The day most commonly known as Pearl Harbor day, except in our family it is better known as Kevin's birthday. This was a bit of a special day for Kevin with turning 55 as he now has his pensionable max formula so is eligible to retire with a full pension. Speaking with him I don't believe that is his plan just yet, but even the youngest of my siblings is sure getting up there. Happy birthday Kevin.
I got out early this morning and played golf with the group from this and the other park. It's still early in the winter season, so there were only 7 of us, but we still played closest to the pin and longest putt. No winnings came my day, but with a bit firmer putt, well who knows. Anyway it was good to get out and see some of those people again. I played well enough, but as always there is room to improve. I carded a 47 after taking a penalty stroke and having a 3 putt green, so that's why I say well enough.
Marg went to water aerobics this morning. In fact she went there a bit early, so had a very long workout. The water was a bit of a surprise as it was chilly, only 78F, so mainly the snowbirds going near the pool. She was getting prune fingers by the time she got back, well her 1 1/2 hour plus dip in the pool was a long one. She loves her pool time that girl.
We had a bite of lunch and then some visiting with folks in the park. We stopped at Wink & Mayva's place to let them use Marg's blood pressure machine because he is having some issues. We had several people at our place to visit, then a bit of a walk and the afternoon was gone. Took time to call the manufacturer of our electric stove about a problem with the larger burner. It heats up to high and stays there regardless of the setting on the control knob. The service people at the company were very helpful, both diagnosing the problem and selling me the replacement switch and it's enroute.
We had to pass on happy hour today as it was time to do the prep work for Gary's burgers and this seems to be the kitchen team we are working on now. I may have mentioned this previously, it seems Marg has made this commitment that I am learning about. Well that's not entirely right, we did work on the final hamburger night they did last year. My job was toasting buns & Marg's was serving the customers at the counter. The process is pretty well established and the response by park residents is as well. When the serving counter is opened, the line up was pretty much to the end of the rec room & they were all hungry. LOL I joked about need someone with a whip to control the hungry hoard. Anyway it is pretty intense at the start, but usually settles down when the early birds are fed. The challenge is the grill size and the number of burgers it holds in meeting the demand. The rest of the crew doing fries and chili, etc. have a lot more flexibility. It's actually a bit of fun, if you make it that way. A standing comment became nice buns, when I had them toasted just right; so I embellished on my booty shake when I heard it. Patti said I would get more comments if I wore tighter pants, LOL. Anyway we fed about 90 people plus ourselves, receiving lots of compliments - the burgers are really good, Gary does a great job.
By the time we finished the clean up we were tired. How tired, well I fell asleep trying to post this last night and that is the reason it is being done the next morning. When we got back to our place I took an ibuprofen as my back was talking to me and then Marg made us each a dish of ice cream. After we had a bit of a chance to relax and unwind the body started to feel better.
Why is this important, well it was poker night and I was debating skipping it. I ended up being a late arrival and there were already 6 players. On sitting down I won the first hand and in doing so got lots of ribbing, in fact I started off winning several. Unfortunately like the old saying win early, lose late, my good fortune went into the tank until close to the end. As I never really count my win/loss amount, I just have a sense of how things went. That sense leads me to believe I didn't win and if I did lose it wasn't a great deal. We had a few new players, well new for this year anyway and that always makes for an entertaining evening.
When I got back I started on the blog, but when Marg saw I had dozed off, suggested she was turning in early. It sounded like a good idea, so we were in bed at about 10:30 and I don't believe I even woke up through the night.
Thursday, 8 December 2016
Tuesday, 6 December 2016
Tuesday Dec 6th
Another nice day in the valley. Although it started off chilly [a typical desert morning at this time of year] it warmed up quickly and became very pleasant.
I got up to take a bike ride, but my partner was not feeling up to it this morning. He must have over-done himself yesterday and felt he needed a break. Shortly after I went to Sky Harbour airport to pick up Bingers from a Southwest flight coming home from Reno. The traffic patterns at the airport have been changed a bit, most notably the cell phone lot. It is now quite a way from terminal 4, where last year it was adjacent to it. Why is this important, well because rather than read the signs and believe them, I went toward the prior location. Then when I discovered the error of my ways I had to circle the terminal and then go where the signs directed me and sure enough there it was a nice and much larger lot just waiting for me. They also upgraded the electronic signboard that lists all the incoming flights and reports their status. It's very cool actually as you never need to leave the vehicle. I started to read my pocket book & Jerry called asking where I was. So then I made my way to the terminal and again misread the sign, so got to circle terminal 4 to get to the even number doors & as luck would have it, theirs was the last one, and sure enough there they were. I can hear you now, just another example of how us seniors don't deal with change well, LOL. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful as traffic was very light.
