Monday January 30, 2012
I worked on posting my blog when I got up this morning. The Internet service was so slow last night that I gave up. It was much better response this morning.
Received a call from Bob, the washer repairman, about 9:00am and said he planned on being here about 10:30. I worked around the RV doing some cleaning and walked up to office to check our mail. Nothing in the mail today. Leslie sent mail and Larry's prescription drugs out on Saturday so should receive maybe tomorrow.
Bob showed up right on time and started working on washer. He ended up having to remove front panel to get to one of the main drains from the washer. When he removed the hose he found Larry's comb and a dryer sheet plugging it. He cleaned out some pretty nasty gunk, which I think was from the rugs I washed when we first arrived here. I have never washed rugs in my washer before. I had the feeling that I should not have washed them in my washer and started having problems with washer shortly afterwards. He worked on the washer for more than an hour and when he left his bill was $100. I guess I could have bought several new rugs for this price. The repair seemed quite reasonable considering the guy that was to come last week charged $60 just for a 'trip' charge. Bob has a repair service in Idaho and lives in Yuma for the winter. When he is here he runs his repair business here as well. He was such a nice guy that I was happy we called him.
When I was setting outside this morning, Don the guy next door was out and we talked for awhile. They have a tiny dog named Missy. He brought her over to see Raven, which was not a big hit. Of all the cat's, Raven is not the ' PR' man of the group. Yuma is Don and Cynthia's permanent residence but are from Indiana originally. They work as security for the park part time. Cynthia was the one that helped us get settled on our site the day we arrived. They are both very nice people. We are very lucky to have such great neighbors all around us. Everyone is very friendly and very helpful with whatever is needed.
We called the University of California to make a reservation for the Farm Tour and we are scheduled for Wednesday. They told us that Thursday would be a better day as they have fewer people but we both have dental appointments on Thursday. After we talked about it, we decided to call back tomorrow morning to find out if Friday might be a better day to go than Wednesday.
After the repair call, we went to the post office to get a box to mail my friend Cathy's medications, that I picked up in Mexico last week. From there we were going to take the car through the quick wash but there were 6 cars waiting in line. We drove on down to Walmart to return rope lights we bought last week and pick up a few groceries.
Leslie called when we got home and said she took Ava to Bass Pro after work. I did not know that they allow people to bring their dogs into Bass Pro when shopping. When they walked in, the guy at the door asked if Ava could have dog treats and he gave her 3 handful's of treats. When it came time to leave, Ava refused to walk out the door so Leslie picked her up and carried her to the car. Ava is almost as big as Leslie so she is not easy to pack around. To say Ava is spoiled would put it mildly! Pete is much stricter with Ava's training than Leslie. When Pete is traveling for work, Ava gets very spoiled by Leslie while he's gone.
Sent Taylor a text message to find out if they got home from Florida today. They have been at Disney World since Thursday and I have received several pictures from Taylor of the girls while there. I am missing them terribly already!!! Taylor sent me back a message that they did get home without a problem so I was relieved they were home safe.
Sat outside and drank a couple of beer. The weather today was absolutely the best. The first day since we've been here that it got almost hot and there was no wind so was beautiful setting outside. Raven thought it was wonderful being outside today as well. I had him out 3 times--2 times on the leash and once in the pet cage. Tucker refuses to be put in the cage and he doesn't really enjoy being outside at all for some reason. Poor Charlie hardly has the energy to get off the bed during the day. I feel so bad for Charlie and am afraid we may have to have him put down. He is so thin it is like picking up a feather. I'm beginning to seriously worry about him.
Larry put brats on the grill and I cooked onions and peppers in a small amount of the garlic olive oil that we bought in Las Cruces. I steamed the cauliflower and broccoli that Doris gave us last week. Dinner was either very good or I was very hungry! I was so stuffed and was very uncomfortable for most of the evening. We went back outside and drank our coffee and sat out on the patio until after 7:00 without a jacket. This is the first time it has been warm enough to be out after dark without a jacket since we arrived in Yuma. If we continue with the warm days, I will be spending my afternoons lounging at the pool soon.
We talked about going to the Date Farm tomorrow. I looked on the Internet to find out where it is located. I don't remember where the brochure said it was but I don't think it is very far from Yuma. When I looked up information on the Date Farm, I found there are several around this area and a few in Southern California. The Bard Date Farm is located in Bard, AZ which appears to be just outside of Winterhaven, CA. We were in Winterhaven last week and it is only about 8 miles out of Yuma. On the website however, it sounded like they only give tours to groups. I may call before we go over to find out what's available. I would love to see the farm as it sounds like it is a very interesting process.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Arizona 2012 Sunday(Jan 29)
Sunday January 29, 2012
Imperial Sand Dunes
We decided to take a trip to San Luis, AZ today. I keep seeing signs for this area but have no idea what it is like. I read that Somerton, AZ is only about 12 miles outside of Yuma and San Luis is another 12 miles beyond Somerton. San Luis is a border town and doesn't appear to be very large but thought it might be interesting.
We stopped by our local Daybreak Cafe but there was quite a wait for breakfast so decided to go on to Yuma to eat. We drove by a small 50's diner that I saw an advertisement for in the local paper. It didn't appear to be too busy so we decided to go in and give it a try. It was a pretty small place and there were 3 or 4 couples waiting for a table so we opted to eat at the bar area. We waited awhile for our food but basically it tasted pretty good.
Border Fence from Somerton to San Luiz, AZ
We got on RT. 95 from Yuma, headed South to San Luis. We drove through many vegetable fields on our route. We started noticing a 'border' fence running not far from the highway. The area of the fence visible from the road was probably 20 miles long and ran all the way into San Luis. When we drove into the edge of town, the first thing we saw was what else but a Walmart! We drove on into town and it started feeling more like a Mexico town as it was so dirty and poor looking.
We drove down the main street and had to promptly turn onto a side street to keep from going across the border. We pulled around to a McDonald's and ordered a soda and I asked the cashier about going across the border to San Luis, Mexico. I asked her if there was any shopping there and if it was safe to go across the border. Of course she and everyone else in town was Hispanic and when I asked these questions she gave me a strange smile and answered yes to all my questions. Later she told me that the shopping was about the same as in San Luis, AZ. This promptly changed our minds about going into Mexico because when looking along the street here, the stores were very 'seedy' looking. We pulled the car into a parking space along the street and walked about a block on both sides of the street. The stores we went into made the 'dollar' store look like a Macy's!@!! I cannot believe anyone would have a need for this junk, which as I looked at the prices and they were very expensive. I can understand how Walmart can exist in this poor area as they must be the only place in the town to buy decent merchandise. Well, needless to say our trip in and out of San Luis took less than 45 minutes! Wow, I'm so glad we came!
Imperial Sand Dunes
We made a quick trip back to Yuma and decided to take a drive toward California since it was still very early in the day. We headed toward El Centro, CA which we noted by the road signs was only 45 miles from Yuma. El Centro is where we want to take the 'Farm Tour' as soon as we can find a day to do so. We drove out of Yuma about 15 miles and starting seeing huge sand dunes with lots of RV's and 4 Wheelers. We stopped at a rest stop located in the Imperial Sand Dunes. Part of the dunes are obviously in Mexico as the 'border' fence was visible from the roadway in many areas running along RT 8. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to run the dune buggy's over these massive mounds of sand.
After we ran out of the dune area we again started seeing huge vegetable fields. It is impossible to figure out what is growing in these fields looking at them from the highway. Some looked to be broccoli or cabbage and a lot of the fields looked like they had been harvested recently. I'm curious if the broccoli reproduces after being harvested as the plant itself was left in the field. If it has only one harvest, I would believe they would plow and replant the field immediately. Maybe when we take our farm tour we will learn a bit more about the growing process.
We exited RT 8 into El Centro. The town was medium size and appeared to be very clean. We decided to have a burger at the In-and-Out as it had been several hours since breakfast. We got our food and sat outside at the tables to eat. The day is very sunny and the temperature shows 77 degrees but we were cold setting outside. Larry had on shorts and I had on capri's with a sweatshirt but With the lack of humidity, the weather always seems cool.
As we left the restaurant, the RV's starting arriving back in town from the dunes. We drove through the rest of the main street and wound our way back to RT 8 headed back to Yuma. There were lots of business's along the main street in town and a large mall on the west side of El Centro that appeared to be pretty new.It seemed our trip back to Yuma went much faster than the drive over as it usually goes, I guess.
We came home and let the cats outside for awhile. None of them seem to enjoy this for some reason. In years past, they were constantly wanting to be outside. Raven seems to be more in tune with being out than Tucker or Charlie. Actually, Charlie seems to be aging very fast since leaving home and feels like he's skin and bones. I'm wondering if he will live long enough to make it back to Illinois.
Lights on our Palm at RV Site
We sat outside and drank a beer and put our new lights on our palm tree. By the time I wrapped the lights around the tree my hands were bleeding! The trunk of the tree, where they have trimmed the palms, are like a knife and both Larry and I have snagged our arms and hands several times while walking by it. The sun was going down and the temperature was starting to cool so we packed up and moved inside for the evening. It amazes me that we are this far south and the days are so cool feeling. There is only about two hours out of the day that feels really comfortable without a jacket but I still prefer this in January over the weather in Illinois.
Arizona 2012 Saturday (Jan 28)
Saturday January 28, 2012
The wind is horrible this morning. I listened to it blowing during the night and feels almost like a winter morning.
We decided to check out 'old town' located on main street in downtown Yuma. We first found the visitor's center which is near the river in the Quartermaster Depot State Park. When we found the park area they had a large Civil War Re-enactment going on. We looked around the visitor's center and picked up books and pamphlets with information on the Yuma area.
Inside Lutes Casino
WOW--I had no idea Yuma had this multitude of industry! Of course it take hundreds of workers to maintain these business's. The climate here pretty much makes it possible for agriculture to be ongoing the entire year. I also read that the permanent population of Yuma is around 100,000 and temporary population counts of 30,000 military personnel and 90,000 snowbirds. The Foothills, which is where we are staying, has a permanent population of about 35,000. I also read that the agriculture workers number around 50,000. All in all, Yuma area is larger by population numbers than would be expected. Yuma has a small town feel; much different than the Mesa-Phoenix area.
The wind is horrible this morning. I listened to it blowing during the night and feels almost like a winter morning.
We decided to check out 'old town' located on main street in downtown Yuma. We first found the visitor's center which is near the river in the Quartermaster Depot State Park. When we found the park area they had a large Civil War Re-enactment going on. We looked around the visitor's center and picked up books and pamphlets with information on the Yuma area.
We drove back to main street, parked and walked through a few of the shops located along this area. None of the shops looked like they would be in business within the year. There was nothing unique about any of them and I wondered how they could possibly make enough to pay their rent. The wind is just horrible and it's hard to decide if a jacket is needed or not. When in the sun and out of the wind, it's quite warm but once the wind hits, it is very very cool. One of the shop owners said the foot traffic in 'old town' was down considerably because of the wind being so cold. I would hope that today's shoppers are not a normal day for these places.
Inside Lutes Casino We continued walking and found Lutes Casino. I have read a lot about this place which is basically a restaurant and bar. The history on Lutes states it was never a casino but rather a billiard and domino hall in 1901. It is a quirky place with lots of crazy antique items hanging from the ceiling and old posters on the wall. The front of the restaurant has bars on the windows and doors and a large window where they are preparing food on the grills. The history states that the Lutes family obtained the building from the original owner due to a gambling debt owed to the family. With most things, I'm a little disappointed after all I've read about the place.
We found a table and ordered a pitcher of beer and looked at the menu. I read their hamburgers are the best but wasn't in the mood for another hamburger just yet. We decided to split a tri tip sandwich and an order of onion rings. We ordered the Philly style tri tip and it came on a hoagie bun with peppers, onions and cheese. When we were in Mesa last year we had a tri tip sandwich at one of the craft shows that was wonderful. Tri tips are a special cut of beef that is known for it's tender texture. Arizona is the only place I have seen tri tip as an offering. Our food came and we were both a little disappointed in the sandwich. The meat was wonderfully tender but just no flavor to speak of. We doctored it with ketchup which helped considerably! The onion rings were very good and of course, the beer made it all go down smoothly. We ordered another small pitcher of beer and listened to the piano player who was quite entertaining.
When we left 'old town', we drove over to Home Depot as Larry is still looking for a lightweight ladder for the RV. While there, I looked at the rope lights and found a 48 ft. length for $35, which was far cheaper than anyplace else we've looked, so decided to buy.
I looked up the address for Lowe's and we drove over to price their ladders. We found that Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's all carry basically the same ladder for various prices. Larry decided to look around a little more before buying.
We headed home with the idea we might give the cats a little time outside in their new pet cage. When we got back to the RV the winds were still bad and the temperature had cooled so decided the cats would not be so thrilled to be outside today.
I looked through the brochures we pick up at the visitor's center and found many interesting facts about the produce agriculture here in Yuma. I read that Yuma County has over 530 farms averaging 1,435 acres each. Some of the crops grown here include, lettuce, spinach, onions, apples, endive, figs, kale, squash, mustard greens, okra, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes. There are 13,000 acres of broccoli, 7,000 acres of Cauliflower, 10,500 acres of melons, including cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelons. The citrus farms are fewer than in years past because grower's found other countries can grow it cheaper. Lemons are the citrus most produced here with about 12,000 acres of groves. There are still a few orange and grapefruit groves in the area. Another crop that is produced in the Yuma area is something called Jojoba. According to the brochure, Jojoba is grown for the liquid wax contained in it's seeds. Jojoba is commonly added to soaps, shampoos and cosmetics.
Yuma is also a large producer of Medjool Dates which is a $35 million dollar industry. Last week we stopped at the farmer's market located in the parking lot of the Yuma Mall. While shopping one of the vendor's offered us a Medjool Date which I found to be very good. I have never been a fan of dates but these were very tasty. There are several stores around Yuma, owned by the Bard Date Company, that offer stuffed dates, chocolate covered dates and the much advertised Date Shake. It was interesting to read about the intense care needed for the growth of these dates. Yuma is one of the only areas producing the Medjool Dates outside of the Middle East. It is basically a 12 month care program which includes, thinning of the trees, de-thorning and each fruit cluster must be draped with bags to prevent birds eating the fruit or the fruit falling to the ground. It takes 7 years for a tree to start producing fruit and a tree can live up to 60 years and beyond. The surprising thing I read was a date tree only thrives in low humidity and high heat but one tree can consume 100 gallons of water per day!
