Leap Year / Sadie Hawkins Day, 2020

  Years divisible by 4 are Leap Years and that is today.  In parts of the southern U.S. it was traditionally known as Sadie Hawkins Day - the one day in every four years where a woman could chase a man to ask for a date or even his hand in marriage.  Reflecting back to the year we were married it was not a multiple of 4, so it does not appear Marg made the overture, rather it was me who took the leap.
  It was a gorgeous day in the valley, we were so pleased to be out and about today.  I don't know how warm it got, but the forecast was 80 F and I did see 78 today.  I think it was 24 C or 25 on the truck thermometer.  No matter it was shorts and tees with the windows down.  We often like the old fashioned air conditioning - the model 260.  Two windows open at 60 mph rather than using the AC.
  We went out early in the day.  There was a coin show in Mesa at a Holiday Inn.  It was a bigger show than the others we have been to and there was a charge at the door of $2 each.  The only problem with that was they stamp your hand and as soon as you go to the bathroom you wash it off.  LOL  There were a few dealers that I have had success with in the past who had stalls at this sale.  I bought coins from two of them as well as two other sellers.  Many of the vendors don't carry much in the way of Canadian coin, which is what I mainly buy.  I got some silver dollars that are of incredible quality as well as a couple of quarters and 3 or 4 old nickels.  The nickels are pure silver if they are old enough.  Two of the dollars and the smaller coins all date in the 1800's.  One of the silver dollars is the first year dollars were issued and another is the second, both of incredible quality.  They were not cheap, but they were bargains.  The combined book values on them are significantly more than double what I paid, so I am happy.  One dealer I stopped at and actually bought two coins also had some very old stuff.  They were coins issued by the Roman Empire with the heads being some of the ruling Caesars.  These were very interesting as I had never seen coins that old before, I looked at some in the 300 AD years.  The quality was OK, but hard to believe they were as good as they were and that he had a few dozen of them.  The only foolish purchase was I bought a commemorative coin that was honoring the construction of the Muttart Conservatory.  I worked for Muttart's for 5 years and it was a kind of nostalgic moment and it was only $2, so I gave in to a whim.
  Leaving there we went to a Costco just up the street.  The fuel prices there were great at $2.69 per gallon, about 30 cents less than here in AJ.  It was very busy so that took a bit of time.  Leaving there we went to a Del Taco where Marg had a coupon.  It was our first time in one of these, so a bit of a new experience. The deal was incredible, two burrito platters with drinks for $10 and the food was good.  The Pico de Gallo was nice, the burrito was a bit spicy, but not too much, so we were happy with that as well.
  It was something like 1:30 when we got home.  Traffic on the #60 freeway was fairly heavy but the HOV lane went pretty good.  At home Marg got together with everyone on the entertainment committee to make arrangements for a get together.  I went to play pool and got in with a couple of pretty good players, well better than me anyway.  At 4 she went down to the clubhouse where they put up a few decorations for the Leap Year dance.  The motif or theme was around a leaping frog, took me a bit to get what the frog means.  I did some research and sorting on the coins, probably to convince myself I never was taken to the cleaners.  Breathed a sigh of relief when I completed that.
  Supper was something light as we had a large lunch.  It's funny how we both are thinking the same thing on stuff like that.  Marg asked what I wanted to eat and my reply was something light.  It turned out she was thinking along those lines as well.

  We went to the Leap Year dance at 7 and it was over by about 9:30.  It was a free event provided by the association and there was a respectable crowd tonight.  A fun time and a chance to cuddle with your best gal.  Can't do this again for 4 years now.

Friday, Feb 28th

A gorgeous day in the valley of the sun.  The sun was out periodically, but lots of cloud, but the temps were in the high 70's, I think 80 for a while.
  In the morning it was mainly house cleaning.  Marg dusted or wiped almost everything in the place.  She also did the patio doors and they take a while.  I helped out where I could.  Mainly with the low down stuff or the higher up areas.  It's amazing how much dust accumulates and where it is in this place.  The air doesn't seem all that dusty, but it must be as it comes from somewhere.
  I had a fair amount of computer time making posts of pictures and fixing up the blog.  For the last couple of nights I have fallen asleep while sitting here doing it.  I thought I was getting enough rest, but must be lacking rest.  Kind of reminds me of my mother who could fall asleep in a chair watching a movie or TV.  A group from here went out to the desert for a wiener roast and pot luck but we passed on it.  Too many things influenced in coming to the conclusion it was a poor idea.
   After a bite of lunch continued the clean-a-thon with Marg.  I must admit the place is looking pretty darn good.  I went to play pool and there were 3 for a while eventually being joined by a fourth.  It was nice to see the fourth guy is a fellow I have encouraged to come out.  He is a very good player and enjoys the game, but had been a reluctant recruit and now is comfortable with the game and other guys.
  When I finished it was time to organize our place.  Happy was at our place this afternoon, so we had to organize the place.  I had moved all the patio furniture when the sprayer was here, so there were quite a few things to do.  I rolled out a carpet Marg keeps under the table then I did the steps and the floor carpet in the golf cart.  The step is very hard to vac owing to the kind of carpet on it so I generally do that.  By then it was 4 and people started to arrive.  As far as happy hours go, it was fairly small.  The group that went out to the desert had returned and some of them were here sharing their experience.  We were scheduled to go to dinner with Blankes tonight.  It seems he mentioned it to another couple, then something was said at happy. 

In the end there were 16 of us that went to dinner tonight.  Dinner was at Dirt Water Cafe.  It's a place where we usually go once or twice during our time down here.  We got space in the the patio area.  Its pretty neat in that it is enclosed with a roof with two solid walls.  The other two have about 3 ft high wall with a kind of wire mesh from there to the roof.  There was an entertainer tonight, the same fellow who has been there for years.  It was a lot of fun and the food was great.  Even Marg had a drink, her and Doris had margaritas.  I had a couple of beers, Kilt Lifter by the four peaks brewery; quite nice craft beer.  The food is always good and tonight was no exception, it was great.

Thursday, Feb 27th

Today was a nice one, sun shone, temperature went up, everyone in short pants.  Just the kind of day we all think we signed up for here in the valley of the sun.
  First thing Marg threw in a load of washing.  We started off the day at the coffee klatch in the hall this morning.  It was well attended and our table got to pick donuts first as we as a group paid for them.  It really never cost that much as we split it 5 ways, so each threw in $10.  It was the first time a table bought them rather than individuals but we thought it might be a unique enough idea to do it.  It was a pretty good meeting, considering the security issues we have had in the past week.  This always causes people to raise issues and while security is everyone's responsibility [put your stuff away and lock it up], the general aspects of it are the park's.  It can really get carried away with debatable ideas, but the president kept the discussion on track, summed it up and cut it short.
  After coffee, Marg had a meeting with the entertainment committee, so I left to get my camera.  The new executive wanted a picture, which I generally look after.  They chose to do it at the front gate again this year, so that made it a bit tough as they had to stand with the sun in their eyes.  Then I went back to complete some stuff: last nights blog, tag & post the pictures from the fish fry, send the exec the pictures before posting, make a poster for the Leap Year dance on Saturday night.
  After lunch I went out to look for a brake light and that took several stops.  While at the auto parts store I picked up some plugs for the front bumper.  They gave me a front license bracket that I don't want to use, so it has 4 holes in it.  No luck on the brake light just yet, so will keep trying.
  When I got back Marg had completed the laundry and was out, visiting within the park.  That is an easy thing to do and the women are certainly better informed than the guys.  By then it was 2, so I went to play some pool.  There was one table with 2 players, so I joined in with them.  When we finished our last game I started for home & met Marg coming toward me.  It was happy hour and she had a cold beer in a cozy [spelling?] and my chair strapped to the back of the cart.  Happy today was on the patio at the clubhouse and the group pretty much filled it.
  Arriving at home we had a very brief discussion about supper and went out to IHop.  One of us was feeling guilty as we ate out last night and have plans for tomorrow night.  For my part I really don't think that has anything to do with it.  Lots of people here eat out more than we do, so whats the problem.
  We were back in good time for he animal races.  There was a pretty good sized crowd tonight and Marg won 5 of the 8 races, while I won 3.  It was all good fun.
 