When I got back, I saw the Jim & Daryl were still working with Mickey's sewer problem. They worked on it yesterday without success. He bought this 5th wheel about 2 weeks ago and this was his first trip with it. He is a buddy of Jim's from New Mexico. For those of you who have seen Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, et al, you may recall the part where cousin Eddy was dumping the sewer from his decrepit motorhome. The neighbour came out seeing him pumping the holding tank into the storm sewer & he yelled out "Sh..ters full". Well that could be Mickey in our story, worst case of it I have ever seen. Jim finally connected a sewer auger to his electric drill and got it cleared. There was another movie called RV or something like that with a sewer problem that comes to mind as well, and somewhat like their process.
Marg had a house cleaning morning and got us ship shape. Then she got some chicken and other stuff going in the slow cooker for supper. After I got back I drove her to Superstition mall. It seems the sweatshirt she bought me yesterday still had the anti-theft tag attached. Real effective process they have at Sears, the alarm never went off when it went out the door and when she took it back today, they never even looked to see that she had a receipt for it. Well it was such a bargain [about 75% off], she almost stole it. LOL Then we went over so she could look around in Ross's & Burlington Coat. She got a small rug for the front door & I bought a pocket book at the store next door so I could read while she shopped, so it wasn't all that fruitful for her today. We stopped by the Red Rooster consignment store, but it was closed, as usual. That is about the 4th time we have tired to go there. Kind of a frustrating place.
We were back in good time, well in time for happy hour anyway. It seems while there Marg announced that it would be at our place on Friday and they all agreed to have snacks at that one. When we got back home our supper was hot and waiting, so no delay in getting fed. We had lots more than we could eat, so Marg took a bowl of it over to Janet next door. She is a full-time resident here and lives alone. It seems she was happy to have a prepared dish for supper, I guess, because she seemed happy to accept. Usually Marg gives our surplus to Mark, so I guess she is increasing her meals on wheels program.
After supper it was bingo in the hall. To start off the lady who normally MC's was not there. She tells a joke each week, so they asked if I would. Well not being prepared I discussed a few that came to mind that Marg nixed. Finally I came up with one that had a bingo theme and told it. We had a tough night, no winners at our table. Marg was close all night, well heck I even got close once. In fact she was one number for the last game which is the double dab and the big payout of the night, but alas success eluded us.
Oh almost forgot, I got the speedo working on my bike today. It has been out of action since last winter and I was almost ready to get another one. As luck would have it, my cycling partner, Larry, gave me a suggestion and it now appears fine.
I got up to take a bike ride, but my partner was not feeling up to it this morning. He must have over-done himself yesterday and felt he needed a break. Shortly after I went to Sky Harbour airport to pick up Bingers from a Southwest flight coming home from Reno. The traffic patterns at the airport have been changed a bit, most notably the cell phone lot. It is now quite a way from terminal 4, where last year it was adjacent to it. Why is this important, well because rather than read the signs and believe them, I went toward the prior location. Then when I discovered the error of my ways I had to circle the terminal and then go where the signs directed me and sure enough there it was a nice and much larger lot just waiting for me. They also upgraded the electronic signboard that lists all the incoming flights and reports their status. It's very cool actually as you never need to leave the vehicle. I started to read my pocket book & Jerry called asking where I was. So then I made my way to the terminal and again misread the sign, so got to circle terminal 4 to get to the even number doors & as luck would have it, theirs was the last one, and sure enough there they were. I can hear you now, just another example of how us seniors don't deal with change well, LOL. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful as traffic was very light.
When I got back, I saw the Jim & Daryl were still working with Mickey's sewer problem. They worked on it yesterday without success. He bought this 5th wheel about 2 weeks ago and this was his first trip with it. He is a buddy of Jim's from New Mexico. For those of you who have seen Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, et al, you may recall the part where cousin Eddy was dumping the sewer from his decrepit motorhome. The neighbour came out seeing him pumping the holding tank into the storm sewer & he yelled out "Sh..ters full". Well that could be Mickey in our story, worst case of it I have ever seen. Jim finally connected a sewer auger to his electric drill and got it cleared. There was another movie called RV or something like that with a sewer problem that comes to mind as well, and somewhat like their process.
