Monday, January 15, 2007

We were excited this morning as we got out of bed.  This was going to be the day we would go to the casino for Breakfast.  This would be our first time this year.  A trip to the Agua Caliente Casino is always a highlight of this stay in the west.  Even though the price has gone up in the most recent past it's still the best food for the price.

We also found out this morning that Varner Road (the shortcut to the Interstate) is mostly paved and open for traffic.  It makes it much easier to cross the highway into the remainder of the Desert Cities.

Anyhow, as usual, we (Phil , Joyce, Sharon and I) left the casino this morning having consumed all the food we possibly could.  We called Jack and Rosann last night but they passed this morning.  I guess they were thinking about looking for a campground in case they can't buy their "outweek" coming up.  Jack always plays pickleball in the morning also.

Apparently the cold weather the last couple of days has done a number on the citrus crop here in California.  When they sort it all out they expect it to be several million dollars.  And there was also a refinery fire in the city of Richmond up in the Bay area.  Richmond is the city where "Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park" is located.  Sharon and I were up there a couple of years ago.  Phil and Joyce live very close to there.

By the time we got home the food had settled and we were both looking for a place to take a nap.  Food will do that to you.  After a no-eat lunch Phil stopped by and asked if we were going to the pool.  We said absolutely NO but later recanted and finally went.  They were in the hot tub when we arrived but then went to the pool when we went in.  The water was not as warm as we would have liked it but it was plenty warm for a normal person.  The temperature was about 58 degrees today but the pool did feel rather nice.  The hot tub felt delicious when we decided to call it a day in the pool.

Sharon decided she was hungry at suppertime so she reheated the leftover Chicken Breasts and made up some Penne Pasta and we dined on that.  I didn't think I was hungry but the meal disappeared down my gullet also, and it was really good.

While we were eating, the second half of the "24" Premier started on TV.  But my dish was acting up again and I decided to wait until 8 to see it on cable.  And the wait was well worth it as the two hour show continued the excitement from last night.  At the end of the episode a Nuclear explosion was set off by terrorists.  Man this show is going to have an exciting year.

Me and the Mrs. Both headed for the soft furniture at 10 when "24" ended.  Tomorrow is supposed to bring some warmer temperatures.  It supposed to warm up all week.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

We got quite a leisurely start this morning.  We really didn't have anything on our agenda this morning so there was no real reason to get our sh__ together.  So we just laid around and read the paper for the morning.  Phil and Joyce stopped over on their way to a walk and he said he wasn't feeling too well.  That was the last time we saw him all day.

I was up on the roof this morning checking out the satellite dish.  I couldn't find an adjustment on the thing where I could tighten up the mechanism.  I guess I'll have to put up my spare dish for the next week or so.

After lunch we got a call from Jack and Rosann to come to the party.  They were at the Upper Pool already sunning themselves.  We grabbed a couple of beers and went up there for about an hour or so.  It was actually cold sitting in the sun because there was a slight wind blowing.  We knew we were coming back down to the Lower Pool to swim because we don't know anybody who swims in the Upper Pool, and also because when we left, there was nobody there.  It's too late to foster new friendships in the Upper Pool.

When we got back home we donned our swim togs and headed for the pool.  Joyce had already gone over there and Phil was nowhere in sight.  He was now down in bed trying to recover.

After the dunk in the pool we came back home to have Stuffed Meatballs and Creamed Corn along with some chewy rolls we got from the grocery store this afternoon.  The Meatballs were really good and another meal I had suggested during Sharon's "dry spell" of thinking about things to cook.  We've got her best recipes on the computer and I just boot that baby up and check them out.

We plunked ourselves in front of the TV for the night and actually found all new shows on tonight.  I guess the new season has officially started now.  We should be set until April when the repeats start again.

We were up until 10 but then the bed started calling to us and we heard it and responded.  Nite, Nite.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

We had an agenda for today and Sharon started it off by going for a walk this morning.  By the time she got back it was time for Breakfast and then we went for a stroll looking at the patio sales in the park.  I only went a couple of rows before my back started aching so I quit.  Sharon continued through the lower park and came back and reported "no sale."  Joyce stopped over and they went to the Upper Park to see if there was anything there.  I guess there was only a few people with things out to sell.  Nothing they couldn't live without.

