Happy Thanksgiving

Kevin and I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for each other, our health, our family and our friends. It’s hard to believe we are in our sixth year of the fulltime RV lifestyle. We couldn’t be happier with that decision, and are so thankful we were able to make that choice.

We continue to enjoy our time in Yuma. The weather over the last two weeks has been just about perfect with highs around 80 degrees and sunny, sunny, sunny. We’ve made the most of it enjoying lots of time outside walking, biking, playing golf and pickleball, swimming and enjoying some happy hours.

Last Saturday the resort hosted Thanksgiving dinner for everyone staying here. They provided the turkey and gravy and everyone brought a dish to pass at their table. We had a nice assortment of dishes at our table, and I was stuffed when all was said and done. Here we are with John and Janie after we filled our tummies.

We’ve been golfing once or twice a week. Here’s a picture of our friend Martha and myself last week. It was such a beautiful day.

The other day we played 18 holes with Brad and Martha at a par 3 course run by the City of Yuma. It was fun to practice our short game. We walked all 18 holes and were done in about 2 hours. This roadrunner was on the tee box of one of the holes. It was not at all afraid of us. We were able to get quite close and get a good look at it. Very cool!

Thanks to Brad and Martha for sharing their pictures with me. I managed to forget my camera lots of the time.

I will miss spending Thanksgiving with our kids today. We’ll talk with them on the phone, and that will help. Our son Eric was very lucky to get a ticket to tonight’s Packer game, so we wouldn’t have been seeing him. Brett Favre’s number is being retired at tonight’s game, so that will be very awesome for Eric to experience.

We will be enjoying Thanksgiving with good friends John and Jane and Brad and Martha. We’re having a potluck dinner this afternoon. It has become cooler, so today will only be in the high 60s, but with the sun shining, we should be able to eat outside.

So, enjoy your Thanksgiving with loved ones, don’t eat too much, don’t shop too much tomorrow, and enjoy time off of work!

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

Having Fun

We’ve been staying busy and really enjoying all the activities offered at Fortuna de Oro and the surrounding area. Our routine is to walk or bike most every morning. We play pickleball with John and Janie a few times a week and have been golfing on Sunday mornings.

On Wednesday we went golfing with a couple we’ve met here named Brad and Martha. They’re originally from northern California, but sold their house, and are now looking to buy a house in Yuma. In the meantime, they are staying a few sites from us in their motorhome. We actually met them here last year on some of the hikes we did with the hiking club.

Las Barrancas Golf Course is just a few miles from the resort. It was a beautiful setting with palm trees, ponds and mountains. They offer an afternoon special for $20 for 18 holes with a cart. I usually only play 9 holes, so I skipped some holes on the back 9. The greens on the course were very large and challenging.

As we got into our cart, I noticed this sign above us. I’ve never been to a course where spitting sunflower seeds is a problem. Who would seriously think it is okay to be spitting anything on the green. Some people!!

Kevin and Brad getting ready to tee off on one of the holes.

Another scenic hole.

The 11th green was up a hill and the entire green was slanted down. A very difficult hole. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see two guys at the bottom right to get a better picture of just how high the green was.

It was a beautiful day for a round of golf, and we had a very enjoyable time. I think the course was a bit too challenging for me, so we’ll probably stick to playing at our resort. It’s fairly easy; just my style.

On Thursday we participated in a round robin pickleball event. Thirty-two people participated. You played six games with different people each time, and your score was recorded after each game. The top four men and women played a championship game. If there had been a booby prize, I would have been the winner. Oh well. It was still fun, and we got to see some really good players.

After all that pickleball in the morning, we needed to attend happy hour for some relaxation in the afternoon. Every weekday the resort sponsors happy hour at the pool from 3 to 5 pm. There is live entertainment and beers are only $2. One of the bands is called Wild Ride, and we really enjoy listening to them. The lady is a great singer. I swam for about half an hour, while Kevin, John and Janie enjoyed the sun, music and beer. I still had plenty of time to enjoy some happy hour as well.

Yesterday we attended a hiking club meeting. The hikes will begin at the end of this month when it is cooler and the snakes are hibernating. We plan to do some of the hikes, but not the mountain climbing ones. I don’t want a repeat of last year where I sprained my ankle.

After the meeting, we played shuffleboard with Brad and Martha and Janie and John. Janie and John had not played before, but caught on very quickly. Here are the guys taking it very seriously. Not really; we had aiming fluid with us, which made it much more fun!

As you can see, it was another gorgeous day. The weather has been a bit cooler at times this year than last, but we’ve had some fantastic days in between.

I’ve found a little bit of time to do some quilting. My latest completed project is a baby quilt. It’s the first time I’ve worked with flannel which was a little different than regular cotton quilting fabric. I’m happy with the finished result. This one will either go to Cathryn to give to friends who are having a baby or to the quilt auction at Korey’s camp.

This afternoon is the turkey dinner sponsored by the resort. There were sign up sheets at the activity office for tables of 20 people. The resort supplies the turkey and gravy and everyone else at the table brings a dish to pass. I think there are 25 tables. It should be a good time with plenty of delicious food.

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

Enjoying Yuma

We’ve been in Yuma two weeks already, and have been thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

We’ve been golfing, playing pickle ball, enjoying time with friends, and enjoying the sunshine.

I think El Nino has had an impact on the weather. I’m not complaining, but it has been cooler than it was last year at this time. When the winds are strong from the north, there is a definite chill in the air. Temps are in the low 70s, but the wind is cold. The sun continues to shine, and if you find a spot in the sun out of the wind, it is very pleasant.

We have spent a little time at the pool, but not as much as last year due to the north winds. We’ve just had to entertain ourselves in other ways such as happy hour :)

Yesterday we went to Mexico with friends and enjoyed some good margaritas, Mexican food and a little shopping. I did a little investigating, and I think I will be buying some glasses in Mexico before we leave Yuma.

I have a small hummingbird feeder that attaches to the window next to my chair. Every morning my hummingbird friend comes to visit me. What a cutie.

This other small bird has been trying very hard to get some of the nectar, but he’s having a tough time.

We took our remaining tires to Big O Tires in Yuma to have them checked. Every one of the tires had ply separation after only 5,000 miles. The Towmax tire company is sending us a check for 70% of the max value of $120 per tire as the measurements show there was 30% tread wear on the tires.

There’s not much we can do about it, but we certainly feel there was something wrong with the tires for all of them to have ply separation. We will definitely be checking into getting better, stronger tires.

The Jayco rep told me they are now offering an option to have heavier duty tires put on the fifth wheels. That makes me think the standard tires that come on the units are not good enough. We’ve been very satisfied with our Jaycos over the years, but this tire issue seems to be a problem with many fifth wheel manufactures.

Our fifth wheel came with a Dyson rechargeable stick vacuum. I really liked how powerful it was, and how well it cleaned. It stopped working just before we left Wisconsin. We have a two year warranty from Jayco, and they sent me a brand new vacuum in Yuma. Works great!

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