Monday, March 29, 2010

The start of another reportedly lovely week weatherwise.  It supposed to be in the 90's today so the air conditioner will definitely be running for most of the day today.  We started off this morning by going to the Cottage Too for Breakfast.  As usual, the food was good and gave us an early start for the day.

When we left the restaurant we drove down Date Palm to check out another restaurant that we had heard about.  The name of the restaurant is the Emperor and its an Asian Buffet.  There were a group of people from the park who were meeting there to have lunch today.  We opted out of the group meeting because we had just had Chinese food late last week.  The restaurant is located at the end of Date Palm on hwy 111 probably in Rancho Mirage. 

We drove past it and saw where it was and then continued on our way to Trader Joe's.  Sharon wanted to pick up a case of wine before we head back toward home.  Trader Joe's is always an interesting place to browse through because they have unique products from all over the world.  We picked up a couple of things along with the case of wine and then went on our merry way.

We got back home about noon but since we had Breakfast this morning we didn't need to have any lunch.

It was actually a good day to take the vents apart and clean them today., so we got to that immediately after we got home.  It took about an hour to get both of them apart and back together again but now they're clean as a whistle for another couple of months.

We finished our job just in time to get ready and head out toward the pool today. The water was warmed up again today and it was not refreshing at all.  We spoke to all the people who went to the Emperor Restaurant today and they all said it was really great.  There wasn't a complaint from anyone.  We'll have to try it even if it's not until next year.

We came home early today cause we were planning to have Spaghetti and Meatballs for supper tonight. And Sharon wanted the extra time to get it ready.  But by the time we sat around and ate peanuts for awhile, we decided that we could do something else instead.  We tried to make up our minds between Carl's Jr and In-N-Out Burger.  In-N Out Burger won out and we headed out for supper.  We got there just in time because a soon as we ordered there was a bus that came in with about 40 high school kids.  They seemed to be some kind of team but we didn't ask.

We got home in time to catch all our TV on the DVR.  "24" was the only show that wasn't a repeat.  But we hardly ever remember the outcomes of the shows we watch anyway and some of them are worth watching over again.

10 o'clock rolled around and we rolled out of here.  There are some things that are just a pleasant relief and bedtime is one of them.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

We were up and eating light for Breakfast this morning since we had planned to go to The Hometown Buffet for lunch today.  There was a group, from the park,  that went to the Chinese Restaurant yesterday and the same group is going to the Hometown Buffet today.

We drove through the campground today and there are a lot of empty spaces in the place.  This is pretty typical for this late in the year.

At 12:30 we took off for the Hometown Buffet over in Rancho Mirage and arrived at exactly 1 o'clock when the price for lunch went down.  There were 9 of us that were taking advantage of the lunch today.  The food was very good and by the time we finished and left to come home it was around 2:30.  We got back about 3 and headed immediately for the pool.

The wind picked up very quickly on our way home and by the time we hit the pool it was almost making whitecaps on the water.  Daphne Garrett, our resident computer and electronics expert, arrived about the same time that we did.  Everyone knows that if you have problems with your computer or Wi-Fi, Daphne is the "go-to" girl.  We didn't stay at the pool late today and came home about 4:30.  The wind was still blowing quite handily at that time.

Needless to say we weren't looking for anything for Supper tonight.  Although I did have some peanuts while we watched Jeopardy for the night.

Tonight was Karaoke night at the Upper Clubhouse.  We left at about 7 after watching a couple of TV shows for the night.  The amount of people at the Karaoke tonight was minimal and I think it was because of the amount of people left in the campground for this year.  I think there were only about 8 people but half of them were singers.  I think they'll get better turnouts next year after giving it a year to catch on.

We were back home again just after 9 and watched a couple more shows on TV before the bewitching hour came around and we exited.  Another day shot to hell.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

We got up and ate light again this morning because it was Taco Wednesday at the VFW again.  It looked like it was going to be another nice day today except for the wind.  We have a wind advisory in effect until midnight tonight.  And there was no problem wondering why the advisory was in effect.  It seems like we've had stronger winds this year than in previous years but who knows.  I suppose the National Weather Service.

By noon we were off and headed toward the Tacos and Beer.  As we came into the Dining Room we recognized two couples from Canada that we had spoken with last week.  They were sitting by themselves so we joined them.  They live in Alberta further north than our other friends, Arlene and Henry and Terry and Jo-Anne.  They are a very personable group and we enjoyed talking to them very much.  They left at just about the time we got our food, and we hoped that we'll see them again next year.

