Today is Sunday, December 27, 2009. We are still in Tucson and stopped at an insurance company that opened just for us so that we could get our vehicle insurance.
We were on our way to Mexico by 10:30 am. We stopped earlier at Wal-Mart to buy some things to tide us over until we got to a large shopping centre.
We lost Dave and Kelsi on the highway before we got to Nogales so we just kept on driving. We drove through Nogales and when we were back on the highway we stopped and waited to see if they were behind us. We got tired of waiting so we headed south again and made it to the 21 km documentation centre to find them waiting there for us. They had taken Weaver with them in the car through the border. It was so nice to drive with only the rattling of the moho to distract us. We took Weaver with us again when we headed out after purchasing our visitor visas and the moho driving permit. It is good for 10 years. Don't think we'll have this moho that long, lol.
We went through 2 toll stations. It cost us 32 and 97 pesos respectively. We found a bank machine courtesy of HSBC and took out some pesos. Weaver behaved himself so well that I was able to fall asleep for a while.
The countryside is very remininscent of the Philippines except that the Philippines is much greener. We finally reached the northern outskirts of Hermosillo around 5 pm and are now sitting in the Sonora RV park. It is a very small park with only about 14 spots and as of our arrival time there were still about 5 spots available.
Mike made some supper which consisted of canned ham, spirals and canned corn. Our lettuce froze last night in the freezer section of our old non working fridge. It seems the freezer still works when it has a mind to work.
The TV works too. We've been watching a movie?soap opera? and a concert by some guy singing with a big concert orchestra supporting him.
It's going to be early to bed for this trio tonight. Talk to you all soon.
Mave n Mike n Weaver
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Happy New Year everyone!!
Today is December 26,2009. Mike had to ask me if yesterday was Christmas Day. It actually was Xmas Day and it was bright and sunny and Dave, Mike and I went golfing. The par 3 golf course at Palm Creek is a par 54. Dave got 56, Mike got 69 and I got 70. I was very happy with my score. I birdied the 10th and 11th holes. I think I might even have kept the scorecard.
I've been pretty remiss in not working on my blog, mainly because I'm just too lazy. We got here on the 19th of December and got to know the site quite well. They have a ball diamond here that supports quite a few softball (slowpitch) teams. No women teams unfortunately. Not enough interest. There is a concession there that makes the best hamburgers around and people come in from outside just to have their burgers.
I told you about Van and Kathie. From Monday to now has been very nice, but cooler weather than we've had since Oregon. Last night it froze. The grass in the dog park was frozen. Maybe Weaver thought he was at home.
Today we drove from Casa Grande to Tucson. We stayed at Beaudry RV park. It's right behind Beaudry RV sales and service. It was a nice park but not much to do there. They had a fitness room and a pool but we only stayed there overnight. Dave and Kelsi went shopping for motorhomes so we went along for the ride. We saw some nice mohos but we knew we wouldn't get enough out of ours so we didn't even make an offer. We went back to the moho for take out pizza and went to bed early.
ttfn
Mave n Mike n Weave
I've been pretty remiss in not working on my blog, mainly because I'm just too lazy. We got here on the 19th of December and got to know the site quite well. They have a ball diamond here that supports quite a few softball (slowpitch) teams. No women teams unfortunately. Not enough interest. There is a concession there that makes the best hamburgers around and people come in from outside just to have their burgers.
I told you about Van and Kathie. From Monday to now has been very nice, but cooler weather than we've had since Oregon. Last night it froze. The grass in the dog park was frozen. Maybe Weaver thought he was at home.
Today we drove from Casa Grande to Tucson. We stayed at Beaudry RV park. It's right behind Beaudry RV sales and service. It was a nice park but not much to do there. They had a fitness room and a pool but we only stayed there overnight. Dave and Kelsi went shopping for motorhomes so we went along for the ride. We saw some nice mohos but we knew we wouldn't get enough out of ours so we didn't even make an offer. We went back to the moho for take out pizza and went to bed early.
ttfn
Mave n Mike n Weave
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Surprise in the Clubhouse
Hello readers,
What a beautiful Sunday we had today. I had planned to do laundry but with the lovely weather we decided to go golfing instead. We received a 2 for 1 coupon from the Welcome Wagon couple, who by the way are from Fort Saskatchewan, AB, so we used it to go for 18 holes. Friends in cold country - it was the perfect golfing day - not too warm, shorts and golf shirt weather, with a small breeze to dry the sweat, uh, I mean, the glow on my skin.
The surprise in the clubhouse was not the price of the golfing, but the folks who were buying something. I had dashed into the loo and ignored the lady in there, but when I went back into the Pro Shop the lady turned out to be Kathie Van Dresar-and-standing there talking to Mike was Ernie Van Dresar. Folks it truly is a small world when folks you've known for over 30 years show up out of nowhere. Not exactly nowhere, but from Apache Junction where they are staying until April. They had driven up here to visit some friends who are staying here and had stopped in to the Pro Shop to have a look around. Needless to say they have just left to drive back to A. J. We went out for dinner with K and E and Nelson and Jeannie. It is the first time I have had Mexican food. Not too bad, but the tastes of the food are hidden by the chilies. Mind you that is my opinion only. I guess I better learn to like it if I'm going to Mexico.
Beethoven, their dog, and Weaver, our dog, spent their time alone in our moho chewing on good beef bones, and listening to Full tilt poker on tv, courtesy of Mike while we were out eating.
Some pictures of the par 3 executive golf course here.
What a beautiful Sunday we had today. I had planned to do laundry but with the lovely weather we decided to go golfing instead. We received a 2 for 1 coupon from the Welcome Wagon couple, who by the way are from Fort Saskatchewan, AB, so we used it to go for 18 holes. Friends in cold country - it was the perfect golfing day - not too warm, shorts and golf shirt weather, with a small breeze to dry the sweat, uh, I mean, the glow on my skin.
The surprise in the clubhouse was not the price of the golfing, but the folks who were buying something. I had dashed into the loo and ignored the lady in there, but when I went back into the Pro Shop the lady turned out to be Kathie Van Dresar-and-standing there talking to Mike was Ernie Van Dresar. Folks it truly is a small world when folks you've known for over 30 years show up out of nowhere. Not exactly nowhere, but from Apache Junction where they are staying until April. They had driven up here to visit some friends who are staying here and had stopped in to the Pro Shop to have a look around. Needless to say they have just left to drive back to A. J. We went out for dinner with K and E and Nelson and Jeannie. It is the first time I have had Mexican food. Not too bad, but the tastes of the food are hidden by the chilies. Mind you that is my opinion only. I guess I better learn to like it if I'm going to Mexico.
Some pictures of the par 3 executive golf course here.
Tomorrow is a busy day. I'm going to look at mohos for sale here in the storage area while Mike is playing slowpitch, then I have to go looking for the laundry room. I really hate having to find the laundry rooms. They are somewhere around here but I haven't found them yet. Some of the laundry washers use quarters and some use a card system, like a creditcard. I'll try and find the ones with the quarters because you have to pay for the card and then fill the card so it can get expensive.
Five more sleeps until Santa comes. Hope you've all been nice.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sitting pretty in Casa Grande, AZ
Is it December 18th already? Wow, I am behind in my blog. I am the great procrastinator. It's been so long since I wrote anything, half of what we've done I don't remember. Let's see now...
Web access has been scratchy at best. It's been hard to get on and all connections are unsecure so we don't use it that much because of the frustration.
The weather of course has been wonderful. Cold nights, yes Ella we know what you meant. The days though are just perfect temperature wise. The sun shines brightly. It's the perfect weather I've been looking for. Mike-are you listening? It doesn't even seem like Christmas time here. Lots of homes and mohos have decorations on their buildings and vehicles and in their yards. The palm trees are wrapped in bright lights and the radio stations stores and even the resort bathrooms have been playing Christmas carols since Thanksgiving (US).
