Wednesday 18 March 2020

March 18th

This was not a good day, the wind blew most of the day and the sky clouded over.  There was a forecast of serious rain, thunder and a possibility of hail.  The storm never reached here in AJ until well after lunch time.  When the storm hit, it was typical of a desert rain storm.  The rain came down in torrents and the streets were like small rivers.  The roar of the rain on our carport was so loud you couldn't even carry on a conversation under it.
  We decided we would be gone by Saturday.  First there is a problem with the weather up in Montana and we only have about a 5 day window when it is clear.  It's either make that opening or wait until early April and that would be cutting it close.  There is also the problem with this Corona Virus that is casing problems for travelers.  They are recommending using gloves even when fueling the vehicle.  A good many of the road rest stops are apparently closed.  All of the hotels linked to casino's are closed.  Most restaurants are closed and only offer take away food.  Finally we both are suffering from our allergies and the resulting cough makes folks wary of us.  Finally we have been here a long time, arriving in the first week of November, this was to be our longest stay in Arizona and is still pretty close to be our longest time here.  So it's time.
  We started packing things up and getting rid of junk and got caught up in it.  When we make a decision to go Marg really gets a surge of energy to get on with it.  People were stopping by and at first we said we will be gone by Saturday.  A bit later in the day we were telling folks we would probably leave Friday.  By noon we were in high gear and leaving tomorrow.  That's just the way we roll, I guess.
  In the morning I went to the bank and took all the money out of our Bank of America account.  We were a bit fortunate in that they never held funds on the cheque for sale of the golf cart that I deposited on Monday.  It was funny, the teller wouldn't let me close the account but would let me withdraw all of the money, so I did.  She even gave me a bank draft or cashiers cheque at no service charge.
  We did stop for lunch and then Marg put together the financial statement for the Entertainment Committee.  I acted as scribe and put it in statement format.  Then delivered it to the Treasurer.  It took a bit of creativity to get it to come out to the exact amount of money she had turned in.  It was only out a couple of bucks, but was perfect when we finished.  Just like the old say:  Figures don't lie, but Liars can figure.  LOL  Not that bad really, it was only a couple bucks!
  It was pretty much pack and load all day, but even with our best efforts we could not get it all in the truck.  As a result we have the ladder and a storage bench [the one from the Az room] going back to GP with one couple from home.  We have my hand cart, 2 lawn chairs and two tubs of stuff going back to Stony Plain with another couple.  The rest is pretty much crammed into the truck.  Tomorrow I need to put the bike rack on the receiver/hitch and load our travel gear.  Oh yes take the tv/internet router back to Mediacom.  We cancelled our insurance a while back, so a refund should show up for that and likely there will be one from Mediacom as well.
  Later I went to Walmart where I got Marg some Salonpas patches and cough drops.  The patches ar more powerful than the ones she can buy at home, so I got lots.  On the way back I stopped for fuel.  Didn't have time to go to Costco, but fuel here in AJ has dropped about 35 cents a gallon in the last few weeks and I only needed a top up as I had 3/4's.  When you use a credit card here you have to enter your Zip code.  Not having one used to be a problem, but for the last few years we just enter the 3 numbers in our postal code followed by 2 zeros.
  The most difficult part of the whole exercise is the constant stream of visitors.  Whether walking to the garbage, taking things for the others to bring back or just working on the driveway, there was always someone stopping to confirm we were leaving and the timing.
   She even made supper tonight.  She kept enough in the fridge to be able to make it.  If it had been me I would have said you're taking me out now.  LOL  It was a nice meal, burgers, baked potatoes and veg.  Leftover birthday cake was our dessert.  She Rita come over to help clean out the fridge and freezer.  There were so many bags that I drove her back to their place.
  Well that is a wrap on another fun season in the sun.  The only unfortunate thing is Marg will be spending her birthday on the road and the probability of having a restaurant meal for supper is poor.  There will be no wifi here, so you should be able to reach her using either one of our U.S. phone numbers.  With any luck we will find everything we need along the way.  Will try to pick hotels with wifi, our plans do not include sleeping in the vehicle like some folks around here.  Stay tuned for the tales of our exploits on the trails of America.  <: p="">

Tuesday 17 March 2020

St Patrick's day 2020

  Another gorgeous day in the valley of the sun.  The temperatures reached into the high 70's so it was very nice.  A special thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes.
  We were busy today.  After breakfast we went out, stopping first at the bank.  There I deposited the cheque for the golf cart as well  as two rolls of quarters and 3 of dimes, so $35 dollars from my poker winnings.  Thought I should bank it before Marg wastes it on laundry.  I stressed a lot of hours over a poker table for that loot, so didn't want her being frivolous with it.  I wanted to get a large cash withdrawal [not as much as my deposit] but apparently I had to have my passport to do that, so will have to go back.
  After the bank we stopped at an RV parts store that friends have had luck getting hand sanitizer at, but they were out.  On to the Dollar General where Marg got disposable plates for cake in the evening.  We also stopped at Walmart where we bought some bins for packing as well a few other things.  Then it was on to the Mexican grocery store on Stapely where she got a couple of milk cakes, on chocolate the other white.  Both with fresh fruit on top and lots of icing.  We also managed to get a loaf of bread and some donuts, so a good stop. 
  By the time we got back to our place it was lunch, so Marg made scrambled eggs [with lots of added things] and toast.  We had lots of visitors today and made the mistake of eating on the outside table so had a few that stopped by and we just had to keep eating or have cold eggs.  Rumors abound here and most thought we were leaving tomorrow.We have barely started packing so departure will not be tomorrow.  I called Gerry to tell him I can't golf tomorrow and due to circumstances he is already packed and leaving tomorrow [hmm when was he going to tell me].  Then the fellow Marg was negotiating with on the golf cart stopped by to check it out.   While he an his dog were sitting in it Marg came out to tell him it was sold to another.  I later came to tell of this as the used car salesman vs the furniture and appliance salesman negotiating on a golf cart. 
  I got the golf cart all washed up and the accessories assembled to go with it.  I had been charging it so it was right up before delivering it and the other stuff.  The purchaser stopped by for another matter, so I just loaded it all up and he left with his bill of sale and the cart.  He also took my hammer/drill so he could put in an anchor bolt to secure the cart.  Another loose end tied up for us.  So I went down to check on one of our offers to take things back to Canada.  Meanwhile Marg packed clothes and got more stuff ready to go.
  Along in about here we had a facetime with Brennan, Jessica and Paityn.  She sure has grown and is as cute as a button.  By then it was time to get some ice for the margarita machine while Marg arranged stuff and put out some other stuff.  A little short on details?  A quick trip for ice and then it was time to go for the corned beef and cabbage.  It was cooked by volunteers in the clubhouse and everyone had the option to take out or eat in.  About a dozen friends and us opted for take out to be brought back to our place for supper.  Not certain what went on, but it was not the best corned beef I have eaten.  One of the things I really look forward to on the day, but a real disappointment this year.  Shortly after a few more friends showed up for cake.  As luck would have it we had some nice Irish Whisky [Tullamore Dew].  We had a few shots of whisky before cutting cake to give everyone tie to arrive.  Well actually there were only a 3 or 4 of us doing that.  I opened cards and passed them around, sure got some nice ones.  By that time we had about 10 more people and were starting to become a party of a couple dozen.  The park managers were here, so we knew there was no danger of being too loud and getting complaints.  LOL
  The cakes were both very good and it was a fun bunch, lots of laughs.
 

