January 2 – 18, 2024 Our Time in Yuma, AZ

(First, my apologies.  I am updating on 01/29/24.   Second, since this blog is for you and me, it may sound a little like a diary on what we have been doing.  Sometimes I do this so I don’t forget – and these days it is easier to forget.  LOL!)

And for the next sad news....   I have lost all of my blog pictures from 2021 to 01/01/24.  Not really lost, however,  but the links are broke, sort of.  I used Live Writer which saved the pictures to Google Drive (since 2020).  Those links were severed without a notice to me.  From doing my research, the only way to have them all appear on the blog is to republish all of them.  GRRR!  The ones previous to 2020 are all good.   (Hopefully someone will come up with a better way to link them but until then.. GRRRR!)

Thank God, I downloaded a PDF every time I published so I still have those photos..

There is a small box next to the picture title.  That should take you to the picture.  Apparently that link is not broken.  Crazy..  If anyone knows how I can fix without republishing, please let me know.

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On January 2nd, our friend Sue arrived to spend the next few weeks with us.  It was so great to see her and her dog Annie and get caught up with each other.

On January 3rd, the three of us headed to Los Algodones, Mexico to have lunch with Peg, Larry, and Bob at the El Paraiso.  Love that restaurant – food, music, and colorful surroundings.

Me, Bob, Larry, Sue,  Andy:

Larry, Sue, Andy, Me, Peg:

The border wall and line – it was not too bad that day:

More border wall – we noticed a lot of construction and a double wall this year.  Not sure why?:

On Thursday, January 4th, I went to see Karl at A-Z Window Fashions in the Foothills.  Last year he repaired one of our MCD shades and this year he repaired another.  Great guy, great service at a great price.   After a stop at Fry’s, we finished the day with a nice Happy Hour.  Sue and our neighbors, Chuck and Linda, joined us.

On Friday, January 5th, I stopped over to see the KoFa ladies at coffee:

Then headed to the Yuma Marketplace with Andy and Sue.  There were many more vendors this year – I am so glad.  One of the old Swap Meets on the other side of town has shut down and a number of the vendors moved here. 

From there we went to the American Veterans for lunch:

Followed by a visit to the Moose Lodge – what a great day!

On Saturday, 6th, our friends, Larry and Cheryl, were passing thru on their way to have dental work done in Los Algodones.  We were able to meet them for lunch and get caught up but I forgot to get a picture.  We will see them again in Casa Grande later this year.

Sunday, 7th, was a hang out day so we just hung out!  😁😁😁

Monday, 8th, found us in Los Algodones for my dental appointment with Dr. Roberto Acre at the Smille Shop.   A filling fell out about 2 months ago so I needed it fixed.  Once he showed me the x-ray, I knew I needed more than that.  So I had a root canal and a temporary cap put on until Wednesday.

It was great to see Dr. Roberto again.  We have been with him since 2009 and it was great to get caught up.  Turns out when he looked at my records, he did those fillings in 2014 – 10 years ago!

So, of course, we had to stop for lunch – Garlic Shrimp and Margaritas – Life doesn’t get any better!

It took about 1.5 hours to get back across.  Always fun chatting with the folks along the way!

On Tuesday, 9th, I dropped off my little Bella at the Yuma Veterinary Clinic to have her dental.  Glad to report that she did good and no teeth were removed.  Yea!  (If you have been following my blog, we found Bella alongside the road in 2011.  She had been abused and had to have some of her jaw reconstructed.  And I was told then, she may lose many of her teeth.  Sadly, she only has a few left now so I was glad she could keep them!).

Wednesday, 10th, it was back to Dr. Roberto to finish up my dental work and to have Andy’s teeth cleaned.

Of course, a visit to El Paraiso:

Yummy!

This day it took 2.5 hours to get across!  Still fun talking with the folks along the way.