It was Taco Wednesday today and only three of us went.  Phil was still down in bed with what seems like the flu.  He hasn't felt good for about 3 days now.  The VFW was extremely crowded today and we had to sit at the bar with our pitcher of beer.  They hadn't called the 50/50 number by the time we had gotten there at 12:15.  The parking lot was so full we had to park across th street.  By the time we had gotten to a table we were half done with out pitcher and had started on our chips and salsa.  The Browns and Parents walked in just as we had sat down.  It didn't take that long to get our food and it was good as usual.

By the time we got back home Sharon was ready for a nap but I insisted she go to the pool.  She was over there about 45 minutes before she took a powder and went home and slept.  By the time I got back after another 45 minutes I caught her in bed and knew she'd be there for awhile, so I just let her sleep.  When she finally got up at dark she made us some egg salad for sandwiches.  They were pretty good and a nice change in menu.

We took our usual spots tonight for the watching of the TV.  Sharon at the table cross-stitching and me nestled in my recliner.  The dish was behaving tonight so Primetime started at 5 PM.  We also had some new shows on tonight and we both hung in there until 10.  But when 10 rolled around all functioning stopped.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Sharon went for her walk this morning as I just sat around and worked on the Newsletter.  I wanted to finish it up today even though it's way early to get it done.  When she came back from her walk and after Breakfast she decided she'd try to get a few loads of laundry done.  She doesn't usually do the laundry at Catalina because it's cheap and the laundry rooms are usually very busy.  But she managed to get into a couple of machines and did what she wanted to do.  She was finished by 1 PM and came back home.

She asked me if I had intended to play mini-golf today in the tournament and I had forgotten all about it.  I said yes and quickly jumped in the shower and got myself ready for the day.  At two we went up for the golf and as luck would have it.....we won.  The prize was two Sirloin Burgers served on Sunday night in the Upper Clubhouse.  The usual charge for the burgers is $4 apiece.  We won them one time last year also so were off to a good start having played only twice this year.  Yeah like there's a chance we'll win again.

We came back home and went to the pool.  Phil and Joyce had opted out of the golf but were at the pool when we got there.  The water was an almost perfect 90 degrees.  A couple degrees warmer and it'll be just right.  We were  there for a couple of hours and then went back home to enjoy cocktail hour.  It felt like a Bloody Mary night, and about 4 later we had BBQ Chicken Wings which is one of our favorites.  When all else fails make Chicken Wings, garlic bread and cut up some celery and put out the dip.  It was a fine offering for supper.

It was windy tonight and there was no chance of watching TV on the Dish.  We would be chained to the tube until 11 if we wanted to watch all our shows.  And watch we did, although Sharon retired to the bedroom to watch Grey's Anatomy.  I figure I'll catch it tomorrow night.  They've been repeating it on Fridays every week since the season started.  I suppose THIS week is the week they'll change their programming.  I actually stayed up until 11:30 watching American Chopper.

Friday, January 19, 2007

It was so windy last night when I saw Phil moving around this morning he was fiddling with his dish.  Apparently the wind blew it over and he was trying to set it up again.  Our motorhome was rocking back and forth last night from the wind.

We had some shopping to do in town this morning and decided as long as we were there we'd stop at McDonalds and pick up some coupon burgers for a change.  We had a couple of coupons that were buy one get one free for Big Macs.  We stopped at Stater Brothers first to recycle our cans and bottles for cash.  The we stopped in to buy a few staples and then off to McDonalds.  We went through the drive-thru and went home and drank our own coke.  All in all it was a pretty good shopping trip and a $5 lunch to boot.  Do we know how to shop or what.

We didn't realize how cold it was today when we left the campground but we sure realized it by the time we got home.  The shorts we had on made us a little underdressed and the temperature kind of ruled out a trip to the pool this afternoon.  And sure enough it was a mite too cold to splash in the water today.