Wednesday, Feb 26th

The wind blew again today and it was a cool wind.  The temperatures got up into the high 60's but the wind made it seem much cooler.  It seems when we start to get optimistic about hot weather, mother nature plays a trick on us.
  I was up and about early as it was golf day.  The plan was for me to meet Gerry at the auto repair shop where he was dropping off their van.  He must have arrived in AJ early as he showed up at our place so I could put his clubs in the truck.  I followed him down to the shop and it wasn't even open yet, so we waited until they opened.  We were a bit early for golf, but others were there, no one is late when you are dealing with seniors.  LOL  It was a pretty good day for golf and we were paired with a couple of pretty good guys.  I wish I played better, but I always say that.  I never lost a ball today, but some of the credit belongs to my ball retriever on the number 6 water hazard.  On the way back I stopped at the repair shop to drop Gerry off.  Apparently they did the oil change, but the AC failure was due to a leaky seal in the compressor.  Consequently they were unable to repair it and will be sending him an estimate on the work.
  Marg was up and ready for a road trip with the Gamblin' Gals.  There were 7 of them and they went to the Fort today.  They appeared to have had lots of fun and a few of them had a profitable day.  Marg's day was the best of the bunch.  She won $40 in the casino, then she had a bingo that paid $63 [I think she had to split with Cindy and maybe others].  She also had a win on her own for $400, so came away with $503 to the good.  She just missed out on a second $400 win on the last game.  Her number was in the monitor when someone called bingo, so her winning number was never actually called.  All the same a very good day.
  I played some pool in the afternoon.  It was nice as Kenny played today and the other fellow in our three is a good guy to play, so it was fun for all of us.  When I came back to our place the pest control guy was there.  I had ordered a spray for pests as our last one was in November and we were due.  There are so many critters here you either need to spray or hire it done.  Not having the equipment, I really only have the options of do it or not.
  Right after we went down to the fish fry at the clubhouse.  I took some pictures and then we visited with friends while waiting for our number to be called.  The dinner was: deep fried fish, chips, beans, bread slices and it was OK.
  A bit later I went to play poker.  There were lots of guys, so we had two tables one of 6, the other of 7.  The evening started off poorly, it took me 45 minutes to win my first hand, but I finally broke the losing streak of 4 weeks.  The table I sat at was a good one, light hearted anyway.  It was probably just the old - winners tell jokes while the losers say shut up and deal.  LOL
  Didn't finish the post last night as I fell asleep at the task.

Tuesday, Feb 25th

A pleasant sunshine day, not quite reaching 70 today, but the wind blew almost all day.
  I had an early appointment with the dental firm where I had my work done in 2013.  One or two of the same ladies there that I have previously dealt with.  They took my top plate that they had supplied and did a repair job on it.  Then I got impressions done for a new set of teeth.  I took a pocket book to read as I knew it would be a while.  The denturist noticed I was reading so brought me a book to read.  It was a sci-fi paperback and she was the author.  It looked interesting, but as I was already in mid-story I just read mine.  My work took about 90 minutes, so when I was leaving I went to take the book and she said it was $15.  It is a self-published book and although the story looked interesting I don't normally read that genre, so I passed on it.  Next Tuesday my new teeth should be ready.  Amazing service compared to anything I could get in GP and even with the dollar conversion, about half the cost.
  Marg went to the crafts group this morning with the other members of the entertainment committee where they worked on decorations for the upcoming Sadie Hawkins day dance.  They had been collecting toilet paper and paper towel rolls and made decorative frogs today.  We both returned home about the same time.
  On arriving the neighbours across the road came over to explain a commotion last night.  It seems someone in the park call police about a loud noise they heard and officers responded at approximately 3 AM.  The couple across the road noticed someone prowling around shining a flashlight under vehicles including ours.  When our neighbour noticed it, he went outside in his boxers and challenged the intruder asking what he was doing.  He was concerned the crooks who broke into 6 vehicles the other night had returned.  The intruder said he was a police officer, shining a bright light in the guys face so he couldn't see.  Things did not go well and our neighbour ended up getting slugged in the face and handcuffed by the cop and was on the verge of going to jail.  At this point his wife came out saying he couldn't see without his glasses and had hearing difficulty without his hearing aids.  A second cop came and got things settled down, calling a supervisor.  It remains to see how this turns out, but he may have to go to court over it.  Bizarre is the word that comes to mind.  A bunch of us told him we would appear as character witnesses if he requires any.
  After lunch I went to play pool.  Marg went for a haircut.  She could not reach the lady she normally uses here, so went with a recommendation from one of her friends.  The pool games went well and we had some laughs in the process.  Fortunately the haircut also went well and she seems satisfied with the result.  This is always a difficult situation, even with the lady she has gone to for years at home, so I was glad to hear it was OK.
  At happy hour the main topic today was the situation around our end of the park.  No one could believe the story almost questioning if the details were accurate.  All I could tell them was both he and his wife had the same story.  The supervisor when he came sat with them in their trailer for a while saying the magistrate he would appear before is a reasonable guy.  Some people thought the arrest was to cover his behind regarding the punch.
  The evening ended a little quieter with supper at home and bingo in the hall.  As usual Marg went early to sell cards and as usual we never won.  The good news was Doris won twice, so we were happy for her.

Monday, Feb 24th

The morning was chilly, as usual.  They day warmed nicely and reached about 70 F at the peak.  A nice day and we were back in shorts.  Nice that the rains are done, although many of the rivers and streams continue to be under flood or high water advisory.  On the news they reported the body of the missing hiker from yesterday was found.  Apparently he got caught in a flash flood and the search teams located him.
  Our day started with a trip to Mediacom out on the old highway.  It was great only one customer in the office and he was on his way out.  Didn't take us long and we were out of there. I think most people pay by direct debit or on line as I know how busy the place is at the start or end of the winter season.
  Our next stop was down to the Superstition mall area where we went to Burlington Coat, one of Marg's favourite places.  I dropped her off and went to a used book store in the complex and got a Louis Lamour pocket book.  It actually didn't take her all that long in there.  She tried some stuff on that didn't work out but did manage to come out with a bag of good stuff.
  We went home for lunch as it was still a bit before noon.  Right after lunch Marg had a meeting with the Entertainment committee in Blanke's carport.  They were listening to an entertainer using a laptop.  They were suitably impressed so booked him for the farewell dance in March.  I guess there was a concern that the fellow who does the recorded music may leaving a bit early so not available that close to the end.  I believe the committee has done pretty well on their events and they have on hand about twice what they were advanced to start the ball rolling.
  I went to play pool and there were two tables going today.  The games at the one where I played were good and a lot more light hearted banter than the other one, so I guess I chose well.  It was nice that the teams changed almost every game, so we all had a winner.
  When I got home, I went out to read in the sun on the back patio. I just got settled when Marg advised I should sit in the breezeway as we were hosting happy hour at 4.  The couple who were on the list have gone home owing to a surgery appointment for the guy. While its kind of nice that everyone is that flexible, it also results in some people thinking they are being left out of the loop.  It also results in happy hours without snacks, maybe that's why they are called poo poo's in Hawaii.  Mind you there are probably a half dozen or more happy hours going on every day in the park, that way no one has to drink alone. 

