry in that group.  Gerry advised today that they will not be, but Mickey is still in.  It's a very desirable unit because of the location and condition.  There are bound to be some friends competing with other friends, so I am relieved that Gerry will not be in the middle of it.  For those of us not in the group, it makes for interesting gossip and speculation.
  Happy hour was on our street today, so we went.  It was pretty cool by then, definitely back to long pants and jackets.  Some interesting conversation today, one of the more interesting was a decision to go caroling around the park on Christmas eve. You can imagine how I hate to miss that, so I told them about Charlene's request back when we had the cabin.  Evenings we used to sit around the fire and often Bernie would play his guitar so we would sing.  Charlene came to me one time and asked "Don't sing tonight OK dad".
  Supper tonight was breaded cutlets.  They are not all that common to find, so Marg got a few packages of them when she found them.  Made for a nice dinner.  As luck would have it there was still a piece of lemon pie and it was still very good as well.
 

Sunday 9 December 2018

Sunday, Dec 9th

The day started a bit overcast but it cleared quickly and became just another gorgeous one in the valley.
  I went to the service in the clubhouse this morning and it was well attended.  There was definitely a theme to the service relating to the first Christmas.  The trumpet lady was back and making her presence known.  Her music is OK, but it just seems a bit much in a room that size.
  When I got back, Marg was finished with her morning routine, so we headed out for a bit of retail therapy.  JC Penney are having a big sale offering substantial discounts store-wide.  They went up as high as 60% and then an additional 15% of selected lines.  Thanks to my persuasive wife I got 3 shirts and a pair of shoes, sort of sneakers I guess.  Marg found a pair of slacks and a top that she was happy with.  Then I talked her into a pair of gold earrings, that were 60% off and then some.  They look great on her.
  After shopping we went to the food court as the store is in the Superstition mall.  Our choice was SBarro, a version of a fast food pizza joint.  The good is pretty good and the way they make it fast is to have it pre-cooked then throw it in the oven to warm when you buy it.  There are lots of options and the pizza is actually pretty good.
    On the way back home we stopped at Safeway.  We were out of bananas and needed some breakfast bars.  As the restaurant is still not open at Encanto I take them for something to fill the gap at mid-day.  Got the call from Gerry enroute that we are playing at 10:15 tomorrow, then sent a text to Mickey letting him know.  He replied saying at 9AM the golf-mobile would be at my place.  Should be a nice day tomorrow, with any luck the traffic will be not too bad.
   After we got back, Marg mad a chicken dish for the slow cooker and then went out to deliver her Christmas cards.  I declined, knowing how any trip around the park works out.  She was gone for a long time as there were many conversation stops as she made her rounds.  She also came back with a few cards and a few more showed up at the door.  By then it was getting close to 4, so a bit of a discussion on go/no go.  We don't normally go on Sunday, but did today.  It turned out to be mostly the people we hang out with, so a good visit, especially if you didn't already do that going around the park.  LOL
  Supper was very good and we finished off with a piece of the lemon meringue pie.  It is still great, but I was uncertain as there was an ice cream social yet tonight.  Oh what the hay, we went to ice cream, but both just had a bowl, no banana split tonight.  I think Marg had cake, but I never even had room for that.  A bit different group tonight, I ended up chatting with the park owner, his son and grandson.  He spent a bit of time trying to convince me how well the park's internet is working now.  We have made a commitment for this year and even though the park system is about $20 a month less, I think we will stay with what is the proven option.
  After ice cream, Marg stayed at the clubhouse to play 31.  They have always played after, but this is the first time either of us has played.  They play for quarters, no not 3 quarters.  Apparently they give you chips to pay with.  Marg won the first two games and even thought her back was getting tired, she felt she had to stay to give them a chance at getting some of their money back.

