Happy Thanksgiving

Kevin and I want to wish all of our family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving.

We have had another great year and have so much to be thankful for including our family, friends, good health and being able to enjoy our full time RVing life. We are nearing the fifth anniversary since we began this adventure, and can’t believe how lucky we are.

We don’t have much planned for today. Since the RV park put on a Thanksgiving dinner last Saturday, we aren’t going to cook a big turkey dinner. Most of the people here are Canadian. They celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so for them it is not a holiday.

We will talk to our family, Kevin will watch some football, and we’re playing pickleball this morning with our friends. Since it is supposed to be 84 degrees today, I’m sure we’ll be heading to the pool later in the afternoon.

Also, for those of you who will be shopping at Amazon for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, please remember that if you click on the go button in the Amazon box at the top right of this blog, you will pay the same prices you normally would, and we will get a small credit from Amazon. Your support is greatly appreciated.

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

Thanksgiving RV Resort Style

Yesterday was the Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by the RV Resort. People had been encouraged all month to sign up at the activity office in groups of 20 per table.

Our table included Bernie and Cathy, a couple from Saskatchewan whom we have been spending time with playing pickleball and swimming in the pool. There were also a few other couples that we had met before and some people we didn’t know at all. This is a nice way to get to make some new friends.

The resort supplied the turkey and gravy. Everyone at the table signed up for a dish to pass. Each group could also decorate their table with a chance to win a pizza party for the best decorations. Our group gathered together items we had in our RVs and had a very nice table, but we didn’t win. Some of these groups really went all out.

The food was all delicious. Many of the people here are Canadians so we had some food items that are not traditional for an American Thanksgiving like meatballs and pirogues. It’s nice to experience other traditions. I brought a sweet potato casserole, a favorite in our family.

The weather here in Yuma has been beautiful the last few weeks. Highs in the mid to high 70s and sunny every day. The sunrises and sunsets in the desert are often breathtaking. Here are a few examples from the last week.

We have been keeping busy with activities at the resort. On Mondays we go to shuffleboard. Tuesday and Thursday mornings we’ve been playing pickleball with Bernie and Cathy and other couples who want to pick up a game. Some days we go to the pool in the afternoon for some swimming exercise and a nice soak in the hot tub.

We also walk or bike an hour most mornings for our daily exercise. With all of this exercise, you’d think the pounds would just fall of, but that’s not happening.

We also went to the Yuma flea market and found LED bulbs at a good price. I think this coming week we may go to Los Algodones, Mexico and see what we can find there. I’ve been hearing about people who have gotten great deals on new glasses, so I may just get a new pair of prescription sunglasses for driving.

The fall is flying by. In three weeks we’ll be heading to Nebraska for Cathryn’s graduation from grad school and then on to Wisconsin for Christmas. We are very much looking forward to seeing our family, but not looking forward to the cold and snow!

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

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!