Sunday, February 23rd

It rained well into the night, in fact it was a record rainfall for Feb 22nd yesterday.  The rainfall measured a little over an inch in this area, but more in the high country.  The flash flood warnings were not always heeded and the morning news was full of stories about flooded washes and stranded people and one group of atv riders had a person missing from their attempts to cross a stream.  It wasn't real cold last night with the day warming to be pleasant in the 60's.
  We had a casual morning and I made oatmeal for breakfast.  It's usually something we do on cold or rainy mornings but has not been on our breakfast plans since early January.  Marg had a couple loads of laundry but it was cloudy so opted to dry them at the laundromat.  There have been lots of problems with the washers there this year, so I think only two are working, but the dryers are fine.  She actually entrusted the task to me, so I went down and put the in.  There was sufficient money on the laundry card, so all I had to do was plug it in and hit the permanent press setting.  On the way back I learned we had prowlers in the park last night.  Then later I learned our next door neighbour and one across the road had been victims as well, making 6 cars.  Whoever it was broke in to the cars and went through he glove box as well as the vehicle looking for anything of value.  Most never lost much except for one lady who had left her purse and her hand gun in the vehicle and lost them.  Apparently all of the vehicles were unlocked.  I later heard the police found the purse in a dumpster not too far from here and they have a suspect.
  Back to our place for lunch.  Marg made a unique soup today, sort of a wor won-ton I would call it.  It was very good with noodles, won-tons, shrimp, snow peas, etc.  After lunch we went to get the laundry out.  She's not that foolish to let me go without her.  Apparently some stuff has to be on hangers, other stuff folded, then there is the cleaning of the lint trap.  I guess I'm not ready for a solo on that part just yet.  LOL
  After we went out to Fry's.  She wanted some groceries which included a nice bottle of Glenmorangie, she certainly has good taste.  We got quite a few things, but when we arrived at the cashiers, there was a lot of confusion with people around the exit.  It looked like a guy who could have been the loss prevention officer was with two policemen and a young fellow in handcuffs.  They went out just ahead of us and put the guy into the paddy wagon.  I think we must be feeding some boarders or something, we sure do lots of grocery shopping.
  Supper was eat in again, Marg made some country fried steak and the fixin's, as they call it down here in the deep south.  It was very good, then we had dessert of apple fritters with ice cream.  It was almost like apple pie, so we missed ice cream social.  The prowlers were probably the topic of conversation anyway.  I went to play pool with the group that go there after ice cream.  There were 10 of us tonight and the fellows I played with were great fun.
  The rest of the week should see warmer temps each day, so lots to look forward to.
 

Saturday, Feb 22nd

Woke up to the patter of rain on the roof this morning.  They had forecast this winter storm off the Pacific and it arrived during the night.  It was only about an inch, but water was running down the street and had formed ponds along road sides.  The desert doesn't allow the water to soak in like home, so it takes a while to disappear.  There were flash flood warnings issued for the area as well, although typically they only occur in the mountain washes.  The pleasant surprise was the temperatures stayed reasonably warm, not going below the 60's.
  I got out early and went to breakfast in the clubhouse.  I have not done that as regular this winter, but I had a craving for pancakes.  The place was very busy with a line almost back to the door, seems like lots of us had the same idea.  The crew seemed a bit overwhelmed by the response and it seemed they made what they consider normal quantities and were caught a bit short for a brief period.  It was a good breakfast and I got to sit with a few friends.
  When I got back home, Marg was pretty much done with her morning routine, so we went out to the Mesa marketplace.  I was running out of pocket books, so sold a half dozen and bought 4 new ones.
The rain continued through the day and I was stranded a bit in the market when the clouds opened up for a short time.  As soon as it let up I made it out to the truck and we went on a journey further out west.  We wanted to check out some things at Camping World as we have not been there for a few years.  When we had the motorhome down here we went regularly and there are a couple of things I was looking for.  The only one I found was a new type of roof mounted TV antennae.  I mainly wanted to see it and whether it will replace the one we currently have..  I was looking for a cover for the tow bar.  The one we have is the original from 2008 when we had it installed and has started to come apart.  It's only used when the tow bar is detached from the toad and stored.  The clerk told me they don't stock them and I would do better over Amazon.  Then I asked about a brake light for the coach and she said I should go to an automotive parts place and could probably do better with Amazon.  I may have to figure out how to buy stuff from Amazon.
  On driving home the rain sprinkled on and off and we splashed everything driving through the puddles.  On our way we discussed where to go for lunch, but ended up driving back to our place.  Marg had a hankering for tuna melts, so that is what we ended up having at home for lunch.  I stopped at 4 Sons to check my lottery tickets on the way, both were losers.  I bought two more, one for Powerball, the second for Mega Millions.  The tuna melts were very good, so worth the wait, even though it meant Marg had a lot of extra work.
  We spent a bit of time in the afternoon just chillin'.  It was raining off and on, so not much of a day to be out and about.  For me there were a couple of golf tournaments on the tube, for Marg some time to rest up as she kind of over-did it last night.  At some point we decided to go to Casino Arizona to play bingo tonight.  We called Gerry & Deb to see if they were interested which they quickly agreed to.  Just as we did that we had an invitation to dinner.  A couple of friends in the park decided to host a dinner and invited us along with some other folks.  They were all concerned at not being able to contact us while we were out this morning.  Unfortunately we had to decline.  We haven't done much with Gerry and Deb this winter and wanted to spend an evening with them, so to turn about and beg off on short notice was not an option.
  Shortly after we were on the road to the casino.  We got there early, so Marg went to play some slots for a bit.  The place was so busy she had difficulty getting on a machine that she wanted to play.  We had supper at the food service in there.  Marg had a Taco salad that she said was excellent.  I had Quesadilla that was made with steak cubes, also very good.  By then Gerry and Deb arrived.  Our luck at bingo was all bad, except for winning.  It was nice getting together with them anyway.

Friday, Feb 21st

  What happened to our gorgeous weather?  There is a storm system moving in from the Pacific coming through Las Vegas bringing lots of cloud cover and wind.  The weather is actually coming across the Pacific from Hawaii and will cause snow in the high country. The morning was actually cool, well not that bad as I still had shorts on.  The daytime high was probably in the high 60's today.
  We went out early to the MV office where they deal with titles.  They were non able to help us, but said we could probably get what we need a the bank.  So over to our bank, which was closed, so on to Safeway. I went in quickly for milk and eggs, but too quick as it turns out.  I bought 1% milk thinking it was whole milk or 2%.  Not really certain what we are going to do with this colored water, I guess we'll try it out.
  Then it was over to the bank, no biggie as it's right across the road. The bank was still not open, but lined up outside.  Marg waited in the truck while I waited in line.  When the bank opened a lady said something snarky to Marg about cutting in the line.  She responded saying i'm just getting in place with my husband who is ahead of you.  When we got in the bank I checked with Jacob, the guy we dealt with last time and he said we needed to go to the title place north of the branch.   Back out the door and the snarky lady moved up one position in the line.  She still didn't look happy, kind of surly actually.  I think her husband or boyfriend must be the greens keeper who positions the flags on our course down south.
  On to the license place where a nice lady notarized our signatures on the title deed which was all we needed.  Then it was back to the bank to stand in line.  It must have been moving very slowly as I was 2 people behind the snarky lady.  From there I deposited the final payment on our park model.   Our checking account is getting a decent balance and the teller suggested I see one of their customer service staff about getting it to earn interest..  Being foreigners we can't do that, but it was nice of her to think about it. 
  Back to the park with the 1% where we discovered what I had done.  We were out of milk so just opened it.  Now if we had only bought it at Costco we could take it back.  LOL  We were back just in time for Marg to head out with the Entertainment committee to pick up snacks for the pub/games night later today.  Marg has changed the way they buy snacks.  Instead of the large cheaper bags, she buys the smaller bags that are packaged in individual portions.  It works out well as there is lots of variety and no one has pawed through the snacks you choose before you.  She has received many compliments on the new way of handling snacks. 
  After lunch we went down to the hall to decorate and set up for the evening event.  There were lots of folks there and as the saying goes, many hands make light of work.  We finished up in good time and Marg took a break to Chill-ax.  I went to happy on the other side of he park/where there were quite a few, each curious was to Marg not being there.After we went out for supper.  We started out for a pizza place, but ended up at Arby's where Marg had a fish sandwich and I had a Reuben.

