Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Kevin and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happier New Year!!

This has certainly been a trying year for so many, and we pray for a better 2021. Although there were some inconveniences, we were fortunate to have a good year. Our prayers are with all who have or are suffering!

We continue to enjoy sunny weather in Yuma. Golf is still our main activity. With all this practice, our games have been improving a little. Kevin's handicap has dropped a few points. I had my best game ever last week. A group of ladies were playing at Foothills Executive Course. It is a par 34, and I had a score of 40 with four pars and one birdie. I felt like I was in a dream. Of course, the next time I played, reality was back with a vengeance. Ha, ha!

 We had stored some of our Christmas decorations in Eric's basement as we couldn't use them all while we were full time RVing. Eric has his house on the market, so we had to take our stored items with us. It was fun decorating our small house. Kevin used to decorate with tens of thousands of lights at our house in Wisconsin. He resumed this activity on a smaller scale, only now we have a palm tree in front of our house.

For over 30 years before we hit the road full time Kevin bought me a dated Christmas ornament every year. These had been stored away as well. I got a second four foot tree to put on our porch. It is covered with all of those dated ornaments. Most of them were round balls. The little tree looks a little strange with so many big ball ornaments on it, but it is very special to me, and I loved seeing all of these ornaments again.

Our inside tree is also four feet tall, with fake snow on it. I added some of the other ornaments that were in storage, as well as those we had collected during the nine years we were on the road. It looks so pretty.

A few weeks ago our friend Cynthia invited four of our neighborhood ladies to her place to make gingerbread houses from a kit. None of us had ever done this before. The box said it was for ages 3 and up. Hmmm, I don't think so. We had a lot of laughs, and they all turned out beautiful, but it wasn't so easy. The frosting didn't always want to cooperate.

Above is my finished house. The two pictures below are the five of us who enjoyed this activity together and our creations.

You may have noticed in my pictures these last few months that it's the same people. We're keeping our bubble of friends pretty small on purpose. Better to be safe, and we really enjoy the company of these great friends here at our park.

On December 10th, we celebrated Kevin's 65th birthday with cheese cake and some of the same good friends. The best part of turning 65 is Kevin is now Medicare eligible, and has much better health insurance coverage.

Last year we started getting together with a group of neighbors on our street who had all purchased their homes in the last few years. This group became known as The New Kids on the Block (aren't we clever). We get together Friday evenings after golf scramble. Each week a different homeowner hosts the main dish and the rest of us bring a dish to pass. We have a blast! Here we are last Friday. Syd and Carolyn made enchiladas and amazing margaritas.

I have also been doing some quilting. Last summer while we were in the fifth wheel for three months, I did a bunch of applique blocks for a new bedspread for the RV. When we got back, I sewed them all together. I haven't put the sides on yet, because I want to measure it on our bed, but the fifth wheel has been at the dealer for the last three months for warranty service. Apparently, parts are incredibly difficult to get. At least, that's the story they're telling us. We don't need it until June, so hopefully, it'll be done by then :)

The new bedspread is done in a Northwoods theme, as that's how I have the RV decorated.

The other quilt I finished is in Christmas colors. 

That pretty much covers what we've been up to for the past month. We are hopeful the vaccine will help the world get back to normal. 

Stay safe!!

Yuma Balloon Festival

Last Saturday we drove to West Wetlands Park to view the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival evening glow. There were ten balloons participating this year. They were all lined up in a field. As dark approached, they were blown up and lit. It was a beautiful site to see the glowing balloons in the dark.

The annual event has been taking place in Yuma for 30 years. I have wanted to go in the past, but our resort always has their Thanksgiving dinner on the same Saturday. So, this year due to Covid, no dinner. The balloon event was also changed due to the pandemic. It was a drive thru rather than allowing people to get up close to the balloons. The information online was somewhat confusing, so we arrived early to find out they were not allowing cars into the park until 5:30 pm. The sheriff told us we could park outside and walk in.