Monday, March 16th

A gorgeous day in the Valley.  The sun was up early and temperatures in the 70's, reaching 80 by mid afternoon.
  We had a busy day today.  Yesterday we made a decision we will be returning home much earlier than planned.  While we do not have specific day, departure will be before the weekend is over.  In the morning Marg counted the money from the Entertainment committee twice to be certain of the amount.  With the governor calling an end to any assembly of people exceeding 50 in number she decided to turn in the money she had on hand for the committee.  They started the year with $300 from the association with no expectation of any return other than fun events.  After the last event on Saturday they decided to cancel the rest of the ones planned.  The final tally was something like $803, so a very successful year both financially and with the events they put on for the members here.  When she took the money to the Treasurer he was quite surprised and pleased to have it wrapped up early.  We still have the final report to complete.  I say we because I will be acting as her scribe.  LOL
  I had lent my compressor to the neighbour across the road and the tire gauge fell apart, it was just a cheap model.  So he went and bought me a very nice one when he returned the compressor.  It was too much so I went over telling him I couldn't accept it but thanked him anyway.  Here is an odd thing, his name is Chuck and that is a slang we use for the air nozzle that fits in the hose.  Then I organized a few things as I have been cleaning out the shed and moved the Az room.  I also went to visit with one of the guys [from Stony Plain] who offered to take some stuff home for us to see how much room he has available for our stuff.
  I had committed to play golf with 3 other fellows, so had to leave at 11 AM for that.  When Mickey picked me up he said you're driving.  He has had a few problems and doesn't feel comfortable in some of the high traffic areas.  Nice truck, it's a Chevy diesel with a chip in it that takes it up over 500 hp and a button to push to go over 700, man that thing boogies.  I went a bit of a different way than he is familiar with to avoid the mini-stack and he was so please that it's his new route.  He put on the this golf day as a special deal as he wanted us to play the Raven. It is an upscale course, tough and a bit pricey for me.  Well it turns out he got it together for $60 and that included carts and a free lunch [anything off the menu].  It's one of those where they take your clubs out of the vehicle, give you free range balls, have a large practice area for: driving, chipping, putting.  I think the regular rate at the Raven is $125 per person, which in Canadian would be about $165, so a real experience.  I played unbelievable well on the front 9 at 46, but fell apart on the back as a result of the heat and just losing my mojo.  The funny thing was - he plays this system where each person partners with a different player for 6 holes, receiving a point for each hole the pair wins.  My pick of partners was pure luck and I had the highest number of points or wins, despite the worst score, so that kind of brightened my day.
  Marg had a bunch of stuff packed up in the afternoon, she is an amazing woman.  She also negotiated a sale of the golf cart to the Treasurer.  When she makes up her mind to do something, nothing stands in her way.  That is a major thing off of our things to consider while getting ready to depart here.  The price was a bit of a compromise, but a very fair one to both parties.  I think she also went around and invited a few folks to birthday cake tomorrow.
  One of the fellows I golfed with wanted to go for dinner when we returned so Marg and I joined them at Denny's.  The restaurant was not busy and the food was good, so a nice way to finish the day.
  No blog post yesterday as I plain old fell asleep.

Sunday 15 March 2020

The Ides of March 2020

The Ides of March are upon us.  The sun shone brightly and it was a gorgeous day reaching about 25 or 6 C around early afternoon. 
  I went out early to the Mesa marketplace where I traded a few pocket books.  I went over to the used golf club stalls to check out old clubs.  There is one that always has wood shaft clubs and today he had a used Taylor Made M4 driver.  After a bit of debate I decided against it, the deciding factor for me was not getting to try it out.  I stopped the large Walmart over there and the situation was a bit better, they had some milk and meat on the shelves today.  I really went for printer ink as mine were done and I had the audit report for the tenants association to print.  Marg did a couple loads of laundry this morning.  With the warm weather it was a good day for drying out on the back patio.  Marg also had a facetime with Charlene in the morning, they are having the same virus problems we are experiencing.
  When I got back we had a bite to eat, French toast today.  Always a favourite of mine, so a good day.  We had a facetime with Bill & Patti after lunch and talked about moving our departure time from here up to when the weather is clear.  There are not as many virus cases here in Arizona as they have in Alberta.  Apparently they are experiencing the same food panic at home that we are here.  I guess it is a bit like rolling the dice on which way to go.  There will be no doubt that we will have to self quarantine for 14 days in any event on our return.  After installing the printer cartridges I printed the reports I needed. 
  A bit later I went to negotiate with the prospective buyer for the golf cart.  He is a friend but his work history is in selling used vehicles, so a seasoned negotiator.  I had to leave prior to completing a deal as we had a celebration after the success of last evenings event.  There was still a lot of liquor left and it was a nice get together. 
  Supper was bbq with steak, potatoes and veg in a tinfoil and a bit of chicken.  It turned out very nice, but it was late enough that we missed out on the ice cream social.  I still went to play pool after ice cream.  Marg did the banking and then payed the balance due, so that is not a loose end.
  The more we talk about it, we seem to be heading to an early departure from here.With the weather and all it looks like if we don't leave by Saturday we could be stuck until the month end.  Stay tuned.