Marg had a house cleaning morning and got us ship shape. Then she got some chicken and other stuff going in the slow cooker for supper. After I got back I drove her to Superstition mall. It seems the sweatshirt she bought me yesterday still had the anti-theft tag attached. Real effective process they have at Sears, the alarm never went off when it went out the door and when she took it back today, they never even looked to see that she had a receipt for it. Well it was such a bargain [about 75% off], she almost stole it. LOL Then we went over so she could look around in Ross's & Burlington Coat. She got a small rug for the front door & I bought a pocket book at the store next door so I could read while she shopped, so it wasn't all that fruitful for her today. We stopped by the Red Rooster consignment store, but it was closed, as usual. That is about the 4th time we have tired to go there. Kind of a frustrating place.
We were back in good time, well in time for happy hour anyway. It seems while there Marg announced that it would be at our place on Friday and they all agreed to have snacks at that one. When we got back home our supper was hot and waiting, so no delay in getting fed. We had lots more than we could eat, so Marg took a bowl of it over to Janet next door. She is a full-time resident here and lives alone. It seems she was happy to have a prepared dish for supper, I guess, because she seemed happy to accept. Usually Marg gives our surplus to Mark, so I guess she is increasing her meals on wheels program.
After supper it was bingo in the hall. To start off the lady who normally MC's was not there. She tells a joke each week, so they asked if I would. Well not being prepared I discussed a few that came to mind that Marg nixed. Finally I came up with one that had a bingo theme and told it. We had a tough night, no winners at our table. Marg was close all night, well heck I even got close once. In fact she was one number for the last game which is the double dab and the big payout of the night, but alas success eluded us.
Oh almost forgot, I got the speedo working on my bike today. It has been out of action since last winter and I was almost ready to get another one. As luck would have it, my cycling partner, Larry, gave me a suggestion and it now appears fine.
Monday, 5 December 2016
Monday
It was a nice day today. I got out for a bike ride with Larry this morning, we made a little over 3 miles which as it turns out is getting close to his max.
When I got back Marg & I went to the optical outlet that was recommended as a good place to fix glasses. When the fellow looked at them, he indicated that the arm would have to be cut and re-built, sort of gluing it back together after the repair, giving her a repair estimate of $65. When Marg went in to pick them up, she had a surprise that it was repairable after all. The guy straightened it all up and got the spring working to tension the arm so that it works as well as it did before the damage. Then best of all when she went in to pick them up, he said it wasn't as big a job as he estimated and that the repairs didn't take all that long, so he couldn't charge her what he quoted and that $25 would cover it. She was so pleased that she asked if he could accept a tip & gave him one. What a pleasant surprise as he could have just charged her the quoted amount and we would not have known any different. Nice to see this kind of service.
While we were waiting for the repair, I went in to Vans golf store which is in the same complex and looked at some cool stuff. With some time to kill I then went in to the barber store between the two where they offered senior cuts for $12. They were a couple of young guys & no line up, so I took a chance and got my locks shorn. The guy did a very good job and I will definitely be returning when it grows out again. So we both left happy with the stop at this strip retail complex.
When we got back it was lunch at our place. I had my wheel thump in a pothole near the driveway on exiting the park. Its been a conversation item around here, so I took my shovel out front and filled it with sand & gravel. That is one thing there is lots of in the desert. After I went and played 8 ball for a couple of hours. My play seems to be better this year, I attribute it to the snooker I played last summer at home. The pockets on the snooker tables are so much tighter that it makes these seem easier than I recall in past years. The bad news it will probably be difficult to go back to snooker at home.
Marg did a load of laundry and is still happy with the Splendide and the way it works. Then she went out went out looking for a bundt pan and in the process checked out a couple of places. She came back with a potato masher and some odds & ends, but not pan. So there is still a reason to go back in search of the elusive pan.
The happy hour group were all there today and it was like a gaggle of geese. There must have been 4 conversations going on at once sometimes. Supper tonight was bbg steak which was very tasty and that's about it for the day.
When I got back Marg & I went to the optical outlet that was recommended as a good place to fix glasses. When the fellow looked at them, he indicated that the arm would have to be cut and re-built, sort of gluing it back together after the repair, giving her a repair estimate of $65. When Marg went in to pick them up, she had a surprise that it was repairable after all. The guy straightened it all up and got the spring working to tension the arm so that it works as well as it did before the damage. Then best of all when she went in to pick them up, he said it wasn't as big a job as he estimated and that the repairs didn't take all that long, so he couldn't charge her what he quoted and that $25 would cover it. She was so pleased that she asked if he could accept a tip & gave him one. What a pleasant surprise as he could have just charged her the quoted amount and we would not have known any different. Nice to see this kind of service.
