Sunday, November 29, 2009

It was 40F at 7:00 am.

This morning Jeanne went to church and Gordon read and slept. We made a pot of ham and bean soup for supper. Shortly after lunch Hans & Maria came over. They are just over the way, we can see them but we are not within shouting distance and she likes it that way. They visited until 4:30. We ate our soup and read. The wind came up around 6:30 and it began to rain but neither the wind nor rain lasted very long.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Didn't walk this morning. Cleaned house instead. Went uptown in the early afternoon looking for some Wonder Under to do some appliqueing but the fabric store was closed. We picked up two cylinders of propane and returned home. It was very windy today and even though the thermometer said +68F it certainly didn't feel like it. Visited with Hans and Maria then returned to the 5th wheel in time to set the table and welcome our dinner guests, Bonnie & Kathy. They brought dinner, all we had to do was provide Maple Syrup. What they brought was sweet potato pancakes, and they were wonderful. Had pecans in them! We had a great supper then played a couple of games of UPWords. Bonnie won both games. He just seemed to get the right letters at the end to zoom past us all. They left around 7:30 and we sat and read until 10:00 pm.

Friday, November 27, 2009

It is a very warm day in Quartzsite. We were late getting up so it was 8:45 before we left for our walk. It was rather too warm by the time we got back home. After lunch we visited with Hans & Maria for a short while then returned to the RV. Both of us picked up a book and sat out in the sun. It was so hot on the sunny side of the 5th Wheel that Gordon decided we needed to purchase a screen to put on our awning. While we were out getting it, Gordon ran into a fellow from Grande Prairie and they spent over an hour visiting on the street. By the time we got home with the screen it was clouding over so we didn't put it up. Friday evening found us at JR's RV Park for a jam.

From our dining room window we get to enjoy the hummingbirds as they come to eat. They are so fun to watch.
We had a very special guest the other day. A road runner. If you look on top of pallets and below the drivers window you can see him. I couldn't get very close to get a picture. Ed and Norma are feeding a road runner, so we will have to get some hamburger. Ed says they don't like weiners.

We haven't been out on the quads yet.

Jeanne went quilting on Tuesday. Joined the Quartzsite Quilter's Guild so will be quilting every Tuesday.

Gordon built a table and has been cutting up pallets for firewood.

We have been walking every morning, so that makes breakfast around 9:00 am. Hans & Maria (we went to Canim Lake to visit them this summer) arrived Tuesday evening, so they are getting settled in. Good to see them again.

If you click on the pictures they will enlarge and the road runner is easier to see.

Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009

Had Thanksgiving dinner at Bonnie & Kathy's motorhome. First picture is Hans, Norma & Ed. Second picture Bonnie is in the foreground and Kathy is next in line. That is Hans filling his plate. There were twelve of us for dinner and food enough for three dinners. So guess we will be eating ham, potatoes and sweet potatoes for the next week.

After dinner Gordon had a nap and Jeanne read a book. Around 6:00 pm Gordon built a fire and Bonnie, Kathy, Chuck, Hans & Maria and two new couples, one from Alaska and one from Crossfield joined us.

A beautiful day and a nice warm evening.

This is Jim & Jan, the anniversary couple.

November 18th, 2009

Jerilyn and Ron (3rd photo) and Gloria and Glen (1st photo) hosted a 50th Anniversary dinner for Jim and Jan. I made the cake. It turned out great considering what I had to work with.

Jan made a couple of pots of chicken soup from the chicken left from last week's PCP. She thought we were just having soup and crackers. Boy were they surprised when they arrived to find the tent all decorated and real plates and cutlery on the table, and along with the most delicious chicken soup I had ever tasted, we had ham, potatoes, veggies and cake and ice cream for dessert. Played cards until 5:00 pm

Had a great time.

Something is happening to my photos

Greetings from the desert! Just a few pictures of the November 12th sunset in Quartzsite. We haven't been taking pictures like we did last year. Jeanne was working on the computer a couple of weeks ago and inadvertently moved iPhoto from the dock, and in so doing lost all of the photos we had. We just need to find an Apple store or some smart Mac person to get them back, as we are sure they are somewhere buried in the depths of the hard drive!

Friday morning Chuck came for a pancake breakfast. Then we went to Tom & Lucille's to see if our solar panel had arrived yet. It was being UPSed from Flagstaff and we needed a street address to have it sent to. It would be pretty hard for the driver to find us in the desert! It hadn't arrived, so went to a garage sale but found nothing we needed but a lemon juicer for 25 cents.