Marg outdid me in the putting and my so-called friends made certain she and everyone who would listen beat the score I turned in.  Way to go Margie!

  The games night was busy, so it was fortunate we got there early.  I ran the darts game again this year which is always lined up once the games start. There were no prizes for us this year, but certainly a lot of fun.  Marg took most of the pictures tonight and then I took a few after the games were finished.  The final game is always the trivia quiz and we had lots of fun with it.  There were a couple of questions that I tried to sway the group on, bur they chose a different answer, so we never won that tonight.  One of the questions - where is the largest mall in North America, they insisted on the mall of America, but it was Edmonton.  Lots of fun.

Thursday, February 20th

  Another beautiful day in the valley.  I believe the daytime high was up close to 80 F or 27 C with very little breeze.  This would qualify as a hot summer day at home, but here it is just a nice day.
  We were up and at-em early so we could make the coffee klatch this morning.  The meeting was well attended but unfortunately our table was drawn second last for donuts.  The good news was the donuts were sponsored or free this morning.  Our table agreed to buy them for next week.  Usually it is individuals the do it, so this will be the first time ever that the donuts are being paid for by a table.  The meeting did not last too long even with the owner speaking to us for one of his updates.  He usually does it a couple of times a year.  Personally I think he comes for the free donuts, LOL
  After the coffee Marg had to attend a full board meeting so I walked home so I could do a bit of maintenance.  It turned out the meeting was not too dramatic. While technically the old executive team is still in place, this was the first one to include the new executive.  There is not much of a difference, just a new vice president for the next year.
   We spent a bit of time around our place until 11:30 when it was time to leave for our lunch date with the Trouts.  Some time ago Dave had sent us a message about getting together at the Olive Garden in Casa Grande.  That is about an hour south of Phoenix along the #10 highway to Tucson and our prearranged time was 1:00.  We have not been down that way for a few years and have not seen them for about the same, so were glad to have the opportunity to get together.  The place was relatively easy to find, although I took a short cut down a secondary highway.  We arrived shortly after noon, so went into Bealls for a look around as they have a nice shopping area.  Although Marg did look at a few things, even trying one on, nothing came of it.  She looked around for me and I was in the children area, so she came over to join me.  We did manage to find a couple small things for Paityn.
  By then it was close to lunch and I was surprised to see how busy the place was.  Marg goes to Olive Garden with the girls once or twice a winter, so expected that.  The place was just emptying the lunch crowd, so we had good parking as well as a nice table.  Lunch was good and so was the conversation.  We lingered a bit after finishing so got on the road back to home a bit after 2.  Traffic was heavy on the #10 pretty much all the way to the Phoenix area.  I was surprised to see a zero tolerance safety zone for about 25 miles on that highway.
  We got back to our place in time to chillax a bit and then went to happy hour.  It was on the other side of the park today.  The size of the group was a bit smaller, which is always nice.  The host has a rental trailer in the park and invited his renters.  They are from Minnesota and seemed like folks.  They thought it a friendly park and said they had plans to return next year. 
  A hot topic in the park is a trailer came up for sale.  Apparently he had a bit of a bidding war going on, but apparently has elected to sell it to a person of his choosing, kind of leaving certain people out of it.  I guess that is what we have done as well, so I have to agree with his approach.  He is keeping his purchasers identity quiet for now as well as the sale price [we have done that as well].  Speaking of that, our purchasers were over after supper and have given us a final check on our deal. They are a nice couple and are so happy with the deal.  They must have been talking it up quite a bit as everyone in the park seems to know about how happy they are and are also very complimentary about the way we have conducted the sale.  In fact the buyers are wanting to take us out for dinner.
  Supper was eat in tonight.  We were still quite full from lunch, so had omelets.  Marg makes some  of the best omelets, just ask the grandchildren, they all say that.  I tend to agree with them.
  The rest of the evening was spent at the animal races.  Darn elephant never won tonight.  I won 3 of the 8 races while Marg won 4.  A much better performance that the last week.

Wednesday, Feb 19th

What a beautiful day, sunny and hot.  It was warming by the time golf started this morning and the temp must have reached the high 70's today.
  Gerry came for the game and drove today.  Traffic must have been light as he got here very early.  We left shortly after he got here, so were the first ones at the course this morning.  It gave us some time to putt and chip before heading out.  Our organizer sent us out in the first group, a position we enjoy.  The course was not crowded, but there was a women's group a couple holes ahead when we went out and we never caught up to them until the 4th hole.  It was a fun group and my game was much better than last week.  Both Gerry and I just missed out on the long putt.  I heard later that it was not won, so a carry-over for next week. 
  Marg did the banking and some cleaning this morning.  She keeps both of these up, a practice that is so important with credit cards especially being away from home.  When I got home we had a bite of lunch and then she drove me to play pool.  She got waylaid on her tour around the park and stopped in at one or two places for a visit.  I started out going to get a guy [from Iowa] from his place who likes to play as the pool room was empty, but before we got very far into the game we had two more players and a second table was going.
  Marg had lots of company today, visitors every time I saw her.  Mostly it was a couple of her friends who walk dogs that stopped in for a long conversation.  Not certain what all they talk about, but she is a lot better informed on what is going on here than I am.  There are always things going on in the park, some are quite controversial.  I only know this because every so often she even tells me some tidbit.
  Happy hour was at Lynett's place and there was a nice number there.  After happy it was hamburgers in the clubhouse for supper.  Everyone goes early for things like this, so with the group at happy about a dozen of us were close to last in the line for burgers.  There was a big crowd for burgers tonight.  The crew thought it was the biggest they have served.
  Got to poker and there we only one table tonight with 7 of us.  I played for 1 1/2 hours before winning my first hand.  I did win a few more and came back a long way from where I was.  A good group today and we had a few laughs.

Tuesday, February 18rh

A gorgeous day in the valley, reaching 79 F or 26 C around noon.  It seems the really cold winter weather is behind us now,
  We slept in a bit, I think I was up around 7.  After a bite to eat we went to a 9 o'clock meeting.  The entertainment committee met with the pub & games night group.  Malcolm explained how the night will unfold on Friday and the entertainment group are doing some of the decoration as well as arranging for snacks on the tables.  There are a few new activities, but the darts that I will be looking after again will be pretty much the same.  After that was over Marg stayed behind to continue with the entertainment group, while I went home.
  I put the information from the poster on the association FB site.  After I scanned it, I had to put it back where it had been posted.  When Marg got back we went out for a few things we will be needing for Friday as well as other commitments, finding them at the dollar store.  Then it was on to Safeway for groceries, laundry supplies, the stuff we constantly need and seem to run out of.  We went through a lot of TP when the kids were here, not certain what that says about our grandchildren.  LOL  Oh yes Marg picked up a couple of chicken pot pies that made for an excellent lunch.
  After lunch Marg made a potato salad for our supper.  I guess it was the summer like weather, as we often have that during the summer.  She wanted to hang around as our purchasers were going to see if they could arrange to get together with us.  The work different shifts, so seem to have scheduling challenges.  Anyway it never happened, but she did get some housework done.  I had vacuumed right after lunch, so she washed the floors, stuff like that.
  I went to play pool.  There was only one table today, fortunately there were only 3 players so I got to play right away.  The competition was pretty fierce today.  In some the games a person never got a lot of turns before they were over.  When Daniel played the Az version of 8 ball on Sunday after ice cream, he started out not being too sure about it. When he finished he said he thought it was a good format.  The guys I played with today were good, but even they complained about shooting after me, I told them that was a compliment.  I'm making it sound better than it was, but I was on a losing team more than on the winners.
  When I got home we loaded up and went to happy hour.  There were lots of women at happy but only a half dozen guys.  Not sure what they talked about, but it was a bunch of stuff.  The guys talked about guns.  It all started when Kenny was telling me Daniel had gone to his place to see his pistols.  After checking them out, Kenny had told him we could go out to the desert if I was OK with it.  When Daniel told me it sounded a little different, but similar. 
  Supper tonight was bbq accompanied by the potato salad and some brussel sprouts.  All very nice.  It as a bit hurried as Marg had to be at bingo by 6.  The bingo crowd was a bit smaller tonight.  For our group it was the old close, but no winner story.
 
