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!