While we were waiting for the repair, I went in to Vans golf store which is in the same complex and looked at some cool stuff. With some time to kill I then went in to the barber store between the two where they offered senior cuts for $12. They were a couple of young guys & no line up, so I took a chance and got my locks shorn. The guy did a very good job and I will definitely be returning when it grows out again. So we both left happy with the stop at this strip retail complex.
When we got back it was lunch at our place. I had my wheel thump in a pothole near the driveway on exiting the park. Its been a conversation item around here, so I took my shovel out front and filled it with sand & gravel. That is one thing there is lots of in the desert. After I went and played 8 ball for a couple of hours. My play seems to be better this year, I attribute it to the snooker I played last summer at home. The pockets on the snooker tables are so much tighter that it makes these seem easier than I recall in past years. The bad news it will probably be difficult to go back to snooker at home.
Marg did a load of laundry and is still happy with the Splendide and the way it works. Then she went out went out looking for a bundt pan and in the process checked out a couple of places. She came back with a potato masher and some odds & ends, but not pan. So there is still a reason to go back in search of the elusive pan.
The happy hour group were all there today and it was like a gaggle of geese. There must have been 4 conversations going on at once sometimes. Supper tonight was bbg steak which was very tasty and that's about it for the day.
Sunday, 4 December 2016
Sunday
Got out at a decent hour and took in the morning church service in the park. There were quite a few more in attendance this morning, which was nice to see. We are still looking for an organist or a pianist to help with the music, an area that is beyond me. The park owner plays both, but it would be nice to have both, so fingers crossed.
I arrived back to find Marg in a very unhappy state. She was barbeque ing the ribs to put in the slow cooker for the day. What made her unhappy was she had stumbled when getting out of bed and put her hand down to steady herself. While it did that, her hand was on her glasses and they were badly bent as a result. As a result the axis for her vision was not right and it was affecting her vertigo.
It required a change in plans, so we headed out to Superstition mall to the optical store. The lady was helpful and straightened them up fairly well, but the pressure appears to have broken the spring in the arm, so it is floppy. They sort of work now, but this is not a solution. The lady who tried to fix them pretty much said the solution was new glasses. We stopped at the Sears optical dept and the fellow there suggested a repair store that isn't open on weekends, so we will have to try them tomorrow. It looks like we are either going to need some luck or a new pair of glasses. Tomorrow I will have to contact Northern Vision at home and get them to email her optical prescription, as I am virtually certain we will be buying glasses here. We had a problem several years ago and had to do the same thing and had a good outcome, so are pretty sure it will all work out.
On the way out we came through TJ Max, it's like Winners as we need a couple of gifts for the Christmas party next Saturday. Everyone brings a wrapped gift with a value not to exceed $5 for a gift exchange, much like the Chinese gift exchange. In prior years it has been quite a bit of fun, but they also permitted using a white elephant thing you already had. I guess they didn't think that was all that funny, so now it has to be something new. Marg likes to get one suited for each gender, so the guys aren't stuck with a scented candle, LOL. Getting something for $5 is a challenge, but we were successful today on both counts, so the pressure is off. The other part of this is that you can bring your own drinks and that helps liven things up. Apparently we are having a 50/50 draw this year which is new, giving the proceeds to a service veteran with a young family.
On the way back we stopped at Denny's for lunch. It was fairly busy, but we got in and fed in good time. After on the way back we stopped at Winco for supplies. It's a discount grocery place, along the lines of Costco, but without the membership card. Well then we stopped at Walgreen's so it took a while to get back. Marg thought I wanted hydrogen peroxide, so bought a big bottle; but I was looking for rubbing alcohol. So we now have both. I was having some problems with the auto focus on my camera and needed to swab the electrical contacts with alcohol.
When we got back I tried it on the camera and it seems to be working again. Visited with Mark at the end of the street for a bit. He's an interesting guy, deals in old stuff and always has some cool things. He had a rock that has a seam of asbestos in it, something I have never seen. Apparently when it fossilizes, it produces the rock we know as cats eyes. He said it's not legal to have any more, but it will sell almost immediately when he puts it out. He has a bunch of copper ore, some old glass power line insulators, a bunch of rusty iron things like stirrups, etc. Went for happy hour and then supper was the ribs. They were very good, so we seem to have hit on a successful formula for them. Can hardly wait to try it again with a different bbq sauce.