Saturday 8 December 2018

Saturday, Dec 8th

The day started out foggy. I have never seen it this foggy in the 10 years we have been wintering in AJ.  It made for damp weather, a number of people said, just like Vancouver.  The fog lasted until mid morning and by noon it was a beautiful day.
  I went for breakfast in the clubhouse.  It was a new kitchen group and they made a few changes, including sticky cinnamon buns.  There were 3 choices: with nuts or with raisins or plain.  They were pretty good, but they also had icing and most people thought they were too sweet.  The bacon, eggs and pancakes were just fine.  They had a good turnout, which was good to see.
  Marg did Christmas cards while I was away.  A lot of people in the park exchange cards and she is one of them, particularly with the people we hang out with.  It's quite a bit of work with the number she does. When I got back we went out to the hardware store where I had to exchange an extension cord.  Then it was on to Harbour Freight where I got a small rotary tool for $10 and a couple other things.  Yes I got my free gift, it is a metal magnetic dish.  These are great when you take something apart to hold the nuts and bolts.  Marg went in to the Goodwill store next door looking for an outrageous Christmas sweater, apparently there is to be a contest on these and we don't have one to compete with.  I'm not certain we either need to or want to compete in this, LOL.  Last time I went in there was to get a sport coat to dress up for a goofy lip-synch act.
  On the way back we spotted an Estate Sale sign, so made a detour.  These are usually pretty good sales when the children are selling everything off.  This one did not have great direction signs, in fact Marg said it would be a miracle if anyone found it.  Well the miracle happened.  Hah  When we got there, it was a great disappointment.  Judging by what they were selling the person who died must have been a junk collector.  Nothing bought there, we already have better junk than they did.
  When we got back I installed the motion light on the back patio.  Tonight was bbq for supper and it gets so dark I wanted it operating by then.  I also messed around with the rotary tool, I'm tying to make something and if it works out will post a picture.  If not you'll probably never hear about it.  We had lunch and then I went to play some pool.  The games were all close, so it was fun.  I certainly never won them all as Brian plays a good game.  Marg had been given some lemons from Janice next door that came off her tree.  So today was her day to make a lemon meringue pie.  She complains about this stove, but the pie came out looking great.
  By the time I got back Marg had all her cards done, so that was good news.  There was no happy hour today as the couple scheduled left for home to attend a Christmas concert.  I used to love those when the kids were small.  They would get all excited at the prospect of being on stage.  Some very fond memories of both our children and grandchildren at these.  See how easily I am off on a tangent.  Lynett stopped by to see if we knew anything about happy and stayed to have a cold coffee & Baileys with Marg.  I had a beer, so I guess you could say the three of us had a mini happy hour.
  As I said earlier it was bbq tonight.  We cooked up T-bone steak from ones we got from Safeway last week.  It was very good, so tender and juicy.  Then came the best part, dessert - the pie of course and it was delicious.