Saturday 14 March 2020

Saturday, March 14th

A nice day in the valley, no rain and sunshine.  Not certain how warm it got, but this was the kind of day we signed on for.
  We took it kind of casual, sitting around in PJ's.  It turned out to be a bad choice for today as there were people stopping by, something I cannot recall happening before.  One of them was here to see if I would golf on Monday at the Raven.  Apparently they have a reservation and were looking for a 4th player.  In the past the is one fellow here who has tried to interest me, but it is an upper end course both in terms of difficulty and green fees.  They apparently have tee times at $60 [which is equivalent to $80 for me], which is about half of some of the prices I have heard and much less than even bargain rates I have heard.  At some point I must have weakened and agreed to play.  Two of the guys are very good golfers while the other fellow is often at about my level although he has the odd hot streak where he scores much better.  Should be interesting.
  Shortly after we got dressed Marg had to go out with Patti to pick up snacks for the entertainment night this evening.  A separate group are putting the evening together and Marg's group are providing some funding as well as table snacks.  I went out back and worked on packing some stuff up in the shed so that everything is not last minute.  From her shopping trip she said there were lots of shortages in the stores they visited: no toilet paper, very little tissue; no hand sanitizer, very little frozen food or meat.  I guess now people have started to buy groceries to last a long time.  I guess the hysteria continues to spread.
  When Marg got home we had a bite of lunch then had a bit of quiet time.  At 1:30 I had to go to the hall and help with set up for the evening entertainment while she had to go at 2 to set out the table snacks. Some time ago they changed the way they do snacks to use only prepackaged individual serving ones.  With this virus thing that turned out to be a very wise decision.  The people attending events have been very positive about this change.  It took a while, but things were looking pretty well complete when we left.
  A bit more quiet time before supper.  We ate in tonight, we still have lots of food in the house.  Shortly after supper we went down to the clubhouse.  It was a fun night.  There was a bar set up and they had so much donated liquor that drinks were free and served by waitresses.  The entertainment was a line dancing demonstration, a skit, a lip sync act, a comedy act and a live blue grass group.  The MC told a few jokes to keep things moving.
  Yous truly was the one billed as a comedy act.told about a half dozen funny stories that I cleaned up for this group and managed to get a few laughs.  I think it was about 20 minutes or so.  There was recorded music with dancing between acts and for a period when the last act completed.  All in all a fun night.that will likely put some cash in the organizations coffers.






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Friday 13 March 2020

Friday, March 13th

A cooler day with a few sprinkles of rain that were short term.  The sun shone in the early part of the day and it was nice until later in the afternoon when the cool winds picked up.
  We were up fairly early and getting organized.  Although all 3 of our visitors had their main suitcase packed and in the truck last night, they had a lot of last minute stuff to do.  Our plans were to be on the road by 8 as aside from the rush hour issue we also had concerns with the heavy rains last night in the Scottsdale area, one that we would be going through.  Our group were pretty good and we were a couple minutes ahead of the planned time.  Normally they require you check in for 3 hours on international flights, but Cassie had checked them in yesterday so it was only 2 hours in their case.  I parked in a handicap stall using Marg's pass.  They are large spaces and the closest to the terminal.
  Traffic was lighter than expected, probably just one more example of how the virus panic is impacting the city.  There are reports of many cancellations where they will have large groups of people congregating.  There are reports the cancellations are having a significant impact on the local economy.  It was good for our group as we made it to Sky Harbor about a half hour earlier than the deadline. The airport was busy although there were some domestic flight cancellations as a result of people changing travel plans.  Fortunately that was not the case on the West Jet flight the kids were on.  We watched until the cleared security and breathed a sigh of relief they were gone.  LOL  No not really but we were glad they didn't have any glitches.
  Back to the vehicle I had left in the oversize parking lot.  Marg came down to the ground floor with me and waited at the smoking area outside on sidewalk.  After checking out it was easy to pick up Marg on the ground floor.  Traffic home was light as rush hour had passed.by that time.
  When we got home we stripped beds and assembled all of the laundry.  There was a lot so we went to the laundromat on Delaware.  Marg used one of the largest washers [it took 32 quarters for a load], two of the medium washers [15 quarters a load] and one regular washer [10 quarters].  It was kind of funny when the huge machine went on spin as it had a duvet and mattress pad which were no doubt heavy when wet.  The machine was shaking a lot, so we just pretended it was someone else's load.  Hah.  They advertise it as being good for sleeping bags, so I never saw the attendant looking troubled about it.  Then it took four of the over-size dryers to finish.  These were only a quarter for 8 minutes.  unfortunately nothing seems to dry in 8 minutes.  This was good news / bad news.  Good news - we had enough quarters.  Bad news - they were all my poker winnings.  That was my safety net should I have a run of bad luck and I have not had a winner for 4 weeks.
  Back home it was pretty much lunch time, so we put the bed in the Az room back together then had a bite to eat before getting into anything more.  Marg did the steaming and put everything away while I went to play pool.  I think I had more fun than her.  Duh.  My game was good today and I managed to get on a few winning teams.  When I got there, they were talking about the corona virus, so I told them I had been drinking the antidote, Corona beer and that it didn't seem to help me feel better.
  At 4 it was happy hour at our place.  It was cool out by then but we still had 3 couples and a few single folks.  It was a good group and we had lots of laughs. 
  Supper was eat in tonight, we had enough eating out to last us for a while  Well hopefully I am back on track with the blog posts.

Thursday, March 12th

A rainy day in the Apache Junction and area.  This has been one of the wettest winter seasons we have had in Arizona.  I can only hope that it is doing something to alleviate the 4 or 5 year long drought cycle they have had here.  I know from our trip to the Boulder dam that the water levels have a long way to recover in the Colorado river.
  We got up an active early to attend the regular weekly coffee klatch. The numbers of people were down a bit, probably for a couple of reasons:  weather, folks going home, the virus threat.  Who knows?  Donuts were free, so even though we had last pick at our table it was all good.  After coffee there was a full board [bored?] meeting that Marg stayed for so I walked home.
  Our group were up and about by the time I returned to our place.  Our plan was to go to the Superstition museum when Marg returned.
  I forgot to take the camera so we used Cassie's phone at the museum.  It save the day, but then I had to figure out how to use the pictures.  This techno-peasant is really punching above his weight on this one.





