Christmas is Over for Another Year

Christmas 2008 turned out to be a wonderful time with lots of laughs, pool, dart and card games (with Ted and Lenore being declared Champs!!) an abundance of food including a 16-layer jello salad and good cheer, many late nights and early mornings, comfortable sleeps for the "old folks" and not so comfy nights for the "youngins", a few hockey games, movies, music, and a mini Mac convention.

Our company left this morning. The house is quiet and almost put back to order. Laundry is being done and I am looking at the tree and wondering how much longer it will last. Senor Ping and I will be eating leftovers for a few days to come and thankfully Allan and Megan have a few more days with us so we won't be so lonesome. Thanks to all our family for contributing to Christmas 2008. Can't wait for 2010!

Its getting closer...

If you think you've got problems!!! (Thanks Trudy)

Almost Ready For Christmas

Christmas 2008 will be celebrated with the Baileys'. In 2006 we were at Ted's and this year we will gather in Eatonia. That means Senor Ping and I have some things to do to get ready. Last week we picked up a "real" Christmas tree. It only took me half a day to get it decorated. The shopping is done (well, almost) and the gifts are wrapped and tucked away. I have stocked the deep freeze with cookies and tarts, picked out a turkey and started planning menus.
I can hardly wait!!

Getting the Home Theatre Ready....

Well, Lenore and I went to Medicine Hat on Wednesday to pick up the new tv, a bunch of Christmas lights (led's of course) - they were on sale, the advantage of waiting til the middle of December to set up your lights, and A REAL CHRISTMAS TREE!!! This is the first real tree we have had in 8 years... the last time we hosted the family christmas.

Family-feel invited to bring your favorite Blu-Ray player and disks.... we can hook them up.

Here are pictures of my latest toys arrived just in time for christmas. I would especially like to thank Gary for sending the speakers my way, and Visions for realizing it was in their best interests to replace my old Hitachi on warranty with the new Samsung.

Home Again

We have arrived safe and sound in Eatonia. Our trip home was quite uneventful. We enjoyed 2 days in Laughlin and saw a bit of the "Black Friday" shopping in the outlet mall. It opened at midnight on the 28th but we didn't venture to the mall until later in the day. I have never seen crowds in that mall like I did that day. Usually there is only a handful of shoppers and never a lineup at the cashiers but I got a small taste of the crowds as I did some bargain hunting.

The rest of the trip was smooth sailing. The price of gas seemed to be dropping as we headed north and in some places we paid over $2 per gallon less than we did last spring. In Montana we paid $1.30 per gallon less than when we went south 6 weeks before. This should be good news for the all the snowbirds, even if the dollar has dropped.

Now that we are home it is time to think about Christmas and the Dinner theatre. 23 sleeps until the Baileys' arrive and only 2 months until Opening night for Dearly Beloved!!

It Really Does Rain In Arizona

Senor Ping and I awoke this morning to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof of the 5th wheel and for a minute I thought I was camping back home. Many moons ago when our family spent the summer traveling across Alberta and Saskatchewan with trailer in tow we could always be guaranteed at least a thunder shower every day or at least every couple days. We learned to entertain the kids with rowdy games of Yatzee or Talk About and never left home without a couple umbrellas, rubber boots, tarps, rain gear and credit cards (for those camping trips when it rained every day we would eventually trek to the nearest mall and spend the afternoon drying out). The farmers even considered paying us to camp at home during the dry years, as it seemed everywhere we went it rained.

However, we are in the desert and rain is not a common occurrence. As a matter of fact this is the first rain we have encountered in our three trips south. The rain has been in the weather forecast since last week but the people we have discussed the weather with assured us that it wouldn't amount to much. Along with the rain came strong winds and everyone was outside at 6:00 AM rolling up their awnings and anchoring things that might start blowing around. Then it quit and I decided to carry on with my plans for our last day in Yuma. I had laundry going, got the outdoor carpets rolled up and the lawn chairs put away, enjoyed a visit with Susan from back home and then the rain started again. It continued to rain for a couple hours. There are puddles everywhere, water running through the "wash" and the golf carts have come to a halt. We found the rain quite refreshing and another "first " to record on our blog!!

The Links At Coyote Wash

This morning our friend Bob, Senor Ping and I went golfing at the Links At Coyote Wash. The course is at Wellton, approximately 15 miles east of our park. We left before sunrise and were quite surprised at how much cooler the temperature was on the other side of the mountain. We had to wait for the daylight before we could tee off on the first hole.




The 18 hole course is in excellent shape with beautiful landscaping and new homes sprouting up all around. The course had many challenges including water on many holes, cavernous sand traps (of which Bob and I had plenty of opportunity to experience) and a lengthy drive between some of the holes. I wonder how many golfers get lost each day?? The three of us enjoyed good scores and look forward to playing a couple more rounds before we head north.