Friday 7 December 2018

Friday, Dec 7th

A nice day in the valley today.  The weather was back to shirt sleeve weather.
  Marg & I went out check out a park sale just south of here.  It was a nice park, so we thought nice junk today.  At the first place we stopped in they had a sign in front that said something like:  my husband said I had to choose, him or bingo.  I still miss him.  On the patio, the old guy was there helping out, so I said to him, I saw the sign so you must have got back in on good terms. He turned out to be quite a character and had a good laugh about that.  His wife talked Marg into a huge bag that she could carry both her purse and purchases in.  Then she found a couple of Himalayan natural salt stone candle holders.  I never knew we needed them, but apparently they give off a aura and improve your chakra.  Can hardly wait.
  Yesterday she saw a warehouse sale that seemed to have everything, now that is worth getting excited about.  So we plugged in the GPS and went right across greater Phoenix to Glendale.  It took the better part of an hour at 75 mph to get there.  It was so far, we stopped at Encanto where I showed here where I go to play golf with Gerry.  She was concerned about the traffic, but more so with the need to cross the busy road on the carts.  I think she thought the area looked pretty nice, but was really hung up with the road crossing.  When we got there, it looked like a chop shop or something like that.  We couldn't find the bay with the sale, so I asked a guy with more tattoos that you have ever seen if he knew where it was. He was busy putting wheels on a car, looking a both I think the wheels were worth more than the car.  It didn't seem like a place to get out of the truck or even slow down.  LOL  We left without ever finding any sale. 
  We started heading back home and got back to the freeway with only one wrong turn, pretty easy.  We came through the tunnel downtown again and it was bumper to bumper in all 8 lanes each way.  Lunch hour traffic I guess.  By then we were starting to think a washroom and a bite to eat would be a good idea, so I took an exit around Tempe.  There weren't too many places with food, but we found a Jack In The Box, so stopped there.  The bathroom doors were locked and we had to be buzzed in by the cashier.  Hmm, that's unusual. I had a nice chicken sandwich, Marg had a thing that looked like poutine.  We also had something called Churros.  There were really good.  The place was clean, food good, but Marg kept being concerned by one of the customers who had an ankle bracelet on.  You know the kind you get when you are out on a legal parole.  Anyway we were ready for the road having had all our basic needs met.  You see lots of stuff here that is different.  What kind, well like yesterday in Walmart.  A young guy with a buggy that he had two young sons in was at the cash in front of us.  What's unusual about that well, he had the biggest honking pistol in a holster on his waist.  Made you feel secure just having him around in case of trouble.
  Oh yeh, back to today's story.  Lots of traffic going through Tempe where the 101 & 202 meet, only 6 lanes each way.  We got almost back to our park and spotted a sign - Estate Sale.  These are usually good ones, so stopped.  The fellow had a lot of knives, some very old train sets, a couple very old guns and lots of household stuff.  On gun was a side hammer 12 gauge with Damascus steel barrels in pretty nice condition.  The second was a Harpers Ferry musket from the American Civil War era.  I believe it would be a little over 200 yrs old.  It was only $150, but in pretty rough condition.  Marg bought some Christmas decorations for the golf cart parade.  I looked at a couple of knives, but the guy had them priced a little high in my estimation.  Some were new, but he had a nice lock-back Henry I had interest in but it was well worn for what he was asking.  So I bought nothing.  We made about 100 miles to get to that sale in our neighbourhood.
  Our neighbours got a new trailer today and traded their motorhome on it.  The two other couples across the road joined us for a drink while we watched.  Then we went to happy down the end of the block.  On the way back home, the people across were still having their happy hour, so we stopped to hear about the new trailer and Marg accepted a Moscow Mule from them.  I had a couple of sips but it was pretty terrible.
  By then it was time to eat, so we went out with a small group in the park, about 14 of us.  We went to the Dirtwater CafĂ© as a lot of them like to go out for fish on Friday.  We always sit in the back of the restaurant, its kind of a patio bar and has a singer who does country songs.  It was out first time this year, but we've eaten there dozens of times.  The fish is cod and is always good.  Well the place sure changed, new tables and chairs, new fancy patio heaters, new menu.  The prices were new as well, they were a bit higher and the portions a bit smaller.  Marg & I both had fish & chips and it was good, so was the music.  Oh yes, I had a beer, Marg a margarita, both were very nice.  Kind of a neat place, a former owner of the place came to our table to chat us up, he is Canadian but has been there for 40 yrs and then the singer did likewise. Lots of laughs.
  Then home where we finished up the peach cobbler with a cup of coffee.