   It is always interesting to see the recognition of the amount of movie activity there was in the area around Apache Junction when we had never even heard of the place before.even though the kids probably had not heard of most of the actors.  They had a bit of fun with it and then we went on for a drive down to Queen Creek where I showed them the golf courses I played there.  Then on to the Olive Mill, eventually making our way back to the 202 and our place.  We got back a bit before supper and our guests all packed their luggage to be ready for an early morning departure.
 
  It was the kids last night in Arizona and we earlier had an arrangement to go out for dinner to Santan Flats, but with the weather we changed it and went to the China Buffet.  When I say we, there were 21 of us.  Usually a group of that size is a problem with being seated, but not that night.  We went right on in.  Another first, probably a sad testimonial to how people are spending less in this economy.
   The selection of food at this buffet is awesome.  It is mainly Chinese, but has a considerable western area, sushi bar and a sizable dessert area.  I think everyone had a good experience and enjoyed the dinner.  It was cute how the two young handicapped girls took a liking to our Cassie and she helped make their evening a little more fun.  The other thing that was new to the kids was what we do with our fortune cookies.  Everyone reads theirs aloud ending it with either "in bed" or "between the sheets".  Makes for some very humorous fortune telling. 
  After we got home we started thinking about the travel day on Friday for the kids return to Edmonton.  We decided to go out looking for face masks considering the air circulation on the place and number of potential people on it.  We had no luck even when checking for dust or painting masks.  Just after Home Depot Cassie suggested a hospital might be an idea to try.  As luck would have it Mountainview was right in that area, so we stopped at the emergency entrance.  Cassie & Sam ran in and sure enough she talked her way into 5 masks so they were set.  Just as we were driving out of the parking lot Cass got a text from Daniel suggesting we try a hospital.  Pretty funny that they were both on the same wave length.  All that running around really cut into the time so bedtime came quickly.

Wednesday 11 March 2020

Wednesday, March 11th

It sure rained hard this morning and had rained pretty much all night.  There was lots of standing water and it was flowing in the drainage ditches.  Driving down the side streets there were lots of pools to splash the on coming traffic.  The good news was that it was not cold, rather the temperature was still in the high teens.
  I went out early in the morning to the dental office.  When I got home everyone was having breakfast, so I got to try out my teeth right away.  That resulted in a second visit to the dental office  for an adjustment.  The kids had been idle for long enough that they wanted to go along for a ride.  We managed to hit a few puddles, which I suspected is their primary interest, but the water was draining quickly. On the way back we drove around a bit looking for puddles, but didn't have a lot of success.  While driving I pointed out the place where I used to get oil changes for $16 or $17.  I know that is hard to believe for where I come from, but it is common here.
  At home we pretty much were killing time while the rain continued.  As a result we had lunch at our place. By that time we were getting kind of late to do much as we had an appointment with our banker.  When leaving for the bank, our guests wanted to break out, so we took them along to the Ross's in AJ where they could look around.  The bank took a little longer than expected so they had almost an hour to wander around there.  Cassie & Daniel went for a snack at Taco Bell, while Sam went to a Cricket store, well at least that is where we found them.  The banker did an electronic transfer of most of our account here to our US dollar account back at home.  It was a bit of a surprise, but we had to bring our passports to get that done.
  We finished up just in time to get in line for supper.
   It was hamburger night in the clubhouse tonight, so we all went.  The crowd was a bit smaller, but there had to be at least 80 or 90 people there.  The burgers were good as usual.  Not certain what the kids thought, but there were no leftovers, so that is usually a good sign.  There were a few other people there with family as well, so it seems they had the same idea.
  After supper we had a bit of time.  The boys had decided to go to a movie at the theater not too far from here.  Marg had agreed to drive them to the movie, so that I could play poker tonight.  So that is what I did.  Before I left I had to program the location of the theater into the gps and she wasn't all that happy the way it routed her.  I give her full marks, she made a decision to come home her regular way rather than use the gps.  Then I agreed to pick them up after the movie ends.
 

Tuesday, March 10th

A cloudy day with some sprinkles throughout the day, then serious rain in the evening.  Well that was the forecast and unfortunately they were right.  It was a slow start to our day.  It takes a while before everyone is showered and ready in the mornings with 5 of us.  The kids generally go to the showers at the clubhouse as our water heater in the trailer would not be equal to the challenge of 5, so that takes a bit longer


 We were out of here by mid-morning and the boys had picked the kart raceway called Octane up in Scottsdale.  It was indoor and the karts are electric.  They start with a slow lap and then the karts are capable of as much as 45 mph depending on the category you pick to race in, so lots of speed and action.  At the adult level, often someone spins out and blocks the track, so requires good driving skills.  Sam has obviously done a fair amount of it and was one of the leaders, Daniel wasn't too far behind and had only one spin-out that I saw.
  The raceway was in a complex with shopping, restaurants, etc. Marg & Cassie went over to a Burlington Coat, one of Marg's fav's where they enjoyed a little retail therapy.  I think they each found something, well Cassie a few somethings.  So that was good too.  Two of our group have been a bit under the weather, so Marg has been feeding them Emergen-C.  Its a powder you put in a bottle of water and is a bit of a vitamin C boost that helps with colds and such. I think they are having allergy problems with their sinus, same thing we have experienced in prior years.  It is mainly a result of our bodies not building up immunity or tolerance for the pollen and such her e in the valley.  It makes you feel like a cold and sore throat.
  Lunch was back at our place. The afternoon was a bit of a chill-axing time.  Marg and Cassie went for a few groceries and came back successful.  No surprise there.  Supper was again at our place after they had picked up the required ingredients.  Not really certain what all that was, but it worked out great.
  After supper Marg & Cassie went to bingo at the hall here.  They left early so Marg could help out with card sales.  Us guys cleaned up, I washed, Daniel dried the dishes.  There were quite a few as Marg was using every burner on the stove.  Then we went over to Safeway for water.  We have been going through more than usual, so filled the two 5 gallon bottles.  Nice to have these energetic young fellows to pack them back to the truck.  Our guests have been doing a good job of keeping hydrated while they are here.
   When we returned from the water run, the boys and I went to play some 8 ball.  For the first game we picked up a 4th from in the park here.  Then we played among ourselves for a couple more games.
  The boys had a movie they wanted to see.  I drove them to the theater, but it turned out to be the wrong one and so that plan was a bust.  We played a dice game in the evening that all 5 of us could join in.  It was one we have played with Cassie and Sam before, so lots of fun. 
  It rained pretty much all night and as I am writing this in the morning is still raining off and on.