Golfing in the Desert

A rare sight in the desert is a patch of deep grass. Lenore's shot found some of this at the Las Barrancas Golf Course.
Weather here is fabulous. Mid 80's (28C) and light breezes. We have been feasting on Mexican food. Last night's meal at Mi Rancho featured Al Pastor (pork) and carne somethng which is steak. Very nice! We have now been here for 3 weeks and have only 10 days left until we begin the great trek north.

Gaslamp Quarter and Old Town

After lunch Senor Ping and I went for a walk in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego. There are many turn of the century buildings which have been turned into sidewalk cafes, galleries, boutiques and restaurants. We took a break and stopped for a beer at one of the many bars and did some people watching.


Our final stop of the day was Old Town. This has become a favorite stop for us and we always find a place for mexican food. This trip we stopped at a place Megan recommended after her Old Town Culinary Tour while she was in San Diego in September. The food was great and the margaritas were a perfect end to a great day.

Cruising the San Diego Harbor

On Monday Senor Ping and I dropped Abbey off at the kennel and drove to San Diego for a bit of site-seeing and shopping. Our first stop was the harbor and a 1 hour cruise aboard the Lord Hornblower. We had a narrated tour of the south harbor.





After the cruise we strolled along the waterfront to Seaport Village for lunch, fish and chips seemed to be the appropriate choice. We were entertained by a guitar player as we ate.

This Week in Yuma

A little bit of golf, a little bit of guitar and a lot of desert marks our week in Yuma. Temperatures here have moderated, 75-80 degrees during the day and cool enough at night to get a good sleep. Also, a spending spree for me on eBay has yielded a new Ping Lob Wedge (now I gotta learn to hit it), and at the Arizona Marketplace has produced a new set of Nike Slingshot Irons for Lenore (She is hitting them like a pro)!

Today I'm looking forward to watching the Eastern and Western Semi-Finals on TSN. Until last night I couldn't receive any of the TSN signals from any of the Even Transponders (technical stuff, don't worry), but magically, perhaps an omen, TSN showed up on my screen last night! I will be able to watch the games live! Go Riders!

Lenore is off doing laundry this morning. Abbey and I washed the truck. (Drive thru's are so great). Anybody got any ideas how to get rid of the bugs from the front bumper and grill? I bought some magical cleaner at the Marketplace BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. It was called snake-oil or something like that. Beware of these gimmicks....

Hello to all that read our blog. We are fine and doing well in the desert.

db

Last week at Parker Arizona

Here are a couple of pictures of our campground at Parker Arizona that we stayed at. The Colorado River is spectacular! Lots of fishing, boats, and opportunities to throw your dog in the water. Also the fabulous Emerald Canyon Golf Course is a treat.

Settling in In Yuma

We arrived in Yuma on Monday in the midst of a heat wave. The temperatures have been unseasonably high, 38C, with lows in the evenings of 23C. Our first night brought hot winds also so it was like having the furnace blowing all night long. since then it has cooled of a bit ad the evenings are very pleasant.
We are in the same site as last year, recognizing some of our neighbors as they return to their winter homes. We have spent our days at the pool and reorganizing around the site. Abbey seems to know her way around the park and headed for the same path we walked each morning last February.
We also enjoyed a visit with friends from Eatonia, Ann and Gerry Rhodes, who are getting some dental work done in Mexico. Last evening we went for dinner with them and today we are planning to meet at the Flea Market.
I am planning to buy some Halloween treats today. Our neighbors told me that we may see some youngsters out trick or treating tomorrow. I imagine there may be a few "oldsters" out and about as well. The park seems to be coming alive with more snowbirds arriving each day and the regular programs such as aquacizes, jam sessions etc are in full swing next week.

A Punch In the Face

Last year it was called being tagged, now its a punch in the face. If I was still on the playground doing supervision I would say the game is getting too rough but I'm not so I will go along with the newest Blog game.

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Carving pumpkins with Kindergarten and Grade 1 students
2. Directing 3 plays for the upcoming high school dinner theatre
3. Driving Megan and allan to volleyball, basketball and hockey games
4. Timekeeping for the Eatonia Spartans (I think they would have been in playoffs)
5. Trying to keep up with day to day chores at home and school

5 things on my to do list today: (By the way, I have a good start on my to do list, having done 4 of the 5, just need to go for a swim and that will be happening soon)

1. Laundry
2. Take Abbey for a walk
3. Going for a swim
4. Updating my blog
5. Reading my book

5 snacks that I love:

1. chocolate
2. appetizers made with cream cheese
3. more chocolate
4. salsa and tortilla chips
5. and more chocolate

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire :

1. Pay off my childrens' debt! All of it. Student loan, car loan, et cetera.
2. Buy a large motor home.
3. Take yearly vacations to exotic places.
4. Take my family on a vacation to Europe
5. Buy Senor Ping a sporty car to tow behind the motorhome

5 places I've lived:

1. Eatonia
2. Kerrobert
3. Saskatoon
4. Yorkton
5. a farm by FoneHill

5 jobs I've had:

1. Floral delivery girl
2. Summer Playground coordinator for Special Needs children
3. Laundry room at Hospital
4. Teacher
5. Substitute Teacher

5 people I punch:

1. Colleen H.
2. Diving Diva
3. Donna from Kirkville
4. Raymondo
5. Allan

Parked at Parker

Senor Ping and have spent the last 3 nights at Buckskin State Park just outside of Parker. We were fortunate to get the last full hookup site overlooking the river. The campground is full, many of which are families and campers from Arizona. hard to impagine going camping for a weekend in October but that is life in Arizona. It has been very warm but we golfed 2 rounds at Emerald Canyon and it is as spectacular as we remembered. The rates are very reasonable, $15 per person for 18 holes of golf cart included. Yesterday we met some people from Saskatchewan and soon discovered that I had taught their daughters in Kerrobert. Today we golfed with a couple from Whistler. Abbey has enjoyed a swim in the river and meeting all the other camping dogs. It seems that every camper has at least one dog.
We are very happy with the campground with the exception of no internet service. The scenery is wonderful, nothing like sitting on the bank of the river as the sun rises and sets each day. We plan to spend a few more days here before moving on to Yuma. This evening we finally found service at the campground we stayed at last spring. Looks like we can spend a few more days here for sure!!

Next Stop: Laughlin

We aren't straying too farnfrom our usual path this trip. After a quick stop in Mesquite to clean the inside and outside of the 5th wheel and to stock up on some supplies we are heading to Laughlin. We have offers for 2 free nights at a couple of the casinos so we are going to take advantage of the offer. Abbey will spend the nights at a kennel across the river.

From Laughlin we are going to make the short trip to Parker and we hope to golf at Emerald Canyon again. And then finally at the end of the week we will head to Yuma and settle in for a while. The weather is beautiful, I was out for a walk at 7:00 AM with just a t-shirt and shorts. There doesn't seem to be the crowds and traffic that we have seen in February or April so that is also very pleasant. So far all is going great.

Mesquite, here we come!

We had a long day of driving yesterday but there wasn't much traffic and even the drive through Salt Lake City was less stressful than usual. We spent the night at the East Bay Campground. It is one of the nicest RV parks we have ever stayed at. Everything was clean, easy access from the freeway and friendly staff. We are taking our time this morning, as we have a shorter drive today. We will stop in Mesquite for the night. I want to give the trailer a good cleaning and then do some shopping for groceries. If there is time we may even take some time for a margarita by the pool. We are never sure what kind of internet service we will have for the next few days so we may not be posting until we get settled in Laughlin. By the way, it was about 10 C last night and we are looking at 28 to 32C for the next few days.

Here We Go Again

Senor Ping and I have decided to venture south with the ducks and geese this fall. Actually, we may be ahead of the ducks and geese since there are still American hunters dressed in full camoflouge strolling the streets of Eatonia and that means there are still some birds left to shoot. Anyway, we were packed and on the road by 1:30 this afternoon. I would like to say that the trip to Great Falls was uneventful but that would be a lie. We were about 30 miles from Medicine Hat and Senor Ping decided to let me in on a secret....we were almost out of gas. Apparently the strong winds had some bearing on how fast we were using gas and it was touch and go whether we would reach the first gas station. Thankfully we made it to the gas station and we now have an idea of just how many litres of gas the truck actually holds.
Back on the road and the cell phone rang. Allan had a few questions about setting up and positioning the satellite dish. It was nice to visit with him and say our goodbyes. And then Raymondo started texting us with the score of the Edmonton-B.C. football game. Needless to say the trip went by quickly and we are now set up at the RV park in Great Falls for the night. The weather is great, shirt sleeve temperatures at 9:30 PM. We have the furnace on in case it cools off overnight, Shreddies for breakfast and high speed internet. Life is good!!
We will aim for Provo tomorrow and unless we get slowed down by weather will be in Nevada by Sunday. I'm looking forward to short and sandals once again. And just so you know....V R having fun!!

Sandtrap

It is raining today and I can't get out of the house. I found this picture from last year and thought it appropriate to use to show you what I'd rather be doing.

db

One Month and counting....

Well it is time to start thinking about Arizona. We are planning to leave about a week after Thanksgiving. First stop will be the Grand Canyon and then Route 66 to either Laughlin or south to Phoenix/Mesa etc. Thought I would post a few pictures from last year's trip to get myself into the mood.