UP TO MY NECK IN ALLIGATORS

Here at Jojoba Hills they are redoing and enlarging one of the ponds.  The gators were in dire need of a fresh coat of paint, so I spent some time helping out there.  That and trying to learn the process of loading the slide program to the parks computer system without messing the whole thing up has become a challenge.  But think that I am slowly winning, the only way that I seem to be able to learn anything new is to do it over and over again.  Which works on my own, but when I’m trying it on the parks……..well, whole new story.  But getting better, Lynda left me step by step instructions, and as long as nothing goes wrong, all is okay. But yesterday I put up a slide for the Wheels ride, and used a motorcycle picture, the guy in charge called and said they were a bike group and he wanted a bike.  No problem!  Took the slide, highlighted the motorcycle, hit delete……and there went the whole program, every slide.  Thankfully it was all backed up on a thumb drive, and I could recover all 35 other slides, but my blood pressure was HIGH!

I finally got pictures of the patio area and my decorations from Yuma.  Even bought a couple of baskets of cacti and pots of bougainvillea, always thought those are so pretty.  Hope I don’t kill them off, unlike my mother I have a brown thumb, where as she was known to make a broom handle flower.  Will hook a drip system up to them when we are gone, that is why they are in pots, so I can move them around. 

The time sure has flown since we have gotten here, hard to believe that we have been here for 5 months.  Although we have taken a few short trips, we didn’t stay much more than a week each time.  Wonder how the summer will go as we are just planning to travel up the coast, near Pismo, Morro Bay area, a few times, an maybe do a week or so on the coast near San Diego.  We are getting together next week with some friends that we knew when Chuck was still in the service…..40 some years ago.  We ran into them in the commissary a month ago, and did not recognize each other, but the guys kept eyeing each other, and finally spoke, and it all came back. So they are going golfing and Betty has two more ladies coming in, and we are having a afternoon of bridge.  The bridge here is picking up, just about every afternoon we have at least one table, sometimes we are up to four tables.  But officially we only play once a week at night.

I promised myself that I would try and do better with the blog, and once a week is my goal.  Even if I just stick my head in and say Hi Everyone,  all is fine. 

 

Green Beer For All

All week we have been hearing that we have the “storm of the season” coming in any time.  Today is the first day that the sun is not shining, and we did have several hard gusts of wind, and a few sprinkles.  Guess we will just have to wait a little longer.

Matilda, has some new friends, although I can’t say that I approve of her hanging around with a bunch of naked “boids”.  There is this hill here that seems to attract flamingos and it is sort of a game with the walkers to rearrange them.  So I snuck her in, dressed for the occasion, and when I came by the next day, there they all were, gathered around her.  Doesn’t take much to amuse us!

We have gotten all our patio projects completed, but pictures have not been taken, so that is yet to come.  I’ve taken on a project for the park of posting information on our in-park channel.  There are other people that help and they say in the summer things really slow down. Think that it will be fun, I like fooling with the computer, now if I can conquer loading it into the master program, well life will be good. 

Days here just seem to blend together, there are cards of some sort every night, bridge game going most afternoons, large variety of classes.  I’ll be glad when I can utilize the pool.  Doctor is getting ready to finally release me, and I am so glad. Getting old is not for sissies. Oh, and then there are the happy hours. Yesterday we went to the ranch house for happy hour with the S.M.A.R.T. (special military and retired travelers) group that are having a mini rally here.  They had also prepared a huge pot of hobo stew, with bread and salad, and then finished off with brownies and ice cream. 

The scenery is starting to get so pretty.  The ground cover that is utilized in a lot of landscaping is coming into bloom and it is just brilliant.  Took the road through the wine country on our way to town the other day and was totally awed.  There are about 10 wineries in the area, looking forward to have our daughter and SIL for a visit.  They love doing that, and being as Chuck doesn’t drink we will have a designated driver. Planning on taking a drive through the area soon, with the camera, there were some beautiful views.

Right now we are getting just a little more than a sprinkle, so maybe the storm is here.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all.

To Yuma, Arizona & Back Again

Took us a week, but we made it to Yuma and back all safe and sound.  Our main purpose was to visit with Mac & Netters, and Donnie & Karen, as they were sitting out the winter there.  We parked the rig at their friends, well maybe should say we shoe-horned it in.  And getting it out almost had to grease the sides, but all went well.  The second day there we got news that a good friend, Kevin Sullivan,  had died suddenly.  We had spend a good part of the last two summers traveling off and on with him and Arlene, we will certainly miss him, he was a great guy.  So glad that we were will other people who knew him, it helps to share the grief, and we did.

Of course when you are that close to Mexico it calls for a trip across the border.  We went to Algodonas and must say it so much nicer than Progresso.  Like night and day,  picked up some meds, mainly for our kids.  When their co-pay is 10 times what you can buy a months supply for, seems like something is not right.  We had a nice lunch, only one margarita, and then the fun of getting back in the good U.S.A.  There is a good hour wait in line, and it was a good day, some are much longer they say, so that part is not better than Progresso.  There were benches where you could sit and wait for your people that were standing in line, which is what I did,  and then shopping comes to you.  Couldn’t resist, I did buy a few things, heck, didn’t have to carry them far.  We had planned to go again, but the wind was blowing something terrible that day, so decided to hit a indoor flea market.  There are several rather nicer markets in the area, and I was looking for some outdoor metal décor for our lot here.  Think I got it taken care of.  Also had dinner one night at DaBoyz, what great Italian food.  Mac and Chuck went golfing one day, but they came back feeling kind of somber.  Seems they both couldn’t over come the memories of the last time they had played together and Kevin had filled out the group. 

The last night we all got together at Donnie & Karen's, where we ate too much, but that didn’t stop any of us from having dessert.  We followed that with a few games of ‘chase the ace’.  Karen won the first, then Karen an Mac tied, so double pot…..whoohoo…Chuck won that, then it was Netters turn to take the pot.  We had a great time visiting it was so nice to see everyone.  Might be awhile before our paths cross, as everyone is heading east and we are planning on staying on the west coast.  And with prices like this, there maybe a slow down for most.

Felt good to be back “home”.  Seems when we have been sitting awhile, when we first start to travel, I always have the what did we forget to check, what will go wrong feeling.  The did I leave the iron on feeling?

Well, Chuck is out with the guys on their weekly golf outing.  We are going with a group to play bridge on Thursday, which means Chuck has to give up his outing with the Romeo’s (really old men eating out) for breakfast. And the big project of getting the steps set up, should fill out the rest of the week.  Trying to figure out a way to make them easy to move when we want to take the rig out cause they are very heavy and impossible for just the two of us to manage.  We’ll figure something out I’m sure.