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Monday, March 9th

Well a bit late again, but ran out of time to make two posts last night.
  It was another nice day with temperatures in the 20 C range.  Everyone was a little slower out of the feathers this morning, so I went down to have a coffee and bacon egg grill cake at the MacDonalds in the hotel.  It was like a sandwich using pancakes, very good.   The group were tired with both Cassie and Daniel feeling a little under the weather.  I am certain it is the pollens and dust they are not accustomed to causing problems with their sinus as I have had the same thing in previous years.
  When everyone was mobile they went to Subway in the hotel for a breakfast something or other.  While they were occupied, I moved the truck to a closer parking space so there were fewer steps for Marg.  While she is doing pretty well, thanks in part to the walker, we all keep trying to keep the steps down as much as possible.
  Our first stop was Gold & Silver Pawn, a shop that is featured on the television show Pawn Stars.  We were early enough that there was no line to get in, something I have not previously seen.  The 3 musketeers were a bit disappointed not seeing one of the TV personalities, but we have never seen them.  Marg did inquire and was told Chumley was in the building but was busy so not coming out.  They spent a bunch of time looking around and as is always the case could not believe how small the shop was, it is a working pawn shop after all.  By the time we were leaving, the line to get in had already formed and was almost the length of the building.  There is no charge and they even provide free parking.  Its right on Las Vegas Blvd aka the Strip.
  From there the guys wanted to see if we could find Counts Kustom.  Danny from Counts does a lot of evaluations on old cars for the Pawn Stars show and is a reputed expert on building hot rods and bikes.  He also had a TV show featuring his business and explorations for project vehicles.  It was easy to locate using gps and was in a non-descript warehouse/industrial area.  Considering it is basically a body shop that was no surprise either.  They have a well laid out show room with a few dozen vehicles.  The boys were most impressed with two Lamborghini's that were done up and a Cadillac hearse with a huge engine complete with blower and pipes.  Really amazing they do not charge any admission and even have staff organizing the free parking around the place.
  Leaving Las Vegas we went the old highway thru Boulder City down to the Boulder Dam.  Before the dam we went through a security check where they asked if we had any firearms.  I said we are Canadian, we don't have any guns.  We still got pulled over so they could see what was in the back of the truck.  Drove over the dam and they got to see the impact of the drought in this area from the water levels behind the it.  From the dam there is also a great view of the new bridge where it is built from the tops of the canyon and just how impressive it is.
  Made good time to Kingman where we had lunch.  Stopped at the TA where we usually get fuel.  Turns out the restaurant there is amazing.  The food was good and in quantities that no one leaves hungry.  Daniels burger was the largest I have ever seen.  Funny we had never eaten there before, but it will be on our list now.
  The drive down through Wickenburg was uneventful, but there was a lot of traffic on it.  With it getting a bit later we opted not to take our usual route and instead stayed on the road until we reached the new 303 loop route.  I wanted to check it out for when we bring the motorhome down and it was a great route to the #10 highway that goes through Phoenix.  It also gave our travelers an opportunity to see the city center and turned out to be a shorter route home.  When we got home we just had some finger food for our final meal as no one seemed to be hungry yet.  Played some cards, finishing up the game of golf we started on Saturday night and that was our day.  The weather was starting to cloud up, so we know the hot weather has passed for this week.

Monday 9 March 2020

Sunday, March 8th

Well we went to Las Vegas, but were travelling light, so I never took the laptop, so no blog post for the day.
  The kids must have been excited as they were all packed the night before leaving.  The guys were up by 6 AM and Cassie shortly after.  Marg and I were in the shortly after group as well and she had us packed up the night before as well.  It was a nice day, warm by 7 when we left, but was much cooler in the high country around Kingman and warmer again in Las Vegas.  Traffic on Sunday was light, so a good day to travel.  At Wickenburg we stopped at MacDonald's for a coffee and breakfast.  Some of us ordered the full breakfast, so we ate in rather than wrestle with food in the truck.  Back on the road our next stop was Kingman for fuel and a bathroom break.  From there it was a short trip to Las Vegas.  Our first stop was at Sams Town to see if our rooms were available.  The kids had a non-smoking and it was so they took their luggage up to the room.  For our room we had to return in a couple of hours.
  Our group were eager to go and stand Vegas on its'proverbial ear, so out we went.  By then it was after lunch so we ate at the deli in the hotel.  It was pretty good and handy so that we could get out and at it.  First we went to get pictures at the sign on the south side of the city, but the line up was too much for them, so we passed on photos there.  While on the way Cassie noticed an advert for David Copperfield, so we dropped them off curbside at the MGM Grand to check it out.  It was new to all 3 so they did everything together so as not to miss out.  Marg and I drove around to find a parking spot and waited for them to call.  In our first spot a couple of guys were smoking so much marijuana and it was drifting into our truck, so we had to move.or get high with them.
  Over an hour later we were still waiting for the call to pick them up, we figured no line would be that long, so called them.  Apparently the shows they wanted were all sold out [no surprise there], while the others were more than they were willing to spend.  The day before we had talked about leaving them on their own on the strip, so they assumed that was what the plan was and were well along doing just that.  We told them to continue and went back to our hotel where we got our room and took our luggage up.  Some time later they called for a pick up in front of the  Excalibur hotel.  It seems they had an eventful time, seeing lots.  They saw the fountains at Bellagio, had a couple of attempts to scam them.  Daniel got invited to a party by a hooker and when Cassie said he wasn't 21 was told to come see her when he was.  They went on the roller coaster at New York New York and liked it, saying the one at West Ed was better.
  From there we drove up the strip so they could see all of the large hotels and casinos and the action down there.  We went to the Stratosphere or Strat where Sam wanted to ride the 3 events at the top.  They went up to the top [870 ft] to see what they were like, but found the prices much higher than advertised [about 3 or 4 times] so decided to pass.  One was a roller coaster shot from the top up a spire with huge G forces,  another was a thing that hangs out over the edge and spins, the third was a drop [not quite a bungee jump] from the top to the bottom.

