STILL AT OUR WINTER HOME

Well, it is March 1, 2015.  Funny how time slips away when you are having so much fun.  The last 5 months have been a hoot and we have done so much.  Where shall we start.  Joel has been honing his tennis skills and has been freaking folks out with his slicing technique.  Also water volleyball has been going full-force and a team has formed which goes to different parks to compete.  Our group even entered a seniors Olympic style volleyball match which they won in the Coachella Valley, we are very proud of them. 

We have of course been eating at many pot lucks and eating out too.  Trying to keep the weight down.  We have done two drama club shows, the first I co-directed which was the xmas one.  Then I took over the direction of our second one which the theme was of the "60's".  I decided to do a live broadcast of "American Bandstand".  The audience went wild.  One of our group made all our props, a television camera on a stand, all signs, a top ten board, etc.  Then we recorded the opening music and set the stage for 8 acts to perform with a lipsync of the original music.  We used clothing from the 60's and we even recorded original commercials and had protestors at the end to break up the show.  All players got their own costumes together and got their dance routines on their own.  We only have 6 week to pull together these two shows so it was a tremendous effort.  I was so proud of them.  We had standing room only, about 200 people and the whole house rocked.  We did the Chordettes, the Beatles, Sonny and Cher, The Angels, Leslie Gore, etc and of course Dick Clark was there to lead the whole show, everyone said it was the best show they ever saw and they now want an American Bandstand 2, whew. 

We are having a cast party tomorrow afternoon, a cocktail party with hot and cold appetizers and beer and wine.  It will be a fun time.  I have even made dvd's of the show for all players.  I am already looking forward to next years shows and have already made plans for them.  I will e-mail all players during the summer to have them get costumes ready.

We had our Can-am games last week.  This is an all day event when the Canadians go up against the Americans, and let me tell you they are some pretty tight competition.  We start with a parade at 10 am, which we were in and our corvette got rave reviews and we got a blue ribbon.  They to the town square for games, cakewalk, chili cookoff, hot dogs and fixings, fresh made tacos, drinks, fortune telling, vendors and such, such a good time.  Then at 1pm the games began.  Joel was on the American team, which he didn't know about, they just put a shirt on him and 4 other folks the games began.  It was a game with marshmallows, filling a jug with a sponge, hula hoop around each other, and passing a ball from one to another without your hands, such a hoot.  A good time was had by all. See all the folks from the pics and some funny photos I took.  We will probably be here for another month, still many shows and fun.  So enjoy the pics.  Today it is raining for the first time so we are indoors, a good time to write a blog.

 

Above is a pic of our friends Gary and Joanne and Willow

which we took in Quartzsite where we went to visit them for a day trip.

 

 

 

Here is me dressed up to look like Leslie Gore

so I could sing "Its My Party"

 

 

 

Everyone lining up for the can-am games

 

 

 

Quite a crowd gathered for the occasion

 

 

 

Getting instructions for the games

 

 

 

Joel waiting for the marshmallow to be passed to him

 

 

 

 

This pic of Joel was caught while he was filling the jug

of water with a sponge, ha ha

 

 

 

STILL IN NILAND, CALIFORNIA

Happy New Years to all on today Jan. 1, 2015.  Well, we made it another year of fulltiming and  believe me it hasn't been easy.  Seems we can't go 2 months without some sort of a repair.  This month it is a completely cracked windshield which was installed 6 months ago.  No one wants to take responsibility for it.  Rv Glass Solutions who installed it is coming over next week.  They will be here for the fmca rally in indio, ca and only 45 minutes from us, so then we will see what to do.  Whatever the case, we still have to get another windshield, or stop moving.  Also our fresh water tank is leaking at the valve and many attempts to seal it have not fixed the problem so we will probably have to get a new tank.  Also our large slide is sagging so much it will not come in without some gentle effort from us.  So when we leave here in April, we will head to Lazy Daze in Tucson and get everything fixed while we are still under our extended warranty. 

Now to nice things, we have been here since Oct. 11th.  Our friends from last year all came to welcome us.  That was so wonderful.  We have been doing a lot of eating out, shopping, one drama play so far, and I am directing the next one on Feb. 13th.  We have been going to karaoke a lot and even Joel got up and sang and no one booed him off the floor.  Last nite was our new years dinner dance and we had a live band and wonderful shrimp dinner and dancing with all our new friends, it was so great.  Today I started a new years resolution and walked 2 miles on the treadmill and intend to do this at least 3 days a week.  People in this park despite being in their 70's and 80's are very trim.  I intend to stay this way for a long time.  Got a new shorter hairdo and it is easier to take care of.

This morning it was 35 degrees.  Our heat ran all night but it is comfy and cozy in here.  Now temps have warmed up at 12:30.  to about 65 degrees and hardly any wind.  I have some new pics for you.
Two weeks ago I went on a bus to the Museum of Natural History in San Diego and saw the King Tut Exhibit.  I was disappointed that it was reproductions but then I realized that the real exhibit is in Cairo, Egypt and is worth millions of dollars.  I went with two friends and then we both had lunch out.  It was fun.  Enjoy the pics.