That's exactly what we did. It was about a mile each way. The weather was fantastic. We found a bench right next to the balloons, watched them get blown up, and then experienced the glow up close and personal. There was caution tape to keep people back, but we were still quite close. I felt somewhat bad for the people driving through. They got a very short glimpse of a beautiful site. I took a video which I posted on Facebook. I don't know how to get the video from my phone to my computer, so don't have it here.

Saturday and Sunday morning the balloons did an ascension, but we didn't go to that. Kevin is not a morning person (except for golf), so I didn't push my luck. Maybe another year! 

We are actually on the waiting list for the International Balloon Rally in Albuquerque for next October for an electric hookup site on the fairgrounds. I have always enjoyed seeing hot air balloons. Maybe someday I'll get to ride in one!

I haven't been blogging much because there really is not much going on. Our resort has far less people here than normal. Almost no Canadians have come down. The few that are here had to fly in to cross the border.

The golf groups are playing, so that is mostly what we have been doing. Kevin plays in the men's group on Tuesday mornings, we both play in the couples group on Wednesday mornings, I play in the ladies group on Thursday mornings, and we both play in the Friday afternoon scramble. That keeps up pretty busy. We've even won some prize money a few times.

Our resort sponsors a free welcome back dinner every fall. This year they were able to do it Covid style. It was held out in the parking lot. Normally there are about 600 people in attendance. This year we're guessing it was no more than 200. Table were spaced out and only 6 people per table. The food was in to-go containers. There were 2 bars set up with free beer, wine, soft drinks and water. Masks were required. After dinner a band played.

We had a great time. The food was excellent. The theme was Woodstock. They gave out headbands, friendship bracelets and the slap on wrist bracelets. Remember those??

Arizona is known for its beautiful sunrises and sunsets. We've had some winners this fall!

It's been unusually dry this year. There hasn't been measurable rainfall since March. The monsoons never came during the summer. We did have a few sprinkles one day which created this double rainbow and got my car dirty.

It has also been warmer than normal, actually hot at times. I'm not complaining. The weather has been fantastic. I haven't worn long pants since we left Nebraska in late September.

I have been participating in the woodcarving group the past two seasons. The class leader and instructor is Canadian and isn't coming this year. She asked if I would run the group in her absence. Starting Dec. 2nd, I will be doing just that. I don't have much experience, but am willing to help out and make the tools and materials available. We'll see how it goes. I'm not sure how many participants we'll actually have. Masks will be required and the room has a limit of people allowed. If we get too many, they may move us outside under a canopy.

We wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving in these difficult times. We will miss our family. 

Stay safe!!

Wonderful Nebraska Visit

In September, we spent 10 days at the campground of Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, Nebraska. Our son Korey is the Program Director for Nebraska Outdoor Lutheran Ministries, and CJH Camp is their main site where his office is located. The campground is not open to the general public, but is available for campers who have a connection to the camp. That includes us as family members of an employee.

Ashland had a very dry summer, and they were about 11 inches below on average rainfall. As our luck would have it, it rained the entire week before we arrived. The sites are grass in a former farm field. There are only a few sites with sewer and 50 amp service, but it is a beautiful place to camp.

Kevin had the truck in four wheel drive as he pulled into our site. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a depression where the back tires ended up when he stopped. As he tried to pull forward a bit, the back tires just started spinning deeper and deeper. Korey had told us that people have gotten stuck before, and the maintenance man Roger has pulled plenty of people out. I called Korey, and Roger was there in no time. He was able to use his truck to get us unstuck. Luckily, it didn't rain the entire time we were there, so things dried out before we left. Roger came and filled in the ruts before we left.

A beautiful spot once we were set up and unstuck.

We saw deer several times, and these turkeys visited daily. At one time, there were eight of them in the group.

I have spoken of the camp Korey works at in the past. It is such a beautiful place, He is lucky to work in such amazing surroundings. I'm going to give you a little history and tour of the grounds.