  With it getting dark by then we went to Freemont street.  We had a bit of difficulty finding it in the dark but the kids with their google and gps phones got us sorted out.  There was a lot of construction in the area that didn't make it any easier.
  It was a nice night for a trip down there, although like here it gets cooler when the sun goes down.
  We went to an Irish pub for supper, it was called Hennesy's and was a lively place by that time.  The waitresses all had charming Irish accents and the atmosphere was great.  They offered some what appeared to be traditional Irish fare, but was an American interpretation.  It was not a must do again, but was OK  and helped get us in the mood.
  The 3 musketeers really saw the sights, had some fun and got a few things.  They rode on the zip line and I managed to get a picture as they went by under the canopy.




Then a couple of attractive young ladies convinced Daniel that he should have a picture, so we took many to make certain we caught the moment.  These are not free, but he had the right attitude, it's my first time in Vegas and who knows when or if ever I will be back, so I want the souvenir.



  After a bit it was back to the hotel where we played a bit.  The rest went and did it on their own, but with Daniels' age I played with him.  We played a poker machine for quite a while and only lost $2.  Then we went to a big machine where I put $20 in and everyone pulled the lever.  We eventually lost it, but had lots of laughs in the process.   I think the only one who came out ahead was Cassie, she made a small amount.
  Not certain what time the kids got to bed, but for Marg & I it was about 1:30.  No trouble falling to sleep,

Saturday 7 March 2020

Saturday, March 7th

Well it was hot, hot in AJ today with the high reaching 29 C again.  There was a nice breeze blowing all day that made it very pleasant, but make not mistake it was hot.
  We started the day with one of grandmas' monkey breads for breakfast and it was a hit.  It turned out perfect both the way she made it and the way it fit the bill for breakfast.  It took a while for everyone to have their morning routine complete, but we managed to get out of here mid-morning.  Our first stop was the large Walmart on Signal Butte where we got a few things.  Most important for me was a card for my phone to add a year of service and 800 minutes of talk time.  I think the kids mainly wanted to see the super Walmart.
   Our first stop today was Goldfield where we were fortunate to be within minutes of the first street gunfight.  They had lots of performers today and the place was very busy.  We went with the kids while they checked most of it out and I got a few pictures.
After the stop at the Bordello or house of ill-repute I left them and went to sit with Marg in the truck, leaving the kids to themselves.  They picked up a few things and the boys even went in to the reptile display and Sam had a picture of everything in there.



It took a them a couple of hours to get through everything and check it all out.  Then it was on to Tortilla Flats in the Tonto forest and the Superstition mountains.


  We had lunch on the patio watching the Tortilla Flats band.  I even had a beer, which the barmaid asked if it was because I was a Kilt Lifter.  My response was that would be my brother.  We made the obligatory stop in the bathrooms where the walls are papered with dollar bills.





  On the drive back we stopped for a few photos overlooking Canyon lake. 
hey were impressed with the windy road up through the mountains when trying to compare it to their experience with twisty roads and ended up saying nothing came close.


  Some of them were showing signs of sunburn and too much heat, so we went back to our place where they convinced grandma to go for a swim with them. 

They had the pool pretty much to themselves for a while.   The wind blowing all day had put a bunch of leaves and flowers into the pool, so when I got there to take pictures, I got the screen and pulled a bunch of crud out of the pool.  They were giving me a hard time about being the Mexican pool boy. 


After they got finished we had some supper at home.  I did a big chunk of marinated tenderloin on the bbq and Marg had nachos, a Caesar salad, cold cuts, etc.  After eating we went out to Walmart for a few more things.  Most important was lotion for Sam's sunburn and some sun tan lotion.  They never had any water goggles, so we went on to Big 5 where he found some and Cassie found a few things as well. Should be interesting tomorrow as the kids all want to get up at the crack of dawn and get on the road early,

Friday 6 March 2020

Friday, March 6th

Another beautiful day in the valley.
  We were up at a decent hour, but that is no surprise living in close quarters like we are.  One person gets moving around and everyone eventually gets woke up.  After a coffee I went out to pick up a door handle for the Arizona room.  It broke off last night and being quite old was not repairable.  I have replaced lots of passage sets, but this was by far the most difficult.  After a bit of trial and error it was installed and in proper working order.  I say that because it was installed a few times but would not work properly.  Kind of temperamental I guess.
  As soon as it was done we went to the Mesa Marketplace as the kids had heard a lot about it and were anxious to see it first hand.  For my part I went to the book seller where I sold 2 and bought 3 new to me ones.  Marg took the walker along today and that turned out to be a good decision as she was able to go much further than at anytime in the last year or two.  The kids looked at lots and touched a lot of things, but exercised restraint and only picked up a few things.  They were surprised at the end to find that they had only covered slightly more than half of it.
  After we left it was home for lunch.  Marg had lots of buns and some nice lunch meat and things to go with it.  It was a nice break as by then the temperature on the truck was showing 29 C and even 30 in a few places.  When not on the freeway we were driving with all 4 windows down.
  For the afternoon we went to the outlet stores in Arizona Mills.  That was freeway time, so we used the AC as the wind at 70 mph is pretty disruptive.  We started out at Ross's as that is one of Daniels favourite stores.  Everyone seemed to get something there so it was a good start.  They were interested in lots of things that were unique to them.  After we were half way around, Marg & I took a short cut back to the truck.  The kids continued on to see the rest of the mall, it's about a mile all the way round.  I think Cassie got her eyebrows trimmed in there at some point.
  On the way back we diverted to stop at Total Wine in the Santan center.  There they had some sampling going on and they tried wine and tequila.  Marg picked up a few things as well as the kids had a few things in the cart. By the time we were done it was dark.  That stop was followed by one at the Nordstrom Rack store where they picked up a few things, well not much really.  From there we went to Taco Bell, a choice of the kids as they wanted to compare it to the one they had been to in Edmonton.  Almost forgot last night when I wrote the post.  At Taco Bell a large picture or poster fell off the wall. It was about 5 ft high, 3 ft wide and kind of grazed Daniel even though we were quite a ways from the wall it hung on.  He jumped right up and yelled I want a free taco!  An old lady sitting in the next booth along the wall jumped up and grabbed her food moving as far from there as possible.  Pretty funny.
Back to our place where we unloaded and the kids wanted to look for scorpions.  I took the black light and we went to one of my regular spots that didn't produce any.  Then we went over to the cactus garden by the walking track and had better luck, finding 3 over there.