The Yuma area is also a producer of cotton, 40,000 acres of wheat and 35,000 acres of alfalfa. The wheat and alfalfa grown here feed thousands of head of cattle, some locally owned and others by large corporations who own over 120,000 head of cattle. Sheep are also a local industry but the sheep are basically imported to the Yuma area from the northern states in late September, because of it's winter climate. The sheep are brought to the Yuma area to graze the fields, bear their lambs and put on weight, preparing them for market.
WOW--I had no idea Yuma had this multitude of industry! Of course it take hundreds of workers to maintain these business's. The climate here pretty much makes it possible for agriculture to be ongoing the entire year. I also read that the permanent population of Yuma is around 100,000 and temporary population counts of 30,000 military personnel and 90,000 snowbirds. The Foothills, which is where we are staying, has a permanent population of about 35,000. I also read that the agriculture workers number around 50,000. All in all, Yuma area is larger by population numbers than would be expected. Yuma has a small town feel; much different than the Mesa-Phoenix area.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Arizona 2012 Friday (Jan 27)
Friday January 27, 2012
When I got up this morning I was a little surprised at how sore my mouth was from my dental procedure yesterday. Dr. Gaspar gave me a prescription for antibiotic and pain but I have not yet had any pain from the tooth. I am hoping it will settle down and by next week and I can proceed with my treatment plan.
Larry and I walked this morning and went back to the far end of the park. I had not been back to this area yet so I had no idea the park was this large. There are a majority of the spaces filled by park models and a big majority owned by Canadians. This is not surprising as I think at least half of the snowbirds in Arizona are from Canada.
We went back to the pet shop and the lady told us if we bought the pen we were looking at, that we could return it if it didn't work out. We decided to buy it and give it a try. It is such a nice pen and collapses down into a flat carrying bag.
The new Pet Pen--'Castle of the Kings'!!!
When I got up this morning I was a little surprised at how sore my mouth was from my dental procedure yesterday. Dr. Gaspar gave me a prescription for antibiotic and pain but I have not yet had any pain from the tooth. I am hoping it will settle down and by next week and I can proceed with my treatment plan.
Larry and I walked this morning and went back to the far end of the park. I had not been back to this area yet so I had no idea the park was this large. There are a majority of the spaces filled by park models and a big majority owned by Canadians. This is not surprising as I think at least half of the snowbirds in Arizona are from Canada.
When we got home, Larry called another RV Repair to make an appointment to have the washing machine looked at. This guy is somewhat cheaper on his service call than the one we scheduled earlier this week. I was mad enough about the missed call on the other place that we decided to not call them back. The place we called said they would be here Monday afternoon. Hope I can hold off on laundry until then. Of course, I am assuming the repairman will be able to fix the washer on Monday, if not, I'm back to the laundromat I guess!
I got dressed and was setting on the patio with Raven and Tucker on the leashes. Our neighbors across the street came over to see the cats and introduced themselves. Their names are Sharon and Cecil and they are Canadian, which was not surprising. They both were very nice people and we talked for quite a while. They are in a 5th wheel and plan on being here until the end of April.
We drove to the 3rd flea market in Yuma. It is an outdoor market located on 32nd street just west of Walmart. We walked through the isles and found this market to be much superior to the one we went to in Yuma last week. Larry bought sandals and various items for repair around the motor home. I bought a couple of new beads for my Pandora bracelet and a sweatshirt. I love browsing through all of the shops as they carry so many unusual items that are not normally found anyplace else. The prices vary but most times they are reasonably priced.
We found a vendor selling pet items and looked at a collapsible pen that we thought the cats would enjoy for outside. It is a waterproof fabric with mesh all around the outside and the top. They really hate being on the leashes when we put them outside. It amazes me the attention the snowbirds give to their animals. Everywhere we go we see dogs in strollers with their cute little apparel. When we walked into the food court area later, a lady had a small dog in her dog stroller wearing a sweater and
a pair of matching sunglasses. The sunglasses were like goggles and strapped around the dog's head. I told Larry I could see Ava in a pair of these as Leslie has bought her a coat and doggy boots for the snow. The snowbirds replace their empty nest with their animals and go nowhere without their dogs. The pet shop had tons of dog strollers which look like a baby stroller with mesh that zips around the seat area for the dog. We stood in the pet shop and debated on buying the pen but decided to think it over for awhile.
About 1:00 we bought a corn dog and soda for lunch and sat outside for awhile and ate. Nothing sold in a fast food area is healthy so decided to just go with whatever sounded good. We have tried to limit our unhealthy choices but some days there are few healthy choices. Yesterday took it's tole as this morning when we weighed we had both gained a few pounds. I'm sure our beer extravaganza yesterday was to blame.
We walked through most of the vendors and found a few items that we liked but decided we'd think them over before buying. We really don't need a lot but there are so many unique items at the flea markets as they cater to the RV community.
We went back to the pet shop and the lady told us if we bought the pen we were looking at, that we could return it if it didn't work out. We decided to buy it and give it a try. It is such a nice pen and collapses down into a flat carrying bag.
We stopped at Walmart on the way home. Larry wanted to look at ladders and I was going to buy more rope lights for our palm tree. We saw rope lights at the flea market that were cheaper so I decided to return the set we bought at Walmart and maybe look at them again at the market later this weekend.
The new Pet Pen--'Castle of the Kings'!!!When we came home we set the pet pen up on the patio. I put all of the cats inside and Raven started with his angry attitude. He was so nasty that the other two cats were huddled down in the far corner
as far away from him as possible. We thought we were going to have to throw him back in RV if his attitude did not change . He finally settled down and the other two were not exactly happy but I think they all will eventually decide they like it. We will try them in it again tomorrow when the weather is warmer.
Tonight the wind has kicked up again and it feels pretty cool. Larry said a lot of the neighbors were outside earlier taking pictures of the sunset. I did not see it but Larry said it was very red and quite beautiful. Wonder if this indicates a change in the weather??
Friday, January 27, 2012
Arizona 2012 Thursday (Jan 26)
Thursday January 26, 2012
I am scheduled for my first dental appointment in Las Algodones this morning. We took showers, left home at 8:30 and stopped down at Daybreak Cafe for breakfast. We finished eating and headed to Algodones around 9:30.
We stopped at the 'Q Casino', which is just before the Mexican boarder, to use an ATM Machine. Taylor called while we were there and I talked to her awhile before heading down to border. Kyle is in Florida for the buyer's mart where he purchases his merchandise for the Pro Shop each year. Taylor and Addison are picking up Morgan from school at 3:00 and heading for the airport for their Florida flight to meet Kyle. Taylor and Kyle have planned a surprise trip to Disney World for the girls. Taylor said Morgan kept asking her this morning why she was picking her up from school so early and wanted to know if they were going to the doctor. I'm sure they both will be very surprised to find out they are spending the next few days at Disney World!!
We parked walked across the border and went directly to Dr. Castro's office to check in. My appointment is not until 11:30 but from past experience we know that it's basically first come -- first served! The receptionist told us there were two people ahead of me so come back in 1 1/2-2 hours, which is basically 11:30 or 12:00!
We walked over to the Purple Pharmacy to pick up medication, that my friend Cathy ask for, and cigarettes. When we left, we looked at the sidewalk vendor's merchandise and I picked up a few items and then stopped at the stained glass shop. I talked to the guy who makes the stained glass and ordered a St Louis Cardinal and a Chicago Cub stained glass piece. He said he would have them ready in about two weeks.
I reported back to Dr. Castro's office and we went outside to sit in the courtyard to read until they called me in. I actually am seeing Dr. Juan today who works for Dr. Castro. I saw him last year and like him a lot as he speaks wonderful English. Next week we are both scheduled to see Dr. Castro on Thursday but I will probably continue with Dr. Juan since he will be setting up a treatment plan today.
We sat outside for only about 20 minutes before they called me in. Dr. Juan checked my teeth and took several xrays of the area where the bridge is to be replaced. After looking at xrays, he explained that I have a considerable amount of gum recession and bone loss in certain areas, so he gave me two options. He showed me the xrays and suggested that an implant might be a safer way to replace teeth. He said if I had a bridge attached to the two most posterior teeth, I could loose the entire bridge if the abutment teeth had to be extracted a few years from now. My tooth in the front that had been part of bridge has been drilled down almost to the gum line so he suggested I see the endodontist to have it evaluated as to whether it could have a root canal and posts. He told me he would decide the best treatment plan based on whether this tooth could be saved.
So from past experience, I was sure I was destined for a very long day of dental work. Dr. Castro's office called Dr. Gaspar, the endodontist, and they told me to come in at 1:30. Dr. Castro's office told me to be back to their office at 1:00. In Mexico someone walks you from one dental office to the other, so one of the office girls would take me over to Dr. Gaspar. Two years ago, Dr. Gaspar did a root canal and post on Larry and 3 root canals and 3 post on my teeth. Dr. Castro then replaced the lower right bridge after I completed the root canals. Dr. Gaspar is very competent and quite 'easy' on the eyes as well--at least MY eyes--I doubt Larry noticed!! Ha!
The old 'farts' at El Paraiso
We had more than an hour to kill so headed to El Paraiso's Bar and Restaurant. This is located in the plaza with outdoor tables and they always have a band playing. It is our favorite place in Los Algodones and they have margaritas to die for!! We both ordered a margarita and a plate of nachos. Decided we should eat something as the remainder of the day could get very busy with dental appointments. We followed our margarita's with a bottle(quart size) of Pacifica beer. The choices of beer were limited to Corona, which is like drinking water or Pacifica. The Pacifica is pretty strong but tasted soooo-- good since our normal beer choice these days is Michelob Ultra!!
We returned to Dr. Castro's office and Dr. Gaspar's office girl walked me across town to their office. When I arrived there were several people waiting. I assumed it would be some time before my name surfaced to the top. Two years ago when here, I became quite friendly with Vanessa, one of the office girls. She was pregnant and during my visits we talked a lot. She speaks such beautiful English it was hard to believe she is actually Hispanic. Vanessa remembered me but made the comment that I looked like I had lost a lot of weight since 2000, when I was last there. We discussed the South Beach Diet, which she was not familiar with. I would imagine living in Mexico, it is not so popular considering their high carb offerings.
I sat so long waiting that my beer was taking it's tole. I pulled the chair next to me away from the wall to rest my head on the back-- I think I actually caught a short catnap. I finally went out to the courtyard and decided I should send Larry a text message to let him know I was still waiting for appointment. He decided to wait for me at Dr. Castro's office so figured he was wondering what was going on. I went back into waiting room and after another 30 minutes was called into office.
I was placed with Dr. Hernandez, which I'm not sure of his position in this office. He was here two years ago but did not work on me. I have the feeling he is on an ' OJT' position or he just has not practiced long enough to be out on his own. Hmmmm- not sure I'm happy with this but as he proceeded, I felt confident he knew what he was doing. He consulted many times with Dr. Gaspar about my progress. Vanessa was his assistant and she explained what was going on since Dr. Hernandez does not speak the best of English. She showed me the xrays and said I had one root that was calcified and the doctor was having a hard time getting into the canal. After an hour of having my entire upper extremities malled by Dr. Hernandez, Vanessa told me to go back into waiting room until Dr. Gaspar could see me. Vanessa called Dr. Castro's office to let them know my progress and they said they would bring Larry over to wait with me.
Another 30 minutes passed before I was called back into see Dr. Gaspar. He again explained that my tooth was giving them some issues trying to break through the calcium to get into the canal. He said I still might end up having it extracted. He worked on tooth for another 45 minutes and finally got into the canal to clean and medicate. Dr. Gaspar sealed the tooth and told me I would need to return next week to have posts set. I think the reason for waiting out the week is to find out if the tooth is going to respond to treatment or if in the end will be extracted. Vanessa called Dr. Castro and coordinated my appoint times between their office and Dr. Gaspar's. I will see Dr. Gaspar at 8:15am and Dr. Castro(or Dr. Juan) at 11:00 next Thursday. Larry has an 8:30am appointment with Dr. Castro on Thursday as well. Sounds like another full day in Mexico next week.
Electrical Pole in Las Algodones. A favorite term of our daughter, Leslie, comes to mind when looking at this------
'Hot MESS'!!
By the time I was finished with Dr. Gaspar and picked up his prescribed medication from pharmacy, it was around 5:00. WOW, what a full day and when we looked at the line waiting to cross the border we assumed it would be at least another hour or more to get out of here. We checked out the bicycle transport and the line was pretty long there as well. Oh well, figured we could enjoy drinking beer over standing in this massive line waiting. We headed back to the plaza and ordered another Pacifica and relaxed while the band played. There were still a large number of people in the plaza for this hour of the day. We have never been here past 4:00pm so we asked our waiter how late the border was open. He assured us they would be open until 11:00pm, Arizona time. We finished our beer and ordered another. Hope we don't end up spending the night here behind bars for being intoxicated! My mouth was so swollen from the anesthetic, I could hardly drink out of my glass. By the time we left my head was pounding. I wasn't sure if it was from the beer or being malled all day from dentist.
We walked back to border line. Still a couple hundred people in line so we walked over to bicycle taxi line. This year they have added two new taxi's to the mix. The two new taxi's are two man taxi's verses the 6 man original. The small taxi's were powered by women, one in her 50's, the other early 20's.
When our turn came up we rode the the small taxi driven by Ruby who was 24 years old and told us her father-in-law owned the service and her husband and mother-in-law was driving the other 2 taxi's. She was such a beautiful young lady and spoke flawless English. She shared that she was born in Mexico but had lived in San Diego since she was 1 year old. She and her husband bantered back and forth, teasing each other about who was going to reach the border first. She told us they have an 18 month old daughter and they live near Yuma from January through April to help run the taxi's. It cost $5 per person to ride the taxi so I can imagine the profits are quite good. I'm also sure that the border receives a portion of these profits as the taxi's are allowed to go ahead of the cars and waiting line of people. We were delivered to the entrance of the parking lot and our entire wait was less than 30 minutes verses probably another two hours in the normal walk-thru line. Ruby said today was the busiest day of the year so far which I believed judging from how many had already cleared customs before us.
The weather today was absolutely beautiful and it was still 73 degrees by the time we got home at 7:00pm. There was no wind, for a change, and the sun was shinning bright all day. The temperature was so perfect in Las Algodones that I could have sat in the sun all day.
I am scheduled for my first dental appointment in Las Algodones this morning. We took showers, left home at 8:30 and stopped down at Daybreak Cafe for breakfast. We finished eating and headed to Algodones around 9:30.
