A Beautiful Moon

Last week we had a couple of evenings with beautiful full moons. Here is the moon rising over the foothills just to the east of us.

A little later it was still gorgeous. Other than gazing at the moon, we’ve been busy attending activities here in the park. We’ve played shuffleboard a few times and went to a pickle ball lesson. We met a nice couple from Canada and this morning we got together to play pickle ball with them. We played three games in an hour and got a very good workout. We have plans to play with them again on Thursday morning. We also went to a Welcome Back dinner on Saturday evening. The resort supplied a spaghetti dinner with beer, wine, soft drinks or water and cake for dessert.

Yesterday they had a WOW (Welcome to our World) party for first timers at the resort. They had cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, fresh fruit and beer and wine. They sure do a nice job entertaining their customers. We were also given a free round of golf.

Last Sunday we went to Quartermaster Depot State Park in Yuma for a farmer’s market. There were just a few vendors, and none of them were selling anything we were interested in. We did look around the visitor center. The site was a military supply depot back in the day. They had a display about water usage and dams in Arizona. It was quite interesting to learn about how important water is and how it is supplied.

This car is sitting on part of a remaining plank road which was built in the early 1900s to travel across the sand dunes west of Yuma. Can you imagine driving for many miles on these bumpy boards.

As the dunes shifted, the road would have to be cleaned off or even moved. If you drove off the edge, you were bogged down in sand. I’m glad roads have been improved! An older gentleman was standing next to me as I was reading the plaque. He told me that he remembered seeing the remains of the plank road as a small child when his family drove from California to Arizona.

The weather the last few days has been in the high 80s. We’ve been making use of the pool almost every afternoon. The next week is forecast to cool down a bit with highs in the low 80s to high 70s. Perfect. I hope all of you being affected by this cold front covering much of the country stay warm!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Sur-prise, Sur-prise, Sur-prise!!

Those of you old enough to remember Gomer Pyle will recognize the above title as one of his expressions. That’s how I felt last Friday evening.

We met a couple from Alberta that had a 2015 Jayco Pinnacle. Of course, we had to compare each other’s units. Ian stopped over here first and Kevin brought him inside to see ours. Then he invited us over to see their one year newer unit.

It is beautiful with some nice changes, but there are also a few things in ours that I like better. One of the main changes is that it has a residential refrigerator. It really didn’t seem that much bigger than ours, and they’ve been having trouble with it not having enough battery power to last overnight if they want to stay at a truck stop.

However, as we were sitting and chatting Ian asked us if we knew about the drawer and cabinets surrounding the fireplace. No, we thought those were just wood trim pieces.

Well, sur-prise, sur-prise, sur-prise. There is a large drawer above the fireplace and two cabinets on the sides. How exciting. More storage!!!

Last Saturday we played 9 holes of golf at the course here at the park. It is a regular par 36, but not very difficult. No water or sand traps. Lots of narrow fairways. It was actually cheaper to play on the weekend. The price was not bad, but the course was just okay. Maybe we’re just not used to desert golf.

The weather has cooled down. We’re getting a breeze from the North, so our highs have been in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s. Don’t worry about us though. By the weekend it is going to be back in the 80s.

There was happy hour at the pool this afternoon. Many people were wearing jackets. We went swimming. The pool water is very warm, and the hot tub is even warmer. We heard some comments about those crazy northerners.

This week starts a list of many activities in the park. We’re going to try pickle ball, shuffleboard, and I’m going to check out the quilting group. This morning was the first of monthly craft fairs in the park. We walked around, but nothing grabbed me. There were a few people with small quilted items. It just amazed me how inexpensive they sell their work for.

I got my sewing machine back from the repair place last week. Apparently, it needed the timing fixed and a tune-up. I’m back to working on some projects, and my machine is humming along just like new. That makes me happy, happy!!

So, we’re finding plenty to keep us as busy as we want to be. Hope our northern friends are keeping warm. We saw there was that nasty four letter word (snow) for some of you :(

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Good Job Kevin

Since we began our fulltime RV adventure in 2010, we’ve had a standard definition DirecTV satellite dish and DVR. We’ve been debating for a few years that we might want to upgrade to HD.