Thursday, 11th,  was a hang out day - sort of.  Our lot in the Yuma Co-op has beautiful landscaping but a small and "crappy" shed.  We have talked about updating the lot and that is all we did.  But in the last week, there are a number of lots that were relinquished and were up on the bulletin board to check out.  So we spent today checking on those lots.  There is one that we really like so we told the lot transfer committee.  Now all we do is wait.  If no one higher in seniority is interested, we will get the one we want.  Fingers crossed.

Friday, 12th, Sue and I met Peg for Art in the Park in Yuma.  Folks are so creative!  There is a place that teaches silversmithing so that is on our list for next season!  After walking around, we made our way to Lutes Casino for lunch.

Aren't we just the cutest!

After Peg left, Sue and I walked around downtown and then met Andy at the American Vets.

What a great day!

Saturday, 13th, Sue was not feeling well so I went to the Yuma Quilt Show - WOW!  The talent again.  I was able to pick up a few items for my sewing.  Saw a number of kits that I may just have to try.  Next year 😀.

Sunday, 14th, was another hang out day ending with a Happy Hour with Sue, Stan and Beth.

Monday, 15th,  Sue and I were off to a craft fair at Coyote Ranch and a nice lunch at Chretin's Mexican Restaurant.  Great food and Happy Hour Margarita prices all day!   

Andy was not feeling well on Monday and I came down with the bad cold on Tuesday.. Wednesday was the same and Thursday, I finally did get out for some groceries.  Sheesh, I hate being sick.

But the great news is that we got Lot 30, so we will be transferring next week.  Pictures to follow.

Tomorrow, Friday, 19th, we are heading up to Quartzsite for lots of bargain hunting - maybe..  LOL!

Until then, enjoy today.

 

March 24–30, 2023 Our time in Yuma

On March 24th, 2023 we traveled west with me driving – slowly getting use to the MH.  We made it to Dateland where we took a break and got a date shake – YUM!

Andy took over after that.  We made a stop for fuel in Yuma where we disconnected and he went to the park while I went to Sun Vista RV Park.

In January, they had a craft sale and were chancing off a quilt.  Well I won it…   So I went to their quilting group, met the quilters and collected my winning quilt.  Here it is.

 

Isn’t it beautiful.  It will be staying here in the RV.

After setting up and getting fuel for the car, we stopped at the Amvets for supper.  Yum!

Miles Traveled: 172 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Arizona: S. Montgomery Road; I-8; Avenue 3E; E County 17th

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Saturday found us at the Marketplace where we picked up a few items and we got a really nice bike rack for the car.  Andy has been struggling with the one we have so it is nice to have one that will make it easier on both of us.

On Sunday, my birthday, we cleaned out the shed – WOW! Was it dusty.  So we packed up items that will be going to PA and everything else went into totes.  Hopefully the dust will not get into the totes. 

We finished the evening at the Ice Cream Social!  Nice end to my day!

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On Monday, we went to Los Algodones to see Dr. Roberto (Acre of The Smille Shoppe).  Andy had a few problems but Dr. Roberto fixed him up.  I had the final pin put in and an impression done.  Afterwards, we stopped at one of the restaurants that we used to go to years ago. 

Garlic Shrimp and Margaritas – YUM!

And music:

Here is the outside area – you can see Andy on the left at the bar:

By mid-afternoon, we were heading across the border.  There was no line –

The border wall:

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On Tuesday, 28th, we went to EATS (Asian Buffet) to celebrate all the March and September birthdays from the park.  Great eats – LOL!

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On Wednesday, 29th, we were back across the border to finish up my tooth.  Too early in the morning for a margarita so it will have to wait until next season – LOL!

As many of you know, I have problems finding a hairdresser on the road that deals with natural curly hair.  In January, on a recommendation from a friend, I went to Traci at All Seasons Beauty Bar.  She shaped me up from a bad haircut in October.  So I was able to get in with her this week.  Since I am trying to grow my hair a little longer, she did a great job with cutting and shaping.  She is definitely on my list for next season! Cool thing is she use to live near me in PA – small world.

We finished the day with a get together with Barb and Larry getting caught up.

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Today, Thursday, 30th, was laundry and pack up day.  But I was able to get a few more pictures around the park.