We visited Cocopah Casino and drove out to the Cocopah RV resort where we know some people who are staying there,although we didn't look them up.
Yes, Ella we went to Los Algodonas. What a hoot that was. That little town on the Arizona, Mexico border was made up of dentists and more dentists, opticians and optometrists, pharmacies and gift booths selling jewellry and leather goods, linens and pottery and outdoor accessories. Many Americans and Canadians go over to get prescription medicines, eye glasses, and dental work done. I was disappointed to find that massage therapists were just as expensive as at home.
We met more Enderby residents in our resort. Derek and Bertha Stevens and Gary and Sharon Schmidt (?) They live on Northern Street.
Oh yes, we went to a parade last Friday nigth in downtown Yuma. It was a Christmas light parade with floats all decorated with lights and marching bands with the students or instruments lit up with Christmas lights or those glow sticks that everyone buys for night time parades. This truck was very well lit so I thought I'd post it. There were over 70 floats and bands, including 4-H clubs with their sheep and dog therapy groups and dog agility groups. It was a very enjoyable evening. I'm glad we went.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15th we headed out to the Phoenix area of Arizona. We made it to Casa Grande and very easily found the park that we are staying in now. We are ensconced in the Palm Creek RV and golf resort. As first time visitors we were told earlier by someone to ask for the special rate. Buy one week and get one free. Such a deal! It really is a beautiful resort. It has an 18 hole executive golf course. No carts allowed. There is league and pick up slow pitch, horseshoes, tennis, shuffleboard (outdoor), pickle ball, cards, lapidary, silversmith, sewing (quilting), painting, crafts, etc. One lady said that if one was bored, it was one's own fault. I agree.
Mike and I have learned to play Pickle ball, we've watched slowpitch (they call it softball), played cribbage, Mike played in a pickup slow pitch game today. He was being recruited by team members in the slowpitch league. I went to a craft session where we all made bracelets with memory wire. I took my own beads and shared them with the lady sitting next to me. She bought a pair of my earrings. My bracelet turned out really nice. Mike walked to Wal-Mart to buy steak for supper while I went to a Mah Jongg game but there was only one table so I watched for a while then left and came back to the moho to take the dog for a walk.
I also visited the street of homes for sale here. Some of them are really very nice and quite large. The park models are more reasonably priced and they had a great special on land rent for 4 years at $1000. per year, but you have to pay County taxes on the homes. Some of the homes for sale were being rented out and are selling fully furnished for $99,000. US. Too bad the $ is not at par and too bad we are not looking for a place to live for 6 months of the year. Not yet anyway.
I think I may have caught up with the doings around here. Brenden, Betty and Greg say hello. Patty, Betty's son married Ray Russell's daughter in September. Small world eh?
ttfn folks,
Mave n Mike
Web access has been scratchy at best. It's been hard to get on and all connections are unsecure so we don't use it that much because of the frustration.
The weather of course has been wonderful. Cold nights, yes Ella we know what you meant. The days though are just perfect temperature wise. The sun shines brightly. It's the perfect weather I've been looking for. Mike-are you listening? It doesn't even seem like Christmas time here. Lots of homes and mohos have decorations on their buildings and vehicles and in their yards. The palm trees are wrapped in bright lights and the radio stations stores and even the resort bathrooms have been playing Christmas carols since Thanksgiving (US).
Today Mike asked me what I want for Christmas. I told him this trip was my Christmas gift. He's been wonderful to me. He lets me sleep in, makes my supper, walks the dog at least once a day, encourages me to get in a good walk a couple of times a day and mostly doesn't nag too much about the state of the moho.
We left Yuma on December 15th. On December 13th Mike had his 58th birthday. I'm afraid I never gave him anything but a birthday hug and a free dinner at the Cocopah Casino. We rented a car for the weekend last week. That was a good idea and one that we want to do again. It's Friday night and I forgot we did that. We drove around Yuma and area. We visited the big Market and the little market. There was all kinds of stuff to see and buy but I kept my hands in my pockets even though I wanted one of those neat loungers and a big patio mat. The car we rented was a PT Cruiser.We visited Cocopah Casino and drove out to the Cocopah RV resort where we know some people who are staying there,although we didn't look them up.
Yes, Ella we went to Los Algodonas. What a hoot that was. That little town on the Arizona, Mexico border was made up of dentists and more dentists, opticians and optometrists, pharmacies and gift booths selling jewellry and leather goods, linens and pottery and outdoor accessories. Many Americans and Canadians go over to get prescription medicines, eye glasses, and dental work done. I was disappointed to find that massage therapists were just as expensive as at home.
We met more Enderby residents in our resort. Derek and Bertha Stevens and Gary and Sharon Schmidt (?) They live on Northern Street.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15th we headed out to the Phoenix area of Arizona. We made it to Casa Grande and very easily found the park that we are staying in now. We are ensconced in the Palm Creek RV and golf resort. As first time visitors we were told earlier by someone to ask for the special rate. Buy one week and get one free. Such a deal! It really is a beautiful resort. It has an 18 hole executive golf course. No carts allowed. There is league and pick up slow pitch, horseshoes, tennis, shuffleboard (outdoor), pickle ball, cards, lapidary, silversmith, sewing (quilting), painting, crafts, etc. One lady said that if one was bored, it was one's own fault. I agree.
Mike and I have learned to play Pickle ball, we've watched slowpitch (they call it softball), played cribbage, Mike played in a pickup slow pitch game today. He was being recruited by team members in the slowpitch league. I went to a craft session where we all made bracelets with memory wire. I took my own beads and shared them with the lady sitting next to me. She bought a pair of my earrings. My bracelet turned out really nice. Mike walked to Wal-Mart to buy steak for supper while I went to a Mah Jongg game but there was only one table so I watched for a while then left and came back to the moho to take the dog for a walk.
I also visited the street of homes for sale here. Some of them are really very nice and quite large. The park models are more reasonably priced and they had a great special on land rent for 4 years at $1000. per year, but you have to pay County taxes on the homes. Some of the homes for sale were being rented out and are selling fully furnished for $99,000. US. Too bad the $ is not at par and too bad we are not looking for a place to live for 6 months of the year. Not yet anyway.
I think I may have caught up with the doings around here. Brenden, Betty and Greg say hello. Patty, Betty's son married Ray Russell's daughter in September. Small world eh?
ttfn folks,
Mave n Mike
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Desert Holiday Resort, Yuma, AZ
Hi everyone,
After a very wet, windy day and evening playing shuffleboard with Neila and Bob, we woke up to a sunny, but cool, morning. We broke camp and after saying our goodbyes we headed out to Yuma. I was surprised that it was only a two hour drive. The Imperial Valley is not all desert after all.
Once past Brawley the valley opens up to a lush growing area, hay, veggies are the main crops, with a smattering of smelly feed lots. What surprised me about the feed lot was the cattle. Looked like holsteins to me but not milking holsteins.
ttfn
After a very wet, windy day and evening playing shuffleboard with Neila and Bob, we woke up to a sunny, but cool, morning. We broke camp and after saying our goodbyes we headed out to Yuma. I was surprised that it was only a two hour drive. The Imperial Valley is not all desert after all.
The closer we got to Yuma, the closer we also got to the Mexican border and the black fence. The dunes near Yuma were fascinating. There are rental companies that rent vehicles for driving on the dunes and also will take people out on the dunes.
I'm still getting used to downloading photos.
