Plans are always changing

One of the best parts of the way we travel is that we have the freedom to change our plans for any reason and at any time we want. Our "schedule" said we were going to Wickenburg, AZ for a couple of days, well the weather changed and it turned cold and they even had some snow. They don't call us snowbirds because we flock toward any amount of snow and cold. No sir we migrate away from that stuff. So we called to cancel and the nice lady there said it was "colder than a well drillers back". So we headed south again along the Colorado River toward Ehrenberg. Then the wind came up, so we stopped 50 miles short at the Blue Water Casino for a night and boondocked for two nights because it blew so hard. There are worse places to get stuck. This morning it's calm and we will finish our drive and stay at Ehrenberg for one night and then head out for Casa Grande.

 

Life is good in the desert.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Hight Times Along the Colorado River

This past week has just been a blast. We have been playing card games with Bill and Donna, Bill and I played poker a few times up at the club house. There was a Valentines dinner on Thursday, the meal was forgettable but the people were not.

Clockwise from Gorgie are Donna, Linda, Ken, Bill, and me.

They had a renewal of vows ceremony that Bill and Donna participated in.

Afterwards there was a bluegrass/gospel concert put on by the Haining Family, and they were actually very good.

We were joined on Thursday by some good friends Ken and Linda, who we met four years ago here in Colorado River Oasis. They are sure nice folks.

We all went to Quartzsite and had lunch at the Grubsteak Saloon, they have some good fish and chips there.

 

Yesterday evening we got together and played what else, cards. I laughed so hard my face hurt.

This post has taken me a week now to compose, every time I turned around there was something else I wanted to add or there was another picture to add, so I'm going to finish up now.

On our last evening in Ehrenberg Linda asked if we had ever launched Chinese luminaries of course we had not, well she had some, and after the sun set we all went down to the river. They are balloon shaped crepe paper that you carefully unfold and place a parrafin block on the bottom of and light.

When they get warm enough they lift off into the sky like a hot air balloon.

We all launched them and what a thrill to watch them rise into the sky and join the moon.

This had be one of the best highlights of our trip this year, what a great time with good friends.

 

Sadly we had to move on and are now in Bullhead City, AZ for a week. We are in the Ridgeview RV Park just across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV. It rained here last night and is still raining as I type, so I guess we'll have to find some indoor activities today ;~).

More Later,

Rich

 

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Travel Plans Continue

We are at the green dot not much here but desert and farming here along the Colorado River.

We have made some changes to our travel plans this year, some because Gorgie returned home for two weeks, and some because we wanted to. Here is a list of our plans for the rest of the season, subject change of course. Looks like we are halfway into our travels.

Winter 2013 Trip Plan

Here are our travel plans for the balance of the season.

1- Feb. 3 to 17 Colorado River Oasis Ehrenberg, AZ

2- Feb. 17 to 24 Ridgeview RV Resort Bullhead City, AZ (Laughlin, NV)

3- Feb. 24 to 27 Desert Cypress RV Wickenburg, AZ

4- Feb. 27 to March 7 Casa Grande RV Resort Casa Grande, AZ

5- March 7 to 9 Dad's place

6- March 9 to 23 St. David RV Resort St. David, AZ

7- March 23 to 24 Dad's place

8- March 24 to 26 travel to Ehrenberg

9- March 26 to April 2 Colorado River Oasis Ehrenberg, AZ

10- April 2 to 16 Indian Waters RV Resort Indio, CA

After Indian Waters we will head toward home, staying at some favorite spots along the way. The exact route and stops will depend on the weather and our mood at the time. We plan on being home in Brush Prairie between April 26 & 28.

More Later,

Rich

 

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A Long Awaited Update

It's not because we didn't do anything interesting, or didn't have anything to say, I was just lazy.

We had a great time with Bill and Donna at Pilot Knob.

