Monday, January 2, 2006
Our Gray water had filled up last night so we would have to go to the dump station this morning and get rid of it. We took our time however because there was no immediate necessity to get the job done. In fact Sharon took off to get her shower this morning before we did anything.
While she was gone I got everything ready to go and dump and when she got back we drove the motorhome the 40 yards to the dump station. Ten minutes later we had saved $8 by not getting the campground to do it.
When we got back it was still early so Sharon decided to get some laundry done today. She sent me to the Post Office to pick up our mail but I soon learned when there were no cars outside the Post Office that today was their Holiday.
Phil called this morning and said it was raining at Thousand Trails which meant they wouldn't be meeting us at the casino for lunch because they don't ride the bike in the rain, or for that matter in the wind either. I told them that if it was raining at lunchtime we would pick them up. We had planned to go to the Fantasy Springs Casino for their Buffet lunch that would cost us $11.99 a couple. Sharon found a coupon in the paper that offered us the lunch at 2 for the price of one, and it was good for 4 people.
In the afternoon at lunchtime it still wasn't raining here but we decided that we would pick them up this anyway. When we got to Thousand Trails the roads were soaking wet. It looked as if the only place it rained was inside the park. Even the highway outside the park was dry. That was quite weird indeed.
The lunch at the Casino was absolutely fabulous. There were a host of Mexican items there that were very good and at least as good as we've ever had. They had steak and prime rib, shrimp and crab and a dessert table that was the size of King Arthur's Round Table. There was so much chocolate on it that even Sharon and Joyce had to leave most it untasted. Needless to say that by the time we left we certainly took a huge bite out of the $11.99 we spent to get in there. It had been the first time that Sharon and I had been in to Fantasy Springs.
After we dropped Phil and Joyce at home we headed back to our hacienda and a much desired nap for the rest of the afternoon. Of course there wasn't much of the afternoon left by this time since we had gone to eat at about 2:30.
Almost immediately after we got back the wind blew the park power out and it was dark until almost 10. We watched TV for the night off the inverter. There were a couple of re-runs on tonight that we hadn't seen before, so we were entertained for the night. We didn't feel much like moving around much tonight anyway. We ran the generator for about an hour before the power came back on. We didn't want our batteries too run down in case we needed the furnace tonight. We didn't and everything worked out just fine.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
The power stayed on all night and we never did find out what happened. It must have been the wind because although some of the rest of the valley got rain, we didn't. The wind was whistling pretty good early in the afternoon, however.
We didn't have anything to do today but a little shopping for groceries, and check for our mail. We've had trouble getting our mail here before so we'll just have to see what happens this morning.
We got to the Post Office and no mail. A little Deja Vu to start off the day is always nice. But not when it's bad news. We'll check again later.
We had to go to Wal-Mart because the discount groceries in the neighborhood didn't have exactly what we wanted. Of course, we wandered around Wal-Mart as long as we were there anyway. We were back home by lunchtime. Sharon was actually looking for a project to do for the next few weeks. She didn't find anything and I might have to take and drop her off at Michael's one of these days.
We sat around this afternoon and Sharon read outside in a lawn chair and I watched a History Channel special on Roman Emperors and Ancient Inventions. It took up most of our afternoon until Sharon came inside and opted for a nap. She said she was encountering a little "whiplash" in her chair.
Sharon made Meatloaf and baked Carrots along with noodles smothered in Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil and butter. It was very good. And now I'll have meatloaf for sandwiches in the next week. Yummm!
We called Phil and Joyce and were going to stop over there tonight but they weren't home so we left a message on their phone and settled in for some tube. They called back later on, but it was too late to take a trip over for the night. We watched TV until 9 when Sharon logged on to the paper and checked e-mail for the night. We were in the sack by 11 and asleep shortly after that.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Sharon was up and walking again this morning. I can't walk with her because of the nerve in my leg. If I walk it's only for a short distance before it really starts to bother me. She also picked up a paper this morning to see if there was further information on the Balloon Ascension and Polo Matches coming up this weekend.
She got ready before I did and went to the Post Office for the mail. No luck again today but that was no surprise anymore. She had called FMCA to see if they had sent out the mail priority and they hadn't. So we'll have to wait for a few more days probably.
After she read the paper she was bored enough to wash the car. I didn't think it was that dirty but then I don't ever get that bored either.