Thursday 6 December 2018

Thursday, Dec 6th

The day started off nice, but we were forecast to have rain.  It's funny, the rains started in Phoenix early in the morning, but the weather system was moving so slow that it never reached AJ until shortly after noon.  We would have called it a sprinkle, but in the desert they celebrate all moisture, so it was a rain shower of 1/10th of an inch.  In the high country the rain is actually what we would call a shower, and even some snow in some areas,
  Marg was up early [6:00 AM] so went to the coffee klatch this morning with a couple of the gamblin' gals.  I guess it ran long today owing to the number of presentations.  Lynett is on the association exec as vice president, so they had to stay for the whole show.  The park owner did a presentation on the internet, which is apparently working now, the police did a presentation on traffic & school zones plus all the regular stuff.  Shortly after 11 they left for the Fort and their day of fun.
  I pulled up a bunch of paving stones on the patio to re-level them as they were separating around the edges.  I also pulled up a bunch around the area I looked at before to see if there was any more evidence of the critter that I hadn't detected, but there was none.  Oh the trap, well still empty.  Gary stopped by to see how I was making out with it and offered to set up a trail or game cam to capture a picture so we could see what we are dealing with as it appears to be nocturnal.  He thinks it might be a pocket gopher as they had some last year down by the walking track.  I had placed some poison bait out and it may be that the critter found it, but so far no sign of it.  We decided to wait a bit longer for the cam.  Then I did some work on the closet door with my plane.  I have this almost antique one and it was sticking at the header. 
  Meanwhile at the casino, they only had a half hour in the casino.  During this time Marg managed to pick a hot machine that she cashed out $225 in winnings, so a good start to her day.  The bingo owing to an internet glitch made it necessary for them to manually enter called numbers in the electronic units.  In addition they had to manually operate changes in games, so the process was much slower.  I got a text from her saying they would be late today.  There were no winners in bingo today, and after I thought I had shown them the way.  LOL
   In the afternoon I worked went out to the two hardware stores looking for a couple of things.  The other day I bought a motion light for the back patio, but there is no electrical connection, so I needed wire.  The patio at night is dark as a cave and makes for interesting time at the bbq.  Didn't get a chance to install it as the rain started.  As well the other day I had bought an LED bulb that is designed to be day-light bright.  Well it's almost to bright for reading, so I got a soft white bulb, but still LED, it's much better.
  No happy hour today, so I stopped in at Blanke's for a visit.  Marg got back to the park just after 5 so we went out to Ihop for supper.  Always a good choice for me, but I was a bit disappointed.  It seems they have reduced the size of the pancakes, but increased the dollop of butter to put on them.  Now who would have come up with that idea?

Wednesday 5 December 2018

WEdnesday, Dec 5th

A nicer day today, even though the evening was chilly, the sun was out and it warmed very quickly.  Checked the trap, still nothing, but the marshmallows are intact.
  I went out with the group at Apache Sun this morning.  Gerry came from Phoenix, so he drove today.  The first hole was a bit difficult for me, a combination of the extra shirt / jacket and the heavy dew on the grass.  The ball had a rooster tail when it ran on the fairway.  We were a three some and teamed up with Gary who is normally a very good golfer.  I think it was more I was having a good day while they were having an average day.  LOL  Anyway I never lost a ball and carded a 41, which for me is about as good as it gets.  Gerry was only 44, but last week he had an amazing round so you know the story. It was a fun game.
  Marg went out to Fry's and got some amazing deals this morning on groceries.  In addition to the sale items, being the first Wednesday of the month seniors get an additional 10%.  She thought the bill would be over $200, but with the savings it was only $108.  One of the gamblin gals became a great grandmother yesterday, so Marg got a baby gift for her to take to Minnesota.  She also did laundry as it was a nice day and we are expecting some rain for a couple of days.  It was perfect drying weather which really helps with the process.  While waiting she also did banking for the receipts we have.  She checks them against the credit card or bank account to make sure everything is at it should be.  For the most part she doesn't find problems although it has happened that she has detected a problem.  A busy morning for her.
  We had a quick lunch and then I went to play pool.  She drove me there on the cart so she could get the mail.  Then she putzed around the house.  My pool game was above average today and even though I was playing two guys who normally give me lessons, I managed more wins than losses.  Just another fun time, I guess.  We had a nice face time with Charlene and Sophie.  She had lots to tell great grandma today.
  Happy hour was at Lynett's tonight.  It was well attended with people right out to the end of her driveway and a row of carts out front of her place.  It was really noisy, so hard to hold meaningful conversations, but the gals seemed to be doing better at it than the guys.  After happy it was supper, Marg made a kind of stir fry with chicken, vegetables and rice that she seasoned so it was very tasty.  We managed to have dessert with the peach cobbler again and as luck would have it there was ice cream to go on top.
  By then it was time for poker, so I went, we had 7 players tonight.  The game started out poorly for me, but gradually I started to get hands and win more.  There were at least 4 players who didn't fare well, but not sure who the winners were as everyone says they are close to even, makes you wonder what happened to all the money lost.  LOL  I did pretty well, my little bag was half full when I went but was bulging when I got home.  Just an all round great day for yours truly.