Bonnie & Clyde arrived and parked just to the north of us. Nice to see them again and have them as close neighbors. The evening saw us at the jam at JR's. Much better music tonight. Our panel had arrived shortly after we left this morning and T & L didn't know how to get in touch with us, so we picked it up after the jam.

Saturday morning Bonnie & Clyde drove us around to a couple of RV parks with yard sales. That cost us $2.00 for coffee and donuts for Gordon. By noon Jeanne was feeling very poorly. Her cold had returned with a vengence.

Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny +12C but the north wind was sure rocking this boat. Jeanne was still poorly, and didn't want to inflict her illness on those at church, so she stayed home. Gordon worked around, doing this and that. Because of the flooding here in September the desert is greener than this time last year.

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Here it is, Thursday already. Monday morning we left Overton at 8:47 am. It was 10C at 7:15 am when we returned from our walk. At 12:38 pm we entered California high clouds and 75F. We stopped in Parker, AZ for groceries. There has been a new Wal-Mart opened in Parker this past few months. Rumor has it that there are so many people getting groceries there that they are having a hard time keeping the shelves stocked. My feelings ... it is just poor management!

We arrived in Quartzsite at 4:30 pm. Stopped by our last year's spot to visit a moment with Jerilyn and Ron and Gloria and Glen. They seemed disappointed that we wouldn't be their close neighbors this year. However, Chuck was at Chickadee Flats so we went there, set up just as it was getting dark and spent one night. Tuesday morning after our walk we checked out other spots on Chickadee Flats but decided we wanted our old spot back, so we picked up roots and moved. It was hot working out in the sun, and this awning is good for absolutely nothing at this time of year.

In the afternoon we ran some errands and stopped by Tom & Lucille's to get our cactus. We visited with them, they told us they had had a $1.00 burger at Burger King for lunch. As they were coming over after supper to play cards and see our new home, we stopped at Burger King. Good deal for $1.00 - a two patty cheese burger. It even tasted pretty good.

T & L came about 6:30 and we played Mexican Trail until 8:30, had some cake and tea then they left and we went to bed. Jeanne had had a bad night the previous night so was very tired.

Just as we were leaving for our errands this afternoon, Ron came over to invite us to a Pop Can Party on Wednesday. What is a Pop Can Party you ask! Well, they collect all their refundable cans and bottles, take them in for refund and use money to purchase fixin's for a dinner.

Wednesday morning dawned very overcast. It was nearly 60F when we got up. After our walk we had toast and tomatoes for breakfast then I wanted to hit the Thrift Store to get a couple pair of jeans to make a handbag. Just getting ready to leave when Ron and Jerilyn came for a tour of our new digs. They stayed until 11:00 am. We quickly did our errands and returned just before the PCP (Pop Can Party) Chicken was BBQ'd, potatoes were baked, coleslaw was made and a great dinner was served. Ten of us sat down to dinner. R & J have an outdoor shelter (portable garage) enabling us to be in the shade. Even though it was overcast, when the sun did break through it was HOT! After a beautiful meal, Sonia and Opal left and the rest of us, Gloria & Glen, Jim & Jan (the LaPosa West Hosts), Ron & Jerilyn and Gord & Jeanne played Golf (card game) until 5:45 pm.

A jam was calling Gordon, so we left home at 6:10pm. Went to Holiday Palms and sat thru a 2 3/4 hour disjointed jam. The musicians haven't got used to playing with each other yet and at times they were really out of sync. OH WELL! they will get better with time.

The snakes are still out and about! Three days ago in JR's RV Park a woman left her screen door open during the day, and at night she heard a noise and looking over she saw a diamondback rattler curled up inside her closed door! She called the fire department who came and relieved her of her unwanted guest. Tom & Lucille leave their screen door open all the time as well, and they live at JR's. Boy, I wouldn't be leaving my door open. Some guests I just don't want.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

It is a lot cooler today. +70F tops, but it is really overcast and has been all day. Jeanne went to church this morning and Gord spent the morning lazing around. Lunch was some kind of something disguised as Pita bread with cold ham & cheese. We have decided that to eat the rest of the package we will fry it and put syrup on it and consider a mess free way to get pancakes.

Really, they wouldn't open and were doughy and a bit on the disgusting side.

Here are a couple of pictures taken from the back of our 5th Wheel looking to the east and south east over the mesa. Some of these units will be here for a few days, or a few weeks. Some stay for only a few days before moving on. Others will camp here all winter long. It is free camping but there is absolutely no facilities. I would not want to spend the winter here, but if you are a fisherman, Lake Mead is just down the road about 25 miles and fishing is good. We will be leaving here in the morning. I was going to stay until the Thrift Shop opened to get some old jeans to make a handbag, but Fay gave me a couple of pair last night, so that will be great until I hit Quartzsite. Have a wonderful Sabbath Day.