We ran into Kay Ellis and Paul Brown before we left and they invited us over for a Happy Hour before we leave.  We said our good-byes to all the waitresses and headed back home.

The wind was blowing so hard by the time we got back home at 3 we decided to opt out of the pool today.  We sat down and started watching a movie, but that didn't hold our interest either, and we both took a little snoozer.  By the time we came back to life it was supper time but neither of us was hungry.  We'll both be snacking in a couple of hours.  That's just the way it always works.

We didn't have a  problem finding entertainment on the Telly tonight.  The DVR was busy recording to help us have enough to watch til we folded up our tents at 10.  We even had a couple of shows left over by the time we got there.  It's so much nicer to able to watch what you want and not just what you have to.  The DVR gives us that option.

Thursday, April 1, 2010APRIL FOOL'S DAY

I didn't play any jokes on anybody today, and the only joke played on me is that Obama is still in the White House.  The wind has died down somewhat from the blowing last night even though they predicted a wind advisory and rain today.  Maybe that was the April Fool's joke.

After Breakfast this morning Sharon decided to take off with the laundry and get that caught up for next week.  I retired to my recliner with a sore back.  I've got a glitch in my back that I've had for a month or so now and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.  I worked on the Newsletter while she was gone but I didn't seem to be doing any good with that either.  The printer was acting up again and now I may have to buy the OEM cartridges to see if I can get it working right again.  I also tied to send it out in e-mail in a .pdf but the size of the file made it ridiculously big.  I tried to reduce it by cutting the size of the pictures and I managed to get it down by half.  But still not small enough to be able to send it successfully.  I'll have to rework it some more over the next couple of days before I try to send it out again.

Sharon got home around lunchtime and whipped us up some Chicken Salad for sandwiches.  By the time we got finished with lunch and did up the dishes it was time for the pool.  There were quite a few people in the pool when we got there.  We even had a couple of ducks who wanted to go for a swim today as they circled the pool and then came in for a landing.  This is a common occurrence this time of the year as the ducks start to head north again.  They'll land in any water spot including the pools in the neighborhood.  They're usually chased out as long as there is someone in the pool at the time.

We were back home again by 5 and shortly afterward sat down to Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad and Garlic Bread to be followed closely by vino from Charles Shaw.  We tried a new Spaghetti sauce tonight and it was not the best but the meal tasted fine.

After dishes we settled into our comfy chairs and turned on the TV.  Tonight was going to be a full night on the schedule and we had about 6 shows on tonight that we regularly watch.  We'll be able to sit up until 10, or later, easily tonight.  By the time 10 o'clock  rolled around we were both ready for the "funny farm" and headed out to put away the animals, and lock up the barn, before the horse could get away.

Friday, April 2, 2010.

We woke up with a plan today.  At least for lunch.  We would go to Rancho Mirage and try out the Emperor Restaurant which is an Asian Buffet.  The restaurant is located east of the intersection of Date Palm and hwy 111.  We left to get to the restaurant at noon and arrived about 12:30.  The "pool group" had gone here just a few days ago and we wanted to see what it was like before we left this year.

In assessing the restaurant we felt it was a long way to go just to eat lunch.  But

the food was very good and we were not disappointed with anything we ate.  They had somewhat the same things that the Pak Inn served, at least for my taste.  I don't eat stir fry for the most part so I don't miss it if it's not there.  Although there seemed to be enough of the varied dishes that I prefer.  The beverages are not included in the price, and I missed my Root Beer Float for dessert.  But all in all, it was certainly equivalent to the Pak Inn and the food is excellent.

Before we left the restaurant we tried to find my Chiropractor in the Phone book and failed.  We couldn't remember her name and nobody looked familiar in the book.  We tried to think of her name all the way home and almost remembered about a mile from the campground.  I called her but couldn't get in until Monday morning.

By the time we got back home we were toying with the idea of taking a nap before going to the pool.  We were still early for the pool and I guess the nap won the argument cause we didn't go to the pool until 3.  The campground is starting to look like a ghost town and the pool is also showing that.  We've only been here this late one other time.  One year we volunteered for the Kraft Nabisco Golf Tournament and it was held the first part of April.

I talked with Daphne Garrett, our resident computer guru about the newsletter in the pool today.  It was still too large to send out e-mail and she suggested a couple of solutions.  Re-sizing the pictures to around 50-60 kb was a suggestion that I thought was going to work.  The Newsletter started out at 52.6 MB and then down to 28MB, 18MB, and finally to 1.42MB.  It was finally a size that I could e-mail.  But before I could re-send it our Wi-Fi ran out.  I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

We planted ourselves in front of the TV for the night content in the fact that I had a Newsletter to send out.  I would sleep much better tonight, even though I usually have no trouble sleeping anyway.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Sharon was off to the office early to buy a new week of Wi-Fi before we went to Breakfast this morning.  We'll only be here for 4 days but its cheaper than our Broadband connection from Verizon.

