Monday, March 10, 2008

We got a lazy start this morning.  Phil and Joyce stopped over before we even got the door unlocked.  Sharon was just finishing up her shower and I was in no hurry to get myself going.  I was casually sitting around listening to Rush on the radio and playing Freecell on the computer.  It was just after 9 and I had my Journal all up to date and was not looking for anything special to do.

We talked about where we were going to eat this week and when, but that could change during the week.  We have coupons and specials for meals and this will be Phil and Joyce's last week here at Catalina.

After lunch we got ready for the pool since we'd have to get out early today to attend the Eastern States Party at the Upper Clubhouse this afternoon.  The pool was warmer again today at about 93 degrees, but with the weather warming up like it is, it could be a little cooler, but not much.  We left the pool about 3 and came home and got ourselves ready for the party at 3:30.  Corky and Deb had called earlier and said they wouldn't be able to make it, but we agreed to get together before they leave for Casa Grande later in the week.

The Eastern States Party was a nice get-together with everybody east of Colorado.  We had a bout 37 people there.  It was really just a chance to get together with people from your home state and have a conversation.  There just happened to be about a dozen people from Michigan and Wisconsin attending.  It was kind of funny but the people from Wisconsin lived closer to us than the ones from Michigan.

We were back home again by 5:30 and we had had a very nice time.  Sharon and I were appointed by default to host the party next year.  According to Terry and Diana Brown and Roy and Marianne Parent hosting the party was no big deal.  So we'll give it a shot and see how it works out.

We watched the tube again tonight with a couple of new shows on.  The final of October Road and New Amsterdam were on and we watched them while we surfed for other shows.  We also saw a show called Canterbury's Law which took us up to the time to exit the main stage and go to the dressing room.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

We've had a stretch of beautiful days and it looks like this one will be no different.  We headed off to the Cottage Too for Breakfast this morning.  They've got a great special for a fabulous price and we usually get out of there for $14 including tip.  As usual, even though we've only been there once before, the food was very good indeed.  On the way home we were going to stop at Corky and Deb's but they didn't answer their phone, and we didn't want to impose on them if they weren't feeling up to company.  So we came back home and sat outside in the sun for awhile.

By lunchtime I was getting antsy to get to the pool but Sharon had to stop over and pay for the Wi-Fi for another 2 weeks before we would go.  By the time we finally got there it looked like we were late for the party since there was quite a crowd already soaking.  The water was quite warm again today probably in the 90's somewhere.  When we left Sharon invited some people over for a Happy Hour.  There were 2 new couples that we've just gotten acquainted with in the past week, John and Kris Fraser and Terry and Jo-anne Bertamini, both from Calgary, Alberta, and Phil and Joyce.  We had a few smoothies that Phil and Joyce brought over and then BBQued Chicken Wings and a couple of other snacks.  Everybody stayed until about 8 and then the party broke up.  It was quite a good time for all.

I got a call from Desert Regional Hospital tonight telling me they had a cancellation at 10 tomorrow morning if I wanted the PT appointment it was mine.  I wanted them to call me since I couldn't get in with a regular appointment on my own.  So I think I'll call them tomorrow morning and tell them I'll take it.  I need to get in there as often as I can before I leave here on April 1st.

We came inside and turned on the TV and I got to watch an NCIS repeat and Dirty Jobs on Discovery before the bewitching hour crashed down on us. At 10 we were both ready for slumberland.  Sharon actually crashed at 8:50 but whose counting?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I was headed toward Palm Springs this morning on my way to Physical Therapy at the Kirk Douglas Physical Therapy room.  I wanted to leave early and take a different route to see if it was less time to get there.  It actually took me 20 minutes by the new route.  I had my normal 60 session and then I was back on the road to get home in time for Taco Wednesday.

When I got back Sharon told me that John and Kris had opted out for the day and I got a call from Phil and Joyce.  They would walk over and we would go at noon.  There was a crowd leaving the VFW as we were arriving.  They must have called the 50/50 number just before we arrived.  We had no problem finding a place to sit and shortly afterwards Paul Brown came in and sat with us.  We stayed after eating for some extra nectar.  Paul bought a couple of pitchers but a whole pitcher is only a glass apiece.  It seems like it should be more but it isn't.