Saturday, November 7, 2009 +83F this afternoon

A beautiful sunny morning +12C at 6:30 am. After our walk and breakfast, we met Fay and Robert and went to the Pomegranate Festival in Logandale, which is just down the road from Overton. There was very little to do with Pomegranates, other than jelly for sale, but there were lots of other booths with everything you would would find at an art fair. We had a pomegranate ice cream sundae which was very nice. Left the fair grounds around 1:30 pm and returned to the 5th Wheel. I watched a movie while Gord went off visiting. After supper we went to Fay and Robert's where we watched some of the National Finales Bull Riding from Vegas and then played a few hands of "Hand and Foot". It is a fun card game for four players.

Home at 9:30 pm as Church begins at 9:00 am in the morning.

Friday November 6

Up at 8:10 am (which really was 7:10 am Nevada time) went for a walk then made breakfast and left Mesquite at 8:35 am NT. By 9:00 am it was 72F with clear sunny skies.

Arrived in Overton around 10:00 am, watered and fueled and then went to visit Fay and Robert, a couple we had gone riding with in the spring. We went for lunch with them, then set up camp on the mesa where we were in the spring. Fay and Robert came up and we played Mexican Trail until it got too dark outside to see then came into the RV and visited for a while longer.

After they left we made supper then Gord went to bed. It is only 9:15 NT (Nevada Time) but I feel like it is midnight. It was +85F here today. The area is having record breaking temperatures. I LOVE IT!

November 3 & 4

Spent at Shirley & Dicks. All three mornings Gord and I got up and went for a walk before breakfast. The four of us went shopping, to Golden Corral for lunch on Tuesday then Gord made spagetti supper on Wednesday. Dick not feeling very good, and Shirley has a cough she can't seem to shake. We still had a nice visit. It is hard saying goodbye, as we see them so seldom.

Thursday, November 5

Left Shirley's at 9:30 am in sunshine and light wind. Stopped at Scipio and Beaver for fuel and both places have a big DO NOT RETURN as fuel is so high. It was +75F at 2:00 pm

We were going to have a short day and spend the night in St. George, Utah, but that city is closing all their RV parks and there is no overnight parking allowed at Wal-Mart, so we kept on going. At 5:18 pm we crossed the Nevada State Line and upon arriving at Mesquite we took exit 122 to the Eureka Hotel and Casino where we parked for the night for $4.00 and that included four decks of cards!

Monday, November 2

Left Dillon at 6:45 am in daylight -5C. Another cold night. The full noon was just setting and it sure was pretty to view. 145 miles to Idaho Falls. Monida Pass was 21F but no snow for which we are thankful. Fueled up at Dubois and called Shirley. She told us Dick had a head cold and we may not want to stop. We were going to take in the Craters of the Moon, but it was 100 miles out of our way, as we have a stop in Taylorsville. Gord asked if I would like to drive, but I declined and about 21 km south of Dubois we ran into dense fog, some places down to 1/4 mile visuability so I was glad I wasn't driving. Fog broke about 5 miles north of Idaho Falls.

Planned on stopping at Blackfoot, Idaho for a snack and a rest, but both the Flying J and Wal-Mart are very RV unfriendly, so we hit the road without our rest. Stopped at the Flying J at McCammon and had soup and salad for lunch. Got our rest and our snack! Arrived at Shirley's in the early afternoon.

October 31, 2009

Had supper with Derek & Nicole and planned on going Halloweening with the little kids, but with daylight savings it was just too late, so we left there around 6:30 pm and headed for Lethbridge. Spent the night in the Wal-Mart campground, did a little shopping there, then went to bed. We were sure glad for the extra blanket we had thrown in, as it was very chilly.

Sunday, November 1 - 0C at 7:00 am with frost everywhere. Cloudy with some bits of sun now and again. Had a lovely breakfast with Colleen and Wayne in Raymond and left there at 10:30 am, arriving at the border at 11:25 with two apples to declare. We had to take them into the Lobby for inspection. We got the apples and our passports and were on our way again at 11:55 am. Stopped for fuel at Shelby. From the border to Shelby we had a nice tailwind, but from Shelby to Great Falls it was a cold cross wind. Left Great Falls at 2:25 pm arriving at Boulder at 4:30. What a beautiful drive, saw lots of Aberdeen Angus cattle and lots of deer and hunters looking for them. Spent the night at the Cenex in Dillon