Remodel Almost Done!!

When we hired the contractor to do our remodel in November, he told us we should be finished by the end of January. Here we are near the end of April, and it is still not completely done; but we are VERY close. There were a number of reasons for the delay, but mainly the contractors were just very slow. I believe they took on more work than they should have, and did a little at each place to keep everyone somewhat happy.

It was a challenging winter living in our place while the work was being done. We didn't let that stop us though. We just kept going about our fun schedule, and they came and went as they pleased. Generally, we are very happy with the outcome. There are always a few things you wish you would have done differently, but I am so thrilled to be nearly done.

Here are pictures of the before and after outside. We had the windows replaced, took off shutters, and had everything repainted. I thought the main wall color outside would be a little darker (it is taupe), but it is better than it was.

Here's the back. I plan on painting the shed next year. Our orange tree we planted in January (in the foreground) has grown about a foot. No blossoms though, so we'll have to wait for fruit. We were told it can take up to three years to get fruit from a newly planted citrus tree.

I will post some before and after inside pictures in the next week or two. We still have too much stuff laying around that needs to get put into cabinets once the countertops are installed today.

In other news, we continue to keep busy. Many of the snowbirds leave during March, with the last of them heading out in early April. There are plenty of goodbye parties as more and more people leave. We really enjoy the many activities we participate in during the busy months, but it is a nice change to have things slow down again for a while.

I joined the woodcarving group this year. I really enjoyed the projects we worked on. Two projects are finished, one is not quite done yet. I'll finish that next season. Here's the carving in the round bird I made.

And here's a chip carving dragonfly trivet.

We went out for a seafood buffet dinner at the Quechan Casino in California (we are only 14 miles from the border) with a small group that are still here. The food was very good, and the company was delightful!

Now that the golf groups here at the resort have ended for the season, we were able to get out and play at some of the other courses in Yuma. On Monday we played at Mesa del Sol. Kevin had played there years ago, and I had never played this course. I really liked it, and we had a great time with friends Rick and Cynthia.

Cynthia is so fun and outgoing, she makes everyone smile. She was trying to teach me how to strike a pose. I think I need more lessons.

Yesterday we played with Brad and Martha (Brad is the one who built our kitchen cabinets). We have all been so busy this year, that this was the first time we were able to golf together all season. We played Desert Hills, the city owned course in Yuma. It is a pretty course, but quite a challenge. Too many LONG holes for my liking. I did par one of the par 3 holes. That's all I'm saying about my score!

This is the latest we've ever stayed in Yuma. I'm so enjoying getting to see some of the cactus bloom. I didn't realize there are different color flowers on prickly pear cactus. The yellow one is in front of the bar and grill, and it's huge.  The horse sculpture is amazing!

The house across the street has a bottle brush tree. It's so pretty when all the "brushes" are in bloom. But, quite messy when they all start falling down.

The corporation that owns our resort does a good job of putting money back into the place. This summer they are moving the main office to a new location inside the park. I think this will help greatly with the flow of RVs coming in and having a place to park while they register. 

Any time something new is happening, they have an excuse to party. We attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new offices and a road resurfacing project a few weeks ago. Free hot dogs, chips, beer, wine and lemonade were given out. Here are some of the managers from our resort and the corporate office participating in the ground breaking ceremony.

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