 

Monday, Feb 17th

A gorgeous day once the sun had risen.  When we first got up it was hard to tell as it was still dark.  That was at:4:30 this morning, although Daniel was up a bit before that.  It was a tough morning for the kids starting at that hour.  We started the morning in long pants, but by noon had to change to shorts it got so nice.
  It was a travel day for the grandchildren on a flight leaving at 8 AM.  Being international travel they needed to be at the airport 2 hours before that as Patti had checked them in last night, otherwise it would have been 3 hours.  While the airport is only a half hour away we wanted to be on the road at 5 to allow for the unexpected.  Traffic was fairly busy at that hour, building was we got closer to Phoenix and was heavy by the airport area.  It took a while to park so I dropped them at the departure doors.  Fortunately Marg was much better than yesterday, so was able to accompany them to get their boarding passes and check their luggage.  Each of the kids had a large back pack, so we wanted to be certain they had time at security which turned out to be a good decision and they made their flight with a bit of time to spare so they could have a coffee or bite in the secure area.  It was a sad parting at the airport and the girls had a bit of a melt-down.  Daniel said he was just as sad, but would not give in to tears as he would be back in 3 weeks.  LOL
  We headed back a bit after 6:30 [still in the dark] and even though we were headed out of the city, the traffic was very heavy when we got on the 202.  We did manage to get over to the HOV lane so made good time past the connection with the 101 in the Tempe / Scottsdale area.  We were back home a bit after 7 when the sun started to rise.
  Marg did laundry this morning, especially the bedding.  She washed it all here and then took the bedding to the laundromat to dry.  That usually works out better, although there were two other ladies in there with similar plans to get an early start on it.
  We had too much garbage today for the golf cart so I took it in the truck.  In fact I had not charged the golf cart batteries when the kids were here, but it sure needed it today.  So I put the charger on for a couple of hours.  Then we generally cleaned up and got things organized.  By then it was lunch time.  After lunch Marg steamed laundry.  I took a bit of a nap and then worked on some maintenance things.
  We took some chill time this afternoon and had supper in tonight.  I guess that was about it, a pretty casual day.

Sunday, Feb 16th

The nicest day in the valley during the kids trip.  It reached 23 C today and definitely shorts and tees weather.
  We started our day with breakfast, each person picking their own selections.  Marg was busy so I took the kids out to some last minute shopping.  Our first stop was the Mesa Marketplace where each of them got something, not quite certain what, but it was stuff they were having second thoughts and decided they needed.  Kennedy was still looking for a football hoodie to take back and none to be found there, so we stopped at a super Walmart on the way back.  It was a good choice as they had all the Az Cardinals stuff in the clearance area and she was able to find just what she was looking for.  We also stopped at Big 5 on the way back and while they looked around, there was nothing good there.  Our final stop was the Harley shop on the trail.  It's a large dealership and they seemed keen to look at the accessories as much as the bikes.
  Back to our place and by then it was lunch time, so we just ate in.

Kennedy had one thing left on her bucket list, so we googled it and made our way to Krispy Kreme.  They picked out a dozen donuts and some donut holes.  The girls were pleased as they were concerned it meet their expectations and it did.  They ate donuts on the way to our next stop.

 

  Our next stop was Old Town in Scottsdale.  They had all been there when they were much younger and remembered parts of it.  We went through a number of stores, more for entertainment than looking for anything.  They did find a few small things, but were so full from the donuts that I couldn't even convince them to have an ice cream at the Sugar Bowl.  Marg was not up to the walking around there, so relaxed in the sun while we wandered around. It was ;a perfect day for doing the outdoor thing.  We did manage to spot some cool cars, one of the things on Daniels agenda.

  After Scottsdale we stopped at Costco.  It being a weekend was busy, but we managed to get a great parking spot.  There we picked up a nice birthday cake for Kennedy as it is her 19th tomorrow when she is on the plane home.  We also fueled up as the lines weren't too bad today.  We got home for supper as the final thing they wanted was grandma's home cooked supper.  She had chicken breasts in the slow cooker all afternoon and made all of the other stuff when we got home.  After supper we took the cake to ice cream social where the group there sang happy birthday to Kennedy.  Very nice.  Marg and the girls went back to our place and they are all packed.  Daniel went to play pool with the guys after ice cream.  We picked up a 3rd and we played about 3 games tonight and I think he played on the winning team for all 3.
  The end of their trip so I thought a sunset fitting way to end.

Saturday, Feb 15th

A very nice day in the valley. 
  We were up and about fairly early this morning.  We weren't ready by the time the breakfast in the clubhouse was served, so we just had stuff at home.  We even had french toast, something Kassidy had picked out at Walmart the previous evening.  I think Kassidy mainly had that and some of the pineapple she also picked out.  In fact she may have been the only one to have it.  LOL
  We took Usury pass through the mountains to the Bush highway.  Kind of hoped we would see one of the wild horse herds in there, but no such luck.  We stopped for a photo along the Salt River.

  Then we went on to the marina on Saguaro lake, but were too early for the boat ride, so went on to Butcher Jones park for a quick look around.  Funny thing we learned today' that was the name of a local doctor and he was quite successful being the only one in the town where he practiced.

 Back to Saguaro lake where we were close to first in line.  I spoke to one of the boat workers who advised that two trips were sold out with the 12:30 only having about 15 seats available.  He gave me a number advising I book quickly as it would likely sell out.  I managed to get through after several tries and was able to get 5 tickets over the phone.  Being right there we got boarded in the first 30 as it is first come first served, so got our pick of seating.  The kids wanted the upper deck and that proved a good decision.  We had first row seating and a great view .  The trip was very informative as it was narrated and we saw 5 bighorn sheep, a first for us down here.

  When we got back it was spaghetti supper in the clubhouse that Marg had signed us up for.  They even had a special table for us to accommodate two other couples with the 5 of us.  The food was very good as always: spaghetti, meatballs, a salad and nice fresh bread.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the dinner and had lots to eat.  I took a bunch of pictures for the association pages as I have been a little lax on that lately.

As soon as dinner was over Marg went with the grandchildren to the pool where they all enjoyed both the pool and hot tub for about an hour or so.  They really enjoyed the warm water, but by the time they got out the sun had gone down and the air was chilly. I stayed out and took pictures.  After they all got out and dried off, they went out for a little retail therapy to the Ross' store here in AJ. 
  Another busy, but fun day.