By the time we got home it was pool time and we got ready and left immediately.  As soon as we got in the pool we explained to John and Kris what Taco Wednesday really was.  It's not so much the tacos, as the beer and conversation we enjoy with them.  John thought it was a regular Mexican Dinner and that's hardly what it is.  They apparently had "too much Mexican food" last year.  We spent a couple of hours in the pool and when we left Sharon had a mass invite for a Happy hour.  Terry and Joanne came over but John and Kris and Phil and Joyce were no-shows.  We had a couple of snacks and sat and talked for a couple of hours about everything under the sun.  They left and headed home about 8 after the wind started getting a little chilly.

After coming in I watched a couple of shows on TV until about 11.  Sharon folded up her tent and headed for slumberville about 9.  She said she was going to bed to read but that was just a ruse to get horizontal.  She was zzzzing pretty soundly by the time I got in there.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

We were up this morning but not really functioning when Terry stopped over to pick up his chairs from last night.  I hollered to him out the window and he invited us over for coffee.  When Sharon found out about that she made a counter-offer of French Toast made out of the bread we picked up at the VFW yesterday. Now I was wheelin' and dealin'.  I caught Jo-anne on her way to the garbage and told her about my counter-offer and she invited us over afterwards.

The French Toast made out of the Wheat Bread was very good.  It wasn't sliced so Sharon sliced it a little thicker than normal.  We didn't have much syrup left so she also added some Karo Syrup to the bottle along with some vanilla.  That was good also.  We didn't have any meat (Bacon,Sausage) with the Toast but that was okay, the entree' itself was delicious.

After Breakfast we mosied on down to the Bertamini's and finished off Breakfast with the Coffee and conversation.  A little while later Phil and Joyce joined us, and I asked them what happened to them when they didn't show up for the Happy Hour last night.  Phil hinted that they didn't think they were invited.  That was a shame because they should have known they were invited without a personal invitation.  Besides I would have called them, had I known.

We all went to the Manager's meeting at 1 PM and I asked about the member's getting Wi-Fi for free as almost every park system in the country does now.  The Manager's answer was meant to embarrass and humiliate me in front of the crowd, but it had the opposite effect. That arrogant bastard just pissed me off.  They took the microphone away from me or I would have told him what I thought of his answer.

We left the meeting with the six of us (Terry, Jo-anne, Joyce, Phil, Sharon and Me) headed toward Hometown Buffet.  Phil wanted to go later so he could get their ribs but by the time we got there he only had to stall for an hour before he got them.  The food was quite good and we had a coupon from Phil that only cost us half price.  By the time we got home we didn't know if we'd still float in the pool, but we tried it anyway.

We had the pool almost entirely to ourselves probably because the wind came up today and the water was 88 degrees.  It actually didn't really feel cool at all when we went in and we stayed for about an hour or so.  We waited til there was a break in the wind before we made the dash for the hot tub.  I didn't make much of a dash, it was more like a quick hobble.  It was very refreshing and we didn't miss a day of the pool.

Our usual crap was on TV tonight.  I didn't think we'd be able to watch a minute of it because of the wind but our dish was affected very little.  But it didn't improve the programming any.  We had the same old repeats on again tonight.  Sharon got bored and stitched and then did her Soduko the rest of the night til 11.  There was a show on Discovery that both of us watched at 10 but that was a long wait for something interesting.

Friday, March 14, 2008

At 9 this morning we had a meeting to determine how the States Parties would be handled for next year.  We attended with Terry and Diana, Roy and Marianne and of course the people who handled the States events for this past year.  The meeting lasted about a half hour before we were on our way to Wal-Mart this morning.  We were looking for a place to have Breakfast since we didn't have time to eat before we left for the meeting this morning.  We didn't find anything agreeable to our tastes so we just headed for Wal-Mart.  We needed to do some shopping for groceries and other things and we thought we'll just find someplace to eat after shopping.

We got everything we needed and were back in the car headed back to Catalina Spa after about an hour and as we drove past In-n-Out Burger we decided on that.  It would be our second time there since Sharon stopped once in Yuma and brought it home after church one day.