We just sat around and watched TV this afternoon until it was time for Sharon to make Shrimp Etoufee' for supper tonight.  We had that on top of cooked rice and Garlic Bread.  It was very yummy.  It was absolutely necessary to wash it all down with a couple of Old Fashioneds.

The night was taken up with new shows on TV.  First on the agenda was Grey's Anatomy from last night.  I was hoping they'd replay it tonight and they did.  I was consumed with CSI last night and couldn't watch it.  Sharon was tied up with her Soduku puzzle and didn't care what I watched.  We both stayed up until 10 and then our eyelids slammed shut.  It was the end of the day and we knew it.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

We got ready this morning and took off to the Sky Valley RV Park to do some yard sale-ing.  The roads in Sky valley are so confusing we were literally lost for a couple of hours just driving around and looking.  There wasn't as many sales as we expected and the last time we were there they were all in the clubhouse.  Of course we were too late to do any shopping that time.  I think that was last year.

After Sky Valley we came back toward home and went into Caliente Springs.  They were having their monthly sale today also.  We don't usually find anything at Caliente Springs because they have a craft sale and the stuff is all brand new.  But Sharon did pick up a yard hangar for mini-flags.  She picked up a flag at the College of the Desert that she wanted to put outside the motorhome.  On the way out of the park we stopped to see a park model that they had on display out on Dillon Road.  It was kind of cute at about 11X30 feet until I heard the price ($60,000) I lost all interest.  Particularly when I compared the price of our mobile home at 16X80 feet and $40,000.  But then everything in California is ridiculously expensive.  We pay double out here what we pay for eggs at home.

We came home and ate lunch before we headed for the pool.  The temp of the water was around 89 today and was a surprise since the wind was still blowing on and off.  The people in the pool today didn't even attempt to come down here yesterday.  It seemed like all the regulars were here today.

Supper tonight would be leftovers and Sharon had decided to go to church tonight so I guess I was in charge of getting it on the table.  We were having the Stuffed Meatballs and gravy along with Green Beans and I whipped up some Mashed Potatoes to finish it off.  It was good but I salted the potatoes too much and they were a little briny.  But they were enough to fill us up and have a serving left over for lunch.

We got together with Phil and Joyce tonight for some Dominoes.  There was nothing on TV so it seemed like the thing to do.  Sharon and Phil won the two games we played and we finished up at 10:30.  Phil wasn't drinking tonight but it certainly didn't seem to put a damper on the proceedings.  The three of us had enough to make up for him anyway.  After they left, Me and the Mrs. went immediately to never, never land.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The wind was whistling again this morning in gusts.  It did not look favorable for any pool action today.

Since Sharon had gone to church yesterday afternoon she had nowhere to go this morning, so she walked down to the paper machines and picked up a Sunday paper.  After she got back she realized that she only got half a paper.  Most of the ad junk was missing.  That's the only stuff I like to look through.

Sharon made us a couple of Bagel, Egg, Sausage and Cheese sandwiches this morning for Breakfast before we settled in for the playoff games in the NFL.  The Bears won in the National conference and the Colts won in the American.  They were both very good games and cliffhangers til the end.  We really didn't have anything on our agenda anyway today so the games were a way to mark time for the day.

By mid-afternoon the wind was still howling so the pool was definitely out of the question.  By 4:30 it was time to get ourselves ready to go to the Upper Clubhouse for the Sirloin Burger that we had won in mini-golf on Thursday.  Phil and Joyce would be going along with us.  The Burger is quite good and it comes with Chips, Beans and Potato Salad.  Sharon said her burger was burnt and showed us the blackened meat to prove her point.  It was soaked in BBQ sauce though so at least it was soft and not crispy.

TV was the entertainment du jour for the evening.  We had a couple of new shows on tonight but the remainder were still repeats.  Repeats of shows from 2 seasons ago.  Man I can't wait for the new season to be in full swing.  We were up until 10:30 anyway cause it was too windy for the dish.  If the wind would stop blowing I'm intending to fix the dish before we get to Quartzsite.  In the mean time I'll just wait to see if the wind subsides.