After lunch Sharon talked me into going to the pool. I didn't expect the water to be that warm but it was. It was absolutely fabulous. We were over there for about an hour and a half and I'm sure she won't have to talk me into it again. When we got home Phil and Joyce called to see if we would be home tomorrow after lunch. It seems Joyce lost a crown on a tooth and she has to come over this way to have it fixed. We plan to do some shopping in the morning but we should be around later after that.
We ate Tacos for supper tonight made out of the new low-carb tortillas we found the other day. The taco were good but the tortillas left something to be desired. They're not as good as the La Tortilla Factory tortillas that we get at home.
After our regular show were over tonight, we watched a movie that I had recorded called The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. It was quite a strange movie depicting his life from just before the Pink Panther Series to his death. He had a very unusual life.
Sharon checked e-mail and got on the Internet for awhile tonight. We didn't last long after that and headed for the haystack.
Thursday, January 5, 2006
We were up this morning trying to decide if we had enough time to catch some shopping at Wal-Mart and Michael's before Phil and Joyce stopped over this morning. We felt we had plenty of time for one or the other so we left for Wal-Mart since there were things we needed at Wal-Mart. We left and almost immediately got caught in a traffic jam on highway 111 in LaQuinta. By the time we got to the end of the jam they were picking up the cones and getting ready to leave so we had no idea what they were doing. We were tied up for about 20-25 minutes however.
It didn't take us long at Wal-Mart but by the time we got back to the campground Phil and Joyce had already arrived. Apparently the Dentist took Joyce right in and they were on their way shortly after that. They checked out the "goings on" in the campground while they were waiting for us.
By the time they got back we were waiting for them. We sat around for most of the afternoon outside in the shade, after it got too warm inside. It didn't seem too practical to turn on the air conditioning when it was so nice outside. Sharon gathered up some snacks and that served as our lunch until we put the ribs in the oven for Dinner.
We went to the pool while the ribs were baking in the oven. By the time we got back the smell of seasoned ribs filled the air in and out of the motorhome. We had to wait for awhile before putting them on the grill because they weren't quite done in the oven. But when they finally got to the table they were outstanding to say the least. Sharon also made up a Salad and some side vegetables. We had a 'couple" of Old Fashioneds to help slide them down. And then we had a couple more just to cement the deal
We had a couple of new shows on the tube tonight. And of course Sharon got on the computer and read her newspaper, and checked e-mail before the curtain finally came down on the last act. The theater went dark and so did we.
Friday, January 6, 2006
When we got ourselves ready this morning we knew we were going to dump our tanks. The leak under the motorhome was dry and that was encouraging since I figured that if we had a leak in our tank it would still be leaking. If we had water in our compartment than it would keep on periodically leaking. When we got back from the dump station it was leaking again. Having added no water to the tank I am hoping it's the compartment. Oh well I guess we'll see in the next couple of weeks.
We called Henry and Arlene this morning to have them check and see if Sharon's pills were in the mail at Catalina Spa. She asked Henry to bring them along when we meet them this afternoon at Fantasy Springs Casino for the Mass Ascension of the Hot Air Balloons. We would meet Phil and Joyce over there in the afternoon also.
We ate lunch at home and shortly after ward headed toward the casino. We were early but we figured we'd have an easier time finding a parking place if we were early. We were certainly early enough but we parked on the wrong side of the building and had to walk all the way around the casino to get to the launching area. My leg. was throbbing by the time we got there. We had brought the free stools we got from the golf tournament last year, with us, so we had a place to sit down once we got there.
When they started airing up the balloons we knew this was going to be a fun experience. We were no more than 100 yards from any of the balloons that were being inflated. It was a magnificent sight seeing them start out as a flat piece of fabric laying on the ground to a fully inflated balloon flying across the sky. It was a beautiful sight.
When we left the casino we went to Round Table Pizza with Henry and Arlene. We didn't think of going until after Phil and Joyce had left so we called them but they didn't return our call. Im guessing they were probably in the pool by now. After pizza we came home to relax in front of the tube and we had a couple of new shows on tonight so it wasn't much of a chore. Besides it just felt good to sit in my recliner and have someone entertain me tonight.
By 11 we were settled nicely between our sheets and making zzzzz's It had been a long day today and we were ready for an equally long night.