I arrived back to find Marg in a very unhappy state. She was barbeque ing the ribs to put in the slow cooker for the day. What made her unhappy was she had stumbled when getting out of bed and put her hand down to steady herself. While it did that, her hand was on her glasses and they were badly bent as a result. As a result the axis for her vision was not right and it was affecting her vertigo.
It required a change in plans, so we headed out to Superstition mall to the optical store. The lady was helpful and straightened them up fairly well, but the pressure appears to have broken the spring in the arm, so it is floppy. They sort of work now, but this is not a solution. The lady who tried to fix them pretty much said the solution was new glasses. We stopped at the Sears optical dept and the fellow there suggested a repair store that isn't open on weekends, so we will have to try them tomorrow. It looks like we are either going to need some luck or a new pair of glasses. Tomorrow I will have to contact Northern Vision at home and get them to email her optical prescription, as I am virtually certain we will be buying glasses here. We had a problem several years ago and had to do the same thing and had a good outcome, so are pretty sure it will all work out.
On the way out we came through TJ Max, it's like Winners as we need a couple of gifts for the Christmas party next Saturday. Everyone brings a wrapped gift with a value not to exceed $5 for a gift exchange, much like the Chinese gift exchange. In prior years it has been quite a bit of fun, but they also permitted using a white elephant thing you already had. I guess they didn't think that was all that funny, so now it has to be something new. Marg likes to get one suited for each gender, so the guys aren't stuck with a scented candle, LOL. Getting something for $5 is a challenge, but we were successful today on both counts, so the pressure is off. The other part of this is that you can bring your own drinks and that helps liven things up. Apparently we are having a 50/50 draw this year which is new, giving the proceeds to a service veteran with a young family.
On the way back we stopped at Denny's for lunch. It was fairly busy, but we got in and fed in good time. After on the way back we stopped at Winco for supplies. It's a discount grocery place, along the lines of Costco, but without the membership card. Well then we stopped at Walgreen's so it took a while to get back. Marg thought I wanted hydrogen peroxide, so bought a big bottle; but I was looking for rubbing alcohol. So we now have both. I was having some problems with the auto focus on my camera and needed to swab the electrical contacts with alcohol.
When we got back I tried it on the camera and it seems to be working again. Visited with Mark at the end of the street for a bit. He's an interesting guy, deals in old stuff and always has some cool things. He had a rock that has a seam of asbestos in it, something I have never seen. Apparently when it fossilizes, it produces the rock we know as cats eyes. He said it's not legal to have any more, but it will sell almost immediately when he puts it out. He has a bunch of copper ore, some old glass power line insulators, a bunch of rusty iron things like stirrups, etc. Went for happy hour and then supper was the ribs. They were very good, so we seem to have hit on a successful formula for them. Can hardly wait to try it again with a different bbq sauce.
Saturday, 3 December 2016
Saturday, December 3rd
The day started out with strong winds off the mountains, so my riding partner opted to not ride today. I did start off the day with the breakfast in the rec center. It was french toast today, so my participation was assured. The crew was mainly friends, actually mostly ladies Marg hangs out with. When they asked her if she would join them, her reply was to the effect that she is not a breakfast person, so has committed to other projects and while she did breakfasts in for quite a few years, she didn't enjoy it and made a commitment to herself that she was done with early morning breakfast work. Well you can imagine, the pressure I now feel to support the breakfast teams, so I go even when there isn't french toast. You may recall my post where I explained that you never need ask if I will have french toast.
After a great breakfast and no bike ride, my day was free, so we went out to check out some patio sales. There were two in Apache Junction, so we went to both. At the one on University Marg got a few things and I got a deal on a socket set. I have lots of sockets, but no handle so I can take that off my bucket list, LOL. The second one we went to on Broadway and it was not nearly as good. There were not as many good deals, but I did get another handle and Marg got a bunch of corks. I guess the ladies have been looking for some to use in crafts. Well they have lots now. Oh yeh, I got one of those small parts cabinets, you know, they have lots of little drawers to put nuts and bolts and things in. It was a great deal as the old guy had it packed full of things. Finally we went to one in Gold Canyon, but by then it was close to wrapping up and no deals were had there. It was a huge park and we likely should have gone there first.
Had a nice lunch when we got back and then I scanned some stuff with information on activities to put on the tenants association FB page. Marg used her new vac in the trailer and it is excellent. Then she cleaned the truck interior as well as the mats. It looks great now.