Tuesday 4 December 2018

Tuesday, Dec 4th

A bit chilly this morning, but I went for a bike ride with one of the guys in the park.  Charlie normally likes a longer ride than I do, but the wind really made the ride more challenging today.  We made about 5 miles, which for me is about right.  I rode the Giant again today.  It certainly is a better ride than my original bike.  The gear changes are smoother and the patterns seem to be a better range.
  When I got back, I checked the trap, nothing caught, but we think it may be squirrels.  Marg was waiting to go to the Christmas tree set up & took the two decorations she had to put on, but she wanted me to write the names on them.  The idea is everyone will put a decoration on with their names & the year printed on them.  She had two large balls to put on, one for us and the other for the Johnsons as her friend Nancy sold out this year.
  When she got back we went to get fuel at the Chevron just up Ironwood.  We normally don't go there, but the Safeway points are redeemable there and Marg had 20 cents a gallon discount.  This brought the price down to 2.59/gallon or 68 cents/litre.  Knowing we had the discount we let the truck get low and put in $60 after about a $5 savings.  Then it was on to Walmart where we got a few things we needed.  There were some good deals, like the butter - 2 pounds for $5, the English muffins for $1 and the sink strainer for under $2 [the old one was leaking].
  When we got back home we had bacon and eggers with the back bacon & muffins we got at Walmart.  In the afternoon we cleaned house a bit.  Marg did some vacuuming and cleaned the kitchen sink, she wanted it to match the shiny new sink drain, I guess.  We both washed the bath tub and tub surround.  We don't have a hand held shower so it's a bit more work.  Something to think about, perhaps we should get one.  Anyway we got it scrubbed clean and the bathroom pretty much cleaned up.  After I did some sewing, I had to attached the strap on one of my pool cue cases and fix a pocket on one of my jackets.  I guess you would call it mending rather than sewing.
  Marg made a dish in the slow cooker for supper.  We knew it was going to be a bit hectic tonight so wanted something that would be quick.  We went to happy at Kenny & Doris' place, they had a big bunch today, must have been over a couple dozen.  It really gets noisy when the group gets that large.  Supper was the slow cooker dish which turned out excellent [well I thought so, Marg thought otherwise].  We also had a few leftover biscuits with it, they were still very good, not sure Marg agreed on that either.  For desert we had a dish of peach cobbler with ice cream.  It was really great, well Marg thought it could have been in the oven longer to warm it up.  LOL  I was happy.
  Then it was on to bingo.  When I bought the cards, I was undercharged, but they said one basic set of  cards was already paid for.  It seems Marg's friend wanted to pay her for the ride to the doctor yesterday, so she paid for her bingo.  Some people just don't know that thank you is enough I guess.  Pretty funny night as the caller was waiting for a phone call to tell her she had a great grandbaby born.  It happened about half way through the game and everyone applauded.  Then she got a second call and a few of us speculated on there being a second baby, but that was not it.  We got a laugh out of it anyway.  Marg was close all night, well Doris was too.  Lynett won 3 times I think.  Well I won on the final game but had to split with 2 other winners, so got $32.  Well we played for free and my streak is officially started.
 