Friday, February 14th

Happy Valentines day.  Thank you Charlene for the valentine in the mail, very nice.
  The evening was chilly as always this time of the year.  The day warmed nicely and we were all in shirt sleeves throughout the day.  I was in shorts, so you know it was warm.  I think the high today was 71 F, so close to 22 C.
  Everyone was up early and everyone had showers.  It's a bit of a challenge as our trailer hot water heater is not equal to the challenge of 5 showers in the morning as it takes about a half hour to heat back up between showers.  The grandchildren all showered in the bathrooms at the clubhouse where the hot water supply is endless and they reported good results.  Marg made a monkey bread for breakfast and there was more than we could eat.  She sent a piece of it next door and Daniel came along to deliver it.  Then she sent a piece of it across the road, so the 3 of the kids took it over.  They must have made a good impression as Jen gave them all a nice painted rock with a valentine theme.
  By the time we all ate it was after 9 when we got on the road.  Our first stop was the Mesa Marketplace which was open by then.  The traffic at the market was light when we got there, so it was easy finding parking as well as wandering about.  We made it through two of the rows and the kids each picked up a few things they liked.  I have to say they are very good shoppers: they have an idea what they want and they are careful with their money.   Daniel even used his bargaining skills for at least one purchase at the flea market to his advantage.
  Our second stop was a beauty supply store, I think it was Ulta.  The girls picked up what they considered to be some attractive deals.  Grandma went in with them, but Daniel and I stayed in the truck for that one.  I think I am beyond help from anything they sell in the place.
  For out third stop we went to a large mall, Superstition Springs.  There we had some lunch, the ladies had Chick fil A while Daniel and I had pizza from SBarro.  Not certain where they heard about it, but they wanted to try the chicken at it.  After they were able to find another Ulta where the girls got one more thing. Then it was into JC Penny where there was a Sephora [another store I have never heard of].  Apparently they give customers a gift on their birthday, so Kennedy got that and there may have been something else.  Daniel looked in the mens wear, but didn't find anything he cared for.
  The fourth stop was the outlet mall called Arizona Mills.  Our shoppers did very well at this location, each coming away with purchases.  Not certain how many, but they seemed satisfied.  The two girls stopped in a pet shop where they had a private room with a cute little Corgi pup.  They came away saying it was a highlight.  I think the pup likely felt the same. 
  About mid-afternoon it was time to head back, allowing for both traffic and travel time.  It turned out to be a good decision as there was a wreck on the freeway.  We were doing a little over 100 kmph so came to a very quick stop as was the rest of the traffic in all 7 lanes on the freeway.  It was bumper to bumper and at times stopped dead on the road for about 1 1/2 miles.  When we came on the wreck it was obvious why with one car on it's roof in the middle of the curb lane.  Once we got thru, it was clear sailing and we made it to our place by 3:30.
  A few minutes to set up as happy hour was at our place today.  It was an opportunity to show off our grandchildren, a big deal among the seniors in the park.  We had a good turnout for happy, I think more than 2 dozen.  We were very proud of our grandchildren, they all fit right in and after said they enjoyed the experience.  They are indeed well mannered and polite as well as outgoing. 
  We cleaned up and then they wanted the large Walmart, so everyone needing a few things we went before supper.  When we got out of there, we went to Taco Bell, another stop on their bucket list, as we were informed.  This was a bit of an experience for everyone.  It took a bit of time to order, but everyone seemed happy with their selections.  We had an array of sauces for the meal, but the Diablo [the hottest of the 4 they offer] was very popular.  The cashier was a regular for us and she was great, very patient with our ordering process.  After eating it was back to our place for coffee and dessert.  A fun day, but we are all tired tonight.

Thursday, Feb 13th

A nice day in the valley.  The sun warmed the day up to about 66 F or 19 C.  Marg had a load of laundry in first thing this morning.  It was bedding so we took it down to the laundromat when it finished, to put in the dryer.
  We went to the coffee klatch this morning and it was a packed house.  People seem to be turning out in numbers lately.  Donuts were free again and our table was picked second, that's about as good as it gets.  The elections were announced for the association and the slate of candidates were acclaimed as usual.  In the 12 years we have been here we have only seen one year where there was an election held.  About midway through the coffee meeting Marg had me go out to check on the dryer.  Sure enough it was all dry so I put it all in the basket and took it out to the golf cart.  It seems I forgot one thing and never cleaned the lint filter.  Marg had a meeting of the entertainment committee after coffee so I went back to our place with the laundry basket.
  When Marg got back she had some things to do around here, so I went out, first to the bank where I bought rolls of dimes for each of the kids and one for us.  Then I went on to the Mexican barber and she cut my hair.  This was my 3rd trip to her this winter and she does a nice job with it.
  When I got back we had a bite to eat and I did some research for jokes to tell at the animal races then took my golf stuff out of the Az room and the truck box.  Marg dealt with a myriad of things from the laundry basket to the meeting and clean up from lunch.  By then it was just about time to leave for the airport.  We made pretty good time getting there, but traffic around the airport was heavy.  I dropped Marg off at a door, then circled the terminal to get back to the oversize lot where I left the truck.  It took a bit of time to get back to the terminal building, then up to the second level arrival doors.  We thought we had about a half hour, but to our surprise within minutes of getting there the grandchildren ran up to us.  It seems their plane was almost a half hour early.
  It took a long time for luggage to come out and when it did they switched the carousel, so we had a bit of running around.  Once the monitor showed the luggage was loading I went out to get the truck and pay for parking.  By the time I circled the terminal to the agreed on door, they were all there with the luggage.  Traffic getting out of the airport on to the 202 was very heavy, bumper to bumper.  It was complicated by a wreck in the curb lane about a mile or so down the 202.  I managed to get over to the HOV lane and then things went well. 
  We got to the golden Corral a little after 4 and it was packed.  Who would have thought all those people were eating so early.  It went pretty quickly and the kids were famished by the time we sat down.  It was a good choice because they got fed quickly.

  From there it was back to our place where they unloaded their luggage.  Then they went exploring around the park on the golf cart.  When they got back they knew where everything was including how warm the pool felt.  They said everyone seemed so nice and were waving at them. 

It wasn't too long before it was time to go to the animal races.  Each of the kids had a roll of dimes.  Kassidy & Kennedy did pretty well, Daniel only had a couple of winners.  A fun evening.

Wednesday, Feb 12th

A nicer day, although the morning was cool. 
  It was golf at Apache Sun this morning.  Gerry came and rode with me as Deb and his grandson wanted to shop in some of the stores around here.  The golf game this morning left a bit to be desired, probably the poorest performance I have put in for a long time.  The only bright spot, well I never lost a ball and the guys I played with were good company.  I'm starting to think miniature golf has some appeal, you know put the ball through the windmill or in the clowns mouth.  LOL
  There is a lot of road construction in the area around Queen Creek, so it took a bit longer to get home.  We were back about 11:30 and Deb was waiting here for Gerry so they could head back.
  Marg went with the gamblin' gals this morning, I believe they departed at about 9:30.  They had a full load with 7 of them this morning.  Apparently they had lots of close calls, but only one of them had a winner.  Even with that she split 6 or 7 ways, so got $50 out of it.  So it seems it is not the venue, rather just plain old bad luck.  Marg said she is changing her outlook, so now is just going for the fun and I guess that is what they had today. 
  When she got home we went out to Walmart for a few groceries.  With the 3 grandchildren arriving tomorrow we need a few things. Not certain if we have it all covered, but we'll see and if not we can adjust when they get here.  We got back in time for a bite to eat in our place.  A bit of a rush as I had to get to poker.
  While I was at poker, Marg did a load of laundry.  She brought her drying racks into the breezeway so they can sit out through the night.  I should have stayed to do laundry, but instead went to the poker group to get cleaned.  I can't seem to get it back together lately and lost more than my share tonight.  I even changed tables and gambled with different guys, but it was almost like today was a jinx.  Same thing as golf, the guys at the table I played were fun.  One of them if Bob, who doesn't need a reason to be funny.  Some of the fellows from the other table don't like to play with him because of the fooling around, but they tend to take it all too serious in my opinion.
  We got a call from Bill late in the day, he and Patti were taking the grandchildren to Edmonton for their flight out for Phoenix tomorrow, it sure will be nice to see them.  We have a list of options for things they may want to do and are looking forward to their visit tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 11.2020

  It rained last night and the roads had a fair amount of standing water.  It was a bit cool as well, although the forecast was for it to warm up.
  We had plans today to attend the Snowbird Extravaganza in the Mesa convention center.  While it is put on by the Canadian Snowbirds Assoc, it is open to everyone.  There are many sponsors, but Medipac who we purchased travel medical insurance from is a big one.  We have known about it for years, but usually it conflicts with other things we are doing.  This year we made plans with two other Cdn couples, one from GP, the other her sister and spouse from Stony Plain and our friends from Kansas.  We left here at 9:30, the starting time for it so arrived after it had been going for about a half hour.  There was a trade show in the lobby and a stage show in the main auditorium.  We made our way through the sponsor booths first, collecting a bunch of brochures, entering some draws and picking up handouts, like bags, pens, coupons, assorted nick knacks.  The we went in to the entertainment.  It was a packed house with good entertainment, but likely everything being free had something to do with it.
  The day did indeed turn out nice, but the wind was a bit cool down here in the valley.  In the high country north and east of here they had a fair amount of snow last night and today.  I believe the weather said the snow was above 7,000 feet.