On the way to happy hour, she noticed our neighbour had picked a bunch of her lemons, leaving them out in a basket. The ladies at happy were delighted to get a fresh picked lemon, so none were wasted from this bunch. Janet has a tree that produces more lemons than she could ever use, so rather than let them fall to the ground to rot, she picks them fairly regularly. Most people in the park do that with the grapefruit and oranges as well, although it's a little early for them.
Char & Phil celebrate their anniversary tomorrow and as they often read the blog early in the morning & well it is tomorrow there already, so -- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you both, we love you.
After a great breakfast and no bike ride, my day was free, so we went out to check out some patio sales. There were two in Apache Junction, so we went to both. At the one on University Marg got a few things and I got a deal on a socket set. I have lots of sockets, but no handle so I can take that off my bucket list, LOL. The second one we went to on Broadway and it was not nearly as good. There were not as many good deals, but I did get another handle and Marg got a bunch of corks. I guess the ladies have been looking for some to use in crafts. Well they have lots now. Oh yeh, I got one of those small parts cabinets, you know, they have lots of little drawers to put nuts and bolts and things in. It was a great deal as the old guy had it packed full of things. Finally we went to one in Gold Canyon, but by then it was close to wrapping up and no deals were had there. It was a huge park and we likely should have gone there first.
Had a nice lunch when we got back and then I scanned some stuff with information on activities to put on the tenants association FB page. Marg used her new vac in the trailer and it is excellent. Then she cleaned the truck interior as well as the mats. It looks great now.
On the way to happy hour, she noticed our neighbour had picked a bunch of her lemons, leaving them out in a basket. The ladies at happy were delighted to get a fresh picked lemon, so none were wasted from this bunch. Janet has a tree that produces more lemons than she could ever use, so rather than let them fall to the ground to rot, she picks them fairly regularly. Most people in the park do that with the grapefruit and oranges as well, although it's a little early for them.
Char & Phil celebrate their anniversary tomorrow and as they often read the blog early in the morning & well it is tomorrow there already, so -- HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you both, we love you.
Friday, 2 December 2016
Friday
We had a day to sleep in, so we never got up until 7:30. That would be AM, some people just don't know how to do that I guess. It was chilly, I think last night got down to 45 or 47 [something like 5 or 6C], so we had to wait for it to warm up a bit.
I had told Larry I would ride if he waited until it warmed up a bit in the day, so he was out front at 9:30. I was pretty much ready so we got out a half hour later than normal. I think he was anxious to get back on the bike, but when I said that I meant a bit later than he understood. One of those - you're not hearing what I think I'm saying moments. LOL It was good to get back out and we made another short tour, I think we were around 3 miles. Well it's better than what we did the prior day. Right?
When I got back Marg had a load of washing started, but it didn't need watching, so I took her to a couple of yard sales and a park sale. These are usually on Thursday/Friday when things are busy here, but it's early so most don't start until tomorrow. So now you know what the plan is tomorrow. Never saw anything worth picking up, so came back empty handed. Well not exactly as I stopped at Fry's on the way back and filled up at $1.91 per gallon and Marg picked up some bread and eggs.
So it was fried eggs sandwiches for lunch when we got back. After lunch I think she did a second load of laundry, but determined she was going to need more drying space. While the she runs the clothes thru a brief dry cycle, she has decided to finish with air drying. The result was a trip to pick up another drying rack and a laundry basket, well there was probably other things as well, but no idea what they were.
I picked up Kenny on the way to pool and he came to play 8 ball. We started with a game just between us and then as the other games wound up we ended up with 2 other players at our table. It was a bit of a new experience for him as he is just getting familiar with the local rules, but it went well. In fact he played on the winning team once and the team that scratched on the 8 ball once. It ended well and I believe he is starting to feel more comfortable playing here. I say that because although everyone is welcome to play and we try to bring in new players, among new players, there can be a feeling that guys already playing are very good or the teams are already established. The process that has long been established is that the partners are made up from what ball is sunk and usually change from game to game.
Happy hour and then off to supper at the Chinese buffet with the Blanke's. We wanted to take them for dinner in appreciation of their giving us the wash machine. We had a bit of a shock as the one we normally patronize in prior years has closed. Fortunately Kenny remembered another down on Power road, called China City. We had been there once last year and it was very good, even nicer than the old one. Being Friday there were lots of seafood items: crab, shrimp, fish, even frogs legs. The food was very good and although we were disappointed to learn of the closure, it's like the old saying. One door closes, another one opens.