We played lots of card games, and enjoyed the sunshine. They introduced us to a couple of new games. A couple of trips to Algodones, MX for souvenirs and some really good shrimp lunches. A few meals at some fine restaurants, a couple of trips to the casino sure makes for a wonderful time with good friends.

We visited Lutes Casino for burgers one afternoon, this place has been around since 1902. They once had an illegal casino that was accessed through a trapdoor, and the name has stuck. The house special was a burger patty and two fried hot dogs on a bun, they should have named it the widow maker, sure was good.

Sunday morning we parted company and traveled up to Colorado River Oasis in Ehrenberg, AZ, on the same road we took going south.

On a Sunday morning there was almost no other vehicles on the road making the drive enjoyable.

We are here for two weeks, the weather is very nice upper 70's every day although they are calling for some cooling on the weekend.

Yesterday we went over to Quartzsite, I was looking for a patio mat but struck out. There were few booths selling their wares compared to past visits so it was a disappointment.

On our walk yesterday evening we were treated to a gorgeous sunset.

 

This park is really a nice place, and popular too.

This morning Gorgie was off to her exercise class before the sun came up, now that is dedication.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Yuma, Arizona

We left Indio on Saturday and drove to Ehrenberg for one night because fuel was 40 cents cheaper per gallon and besides we really like it there.

Our drive to Yuma on Sunday was easy and scenic, it's a pretty good two lane road with little traffic. The desert views are pretty nice too. We are actually in Winterhaven, CA but the only town is Yuma and they use Arizona time here anyway.

We were followed into the Pilot Knob RV park by our good friends Donna and Bill.

We are spending the next two weeks here together and plan on having a good time, they are very nice folks.

Of course we had to make the mandatory trip to Algodones, Mexico, for the wonderful Camerones de ajo (shrimp in garlic sauce).

Donna took care of some dental needs and got herself a new pair of glasses, at home it takes 10 days to two weeks to get a new pair here it's under two hours and only costs $100.00, go figure.

We have been playing card games and yesterday we went up to the clubhouse to play cribbage and I won the first place prize of an ice cream sunday. Tomorrow we plan on driving up to Quartzsite for the big RV show. I'll have to take some pictures of that.

By the way the temperatures are in the low to mid 80's, I just had to throw that in.

More Later,

Rich

 

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All is Well.

Sometimes it just doesn't take long to return to normal. Gorgie returned to the desert yesterday and has settled into familiar routines like there was never a pause. I'm truly blessed to have her back with me.

Of course the first thing we had to do was to visit a favorite restaurant "Ruben and Ozzy's" in Palm Springs for a shrimp taco and a cup of their awesome clam chowder. Sorry no picture. Then it was home to unpack and settle in.

She seems to be over her short bout with some illness she probably picked up hanging out in the hospital, they are very unhealthy places after all. Sister Peggy has been settled into a nursing home for what will probably be a rather long recovery period.

Last night a celebration seemed in order so we went to the local casino and had a really wonderful Asian dinner at "Joy". That was followed by some profitable play at the three-card poker table, then it was home for some of the most pleasant and comfortable sleep either of us has had in the last two weeks.

Welcome Home Gorgie.

Saturday we are back where we left off on our travels. We are going to Yuma and will be meeting up with old friends Bill and Donna.. Life is good.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Cooped up today

The local weather reports called for high winds and the chance for some drizzle. Well you can't take the threat of drizzle too seriously here in the desert. They only had 1.95 inches in all of 2012, so that hasn't showed up but the wind sure did its blowing 25 to 30 MPH out there right now with gusts to 65, so I'm just going to sit It out until it blows over so to speak. I noticed my satellite dish had moved and lost its signal, when I went out to fix it it had fallen completely, so I'll just wait until it calms down a bit. The hummingbirds are having to hold on to the feeder I have set up so they can eat I think there are six or eight of them, you never know for sure because they never let others share at the same time. I just had to pause this post and pull in my slide its blowing so hard.