We've come to a concensus about our favourite spot so far as determined by our three one week stays. The Fountain of Youth near Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea is our favourite place. We had fun there, met people who were very friendly, listened to a high school chamber orchestra play outstandingly. Is that a word? I guess it could be. The students all played either violin, viola, cello or bass violin. They even played a piece while the teacher conductor sat in the front row and listened. This orchestra has won awards in Toronto, New York, etc. Do we have a chamber orchestra in our school district? If not, we should be starting our little kindies on violin lessons. By high school we could have great musicians and music in our district. I played bingo and won $40.00 in the blackout game. Tonight I went to play bingo and walked in when they were already playing. I couldn't figure it out until I spoke to my neighbour. She said the games were half over. Imagine my embarrassement when I realized we forgot to put the clocks ahead one hour when we arrived. Didn't win anything though. Back to FOY, we played shuffleboard, pool, I went to play MahJongg. I didn't know how but with only three of us there the other two ladies helped me through the intricacies of the game at play. It only left me wanting to know more. Maybe in my lifetime I will meet someone who really can teach me the game. There was a fashion show on Sunday, but nothing was my size and the clothes were not my style. Monday it rained and the wind howled. This is supposed to be the hot sunny desert. What is going on?
Here I am standing beside our moho at FOY. I'm wearing a sweater and my fleece pants. The best thing about the FOY was their pools and hot tubs. I'm getting to like being in the pool. I can swim pretty good the front breast stroke and the front crawl. That's probably the reason my neck is so sore.
Well it is getting late. My men are asleep and it's time for me to hit the hay. Going to be cool tonight so we have our trusty little fan heater on to keep us warm.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Monday, December 7, 2009
Moving on to Yuma
Howdy folks,
We've decided to move on tomorrow. When we get where we're going, we'll let you know more.
ttfn,
MavenMike
We've decided to move on tomorrow. When we get where we're going, we'll let you know more.
ttfn,
MavenMike
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Fountain of Youth
On Tuesday, Dec. 1st we left the Sands RV and Golf Resort and after picking up groceries at Walmart-oh I hate to say that, but yes, Walmart- we headed south about 50 miles to The Fountain of Youth Spa near Niland, CA.
We were given a spot right beside Bob and Neila Lowe from Grindrod, BC. Bob works for Rod's Towing in Enderby and he told us in August that he was coming here so we said we might stop here too. We visited Eleanor Skyrme-Holmes here in 1999 when we came to Palm Springs. We wanted to come back some day so the day came and here we are.
We were introduced to the pool area that afternoon and in the evening we went to the TNT (Tuesday Night Talent Show). My goodness, there's some good talent here. There were also a lot of people in the hall. Today I wanted to go to the pool early so we went just before noon and Mike and I were soon playing water ball. Now I haven't played volleyball since high school but this was really fun. When we finished I didn't want to get out of the water. Tonight I think I'm a little sunburned. I came home about 3pm and had a nap. Mike woke me up to join the happy hour next door and I mean next door; about three feet from our mat. Happy hour turned into almost four hours. By that time I was dressed in fleece pants, t-shirt, sweater and fleece jacket. It turned cooler than last night very quickly. Mike finally came in and made hot dogs for dinner and then I did the dishes and here I am in the computer room typing this. They charge $4.00 a day for wi-fi but these computers are free so I am taking of advantage of the time here to do this blog. We paid for a week and I am fine with that. Tomorrow I'm going to come down here and volunteer my services with the computer class. In the afternoon there is MahJong and I hope to go to that and learn how to play. I play it on the computer but it is different when playing with someone else, I think.
We met Julie and Eugene from GoodnPlenty in Armstrong. They are here for a week and then going to Hemet before going on to Phoenix.
We are not sure where we are going next. It's one day at a time here, after all it is December.
Caio,
Mave n Mike and the Brat, Weaver
We were given a spot right beside Bob and Neila Lowe from Grindrod, BC. Bob works for Rod's Towing in Enderby and he told us in August that he was coming here so we said we might stop here too. We visited Eleanor Skyrme-Holmes here in 1999 when we came to Palm Springs. We wanted to come back some day so the day came and here we are.
We were introduced to the pool area that afternoon and in the evening we went to the TNT (Tuesday Night Talent Show). My goodness, there's some good talent here. There were also a lot of people in the hall. Today I wanted to go to the pool early so we went just before noon and Mike and I were soon playing water ball. Now I haven't played volleyball since high school but this was really fun. When we finished I didn't want to get out of the water. Tonight I think I'm a little sunburned. I came home about 3pm and had a nap. Mike woke me up to join the happy hour next door and I mean next door; about three feet from our mat. Happy hour turned into almost four hours. By that time I was dressed in fleece pants, t-shirt, sweater and fleece jacket. It turned cooler than last night very quickly. Mike finally came in and made hot dogs for dinner and then I did the dishes and here I am in the computer room typing this. They charge $4.00 a day for wi-fi but these computers are free so I am taking of advantage of the time here to do this blog. We paid for a week and I am fine with that. Tomorrow I'm going to come down here and volunteer my services with the computer class. In the afternoon there is MahJong and I hope to go to that and learn how to play. I play it on the computer but it is different when playing with someone else, I think.
We met Julie and Eugene from GoodnPlenty in Armstrong. They are here for a week and then going to Hemet before going on to Phoenix.
We are not sure where we are going next. It's one day at a time here, after all it is December.
Caio,
Mave n Mike and the Brat, Weaver
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Happy Birthday to our dear friend Kenalm T. Richardson
The windmills are just north of us at Desert Hot Springs. Mike took them from long range.
I think that is all the pictures I will download for now.
We've been playing golf. The course here is an executive 9 hole but very green and challenging enough for me. We were to go today but it was raining, so we decided to walk to the shopping area of D.H.S. To my surprise it was a lot further away than Mike said it was. I was still dressed in a long sleeve turtleneck and jeans with a fleecy jacket when the sun came out and I got very warm. It took us a good half hour to forty five minutes to walk to the stores. Mike reassured me that we would take a taxi back if I was too tired. Well we were able to sit for a good half hour waiting for the taxi to reach us. I guess he came from Palm Springs and it took a half hour for him to reach us. We started to walk back and saw him coming so we turned around and went back to the store where we had been waiting. We should have rented a car today. The taxi cost about half of what a day's rental would have been.
I got my hair cut today. It cost a fortune. A whole 15.00 us. She had it cut in about 10 minutes and I like it. It is very short. I couldn't believe how she could do it so fast. She was good.
I've been having trouble with the computer so thanks to Scott in Enderby, it's working not too badly now. I just can't seem to hit the keys properly. If you see typos, it's not all my fault. At 11:41 pm on Saturday night it is very cool in here and my hands are going numb along with my toes. No wonder the dog is in bed with Mike. My turn to go get warmed up.
Mike lost another relative yesterday-his Auntie Sophie died yesterday at the age of 88. We want to send the family, Gail, Wayne, Val and their families and to Uncle Joe and Auntie Jenny and the other Holoidays our deepest sympathy on your loss. We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to visit with her on the August long weekend in Leduc at the Holoiday family reunion that her children hosted. RIP Sophie.
We are here until Tuesday and then we will move on. Don't know where we'll be going, but you will find out when I do.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
We've moved !
This is Sunday, November 22nd. John F. Kennedy was shot this day in 1963. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news? It was lunch time at school and Peggy Seip came back to school from lunch at home to let everyone know. What a shock that was. I was in Grade 9.
We decided to move to another campground here in D.H.S.(Desert Hot Springs). We are now at the Sands RV and Golf Resort not too far down the road from Caliente Springs. The sites here are a little nicer but we couldn't get level on this lot. I hope I don't slide out of bed tonight.
There is a nice golf course here that we hope to play for the next week. Kenny, it's a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the waters. They had a sale on this week - pay for seven day stay, get two extra days. That works out to $26.00 a day. Not too shabby. Thanksgiving is this week so I signed us up for the potluck dinner on Thurs. I'm asking Mike to make his famous seizure uh I mean Caesar Salad.
We did a lot of shopping today. We found a tabletop bbq at Lowe's; it was 30.00 cheaper than at Home Depot. It is a Weber and is reputed to be a very good bbq. At Costco we picked up a four foot table; plus groceries at Walmart. The rv sites here do not have picnic tables so we needed one for the outside. Now I won't have to have fried meat anymore.
At the roadside a lady was selling strawberries and oranges and Mike bought a pkg of strawberries and a large bag of oranges. Wonderful strawberries.