 

This is our home in Niland, Ca. at the

Fountain of Youth Spa Rv Park

 

 

 

So many gorgeous sunsets

 

 

 Museum in San Diego

 

 

 

Some nice pics of King Tut exhibit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ugh, this mummy looks awful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite movie "JAWS"

 

 

This bell tower was in the movie "Dirty Harry"

He got beat up in there

 

NILAND, CA, FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH SPA

Oct. ll, 2014

Well, here we are back at the Fountain of Youth Spa Rv Park in Niland, Ca.  We have a different site this year due to a new reservation policy.  We love our new site, it faces west and we have shade on our patio almost the whole day.  Our friends from last year came over to visit us almost immediately and helped move our car trailer to the side of our huge site. 

We are involved in a lot more activities this year.  Joel is playing water volleyball and basically hanging our with the guys.  I have now started exercising in our new gym,  playing pickleball which is a a game like tennis but with a wooden paddle and a wiffle ball.  I have helped to write a play for our xmas show and I have a nice part.  I volunteered to work in the activities office one day a week and will probably start ping pong next week.  Have already been to a potluck, lots of great food.

I went to the first karaoke, was a big hit singing rock and roll.  Then I was in a talent show here and had fun.  We are going to be in the Palm Springs huge xmas parade so we went out and got a plug in inverter and lights for the car. 

We are having thanksgiving dinner with our friends Luna and Kent at their house.  I sing with Luna and we have lots of fun.  We had to do a few repairs on the rig.  Joel changed a leaking propane valve, our fresh water tank is leaking, our slide is sagging, and our windshield is completely cracked, but like old folks it has the same symptoms, ha ha.  Looking forward to lots of fun here this winter.

PALM DESERT, CA FINALLY

It is now the first week of Sept and we are in Palm Desert at the Emerald Desert rv park.  It is a very upscale park with lots of pools, hot tubs, and loads of grass and loads of ants.  We get a great double site which holds our coach, trailer and car and is facing north which helps with the heat.  We came here to go to the Eisenhower Medical Center and find doctors and get some checkups done.  We found an internist, a urologist, an opthmologist, had glasses made, had xrays and bloodwork and thank heavens all is fine.  We stay for almost a month, we even go to the dentist and have cleanings done.  I go to urgent care as soon as we arrive, I am still not well and find out I have a raging urinary infection and get antibiotics which clears it up.  We are now ready to travel down into the desert. 

We first go to Sunbeam rv park in El Centro for a week to get our two rugs rebound and fix our flooring.  The company who put it in last year is in El Centro.  We manage to get the rugs done but not the flooring.  They will have to come to us in Fountain of Youth where we spend most of the winter.  We have a few issues with our coach which need attention.  Our large living room slide, the rails are sagging so the slide won't come in unless we help it.  It has to go to a dealer and they have to take it out and fix it.  Our new windshield we just got in June is now cracked again, this time on both sides and the coach cannot be driven this way.  We are trying to get this fixed, also our fresh water tank has a leak by the valve and our propane valve is leaking.  We had a sunshade made for the front windshield, and door and window and that keeps a lot of the sun out, we are now facing west. 

Well, here we are back at the Fountain of Youth Spa and rv park in Niland.  The flooring people have come and fixed the floor.  We are still trying to get other problems worked on.  We come in and discover that they have changed their no reservation policy so we can't get the site we wanted but get an even better one.  We will probably stay here thru February and maybe go to Arizona for March and April, on our way to our summer vacation, north to Wisconsin and Michigan.  Well, will keep you all posted during our winter here.

SPARKS, NEVADA

Well, haven't written for a while.  We finished the Oregon Coast and headed for Reno, Nevada.  Had to go through northern Ca first for a couple of days.  Arrived at Sparks Marina Rv Park.  Gps did alright but by the time we came in it was dark and Reno doesn't have lighted street signs.  It was real hard to see which road we were on.  Finally I spotted the Sparks Marina sign all lit up and way up high for travelers to see.  The office was closed but paperwork was left for us and we settled into a very long pull thru site that had a picnic table and astroturf grass, real nice.  We were to be there for about a week and the next day we were to meet our friends dave and Teresa for breakfast at the El Dorado Casina.  It is about 10 minutes away.  It is right on the city street and it took us a while to find the entrance to the parking garage.  I wasn't feeling well but that does not stop me from eating.  I have had a low grade fever since we were on the Oregon Coast, which was cold and damp even in August.  We had a nice breakfast, we were glad to see them.  Joel had some business in town so I hung around the coach and rested.  From Reno we were on the way to Las Vegas.  I miscalculated the distance and found out we could never drive it in one day.  We found a real isolated park along the way which had a huge pull thru.  We had to drive at least six more hours to reach Las Vegas.  It was so hot when we arrived, 100 degrees or more, we couldn't even step out of the coach.  I still wasn't feeling well so Joel went and did the laundry.  We had a nice dinner with my brother and his wife who live in Vegas about 20 minutes away.  They were so glad to see us.  We only stayed a few days and off we went to Palm Desert, Ca. 