Back in 2010, the installer that set up our system told us that it was much harder to zero in on the HD signals, and we should stick with standard definition. Since then, we’ve seen plenty of people with the HD dish on a tripod, and they told us it was not that hard to set up each time they move.

Yuma is an RVers mecca, and there are several satellite TV businesses. We stopped at RV Connections and spoke to a salesman about what we were thinking. He told us we should have no problem with the HD satellite, and recommended the wireless Genie from DirecTV so I could watch what is on the DVR from the bedroom.

Only problem was that we were not “qualified” for any free upgrades from DirecTV. I called and spoke to two people at DirecTV and got frustrated very quickly. Here’s where Kevin comes in and saves the days. After an hour on the phone with six different people and threatening to go to Dish Network, he got us a free upgrade to the HD system with a wireless Genie. We had to pay $99 for the wireless router, but that beats the over $400 they originally quoted us.

The installer came yesterday and everything went very smoothly. He even provided the eight cinder blocks for the stand. We will be getting a new tripod for this dish. We’re not wanting to haul around all those cinder blocks.

We’ve been relaxing at the resort, riding our bikes in the morning and swimming in the afternoon. All this exercise has helped me lose a few pounds. A never ending battle. There’s a group of people that hang out at the pool most afternoons. We’ve met some very nice Canadians.

It’s still in the low 90s during the day, but next week highs are predicted to drop into the 80s and lows in the high 50s. We have a tee time for Saturday morning at the golf course here at the resort. We’ve also been invited to a party given by the resort for first timers, and pickle ball lessons will start soon.

I’ve been working on some sewing projects during the heat of the day, but my sewing machine was acting up. It’s been giving me trouble all summer, so I found a repair place here in Yuma and took it in. Hopefully, it just needed a tune up. I’m supposed to pick it up tomorrow.

I’ve seen some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets while we’ve been here. Here’s just an example of one of the sunrises. I can never get enough of them!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Fortuna De Oro RV Resort

We sure found a great place to spend a few months. After we decided not to go to Amazon this year, we needed someplace to spend a few months until our reservation in January at Palms RV Resort in Yuma. I happened to see an ad for Fortuna De Oro RV Resort (FDO) on Facebook with a fall special of $595 from Sept. 2 through Dec. 31st. Even though we didn’t arrive until mid-October, that was still about $60 a week for the time we would spend here. Can’t beat that price.

FDO was purchased by the Cal-Am company a few years ago. Since then, the company has spent around $4 million dollars on improvements, and have turned this property into a fantastic resort with over 1,200 sites. There are some pretty old RVs and park models, but they have all been painted and are in very good shape. The common areas are beautiful.

Here we are at our site. As you can see, there is no one else around us. We are in the newer section with about 400-500 sites. Right now about 10 of those sites are occupied. The park model in the background is a model.

Here’s our view of the foothills. In a few months all of those empty sites will be occupied.

Here is the new sports complex that was completed last year. There are courts for shuffleboard, bocce, horseshoes, tennis and pickle ball. I’m looking forward to learning how to play pickle ball. Kevin and I played a little last night (the courts have lights for night play), but it was hot, so we didn’t play long.

There are two pools with hot tubs in the resort. The main pool is nice and big with a beautiful deck area. We’ve been told that in January you’ll be lucky if you find a place to sit. We’ve been swimming every afternoon, and only have to share the pool with a few people. Right now the resort has happy hour with local musicians twice a week. Last Friday they were serving free margaritas. Yum! Starting in November there will be happy hour with entertainment every afternoon. Notice the couch in the foreground of the picture. That is a gas fire pit in front of it. Don’t need that right now.

The landscaping at the resort is beautiful. There are flowering bushes and trees throughout with lots of colors including reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges. I think this is a bougainvillea. Love the flowers!!

The downside so far has been the heat. Temps have been in the low 90s during the day, and the low 70s overnight. Who would have guessed that it would be humid in the desert. Dew points have been in the 50s to low 60s. I like it warm, but this is HOT. I sure wouldn’t want to be here in summer. The next few days are forecast to be near 100, and that’s not even a record. The good news is that next week is supposed to be in the 80s during the day and low 60s at night. Heading in the right direction.