Our lot here in Yuma:

We are surrounded by park models.  At first I did not like it but realize it does offer us a lot of privacy.

Behind the motorhome:

The bricks are the edge of our lot.  If we decide to keep this lot, we will probably put a fence along the back and partway up the sides.

Our shed:

The shed is not in the best of shape and we are planning to replace it.

The view from the back of the lot:

Our plans are to add more concrete, get a better and bigger shed with maybe a patio and pavers in the back.  However, if there is another lot available with a newer shed, we may take that one instead.  I am still undecided – LOL!

Our ocotillo is in bloom:

Our cactus is just starting to bud – we will miss it – :

Our neighbors azalea – Beautiful!:

More flowers in the park:

My greeter:

This was only a short stay. We will be here longer next season!

Tomorrow we begin our slow journey east, first stop is Casa Grande.  So stay tuned and enjoy today.

December 26, 2022 to January 18, 2023 Our time in Yuma

Wow!  Does time fly when you are having fun…

Friends, New Friends, and Reconnections:

The most important thing we have done over the past few weeks was reconnect with folks we have not seen in a while and meet some new ones. 

On New Year’s Eve, Peg and Larry invited us out to their place in the desert for a nice party and celebration with their friends.  What a great time!  We reconnected with Jim, Jean, Bob, Peg’s mom and her husband and met new friends Merle and Tami.

A few weeks later part of that group met for breakfast at the Q.  Sadly Jim had a medical issue and was life flighted to Phoenix.  Keep him in your prayers.

I reconnected with two of my beading buddies, Sandy and Phyllis, for lunch one day.  It was great to see them and get caught up.  I hope to see them again when we come back to Yuma.

We had lunch with Nora and Lou.  I met Nora during Bead Week many years ago and we stayed in touch when she traveled and when we came to Yuma.  She has remarried and it was great to meet Lou.  They are heading back to Florida so hopefully we will see them again next season.  It was great to get caught up.

We visited with folks that we had met in Casa Grande who are now in the Yuma Park: Larry and Barb, Bonnie and Ken, Chuck and Linda.  Hopefully we will see them again when return in March.  Great getting caught up.

We had a few happy hours with Cal and Kitty and new friends, Stan and Beth.   What fun!

Another friend from Casa Grande, Howard, also came thru Yuma and we met him for supper one night.  It was nice seeing him.

We were just getting to know a few others from the park activities but then everything was cancelled because of folks getting Covid or the flu or what I called years ago… “the desert crud”.   The park reopened right before we left – oh well.

Sorry no pictures.  I was just having a great time enjoying the visits.

Mexico and Meeting Fellow Bloggers:

We had our second appointment with Dr. Roberto in early January.  We both had check-ups from the start of our implants and we each had a tooth fixed. Our final is in April.

We stopped for fish tacos for lunch – Yum.  We were joined by two wonderful ladies, Diane and Sue.  Oh my goodness, we just laughed and laughed.  I am always amazed at how easily it is to chat with folks you just meet.

From there, we did a little shopping, picked up a few medications, and went for a margarita – it was WONDERFUL!

As we are sitting there and enjoying the views and the weather, I look over at one of the tables and I said to Andy, “I know those folks”.  I follow a few blogs and here were three of those bloggers.  So we stopped on the way out and introduced ourselves.  What fun.  It is always nice to meet fellow bloggers.

They are:

Doug from “Miss Adventure Travels”

Deb and Riley from “On a long and lonesome highway..”

Tom and Deb from ”Celebrating the Dance”

You can see their posts from that day – great pictures of Mexico:

https://missadventuretravels.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-great-day-with-friends.html

https://murpheys.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-very-wonderful-day-with-friendsand.html

https://tdcelebratingthedance.blogspot.com/2023/01/two-sunrises-enjoying-time-with-friends.html

Since I follow their blogs, hopefully we will meet up again and spend some time.