Monday 3 December 2018

Monday, Dec 3rd

We got off to an early start this morning.  Marg had a commitment to drive Lynett to her doctor appointment this morning.  It was her eye specialist who injects her eye so she needs a ride to this.  As it turned out it was quite a ways up the 60 [the freeway], probably one of Marg's longer trips driving this route.  She was so proud that she not only made it there, but back as well without any help.
  While she was gone I looked at the pest problem I detected on the patio out back.  The patio is not poured, rather made with paving stones.  Anyway I detected a hole in the sand back there and when I pulled up the paving stone adjacent to it I saw a tunnel or small trench, but am still wondering what made it.  Not only the trench, but a network of it under the stones.  Still not certain what I am dealing with here, but it is bigger than a mouse trench, so when I pulled the paving stones up I used a hook thinking it could be almost anything: a rat, a gopher, a snake, a pack rat and I still don't know.  There was a good sized hole going deeper, so I dumped about 2 litres of bleach down there, thinking not may pests could handle that.  I went to ask Gary what he thought and his opinion was that it was something.  LOL  Anyway he gave me a piece of mouse poison to put in the tunnel and a live catch trap.  I'm not certain what to use for bait, but he recommended marshmallows, it worked for the skunk.  I put some cheerios and mini marshmallows in the bait holder and set it up.  We'll see what it brings.
  After Marg got home we went out and got a couple of pails of clay to level up the blocks.  I pulled up about a dozen paving stones and filled the tunnel.  I also put some wire mesh in key spots so a rodent could not get past.  After levelling it again, I swept off the dirt and washed it down, so stay tuned, we'll see. 
  Marg did some laundry after she got back and with the combination of sun out back and the breeze, it was perfect drying weather.  Her strategy of working on small loads on a regular basis seems to be working for her.
  After that I went and played some pool for about an hour and a half.  I played the fellow from Ontario one on one.  Usually we play in a group, so it was an interesting experience.  I would like to say I won all 3 games, but in truth he scratched on the 8 ball in the first two, so gave me the win both times.
  Supper tonight was brats and fried potatoes.  Actually they were left over potatoes and veg from our bbq last night.  She has a new technique that works quite well with these.  She boils the brats in beer before frying them and it really works well.  We skipped happy tonight as our time was tight if we were having supper.
  We went to the bingo at casino Arizona.  We have gone here in the past, but today we had 3 other people from here go with us.  One never played bingo, but the other two ladies are two of the gamblin' gals.  The gals were close all night, especially Marg, but I pulled off the big win.  I got a bingo by myself on a purple card, well it was the electronic game machine where you place huge numbers of cards.  To make a long story short, I won $1,199.00.  Pretty exciting.  We have a standing arrangement to split with Gerry & Deb Canuel, so that made for two happy couples.  On a couple of occasions Marg had her winning number in the monitor when someone called bingo.  The same thing happened to me on the last game, it would have only been $300.  Listen to me, ordinarily that would have been a huge win.  LOL  We got home about 11:00 PM.
  A fun night with our friends.
 

