Last Day in Paradise, for now....

We're in the last day here at The Palms RV Resort for this season. Our street is pretty empty now but tonight a Tiffin Phaeton came in and they got the end spot on our side right where the last of "Our Gang" had left from this morning!
We're really gonna miss our new friends, and I'm excited about next fall already! I keep expecting to see one of the guys walking down the street, dragging a lawn chair, heading for happy hour someplace. The wind has started to blow mildly the last couple of days and the temps have been in the low 90s until today.
It's forcast to be hotter tomorrow and no rain in the near future. The breeze was welcome at the pool this afternoon. I cleaned and repacked our closets this week and took the top layer of dirt off from the last three months. KayCee got her last walk with her friend Bill and I took this picture and had it framed and sent to them in Canada.
We went and watched the performance's of the Air Show last Saturday. In seeing all of the traffic and cars, we decided that we'd go find a place along a street and watch from beyond the fences of the base.
It was awesome to watch, but we all agree that we will bite the bullet and go in next year as we will enjoy it more being able to hear them tell about what's going on and there's a lot more events that we didn't see.
We had a tasty roadside picnic lunch and the Ice Cream truck pulled up, so it was a pretty nice afternoon.
We've had quite a few days of "lasts" in the past week. DH had his Last Massage. We had our Last Neighbors Coffee at Lloyds.
We went to DaBoyz Saturday night and had our last supper gathering in the "Marilyn" room. Before every one leaves we usually have a meeting in the street to exchange hugs and cards, well wishes and hopes to see them in the fall.
DH has been busy packing up the outside and getting ready to roll in the morning. Hope I can sleep tonight. That's usually an issue on the night before we pull out. I'm ready for our next adventure, but will really miss this Paradise in the Desert!

Days Ticking By

It's hard to believe that it's the 23rd of March already! I would swear that we have just got here! Only 8 days left until we head off to the east again and begin the travel part of our year. Everyone here is scurrying around doing last errands, making last side trips and spending last times with friends. We attended a performance by a Comedian/Magician on Saturday night here. Our neighbors across the street have purchased a lot here in the park and they are really busy getting layouts done and meeting with architects and builders before they head back to Canada.
They are selling their motor home and building a house. I think it will be an awesome place and can't wait to see it next year.
Tomorrow we are having a cook out here at our place for friends on the block. We've had several grey and very windy days, the nights have been chilly, but the Arizona sun is bright today and the forcast is for beautiful the rest of the week. Saturday will be a very packed day for us. The Annual MCAS Air Show starts at 8:30 in the morning. We will get an early start for that....I'm looking forward to it..the guys are really practicing heavily every day now. We have Harriers and Ospreys,(like the ones that rescued the pilots in Libya this week) Rescue helicopters, fighters and cargo planes flying by all day long. It's kinda the highlight of their year. DH has a massage at 2:15, then a reservation for 10 for a last visit to DaBoyz Italian downtown. Our neighbors are all going to start pulling out on Sunday and Monday and we will have a few quiet days before we head out on Friday. I have been planning our stops and will admit I'm looking forward to moving again. We have our spot reserved for late this year, and I am so relieved to know we will be back here again.
A weekly event here at the Palms, the Burger Bash got a little wild last Saturday. It started out normal with the live band and dancing by the pool, a Leprechan from Sun Vista came to pay us a visit, keeping with the St. Patrick's Day theme of the week.
Then some folks decided to combine Birthdays and Going Aways with St. Patricks Day and regression back into high school.
One went in and then a bunch! It wasn't the warmest day either when some were dunked twice for good measure.
That day I was glad I don't drink, and I'm sure I felt better then they did the next morning! We were told that the Americans always got crazy at the Bashes, but this time it was even Crazier Canadians! It was nice that our table was mellow and away from the meyhem. Everybody there got wet! DH is getting one of his last golf days in today and I am doing laundry and taking KayCee to the dog park later. It is a sad day to learn of the death of Elizabeth Taylor today and happy because my baby is 31 today. Happy Birthday Thomas Jerome Brown! Don't know why, but this day always makes me feel older than my own Birthday!

Lazy Sunday

We have had a busy week taking in activities and today will be a laid back day to regroup.
The Entertainment and Activities here at the Palms is starting to wind down but it's still a bustling place! People are starting to get hitch itch as it warms up here and lots of the Canadian Visitors have to head home soon.
We have made lots of new friends, but our group here on the street is a good one and we all will stay in touch.
Most mornings my patio is a gathering coffee spot and my new Cuisinart Coffeemaker gets a good workout. We take turns at our patios on our side of the street in the afternoons to have a get together about 4:00.
Yesterday we attended the Lettuce Days Festival in the Quartermasters Depot grounds by the Colorado River on the edge of town. Since this is an Ag Based Community, it is a big deal to show off the produce and functions of the companies that work here. Dole, Foxy and Earthbound Farms to name a few. They focus on providing safe healthy produce and the Arizona leafy greens represents a 1 Billion dollar industry with a workforce of over 20,000 people.
It was an interesting morning as we walked through the trade booths and picked up our lettuce samples. We then topped the morning off with lunch at Lute's Casino in old downtown. (No Gambling, just good food and old Nostalgic Atmosphere) We still have quite a few things to do here the next couple of weeks, and it is getting up to 90 the next few days, so we will be in the pool more in the afternoons.
We are having massages on Thursday...as we have a massage therapist on staff here. It's hard to believe we haven't made many side trips this year. We didn't even get to San Diego, but there's always next year. We're looking forward to heading to Texas and will be doing some side trips there. Hopefully we will get to the Gulf and Corpus Christi to check that out. That's the great thing about having your plans written in Jello, we don't have to stick to a plan!