We stopped at the 'Q Casino', which is just before the Mexican boarder, to use an ATM Machine. Taylor called while we were there and I talked to her awhile before heading down to border. Kyle is in Florida for the buyer's mart where he purchases his merchandise for the Pro Shop each year. Taylor and Addison are picking up Morgan from school at 3:00 and heading for the airport for their Florida flight to meet Kyle. Taylor and Kyle have planned a surprise trip to Disney World for the girls. Taylor said Morgan kept asking her this morning why she was picking her up from school so early and wanted to know if they were going to the doctor. I'm sure they both will be very surprised to find out they are spending the next few days at Disney World!!
We parked walked across the border and went directly to Dr. Castro's office to check in. My appointment is not until 11:30 but from past experience we know that it's basically first come -- first served! The receptionist told us there were two people ahead of me so come back in 1 1/2-2 hours, which is basically 11:30 or 12:00!
We walked over to the Purple Pharmacy to pick up medication, that my friend Cathy ask for, and cigarettes. When we left, we looked at the sidewalk vendor's merchandise and I picked up a few items and then stopped at the stained glass shop. I talked to the guy who makes the stained glass and ordered a St Louis Cardinal and a Chicago Cub stained glass piece. He said he would have them ready in about two weeks.
I reported back to Dr. Castro's office and we went outside to sit in the courtyard to read until they called me in. I actually am seeing Dr. Juan today who works for Dr. Castro. I saw him last year and like him a lot as he speaks wonderful English. Next week we are both scheduled to see Dr. Castro on Thursday but I will probably continue with Dr. Juan since he will be setting up a treatment plan today.
We sat outside for only about 20 minutes before they called me in. Dr. Juan checked my teeth and took several xrays of the area where the bridge is to be replaced. After looking at xrays, he explained that I have a considerable amount of gum recession and bone loss in certain areas, so he gave me two options. He showed me the xrays and suggested that an implant might be a safer way to replace teeth. He said if I had a bridge attached to the two most posterior teeth, I could loose the entire bridge if the abutment teeth had to be extracted a few years from now. My tooth in the front that had been part of bridge has been drilled down almost to the gum line so he suggested I see the endodontist to have it evaluated as to whether it could have a root canal and posts. He told me he would decide the best treatment plan based on whether this tooth could be saved.
So from past experience, I was sure I was destined for a very long day of dental work. Dr. Castro's office called Dr. Gaspar, the endodontist, and they told me to come in at 1:30. Dr. Castro's office told me to be back to their office at 1:00. In Mexico someone walks you from one dental office to the other, so one of the office girls would take me over to Dr. Gaspar. Two years ago, Dr. Gaspar did a root canal and post on Larry and 3 root canals and 3 post on my teeth. Dr. Castro then replaced the lower right bridge after I completed the root canals. Dr. Gaspar is very competent and quite 'easy' on the eyes as well--at least MY eyes--I doubt Larry noticed!! Ha!
We had more than an hour to kill so headed to El Paraiso's Bar and Restaurant. This is located in the plaza with outdoor tables and they always have a band playing. It is our favorite place in Los Algodones and they have margaritas to die for!! We both ordered a margarita and a plate of nachos. Decided we should eat something as the remainder of the day could get very busy with dental appointments. We followed our margarita's with a bottle(quart size) of Pacifica beer. The choices of beer were limited to Corona, which is like drinking water or Pacifica. The Pacifica is pretty strong but tasted soooo-- good since our normal beer choice these days is Michelob Ultra!!
We returned to Dr. Castro's office and Dr. Gaspar's office girl walked me across town to their office. When I arrived there were several people waiting. I assumed it would be some time before my name surfaced to the top. Two years ago when here, I became quite friendly with Vanessa, one of the office girls. She was pregnant and during my visits we talked a lot. She speaks such beautiful English it was hard to believe she is actually Hispanic. Vanessa remembered me but made the comment that I looked like I had lost a lot of weight since 2000, when I was last there. We discussed the South Beach Diet, which she was not familiar with. I would imagine living in Mexico, it is not so popular considering their high carb offerings.
I sat so long waiting that my beer was taking it's tole. I pulled the chair next to me away from the wall to rest my head on the back-- I think I actually caught a short catnap. I finally went out to the courtyard and decided I should send Larry a text message to let him know I was still waiting for appointment. He decided to wait for me at Dr. Castro's office so figured he was wondering what was going on. I went back into waiting room and after another 30 minutes was called into office.
I was placed with Dr. Hernandez, which I'm not sure of his position in this office. He was here two years ago but did not work on me. I have the feeling he is on an ' OJT' position or he just has not practiced long enough to be out on his own. Hmmmm- not sure I'm happy with this but as he proceeded, I felt confident he knew what he was doing. He consulted many times with Dr. Gaspar about my progress. Vanessa was his assistant and she explained what was going on since Dr. Hernandez does not speak the best of English. She showed me the xrays and said I had one root that was calcified and the doctor was having a hard time getting into the canal. After an hour of having my entire upper extremities malled by Dr. Hernandez, Vanessa told me to go back into waiting room until Dr. Gaspar could see me. Vanessa called Dr. Castro's office to let them know my progress and they said they would bring Larry over to wait with me.
Another 30 minutes passed before I was called back into see Dr. Gaspar. He again explained that my tooth was giving them some issues trying to break through the calcium to get into the canal. He said I still might end up having it extracted. He worked on tooth for another 45 minutes and finally got into the canal to clean and medicate. Dr. Gaspar sealed the tooth and told me I would need to return next week to have posts set. I think the reason for waiting out the week is to find out if the tooth is going to respond to treatment or if in the end will be extracted. Vanessa called Dr. Castro and coordinated my appoint times between their office and Dr. Gaspar's. I will see Dr. Gaspar at 8:15am and Dr. Castro(or Dr. Juan) at 11:00 next Thursday. Larry has an 8:30am appointment with Dr. Castro on Thursday as well. Sounds like another full day in Mexico next week.
'Hot MESS'!!
By the time I was finished with Dr. Gaspar and picked up his prescribed medication from pharmacy, it was around 5:00. WOW, what a full day and when we looked at the line waiting to cross the border we assumed it would be at least another hour or more to get out of here. We checked out the bicycle transport and the line was pretty long there as well. Oh well, figured we could enjoy drinking beer over standing in this massive line waiting. We headed back to the plaza and ordered another Pacifica and relaxed while the band played. There were still a large number of people in the plaza for this hour of the day. We have never been here past 4:00pm so we asked our waiter how late the border was open. He assured us they would be open until 11:00pm, Arizona time. We finished our beer and ordered another. Hope we don't end up spending the night here behind bars for being intoxicated! My mouth was so swollen from the anesthetic, I could hardly drink out of my glass. By the time we left my head was pounding. I wasn't sure if it was from the beer or being malled all day from dentist.
We walked back to border line. Still a couple hundred people in line so we walked over to bicycle taxi line. This year they have added two new taxi's to the mix. The two new taxi's are two man taxi's verses the 6 man original. The small taxi's were powered by women, one in her 50's, the other early 20's.
When our turn came up we rode the the small taxi driven by Ruby who was 24 years old and told us her father-in-law owned the service and her husband and mother-in-law was driving the other 2 taxi's. She was such a beautiful young lady and spoke flawless English. She shared that she was born in Mexico but had lived in San Diego since she was 1 year old. She and her husband bantered back and forth, teasing each other about who was going to reach the border first. She told us they have an 18 month old daughter and they live near Yuma from January through April to help run the taxi's. It cost $5 per person to ride the taxi so I can imagine the profits are quite good. I'm also sure that the border receives a portion of these profits as the taxi's are allowed to go ahead of the cars and waiting line of people. We were delivered to the entrance of the parking lot and our entire wait was less than 30 minutes verses probably another two hours in the normal walk-thru line. Ruby said today was the busiest day of the year so far which I believed judging from how many had already cleared customs before us.
The weather today was absolutely beautiful and it was still 73 degrees by the time we got home at 7:00pm. There was no wind, for a change, and the sun was shinning bright all day. The temperature was so perfect in Las Algodones that I could have sat in the sun all day.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Arizona 2012 Wednesday (Jan 25)
Wednesday January 25, 2012
Another beautiful morning in Yuma. A little cool early this morning with a moderate wind. If it were not for the wind, the temperature would be very nice. Seems we've had wind for the past several days, some much stronger than today.
I had a check to mail to CEFCU so I Walked up to the office to drop it in the mail. On my way home, Doris our neighbor behind us, was setting outside. I stopped to visit awhile and she said her and a few from the resort drove over to California yesterday to take the Farm Tour near El Centro. We have been wanting to take this tour mainly to find out what they are growing in all the fields around us. She said it was very nice and at the end of the tour they let them all pick some fresh vegetables. She asked if I would like a few of the items she brought home. I ended up with a head of cabbage, broccoli, red and white radishes and a head of cauliflower. The red radishes were huge about the size of a turnip.
We had a pretty long boring day today as we had to stick around the RV to wait for the repairman for the washer and for the guy to come measure for our sunscreens. The guy for the sunscreens called early and said he would be here between 11 and 1:00. He ended up coming around 11:30. He gave us a discounted price if we paid cash so I ran over to Chase Bank and drew out enough for the deposit before he left. We ordered the sunscreen for the windshield, the side window on drivers side, the door window and the window by the passenger side. We also decided to get the sunscreens for the RV tires. We have wheel covers, which we did not bring along but they are mainly for winter and a hassle to put on anyway. The sunscreens fit over the wheel wells and attach with turn screws so are very easy to put on and remove. He told us all of the screens would be done in about 2 1/2 weeks.
.
We sat here all day waiting for the repairman for washer. By 2:00 We still had not received a phone call so I asked Larry to call and find out when they planned to show up. Surprise, surprise--Larry didn't remember who he had called. He said it was an advertisement in the local paper so he dug out the past 3 days of papers and looked thru all the adds but still could not find one that sounded like the place he'd called. This was not a shock to me as I figured he would not be able to come up with the name. We sat here until 4:30 and still no call and no one showed. We decided by this time no one was going to come. Larry got to thinking about scheduling the appointment, and said maybe they scheduled for next Wednesday rather than today. This just makes me crazy when he takes care of the details around here as he never seems to get a firm confirmation! We finally decided to run over to Walmart and when we returned at 5:30 there was a card hanging on the door of RV. I knew what it said before I ever read it. Yes, he was sorry he missed us and written on the card was a note saying he called our home number and it was not in service. Possibly because he failed to dial the area code which I remember Larry specifically telling the lady the area code when he scheduled. I was so mad I wanted to call immediately to unload on them. I really hope he does not plan to charge the $60 trip charge because I will come unglued on them. He had been here at 5:10 according to his card so I could have probably reached him but decided I better cool off before calling. I still have steam rolling from my ears after setting here the entire day waiting on him!
There is so much business to be had here for everyone that most of these business's could care less when they show. They make their money during the winter, I'm sure, because when the snowbirds go home it must be slim pickings for most of them. Yuma is not that large an area as far as their population so I'm sure once the winter is over,they probably are very slow on business.
We bought rope lights at Walmart for our palm tree but when Larry put them up, we defiantly do not have enough. They were so expensive, I'm not sure how many more I want to invest in. I figured we'd try one more strand and when we go to Mesa we can use them around the patio. Everyone in the park decorates their palm tree with lights and they look so festive at night. I would like to have 2 or 3 of my 20 plus strands of Christmas lights from home. Larry looked for the lights at Walmart tonight so I don't know if they had the regular Christmas lights, if so, I'm sure they would be cheaper.
I think we need a FEW more lights!???!!
Larry went out to start the grill and two couples walked by and stopped to talk. I stepped outside to take the food out for the grill and they introduced themselves to me. One couple was from Idaho named Skip and Vicky. The other couple with them was Brian and Judy and they were from outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Both were fun to talk to and they both have been here since November. Brian told me his sister lives in Jacksonville, IL and works for one of the big chewing gum companies--I don't remember who. He and Judy are planning to visit her this summer. Both couples were retired but I thought Brian and Judy looked pretty young. I couldn't decide how old Skip is but might be close to my age.
We finally got our food on the grill and came in for dinner about 7:15. Neither of us had much to eat again today so I was starting to get the shakes from hunger. We had brats and hamburgers and they tasted good being cooked on grill.
Tomorrow I have my first dental appointment in Las Algodines. The appointment is scheduled for 11:30 which means in Mexican time, I might get in by 1:30 or 2:00. It's crazy how many people are there waiting for an appointment. I think they must schedule 5 people per hour and everyone just waits their turn. The first time I went to Dr. Castro I had the crazy thought that if I had an appointment, I should be seen within a reasonable time frame. This is not true in Mexico so if you want to see her, you show up and make sure you have a good book to read.
Another beautiful morning in Yuma. A little cool early this morning with a moderate wind. If it were not for the wind, the temperature would be very nice. Seems we've had wind for the past several days, some much stronger than today.
I had a check to mail to CEFCU so I Walked up to the office to drop it in the mail. On my way home, Doris our neighbor behind us, was setting outside. I stopped to visit awhile and she said her and a few from the resort drove over to California yesterday to take the Farm Tour near El Centro. We have been wanting to take this tour mainly to find out what they are growing in all the fields around us. She said it was very nice and at the end of the tour they let them all pick some fresh vegetables. She asked if I would like a few of the items she brought home. I ended up with a head of cabbage, broccoli, red and white radishes and a head of cauliflower. The red radishes were huge about the size of a turnip.
We had a pretty long boring day today as we had to stick around the RV to wait for the repairman for the washer and for the guy to come measure for our sunscreens. The guy for the sunscreens called early and said he would be here between 11 and 1:00. He ended up coming around 11:30. He gave us a discounted price if we paid cash so I ran over to Chase Bank and drew out enough for the deposit before he left. We ordered the sunscreen for the windshield, the side window on drivers side, the door window and the window by the passenger side. We also decided to get the sunscreens for the RV tires. We have wheel covers, which we did not bring along but they are mainly for winter and a hassle to put on anyway. The sunscreens fit over the wheel wells and attach with turn screws so are very easy to put on and remove. He told us all of the screens would be done in about 2 1/2 weeks.
.
