Monday, February 20, 2006
Today would be a "get ready to go" day today. Although the only thing we actually took out of the compartments was our plastic carpet we put in front of the door. So cleaning up today would be a breeze compared to our usual packing up day. We will be traveling about 71 miles tomorrow to get back to Desert Hot Springs and Desert Pools/Western Horizons RV Park. We probably won't get an early start simply because of the traffic we'll encounter on the way out. We'll avoid that by leaving a little later.
Denny will be working all day today and Sue has to go in at 6 tonight. But for the most part we'll just be getting all our ducks in a row today. We left about mid-morning to make our way to Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. This was only our second trip to the grocery store this week cause we've eaten quite a few meals out. We need a rest from eating out. Our trip to Wal-Mart was a quick one. It was basically just something else to do rather than sit around watching Olympics. The weather this week has been miserable and we've gotten "shack-happy" over the last week. But then I guess the weather hasn't been much better in Desert Hot Springs.
About 4 o'clock we left (the four of us) to go into town to eat Dinner tonight. We stopped at a favorite place of Denny and Sue's called the Swing Inn. It was a quaint old place in the middle of Old Town Temecula. Denny took a round-about way to get there to avoid the traffic. Sue and I had Spanish Omelettes and Denny and Sharon had Chicken Fried Steak. By the time we finished we were too full to enjoy any of their fabulous desserts that we spotted on the way to our table, when we came into the restaurant. We had a good time with the Gossers at the restaurant but now it was time to get Sue back for work at 6. As we dropped her off at the gate I only had about 8 minutes to make it home for the early version of "24" on TV. Denny took a short-cut on a back road through the park and I made it with plenty of time to spare.
Denny had to take off to feed a friend's dog who was away from his house and we settled in for "24." Jack Bauer had gotten himself in the soup again by the end of the episode.
Right after "24" was over Denny stopped by and sat for awhile watching the Olympic games with us. By 10 I had pretty much all the Ice Dancing I could stand. I was glad to see that they sprinkled it with some Bobsledding and Ski Jumping. At 10 there was an episode of CSI Miami on that I hadn't seen before. Shortly after 11 we finally caved and went to bed. Beside tomorrow morning we'll have to get up and get ready early to hit the road to Desert Hot Springs.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Once we got on the road and going this morning we realized that the directions that Denny had given us to get through Hemet were wrong. We knew where we were going and which direction to turn but the streets that he said we should turn on were not the correct streets. We did manage to get through, however, without getting lost. And the route was much shorter than taking the I-15 expressway to get to Beaumont.
We arrived at Desert Pools/ Western Horizon in Desert Hot Springs about 11 o'clock and checked in and got about our day. First off, we went to Catalina Spa a couple of blocks away to retrieve our mail that wasn't there. Big surprise. Just another day in the life of the Rocheleau mail. We also picked up a pass at the gate so we could go in and out of Catalina without having to stop at the gate every time. We also tried to find the Browns and Parents to find out about the Kraft Nabisco Golf Championships. The last thing we heard was that they were going to do something else with the parking crew and maybe not even use them this year. If they don't we'll just head back to Casa Grande a couple of days earlier this year. We also tried to sign up for the mini-golf tournament on Thursday but couldn't find the list to sign. We weren't having much luck with anything we tried.
We left Catalina and headed downtown to pick up stamps for the Newsletter. Of course the line for service at the Post Office was about 15 people long. One girl asked why the service was so slow at this "rural" Post Office. Needless to say she didn't have a clue to the meaning of the word "rural." We were ""outta"" there in about 20 and headed home.
When we got back Sharon decided she would see if it was practical to do the laundry today. Before she left we had to fix the Day/Night shade that's next to my recliner. I thought we would have to re-string the shade but that didn't turn out to be the case. One of the hold-downs was unwrapped from the post and I just tightened it and it was fine. Of course I didn't realize the fix until I had the shade off the window and got a chance to look at it. It took longer to get it back on the window than it took to actually fix the problem. Man, I hate it when that happens.