Weaver is getting adjusted to the place. We put out his fence and threw in his bed and he seems happy. There is a large doggie park and Mike wore Weaver out tossing the ball for him.
The shower room is a few blocks away but all the streets are paved so it makes walking easy. I sure need the exercise.
So far the weather has been wonderful. Warm sunny days and cool nights for sleeping. The sun went down by 4:30 and at 5:30 it is now dark. This campground is not overly lit at night so the stars are easy to see.
Mike and I came here in Dec. 99 for a week and I must say this whole area has grown rapidly. It has a 4 lane highway, but the highway is brand new so very few if any potholes; not likke the roads in Los Angeles.
Apparently this whole area is on the San Andreas fault. Don't panic. We're fine. We are not expecting any catastrophic earthquake while we are here. If there is the dog will warn us I'm sure.
Mike is busy preparing supper. I am surprised how many husbands in the last campground dtd the cooking and how many wives just loved it. I am no exception.
Last night we went out for supper in Cathedral City with two couples that were staying near us at C. S. Donna and Mel should be on their ship right now heading for Rio. Have fun!!
My computer is doing funny things so I'm signing off and hoping this goes through. If anyone wants to phone us, we have a Canadian phone number you can call. Leave a comment that you want our phone number and I'll email you back the Winnipeg number, lol. It's as close as I could get to a BC number. If you have a good long distance plan it won't cost much and it will only cost us 10 cents a minute instead of the international rate.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
We decided to move to another campground here in D.H.S.(Desert Hot Springs). We are now at the Sands RV and Golf Resort not too far down the road from Caliente Springs. The sites here are a little nicer but we couldn't get level on this lot. I hope I don't slide out of bed tonight.
There is a nice golf course here that we hope to play for the next week. Kenny, it's a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the waters. They had a sale on this week - pay for seven day stay, get two extra days. That works out to $26.00 a day. Not too shabby. Thanksgiving is this week so I signed us up for the potluck dinner on Thurs. I'm asking Mike to make his famous seizure uh I mean Caesar Salad.
We did a lot of shopping today. We found a tabletop bbq at Lowe's; it was 30.00 cheaper than at Home Depot. It is a Weber and is reputed to be a very good bbq. At Costco we picked up a four foot table; plus groceries at Walmart. The rv sites here do not have picnic tables so we needed one for the outside. Now I won't have to have fried meat anymore.
At the roadside a lady was selling strawberries and oranges and Mike bought a pkg of strawberries and a large bag of oranges. Wonderful strawberries.
Weaver is getting adjusted to the place. We put out his fence and threw in his bed and he seems happy. There is a large doggie park and Mike wore Weaver out tossing the ball for him.
The shower room is a few blocks away but all the streets are paved so it makes walking easy. I sure need the exercise.
So far the weather has been wonderful. Warm sunny days and cool nights for sleeping. The sun went down by 4:30 and at 5:30 it is now dark. This campground is not overly lit at night so the stars are easy to see.
Mike and I came here in Dec. 99 for a week and I must say this whole area has grown rapidly. It has a 4 lane highway, but the highway is brand new so very few if any potholes; not likke the roads in Los Angeles.
Apparently this whole area is on the San Andreas fault. Don't panic. We're fine. We are not expecting any catastrophic earthquake while we are here. If there is the dog will warn us I'm sure.
Mike is busy preparing supper. I am surprised how many husbands in the last campground dtd the cooking and how many wives just loved it. I am no exception.
Last night we went out for supper in Cathedral City with two couples that were staying near us at C. S. Donna and Mel should be on their ship right now heading for Rio. Have fun!!
My computer is doing funny things so I'm signing off and hoping this goes through. If anyone wants to phone us, we have a Canadian phone number you can call. Leave a comment that you want our phone number and I'll email you back the Winnipeg number, lol. It's as close as I could get to a BC number. If you have a good long distance plan it won't cost much and it will only cost us 10 cents a minute instead of the international rate.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Walnut RV Park and Caliente Springs RV Park
We're here in sunny southern California on Sunday, November 15, 2009. Our drive from Pismo Beach was sunny and warm. We drove to Northridge where we stopped at the Walnut RV Park. It's the only park so far that was close enough for us to walk to shopping services and only one of two or three that are in the major Los Angeles area. We found a Petco store and bought a bottle of homeopathic drops for Weaver. We have our fingers crossed that they will work for a while at least to keep him quiet.
We sampled frozen ice with jogurt at a new shop celebrating its opening. The owner's mother was there and she helped me jump the line to get two samples. We had root beer floats. Not too bad. While standing around eating, we met a fellow who worked for K-tel in Canada. His wife is from Winnipeg. He was born in Edmonton.
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear but cool. Mike got up at 5am and plugged in the heater. We finally got up at 8:30, had breakfast and packed up to head out before the roads got too crowded. The roads were not nice to drive on, but we made it to Desert Hot Springs by 1pm.
The park is called Caliente Springs RV park. It is very nice. There are a lot of park model homes here with RV spaces for those who do not plan to stay all winter. Of course we could stay here. We came here even though the office was closed. Mike chose an available spot and as soon as we had settled in the fellow from across the street came over and introduced himself. It surely is a small world. His mother was from Enderby. Her name was Donna Nordstrom. He is Todd Nordstrom's older brother. Todd is married to Ruth Gale, whose mom, Bev Gale, still lives in Ashton Creek. If you are reading this, hi Bev. See what I mean by small world? Mike taught Todd and Ruth.
The sun went down (behind the mountain) by 4pm. Then it got cooler, so we packed up the dog and moved inside.
Mike made sure he tried out the pools here. They are naturally heated pools, each with a little different temperature. He's feeling very relaxed after the stressful driving through Los Angeles today. We took the Ventura Hwy. through to San Bernadino and east to Palm Springs. What a valley. Full of huge windmills. I can understand why they are out here. It gets very windy here and of course it doesn't take much to turn them. We should switch to wind power at home. We've had enough wind this year to produce all the electricity we'd need for a year.
We hoped we'd be able to stay here for a week but we found out the golf course (if you can call it that), is not open until November 23. We were told that the grass was reseeded so it is not open as early as usual. The other thing is that our discount card ends tomorrow instead of the beginning of December. Apparently the committee here keeps changing the rules. I think we were the only rig that pulled in here today. There are lots of empty spaces for rent. Maybe they are expecting the crowds here for Thanksgiving holiday. (?) Mike will find out in the morning what is happening and we will move back down the road to the Sands RV park which has a golf course that is open (if the park is reasonably priced).
Walnut RV park was the most expensive place we've stayed. It cost us $56.00 US. There was no tv service and only one wi-fi connection and that was in the club house. You may have observed we're trying to be frugal on this trip. We've only paid over $3.00 a gal once on this trip and the lowest we've paid was $2.65 in Longview Wa. at the Safeway. These are US prices. Mike calculated that gas is averaging about 88 cents a litre. Miles per gal varies from 8.5 to 11.5 per. That is Canadian gallons he's worked out. Not too bad.
Remember earlier I mentioned the drops for the dog? Well they seemed to work for a while, in fact, they kept him quiet, although he was still a little energetic. They started to wear off before we got here, but the peace and quiet in here on this trip was worth every penny.
Dave, Dad may have left his 20 amp adaptor somewhere along the road. It attaches to the cord that we plug in for the electricity service. Do you think you could get us one just in case we need it for Mexico? Thanks if you can, don't worry if you can't.
Well, it's time for me to sit back and relax.
ttfn,
Mave n Mike
Friday, November 13, 2009
Pismo Beach, WOW
It's Friday the 13th and we drove here today from Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world, haha.
The weather is definitey warmer. The sun has shone for 3 days now. I could not wait to get away from the rain. The drive from Salinas to San Luis Obispo was really fascinating. The area is covered in fields of veges and grapes. Mile after mile....ad nauseum. But it was really interesting trying to guess what field had what veges and what the workers were picking. Many of the fields were being harrowed and probably prepped for more planting.