We sure are glad our new RV has two air conditioners. They’ve been very useful this past week. I’ve been using the inside time to do some sewing. A few new quilt projects are in the works.

We’ve been swimming and riding our bikes for exercise, but are really looking forward to participating in some of the sports complex activities. It needs to cool down a bit for that.

Our trip from Lincoln, NE to Yuma took us four days. We stopped for one night each in Cheyenne, WY; Las Vegas, NM; and Camp Verde, AZ. I’ve updated the campground reviews page of this blog to include all of the campgrounds we’ve stayed at.

We’ve seen some wonderful sunsets in Arizona. Here’s one from our night in Camp Verde.

Just a reminder about the link to Amazon under the header picture on the right side of this page. If you click on the go button, it will take you to our Amazon affiliate page. Your prices will be exactly the same, but we will get a small credit if you shop through this blog. We really appreciate the support the readers have given us through this link.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Summer is Back!

We had a wonderful time with Korey and Cathryn last weekend. On Saturday we golfed on a beautiful fall day. The only downside was that Cathryn lost her iPhone on the golf course. She didn’t realize it until we were done. They gave the pro shop Korey’s number in case someone found it.

Sunday morning we attended church with Korey and Cathryn and then went to the local farmer’s market. Cathryn called the golf course, and the phone had not been turned in. She asked if they could use a cart to drive around and look for themselves. The guy in the pro shop was nice enough to let them use a cart for free.

We stayed at their apartment and watched football while then went off on the search. We thought it would be virtually impossible to find it as she wasn’t sure which hole she lost it on. A miracle happened and Korey spotted the phone in an area he remembered they both were in. Cathryn was so happy!!!

The two of them are on a fall co-ed softball team, and the playoff games were Sunday afternoon. We went along to watch. They played a really good team in the first round, so were done after the first game. It was still fun to watch them.

Cathryn’s waiting for a fly ball in the outfield.

Korey playing third base.

We enjoyed dinner at a Mexican restaurant and watched some TV back at their house. Then it was time to say goodbye until December when we return to Lincoln for Cathryn’s graduation from grad school.

We left on a cool and rainy Monday morning. After about an hour the rain stopped, but it was quite a windy drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Our fuel economy was not very good that day. We don’t like to drive more than four or five hours when towing, but we’re pushing it a bit on this trip so we can get to Yuma faster.

We saw several semis transporting live turkeys. I’m guessing Thanksgiving dinners are on the move. Notice the one on the top left. I think he’s trying to fly the coop!!

Today we drove from Cheyenne to Las Vegas, New Mexico. Most of the day we were on I-25 through the entire state of Colorado. The scenery was gorgeous. Snow on the mountains and fall color in the trees. It was sunny all day and no winds. Much better fuel mileage today.

Another bonus was that the temps got into the 70s. The forecast for tomorrow is near 80, and then near 90 in Yuma. Summer is back!!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Family Time & Another Capitol Visit

We left Wisconsin on Monday, October 6th. This was the first time we’ve closed up the new fifth wheel and travelled any distance with it. Everything came together just fine, and Kevin said it tows beautifully.

Our first two nights on the road were in Iowa at George Wyth State Park in Waterloo. We’ve stopped in Iowa the last four Octobers to visit Kevin’s brother and his family. We had an enjoyable visit with everyone. Our nephew Robert works for the Kwik Star company and was promoted several months ago to manager of a brand new store. They are currently celebrating their grand opening, and he has been working MANY hours. We’re thinking the company must have lots of confidence in him to put him in charge of a store from the ground up. Great job, Bob! Here’s a picture of his new store.

 

We arrived Wednesday afternoon at Pine Grove RV Park in Greenwood, Nebraska. It’s an okay campground about 20 minutes from our son and daughter-in-law’s place in Lincoln. Korey stopped by Wednesday after work for a little while. There was a beautiful sunset Wednesday evening.

 

On Thursday we drove into Lincoln to tour the Nebraska State Capitol. What a beautiful building. It is definitely a different design from most capitols we’ve visited. It was built from 1922 to 1932 at a cost of $10 million and was completely paid for when it was finished. No debt, what a novel concept.