We were off for the Agua Caliente Casino for Breakfast.   We arrived just before 10 and were informed by the cashier that the Buffet would end at 10 but they leave the food out until 10:30.  We went in anyway knowing that we'd be done eating in a half hour.  I checked the clock when we got our last cup of coffee and it was 10:18.   The food was great and Sharon continued out into the casino to lose $4 in the slot machines.  I lost my usual dollar.

When we got back home I immediately set out to send the Newsletter again.  This time it was reduced in size substantially and it sent without a problem., except to Clay Nye.  I reloaded it this morning (Sunday) and sent it to his wife Jerie.  I'll have to wait until this afternoon to see if they get it.

I also had to check some fluid levels on the motorhome today before we leave on Tuesday.  The oil and water were fine and I set out to check the air in the tires.  This was the first time I didn't have to add a couple pounds for the trip back home. I also checked the fluid levels in the batteries in case we stop and boondock some time on the way.  The batteries were a bit low but I had enough water to bring the levels over the plates.  By the time I finished all my maintenance chores it was time for the pool.

Our days are numbered to swim in the warm waters of Catalina and then we'll be on the road to artificially heated pools.  The pool was mostly empty for the last few days and it will get worse before it ever gets better.  This is now officially the latest we've ever been here at Desert Hot Springs. 

We got back home and Sharon was making our light supper for tonight.  Since we ate at the casino this morning we never eat supper unless it's something light.  We picked up some French Onion Soup at Trader Joe's the other day and Sharon thawed that out along with Toasted Cheese Sandwiches on homemade bread.  It was all very good.

Michigan State lost the Final Four game to Butler this afternoon and Duke beat West Virginia.  We didn't much care about either game except that the Spartans were playing.

After Dinner we were searching for something to watch on TV tonight so we settled for a movie on tape.  It was another "chick flick" called "Father of the Bride."  It wasn't a bad movie all things considered.

Except for the movie and a couple episodes of re-run "Cops" there wasn't a thing on TV tonight to watch.  We were almost relieved when 10 o'clock rolled around and we could head for the feathers.  And it didn't take us long to get there either.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Sharon was off to church this morning as I still had a couple of chores to finish on the motorhome before we leave on Tuesday.

I had to get the awning back up into travel position since it's been unlocked and loosely rolled up for the last month.  We used it every day while we were in our last site.  We were facing the opposite way and the sun needed to be shaded.  We moved because of the guy next door who was feeding the birds.  I also had to wash the front of the motorhome and get rid of all the bird doodoo.  I wanted to wait until the last minute so I wouldn't have to do it more than once.

By the time Sharon got home I was pretty much done with my chores except for filling the auxiliary batteries with water and filling them up.  I had enough yesterday to get them over the plates but I still needed more water to get them at maximum.  I assumed Sharon was going to stop on her way home to pick up the distilled water but she said she didn't want to go shopping in heels.  So after she changed she headed back to town for a few items.

It was around 12:30 when she returned home and she stopped at Carl's Jr. for lunch on the way.  I got a Bacon Western Double Cheeseburger and Sharon bought a salad for herself.  The salad was giant and contained lettuce, apples, cranberries and nuts and a few other things.  It looked quite appetizing but not for me.

An hour after we ate lunch we were ready for the pool today.  We actually had an exciting thing happen to us while we were in the pool today.  We had a 7.2 earthquake that spilled water out of the pool.  All the people who were gathered in our group didn't notice a thing except when a guy who was walking on the edge of the pool asked us if we noticed the quake 10 minutes before.  Sharon remembered that she noticed water being spilled out of the pool at that time.  Go figure.  All that excitement and nobody notices anything.

We got back home tonight and we had Ribs cooking in the oven all afternoon.  The motorhome was smelling very good indeed.  Sharon fried up some potatoes and heated up a can of beans and cracked open a bottle of wine.  We were going to feast tonight.  Everything turned out soooooooooo good.

Our evening was filled with pretty much taped shows tonight.  Stuff we hadn't seen before because they weren't our regular fare.  But with that and a new series on Discovery called "LIFE" we managed to find enough to carry us until 10.  Besides who need to stay up later than that anyway?