We are scheduled to be back to the dentist in early April and I do want to enjoy one of those margaritas again – LOL

Tourist..well not so much:

I have totally enjoyed the craft fairs, the quilt show, the flea markets, the swap meets, the thrift stores, and the junk shops.  I think I covered most of them.   Did I get anything?  Well, a few odds and ends for the motorhome and a few more pieces of Pfaltzcraft for my collection.  But I love looking, talking to folks, seeing what people sell and seeing what people make.  Lots of creativity out there.

We did get to another “Howling at the Moon”.  It was cloudy and the moon did not get above the clouds until after we left.  (We were meeting a friend for dinner.)  Oh well, next time.  But it was fun even without the howls – LOL!

I did get one picture of the moon on our way out:

We also visited the local Moose Lodge and the Amvets a few times – even played bingo and meat draw – Lots of fun!  And went to the Date Festival for some great date shakes.

RV and Gremlins and Upgrade:

In the past month, the only thing that broke was our shower head – easy to fix.  Hope the gremlins stay quiet in the new year.

Our water tank is under our bed and the bed takes two people to lift it. And we do not trust our water gauges.  (A few months ago, it said 1/3 and there was no more water…. (Thank God I was finishing my shower when it started to spit!). 

On a side note: We use blink cameras at home and a few months ago Amazon had another great sale and I ordered more.  So we got to thinking…Maybe put a camera there.  And that is what did and it seems to be working great.  We also are going to use some of those cameras around the motorhome when we are parked.  And the great thing is that the system is separate from our house at no extra cost!

Status of windshield covers: Apparently no one has the pattern for this RV yet.  I did find a place in Montana that sells the material I need so I will order when I get home and I guess, I will be making them.  We will see how that goes.  (On the material it is not that no one else sells it, it just that they sell it by the bolt and I don’t need a bolt.  This company in Montana sells it by the foot.)

 

Our lots:

We walked around the park quite a few times looking at other lots: how they are situated and what type of sheds, pavers, and concrete are there.  We are trying to get an idea of what we want to do with our lot or if we are going to do anything.

I still can’t make up my mind…… And my poor Andy has told me that he is done deciding…  LOL!

Ending and Request and Future:

We have enjoyed the weather, the sites around Yuma and the sunrises and sunsets (sorry no pictures), reconnecting with old friends and meeting new.

Please also keep my friend Felicia in your prayers.  She was life-flighted to Allentown last week and is hanging in there.

So tomorrow we head to Quartzsite for two weeks and then to Emerald Cove for three weeks.  Our daughter and grandson are coming to visit so it will be fun.  Beyond that..I will figure that out next month.

Thanks for following along.  Stay tuned and enjoy today.

March 7-13, 2016 Our Last Week in Yuma

WOW!  Hard to believe that this season is winding down and we will be heading north east soon. 

This week was also another busy one:

On Monday, we measured our lot, decided what our first steps next season will be, and submitted the schematic to the Lot Development Committee.  We will not be doing anything until we come back down but we wanted to know if we have to change anything before we apply for the permits.

So what are the changes… well, a new, larger shed located closer to the front of the lot.  That way we can develop the back part of the lot into a patio or even a temporary Arizona room.  Stay tuned for the changes.

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Tuesday was spent in Los Algodones, Mexico for Andy’s dental – next step in the implant process.  We arrived at 10:30 and Irene walked us a few blocks to get X-Rays to ensure the bone graft (that he had done in December) was all healed.  Then back to the office.  Dr. Roberto (Dr. Roberto Arce Lopez of the Smille Shoppe) told us to come back in about an hour or so and he would have the results and then we would go from there.

So off we went to have a great chicken lunch (Thanks Larry for the recommendation) and some shopping in the Plazas.  We arrived back at the office around 12:30 and Dr. Roberto told us all was good and his surgery was scheduled for 1:30.  We walked around a little bit then came back and waited.  At 1:30, Irene walked us to the end of the block, we hopped in the Dr.’s Car and off we went a few blocks to the surgery center.  When we got out of the car, we walked down a narrow alleyway to the office (it turned out that this was a shortcut – the office was beautiful).  As we went down that narrow passage, Andy and I looked at each other and thought oh-oh…  Had we not been with Dr. Roberto for the last 7 years, we would have walked the other way.  The reason we went to the center is that Dr. Roberto is getting another certification and Andy’s surgery had to be observed by another doctor.