While Sharon was gone with the laundry I fixed the side shade on my window which always loosens from being hit with the recliner. It was pretty much hanging for the last couple of weeks. After getting that repaired I went to the bedroom to fix a drawer that had broken its slide. I always keep extra brackets handy for that repair specifically. Sharon stopped back temporarily and was going to stick our supper in the oven but we decided that I could fry the Chicken Legs that we would be having. So I put them in a fry pan and kept an eye on them while she went back to finish the laundry.
We would be having BBQed Chicken Legs and homemade French Fries for Supper tonight. BBQed Chicken is something that we both enjoy a lot. The French Fries were just icing on the cake. They both were very good indeed.
Olympics were on the agenda tonight until the Sandman made his appearance at 10 and threw stuff in our eyes. I think we both would have caved anyway even without the Sandman's help.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
We got ready this morning and took a walk through the park as it was patio sales day at the individual sites. The only thing we found was a couple of globe lights for our bathroom. We walked past Terry and Diana Brown's site on our trek. They weren't home and were probably gone for Breakfast with Roy and Mary Ann Parent. We didn't have any paper so we couldn't leave a note.
Well we finally made it back for another Taco Wednesday at the VFW in Desert Hot Springs. We had called Len and Rose last night to find out if they would be driving over from Indian Waters at Indio for lunch. They said yes, and we would be meeting them at the VFW just after noon.
We went to Catalina Spa to see if our mail was there and unfortunately it was. I got my notice from the Riverside County Court for the traffic violation on January 16. The surprise was a $357 ticket. It doesn't pay not to argue your rights right on the spot in California. I doesn't make me wonder why there are so many car chases in this state. Why would anybody stop when failure to stop for a red light is so exorbitant. And particularly when you feel that it wasn't red yet at the time you went through.
My medications finally came in today also after a two week shipping period. Man that damn Post Office can't get anything here on time. I had already run out of my Cholesterol meds.
By the time we got all this taken care of it was time for the VFW and Tacos. We waited about 10 minutes for Len an Rose to arrive, and when they drove up I signaled to them because a parking space had opened up right in front of the door. Len said he saw me signal but a space had opened up right in front of him on the road so he took that instead.
We said hello to a couple of old friends on the way in and then settled in for some Tacos and beer. We stayed until about 1:30 and 3 pitchers of beer were consumed. We had some catching up to do since we hadn't seen each other since Quartzsite. They stopped over to Desert Pools to pick up their mail and finish up our conversations. I had planned to go to a computer class at 2 but we talked right through it. It wasn't a problem since I had only been to one class in all the time we had been coming to Desert Hot Springs, and that one I didn't learn anything I didn't know. So I wasn't all that excited to go to this one, but you never know.
Len and Rose left about 4 and I settled in for a nap and Sharon watched Jeopardy. Then when Seinfeld came on she also assumed the horizontal position on the couch. When I woke up I turned the TV to our usual entertainment for the night, Olympics. We actually interrupted the coverage tonight to watch Criminal Minds a re-run that we had not seen earlier. I hung in there tonight until 11 watching CSI New York. My honey opted for puzzles at 10 and turned out the lights just before I got in there. This had been a very trying day.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
We were on our way with jobs to do this morning early. Not so early to make it uncomfortable but early enough to get the jobs done. Our first stop was in Desert Hot Springs to the Post Office to send a box of goodies to Jess and Mike, our daughter and son-in-law.
After that we were headed to Indio, with a quick stop at the Flying J in Thousand Palms to fill our gas tank on the car, and then on to the Superior Court Building to request a form to file a written declaration denying guilt for the ticket I received in January. Since it was going to cost me $357 we figured that maybe we could get it reduced somewhat. By the time we finished there it was after lunchtime so we stopped at In-and Out Burger for a quick bite to eat.