It was just after noon when we got back home and the wind was howling like a banshee today.  The pool would definitely be colder today since the wind was going all night, last night.  We noticed that there was water running down the road which usually indicates they're pumping hot water into the pool.  The temp of the water was 88 degrees today but the hot tub was deliciously hot at 103.  We stayed til about 4 o'clock ad then went home.

Sharon was preparing Crab Cakes and Sweet Potato Fries for supper tonight.  We also had a little vino to enhance the flavor of the entree'.  I don't know if it enhanced it, but it was quite good indeed.

We had invited Terry, Jo-anne, John, Kris, Phil and Joyce over tonight to just sit around and make conversation.  John and Kris didn't make it but everybody else came over.  We partied until about 10:30 before the gang broke up.  It was a good get-acquainted gathering.  Me and the Mrs. Folded up our tents and jumped on the sleep train after everyone had left for the night.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

We were off this morning to the Agua Caliente Casino for the Buffet Breakfast.  We rode with the Bertamini's and the Fraser's would meet us over there.  We were hoping they were making waffles this morning but they found a reason not to.  I complained to the waitress and she notified the Dining Room supervisor who came over and gave me a "song and dance" about how they only make waffles on Sundays.  I told him we were here last Saturday and the waffle irons were going.  He left and came back a few minutes later and said it was because there were 2 large groups that were here then, and offered to make them for us anyway.  By that time we were just finishing up and no one was interested anymore anyhow.

The wind was howling again today and the temp of the pool was down to 82 degrees and not too inviting for this fella.  Water has been flowing out of the pool for two days trying to retain the heat to a comfortable temperature.  It doesn't seem to be working.

Sharon took off with the laundry as soon as we got home.  I think she knew that even I wouldn't be going to the pool today.  She was gone for a couple of hours before she returned back home again.  She thought she was gone for an inordinate amount of time, but she was back in two hours.

We sat around for the rest of the afternoon debating with ourselves whether or not we would go to the Upper Clubhouse for the Corned Beef and Cabbage.  Sharon decided on Patty Melts and that was just fine with me.  I'm not a great lover of Corned Beef and Cabbage but I'll eat it cause Sharon likes it and it only comes once a year.

We sat at home tonight and watched a couple of movies.  The wind prevented us from watching the DirecTV programming.  Our movies were over right at 10 o'clock and I got around to fixing the Ribs we would be having with Phil and Joyce tomorrow.  It took about 20 minutes to get them ready and into the refrigerator and then we were off to NaNa land.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

We still had the wind this morning when we got up as it also blew all night.  This has been one hell of a year for wind.  Sharon's taken to marking the "wind days" on the calendar she's so disgusted.

She was off to church this morning to pray for me, (that's what she tells me) and on the way home she'll be stopping at K-Mart to pick up a few things and a complete oil change for the motorhome.  I'll have to get on that over the next couple of weeks while we're still here.

By the time Sharon got back it was lunchtime and we just scared-up some leftovers.  I had Crab Cake Sandwiches and she had Black Beans and Rice.

We had no intention of going to the pool today.  With the wind blowing like it was, there was no chance the pool would be a decent temperature.  And in fact we later heard it was about 82 degrees.  Way too cold for my tastes.  I didn't miss the pool earlier in the year because of the cold weather, and I sure don't miss the cold water now.

We had invited Phil and Joyce over tonight for "Bill's World Famous Ribs" and they stopped over just before Dinner tonight.  They brought "Joyce's World Famous Beans" and we had them with the ribs along with Potato Salad and Garlic Bread.  The ribs we bought were "extra meaty" and I don't know if I cared for the final result.  I could hardly taste the BBQ Sauce which usually is a good thing, but I prefer the less meaty ribs.  I think they give a more rounded taste.  Everybody else thought they were just fine, so it was probably just me, not wanting to try something different.

After Dinner we played a game of Dominos to pass the time. I think Sharon finally won tonight. We haven't played much this year.  It seems we've had other things to do and other interests besides getting together this year.  It also doesn't help much to have me being so non-mobile.

After the Bachs left we sat and watched the tube for awhile tonight.  I was kind of interested to see the new show Axmen on Discovery but the episode they showed I saw last week.  There was going to be another episode on after the first one but I didn't stay up waiting for it.  Sharon was already horizontal in the bedroom and just decided to give up also.