In the whole trip so far I think we've actually been able to find two tourist information places. The signs on the road say tourist information this way-you know-with the arrows, then we get caught in midtown traffic but see only little tiny signs saying tourist information two blocks, then we miss the sign to turn at this street so we just hit the freeway again and keep going.
We had to stop in Pismo Beach. It looked so neat all lined up neatly on the right side of the highway. We did find this tourist information site and were directed to this beautiful rv resort. It is called the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort. It was not on their map but they said it was one of the nicest so we pulled in and they had a space for us. $45.00 later we are set up and on our way to the beach, and what a beach. It says in the area brochure that this beach is one of only a few California beaches that actually allows vehicles on the beach.
Lis, is this the place you have your timeshare in March? Or are there two Pismo Beaches in California? I'll have to check the map. If your timeshare is here, bring a jacket. The average temperature year round here is 61 degrees F. I think I'm not far enough south. It does get cool here as soon as the sun starts to set. Lots of people in here have campfires going, but I'm being a wuss.
By the way Annetti, we stopped at Walmart south of Santa Rosa and bought a little fridge. We've been able to put it under our dining table. Mike took off the leg of the table and moved it up closer to the edge of the table. That gives us room to open the door.
Our magellan GPS unit that we bought at Future Shop in Surrey is still not working after we bought a new plug in unit. So we think the GPS itself is the problem. Mike is just testing it again and it looks like it is not going to work. I guess we send it back to Magellan and get it fixed or get a new unit. We will have to get an address so that they can send it back to us. Time to stop and enjoy the weather somewhere a little warmer than here.
We also bought a phone. We met some people from Ontario in Santa Rosa and Art told us about a pay as you go phone for $30.00. We got it at Walmart. It is called Net10. Calls to anywhere in the US are 10 cents each and to Canada are 15 cents each. I got it activated today but have to wait a few days to call to Canada, so Dave and Vicki, we'll be calling you soon. If you want our phone number please email us at our regular email address and we will give it to you.
Dave, there is a RV dealership called Sky River. The website is http://www.skyriverrv.com/. It is located in Paso Robles which is where hwy 101 and hwy 46 meet. They had a video on the tv here showing this park in May. There were dozens of Air Stream mohomes here, all sizes and ages and in really neat shape. I'm not sure if Sky River sells Air Streams or not but you could have a look.
Does anyone know of something called Rescue Remedy? or Remedy Rescue? It is a natural relaxer. One of the campers in Santa Rosa had some and she gave a drop to Weaver. We really have to find some of that stuff. Does anyone have any recommendations for calming a very panicky dog while driving? Weaver is still having a fit when we drive. At least we haven't put him in the bathroom the last couple of days. Mike has resorted to proving that he is alpha and letting Weaver know in no uncertain terms that he is the boss, not Weaver. ha ha.
Well, it's time to cudle under a blanket for a while before hitting the hay.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
The weather is definitey warmer. The sun has shone for 3 days now. I could not wait to get away from the rain. The drive from Salinas to San Luis Obispo was really fascinating. The area is covered in fields of veges and grapes. Mile after mile....ad nauseum. But it was really interesting trying to guess what field had what veges and what the workers were picking. Many of the fields were being harrowed and probably prepped for more planting.
In the whole trip so far I think we've actually been able to find two tourist information places. The signs on the road say tourist information this way-you know-with the arrows, then we get caught in midtown traffic but see only little tiny signs saying tourist information two blocks, then we miss the sign to turn at this street so we just hit the freeway again and keep going.
We had to stop in Pismo Beach. It looked so neat all lined up neatly on the right side of the highway. We did find this tourist information site and were directed to this beautiful rv resort. It is called the Pismo Coast Village RV Resort. It was not on their map but they said it was one of the nicest so we pulled in and they had a space for us. $45.00 later we are set up and on our way to the beach, and what a beach. It says in the area brochure that this beach is one of only a few California beaches that actually allows vehicles on the beach.
Lis, is this the place you have your timeshare in March? Or are there two Pismo Beaches in California? I'll have to check the map. If your timeshare is here, bring a jacket. The average temperature year round here is 61 degrees F. I think I'm not far enough south. It does get cool here as soon as the sun starts to set. Lots of people in here have campfires going, but I'm being a wuss.
By the way Annetti, we stopped at Walmart south of Santa Rosa and bought a little fridge. We've been able to put it under our dining table. Mike took off the leg of the table and moved it up closer to the edge of the table. That gives us room to open the door.
Our magellan GPS unit that we bought at Future Shop in Surrey is still not working after we bought a new plug in unit. So we think the GPS itself is the problem. Mike is just testing it again and it looks like it is not going to work. I guess we send it back to Magellan and get it fixed or get a new unit. We will have to get an address so that they can send it back to us. Time to stop and enjoy the weather somewhere a little warmer than here.
We also bought a phone. We met some people from Ontario in Santa Rosa and Art told us about a pay as you go phone for $30.00. We got it at Walmart. It is called Net10. Calls to anywhere in the US are 10 cents each and to Canada are 15 cents each. I got it activated today but have to wait a few days to call to Canada, so Dave and Vicki, we'll be calling you soon. If you want our phone number please email us at our regular email address and we will give it to you.
Dave, there is a RV dealership called Sky River. The website is http://www.skyriverrv.com/. It is located in Paso Robles which is where hwy 101 and hwy 46 meet. They had a video on the tv here showing this park in May. There were dozens of Air Stream mohomes here, all sizes and ages and in really neat shape. I'm not sure if Sky River sells Air Streams or not but you could have a look.
Does anyone know of something called Rescue Remedy? or Remedy Rescue? It is a natural relaxer. One of the campers in Santa Rosa had some and she gave a drop to Weaver. We really have to find some of that stuff. Does anyone have any recommendations for calming a very panicky dog while driving? Weaver is still having a fit when we drive. At least we haven't put him in the bathroom the last couple of days. Mike has resorted to proving that he is alpha and letting Weaver know in no uncertain terms that he is the boss, not Weaver. ha ha.
Well, it's time to cudle under a blanket for a while before hitting the hay.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Coos Bay, Oregon to Arcata, California
It's Tues. Nov. 10 and we're in Arcata, California. It's just north of Eureka. On Monday morning I decided I wanted to stay in bed, so we stayed another day in Coos Bay. The weather cleared up, the sun shone and we called a shuttle bus to take us to the Casino. We spent a couple of hours there, used two coupons for $3.00 each and had french fries and cinammon twists with them. In the time we were in the casino the weather changed and became rainy but we missed it. By evening the stars had come out and we woke up today to sunshine. We packed up and left about 9:45.
When we were in Long Beach Washington, we discovered that our fridge was not working. Mike said he could smell ammonia. Today, we finally stopped in Coos at a rv dealership. Mike talked to the parts manager who told him that if he had smelled ammonia the fridge was probably not repairable. Ouch. A new fridge will put us behind about $1400. Tomorrow we hope to find a repair shop here in Eureka. It is Remembrance Day here too, (known as Memorial Day) but we're hoping someone will be open.
If not, we will try to find a little fridge that we can put between the two chairs here and at least have somewhere to put a quart of milk and some eggs. If not then we'll just keep looking for a place to get the fridge fixed or maybe find a used fridge that works (maybe from a damaged trailer?).
We saw a pretty bad accident on the way here, and the lady next door to us said there was a bad accident that held her up from getting back here. One of the units was from British Columbia. I sure hope no one was seriously injured in either accident.
Tomorrow we're headed for Santa Rosa. It is located in the Napa Valley region.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
When we were in Long Beach Washington, we discovered that our fridge was not working. Mike said he could smell ammonia. Today, we finally stopped in Coos at a rv dealership. Mike talked to the parts manager who told him that if he had smelled ammonia the fridge was probably not repairable. Ouch. A new fridge will put us behind about $1400. Tomorrow we hope to find a repair shop here in Eureka. It is Remembrance Day here too, (known as Memorial Day) but we're hoping someone will be open.