We sat here all day waiting for the repairman for washer. By 2:00 We still had not received a phone call so I asked Larry to call and find out when they planned to show up. Surprise, surprise--Larry didn't remember who he had called. He said it was an advertisement in the local paper so he dug out the past 3 days of papers and looked thru all the adds but still could not find one that sounded like the place he'd called. This was not a shock to me as I figured he would not be able to come up with the name. We sat here until 4:30 and still no call and no one showed. We decided by this time no one was going to come. Larry got to thinking about scheduling the appointment, and said maybe they scheduled for next Wednesday rather than today. This just makes me crazy when he takes care of the details around here as he never seems to get a firm confirmation! We finally decided to run over to Walmart and when we returned at 5:30 there was a card hanging on the door of RV. I knew what it said before I ever read it. Yes, he was sorry he missed us and written on the card was a note saying he called our home number and it was not in service. Possibly because he failed to dial the area code which I remember Larry specifically telling the lady the area code when he scheduled. I was so mad I wanted to call immediately to unload on them. I really hope he does not plan to charge the $60 trip charge because I will come unglued on them. He had been here at 5:10 according to his card so I could have probably reached him but decided I better cool off before calling. I still have steam rolling from my ears after setting here the entire day waiting on him!
There is so much business to be had here for everyone that most of these business's could care less when they show. They make their money during the winter, I'm sure, because when the snowbirds go home it must be slim pickings for most of them. Yuma is not that large an area as far as their population so I'm sure once the winter is over,they probably are very slow on business.
We bought rope lights at Walmart for our palm tree but when Larry put them up, we defiantly do not have enough. They were so expensive, I'm not sure how many more I want to invest in. I figured we'd try one more strand and when we go to Mesa we can use them around the patio. Everyone in the park decorates their palm tree with lights and they look so festive at night. I would like to have 2 or 3 of my 20 plus strands of Christmas lights from home. Larry looked for the lights at Walmart tonight so I don't know if they had the regular Christmas lights, if so, I'm sure they would be cheaper.
I think we need a FEW more lights!???!!Larry went out to start the grill and two couples walked by and stopped to talk. I stepped outside to take the food out for the grill and they introduced themselves to me. One couple was from Idaho named Skip and Vicky. The other couple with them was Brian and Judy and they were from outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Both were fun to talk to and they both have been here since November. Brian told me his sister lives in Jacksonville, IL and works for one of the big chewing gum companies--I don't remember who. He and Judy are planning to visit her this summer. Both couples were retired but I thought Brian and Judy looked pretty young. I couldn't decide how old Skip is but might be close to my age.
We finally got our food on the grill and came in for dinner about 7:15. Neither of us had much to eat again today so I was starting to get the shakes from hunger. We had brats and hamburgers and they tasted good being cooked on grill.
Arizona 2012 Tuesday (Jan 24)
Tuesday January 24, 2012
About 8:30 this morning the guys showed up to wax the motor home. Better late than never--I guess! Larry talked to them and showed them the areas that were not clean from the wash yesterday. He told them he did not want the wax applied over the dirty areas. The guy assured Larry that they would clean the areas before waxing. They worked for about 2 hours and when they left the motor home looked very nice, so they did end up doing a good job, which meant--they also got paid. We considered sending them the wax group on their way and telling them the wash job was not acceptable.
I gathered laundry items to make my trip to the laundromat. The machines in the laundry take a money card rather than coins. I went to the clubhouse to buy a money card for laundry and found that the original card cost $5 then it has to be loaded with the amount needed for machines. What a rip this little scheme is! I saw a sign hanging near the money machine that the activity office sometimes has blank cards that can be used to load so I headed to office to talk to them. They did have a blank card so I was able to use their card rather than buying a card. I hope to have my washing machine running again soon so couldn't see the advantage of buying my own card. I also found it interesting that the card can only have money added in $5 increments. The washers are $1.50 and the dryers are $1.25 so there is no way to use the entire amount on the card --at least with the number of loads I had. Oh well, Another 'Senior Scam' I guess--it's only money which seems to fly out our door daily!
The repairman is scheduled to come out tomorrow to work on my washing machine so hopefully he can locate the problem. My machine is less than 2 years old and of course, only used when we are in the RV. I assume there could be issues from just setting but I can't imagine it can be a big issue. I washed a couple of rugs when we first arrived and suspect lint or whatever has plugged the drain somewhere. I guess we'll know tomorrow.
The weather was nice today but the wind was horrible. It felt 20 degrees cooler than it actually was. The sun was shinning bright and it reached 75 but I felt cold all day due to the wind.
There was a group of guys grilling on the patio at the clubhouse. Larry asked what was going on and they told him every Tuesday they have a lunch for the residence at the club house. Today for $4 they had hamburgers, salad and a drink.
I had 4 loads of laundry so I had to load my card for $10. I decided to dry 3 of my loads at the laundromat to use the money. After I switched them over to the dryer, we decided to have lunch so we paid for our lunch and headed into the club house to eat.
We sat next to an older couple from Montana who were very nice. Her name was Ava. Of course I had to share with her that my grand dog's name was Ava and she had a good laugh about that. Her husband Don plays with the band from the park. The band was set up to entertain during lunch. Ava said her and Don had doctor appointments so he would not be playing with them today.
After we finished eating, I went to retrieve my laundry and Larry stayed at club house. When I returned, the band was playing. They were pretty good but felt I needed a stiff drink to enjoy their selection of music. I had a hard time setting with a straight face as the music was defiantly from my father's era and VERY country! Made me feel like I was setting in the audience at a HEE HAW taping. As I looked around the room, I realized that the majority of the residence were 20 years or more older than us. Matter of fact, the band announced that one of the couples were celebrating their 70 year wedding anniversary! WOW! Actually in my observance of the residence here, I find they are either quiet elderly or look too young to be a resident. In order to reside here one person has to be at least 55 years of age so I think there are several men here who have 'trophy' wife's as I've seen a number of very young looking women. Men and their TOYS-----need I say more!!!!!
We hauled our laundry home and I put everything away. We looked at the paper and Larry found two places advertising windshield sun screens. He had talked to our neighbor across the street and he told Larry the name of the place he bought his screens from.
We decided to go to Yuma to check on the prices from a couple of the places that had adds in the paper. On our way out, Cynthia next door was setting outside so we walked over to see her. She told us the company they bought their screens from and that she thought they were cheaper than the other company in the paper.
We found both companies and stopped in to get prices. One of the places are coming out to RV Park tomorrow to measure and give us an estimate. The other company said if we made an appointment and brought the motor home to them, they would make the shades and install in one day. The price was a lot cheaper from them if we chose to take the RV to them. They said they could come out, take the measurements and then come back to install. We talked about the inconvenience of taking the RV to them and decided it would probably be worth the extra money for them to come to us. The problem with taking the RV to them is you have no home for an entire day and of course, the cats must go with RV!! Oh the joys of owning 3 cats!!!
We drove over to the Yuma Mall and I returned the shirts I had bought in Las Cruces as they didn't fit. We decided since we had hamburgers for lunch we weren't up for anything big for dinner. We decided to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad. Our dinner was excellent, as always at Olive Garden.
About 8:30 this morning the guys showed up to wax the motor home. Better late than never--I guess! Larry talked to them and showed them the areas that were not clean from the wash yesterday. He told them he did not want the wax applied over the dirty areas. The guy assured Larry that they would clean the areas before waxing. They worked for about 2 hours and when they left the motor home looked very nice, so they did end up doing a good job, which meant--they also got paid. We considered sending them the wax group on their way and telling them the wash job was not acceptable.
I gathered laundry items to make my trip to the laundromat. The machines in the laundry take a money card rather than coins. I went to the clubhouse to buy a money card for laundry and found that the original card cost $5 then it has to be loaded with the amount needed for machines. What a rip this little scheme is! I saw a sign hanging near the money machine that the activity office sometimes has blank cards that can be used to load so I headed to office to talk to them. They did have a blank card so I was able to use their card rather than buying a card. I hope to have my washing machine running again soon so couldn't see the advantage of buying my own card. I also found it interesting that the card can only have money added in $5 increments. The washers are $1.50 and the dryers are $1.25 so there is no way to use the entire amount on the card --at least with the number of loads I had. Oh well, Another 'Senior Scam' I guess--it's only money which seems to fly out our door daily!
The repairman is scheduled to come out tomorrow to work on my washing machine so hopefully he can locate the problem. My machine is less than 2 years old and of course, only used when we are in the RV. I assume there could be issues from just setting but I can't imagine it can be a big issue. I washed a couple of rugs when we first arrived and suspect lint or whatever has plugged the drain somewhere. I guess we'll know tomorrow.
The weather was nice today but the wind was horrible. It felt 20 degrees cooler than it actually was. The sun was shinning bright and it reached 75 but I felt cold all day due to the wind.
There was a group of guys grilling on the patio at the clubhouse. Larry asked what was going on and they told him every Tuesday they have a lunch for the residence at the club house. Today for $4 they had hamburgers, salad and a drink.
I had 4 loads of laundry so I had to load my card for $10. I decided to dry 3 of my loads at the laundromat to use the money. After I switched them over to the dryer, we decided to have lunch so we paid for our lunch and headed into the club house to eat.
We sat next to an older couple from Montana who were very nice. Her name was Ava. Of course I had to share with her that my grand dog's name was Ava and she had a good laugh about that. Her husband Don plays with the band from the park. The band was set up to entertain during lunch. Ava said her and Don had doctor appointments so he would not be playing with them today.
After we finished eating, I went to retrieve my laundry and Larry stayed at club house. When I returned, the band was playing. They were pretty good but felt I needed a stiff drink to enjoy their selection of music. I had a hard time setting with a straight face as the music was defiantly from my father's era and VERY country! Made me feel like I was setting in the audience at a HEE HAW taping. As I looked around the room, I realized that the majority of the residence were 20 years or more older than us. Matter of fact, the band announced that one of the couples were celebrating their 70 year wedding anniversary! WOW! Actually in my observance of the residence here, I find they are either quiet elderly or look too young to be a resident. In order to reside here one person has to be at least 55 years of age so I think there are several men here who have 'trophy' wife's as I've seen a number of very young looking women. Men and their TOYS-----need I say more!!!!!
We hauled our laundry home and I put everything away. We looked at the paper and Larry found two places advertising windshield sun screens. He had talked to our neighbor across the street and he told Larry the name of the place he bought his screens from.
We decided to go to Yuma to check on the prices from a couple of the places that had adds in the paper. On our way out, Cynthia next door was setting outside so we walked over to see her. She told us the company they bought their screens from and that she thought they were cheaper than the other company in the paper.
We found both companies and stopped in to get prices. One of the places are coming out to RV Park tomorrow to measure and give us an estimate. The other company said if we made an appointment and brought the motor home to them, they would make the shades and install in one day. The price was a lot cheaper from them if we chose to take the RV to them. They said they could come out, take the measurements and then come back to install. We talked about the inconvenience of taking the RV to them and decided it would probably be worth the extra money for them to come to us. The problem with taking the RV to them is you have no home for an entire day and of course, the cats must go with RV!! Oh the joys of owning 3 cats!!!
We drove over to the Yuma Mall and I returned the shirts I had bought in Las Cruces as they didn't fit. We decided since we had hamburgers for lunch we weren't up for anything big for dinner. We decided to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad. Our dinner was excellent, as always at Olive Garden.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Arizona 2012 Monday (Jan 23)
Monday January 23, 2012
When I woke today, I was thinking of Sue, our next door neighbor at home. She has breast cancer again and is scheduled today for surgery. Over the past 4 years, they have had so much happening in their lives and each time something new occurs, I just can't believe the bad luck. Don just finished with cancer treatment after having a tumor removed in his ear and throat area. My prayers are with them today!
I planned on doing my laundry today so sorted my cloths and put the first load in the washer. The washer started but soon started flashing an error message. I cancelled the cycle several times and even selected different settings and each time the message came on. When Larry came in I asked him to look at it. He pulled the washer out and checked the hoses and drain and an hour later still had not found a problem. He walked up to park office to ask for a recommendation for a repairman. He came home, called and scheduled an appointment for Wednesday. They told him it would be a $60 trip charge, which is pretty normal I guess. I'm wondering how much more we can throw into the big 'money pit' before this is over. I guess a trip to the resort Laundromat will be in order for tomorrow.
We had an appointment today for a wash and wax on the RV. At about 11:30 two guys showed up and did the wash and told Larry the wax guys would be here between 3-4:00. At 4:30 we still had not seen the wax group so Larry called the company number. He left a message but no one called back. As he looked at the wash job, he decided it was so bad, he didn't want them to wax over the dirt anyway. Guess we'll wait for them to call us back so we can cancel the wax. The guys who did the wash job didn't collect the money so will have to talk to the place about the poor quality job before we worry about their money.
I went to Frye's Grocery Store, which is across the highway. Picked up a few items, which took an hour trying to work my way through all the 80 year old's and their walkers!!! When I came home I told Larry there were so many elderly people malling through the isles, I thought I would scream waiting for them to make their selection while blocking the entire isle. I guess I need to be kinder since I will soon be in the same position but my patience was just about stretched to the limit by the time I left.
When I came home, we sat outside and drank a beer. The weather has been a little unusual today with a mixture between clouds, sun and wind.
I came in and cooked a nice dinner, which can be a challenge with my small kitchen space. We had pork cutlets, mashed potatoes, gravy and Peas with cheese sauce. No, none of these items are on our South Beach Diet, but we have learned to limit our servings size so we indulge now and then. So far, neither of us have gained any of our weight back. Actually, I think we have both lost a pound or two since we left home. We are not as restrictive with our diet lately but just try to limit our portions.
As we sat here tonight I thought I heard rain. I looked outside and sure enough, the rain started coming down harder. How often does it rain here anyway--I guess only when we wash the motor home.
When I woke today, I was thinking of Sue, our next door neighbor at home. She has breast cancer again and is scheduled today for surgery. Over the past 4 years, they have had so much happening in their lives and each time something new occurs, I just can't believe the bad luck. Don just finished with cancer treatment after having a tumor removed in his ear and throat area. My prayers are with them today!
I planned on doing my laundry today so sorted my cloths and put the first load in the washer. The washer started but soon started flashing an error message. I cancelled the cycle several times and even selected different settings and each time the message came on. When Larry came in I asked him to look at it. He pulled the washer out and checked the hoses and drain and an hour later still had not found a problem. He walked up to park office to ask for a recommendation for a repairman. He came home, called and scheduled an appointment for Wednesday. They told him it would be a $60 trip charge, which is pretty normal I guess. I'm wondering how much more we can throw into the big 'money pit' before this is over. I guess a trip to the resort Laundromat will be in order for tomorrow.
We had an appointment today for a wash and wax on the RV. At about 11:30 two guys showed up and did the wash and told Larry the wax guys would be here between 3-4:00. At 4:30 we still had not seen the wax group so Larry called the company number. He left a message but no one called back. As he looked at the wash job, he decided it was so bad, he didn't want them to wax over the dirt anyway. Guess we'll wait for them to call us back so we can cancel the wax. The guys who did the wash job didn't collect the money so will have to talk to the place about the poor quality job before we worry about their money.