Gorgie is still attending to family matters at home and it is sure lonely without her. I don't know how many times I've said something to her before I remembered she was not there. I'm proud of her for helping her sister in her difficult times. Right now she is making arrangements for a nursing facility, and looking into long term care. The plan is for her to return to Palm Springs next Tuesday.

More Later,

Rich

If I don't blow away.

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When the going gets tough

First thing I need to report is that Peggy is improving, she is out of the ICU, and into a regular bed. She is facing what looks like a rather long recovery time, Gorgie is selecting a nursing home for her, and considering a long term care facility.

While that's good news, the really good news is that she is returning to me on the 15th. The plan has been to spend two weeks at Emerald Cove near Parker, AZ. I was going to move the motor home there and wait for her return. Well that would have required a 190 to 200 mile drive each way to pick her up (it's about the same distance to Las Vegas, Phoenix, or back here to Palm Springs. Well I decided that it would be better to just stay in this area for a while, so I made arrangements to go back to Indian Waters in Indio, and cancelled our stay at Emerald Cove. After all this is not such a bad place to be, the weather has been wonderful, with chilly nights and warm days (shorts and tee shirts).

So it was a though decision to make all by myself but as I said "When the going gets though".....

More Later,

Rich

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Tough Times

Gorgie's sister Peggy is having a rough time with her health. Things are not good, and require some attention. She is currently in intensive care and may face some serious surgery. Just as we have told folks in the past we are only a plane ride away, so today Gorgie is flying home to be near Peggy and to help with whatever is necessary.

I am going to be on my own for a while and, I sure will be lonely.

Our hearts go out to Peggy, and she is in our prayers.

Gorgie and Rich

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New Years Eve

Here we are at the end of another wonderful year. Do you have plans to ring in the new year? We do, they are having a DJ in the park playing 50's and 60's music, but I doubt we'll go, just like always we'll likely spend the evening watching the new year happen on the TV. Much safer and a whole lot cheaper. There are lots of people in town for the holidays and everything is pretty much booked up anyway, parking downtown is even a challenge. The wait to go up the mountain was 3 hours long according to the local news. So this last week we have been pretty lazy and other than Gorgie leading the exercise class in the mornings, and going for some walks we have been reading and surfing the net a lot.

There was a great sunset the other day, the scenery around here is just beautiful.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Merry Christmas

 

Gorgie and I want to wish you all a

Very Merry Christmas.

Follow this link for some Christmas spirit

http://youtu.be/SXh7JR9oKVE

 

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Ruben and Ozzy's

We were early for dinner at Ruben and Ozzy's on Friday so we decided to take a walk on Palm Drive in downtown Palm Springs. We found Las Casuelas and decided to stop for a margarita or two. We have never been anywhere with a larger selection of tequila.

There were actually more than I could get in one picture, but we had to walk back to the car so we couldn't try

Them all but they had killer "Top Shelf" Cadillac Margarita's. We plan to return and sample their food soon.

Dinner at R&O's was all we had hoped it would be. These two brothers were a favorite of ours in the area. Their menu is similar to Shanghai Reds and the quality is just as good if not better. We started out with the Mexican Poke, and that set the bar pretty high for the rest of our meal.

Our dinner were the taco's, Gorgie had a grilled shrimp and I had one shrimp and one fish both fried. I don't think we have ever had any that were as good and certainly not any better.

We were wondering if the atmosphere would compare with Shanghai Reds, well it's different a bit more modern and a larger space.. They remembered us from past visits and were very friendly as usual, they even said "welcome home". It seems like every time we left S.R. we hugged someone that we had just met. Well R&O'S was no different. We talked with some folks who we had seen and said hello to before and had a great visit, oh and a hug too.