When it was all over, we went back to the office, finalized his next steps over the next few months, got his prescriptions and away we went  - across the border and home again.  A long day.

As of today, Sunday, Andy is doing well.  Still a little sore and a little swollen but that is to be expected.  In six to eight months, he will receive his permanent tooth – .

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Wednesday I went beading – finally finished one of my bracelets:

Really like the button closure!

Late afternoon, we went to dinner with JoAnn and Judd and had a great time getting caught up.  JoAnn and I met about four years ago in a laundry in Quartzsite, found out we had a lot in common, and remained friends ever since.  It was great to see them again.

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Thursday was hang out day until we went to the Yuma Historic Theatre to hear “Paperback Writer” a great Beatles tribute band.  They played for two hours with a short 10 minute break and had the audience singing along.

Here is their web page:  http://paperbackwritersite.com/

Next season we hope to see more shows here.

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Friday was spent getting the lot/shed ready for shutdown and the motorhome ready to go.  That afternoon, we went to see Sandy and Raul and then to the seafood buffet at the Q.  We had been just missing each other this season so we were glad to reconnect and get caught up.  (They are our son-in-law’s parents.)

And by the way, the seafood buffet was EXCELLENT!

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Saturday was spent doing laundry, cleaning and the final prep to summer-ize the lot.  I did get a chance to get around the park and take some pictures of the beautiful flowers:

The ocotillo is blooming:

The hummingbirds just love sitting in the ocotillo and it drives the kitties crazy:

Our neighbor’s cactus is blooming:

Beautiful flowing tree in boon-docking:

Oh my, the flowers and the brilliant colors:

Speaking of flowers, we can smell the orange blossoms every day from the citrus fields – it is wonderful!

The weather has cooled down a little and it is beautiful.  Even the kitties are being lazy:

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On Friday we (actually me, Diane) decided that since Andy’s swelling was down, we would go to Congress on Sunday for the Bead Retreat.  So I made reservations on Friday for the campground (still figuring that if his swelling was up we would cancel and go back to the doctor).

Well, Sunday, he was still good – there was only swelling around his gum/cheek area which was to be expected. So we finished shutting down and away we went.

Check out these citrus groves – we found out that after the fruit is picked, the cutter comes in and trims them – almost looks like my bushes at home:

We traveled up US-95 past the Big Guns (which is near the entrance to the Yuma Proving Grounds):

The desert has really greened:

For my friends that go to Quartzite in January – this is Kuehn Street today – very empty.  For my friends that do not go to Quartzsite, in January this is bumper to bumper traffic along with lots of folks on foot!

We continued east on I-10 – check out the flowers:

Then on US-60 thru Hope:

How cute:

Our journey continued:

Past a pecan farm:

Oh my.. a dust devil (tornado):

Coming into Wickenburg:

Heading to North Ranch, an Escapee Park, we saw this in the new traffic circle.  In 2008, there was a golfing community starting here but it did not happen.  Now the building of the new community is going strong:

We arrived, set up (our spot is next to Della and Bob – ), and I went to the Activity Center to register. I surprised our friends Geri and John – SO GREAT to see them.  It was SO GREAT to see the ladies that I have not seen in quite a few years also.  Can’t wait to spend more time this week with them.

After dinner, we visited with Geri and John and got caught up with each other in their new home.  WONDERFUL VISIT.

Today’s stats:

Miles Traveled: 186 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Arizona: East County 17th Street; Avenue 4E; East County 14th Street; US-195; Frontage Road; Fortuna Road; US-95; Kuehn Street; Riggles Avenue; I-10; US-60; Vulture Mine Road; US-93; SR-89

We will be here for a week so stay tuned and enjoy today!