I went to Frye's Grocery Store, which is across the highway. Picked up a few items, which took an hour trying to work my way through all the 80 year old's and their walkers!!! When I came home I told Larry there were so many elderly people malling through the isles, I thought I would scream waiting for them to make their selection while blocking the entire isle. I guess I need to be kinder since I will soon be in the same position but my patience was just about stretched to the limit by the time I left.
When I came home, we sat outside and drank a beer. The weather has been a little unusual today with a mixture between clouds, sun and wind.
I came in and cooked a nice dinner, which can be a challenge with my small kitchen space. We had pork cutlets, mashed potatoes, gravy and Peas with cheese sauce. No, none of these items are on our South Beach Diet, but we have learned to limit our servings size so we indulge now and then. So far, neither of us have gained any of our weight back. Actually, I think we have both lost a pound or two since we left home. We are not as restrictive with our diet lately but just try to limit our portions.
As we sat here tonight I thought I heard rain. I looked outside and sure enough, the rain started coming down harder. How often does it rain here anyway--I guess only when we wash the motor home.
Arizona 2012 Sunday (Jan 22)
Sunday January 22, 2012
We went to the Daybreak Cafe this morning for breakfast along with 500 of our closest friends! This cafe is just a block or two down Frontage Road from our resort and seems to be the most popular place in town. There were people standing inside and out, waiting for a table. Surprisingly, we only waited for about 20 minutes to be seated. The service was fast and the food was good so it was understandable why so many people were there. The cafe is open 24 hours and we have passed it many times and there is always a crowd waiting. Guess we will have to try dinner there sometime later.
Mountains driving to Quartsite
We headed into Yuma thinking we would find the third flea market today. I put the address into the navigator but ended up at the Yuma Marketplace where we were yesterday, as I had picked the wrong address off Internet. We decided to forget the flea market and drive to a little town of Quartsite that we read about in one of the local papers. There was to be a large RV Show there today, which is just what we do NOT need to be looking at, but wanted to check out the town anyway. As with any Arizona trip, we drove through a million miles of NOTHING to get there. There were several proving grounds we passed along this route. We saw entrances for GM and another for a military proving grounds. This landscape would be the perfect choice for a proving ground as it is nothing but desert. There were several small mountain ranges around. It made me think of the mountain scenes we had painted in our painting class in Mesa. Any type of mountain you choose to paint on your canvas would be fitting as these mountains were very diverse in their formations.
(RV's parked in desert-multiply this picture by 1,000)
As we neared Quartsite, there were hundreds of RV's parked out in the open dessert area. We could not figure out what could bring so many RV's to a place like this. I logged onto the Internet and saw where there are 750,000 to a million people who converge on this area in January and February as rock hounds!! They are all 'dry camped' in the middle of this dust pit on government land known as La Posa. Quartsite is known as the Rock and Mineral Capitol of the world. Looking at the hundred and hundreds of RV's I have to believe there is SOMETHING else besides looking for ROCKS?? Oh well, I guess I need to find a hobby that I would be passionate enough about to live like this for weeks!
Flea Market in Quartsite
We drove into Quartsite and it was packed with flea market vendors. Rows and rows of tents with hundreds of items. People were walking everywhere within about a 5 or 6 block area with vendors several rows deep on both sides of the street. The traffic was bumper to bumper and there were many quad runners and dessert buggy's driving along the sides of the street. Looking at the number of people here, I wondered if there was anyone left in the US that were NOT here.
Quartsite is very small with a normal population of about 3,400 and from what I read has a restaurant, two grocery stores, a bar called the Quartsite Yacht Club--in the middle of this dust pit--, a McDonald's and a hardware store. There are a couple of post office spots in town for 'general delivery' mail that, at times, has a line of people waiting up to an hour to claim their delivery. Wow what a culture shock this must be for the locals when this magnitude of people arrive!
There was also a huge RV Show going on near the flea market area but we didn't even walk over to this area as we spent so much time walking through the flea market. The vendor's here at least had worth wile merchandise, much different than the poverty stricken flea market we visited yesterday in Yuma. I bought my grand dog, Ava, a cute little ball hat at one of the shops today. They had some very cute pink fuzzy cowboy hats but none to fit her, so I settled for the not so unique, ball hat. We also found a vender selling sun shades for motor homes. There were several options but the ones we were interested in were one that fit the front window that is used to filter the sun when parked and also one that mounted inside to filter the sun while driving. We priced each, which were not cheap--nothing for a motor home ever is!! It seems we are always driving into the sun and even though the windshield is tinted part way down, we need the inside screen badly. We took the guys card as he said we could measure and order later.
As we got near Yuma we saw a sign saying Frontage Road. We turned on this road and ended up within about 5 miles of our RV Resort. On our trip to Quartsite, we drove all the way to Yuma and then headed north out of town, so this defiantly was a shortcut and cut 20 miles off our trip back. We are still finding our way around this area and have found alternate routes to several areas.
When we drove back into the Foothills, we decided to go to Appleby's again for dinner. We sat in the bar and watched the rest of the football game while we had dinner, which was a plus for Larry. We had a nice meal and was surprised that the restaurant was not that crowded.
We went to the Daybreak Cafe this morning for breakfast along with 500 of our closest friends! This cafe is just a block or two down Frontage Road from our resort and seems to be the most popular place in town. There were people standing inside and out, waiting for a table. Surprisingly, we only waited for about 20 minutes to be seated. The service was fast and the food was good so it was understandable why so many people were there. The cafe is open 24 hours and we have passed it many times and there is always a crowd waiting. Guess we will have to try dinner there sometime later.
Mountains driving to QuartsiteWe headed into Yuma thinking we would find the third flea market today. I put the address into the navigator but ended up at the Yuma Marketplace where we were yesterday, as I had picked the wrong address off Internet. We decided to forget the flea market and drive to a little town of Quartsite that we read about in one of the local papers. There was to be a large RV Show there today, which is just what we do NOT need to be looking at, but wanted to check out the town anyway. As with any Arizona trip, we drove through a million miles of NOTHING to get there. There were several proving grounds we passed along this route. We saw entrances for GM and another for a military proving grounds. This landscape would be the perfect choice for a proving ground as it is nothing but desert. There were several small mountain ranges around. It made me think of the mountain scenes we had painted in our painting class in Mesa. Any type of mountain you choose to paint on your canvas would be fitting as these mountains were very diverse in their formations.
(RV's parked in desert-multiply this picture by 1,000)
As we neared Quartsite, there were hundreds of RV's parked out in the open dessert area. We could not figure out what could bring so many RV's to a place like this. I logged onto the Internet and saw where there are 750,000 to a million people who converge on this area in January and February as rock hounds!! They are all 'dry camped' in the middle of this dust pit on government land known as La Posa. Quartsite is known as the Rock and Mineral Capitol of the world. Looking at the hundred and hundreds of RV's I have to believe there is SOMETHING else besides looking for ROCKS?? Oh well, I guess I need to find a hobby that I would be passionate enough about to live like this for weeks!
Flea Market in QuartsiteWe drove into Quartsite and it was packed with flea market vendors. Rows and rows of tents with hundreds of items. People were walking everywhere within about a 5 or 6 block area with vendors several rows deep on both sides of the street. The traffic was bumper to bumper and there were many quad runners and dessert buggy's driving along the sides of the street. Looking at the number of people here, I wondered if there was anyone left in the US that were NOT here.
Quartsite is very small with a normal population of about 3,400 and from what I read has a restaurant, two grocery stores, a bar called the Quartsite Yacht Club--in the middle of this dust pit--, a McDonald's and a hardware store. There are a couple of post office spots in town for 'general delivery' mail that, at times, has a line of people waiting up to an hour to claim their delivery. Wow what a culture shock this must be for the locals when this magnitude of people arrive!
There was also a huge RV Show going on near the flea market area but we didn't even walk over to this area as we spent so much time walking through the flea market. The vendor's here at least had worth wile merchandise, much different than the poverty stricken flea market we visited yesterday in Yuma. I bought my grand dog, Ava, a cute little ball hat at one of the shops today. They had some very cute pink fuzzy cowboy hats but none to fit her, so I settled for the not so unique, ball hat. We also found a vender selling sun shades for motor homes. There were several options but the ones we were interested in were one that fit the front window that is used to filter the sun when parked and also one that mounted inside to filter the sun while driving. We priced each, which were not cheap--nothing for a motor home ever is!! It seems we are always driving into the sun and even though the windshield is tinted part way down, we need the inside screen badly. We took the guys card as he said we could measure and order later.
As we got near Yuma we saw a sign saying Frontage Road. We turned on this road and ended up within about 5 miles of our RV Resort. On our trip to Quartsite, we drove all the way to Yuma and then headed north out of town, so this defiantly was a shortcut and cut 20 miles off our trip back. We are still finding our way around this area and have found alternate routes to several areas.
When we drove back into the Foothills, we decided to go to Appleby's again for dinner. We sat in the bar and watched the rest of the football game while we had dinner, which was a plus for Larry. We had a nice meal and was surprised that the restaurant was not that crowded.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Arizona 2012 Saturday(Jan 21 2012)
Saturday January 21 2012
The weather was very mild early this morning, warmer than normal. The clouds moved in overnight and looks like we could have rain. We were suppose to have the motor home washed and waxed today but Larry called and cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. Looking at the forecast, Monday looks like rain as well.
I texted Taylor this morning and she sent back a message that she woke up sick early this morning. I hope that clears up soon as well. She has such a struggle with her Thyroid issues that she does not need something that will throw that off balance again!
Talked to Leslie about whether she had started receiving our mail and as of yesterday nothing has been forwarded to them. Larry had to order his prescription drugs and we have been waiting for them to be delivered to Pete and Leslie. We called the post office on Glen Ave in Peoria to find out if there was a problem with the forwarding. They checked and said it was finally in the system and delivery should start today or Monday. Normally we pay to have our mail bundled and mailed to Arizona but since we are planning to move a couple of times this year, decided to ask Leslie to send the important items to us.
We went to the Yuma Marketplace, which is an indoor flea market. It was not as large as the one in Mesa but had a lot of the same items. We looked around for about two hours and I bought myself a Pandora Bracelet. I looked at these when we were in Florida but did not buy it there. I told Larry he is off the hook for a birthday gift, which pleased him!
We left the marketplace and grabbed lunch. In the Yuma Mall parking lot there was a small farmer's market going on. We walked through the vendor booths and bought some radish's and a small watermelon.
After leaving the mall we headed to another flea market that one of the vender's told us about. When we found it I was amazed that the vender's were actually paying for a spot to sell such junk. I think most of the vender's were from Mexico and the items they were trying to sell were just horrible. Even in Los Algodnes, the items for sale at the street markets are very up class compared to this place. The market was just huge and the items offered were so old and nasty they would have had to pay me to take them home. A lot of the vender's were selling silk flowers that were so faded and dirty I can't imagine anyone even looking at them. This was defiantly NOT the flea market items that are offered at Mesa.
The weather actually cleared up after we left the RV park this morning but by the time we got home, the wind was horrible. It was gusting against the motor home and the dust in the air was pretty bad. Another thing I dislike about Arizona is the dust storms. I wouldn't call today a dust storm but the dust was pretty heavy. I think this is what sets off my allergies. Last year while in Mesa, I made five trips to the doctor for allergy issues. I'm hoping to avoid the problems I had before. I talked to Dr. Adams before leaving home about how to avoid this year and he gave me some instructions of what to take if I started having issues.
We came home and cooked in again tonight.
The weather was very mild early this morning, warmer than normal. The clouds moved in overnight and looks like we could have rain. We were suppose to have the motor home washed and waxed today but Larry called and cancelled and rescheduled for Monday. Looking at the forecast, Monday looks like rain as well.
I texted Taylor this morning and she sent back a message that she woke up sick early this morning. I hope that clears up soon as well. She has such a struggle with her Thyroid issues that she does not need something that will throw that off balance again!
Talked to Leslie about whether she had started receiving our mail and as of yesterday nothing has been forwarded to them. Larry had to order his prescription drugs and we have been waiting for them to be delivered to Pete and Leslie. We called the post office on Glen Ave in Peoria to find out if there was a problem with the forwarding. They checked and said it was finally in the system and delivery should start today or Monday. Normally we pay to have our mail bundled and mailed to Arizona but since we are planning to move a couple of times this year, decided to ask Leslie to send the important items to us.
We went to the Yuma Marketplace, which is an indoor flea market. It was not as large as the one in Mesa but had a lot of the same items. We looked around for about two hours and I bought myself a Pandora Bracelet. I looked at these when we were in Florida but did not buy it there. I told Larry he is off the hook for a birthday gift, which pleased him!
We left the marketplace and grabbed lunch. In the Yuma Mall parking lot there was a small farmer's market going on. We walked through the vendor booths and bought some radish's and a small watermelon.
After leaving the mall we headed to another flea market that one of the vender's told us about. When we found it I was amazed that the vender's were actually paying for a spot to sell such junk. I think most of the vender's were from Mexico and the items they were trying to sell were just horrible. Even in Los Algodnes, the items for sale at the street markets are very up class compared to this place. The market was just huge and the items offered were so old and nasty they would have had to pay me to take them home. A lot of the vender's were selling silk flowers that were so faded and dirty I can't imagine anyone even looking at them. This was defiantly NOT the flea market items that are offered at Mesa.
The weather actually cleared up after we left the RV park this morning but by the time we got home, the wind was horrible. It was gusting against the motor home and the dust in the air was pretty bad. Another thing I dislike about Arizona is the dust storms. I wouldn't call today a dust storm but the dust was pretty heavy. I think this is what sets off my allergies. Last year while in Mesa, I made five trips to the doctor for allergy issues. I'm hoping to avoid the problems I had before. I talked to Dr. Adams before leaving home about how to avoid this year and he gave me some instructions of what to take if I started having issues.
We came home and cooked in again tonight.
Arizona 2012 Friday (Jan 20 2012)
Friday January 20, 2012
There was not a lot going on today but this afternoon we drove up to Yuma to find our way around the area a little. We went to the Wetlands Park area which is located along the Colorado River. The park was large with lots of area for hiking and biking paths. It also had lot of Cactus and other Arizona vegetation which is probably quite scenic in the spring when everything is in bloom.