How Quick Things Can Change!

Yesterday was my DH's big 6-0 Birthday.

I had quite a time keeping the fact that we were having a suprise party for him at a great restaurant in Olde Downtown Yuma last night.

We started out sharing coffee with the neighbors and he went to Lowe's with the guy across the street. I had reservations for 5...which they all showed up and we followed along behind about 20 after.

In order to keep him from suspecting, I bought him a lime ade from Sonic for lunch and took him to the Q Casino to spend his $10.00 in free play. We then headed back into town. He was definitely suprised!

We had coupons again and ended up with lots of food to bring home. After opening a few "special" old gifts, we headed back to the hot tub and finished the night off by getting chased out of there by the wind. It came up really strong for a while and then died down about 10.

It came up again about 5 a.m. and has been strong and dirty ever since. Fast forward to this morning. Lloyd came over and we were having a visit and cup of coffee when our other neighbor, Marilyn, showed up asking if the guys could go put her awnings in because her husband had been terribly sick all night.

(yep, he was with us!) Then all of a sudden her big awning started to unroll and we couldn't get it back in. We all ended up over there trying to tie it down in the 40 + mph gusts! Back up to right before we went over, Marilyn shut my door and the latch broke, locking us out, and I didn't have any shoes on! Thankfully I left a back window unlatched!The guys got the ladder out and DH crawled in and got the door unlocked. Lloyd was trying to get a rope over her awning and fell off the ladder, dislocating his thumb. Another guy strung a bungee cord on the end and I was helping him hold it down and fasten to a stake...it came off and snapped my in the back of the wrist and my chest. OMG....it hurts....both places. I have had ice on the rest of the day...I'm hoping it's just bruises. At least I can still use my hand and wrist. They finally got the Awning anchored until the repair crew came...over $400 later they got a new motor of the arm and got it put back in for good.

It all went downhill this morning in about 10 minutes and has been kinda crazy the rest of the day. Tomorrow DH plays golf and I hope he has a lot better day. The wind has gone down some now that it's dark. I should have mail to deal with tomorrow, and I have some cooking to do for this week. I spent some time planning our first move when we leave here and have decided that we will be in San Antonio Texas about the fourth of April. We will be leaving here the 1st and I'm hoping to avoid all April Fools Foolery! Just an easy run across on I8 south of Casa Grande, then merge onto I 10 for the rest of the trip across the United States. I love it when a plan comes together.

Midnight at the Oasis

Yuma's annual Classic Car Show and Moonlight Festival was this past weekend. Thursday night they had a drive in movie, Friday night was the Classic Car Parade and Saturday was the show and concerts in the evening.
The show was in the Ray Croc Baseball Complex, which is huge. We got a late start and it was a very warm day, which was perfect to bring out a large crowd. There was over 1,000 cars, and we walked around until we got tired of looking! Lots of beautiful nostalgic autos and trucks.
The Yuma County Sheriff's office had a booth, along with the Border Patrol from this area displayed their sand buggy chase rig.
This was the largest car show we've ever been to.
I learned about a particular car...a DeTamaso sports car, which was a Ford/Italian made car manufactured for a mere 4 years from 1971-1975.
The engine is in the rear and it must have been fairly popular, as there were several of them here. I got enough sun for the whole week and it was plenty hot out there with no shade. Most of the car owners had shades in their spaces.
Although I didn't find the car I was looking for, a 1952 black Chevy, I did find a ford with the same Salmon and Black paint job that my Grandma ordered for her only new car!
We are going to have another great day. It's supposed to get hot again and today is the big 60 for my hubby and I have a few fun things planned and a suprise dinner with our friends. Be sure to look back at the last post, I added some more pictures of the Bugle Corp!

Happy March!

The weather is warming up once more and activity here at The Palms is at a fever pitch. Lots of rigs coming and going all day long. The grounds keepers start work about 6:30 in the mornings and that is enforced with the humming of the trimmers and purring of the cart engines. Everything is being spruced up for an "Owners Event" this week and more outside shows and entertainment.

The Marine Corp Marching Drum and Bugle Corp will be performing twice at two different school athletic fields and I will attend either one, or both.
The 100+ Corp is made up of the Marching Corp and the Silent Platoon that does their whole routine carrying a 10+ pound rifle, equipped with a bayonet. It was precision to the max and very very impressive!
We have a block "dinner" friday night with other couples at a fancy steak house in town. March 3 - 6 is the "Midnight at the Oasis" Show and Shine Classic Car Show and Nostalgia Festival and we will be attending that on Saturday.
Another great event this weekend will be the arrival of DH's big 6-0 birthday. I have a plan and have reserved a room at DaBoyz restaurant downtown for a group of us to gather for dinner on Sunday. Stay Tuned after this busy time and I will add pictures of these events!