When we got back, Marg had a chat with one of our neighbour ladies. She and her husband are the recently arrived couple from Grande Prairie. In the course of their chat they said they had family in the area around Debolt and Marg mentioned we have a niece near there. It turns out Joe & Ester's daughter and Jenny Lynn are very good friends and the families do lots of things together. This is so typical of people from GP. If you talk to them you can't help but have people and things in common. We saw the same when Darryl and Rita came here. She went to school with Evelyn and his mother lives on the same road as Roger & Vanessa. Life in small city Alberta.
I had told Larry I would ride if he waited until it warmed up a bit in the day, so he was out front at 9:30. I was pretty much ready so we got out a half hour later than normal. I think he was anxious to get back on the bike, but when I said that I meant a bit later than he understood. One of those - you're not hearing what I think I'm saying moments. LOL It was good to get back out and we made another short tour, I think we were around 3 miles. Well it's better than what we did the prior day. Right?
When I got back Marg had a load of washing started, but it didn't need watching, so I took her to a couple of yard sales and a park sale. These are usually on Thursday/Friday when things are busy here, but it's early so most don't start until tomorrow. So now you know what the plan is tomorrow. Never saw anything worth picking up, so came back empty handed. Well not exactly as I stopped at Fry's on the way back and filled up at $1.91 per gallon and Marg picked up some bread and eggs.
So it was fried eggs sandwiches for lunch when we got back. After lunch I think she did a second load of laundry, but determined she was going to need more drying space. While the she runs the clothes thru a brief dry cycle, she has decided to finish with air drying. The result was a trip to pick up another drying rack and a laundry basket, well there was probably other things as well, but no idea what they were.
I picked up Kenny on the way to pool and he came to play 8 ball. We started with a game just between us and then as the other games wound up we ended up with 2 other players at our table. It was a bit of a new experience for him as he is just getting familiar with the local rules, but it went well. In fact he played on the winning team once and the team that scratched on the 8 ball once. It ended well and I believe he is starting to feel more comfortable playing here. I say that because although everyone is welcome to play and we try to bring in new players, among new players, there can be a feeling that guys already playing are very good or the teams are already established. The process that has long been established is that the partners are made up from what ball is sunk and usually change from game to game.
Happy hour and then off to supper at the Chinese buffet with the Blanke's. We wanted to take them for dinner in appreciation of their giving us the wash machine. We had a bit of a shock as the one we normally patronize in prior years has closed. Fortunately Kenny remembered another down on Power road, called China City. We had been there once last year and it was very good, even nicer than the old one. Being Friday there were lots of seafood items: crab, shrimp, fish, even frogs legs. The food was very good and although we were disappointed to learn of the closure, it's like the old saying. One door closes, another one opens.
When we got back, Marg had a chat with one of our neighbour ladies. She and her husband are the recently arrived couple from Grande Prairie. In the course of their chat they said they had family in the area around Debolt and Marg mentioned we have a niece near there. It turns out Joe & Ester's daughter and Jenny Lynn are very good friends and the families do lots of things together. This is so typical of people from GP. If you talk to them you can't help but have people and things in common. We saw the same when Darryl and Rita came here. She went to school with Evelyn and his mother lives on the same road as Roger & Vanessa. Life in small city Alberta.
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Thursday, December 1st
Time passes so quickly, here it is December, 2016 and we have been in Arizona the better part of a month already.
We were up fairly early as we both had commitments this morning. For Marg it was off with the gamblin' gals to the Fort. For me is was coffee and rolls in the hall. There were 5 of them this morning going and there was the lure of the unknown dish as they left the park. For some of them the dish is useful, but I suspect some it's the lure of the unknown. The gambling went ok, better for some, as is generally the case. Marg won the first game of bingo, but had to split, so the prize money was modest. She was glad just to break the ice and get a win, good for her. Two of the other ladies won on fairly big payouts, so there was quite a bit of good humour on the return trip. Oh yes, the dish; well today it was a cookie jar. Not just any cookie jar, but a ceramic shaped like a snowman with a bit of a Christmas 'y' theme. Pretty cute actually, although I think Marg has made her mind to give hers to Doris. Aside from being a very dear friend to her, she feels obligated for the washer/dryer they gave her.
The coffee and donuts was pretty well attended and I got a blueberry fritter. It's an opportunity to share information and to hear about plans or activities for the coming week and sometimes several weeks in advance for the activities that require commitments. I took a few pictures and then put it on the tenants association FB page. There was a new item a pledge for the Canadian visitors that some of the residents have brought forward. The president wanted something to respect the Canadian flag and last year we had a moment of silent reflection, this year they have a pledge advocated by the snowbirds association. I frankly do not feel comfortable with either and tell them when they ask me that I am a guest in their country and respect their traditions and customs, but do not expect anything like they are doing. We don't have a pledge to our flag when we are in our country, so I do not expect it here and that when they fly our flag that is sufficient tribute for me. Waste of my breath.