Most every place around this area is typical dessert landscape. So far, I am not as fond of Yuma as I am of the Mesa area. Mesa is a much larger area but for some reason seems much more scenic and just cleaner looking in general. The dessert feels depressing to me many times as I am so fond of the green of the Midwest. If not for the fact that I need dental work completed, I don't have much desire to return to Yuma. In years past, we have driven many trips from Mesa for our dental appointments. It is about a 3 hour plus drive from Mesa to Yuma and a horribly boring trip so will be much better being this close.
Yuma is big into vegetable growing. Everywhere you look you see field upon field of lettuce and multiple other vegetables. When looking at all the fields, it hard to know what is growing as they all look the same. There are semi loads of boxes containing vegetables, which are being trucked to other markets. Along with the agriculture comes the migrant workers. We pass big buses filled with workers and attached to the back of the bus is a trailer hauling none other than their porta potties, which are taken to the fields during their work hours. There are probably as many migrant workers as snowbirds in this town. I feel sorry for these migrants as they work so hard for so little pay.
We drove on both sides of the Colorado River and went by many RV Parks located on the river. Most of the parks were jammed so tight with RV's it's hard to believe they could even back into the sites. One of the RV Parks that caught our interest on our trips from Mesa is called 'River's Edge'. It looks so beautiful from the road with huge palms located along each street, but when we drove back to look at the park, it too, was very overcrowded.
We were lucky to find such a nice park here in Yuma. We basically choose the RV Resort from the Internet, which is how we originally found Silveridge in Mesa. Our park here in Yuma is Las Quintas Oasis and it is located in the Foothill's. We are located about 10 miles east of the city limits of Yuma. The foothill's area is a somewhat newer area and has most of the conveniences that are needed on a daily basis, such as grocery stores and restaurants. It is loaded with RV Resorts which are all filled to capacity by the snowbirds. Our park is very neat and clean and each site has a palm tree on the lot. We have very friendly neighbors and many have offered their help in several of Larry's 'fix it' jobs around the motor home.
On our drive today we drove to Winterhaven, CA which is the exit we take when going to Los Algodnes, Mexico. I assumed Winterhaven was a pretty nice town but when we drove into the town, it was so poverty ridden it was depressing. It appears to be home to mostly migrant workers and vegetable processing plants.
I talked to Taylor this morning to check on our Addison. When they came home from their Colorado ski trip, Addison was sick with diarrhea. It was so bad she had a minor accident at pre-school on Monday. Kyle also was sick on Sunday but he was feeling much better by Monday. Monday they took Addison to the doctor and she has some type of strep that the doctor gave her antibiotics to take. Taylor said by Tuesday, Addison was acting better and the diarrhea had cleared up. The doctor said the antibiotic she gave them would not help the diarrhea so hopefully that has passed on it's own. Morgan has not been sick and neither has Taylor so hopefully it has run it's coarse.
We rounded our way back toward our home on wheels but not before funding the welfare of the Walton Family! We MUST stay out of Walmart. It seems we spend an average of $80 each time we darken the doors. Seems we are always out of something which is amazing since we really haven't cooked much. We did come home and cook dinner tonight, however.
There was not a lot going on today but this afternoon we drove up to Yuma to find our way around the area a little. We went to the Wetlands Park area which is located along the Colorado River. The park was large with lots of area for hiking and biking paths. It also had lot of Cactus and other Arizona vegetation which is probably quite scenic in the spring when everything is in bloom.
Most every place around this area is typical dessert landscape. So far, I am not as fond of Yuma as I am of the Mesa area. Mesa is a much larger area but for some reason seems much more scenic and just cleaner looking in general. The dessert feels depressing to me many times as I am so fond of the green of the Midwest. If not for the fact that I need dental work completed, I don't have much desire to return to Yuma. In years past, we have driven many trips from Mesa for our dental appointments. It is about a 3 hour plus drive from Mesa to Yuma and a horribly boring trip so will be much better being this close.
Yuma is big into vegetable growing. Everywhere you look you see field upon field of lettuce and multiple other vegetables. When looking at all the fields, it hard to know what is growing as they all look the same. There are semi loads of boxes containing vegetables, which are being trucked to other markets. Along with the agriculture comes the migrant workers. We pass big buses filled with workers and attached to the back of the bus is a trailer hauling none other than their porta potties, which are taken to the fields during their work hours. There are probably as many migrant workers as snowbirds in this town. I feel sorry for these migrants as they work so hard for so little pay.
We drove on both sides of the Colorado River and went by many RV Parks located on the river. Most of the parks were jammed so tight with RV's it's hard to believe they could even back into the sites. One of the RV Parks that caught our interest on our trips from Mesa is called 'River's Edge'. It looks so beautiful from the road with huge palms located along each street, but when we drove back to look at the park, it too, was very overcrowded.
We were lucky to find such a nice park here in Yuma. We basically choose the RV Resort from the Internet, which is how we originally found Silveridge in Mesa. Our park here in Yuma is Las Quintas Oasis and it is located in the Foothill's. We are located about 10 miles east of the city limits of Yuma. The foothill's area is a somewhat newer area and has most of the conveniences that are needed on a daily basis, such as grocery stores and restaurants. It is loaded with RV Resorts which are all filled to capacity by the snowbirds. Our park is very neat and clean and each site has a palm tree on the lot. We have very friendly neighbors and many have offered their help in several of Larry's 'fix it' jobs around the motor home.
On our drive today we drove to Winterhaven, CA which is the exit we take when going to Los Algodnes, Mexico. I assumed Winterhaven was a pretty nice town but when we drove into the town, it was so poverty ridden it was depressing. It appears to be home to mostly migrant workers and vegetable processing plants.
I talked to Taylor this morning to check on our Addison. When they came home from their Colorado ski trip, Addison was sick with diarrhea. It was so bad she had a minor accident at pre-school on Monday. Kyle also was sick on Sunday but he was feeling much better by Monday. Monday they took Addison to the doctor and she has some type of strep that the doctor gave her antibiotics to take. Taylor said by Tuesday, Addison was acting better and the diarrhea had cleared up. The doctor said the antibiotic she gave them would not help the diarrhea so hopefully that has passed on it's own. Morgan has not been sick and neither has Taylor so hopefully it has run it's coarse.
We rounded our way back toward our home on wheels but not before funding the welfare of the Walton Family! We MUST stay out of Walmart. It seems we spend an average of $80 each time we darken the doors. Seems we are always out of something which is amazing since we really haven't cooked much. We did come home and cook dinner tonight, however.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Arizona 2012 Thurday(Jan 19)
Thursday January 19, 2012
The temperature was in the low 40's this morning when we got up but felt cooler. It is suppose to get to about 73 degrees today. The forecast calls for each day to get a few degrees warmer through the weekend.
I stripped the bed and washed sheets today and also washed up a few rugs. Basically bummed all day and mostly read while I sat here doing the laundry.
About 1:00 it got pretty warm so I sat outside for awhile. I let Ravin and Tucker out on leashes but Tucker is not really into being outside for some reason. He has always been the one that we cannot get to go in once you let him out. I think because it's unfamiliar to him here is part of his issues. Also we are in the pet area of the park which means we have several dogs around us. When they are being walked and come by our site he kinda freaks when he sees one. Raven doesn't seem to mind. Charlie can't get off the bed long enough to come outside very often but when he does, he seems to like being outside.
Our electrician showed up around 2:00 and worked on the wiring. He got everything working again but was a pretty easy job for him as Larry had already identified where the broken wire was. He was really a nice guy but was paid well for showing up. I think he charged $160 for his services. Oh well--just a bit more thrown into the deep dark money pit!!
We needed several items again from store but ended up going into Sam's and then stopped at Walmart for some other items. We have been buying gallon jugs of bottled water for coffee but I'm pretty sure there is a water station up at the Resort Club House so need to start refilling our jugs. It's $.25 to refill verses $1.00 to buy a new jug. We always refilled when we were at resort in Mesa. Just need to find our way around here in Yuma.
Gene called while we were at Sam's and said he got home from Florida. He and his daughter Debbie(my niece) flew down to visit Jason(my nephew)for a week. Debbie had posted this morning on Facebook that they were having some issues with their flight this morning, something to do with security. Gene said they never did find out what the problems were but a TSA guy boarded their flight and rode it back to Kentucky, where they flew into.
While at Sam's, which is at the Yuma mall area, we decided to have an In-and-Out Burger for dinner. They are absolutely one of the best hamburgers I have ever had--much better than Five Guys for half the price. They had an In-and-Out in Mesa where we ate last year alot . As far as I know they are only on the west coast as we haven't seen any very far toward the Midwest.
Came home and stashed our groceries, had my coffee and went to bed to read.
The temperature was in the low 40's this morning when we got up but felt cooler. It is suppose to get to about 73 degrees today. The forecast calls for each day to get a few degrees warmer through the weekend.
I stripped the bed and washed sheets today and also washed up a few rugs. Basically bummed all day and mostly read while I sat here doing the laundry.
About 1:00 it got pretty warm so I sat outside for awhile. I let Ravin and Tucker out on leashes but Tucker is not really into being outside for some reason. He has always been the one that we cannot get to go in once you let him out. I think because it's unfamiliar to him here is part of his issues. Also we are in the pet area of the park which means we have several dogs around us. When they are being walked and come by our site he kinda freaks when he sees one. Raven doesn't seem to mind. Charlie can't get off the bed long enough to come outside very often but when he does, he seems to like being outside.
Our electrician showed up around 2:00 and worked on the wiring. He got everything working again but was a pretty easy job for him as Larry had already identified where the broken wire was. He was really a nice guy but was paid well for showing up. I think he charged $160 for his services. Oh well--just a bit more thrown into the deep dark money pit!!
We needed several items again from store but ended up going into Sam's and then stopped at Walmart for some other items. We have been buying gallon jugs of bottled water for coffee but I'm pretty sure there is a water station up at the Resort Club House so need to start refilling our jugs. It's $.25 to refill verses $1.00 to buy a new jug. We always refilled when we were at resort in Mesa. Just need to find our way around here in Yuma.
Gene called while we were at Sam's and said he got home from Florida. He and his daughter Debbie(my niece) flew down to visit Jason(my nephew)for a week. Debbie had posted this morning on Facebook that they were having some issues with their flight this morning, something to do with security. Gene said they never did find out what the problems were but a TSA guy boarded their flight and rode it back to Kentucky, where they flew into.
While at Sam's, which is at the Yuma mall area, we decided to have an In-and-Out Burger for dinner. They are absolutely one of the best hamburgers I have ever had--much better than Five Guys for half the price. They had an In-and-Out in Mesa where we ate last year alot . As far as I know they are only on the west coast as we haven't seen any very far toward the Midwest.
Came home and stashed our groceries, had my coffee and went to bed to read.
Arizona 2012 Wednesday(Jan 18)
Wednesday January 18, 2012
I worked around RV for awhile this morning and suddenly realized today is our anniversary. We have been married 37 years and like Larry, last year, I didn't even buy a card. After this long, does it really make any sense to buy cards as they are quickly read and thrown in a stack of papers that will eventually get pitched in the trash. How romantic married life becomes after this number of years huh!??!
Larry has been busy all day trying to locate the short in the wiring and finally found where a wire was cut outside in the storage area of the RV. He and one of the neighbors tried to remove a group of screws holding the wires but could not get them loose to free up the wire to repair. He just left to go over to the RV Supply to schedule an appointment for someone to come out and fix it. He called to say they will be here SOMETIME tomorrow, which means we'll set her waiting most of day. It will be good to get it fixed as it is all the lights over kitchen table and love seat area. Hard to see to eat and defiantly can't set on that side if you want to read at night.
The weather is about the same today with the bright sunshine. It is suppose to warm to 70 degrees today but so far not too warm. Since we have been here it has been in between 60 and 70 degrees but with a bit of wind it doesn't feel that warm. About 2:00pm it gets very nice and by 4:00pm it is cooling enough for a jacket. Guess for January those temperatures aren't bad.
Monday night when we went to Appleby's for dinner, we saw pictures that were part of the decor, that Yuma High School's mascot is a criminal.We both laughed about the fact they were called The Yuma Criminals. I was reading in the local paper this morning that they adopted this name in 1914 when the high school classes were held at the abandoned Yuma Territorial Prison. They later built the new school but retained the mascot. In the article it also said CBS found it intriguing enough that Julie Chen came to Yuma in 2006 to do a story as part of the show's 'Tour My Town' series. The mascot is decked out in blue and white prison stripes. Just thought this is rather interesting as I'm sure it's the only school with such an unusual mascot.
Mario, Pete's brother called Larry today to say he got the deer salami and wanted to know for sure how much Larry wanted of it. Larry told him whatever Leslie and Pete wanted plus some for sister Carol. Mario was going to cut it into smaller rolls and wrap it for freezing. Pete is in Seattle this week and Leslie was planning on going out to Mario's house after work to help him wrap the salami. I sent her a text message and told her to stop by our house and take the food sealer with her to use for salami. She called later and said her and Ava(the dog) went to our house and Ava got so excited when they went in and was running around looking for the cats. She saw my two wooden cats in the living room and kept trying to play with them. She's all into the cats but the cats are not that fond of her unfortunately!!! Leslie also said it was very cold at home and the wind chill was down close to zero. So as I said--not big complaints on our weather.
We scheduled a propane delivery for today so are waiting for the truck to show up. Again anything you need done is on someone else's schedule and they can never tell you a time so you can set all day waiting. The propane guy showed about 2:30. We thought we were getting really low on propane but when he filled our tank it only took 9 gallon. I think we have a 20 gallon tank so didn't use as much as we thought on our trip out. The going rate for propane is $3.99 a gallon, so like everything in the gas market not cheap!!
After the propane guy left we drove into Yuma to the mall. I looked around for awhile and then we went to Red Lobster for dinner. We had a very good meal. Larry got crab legs and I got two servings of shrimp scampi and we shared the two. Had a nice salad and vegetables. We saw they have a Sam's at the mall but when I looked online didn't see but two Costco's in Arizona--one in Tucson and one in Phoenix. Taylor and Kyle paid for a Costco membership for us for Christmas but we haven't been anyplace that has a Costco to activate. When we get to Mesa we have a Costco just down the street from the RV Resort so will use it then.
I worked around RV for awhile this morning and suddenly realized today is our anniversary. We have been married 37 years and like Larry, last year, I didn't even buy a card. After this long, does it really make any sense to buy cards as they are quickly read and thrown in a stack of papers that will eventually get pitched in the trash. How romantic married life becomes after this number of years huh!??!