More Later,
Rich

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Hanging out in Palm Springs

We could easily spend the entire winter in this area, there is lots to do, good places to eat and nice weather. That said we are looking forward to traveling to some other areas that we like as we'll. We were watching the local news the other day and we noticed that the advertising was sure directed at people more our age, there are no happy meal ads at all. When is the last time you saw an ad for a Rolex watch? Or watched Tony the dancing barber pitch hearing aids?

We have had lots of visits from this little guy but he is a bit camera shy..

He comes to the window next to where I sit and he will look in every once in a while, but as soon as I pick up the camera off he goes, maybe he is a Mexican hummer and if I give him a dollar he will pose for me.

This is the other view I have every morning as the sun comes up.

We have couple of favorite places that we like to eat at one that I have written about before is Shanghai Reds where they have killer lobster bisque and shrimp or fish tacos. We have always loved the interaction of the chefs watching them prepare the food. Well they have moved on and opened their own place, Ruben and Ozzy's. we plan to visit them this evening and a report will have to come in the next post. By the way the food was just as delicious as ever at Shanghai Reds so we will continue to there too.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Desert Pools RV in Desert Hot Springs

We made the move from Indian Waters to Desert Pools last Saturday with no problems ( it was after all a 26 mile treck). We are in one of our favorite sites it may even be the same one we had last year. It is winter in the desert and the temperatures have cooled off a bit to the 60's with some clouds but no rain, there is a wind warning for this afternoon we'll see. Looking at the weather at home we are not missing the winter storm at all.

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree is up and we are in the holiday mode around here, listening to carols on the satellite radio. There will be a potluck here for Christmas dinner that we may attend or maybe not.

Since we got here we have not done much of anything except go to the store, and it is sure relaxing, Gorgie continues to devour books I've told her to slow down or she'll run out of reading material. I'm not as fast as she is.

More Later,

Rich

 

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Rain in the Desert

 

 

Yesterday morning this is what the sunrise looked like. You know that old sailors saying, "Red sky in the morning sailors take warning". Well it worked here, shortly after taking this shot it started to rain not a hard rain but just a drizzle that lasted most of the day. The TV weather watchers were out on the streets and people were saying how the rain made it feel more like Christmas, go figure. There were events canceled because of it, by the way it measured .12 inches. We drove through a storm that dropped 6 inches in a 12 hour window, now that's some rain. By the way they have had a grand total of 1.94 inches for the whole calendar year. There is a line of snow on the tops of the mountains.

Anyway we spent the day in, reading and playing games, kind of a Jammie day. We ended up ordering in a pizza so it was a really lazy day. Today we need to go to the store to buy some supplies because we move tomorrow to Desert Hot Springs for three weeks that's a drive of about 27 miles, so we won't even hook up the car. Tonight we are going to Shanghai Reds for lobster bisque, and some awesome seafood.

It has come to our attention that some folks think of us as being on "vacation", we are not. You take a vacation to get away from your everyday lives and WORK, this time of year we travel south to the more shorts and tee shirts type weather. We pretty much keep the same routines we have at the house except we have a much smaller space. So this is as comfortable and as much home to us as we are in Brush Prairie. Oh yeah I can go read my book outside in the sun ;-).

More Later,

Rich

 

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How we spent our winter in Palm Springs

The last couple of days we have spent our time relaxing and reading our books. Gorgie read a book in less than two days, I'm not so fast. We have a wonderful site with more patio area than most so it is comfortable sitting around.

Hot air balloons pass over us almost every morning and evening.

This tree is just across from us, nice in the evening light.

For a change of pace we hired some guys so we could watch them wash and wax our motor home.

 

Gorgie has her parade chair set up.

 

They did a great job too.

 

The sunsets are sure nice around here.

That's what we have been up to the last few days, oh by the way Gorgie went to an exercise class and was persuaded to take a pickleball lesson. On her first serve she pulled a muscle in her butt and is now sore, she needs to stop playing with these senior citizens they are too hard on her.

More Later,

Rich

 

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