Thursday 5 March 2020

Thursday, March 5th

A gorgeous day in the valley.  Temperatures were warm over night and the sun brought them up quickly today.  I believe the daytime high was 83 F or 29 C.  It was the hottest day of 2020 so far.
  We went for coffee klatch this morning and it was not quite as busy as the last few weeks.  It must have been that some people got word the donuts would not be free and couldn't afford the dollar.  We were drawn about 3rd, so still good selection.  I joked about us needing to share a donut as I only had one dollar but we both went up to select it.  In the end we did each get one, but funny as we both chose the same kind.  LOL 
  After coffee we went to work on our place.  I vacuumed and then Marg washed the floors.  Then she did the bathroom and we had it all done before noon.  We had a bite and then she went to get a few groceries at Safeway.  Mostly she wanted things for a quick breakfast for at least a couple of days.  I did a few things around here and had a bit of chill-axing time.
  At 2 we left home for the airport as it takes at least a half hour without heavy traffic.  The kids flight was an hour earlier than the original plan which was good as traffic was pretty light.  I dropped Marg off and then went to drive to the oversize parking lot.  Well the traffic around terminal 3 was grid locked, so I cut out and went through the passenger pick up lanes.  Unfortunately so did a lot of other folks and the one in front of me was a large cement mixer.  Now that made for interesting traffic maneuvering.
I
 I actually called Marg and told her to go directly to the arrival gate as I didn't expect to be there in time.  I was able to get there, thanks in part to the disabled parking pass Marg has.  The rub was the flight was delayed a half hour so had lots of time.  It must have been busy in the arrival areas as they took quite a while to get to the gate, but they were there all smiles and eager.  Then it was down to the baggage area.  Their checked bags were to be on carousel 5, but owing to the number of flights coming in it was re-routed to #4.  I believe there were about a dozen all arriving for carousel within a half hour of each other, so it was probably grid lock where the baggage wagons come in. 
  As soon as the bags started flowing I went for the truck.  That way I was able to get ahead many of the cars picking up.  I asked which door and Daniel with his prior experience quickly responded with the same one we used last time.  LOL  By the time I got there, they were all on the sidewalk and ready to load, so it went very smoothly.
  They were hungry, not having eaten since breakfast, so Marg sorted out supper and came up with the China Buffet.  By then it was rush hour and traffic leaving the airport was heavy and the 202 was 8 lanes bumper to bumper.  With a bit of luck I managed to go from the curb lane over to the HOV right across all the lanes and we were able to make about 50 mph or 80 kmph, so we  made good time getting through the jamb. 
Once we got past the 101 it was good going.  I turned off on Power as it was the fastest route to the China buffet.  Driving along I said we were going to go right past the Golden Corral and my famished passengers all opted for a change of venue.  It was funny to see them taking off coats and putting on lighter clothes.  Daniel even put shorts on in the truck before eating.  The Golden Corral it was and we were fed a few minutes before 5.

We were at our place by something like 5:30 so Daniel took Cassie and Sam for a tour of the place on the golf cart.  It was still very nice out and we sat around for a bit.
 One thing I will say is the group didn't have any difficulty making decisions.  By then the light was fading as it is pretty much full dark here around  PM.  They all decided to go for a swim and grandma was up for it as well, so within a few minutes they were in the hot tub and then the pool. I think they made an error going to the hot tub first as then the pool felt cool [for all except grandma], but they persevered.  After the pool we played a game of golf [cards] and then they called it a night.

Wednesday 4 March 2020

Wednesday, March 4th

A great day in the valley.  Happy birthday to Paige & Haylee our gorgeous granddaughters who turn 21 today.
  I left early for golf this morning as I had to pick Gerry up at the auto shop down Ironwood.  He took his van there to have the AC compressor replaced.  He had a price from the dealer and the shop out her was about half what the dealer wanted.  When we arrived at the course most of the players were already there.  Folks have been arriving well before the first tee time.  We were a threesome, teamed up with Mickey today.  Play went along at a reasonable pace and I hit the ball well - for a change.
   Marg did her hair putting a bit of color in it then some laundry.  On the way home I dropped Gerry at the shop and went to the dental office.  There I had a trial fitting and things look fine, but it is going to be an adjustment.
  When I got back we had a bite and then Marg went shopping for vegetables at the Ranch market.  I went and played pool for a couple of hours.  She left with the gamblin' gals late in the afternoon and they had a full car of 7.  They went to Casino Arizona for the late bingo tonight, so it was late evening when they would return.
  I picked up the golf cart at the gate as we don't like to leave it there and went home to make supper.  There was leftovers from last nights supper, so I warmed them in the frying pan.  See how domestic I am becoming!  After eating I cleaned up the mess and then the truck a bit.  It needed a vac job and there was some mud on the outside from driving in the rain the other day. 
  I went to play poker in the evening and there were 10 players tonight so we had 2 tables.  I think I may have lost a bit tonight as the bag didn't seem to be as full coming home.  Too many second best hands tonight I guess.  It was the same story when Marg got back, close but no winners.  Usually someone in the car wins a bit, but that didn't seem to be the case tonight.  I went down to the gate to meet them where Marg gave Lynett a ride home.