If not, we will try to find a little fridge that we can put between the two chairs here and at least have somewhere to put a quart of milk and some eggs. If not then we'll just keep looking for a place to get the fridge fixed or maybe find a used fridge that works (maybe from a damaged trailer?).
We saw a pretty bad accident on the way here, and the lady next door to us said there was a bad accident that held her up from getting back here. One of the units was from British Columbia. I sure hope no one was seriously injured in either accident.
Tomorrow we're headed for Santa Rosa. It is located in the Napa Valley region.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Coos Bay, Oregon
Tonight we are in Coos Bay, OR. We drove from Coyote Rock near Lincoln City. Most of the rain moved south as we drove and we ended up having a lovely sunset with pink coloured clouds. The nice thing about this trip was the temperature. It was actually nice enough to wear only a fleece jacket with jeans. Yesterday's rain culminated in a thunderstorm during the night. Three mammals slept in one bed because of the noise.
Weaver is still in panic mode when we start driving. I've started tying his leash around a closed seatbelt on the chair behind me. He can reach across to the couch and sits on the edge with his paw on Mike's chair arm. He hardly whined today so we're hoping he'll finally clue in and realize he's not going to the vet or to get a haircut. Once we stop Mike takes him for a good walk and then Weaver comes in and curls up on the couch. Mike wraps the afghan around him and he falls asleep.
My cook made spaghetti and meat sauce tonight for supper. It's my turn to work now. Clean up duty :{
Chef is snoring while I'm doing the blog. He works hard driving the moho. I work hard trying to keep my balance as the moho rocks back and forth over every little bump.
We always look forward to hearing from you. Comments (nice ones preferred) are welcome.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Weaver is still in panic mode when we start driving. I've started tying his leash around a closed seatbelt on the chair behind me. He can reach across to the couch and sits on the edge with his paw on Mike's chair arm. He hardly whined today so we're hoping he'll finally clue in and realize he's not going to the vet or to get a haircut. Once we stop Mike takes him for a good walk and then Weaver comes in and curls up on the couch. Mike wraps the afghan around him and he falls asleep.
My cook made spaghetti and meat sauce tonight for supper. It's my turn to work now. Clean up duty :{
Chef is snoring while I'm doing the blog. He works hard driving the moho. I work hard trying to keep my balance as the moho rocks back and forth over every little bump.
We always look forward to hearing from you. Comments (nice ones preferred) are welcome.
ttfn
Mave n Mike
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Coyote Rock Campground on the Siletz River
Dave, You'd love this place. Nice campground and seals in the river. Mike just came in and told me he's seen four seals in the river and taken a picture. The Manager says it is quite common to see them here. They come for the fish. No wonder the discount isn't available in September-salmon season. We belong to an organization called Passport America. We've already paid for the book on the discounts we've received by using the Passport America listed sites on our trip. This place is costing us $16 some dollars tonight and includes cable, wi-fi, electric hookup, water, sewer. It has a boat launch right beside us almost. We're a mile and a half inland from hwy 101 south of Lincoln City, Oregon. The weather has been typical since we got near the coast. Lots of rain and wind. We are parked right on the river-actually about 30 or so feet from the river. We are looking forward to more moderate weather but that is not in the cards for the next few days. The ocean is still my favourite place to be. I just wish it was a warmer, sunnier ocean. We will get there, but not for a few weeks yet.
Congratulations, Dave and Kelsi on the sale of your condo. The conditions came off yesterday and already Dave is moving stuff into my condo. Good thing I'm not there. If you want to see Kelsi's blog, type in radio girl on google. She does a good job.
Til next time, ttfn
Congratulations, Dave and Kelsi on the sale of your condo. The conditions came off yesterday and already Dave is moving stuff into my condo. Good thing I'm not there. If you want to see Kelsi's blog, type in radio girl on google. She does a good job.
Til next time, ttfn
Friday, November 6, 2009
Sitting in Long Beach Washington watching the rain
Hello everyone,
It's Friday November 6th and Mike is starting to make breakfast for us. Eggs today. When we got up the sun was trying to shine but now at 9:18 am the rain has started again. Mike and the dog went for a long walk to the beach. Mike saw what he thought was a dead seal on the beach but he didn't go close enough to check it out. We left the Olympia Campground in Tumwater WA yesterday about 10:30 am and it took some time to get here because it was very windy driving and Mike took his time. From Longview where we stopped to buy groceries and gas up (2.69 gal) it was a slow drive. By the time we got to the Astoria/Megler bridge the water was crashing over the breakwater. Earlier in the drive we'd seen a truck with a plow on front and wondered why it was driving along the ocean. Soon we found out. Another plow truck was plowing the rock and sand blown over the breakwater.
Long Beach is located on a peninsula because there is water on both sides of us. There is a transit service running up and down the peninsula that takes riders from all the way north to Aberdeen and south to Megler and Astoria. Lots of fish n chip shops and we're told the best one has all you can eat Halibut and chips for $9.95 on Friday nights. We're hoping to check it out.
We've had a few adventures since my last blog. One night we stayed in the parking lot of the Tulalip Casino. Beautiful casino. The art work and lighting were spectacular. Only trouble is there is smoking allowed. Outside in the rv parking there were mostly Canadian vehicles pulling in and then out in the morning. Only problem we had was we didn't sleep well that night due to the cold. We didn't turn on the generator because we didn't want to disturb our neighbours so we were pretty cold. I slept in my fleece pants and long sleeved shirt with my big fleece blanket on top and Mike had our large afghan on him. Oh yes, we had the dog too. Couldn't let him freeze.
When we do have electricity we use a small electric fan for heat. It warms up the trailer nicely. Mke has discovered the fridge isn't working so he's been out to try and level the moho better.
Oh and there was the matter of the cupboard door opening on one of our days out. The peanut butter flew out and broke the lid but the worse part was the olive oil. It also fell out and leaked lots of oil all over the floor. That was a handy dandy mess to clean up. But we survive and are doing quite well together. yahoo.
We're going to go out now while the weather not too bad. It's to get worse as the day goes on.
It's Friday November 6th and Mike is starting to make breakfast for us. Eggs today. When we got up the sun was trying to shine but now at 9:18 am the rain has started again. Mike and the dog went for a long walk to the beach. Mike saw what he thought was a dead seal on the beach but he didn't go close enough to check it out. We left the Olympia Campground in Tumwater WA yesterday about 10:30 am and it took some time to get here because it was very windy driving and Mike took his time. From Longview where we stopped to buy groceries and gas up (2.69 gal) it was a slow drive. By the time we got to the Astoria/Megler bridge the water was crashing over the breakwater. Earlier in the drive we'd seen a truck with a plow on front and wondered why it was driving along the ocean. Soon we found out. Another plow truck was plowing the rock and sand blown over the breakwater.
Long Beach is located on a peninsula because there is water on both sides of us. There is a transit service running up and down the peninsula that takes riders from all the way north to Aberdeen and south to Megler and Astoria. Lots of fish n chip shops and we're told the best one has all you can eat Halibut and chips for $9.95 on Friday nights. We're hoping to check it out.
We've had a few adventures since my last blog. One night we stayed in the parking lot of the Tulalip Casino. Beautiful casino. The art work and lighting were spectacular. Only trouble is there is smoking allowed. Outside in the rv parking there were mostly Canadian vehicles pulling in and then out in the morning. Only problem we had was we didn't sleep well that night due to the cold. We didn't turn on the generator because we didn't want to disturb our neighbours so we were pretty cold. I slept in my fleece pants and long sleeved shirt with my big fleece blanket on top and Mike had our large afghan on him. Oh yes, we had the dog too. Couldn't let him freeze.
When we do have electricity we use a small electric fan for heat. It warms up the trailer nicely. Mke has discovered the fridge isn't working so he's been out to try and level the moho better.
