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).

     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.

     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

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. 

     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

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

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

Happy Birthday to our dear friend Kenalm T. Richardson

Ken we wish you the very best on your birthday November 29.  We could never forget your birthday no matter where we are and where we are is Desert Hot Springs, CA.  We woke up to see snow on the surrounding mountains today, November 28.  The wind howled and the rain came down last night.  I'm attaching some photos that we've taken while we've been here.  The pelicans were on the Salton Sea.  We took a drive with Mel and Donna McKinnon from across the street at Caliente Hot Springs and we went to a state park near Niland that is situated on the Salton Sea.   The roadrunner kept going by our campsite so one day I followed him and caught him jumping into the bush.  I hope these pictures turn out ok for everyone to see. Kelsi I had to add the pelicans.  These were beautiful birds.  Mind you, the beach was strewn with dead fish so the odour was not too pleasing.


  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. 

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

Walnut RV Park and Caliente Springs RV Park

Hi everyone,
       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