THE OREGON COAST

Aug. 6, 2014, we arrive at Devils Lake Rv Park in Lincoln City, Oregon.  This park is across the street from a large beautiful lake.  The park itself is nice, but was up on a hill, so all sites even though they were large, were impossible to level.  We just walked crooked for 3 nights.  The first day we go to "klikos" for lunch, overlooking the beach and tide pools.  The food was o.k. but the view was better.  Before we went our car would not start, so a workamper jumped us with his golfcart.  We went out and bought a new battery.  Well, next day, same problem, jumped again and joel took the car to a specialty car repair shop.  After a few hours of troubleshooting, it is found that the electrical component that moves our electric seats was malfunctioning and was draining our battery.  Part was on back order so Joel disconnected it, memory seat still worked.  We took some nice scenic rides, the weather was low 60's and cold and damp.  We met Pete and Donna who we know from our winter home in Ca.  We were so surprised.  They were visiting family in Portland, and they recognized our car.  How do you like that?  Then we wintered 2 years ago  in Fort Pierce Fl and friends we met there, and we follow each other on facebook, well, they were in Tillamook an hour up the coast.  We each drive a half hour and meet in Pacific City and had a great dinner together.  All was not lost. 

Well, it is Aug. 9th and we are at Woahink Lake Rv resort in Florence, Oregon.  We have huge sand dunes behind us and a lake across the street.  Weather cold and damp.  One of the folks in the park takes Joel atv'ing in the dunes, made his week.  I do 2 loads of laundry and fight rotten weather, and an upset stomach.  We leave on the 15th, but our rig won't start.  Our battery minder not working, so the owner is nice enough to jump us from his truck.  After about a half hour we are on our way.

Aug. 15th, we pull into Nesika rv park , gold beach, Oregon, right near the ocean, colder and damper.  Oh, great, now it is drizzling.  It was the only place I could find with a pull thru to fit us.  Unfortunately, hard to make turns in this park.  Giant hedge scratches our trailer on the way in.  Then when we were leaving, had to move all the way to one side to avoid tree boughs.  Oh no, now we have huge gash in trailer from hitting the electrical receptacle box.  I am feeling worse with my stomach.

On Aug. 18th, we pull in Mad River Rapids Rv Park in Arcata, Ca.  We have long pull thru but with shrubs on one side.  Hook ups so far back we have to use 30 feet of sewer hose and an extra piece of cable wire.  We are only staying 2 nights.  We visit town of Ferndale, and drive around taking photos of beautiful Victorian buildings, weather still cold and damp, we stop at Loleta Cheese Factory, very small to watch cheese being made.  Can hardly wait to get to Sparks, Nevada, our next stop.

 

All these pics are the pacific ocean

at the Oregon coast, gorgeous rock formations

 

 

This is called the devils churn

 

 

 

Pictures of Victorian homes in Ferndale

 

 

 

Below pics of gardens in cheese factory gardens

 

 

 

These are our friends, Bob and Camille McCullough

 

CASCADE LOCKS, OREGON

It is Aug. 5th and we are here at Cascade Locks Koa in Oregon.  We are only staying 2 nights so we have to accomplish a lot.  We got in before 2pm and set up and then went to see some gorgeous waterfalls about 20 minutes away.  I hope you like the pic.  I took a video but you will have to turn it sideways to watch.  It seems when you hold any camera vertically to take a video it will flip it 90 degrees.  Anyhoo, then we went to the fish hatchery where they raise trout and sturgeon.  We saw a 12 foot sturgeon named Herman and he is about 50 years old.  Had a nice dinner and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Well, today we have made arrangements to go zip lining in Stevenson, Washington which is right across from where we are over the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River.  It only took us about 20 minutes to get there and we were in a beautiful lodge.  We had lunch before we went on our tour and we both had the special which was corkscrew pasta with fresh marinara sauce with chicken breast and parmesan cheese.  We had some homemade bread with it and it was very filling.

Well, now to the zip line tour.  We got all geared up and had to take a long hike into the forest.  We climbed up hills to get to the first zip line platform.  This is really cool.  All in all we will take 8 zip lines across the forest, starting with very short to very long.  We also had to cross 3 suspension bridges to get to the platform and that was the hairiest part for me.  The first 2 were short and easy.  Then we had to rappel down to the ground to get to the furthest one.  This is not something for the faint of heart to do.  The rappelling was the favorite part for me.  I took a few pics and some video of me coming in to the last platform.  Enjoy.  Some is of us and others of the group we were with, a family of four.  We had a great time.  It took about 2 hours and the weather has cooled down a lot and was delightful.  Walking to one of the platforms we passed some blackberry bushes and had a snack.

All in all a wonderful day.  One more thing crossed off the bucket list.  Tomorrow we go to Lincoln City, Oregon on the coast, oh we will be having crabs and clams all week.  Yum, yum.

Waterfall above and Joel below

cooling his feet in the pool of the waterfall

 

 

 

 

Herman the Sturgeon

 

 

Beautiful rainbow trout

 

 

All geared up and ready to go

 

 

 

 

Joel is first up

 

 

Joel rapelling down

 

 

 

 

He looks tough

 

 

This is me, wheeeee

 

 

 

Below is video of waterfall in case one above didn't work