Sunday 2 December 2018

Sunday, Dec 2nd

It was a cool day, I think we got close to 50F / 9C last night and they are forecasting we may get in the 40's this week during the night.  The daytime is still not cold, although I have been wearing a jacket on days like this.
  I went to the church service this morning.  The sermon was a message around the theme, a baby will change your life.  While it was about the Christmas story, it none the less made me think of the impact the numerous babies in my life have had on me.  No doubt this is same for us all.  Pastor Don had on a Christmas tie this morning, as it turns out it was the one I gave him.
  After Marg & I went out for a bit.  First stop was the convenience store where I was able to verify our Powerball & Mega Millions tickets were actually donations to a hopeless lottery.  Bit then I bought one for each on the next draw, with the optimistic belief that my luck is due to change.  I also verified we can use our Safeway fuel credits at that station.  We have 20 cents a gallon, so I plan to wait until I am running on fumes to get the maximum benefit.
  We then went to the big Mesa market where we discovered the place was not all that busy, something unusual on a Sunday.  We never found what we went for, but got a few things we fancied.  I picked up a cap, Marg got me an after shave [I must need to smell better], and we got a mouse pad.  On the way back we stopped at Popeye's for lunch.  Marg loves their chicken, I had a shrimp sandwich.  It's Louisiana kitchen, so it can be spicy, in fact the shrimp was.
  We had one more stop on the way home, still looking on our original quest.  Marg has been having problems with the remote for the truck when it's in her purse.  Quite often one of the buttons gets pushed and sometimes that unlocks the drivers door.  This can happen without her realizing it when she is in a store or away from the truck.  I think we finally found something that will work, it is a container she can put the remote in that prevents the buttons from being pushed.  We'll see.
  A bit of chillaxing back at home and then it was happy hour.  We normally don't go on Sunday but this was hosted by a couple who just got in a couple days ago.  She went to a lot of bother to make finger food and so not one we could beg off on.  It was worth it as the finger food was very good.  Instead of a beer, I took a whisky & water something else I seldom do.  By that time it was quite pleasant in the sun, but their lot is in the shade, so I didn't want a cold drink.
  Supper tonight was lighter fare as we had a large lunch and we had to save some of our appetite for the ice cream social tonight.  This was the first one of the season and with the weather we were concerned with turn-out.  We shouldn't have been the turnout was very good.  Marg had a dish of ice cream and cake, me just a banana split.  They must have been glad to see me as they really heaped the ice cream and toppings.  It was pretty much all I could handle, but it was good.

Saturday 1 December 2018

Saturday, Dec 1st

The weather down here has taken a nasty turn with this second weather system moving through the area.  Wore long pants today and even a jacket in the morning.  Winter can be brutal.
  I got mobile early this morning and went for bacon, eggs, pancakes in the clubhouse.  The group putting it together are some great people in the park, so a good bunch to support.  Sat with a couple of guys, this time fellows are widowers, not just my usual bachelor herd.  It was good, the conversation was mainly about farming, so I ran out of anything I could contribute very quickly.  One of them is the guy I bring the diamond willow sticks down for.
  After Marg & I went to a park sale in a very large and better quality park.  We thought they would have better quality junk, but sadly we were unable to commit to bringing any of their junk home.  It seemed that many residents in the park had not arrived yet, so that may have been a factor.  I did look at a golf cart that was for sale.  The body was made up to look like a mini chev pickup truck.  The rear had a mini truck box, but in the box was a rear seat.  When you lowered the tail gate, it was the foot rest for the passengers.  It was an older cart and not a very well known make of cart, but it had new batteries.  At $3,500 I was not a serious buyer.
  Then we went to a large well established flea market.  It's one that has been around for a long time, but it too seemed to be waiting for more winter visitors or vendors, not sure which.  It's one that is held in a parking lot without any permanent structures.  There was lots of cool junk at this one.  One of the very old pieces they had was a child's soap box derby racer probably from some time in the 50's.  It was quite a ways from here, down by the 101, but we had never been there and wanted to see it. 
  Had lunch at home and then Marg prepared potatoes & veg to roast for supper while I worked on the bike I was given earlier this winter.  The front tire was flat and it seems the failure was the tube came apart at the valve stem.  The only place to get a replacement tube is the bike shop up the trail, where they sell them.  They are small tires, much like a road race model, and the tire pressure is 80 psi, higher than any bike I have had.  The make of the bike is a Giant and it is definitely made for a tall rider, I can just reach the ground when I'm on it.  Got it repaired, cleaned up and oiled, then took it for a ride.  It's a very nice ride and everything works well.
  Went for happy to the other side of the park.  It was a much smaller group today, probably a result of the weather as it started to cool off about that time.  After that it was bbq steak and roasted potatoes for supper.  The new TBone steak was very nice, tender and a great flavour.