  The first act was Jimmy Flynn a comedian from Newfoundland who is just plain hilarious.  He also does a bit of singing and gets the crowd going.  At the end of his act, the entire room [something around 1,000] were on their feet singing:  I's the by and a bunch of fast tunes, swaying to the music.  The next act was Valdi, who was a musical legend in the 60's/70's in Canada anyway.  He was very good and entertaining as well.  The third act was a comedy act, but didn't think it was that great, so went out to the lobby.  Marg was sitting next to a lady who walked away from her purse, leaving it on the seat.  Being concerned she turned it over to a booth manager at that location, but waited around to see if the lady came back.  When she did, Marg directed her to the booth.  If you have never experienced something like that it is a study in human behavior.  The lady went from looking very agitated and anxious to over joyed.  She hugged Marg for a long time, then a couple more times, just gushing with words of appreciation.  Nice to see. 

We also ran in to Gerry & Deb there as well, I guess they go every year.  The one couple with us wanted pictures with Valdi and then we left.  The event went on all day and lunch was available for sale, but it didn't appeal to us, so we went looking for a place to eat.
  We stopped in at Garcia's, a Mexican restaurant and a very nice one.  We ate there several years ago and others in the group had last year, so it was an easy choice.  It was packed, so we sat on the outdoor patio.  They put on a patio heater, so it was very pleasant out there.  Mexican places usually give you complimentary chips and salsa as a starter and the ones here were very good.
  We had a few things to do when we got home and then it was happy hour at 4.  We were surprised to see that it had rained a lot today and the roads were again very wet as back in Mesa it never even sprinkled.  The Blankes were hosts tonight, so a pretty good sized group.  I took a hot chocolate in an insulated drink container as the day was cooling off again.  Now that was a first for me.
  We weren't that hungry so had a light supper and finished off the lemon pie.  After that it was on to bingo.  The big surprise there was Marg won the double daub for $110, so a great way to end the day.  It sure cheered her up as it has been a while since she won and the room applauding didn't hurt either.

Monday, February 10th

Another nice day in the valley.
  I got away at 9:30 to golf with some friends, picking up two guys in the park.  We went to Encanto in Phoenix for a 10:40 tee time.  Traffic was light, so we made good time, except for the area around the highway 51 merge and the tunnel where it always seems to be busy.  Gerry was there already hitting balls at the driving range.  He was complaining about his last game, so wanted to brush up on his swing.  I don't like doing that as there seem to be a limited number of good swings in my clubs so I can't afford to waste them.  LOL  The course was busy so we had to wait on the first 3 holes, but the Ranger came by telling us it would open up by the fourth hole.  I hit the ball well on the front nine, carding a 45.  The back nine is always a problem for me as I tire, a product of swinging the club more than most of the other guys.  Sure enough on #11 I put two balls into turtle lake, scoring a 9 for that miserable hole.  We played the format where you partner with a different player every 6 holes with low score buying the beer, usually me.  The pair with the combined low score earn a point, no point is awarded in the event of a tie.  Today it was the low 2 buying the others beverage of choice..  A miracle happened as the two low scores did not include me.  We had one player card an 82, among the others 2 of us were 100 and 1 was 101.
  Following her morning ablutions, Marg did a couple loads of laundry.  There was a forecast of rain later in the day, so she wanted to finish while there weather was good for drying.  That left her time for steaming the laundry before putting it away.  She also made a lemon meringue pie this morning for our supper.  In the afternoon finished up the morning projects and had a visitor or two.
  We finished golf at 3, so I thought traffic would not be heavy for a while yet.  Well it turns out I was wrong, the traffic at the tunnel was bumper to bumper, all 8 lanes, so I had to merge with it and then work my way over tot he left until I got in the far left hand lane for the HOV lane.  After that it went well, even with heavy traffic we were still able to make 70 mph for most of the journey home.
  When we got back to the park it was just in time for happy, almost 4 o'clock.  It was on our lane tonight, so right handy.  We were supposed to have a Mexican food night, but it never happened owing to other conflicts and weather, so the hosts tonight had lots of taco chips, salsa, guacamole and margarita's.  It was well attended and there were lots of laughs.
  Supper was eat in tonight.  It was mainly planned-overs from last night with the addition of a nice piece of pie.  Oh almost forgot, I had to deliver a piece of pie to Janice next door.  Marg looks out for her quite often, especially when the lemons come from her tree.  Around supper time it rained a bit, not like the downpours we had in December.  I did see on the weather that there was dime sized hail in Gilbert, so not to far from here.

Sunday, February 9th

  A gorgeous day in the valley.  It seems a long time since I have been able to say that even though some have been nice, today was the Arizona we signed up for.  I saw 25 C on the truck temperature read out today.  Definitely shorts and tees weather.
  We didn't get mobile early in the morning, but I did go for a bike ride.  The other riders were either away or at church, so I rode on my own.  It has been a while since I got out on the bike and wanted to get some miles in to try and keep in shape.  I didn't go far, just a couple of miles, but it was nice to get out again.
  When I got back Marg needed a few things, so we went to Superstition Ranch market.  We had a buggy full of fresh vegetables and a nice big bag of large oranges.  I don't recall everything, but there were: green onions, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, potatoes, lettuce, yams, 2 kinds of bell peppers and some other stuff.  I believe the total came to around $25, such a good deal.  Then we stopped at Safeway on the way back for milk and muffins, but I picked up a couple of chocolate covered
marshmallow hearts.  They are Marg's favourite treat among the Valentines treats,  We had a lot of oranges, so Marg had me take a couple over to Janice next door and a few to Blanke's.  they are excellent, so juicy and flavorful.
  When we got home we had a bite to eat and then decided to go to the big Mesa flea market.  I only had one book left not read, so went to sell the others as well as pick up new ones.  The old gal and her daughter are very friendly so I kid them a bit.  Like today when I turned in the books, I said to the mother I wanted to sell some excellent books.  Then as I was paying the daughter I said her mother only gave me $3 but I had $8 in books.  I guess you had to be there, but its what passes for humour with them as they laughed.  Marg just stayed in the truck today, she really over-did it yesterday so needed to take it easy.
  After the market we went to Costco where I bought gas, as we were half way there.  The pump price was $2.75 a gallon, which is about 23 or 24 cents less than anyone else around here.  It's quite a savings as I bought less than half a tank which was still 14 gallons, so a savings of over $4.  While we were fueling the truck, Marg asked about the guy in the next lane, saying what is that on his waist.  Is it what I think it is?  I looked and said if you think its' a pistol in a belt holster, then it is.  It looked a bit like the .357 magnum that Kenny bought this year.  He was a nervous type, looking around the whole time he was fueling the car.  Only in Arizona.
  Back home for supper with the potato salad Marg made after the Ranch market shop.  We were having bbq steak, so she asked about vegetables.  I said corn would go with that, so she decided to make a cream corn type dish.  It was 2 cans of corn with a cream sauce and panko crumbs, baked in the oven for an hour.  Some of our friends and neighbours make something like it, but knowing Marg she made her own version.  It turned out very nice, she commented it was a bit like Nachynka.  I think we will be having this again.
  After supper we went for ice cream.  There was a large turnout tonight.  Marg gave our neighbour a ride home while I stayed and played some pool.  The other 3 guys I played with were fun, so it was time well spent.