We were quickly back on the road for the Wal-Mart in Palm Springs. We had to drop off some rolls of film and pick up some groceries for next week. It didn't take us long to pick up the groceries but it was 3 PM by the time we got back home. We wondered if there was still enough time to go to the pool at Catalina and decided that there was and got ready and headed over. We were already too late to participate in the mini-golf tournament that was supposed to happen today, besides we couldn't find the sign-up sheet.
When we got there the Browns and Parents had already been there for awhile and were almost ready to leave but they stuck around and talked for a bit. We found out that we have to call Jack Murdock to find out if we're on the list to work the Kraft Nabisco Golf Tournament this year. We'll have to get the number from Terry Brown to call Jack.
After our swim we headed back home to have our supper. We would be having Fried Chicken Strips dipped in Parmesan Cheese with Garlic and Herbs and a lettuce salad. Chicken Strips are one of my favorites and tonight was no exception. No vino tonight, though.
We settled in front of the TV only to watch a bunch of US athletes lose tonight. It was quite sad to see the favorites falter and lose only to pick up Silver and Bronze. At 9 we watched re-runs of CSI and Without a Trace. It wasn't long after that we realized our day was over and acted accordingly. We meandered into the sleep chamber and immediately entered the state of oblivion. It had been a long day of running around just to get things done.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Sharon got up and went for a walk this morning while I sat and typed my Journal and tried to update the computer virus program. I'm so disgusted with it again that I might just let it acquire a virus so I can throw this goddam computer out the door. If I have to fight with it everyday to update, I may as well just take a hammer to the whole works.
By the time we both got showered and ready to go it was time for a re-match on the mini-golf course here at Desert Pools. I was winning last year when I got to the last hole and then I took a bunch of strokes and Sharon lucked out by making it in a couple of shots. Today was a little different as I was a bunch of strokes ahead before we finally hit the last hole. I took about 15 strokes without getting it to go in and Sharon refused to even try. We didn't remember the course to be as bad as it was. Every single hole was a difficult to get as the next. None of the holes were level and straight and not much fun to actually play the course. We vowed that if we ever play again we'll take ourselves over to Catalina Spa and play there. Beside the course at Catalina is an 18 hole course.
Sharon decided that today would be the day that she takes out a jig-saw puzzle and starts working it on the picnic table. I went outside with her while she was straightening out the pieces and I put a couple of them together. She worked until lunch and then went back out until 2 o'clock when I suggested to go to he pool at Catalina.
We got ready and then left for Catalina. There was only a couple of people in the pool for about an hour. The Browns and Parents showed up shortly after that. The water seemed cooler than yesterday but that might have been because the air was warmer. We stayed for a couple of hours and then headed back to the motorhome at Desert Pools. We very seldom ever use the pool at Desert Pools because they've got the pool painted a weird color green and it looks like a swamp. The pools and Hot Tub are also not recirculating hot springs like at Catalina.
We had "poor man's lobster" for supper tonight. We actually found some Cod fillets that we usually can't find too readily out here. Sharon made some homemade fries that were delicious. In fact the whole supper was chased down with a bottle of 2-buck Chuck. It was all very good.
We settled in for our usual entertainment that we've enjoyed for the last two weeks, Olympics. We were disappointed a couple of more time tonight until it came to the Ladie's Giant Slalom when we won Gold. These two weeks have really been an up and down experience. We hung in there tonight til about 11 and Sharon surfed the Internet and read her paper but the phone connection was so slow tonight it took forever. It seems that the Verizon connection here at Desert Pools is always rotten. They say were on a fringe area but this is as slow as we've experienced all winter. It was definitely time for bed.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
After getting ready this morning we decided to do some Garage Sales this morning. There were only a couple listed in the paper so it only took about an hour or so to get them all done. I did find a couple of golf cars that I gave the once over. One was designed like a Mercedes Benz and the other was a Yamaha. Neither of them was really what I was looking for and passed on both of them. I also found another electric for $300 at a Garage Sale. That one was quite old but still in very good shape, and included the charger to go along with it.