In 1974 George and Irene Holling donated 320 acres of land to Nebraska Outdoor Lutheran Ministries in memory of their daughter, Carol Joy Holling. Carol was tragically killed in a car accident on her way to her freshman year of college. Since then, the camp has grown, and tens of thousands of people have benefitted from the programs they offer.

Inspiration Point is located on a bluff overlooking the gorgeous scenery. There is a large campfire pit and benches for events. Under the huge cross is an alter where the ashes of George, Irene and Carol Holling are buried.

In addition to hosting summer camp each year for children of all ages, there are several retreat centers on the grounds. Many groups have events there, making it a busy place year round. The largest is called the Swanson Center. 

Korey's office is the window on the bottom left of the building below. Such a wonderful place to work.

They have a couple of ropes courses which are used for campers, but also by many different groups for team building activities. Korey really enjoys the ropes courses, and sometimes helps out working at them. The building behind the course on the bottom right is the bath house for the swimming pool.

There is a pond on the grounds where visitors can use the boats or go fishing. The open area across the pond is where the annual quilt auction is held each summer. 

Here is a picture of Korey and Cathryn holding up one of the quilts I donated last summer. 

There are different themed areas for the summer campers. Some of the very popular ones are where the campers can ride horses. This is the western town where campers sleep in dorm rooms. There is a gym for indoor activities and other buildings where campers work on service projects.

This is just a small view of what the camp offers. Each morning we took walks among the different areas to explore. It is truly an inspiration of what has become of a generous gift that resulted from a tragic event. Nebraska is lucky to have such an amazing place!!

We spent several days with Korey and Cathryn when they weren't working. We golfed twice on gorgeous fall afternoons.

One Sunday afternoon Cathryn and I worked on a quilt she is making while the guys watched football. Cathryn started this tee shirt quilt several years ago. I've helped her off and on over the years when we've visited. She almost has the top pieced. They she'll have to decide how she wants to quilt it.

Kevin helped Korey do some repairs where the screen door had pulled out of the wood. It looked like the previous owner had tried to fix it with cardboard. That didn't hold up too well.

Because of Covid, we didn't go out other than to golf. It was wonderful just spending time with our kids. I wish we were closer, so we could see them more often.

We've been back in Yuma for over two weeks. It has still been quite warm with highs on the low 100s most days. In a few weeks, it should be cooling off nicely. Once that happens, we have plans to paint the shed and replace the flooring on our front porch. Some activities are being held here at the resort with lots of Covid restrictions. I have a feeling this will be a very low key winter season here at the resort. Better safe than sorry!

Be Safe and Healthy!!

Back in Yuma

It's been about six weeks since I've written a post. Not because I had nothing to say, but because my laptop hard drive died. New, reasonably priced laptops are impossible to buy. I had previously used a company called My Internet Place in Yuma to do a minor repair. I called them, and they felt based on the problems I was having, I needed a new hard drive. So, for $170 I have a new solid state hard drive that is lightning fast, and will hopefully last a long time to come.

Back to our stay in Wisconsin. We stayed until September 8th, and spent two more weekends with our family. We spent the weekend after my birthday at Eric's house. Erin had this beautiful picture made for my birthday gift and ordered me a giant birthday cookie. Thanks, Erin!!!

Back in Waupaca we enjoyed a round of golf on a beautiful August day with Dave and Judy.

Labor Day weekend we went back to Eric's house. The guys went golfing while Erin and I cleaned out some of Eric's stuff in his garage and basement. He's planning to put his house on the market in October. 

We also attended the local races at Slinger Speedway. We all had a great time.

We enjoyed our two months in Wisconsin, but it was time to head back south. I sure wish the kids lived somewhat closer. It's so hard saying good bye for months at a time. Thank goodness for technology to stay close even from a physical distance.

After leaving Wisconsin, we stopped in Iowa for a short visit with Kevin's brother Joe and his wife Julie. Due to Covid, we didn't see our nephew and his family. The next stop was Nebraska. I'll write a post about that visit soon.

Be Safe and Healthy!!