After coffee I went out to pick up some things and stopped on the way at a yard sale. The guy had an honest to goodness cannon ball for sale. Apparently they are not all that rare out in the desert. In fact a guy there was saying he has found quite a few artifacts that are remnants of the army battles with the Indian tribes in the area from the wild west era. It was only $10 and I debated long about it, not because of the cost, but what I would do with it. it's actually very heavy and appears to be about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. I liked it, having served in an artillery regiment, but the questions still remains - what will I do with it? Picked up some pipe insulation as I have some exposed water line and although it does not generally freeze here, it has happened and I wanted to put some on the hot water line to make it a bit more energy efficient. Then I did some catch up on the laptop, mainly because I needed a couple of jokes to tell at the animal races. Gene is not here yet and he generally fills in for Clyde, so I sometimes fill in.
When Marg got back we went for a brief happy hour and then supper in the trailer tonight. The animal races have been moved to Thursday evenings now, so it was down to the hall for the inaugural running. The elephant came close, but the elephant lovers of Apache Junction were disappointed with not win on the card. Marg won 4 races and I won 3, so not bad out of 8 races. She has taken over my happy dance routine and using it more than me, not sure what I think of that. LOL There were a couple of new people and our numbers were down a bit, but that's because lots of folks aren't here yet.
We were up fairly early as we both had commitments this morning. For Marg it was off with the gamblin' gals to the Fort. For me is was coffee and rolls in the hall. There were 5 of them this morning going and there was the lure of the unknown dish as they left the park. For some of them the dish is useful, but I suspect some it's the lure of the unknown. The gambling went ok, better for some, as is generally the case. Marg won the first game of bingo, but had to split, so the prize money was modest. She was glad just to break the ice and get a win, good for her. Two of the other ladies won on fairly big payouts, so there was quite a bit of good humour on the return trip. Oh yes, the dish; well today it was a cookie jar. Not just any cookie jar, but a ceramic shaped like a snowman with a bit of a Christmas 'y' theme. Pretty cute actually, although I think Marg has made her mind to give hers to Doris. Aside from being a very dear friend to her, she feels obligated for the washer/dryer they gave her.
The coffee and donuts was pretty well attended and I got a blueberry fritter. It's an opportunity to share information and to hear about plans or activities for the coming week and sometimes several weeks in advance for the activities that require commitments. I took a few pictures and then put it on the tenants association FB page. There was a new item a pledge for the Canadian visitors that some of the residents have brought forward. The president wanted something to respect the Canadian flag and last year we had a moment of silent reflection, this year they have a pledge advocated by the snowbirds association. I frankly do not feel comfortable with either and tell them when they ask me that I am a guest in their country and respect their traditions and customs, but do not expect anything like they are doing. We don't have a pledge to our flag when we are in our country, so I do not expect it here and that when they fly our flag that is sufficient tribute for me. Waste of my breath.
After coffee I went out to pick up some things and stopped on the way at a yard sale. The guy had an honest to goodness cannon ball for sale. Apparently they are not all that rare out in the desert. In fact a guy there was saying he has found quite a few artifacts that are remnants of the army battles with the Indian tribes in the area from the wild west era. It was only $10 and I debated long about it, not because of the cost, but what I would do with it. it's actually very heavy and appears to be about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. I liked it, having served in an artillery regiment, but the questions still remains - what will I do with it? Picked up some pipe insulation as I have some exposed water line and although it does not generally freeze here, it has happened and I wanted to put some on the hot water line to make it a bit more energy efficient. Then I did some catch up on the laptop, mainly because I needed a couple of jokes to tell at the animal races. Gene is not here yet and he generally fills in for Clyde, so I sometimes fill in.
When Marg got back we went for a brief happy hour and then supper in the trailer tonight. The animal races have been moved to Thursday evenings now, so it was down to the hall for the inaugural running. The elephant came close, but the elephant lovers of Apache Junction were disappointed with not win on the card. Marg won 4 races and I won 3, so not bad out of 8 races. She has taken over my happy dance routine and using it more than me, not sure what I think of that. LOL There were a couple of new people and our numbers were down a bit, but that's because lots of folks aren't here yet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