Saturday, Feb 8th

Happy birthday Bill.  I know you don't do FB, but you are in our thoughts today.  Happy birthday to Lyzi as we were not able to contact you.  Enjoy your time in Thailand.

  The sun shone and it was the nicest day in a while.  I would guess the high temp was about 70 or above, definitely short pants and no jacket weather.  I got out early and went for breakfast at the clubhouse.  Today's breakfast crew had as their special, french toast and blueberry pancakes, both of which I really enjoy.  As a result the line up for service was very long.  I selected on of each with eggs and sausage.  It certainly lived up to the advance billing, well worth going and a great way to start the day.

  While I was gone, Marg already had one load of laundry through the machine and hanging out to dry.  With the cooler weather lately she wanted to wait for better drying weather, so that was today.  When I returned she was just at the end of a load of towels, so just about done.

  Mickey came along a bit later with bogey, his dog.  They were heading out to the driving range, asking if I wanted to tag along.  Being such a nice day I went to hit a medium bucket.  It got real warm making me wonder about what I was doing out there.  I was working on a shorter back swing, trying to see if I could make it work for my game.  It went not too bad, not certain it will be part of my game plan on Monday.  Throughout the day I picked up a couple of golfers, one at breakfast, the second at pool who will accompany me on Monday to Encanto.

  When I returned Marg was doing a bit more cleaning, so I ran the vac over some of the area.  Lunch was next with egg salad sandwich's which were very good.  By this time Marg's back was starting to be a problem, so I tried to get her to ease off for the rest of the day.  Yeh right, her ease off.  By this time it was 2, so I went to play a bit of pool.  There were only a few guys but I managed to get in a few games.  Played better today, thankfully for me, not so good for the opposition.  

  We went for happy to some fellow Canadians place. There were only about 10 there, so just a nice size group.  The host was the fellow who tried to pay me in Canadian dollars for things at the garage sale, a real card.  Some of the conversation was about that as well as him renting me the propane fire pit when I need it.

  By then it was dinner time.  Most of the happy group were invited to Blanke's for supper.  Doris put together a meal to thank the people who helped get their place cleaned up or opened up.  The meal was very nice, bbq ribs, baked potato and a creamed corn.  Not the store bought creamed corn, rather a dish we have only seen down here.  Marg made margarita's for most of the people there, which were very popular.  Well the pie was very popular too and there were two kinds; peanut butter and coconut cream.  I had the latter, Marg the former, both of them were very good.

Friday, Feb 7th

A chilly morning with temps in the 30's but the sun helped.  In fact about mid morning it was real nice out on the street in the sun, but in our breezeway it was warm coat weather.
  The park sale was advertised to start at 8, but our first visitor was here about 7:30.  The place was very busy, in fact we had traffic jams at our end of the park at times.  Everyone seemed to sort it out and there were no incidents.  We sold a pile of stuff today, leaving only a few things at the end of the day.  One old guy was telling me about how well he did negotiating purchases in other places.  He bought a few things that I ended up giving a break on the bundle, so I said after what he told me I was glad I still had my coat left after dealing with him.  He was a right friendly fellow and had a good laugh over that.  Then there was a guy who picked out two 5 dollar items to take then saying being as he was spending $15 would I throw in a 2 dollar item, so I said yes of course and he went away happy.  I had one old gal bargain me down to $1.50 on a 2 dollar item and gave me the 2 dollars saying she didn't want to take advantage of me.  Then there was the lady who negotiated back and forth on the two saw horses agreeing to pay $6 for the pair.  When she went to pay for them her husband said he wouldn't carry them all the way back to the car, so she walked away.
   We closed it down about noon with our sales total about $330 and lots of stuff gone.  The plane and ball pean hammer stayed to go home with us.  Marg also had me take the bbq light off the table as she wanted it for the late night bbq's at the lake.  For lunch we went to the hall for the sloppy joes.  They were out of pie by then, so we only got tickets for the sloppy joes.  In the process I picked up a ticket for two pieces of pie and presented them to Linda at the counter.  She just said there is no pie so go back for a refund.  I protested, but I paid for these.  She was ready to go find out why they sold me the pie when I fessed up.  Well long story short, I was lucky to get the sloppy joes.  LOL
  Right after we ate they drew for the raffle tickets and it seemed to go on at length, finishing up with the quilt raffle.  I left before the raffle tickets were all drawn to play pool.  Marg stayed for the end before going home.  Shortly after she appeared in the pool room looking for a key to the door as she had left hers at home when we went down for lunch.  There were four of us playing pool and we had some good games and a bit of fun.
  We had supper in tonight, BLT's as Marg had a craving for them.  We were tired so not looking to go out for supper with others tonight.  A final trip after supper to return a borrowed table.  Marg went to ask about a lady that had a bad fall in the park today, so a lengthy conversation about that and the patio sale.  That was our day.

Thursday, February 6th

Weather, can't do anything about it, just complain.  It was cool again last night and by morning was still in the 30's.  The daytime high soared to about 54 F [12 C].  It was actually pretty nice in the sun around mid-day and early afternoon.
  We went to the coffee klatch this morning which was very well attended.  Our table was drawn 2nd, so great selection of donuts.  Some new people in the park there, one from New York sat at our table and he was very friendly.  The meeting was partly a precursor to the patio sale tomorrow so everyone got information of what was happening and when.  Kenny also did his part as chair of the nomination committee for elections of the association executive.  One of his duties is to lay out the process for anyone interested in letting their name stand for election.  As part of the process he identifies a street person on each street to whom anyone interested in holding an office can go for information or to let it be known they want to run for office.  Guess who the street person is on Happy Hour lane?  Well its someone who writes a blog that you may be reading.
  After coffee we headed straight home to start setting out our items on the driveway that are for sale.  The park generally does this so that people working on the association event can still shop for great bargains while still being able to volunteer on Friday.  Having quite a few things to sell, we wanted to get it all out.  The pre-sale was to start at 3, but by then we had sold more than half of our stuff.  It's tough selling to friends, so we ended up giving out some pretty good deals in a few cases.  We sold $150 or more, which is a lot of small dollar items.  By the end of the day most of the really good stuff was gone.  We had a few times people came, looked, left and then returned to find their intended purchase item sold.  It appears there are lots of vendors in the park this year, although we were too busy to go check them out.  Well that and the fact we need to downsize, not acquire stuff.  There were also a few humorous situations.  One guy came to tell me I wasn't asking enough for a small plane, so I doubled the price.  When a fellow asked about it, I told him, to which he replied well you haven't found that buyer yet.  Marg piped up that well he's kind of partial to it anyway, so no matter.  Something similar happened with a small ball pean hammer.  A few outsiders came in to try and be early birds, they are probably the real serious park sale chasers.  Tomorrow morning will see the less clever ones arrive in our park before the 8 AM start.  Can hardly wait!
  We shut it down at 4 and went to happy.  It was time for a cocktail by then.  It was over the other side of the park and with the sun still out a nice chance to relax.  The guys I was around mainly talked about beer making and drinking.  The gals talked about tons of stuff, like the girls luncheon on Tuesday, how many times Doris got speeding tickets, the upcoming talent night.  Seems to me they lack focus.  LOL
  After five of us went out for dinner to Woochi.  We have been there in the past, but it was our first time this winter.  It is the Chinese buffet on Signal Butte.  The food was very good tonight, better than we remembered.  There was a lot of crab and shrimp prepared various ways as well as many other great dishes.  A busy day for us.