Oh and there was the matter of the cupboard door opening on one of our days out. The peanut butter flew out and broke the lid but the worse part was the olive oil. It also fell out and leaked lots of oil all over the floor. That was a handy dandy mess to clean up. But we survive and are doing quite well together. yahoo.
We're going to go out now while the weather not too bad. It's to get worse as the day goes on.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Anacortes on Monday, Nov. 2nd/09
I said in my last post that we were leaving Vancouver on Sunday, but Cher, our lovely sister-in-law didn't want us to leave so...we stayed an extra day. We left Monday morning and drove to the Peace Arch Border Crossing and were in line 1/2 hr or so before we were on our way into Washington State. We had no trouble at the crossing. We were asked a few questions and then sent on our way. We drove to Anacortes after stopping at a casino to see what their rv parking rates were. Mike said they were 22.00 for full hookups but we wanted to go on to Anacortes. We are staying at the Fidalgo Bay RV resort. Their cost is similar but the view is more spectacular and we're not spending money in the casino.We are facing the huge oil refinery and it looks like Christmas outside right now with all the lights from the refinery. We drove downtown for groceries and Mike, I am proud to say, is learning to maneuver the moho very easily.
I have decided to tie the dog's leash to the closed seat belt on the chair behind the passenger front seat. That way he stays on the seat. He behaved pretty good today. He is starting to understand the command "stop it" when he starts to whine.
Yesterday we went out with Bob and Cher downtown to the waterfront and walked from Howe street to Cordova Street. There is a beautiful walkway all along the waterfront and we made it to the end but twice stopped to rest on the way back. We saw the new Vancouver Convention Centre; which by the way is "Closed for the Olympics, will reopen in the Spring". We were a little miffed to say the least that the general public is not allowed in to see this architectural, taxpayer paid, marvel.
We picked Weaver up at Bob's before going out for dinner at Wings restaurant. As soon as we walked into the house we noticed that the closet door had red streaks all over it and that there was paper or something all over the floor. On closer inspection we saw that Weaver had tried to claw his way out of the house (wrong door though). Apparently he had to go to the bathroom and couldn't get out. He broke a nail and that is what the blood was about. I took him upstairs and cleaned his foot with hydrogen peroxide. He didn't mind that at all. We took him back to the moho and put up his kennel. We plopped him in there with his food and water and bed and he didn't make a peep. Mike turned on the radio for his comfort and we woke him up when we got home.
As for dinner, we waited about half an hour and then were seated on the patio. We managed to devour some of the best wings we've ever had anywhere, including home, and watch the Canucks pull of a shutout win over Colorado. It was quite interesting to watch the young man at the next table try the hottest wing available. Let me see now...he stood up after one bite and proceeded to drink every other persons' drinks at that table, all the while making ohhhh sounds with his mouth, until the waitress passed by and he asked for milk. It came quickly and he downed that in 10 seconds flat. Meanwhile the others drinks had been replenished and he continued to drink their drinks. Finally he admitted that he felt a little bit better. We think he had about 10 drinks that evening one after the other, including beer and what looked like iced tea and the milk. Bet he was up a few times that night.lol
Thanks, Bob and Cher, for the great weekend. It would have been great if you could have come with us.
Vicki, look after yourself and get well soon and thanks again Vicki and Dave (the chef) for a great meal Saturday night.
I have decided to tie the dog's leash to the closed seat belt on the chair behind the passenger front seat. That way he stays on the seat. He behaved pretty good today. He is starting to understand the command "stop it" when he starts to whine.
Yesterday we went out with Bob and Cher downtown to the waterfront and walked from Howe street to Cordova Street. There is a beautiful walkway all along the waterfront and we made it to the end but twice stopped to rest on the way back. We saw the new Vancouver Convention Centre; which by the way is "Closed for the Olympics, will reopen in the Spring". We were a little miffed to say the least that the general public is not allowed in to see this architectural, taxpayer paid, marvel.
We picked Weaver up at Bob's before going out for dinner at Wings restaurant. As soon as we walked into the house we noticed that the closet door had red streaks all over it and that there was paper or something all over the floor. On closer inspection we saw that Weaver had tried to claw his way out of the house (wrong door though). Apparently he had to go to the bathroom and couldn't get out. He broke a nail and that is what the blood was about. I took him upstairs and cleaned his foot with hydrogen peroxide. He didn't mind that at all. We took him back to the moho and put up his kennel. We plopped him in there with his food and water and bed and he didn't make a peep. Mike turned on the radio for his comfort and we woke him up when we got home.
As for dinner, we waited about half an hour and then were seated on the patio. We managed to devour some of the best wings we've ever had anywhere, including home, and watch the Canucks pull of a shutout win over Colorado. It was quite interesting to watch the young man at the next table try the hottest wing available. Let me see now...he stood up after one bite and proceeded to drink every other persons' drinks at that table, all the while making ohhhh sounds with his mouth, until the waitress passed by and he asked for milk. It came quickly and he downed that in 10 seconds flat. Meanwhile the others drinks had been replenished and he continued to drink their drinks. Finally he admitted that he felt a little bit better. We think he had about 10 drinks that evening one after the other, including beer and what looked like iced tea and the milk. Bet he was up a few times that night.lol
Thanks, Bob and Cher, for the great weekend. It would have been great if you could have come with us.
Vicki, look after yourself and get well soon and thanks again Vicki and Dave (the chef) for a great meal Saturday night.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Leaving Surrey on Sunday
It's Saturday morning, the rain has stopped and the sun is shining}:} It's quite mild outside but it is breezy. The wings were good on Thurs. night. The restaurant is called Wings and it is quite a popular hangout. Everyone comes in to watch the hockey games on Canucks TV and Bob and Cher, being diehard Canucks fans, took us there so we could watch the game and eat and drink at the same time. Our dog, who I thought was an angel in disguise, has turned out to be the devil in disguise. When we got home and opened the door there was spongy stuff on the step. Upon further examination we saw that the dog had ripped the screen in two places and scratched the foam insulation in the frame of the door in his attempt to get out. Talk about separation anxiety.
We spent Friday with Mike's brother and his wife and Weaver had Nazzy for company. We bought a navigation system from Future Shop with proceeds from a retirement gift I received from my staff. Thanks everyone. We spent the afternoon trying to figure out how it worked, seems simple enough. Hope I can manipulate it when we need it.
Tonight the four of us are going to Vicki's for dinner. She lives in Vancouver so we're picking Bob up at work (he works downtown for the MOT-he's a radio operator for the Canadian coast guard) and we'll head up to Vicki and David's place.
Mike and I have decided we will pack up from here and move on tomorrow. One day closer to our destination, whereever that may be.
Irene, it's your turn for Wordscrapper. I will catch up to you. hehe.
We spent Friday with Mike's brother and his wife and Weaver had Nazzy for company. We bought a navigation system from Future Shop with proceeds from a retirement gift I received from my staff. Thanks everyone. We spent the afternoon trying to figure out how it worked, seems simple enough. Hope I can manipulate it when we need it.
Tonight the four of us are going to Vicki's for dinner. She lives in Vancouver so we're picking Bob up at work (he works downtown for the MOT-he's a radio operator for the Canadian coast guard) and we'll head up to Vicki and David's place.
Mike and I have decided we will pack up from here and move on tomorrow. One day closer to our destination, whereever that may be.
Irene, it's your turn for Wordscrapper. I will catch up to you. hehe.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Made it to Surrey
We made it! What a hairy drive to Surrey in the pouring rain. Too many big trucks on the road for my liking but that's what we get when we travel on the freeway.