Larry has been busy all day trying to locate the short in the wiring and finally found where a wire was cut outside in the storage area of the RV. He and one of the neighbors tried to remove a group of screws holding the wires but could not get them loose to free up the wire to repair. He just left to go over to the RV Supply to schedule an appointment for someone to come out and fix it. He called to say they will be here SOMETIME tomorrow, which means we'll set her waiting most of day. It will be good to get it fixed as it is all the lights over kitchen table and love seat area. Hard to see to eat and defiantly can't set on that side if you want to read at night.
The weather is about the same today with the bright sunshine. It is suppose to warm to 70 degrees today but so far not too warm. Since we have been here it has been in between 60 and 70 degrees but with a bit of wind it doesn't feel that warm. About 2:00pm it gets very nice and by 4:00pm it is cooling enough for a jacket. Guess for January those temperatures aren't bad.
Monday night when we went to Appleby's for dinner, we saw pictures that were part of the decor, that Yuma High School's mascot is a criminal.We both laughed about the fact they were called The Yuma Criminals. I was reading in the local paper this morning that they adopted this name in 1914 when the high school classes were held at the abandoned Yuma Territorial Prison. They later built the new school but retained the mascot. In the article it also said CBS found it intriguing enough that Julie Chen came to Yuma in 2006 to do a story as part of the show's 'Tour My Town' series. The mascot is decked out in blue and white prison stripes. Just thought this is rather interesting as I'm sure it's the only school with such an unusual mascot.
Mario, Pete's brother called Larry today to say he got the deer salami and wanted to know for sure how much Larry wanted of it. Larry told him whatever Leslie and Pete wanted plus some for sister Carol. Mario was going to cut it into smaller rolls and wrap it for freezing. Pete is in Seattle this week and Leslie was planning on going out to Mario's house after work to help him wrap the salami. I sent her a text message and told her to stop by our house and take the food sealer with her to use for salami. She called later and said her and Ava(the dog) went to our house and Ava got so excited when they went in and was running around looking for the cats. She saw my two wooden cats in the living room and kept trying to play with them. She's all into the cats but the cats are not that fond of her unfortunately!!! Leslie also said it was very cold at home and the wind chill was down close to zero. So as I said--not big complaints on our weather.
We scheduled a propane delivery for today so are waiting for the truck to show up. Again anything you need done is on someone else's schedule and they can never tell you a time so you can set all day waiting. The propane guy showed about 2:30. We thought we were getting really low on propane but when he filled our tank it only took 9 gallon. I think we have a 20 gallon tank so didn't use as much as we thought on our trip out. The going rate for propane is $3.99 a gallon, so like everything in the gas market not cheap!!
After the propane guy left we drove into Yuma to the mall. I looked around for awhile and then we went to Red Lobster for dinner. We had a very good meal. Larry got crab legs and I got two servings of shrimp scampi and we shared the two. Had a nice salad and vegetables. We saw they have a Sam's at the mall but when I looked online didn't see but two Costco's in Arizona--one in Tucson and one in Phoenix. Taylor and Kyle paid for a Costco membership for us for Christmas but we haven't been anyplace that has a Costco to activate. When we get to Mesa we have a Costco just down the street from the RV Resort so will use it then.
Arizona 2012 Tuesday(Jan 17)
Tuesday January 17, 2012
Decided it was time to do my laundry, so today was mostly devoted to catching up. I pretty much had a laid back afternoon and read most of the day while taking periodic breaks to change the laundry from washer to dryer. Larry worked on some items on RV to get whatever was not working--which is always numerous-- taken care of.
The weather has been a little on the cool side. Most mornings the temperature is in the mid 30's when we get up but by early afternoon recovers to around 65. I couldn't decide what I should be wearing today. I started out in long pants with a sweatshirt and changed early afternoon to capri's. At this time of the year it doesn't take long in shorts or capri's until it's cool enough to switch back to long pants. I actually changed back to pants and sweatshirt around 4:00. It was still a little warm with the sweatshirt but an hour later felt right. The sun was shinning brightly most of the day. The forecast shows about a 5 degree increase in temperature for the remaining part of week.
Around 4:00 we went over to an RV Supply and bought light bulbs, a new handle for the TV Antenna and a power tester. The lights on the inside of drivers side are not working for some reason so Larry is going to try finding the problem tomorrow. We made a trip to buy a few groceries and came home to cook dinner. This is the first home meal for us in awhile. I made several items and froze before Christmas so we had meatloaf from our freezer stash tonight. Wasn't bad but I am just very tired of my cooking as of late.
Decided it was time to do my laundry, so today was mostly devoted to catching up. I pretty much had a laid back afternoon and read most of the day while taking periodic breaks to change the laundry from washer to dryer. Larry worked on some items on RV to get whatever was not working--which is always numerous-- taken care of.
The weather has been a little on the cool side. Most mornings the temperature is in the mid 30's when we get up but by early afternoon recovers to around 65. I couldn't decide what I should be wearing today. I started out in long pants with a sweatshirt and changed early afternoon to capri's. At this time of the year it doesn't take long in shorts or capri's until it's cool enough to switch back to long pants. I actually changed back to pants and sweatshirt around 4:00. It was still a little warm with the sweatshirt but an hour later felt right. The sun was shinning brightly most of the day. The forecast shows about a 5 degree increase in temperature for the remaining part of week.
Around 4:00 we went over to an RV Supply and bought light bulbs, a new handle for the TV Antenna and a power tester. The lights on the inside of drivers side are not working for some reason so Larry is going to try finding the problem tomorrow. We made a trip to buy a few groceries and came home to cook dinner. This is the first home meal for us in awhile. I made several items and froze before Christmas so we had meatloaf from our freezer stash tonight. Wasn't bad but I am just very tired of my cooking as of late.
Arizona 2012 Monday(Jan 16)
Monday January 16, 2012
We left the Las Cruces KOA at 8:00am. We had the random 'quirky' issues with the RV -- this morning the stabilizing jacks would not totally retract which means the air bags also would not totally inflate. When leaving here last year we were unaware of this problem until we pulled out onto the road and hit a dip in the road. It felt like the bottom of the RV fell out as we hit so hard. This problem either occurs when it's been setting for awhile in the cold or possibly the jacks have a little rust from setting without use for months. Regardless, we had to stop and power down the jacks again and shut off engine for everything to reset before trying to retract again. After working with it for awhile everything reset and we left the RV Park and took RT 10 west toward Tucson.
We drove in rain and wind for about two hours but the farther south we drove the weather started clearing. I started looking for an RV Park somewhere between Tucson and Yuma so we would not have to drive as far a Yuma, which was about 515 miles from Las Cruces. Basically there is not much human life between Tucson and Yuma, just miles and miles of open land. The only places I found were about 30 miles east of Yuma so decided we were not saving much in mileage to stop at any of these RV Parks. We talked about where we wanted to call in Yuma for an RV site for tonight and decided to call Las Quintas, the place we have reservations for February. When we called they said they had a site we could have and we could decide if we wanted to start our time from tonight or just stay for a day or two. We talked about driving on to San Diego and staying somewhere there for a week before returning to Yuma. We told them at Las Quintas that we would tell them our plans tomorrow and they gave us our site number since the office will be closed when we arrive.
The weather cleared up and the sun came out. It got too warm driving so Larry opened the window on drivers side for some fresh air. We arrived in Yuma about 5:00pm and found Las Quintes RV Resort easily. We pulled into the park and found our site, stopped and unloaded the car and unhitched the car dolly from RV. Larry went back to RV and when he started to open the door it was locked. We had a set of keys in the car so I retrieved but found the key for door only unlocked one of the door locks. Well---this is interesting---who in their right mind would build a motor home requiring two different keys to unlock the locks on the SAME door!@!@??? We kept trying the key on both locks but nothing was working. The window on the drivers side was still open and we were able to slide it open farther to where we could get inside but we left home and forgot to load our latter. The distance from the ground made it impossible to get through the window. I told Larry to knock on someones door and borrow a latter but he kept trying to think of a way to get to window. He remembered the removable latter on back of RV used to access roof. He unhooked it and was able to lean it against window to climb up far enough to remove the keys from the ignition. These keys had an extra key that was for nothing other than that extra lock on the door!@! HOW STRANGE! We scored a lucky break but of course not before we saw 3 or 4 of the park residence standing outside watching the big event!! The 55 plus RV Parks are like living in a very small city as nothing happens that the entire park does not know within 15 minutes!!!
We pushed the car dolly onto the RV site. A lady that was setting outside with a group walked over and said she worked for the resort and could help guide Larry backing the RV into site. She showed us where to locate motor home on lot and Larry backed in. Her name is Cynthia and her husband is David. They are parked next to us and they were having 'happy hour' at the RV behind them so she invited us to come over when we got settled. I walked over later and she introduced me to Bruce, who is from BC Canada. I also met Joe and Cari from Canada as well. Doris, who owned the RV where everyone was gathered, is from Boise, ID. They were all very nice people. Cynthia and David are from Indiana and are permanent residence here at Las Quintas. I talked for awhile and gave my regrets about joining them as I told them we had not had dinner yet.
Larry hooked everything up and when water was hot he took a shower. We drove across the highway to Appleby's for dinner. It was packed, which is typical for a 'snowbird' city. Doesn't matter the day or hour of day every place is packed. We went into the bar and had a beer and waited for our table. They finally called us and took us to our table and we sat for 25 minutes waiting for a server to appear. We ordered our meal and another beer and sat another 25-30 minutes for our order. We asked for a couple of needed items when they brought our food but the server never appeared with them. We finished our dinner and waited forever for our server to bring check. What a ZOO--I'm not so sure our poor service was strictly because the place was busy or just that we had a poor server! Anyway our tip reflected our service!
We came back to RV and when I finished a cup of coffee, I was ready for bed. Tomorrow we need to decide if we are staying here or leaving again. I would like to call dentist and find out if she can see me before my scheduled appointment of Feb 2. If I can get an appointment soon, I'd rather stay and take a day trip to San Diego or even an overnight trip. It is only about 140 miles over to San Diego so we could make a few trips if we want but I would like to stay here since we are settled. I hate moving and reorganizing all the time---guess I'm just not a REAL RV'er as I like the secure feeling of a home base!
We left the Las Cruces KOA at 8:00am. We had the random 'quirky' issues with the RV -- this morning the stabilizing jacks would not totally retract which means the air bags also would not totally inflate. When leaving here last year we were unaware of this problem until we pulled out onto the road and hit a dip in the road. It felt like the bottom of the RV fell out as we hit so hard. This problem either occurs when it's been setting for awhile in the cold or possibly the jacks have a little rust from setting without use for months. Regardless, we had to stop and power down the jacks again and shut off engine for everything to reset before trying to retract again. After working with it for awhile everything reset and we left the RV Park and took RT 10 west toward Tucson.
We drove in rain and wind for about two hours but the farther south we drove the weather started clearing. I started looking for an RV Park somewhere between Tucson and Yuma so we would not have to drive as far a Yuma, which was about 515 miles from Las Cruces. Basically there is not much human life between Tucson and Yuma, just miles and miles of open land. The only places I found were about 30 miles east of Yuma so decided we were not saving much in mileage to stop at any of these RV Parks. We talked about where we wanted to call in Yuma for an RV site for tonight and decided to call Las Quintas, the place we have reservations for February. When we called they said they had a site we could have and we could decide if we wanted to start our time from tonight or just stay for a day or two. We talked about driving on to San Diego and staying somewhere there for a week before returning to Yuma. We told them at Las Quintas that we would tell them our plans tomorrow and they gave us our site number since the office will be closed when we arrive.
The weather cleared up and the sun came out. It got too warm driving so Larry opened the window on drivers side for some fresh air. We arrived in Yuma about 5:00pm and found Las Quintes RV Resort easily. We pulled into the park and found our site, stopped and unloaded the car and unhitched the car dolly from RV. Larry went back to RV and when he started to open the door it was locked. We had a set of keys in the car so I retrieved but found the key for door only unlocked one of the door locks. Well---this is interesting---who in their right mind would build a motor home requiring two different keys to unlock the locks on the SAME door!@!@??? We kept trying the key on both locks but nothing was working. The window on the drivers side was still open and we were able to slide it open farther to where we could get inside but we left home and forgot to load our latter. The distance from the ground made it impossible to get through the window. I told Larry to knock on someones door and borrow a latter but he kept trying to think of a way to get to window. He remembered the removable latter on back of RV used to access roof. He unhooked it and was able to lean it against window to climb up far enough to remove the keys from the ignition. These keys had an extra key that was for nothing other than that extra lock on the door!@! HOW STRANGE! We scored a lucky break but of course not before we saw 3 or 4 of the park residence standing outside watching the big event!! The 55 plus RV Parks are like living in a very small city as nothing happens that the entire park does not know within 15 minutes!!!
We pushed the car dolly onto the RV site. A lady that was setting outside with a group walked over and said she worked for the resort and could help guide Larry backing the RV into site. She showed us where to locate motor home on lot and Larry backed in. Her name is Cynthia and her husband is David. They are parked next to us and they were having 'happy hour' at the RV behind them so she invited us to come over when we got settled. I walked over later and she introduced me to Bruce, who is from BC Canada. I also met Joe and Cari from Canada as well. Doris, who owned the RV where everyone was gathered, is from Boise, ID. They were all very nice people. Cynthia and David are from Indiana and are permanent residence here at Las Quintas. I talked for awhile and gave my regrets about joining them as I told them we had not had dinner yet.
Larry hooked everything up and when water was hot he took a shower. We drove across the highway to Appleby's for dinner. It was packed, which is typical for a 'snowbird' city. Doesn't matter the day or hour of day every place is packed. We went into the bar and had a beer and waited for our table. They finally called us and took us to our table and we sat for 25 minutes waiting for a server to appear. We ordered our meal and another beer and sat another 25-30 minutes for our order. We asked for a couple of needed items when they brought our food but the server never appeared with them. We finished our dinner and waited forever for our server to bring check. What a ZOO--I'm not so sure our poor service was strictly because the place was busy or just that we had a poor server! Anyway our tip reflected our service!
We came back to RV and when I finished a cup of coffee, I was ready for bed. Tomorrow we need to decide if we are staying here or leaving again. I would like to call dentist and find out if she can see me before my scheduled appointment of Feb 2. If I can get an appointment soon, I'd rather stay and take a day trip to San Diego or even an overnight trip. It is only about 140 miles over to San Diego so we could make a few trips if we want but I would like to stay here since we are settled. I hate moving and reorganizing all the time---guess I'm just not a REAL RV'er as I like the secure feeling of a home base!
Arizona 2012 Sunday(Jan 15)
Sunday January 15, 2012
I am awake again this morning at 4:15. Guess my body does not need as much sleep as I think. I went back to bed with a horrible headache and kept telling myself to relax and finally fell asleep again but was short lived. When Larry got up a short time later, I was awake again.
