Golfing in the Desert

Yesterday Senor Ping and I tried out a new golf course in Yuma. Las Barrancas is an 18 hole course in the foothills. They have putting and chipping greens and a driving range that is included in the price of 18 holes. We played as a threesome with a fellow Canadian who was familiar with the course. We really appreciated his tips and advice. The view was spectacular and it was quite an experience. Prior to yesterday we had played 3 rounds at the golf course in our park. That course is like golfing in a pasture and I think the greens are comparable to putting in our backyard. At Las Barrancas we were faced with all kinds of challenges including ravines, cliffs, water and GPS on the golf cart. And very fast undulating greens. We will definitely play this course again.

Yuma Air Show

Senor Ping and I went to the Air Show on Saturday. We arrived early and avoided the lineups at the gate and parking. There were numerous booths with giveaways and promos as well as a few rides for the younger visitors. We spent most of the day sitting in our lawn chairs watching the aerial show. There were numerous demonstrations ranging from small stunt planes to F16 fighter jets. There was also a variety of military equipment for visitors to check out. Some of the stunt pilots were available for autographs and there were numerous military personnel available to answer any questions. A great day!

Mi Casa Su Casa

This is the place we are going to be calling home for the next month. We are situated in the middle of the block with the swimming pool, small meeting room and main office in one direction and the recreation room with pool tables and showers in the other direction.


Here is our site.

Senior Follies Part 2

Here I am in the recreation room at the RV park. I am getting ready to Skype Megan but I am waiting for the crowd to thin out or for the table poolside to become available. In the meantime I do a casual glance around the room and what do I see: 2 ladies working on jigsaw puzzles. Mind you it's not the same puzzle. They each have their own 1000 piece puzzle sitting on the same table. I ask myself, "Do you think they ever try to put the other's person's puzzle pieces in their own puzzle?"
This morning I decided to check out the aerobics class. It could have been a scene out of our recent dinner theatre. I felt like I was working out with Mildred and Sarah Jane. (I must admit I did get a good workout, maybe not quite up to Rose's level but I did feel like I had stretched and worked some of those highly inactive muscles) I also attended the water exercises later in the morning. A new instructor took over this morning and a 55 minute workout was completed in 30 minutes. One of the other participants thought maybe the instructor had taken an extra "energy pill" this morning.
I think I will have to do a bit more observing of life at this park and maybe start working on the script for Senior Follies: Part 2. Maybe we could set the play in an RV park. But absolutely no Kung Fu!!

Monday, Monday

It seems that part of getting old and being retired is that you just can't get yourself out of the need for routine. So, here we are in sunny Arizona, with nothing pressing on the agenda (that means we aren't thinking about the annual teachers' convention we usually attended at this time every year). This morning we got up when Abbey insisted we get up, drank a pot of coffee while reading on the patio and then said to ourselves,"What shall we do now?" We decided to check out the golf course connected to the Rv park. Its short 9 hole, not in the best of shape, but the price is right. I wouldn't say it was my best game I've played but no one needed to wear a "golf helmet" this time and I didn't lose a club. The down side was there was no La Palapa to go to at the end of the game for quesadilias and our favorite beverages. We spent the rest of the day by the pool and continue to enjoy the pleasant weather.
Tomorrow it will be laundry day and maybe Senor Ping will fix my bike. It seems that I have 2 flat tires and I haven't even gone for a bike ride yet. There is a jam session in the afternoon so we may check that out and see if Senor Ping can play a few tunes.

Safe and Sound in Yuma

We have arrived and are set up for a month at the Fortuna De Oro Rv Park in Yuma. We spent 3 nights in Laughlin at the Riverside Park before finally heading down here. The day we arrived in Laughlin was warm and sunny but then we had 2 days of strong wind and cool weather. Not the weather you would like to have if you want to relax outside so we ended up checking out the casinos. Doug played with their money and I spent Doug's... needless to say neither of us came away a winner. The WIFI was very poor in the park but we did discover a site at the Outlet mall so we were at least able to check our email.
We had a nice drive down to Yuma, checking out the California side of the Colorado River and then crossing over to Quartzite. Although the busy season is over, there were still quite a few RVs parked in the desert. With the wind we had the last few days that would not be my idea of a place to stay. When we drove to our site here at the park we were greeted by our neighbors and their guests, all from Saskatchewan, BC and Alberta. The men took it upon themselves to assist Doug with backing up and parking the trailer. I am sure the staff at Eaton School will be glad to hear we parked without taking out part of the fence. Our first priority was to get the satellite dish set up so we could watch the ladies curling and catch up on what is happening at home.
We are looking forward to doing some relaxing by the pool and plan to head to the driving range tomorrow. It is also time to get Abbey a haircut, hopefully not quite as short as last year. I am sure we will be busy, but not too busy to have a beverage or two and think about our friends back home in the snow!

3:11 To Yuma

I woke up at 8:00 AM to the sound of the wind howling. There were extreme wind chill warnings and even a blizzard warning for south of us. We were undecided about weather we would be able to leave but had things ready to go if the weather improved. At noon we headed to the hall. Clean up at the hall was done by the most efficient crew I have ever seen. In less than 2 hours everything was taken down, put back, scrubbed, cleaned and polished.
We headed home, finished packing, loaded the truck and finally we were on our way. One look at the clock and Senior Ping and I started to laugh. Exact departure time: 3:11. Destination: Yuma (for those of you wondering if we have lost it, we recently saw the movie 3:10 To Yuma)
Between Eatonia and Great Falls we saw the temperature climb from -18 to +6, drove through rain and drifting snow (at separate times) and had an easy border crossing. We hope to reach Salt Lake City tomorrow and then spend a few days in Laughlin before settling in Yuma.

Senior Follies

Oasis Players Dinner Theatre is over for another year. We had another successful program. The meal was excellent, the drinks were flowing, the pre-show music was outstanding and the play was one of the funniest I have seen. The audience of over 600 loved every minute of it.
Now, we were not without the odd glitch that added to the excitement of the show. Like when one of the cast members got a little overzealous during the curtain call and joined the guests in the front row for minute or two. (Note to one self: when doing a play about a group of seniors add "don't break a hip" along with "Break a leg").
And because we are in the midst of winter it is no surprise that weather would finally play a part in our show. Friday brought strong winds, poor visibility and high wind chills. The phone rang all day, will the show still go on? Things died down just a bit around 5:00 and the guests started to arrive. I think there were only 20 empty seats and those that braved the cold loved every minute of the best performance of the weekend.
And then there was the final night. The cast pulled out all the stoppers. There was a bit of improvisation and adlibbing going on and no one knew what to expect including me, the director. After the final curtain call, everyone was ready to party! There was music and dancing until the wee hours of the night. As a matter of fact Senior Ping and I snuck out at 3:30 and many were still going strong.
All that is left is the clean up and then I can start reading plays for next year!

On With the Show

I am about to head to the hall for our final rehearsal of Senior Follies. The ladies in the kitchen have been peeling and chopping vegetables and making desserts all day. The liquor has arrived and the wine and beer are chilling. The tables are set and the window display completed. There are only a few last minute items on my checklist. After 4 1/2 months of rehearsing the show is ready to go. Now I can only cross my fingers that everyone stays healthy and sit back and enjoy!
On the home front, the 5th wheel has been moved from the backyard and we will be able to load clothes, books and other items tomorrow. Abbey is getting very excited because she can see the 5th wheel from her favorite spot in the window and every time I step out the door she acts as if we are planning to leave her at home alone. The weather forecast looks very good so if all goes well we should be on our way on Sunday.