Saturday, January 7, 2006
We were up early this morning but we had decided that we would watch the mass ascension of balloons from our campground, and not go to the polo club for the event. Besides they were supposed to go up at 6:30 AM and that was a little early. In fact we didn't see them until 7:30 so we would have spent an hour out in the cold before they ever went up. We could see them very well from the comfort of the motorhome and the Energizer Bunny flew this morning where he didn't yesterday. They need a crew of 20 to handle that balloon so I don't think it flies very far when it goes up.
We decided that we would go to the polo club about 10 and take in a couple of the polo matches. We had never seen polo up close and personal before and this would be our chance. Although at points of the game it's quite exciting, most of the time it's kind of like watching grass grow. Most of the action happens away from you and that's more conducive to conversation with friends rather than watching the game.
By 4 o'clock we were starting to get hungry so we left the grounds and went for a burger and fries. The food at the polo club was very pricey so we opted not to eat there. Phil and Joyce had already left to go home and Henry and Arlene were staying because Henry was still on the balloon crew. We had intended to come back for the "balloon glow" at sunset and leaving to eat was a mistake we didn't realize at the time. When we got back there were at least 300 cars ahead of us to get in on a single lane road. By the time we managed to get back in it had taken us two hours from the time we left. It was dark and the "glow" had already started and was almost finished. We managed to capture a couple of pictures of the event before it finally ended. On the way back to the car we ran into Arlene and the three of us sat in the car and had a beer while we waited for Henry. It took him about a half hour and he had a beer when he arrived. We sat while Henry finished his beer and then we left to go home. It may be the last time we see Henry and Arlene for awhile. We'll see them in Quartzsite in a couple of weeks.
I came home and called Phil and let him know the problems we had getting back into the polo club. When they left the polo club they went to the Chinese Restaurant and got a two-for-one.
We got home almost too late to watch TV, although with the East/West networks we can always watch TV until 12 if we have to in order to catch all our shows. Unfortunately we haven't stayed up until 12 to watch TV EVER. So we just watch what we CAN watch until the sleep fairy overtakes us.
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Sharon wanted to make a stop at Michael's Craft Store before we go back to Desert Hot Springs so that was one thing on our agenda for today. The second thing was the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade at 1 o'clock this afternoon. The parade is usually held in November but now they've decided to hold it in January since there are more people here at this time. And the more people they can get on El Paseo Drive (Very Exclusive Shops) the better it is for those merchants. We took our paltry wallet and just walked by.
We left home about 11:30 headed for Michael's which was about 12 miles away. By the time we got there Sharon only had about a half hour to wander through Michael's before we headed off to the parade. Apparently a half hour was enough because she never found anything anyway. Of course she blamed it on not having enough time. Go figure.
We arrived at the Golf Cart Parade about 12:30 but had to walk about 4 blocks to get a spot to put our stools and wait. There were thousands of people waiting for the parade. We had been told it was nothing special but we had never been to one before, much like all the things we do out here. The parades are always something special though. The parade featured several unusual styles of Golf carts including a Hummer, Jeep Wrangler, 57 Chevy, Rolls Royce, etc. The unusual styles are manufactured out here in Palm Desert. And then, of course, the carts were decorated like full sized floats which would have been built on larger vehicles. It was quite unique to say the least.
By the time we got home we only had enough time to grab quick sandwich for lunch and then meander over to the pool. It was empty except for one lady who was anxious to talk to anybody she could. We found out why immediately. Neither of us could get a word in, she talked so much. We didn't mind, so we just let her go. When she caught her breath we had a pretty good discussion about camping systems and Western Horizons particularly. They told us about two friends who had bought into WH and never used the memberships. Ten thousand, and then not use them, whew!!!
We called Phil and Joyce when we got home to see if they wanted to go to the Fantasy Springs Casino for lunch tomorrow. That's the Buffet that's 2 for $11.99. We went to it last week and it was terrific. They said they'd let us know and called back later to say they'd be there at 2PM and would meet us there.
There were all new shows on the tube tonight which was a welcome relief since just before Christmas. We've been saddled with repeats for the last month or so. We were ready for the bewitching hour when it finally arrived. Actually I was in bed while Sharon was surfing and checking stuff on the Internet. But it was AFTER 10 when I retreated.