After we concluded our sale shopping we headed toward home to eat lunch. We had surmised earlier that we would attend McCormack's Car Show and Auction that was being held in Palm Springs this weekend. They were estimating that they would auction $16 Million dollars of antique and collectable cars over the next two days. We took off and headed out on the 15 or so miles to Palm Springs just after noon.
We had to find the place when we got there. We knew it was at the Spa Casino but we had never been there before. Terry Brown had told us how to find it, and we actually did find it without too much fuss. We even found a parking spot right on Indian Canyon Road where the Spa Casino is located. We could get into the car show for free but if we wanted to attend the auction it would cost us $10. We weren't buying anything so paying the 10 bucks was out of the question.
There were about 150 cars at the show and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. There were also quite a few vendors in attendance and we even stopped at one. The Beer tent.
On our way back home we decided that we had plenty of time to take a trip over to Catalina Spa for some pool action. We were there for about an hour before the Browns and Parents showed up. They had been to another car show at the LaQuinta Tennis Center that had about 600 cars. We had heard about that one also but we thought that McCormack's would be better. Go figure.
After The pool we came home and cooked our supper which was a Big Hamburger and Fries. I actually modeled mine after the Double-Double from In-and-Out Burger. Two thin patties, each with melted cheese on a bun with onion, tomato, lettuce and thousand Island Dressing. Man that is quite good.
Olympics were on the agenda til 9 tonight. We saw Apollo Ono win a Gold in the 500 Meter Speedskating which was exciting. At 9 we watched a repeat of CSI and then went to bed shortly after that. The 2006 Olympic Games will be over on Sunday and we'll get back to regular programming on TV......hopefully. I think 17 days is quite enough for me.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Sharon was up and off to church this morning while I settled in for my political shows. There wasn't much controversial happening this morning so I wasn't swearing at the TV. Sharon was going to stop at the grocery store and K-Mart on her way home this morning so I knew she would be late.
By the time she got home I was into the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales." It was a movie that I had seen only about eight times. Most of the dialogue I knew from memory. But I don't mind watching a good movie over and over again. Besides you can't get too picky on a Sunday morning.
Sharon got busy on her jig-saw puzzle that was out on the picnic table when she got back and only stopped for lunch and then she was on her way back outside again. We're supposed to be getting some rain tomorrow and she wanted to finish it up before the water hit.
I sat and watched the wrap-up of the Olympic games and the last day races until about 2 when we decided to go over to Catalina and hit the pool. There was quite a few people in the pool including the Browns and Parents when we got there. It was a little early for them to be there and I noticed that Roy was still taking his nap at the time. He showed up after about 20 minutes.
We were at the pool for about 2 hours. We had to get home before 5 because our Ribs were baking in the oven while we were swimming. When we got home we got the unmistakable scent of really good food wafting through the air. The more times I cook ribs the better they get it seems. It was time to get them out on the grill with a little BBQ sauce on them. About 15 minutes later they were done and ready to eat. Sharon made up a lettuce salad and some Garlic Bread and we would chase them down with beer tonight. Man, they were absolutely excellent. As good as we can buy anywhere.
The final night of Olympics is on tonight. Not much in the form of competition but the closing ceremonies and a recap of the last 2 weeks would take center stage for the evening. Bob Costas did his usual job of bashing athletes again, that arrogant ass. I can't remember him being in the Olympics or what medal he took when he was there.
The rest of the night we only found one original show playing. Desperate Housewives wasn't even on and Grey's Anatomy was a repeat. Cold Case was an original and we watched that for an hour.
We were both ready for bed at 9 since there was nothing to watch on TV. Sharon headed to bed with her puzzles and I tried to watch The Mask with Jim Carey. The movie was absolutely ridiculous and lost my interest almost immediately. That didn't work out and by 10 I was headed south also. Sharon had already checked e-mail before she went to bed so I didn't have a single job to do before I just sauntered to the sheets and settled in between them.