The morning is beautiful again with temperature of 35 already. Must be much warmer here as I saw posting from friends on Facebook talking about the bitter cold at home. Guess coming South IS a better idea than staying in Peoria.
I have been writing my blog in a word doc on my little net book and had plans to post this morning. We have an access code to use for Internet from KOA and Larry activated last night on his laptop. This morning when I tried to log into Internet was abruptly halted because it only allows one device per access code!!! Since everything is on my hard drive will have to either ask for another code for access or copy over to laptop. What a pain in the butt! I brought a new USB flash drive with me but, of course, cannot locate it's resting spot in the RV yet. It makes me crazy when I am looking for different items and can't figure out where I put them--it's the age thing I think! Larry's memory is much worse than I as this morning he asked if I had seen Tucker and he was laying on Larry's legs. Hmmmm--can't wait to get there!! Only another four short years and I'll be old enough to be THAT crazy too!
I guess we are staying another night here in Las Cruces as we didn't take much time to rest yesterday. We debated on leaving this morning and moving on toward Arizona but I think we both need another day to kick back. I saw on Internet there is an Antique Show here today so thought we might check it out. Just another sign of getting old--in the past year I have gotten into browsing the antique shops. In years past, an antique shop depressed me. I so enjoy browsing and looking at all the things I grew up with! Too bad I didn't save, which is what everyone thinks when they see the prices on all the things from their childhood. We have been collecting milk bottles for a number of years so that is basically what we shop for. The next house we buy will need an entire room to devote to just the milk bottles. We only buy the ones of interest to us, not necessarily the ones of value so not really a big 'money' collection.
We showered and went to the Village Inn for breakfast. We ate many times at the Village Inn in Mesa and their food is always good. We talked to our waitress and she suggested we drive over to La Mesilla which she told us is just 7 or 8 miles from Las Cruces. It is an old town which use to be the capitol of the Arizona Territory and was the home of Billy the Kid. This is probably another wasted trip to a touristy area full of junk shops.
We found our way to La Mesilla and when we were coming into town it started looking familiar. By the time we reached the town plaza I knew we had been there last year. It is a quaint little place and they had vendors set up all around the plaza. There was a guy who made knives from fiber optic and flint and a lot of the knives were like one I bought from a friend at work many years ago for Larry. They were all unusual and some had cactus handles and other deer antler handles. He showed us how he carves the materials for the blades which was interesting.
We strolled through the other vendors and then through the little shops around the plaza and came up to a shop that I bought some wonderful Olive Oil last year. We went in and sampled several of the oils and bought another bottle. We talked a long time to the owner who was interesting. Last year I remember we talked a lot to his wife when we stopped. The shop is very nice and all they carry is olive oil, different flavored balsamic vinegars and several types of marinades.
We left La Mesilla and found an antique shop back in Las Cruces, which was in a class below a garage sale so we didn't spend a lot of time there. We went from there to the Antique Show that I had read about on the web. Larry bought a book which I think is on the Civil War and I just basically browsed through the dealer booths but found nothing I wanted. It was mostly dishes and jewelry which I don't get too excited about.
We went back up to the big shopping area and had soup and salad at Olive Garden since we had not eat since breakfast. After eating we made our daily run to Walmart for a few items we forgot last night and waited in line to check out for at least 30 minutes. The entire city was there buying groceries, etc.
While looking on the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce website, I did see that there was a Hot Air Balloon affair here this weekend. We knew that because as I mentioned we watched the balloon's from KOA but when I looked for it yesterday on the web I did not see it. Anyway there seems to be a lot going on around this area but I would have no desire to live here. Actually most of the Southwest would not be in the running as a place to make my home. Illinois is not the greatest but I'll take the green grass and trees over the gravel yards and dust of the Southwest.
I am awake again this morning at 4:15. Guess my body does not need as much sleep as I think. I went back to bed with a horrible headache and kept telling myself to relax and finally fell asleep again but was short lived. When Larry got up a short time later, I was awake again.
The morning is beautiful again with temperature of 35 already. Must be much warmer here as I saw posting from friends on Facebook talking about the bitter cold at home. Guess coming South IS a better idea than staying in Peoria.
I have been writing my blog in a word doc on my little net book and had plans to post this morning. We have an access code to use for Internet from KOA and Larry activated last night on his laptop. This morning when I tried to log into Internet was abruptly halted because it only allows one device per access code!!! Since everything is on my hard drive will have to either ask for another code for access or copy over to laptop. What a pain in the butt! I brought a new USB flash drive with me but, of course, cannot locate it's resting spot in the RV yet. It makes me crazy when I am looking for different items and can't figure out where I put them--it's the age thing I think! Larry's memory is much worse than I as this morning he asked if I had seen Tucker and he was laying on Larry's legs. Hmmmm--can't wait to get there!! Only another four short years and I'll be old enough to be THAT crazy too!
I guess we are staying another night here in Las Cruces as we didn't take much time to rest yesterday. We debated on leaving this morning and moving on toward Arizona but I think we both need another day to kick back. I saw on Internet there is an Antique Show here today so thought we might check it out. Just another sign of getting old--in the past year I have gotten into browsing the antique shops. In years past, an antique shop depressed me. I so enjoy browsing and looking at all the things I grew up with! Too bad I didn't save, which is what everyone thinks when they see the prices on all the things from their childhood. We have been collecting milk bottles for a number of years so that is basically what we shop for. The next house we buy will need an entire room to devote to just the milk bottles. We only buy the ones of interest to us, not necessarily the ones of value so not really a big 'money' collection.
We showered and went to the Village Inn for breakfast. We ate many times at the Village Inn in Mesa and their food is always good. We talked to our waitress and she suggested we drive over to La Mesilla which she told us is just 7 or 8 miles from Las Cruces. It is an old town which use to be the capitol of the Arizona Territory and was the home of Billy the Kid. This is probably another wasted trip to a touristy area full of junk shops.
We found our way to La Mesilla and when we were coming into town it started looking familiar. By the time we reached the town plaza I knew we had been there last year. It is a quaint little place and they had vendors set up all around the plaza. There was a guy who made knives from fiber optic and flint and a lot of the knives were like one I bought from a friend at work many years ago for Larry. They were all unusual and some had cactus handles and other deer antler handles. He showed us how he carves the materials for the blades which was interesting.
We strolled through the other vendors and then through the little shops around the plaza and came up to a shop that I bought some wonderful Olive Oil last year. We went in and sampled several of the oils and bought another bottle. We talked a long time to the owner who was interesting. Last year I remember we talked a lot to his wife when we stopped. The shop is very nice and all they carry is olive oil, different flavored balsamic vinegars and several types of marinades.
We left La Mesilla and found an antique shop back in Las Cruces, which was in a class below a garage sale so we didn't spend a lot of time there. We went from there to the Antique Show that I had read about on the web. Larry bought a book which I think is on the Civil War and I just basically browsed through the dealer booths but found nothing I wanted. It was mostly dishes and jewelry which I don't get too excited about.
We went back up to the big shopping area and had soup and salad at Olive Garden since we had not eat since breakfast. After eating we made our daily run to Walmart for a few items we forgot last night and waited in line to check out for at least 30 minutes. The entire city was there buying groceries, etc.
While looking on the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce website, I did see that there was a Hot Air Balloon affair here this weekend. We knew that because as I mentioned we watched the balloon's from KOA but when I looked for it yesterday on the web I did not see it. Anyway there seems to be a lot going on around this area but I would have no desire to live here. Actually most of the Southwest would not be in the running as a place to make my home. Illinois is not the greatest but I'll take the green grass and trees over the gravel yards and dust of the Southwest.
Arizona 2012 Saturday(Jan 14)
Saturday January 14, 2012
I woke up at 4:00am which seems to be my typical morning. Why I cannot sleep later is a mystery. I can understand the evenings I fall asleep watching TV but the times I go to bed late and I still wake up around the same time. I either lie in bed wide awake or get up and roam around. After two hours, I am ready to go back to bed but never seem to make it. By late afternoon I'm beat! Larry also woke early this morning so we are both on a crazy sleep schedule I guess.
The guy who is parked next to us came outside when Larry was hooking up the water and sewer and said he was looking for the Hot Air Balloons. They evidently were up yesterday and were to go up again today. It wasn't long until we could see several rising above the city skyline. There seemed to be a number of them. I got on the Internet to find out if there was a festival but found nothing regarding Hot Air Balloons here in Las Cruces. Albuquerque always has a huge Balloon Festival but I don't think we have been there during the festival times. The first few years Albuquerque was on our route coming South. I think we must have driven to Albuquerque and dropped down from there to Las Cruces but don't recall. Anyway the Balloons were pretty, as always, to watch.
I sat down and wrote on the blog until later in the morning when we got the water and sewer hooked up and the water heater running. I then started cleaning up the mess in the kitchen; dirty dishes from traveling without water to wash them. I took everything off counters and cleaned the winter dirt off the cabinets and walls. I cleaned the shower and the bathroom and mopped the floor in bath, kitchen and hallway. Larry worked on cleaning the closet mirrors and wiping down the wood and walls in the bedroom. He also ran the vacuum while I cleaned more in living room. It's almost like I'm home with all this cleaning routine! I'm suppose to be on vacation but as always I cannot relax until things are put in order. The motor home collects a lot of dust and crude setting for months at a time so was good to get it cleaned somewhat.
I finally got a shower and was surprised that the drain did not plug from washing my body after 3 days!I have had few times in my life that I have gone 3 days without a shower. I felt so much better after washing my hair and putting on some makeup. I dressed and we went into Las Cruces. On our way into town, the Balloons were going up again and we could see a number from our route into town.
We went to the car wash first as even though we somewhat washed it on Friday, it was full of dust and dirt from being pulled behind the RV. The wash turned out to be a very good job and made the car look so nice.
We left the car wash and drove a few blocks into a huge shopping area of town. We decided to stop at Appleby's for a late lunch/early dinner since we hadn't had a lot to eat today. I ordered the Parmesan Sirloin and Shrimp with mixed vegetables.It was the best meal I have had for a very long time! Since I am not a steak lover I was pleasantly surprised. Larry ordered the Garlic and Herb Sirloin and Shrimp and said his meal was also good.
When we left the restaurant, we drove across the street to a big shopping mall and I returned a jacket for Larry that I had bought sometime back at Ross and then I went into Marshall's as I realized when getting dressed I had only brought one long sleeve top with me. As I said, my packing lacked a lot of effort this year. As always, you can buy what you don't have and since I lost some weight, a couple of new tops were probably in order anyway.
We went back across the street and pulled into our friend 'Sam's' place -- WALMART!! Three days on the road and three trips into Walmart!! It is no surprise why the Walton Family are among the richest in the world, selling all their 'made in China-or wherever' goods! Poor Sam would not be pleased since he pledged to carry only 'Made in USA' items before he died. Anyway, our throw rugs in RV are getting pretty tacky looking so I checked out the rugs at Walmart. We ended up buying two that will work but wasn't so crazy about. I will maybe take a look tomorrow at Sears or wherever for different ones. Just didn't feel like fighting the traffic tonight to stop anywhere else. The traffic in this city can be pretty heavy at times and the roads around the shopping area were enough to make you crazy the way they are designed. It was a challenge just trying to figure out which street lead to what shopping area as they were all so sliced up and seemed to go nowhere--at least not where we wanted to go. We finished up our business at Walmart and headed back to KOA.
I woke up at 4:00am which seems to be my typical morning. Why I cannot sleep later is a mystery. I can understand the evenings I fall asleep watching TV but the times I go to bed late and I still wake up around the same time. I either lie in bed wide awake or get up and roam around. After two hours, I am ready to go back to bed but never seem to make it. By late afternoon I'm beat! Larry also woke early this morning so we are both on a crazy sleep schedule I guess.
The guy who is parked next to us came outside when Larry was hooking up the water and sewer and said he was looking for the Hot Air Balloons. They evidently were up yesterday and were to go up again today. It wasn't long until we could see several rising above the city skyline. There seemed to be a number of them. I got on the Internet to find out if there was a festival but found nothing regarding Hot Air Balloons here in Las Cruces. Albuquerque always has a huge Balloon Festival but I don't think we have been there during the festival times. The first few years Albuquerque was on our route coming South. I think we must have driven to Albuquerque and dropped down from there to Las Cruces but don't recall. Anyway the Balloons were pretty, as always, to watch.
Hot Air Balloons in Las Cruces, NM---(pictures taken from RV Park overlooking the city)
I finally got a shower and was surprised that the drain did not plug from washing my body after 3 days!I have had few times in my life that I have gone 3 days without a shower. I felt so much better after washing my hair and putting on some makeup. I dressed and we went into Las Cruces. On our way into town, the Balloons were going up again and we could see a number from our route into town.
We went to the car wash first as even though we somewhat washed it on Friday, it was full of dust and dirt from being pulled behind the RV. The wash turned out to be a very good job and made the car look so nice.
We left the car wash and drove a few blocks into a huge shopping area of town. We decided to stop at Appleby's for a late lunch/early dinner since we hadn't had a lot to eat today. I ordered the Parmesan Sirloin and Shrimp with mixed vegetables.It was the best meal I have had for a very long time! Since I am not a steak lover I was pleasantly surprised. Larry ordered the Garlic and Herb Sirloin and Shrimp and said his meal was also good.
When we left the restaurant, we drove across the street to a big shopping mall and I returned a jacket for Larry that I had bought sometime back at Ross and then I went into Marshall's as I realized when getting dressed I had only brought one long sleeve top with me. As I said, my packing lacked a lot of effort this year. As always, you can buy what you don't have and since I lost some weight, a couple of new tops were probably in order anyway.
We went back across the street and pulled into our friend 'Sam's' place -- WALMART!! Three days on the road and three trips into Walmart!! It is no surprise why the Walton Family are among the richest in the world, selling all their 'made in China-or wherever' goods! Poor Sam would not be pleased since he pledged to carry only 'Made in USA' items before he died. Anyway, our throw rugs in RV are getting pretty tacky looking so I checked out the rugs at Walmart. We ended up buying two that will work but wasn't so crazy about. I will maybe take a look tomorrow at Sears or wherever for different ones. Just didn't feel like fighting the traffic tonight to stop anywhere else. The traffic in this city can be pretty heavy at times and the roads around the shopping area were enough to make you crazy the way they are designed. It was a challenge just trying to figure out which street lead to what shopping area as they were all so sliced up and seemed to go nowhere--at least not where we wanted to go. We finished up our business at Walmart and headed back to KOA.
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