 

The statue on top is 19 feet high and weighs 9 tons, and is called the Sower. We thought it looked like a discus thrower, but he’s actually throwing seeds to represent Nebraska’s agricultural history and future.

The entire building has an art deco feel to me which makes sense as it was designed and built in the 1920s. The tower is 14 stories tall with a beautiful rotunda. There are many mosaics inside representing the history of Nebraska with an emphasis on nature, Native Americans, early settlers and spiritual life.

The capitol was built with chambers for the senate, legislature and supreme court. In the 1930s voters passed a law that required a one-house Legislature, the Unicameral. This means all the politicians meet in one room and work together to get things done. What a great idea.

Our excellent tour guide explained that they work 90 or 60 days each year at an annual salary of $12,000. The rest of the year they go back to their regular jobs. They also pass a budget every two years that is required to have a surplus at the end of each year. It seems to me that Nebraska has learned how to make government work more efficiently for the people.

We’ve also noticed that there are very few political ads on TV, and none of the negative ads we see in many other states. How refreshing!!

Last night Korey and Cathryn came over for dinner. It is so great to see both of them again. We have several outings planned with them this weekend. I’m sure it will be fun, and the time will fly by too quickly. I am grateful to be able to travel to where they live, and have the luxury of staying for a few days to visit.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Milestone

Yesterday we hit a small milestone. Our 2000 Pontiac Grand Am turned 200,000 miles. We bought it new in June of 2000. Kevin and I both drove it for a few years. Then, it went to our son Korey. He drove it for a few years until we became fulltimers. He then got our 2003 Pontiac Vibe with AWD which was better for him in Minnesota. We kept the Grand Am and have been using it in Wisconsin each summer as a second vehicle. In the winter we store it.

Kevin worked for Pontiac dealers his entire career. We have owned several of them, and have been very satisfied. This one has lasted the longest. None of the rest ever died; we just sold them to get something else. It makes me a little sad that Pontiacs are no longer being made.

We’ve been quite busy with lots of visitors the last two weeks. Last weekend the camping club we’ve belong to since 1981 camped at our park for the weekend. As usual, there was lots of drinking and eating going on, as well as great camaraderie. This week fulltime friends Bob and Susan from Texas spent three nights at our campground as they explored parts of southeastern Wisconsin. We were able to enjoy some happy hour time with them and have dinner at Culvers.

Tonight Kevin’s card group is coming to the park. They’ve been playing Sheepshead together for about fifteen years. A few of them are bringing their families and camping for the night. Our son Eric is part of the card group, so he will be coming as well and spending the night with us.  Busy, busy, busy!

I tend to wake up around 6 am. Kevin thinks I’m crazy, but my early morning paid off the other day. I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen. The picture just doesn’t do it justice.

Last week I was sure surprised when I came out of Shopko and found this parked next to my car.

It’s a motorcycle pulling a coffin. The back of the coffin says Last Ryde, there is an arm hanging out the side, a very scary Chucky doll is on the back of the bike and there were all kinds of skulls on the entire thing. I guess they are ready for Halloween.

I finished another quilt that will be donated to Carol Joy Holling Camp’s quilt auction next summer. This is where our son Korey works, and I’m happy to help them out. I thought the cross theme was a good fit for a church camp. The quilt is the purple part. It’s on our bedspread which is the brown part. I should have taken the picture somewhere else.

For those of you that shop at Amazon, I would ask a small favor. In the right column just under the header picture of the blog, you will see a small box with an Amazon search window. You can enter a search word or just click on the Go button. This will take you to the regular Amazon site where you can do your shopping at the same prices you would if you just logged onto their site. If you go to their site through my blog, I get a small credit for your purchases. It costs you nothing and gives me a little extra. This has nothing to do with whether we are working at Amazon or not, so the fact that we are not working there this year doesn’t matter.

Only ten days until we leave Wisconsin. We washed the fifth wheel yesterday to get it ready. Hopefully, all will go well. We picked it up in April, drove it 30 miles and have been here since. This will be our first road trip with the new unit. Keeping my fingers crossed it all works out!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!