Tuesday 3 March 2020

Tuesday, March 3rd

It was a nice morning, although the wind blew pretty steady.  There were lots of areas of northern Arizona that had rain last night but this was not one of them.
  Early in the morning we changed the bedding and rotated our mattress.  That task is not to be under estimated owing to the small space in that area.  When the mattress is half turned it pretty much fills the room and usually one of us is pinned to the wall.  After that Marg put the bedding in the washer as she always has a change of sheets and pillow slips around. Then we made the bed in the Arizona room and the hide-a-bed in the living room, probably wanted to do it a few days in advance in case we needed anything so there would be time to get it.  We also had a few things to get out of the Az room.  When someone is staying in the room, there is no room for anything extra.  I took the bedding down to the laundromat when it was done and put it in to dry.  There were two ladies there doing laundry, both complaining about the washing machines, but lots of dryer room.
  I had a dental appointment for 10, so left for it.  The place is only 5 minutes away.  When I got there they had a glitch and had to reschedule me for tomorrow.  They wanted 10, but I told them I had a golf commitment, so they said it would be fine to come as soon as I was done.I couldn't reschedule as I have to pick up Gerry and he has an appointment out here to get his AC fixed in the van.  On the way home I stopped at Walmart where I got Marg a For Sale sign for the golf cart.  I also picked up a few ice cream treats as we have been out for quite a while.  Marg got the bedding out of the dryer and by that time had finished another load of washing which had to be hung out to dry.  I think she got to watch part of the Y&R which runs from 11 until noon here.
  That was pretty much it for the morning  We had a bite of lunch and then I had a commitment with the association Treasurer to review the financials.  They refer to it as an audit, notwithstanding my efforts to tell them it is not.  The difference is probably only significant to me.  Under the terms of my continuing registration with the CPA society I would have to start paying dues again if I actively work or practice in finance and the dues are a couple thousand dollars.  The review is mainly a cursory look at 4 or 5 months of transactions, depending on when it occurs.  The treasurer is getting anxious about other commitments including when I will be leaving, so we did it a bit early this year.  There are not large dollars involved, so it took a couple of hours.  It's only really required when the position of treasurer changes, but they seem to like it annually.
  Marg steamed this afternoon and got all the laundry done.  She had her usual parade of visitors as well and got a chicken in a nice tomato sauce going in the slow cooker for supper tonight.  Tuesdays are always tight so sometimes we eat out that night.  The problem was she took out the chicken intending to make a curry, but decided it would be better [time-wise] to make something in the slow cooker.
  We went to happy and it was a pretty good sized group.  The venue changed at last minute, something that happens a lot when we start to get close to the end of the season.  Most people are trying to get things in or doing last minute stuff.  While there is still quite a bit of time for most folks, some are leaving  or have already left for this winter season owing to family or health commitments.  We probably have 3 weeks left, but will have the grand children for half of it.
  Supper was right after happy as Marg leaves early to help sell cards.  It was a pretty good size crowd tonight and Marg got a winner on the last regular game.  She had to split with another winner, but it was still a win.  She sure was close lots, especially on the two big payout games.  Me, well someone has to contribute to make the payouts worthwhile.

Monday 2 March 2020

Monday, March 2nd

  A nice day and while still very warm was not as hot as the last few.  there was a forecast for rain but only a few drops fell here in AJ.  According to the news there were some places in the greater Phoenix area where they had more rain and even a little hail up around Scottsdale.
  Marg had a meeting with the entertainment committee this morning.  They were providing information on planned events for the calendars next year.  It took quite a bit of time, but they were done by lunch time.  I had some calls to make this morning, one on a pension matter where it turns out there were some information problems.  I guess they wrote me at home, but not having our mail forwarded this year I was not aware of the issues, but at this late date they can be resolved when I get home.  The lady on the phone said - It's the Government of Canada, so we will still be here when you get back.  Then I did some paint repair that was long over due.  After that I cleaned a bunch of junk out of the shed.  There was a bunch of odds and ends like pieces of lumber and trim that I threw out.
  When Marg got back we had a bite to eat before our next project and there are several that we need to get to.  The golf cart brakes have been making noise again and Marg posted it for sale on an area site.  I wanted to fix it so anyone looking at it would not be put off by noisy brakes.  It took quite a while to get organized and then when I got the first wheel off I needed some parts.  One of the retaining springs did not appear to be doing it's job.  I also had some glazing on those shoes.  After a bit of running around I had what I needed.  When I returned Marg had visitors and apparently had some almost as soon as I left.  They continued on while I worked and more dropped by.  Smitty also happened by and it was a good thing as he is quite experienced with both brakes and mechanical stuff in general.  By that time I had the second wheel off and apart.  He had some ideas about a problem with the wheel on that side, so I changed to spare I have.  In the process I also greased the front end as I had the jack out and some of the zerks can be difficult to deal without lifting the cart.  In the end I took it for a short test run and it seems fine.  Some folks stopped by to tell us about a party on Monday to say farewell to a long term resident who has sold.  Unfortunately we will be coming back from our road trip with the grandchildren, so will have to miss it.
  Marg made nuns toast for supper, always a welcome dish around me.  It was very good, as always.  After supper Marg worked on her books to get organized to make the financial report to the board.  It is the year end accounting for the money and events of the entertainment committee, so fairly involved.

Sunday 1 March 2020

Sunday, March 1st.

Another nice day in the valley with temperatures at or around 80, so shorts and short sleeves are the order of the day.  The wind blew hard in the early morning but it moderated a lot by lunch time.
  We had a casual morning and then went out for some groceries.  I also took one of the 5 gallon water bottles as we were almost out as well as not having any personal water bottles.  When it gets warm like that everyone needs to keep hydrated or they will have problems.  Safeway was our destination this morning and it was a good choice, not too busy.  Well that and the coupons Marg had for it.  Some of the coupons were from the mail, but she has the loyalty card and it generates some benefits like that.  There must have been some bargains as when she finished at the cashier her savings were about 1/3rd of the total bill.
  A bonus was Marg had picked up a chicken pot pie for lunch and it was very good.  We have tried them from Costco and it was OK, but this was actually good enough so that this was not our first purchase of it.  Almost forgot there was the free donut coupon that she seems to have every-time.
  After lunch Marg did some stuff on the computer and managed to fit in a load of laundry and it was an excellent day for drying it on her racks.  I went and shot some pool for about an hour or 90 minutes, something like that.  She also put a rub on a rack of pork ribs last night and put them in the slow cooker to be ready for supper.  She made the rub out of spices and seasoning she has in the trailer already.  She has done this before on many things including ribs, so I knew it would be good, seasoning things is one of her many talents.  After I got back we changed the bedding in the Az room to be ready for our guests this coming week.  They don't arrive until Thursday but she wants to have that kind of stuff done well in advance.
  Supper was the ribs and baked potato.  We took the ribs out of the slow cooker and put them on the bbq where we covered them with bbq sauce.  The one she had for this was really good, the stuff on the bottle said it was mesquite and molasses.  They were fall apart tender and finger licking good.
  After supper it was ice cream social.  Our supper was poor timing for that as we were still full, so just went down to have coffee with folks.  Kenny & I went over and shot some pool for an hour or so after with a handful of guys.  It was good fun and a nice way to finish the day.  Marg gave Doris a ride home as Kenny generally keeps theirs to get home and gives me a ride.  I actually prefer to walk, as I'm not getting that much exercise some days.