Yesterday we did our walk to Bridal Falls. What a spectacular walk that was. Weaver loved it. So many scents on the path. There were a couple of paths to take and of course I took the camera and like Murphy's law, I got two pictures of wonderful trees covered in thick moss when the battery said no more! So we kept climbing, with me stopping from time to time to catch my breath. In no time at all we could hear the falls and in an even shorter time we were at the base of the falls. What a beautiful rock formation. I can imagine when run off in the spring starts what a display those falls would make. The rock formation was very visible but you would never see it in the spring. We let Weaver off his leash and exploring he went; into water puddles to get a drink of water, running way ahead of us as we went down the other path, even hiding on me behind a tree and startled me when I turned around to look for him. That dog loves being outside. He hates being left behind and when we start up the mh he starts to whine. His trouble is that he doesn't have a seat to sit on where he can see outside. I thought the dash on my side would make a great seat but he's having none of that. Yesterday and the day before all he wanted was to sit on the floor between Mike's feet but as you all know that is not the safest way to drive. Today he sat on the couch, bracing himself with all his legs but one that rested on the arm of Mike's seat. Didn't look too comfortable to me, but I'm not the dog and I'm not giving up my seat.
Mike's brother Bob is coming to get us to take us out for wings but of course he's caught in rush hour traffic because instead of parking his car at the Skytrain station he drove it into town. I think he must have been pretty tired this morning.
It has rained all day. Mike says it is misty out there now. I had to turn on the portable heater in here to dry out our jackets and my toque.
Everyday we stop at a grocery store to buy something for supper. It's the best way to do things because we don't have a car with us. So far so good as far as our bike is concerned. It is still on the back of the mh.
Till next time,
Caio,
M&M
Yesterday we did our walk to Bridal Falls. What a spectacular walk that was. Weaver loved it. So many scents on the path. There were a couple of paths to take and of course I took the camera and like Murphy's law, I got two pictures of wonderful trees covered in thick moss when the battery said no more! So we kept climbing, with me stopping from time to time to catch my breath. In no time at all we could hear the falls and in an even shorter time we were at the base of the falls. What a beautiful rock formation. I can imagine when run off in the spring starts what a display those falls would make. The rock formation was very visible but you would never see it in the spring. We let Weaver off his leash and exploring he went; into water puddles to get a drink of water, running way ahead of us as we went down the other path, even hiding on me behind a tree and startled me when I turned around to look for him. That dog loves being outside. He hates being left behind and when we start up the mh he starts to whine. His trouble is that he doesn't have a seat to sit on where he can see outside. I thought the dash on my side would make a great seat but he's having none of that. Yesterday and the day before all he wanted was to sit on the floor between Mike's feet but as you all know that is not the safest way to drive. Today he sat on the couch, bracing himself with all his legs but one that rested on the arm of Mike's seat. Didn't look too comfortable to me, but I'm not the dog and I'm not giving up my seat.
Mike's brother Bob is coming to get us to take us out for wings but of course he's caught in rush hour traffic because instead of parking his car at the Skytrain station he drove it into town. I think he must have been pretty tired this morning.
It has rained all day. Mike says it is misty out there now. I had to turn on the portable heater in here to dry out our jackets and my toque.
Everyday we stop at a grocery store to buy something for supper. It's the best way to do things because we don't have a car with us. So far so good as far as our bike is concerned. It is still on the back of the mh.
Till next time,
Caio,
M&M
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Settled at Bridal Falls, BC
Sorry folks I don't have every day added on here. I'm sure all the things we've done so far would bore you to death. We stopped in Penticton our first day out (I wouldn't recommend this place-Riverside RV park at $42.00 night) after stopping in Kelowna to buy magnetic portable brake and signal lights to hook onto our bike carrier. We feel more secure driving with those lights and Mike got them on sale and they were very easy to install.
The campground we stayed in wasn't fancy by any means but it was close to the highway and a great meat shop that Mike discovered. If there is a good food outlet around us Mike will find it. You all know Mike and his passion for cooking anytime, anywhere, almost anything. We bought hot dogs but ended up having salmon filet for me and a veal cutlet for Mike. Sure was tasty. The salmon had been marinated in something and it was just the right size for me.
The rain came while we were in Penticton and it got very windy and damp feeling so we turned on the furnace to dry out and keep warm. The next morning I had to wipe all the condensation from the interior windows so we could see out. The sun was shining and we took off about 10 am for Hope. We took the Hope Princeton highway and it was good until we just passed Princeton where we caught up with the SNOW{:{ It had snowed overnight but was sunny when we drove through. The drive was not too bad. The mh drove through the mostly wet roads with no problems. Past Manning Park Resort the snow disappeared and the drive into Hope was sunny and dry. We stopped at Cooper's in Hope and bought a few things for dinner and had chicken thighs and rice and brocolli. I am afraid I am going to put on weight whether I like it or not. I will be happy to finally settle in one spot, preferably a warm spot, where I can go for a long walk 2 or 3 times a day without wearing a coat.
We are staying here at Camperland at Bridal Falls. It is a beautiful campground and I am sure is very busy in the summer with the waterslide right beside it. Minter Gardens is just down the road but I don't think it is at its spectacular best at this time of the year. We will stay here tonight too. Can't beat the cost-$15.00 per night (we are members of Passport America and this campground accepts their card) and internet is $3.00 for the day. We will be going to Surrey tomorrow and staying in a place call Plaza RV campground. We don't know much about it but hope it will be better than Penticton and close to this place for comfort.
Dave has told us to walk to the Falls. When I get up the gumption to get off my butt, we'll go.
The campground we stayed in wasn't fancy by any means but it was close to the highway and a great meat shop that Mike discovered. If there is a good food outlet around us Mike will find it. You all know Mike and his passion for cooking anytime, anywhere, almost anything. We bought hot dogs but ended up having salmon filet for me and a veal cutlet for Mike. Sure was tasty. The salmon had been marinated in something and it was just the right size for me.
The rain came while we were in Penticton and it got very windy and damp feeling so we turned on the furnace to dry out and keep warm. The next morning I had to wipe all the condensation from the interior windows so we could see out. The sun was shining and we took off about 10 am for Hope. We took the Hope Princeton highway and it was good until we just passed Princeton where we caught up with the SNOW{:{ It had snowed overnight but was sunny when we drove through. The drive was not too bad. The mh drove through the mostly wet roads with no problems. Past Manning Park Resort the snow disappeared and the drive into Hope was sunny and dry. We stopped at Cooper's in Hope and bought a few things for dinner and had chicken thighs and rice and brocolli. I am afraid I am going to put on weight whether I like it or not. I will be happy to finally settle in one spot, preferably a warm spot, where I can go for a long walk 2 or 3 times a day without wearing a coat.
We are staying here at Camperland at Bridal Falls. It is a beautiful campground and I am sure is very busy in the summer with the waterslide right beside it. Minter Gardens is just down the road but I don't think it is at its spectacular best at this time of the year. We will stay here tonight too. Can't beat the cost-$15.00 per night (we are members of Passport America and this campground accepts their card) and internet is $3.00 for the day. We will be going to Surrey tomorrow and staying in a place call Plaza RV campground. We don't know much about it but hope it will be better than Penticton and close to this place for comfort.
Dave has told us to walk to the Falls. When I get up the gumption to get off my butt, we'll go.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
One more sleep
This is our last evening at home and we're busy getting the house in order so that we don't come home to complete chaos.
We're very excited by this trip. It's snowing on the surrounding hills as I write this and my friend Jeanette says it will be snowing down here by morning. I hope and pray you are wrong :{
Tuesday is supposed to be a sunny day so we hope to get past the Hope Princeton that day where we will just run into rain, or sun, not snow.
I hope you will follow us as we travel. I will try to give some exciting detail of the days as we drive along.
Till we meet again in the spring.
We're very excited by this trip. It's snowing on the surrounding hills as I write this and my friend Jeanette says it will be snowing down here by morning. I hope and pray you are wrong :{
Tuesday is supposed to be a sunny day so we hope to get past the Hope Princeton that day where we will just run into rain, or sun, not snow.
I hope you will follow us as we travel. I will try to give some exciting detail of the days as we drive along.
Till we meet again in the spring.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)