A Month in the Coachella Valley, Our Old Home Base

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, December 18^th, when we left Silent Valley Club and relocated to Indio, California. We will be at Indian Waters RV Resort until January 1^st, then move over to Cathedral City for a week, then back to the Indio Fairgrounds for the Western Area FMCA Rally. We had to move from Indian Waters because after the first of the year their rates go to $59 a night, no discounts of any kind. Too expensive for us.

Monday, December 19^th, we went out after lunch and Jackie got a haircut. We then did a Walmart trip before heading back to the coach. We stayed in the rest of the evening. On Tuesday we left the RV park about 10:30 and drove into Rancho Mirage so I could go to my annual dermatologist appointment. Every year about this time I go in for a body check because I am prone to various types of skin cancers. The doc found a number of small surface issues and used up about a half a bottle of liquid nitrogen spraying them, but nothing serious was seen. After the doctor we stopped at IHOP for lunch, then went to Winco for a few things we couldn't get at Walmart.

Wednesday, December 21^st, the first day of Winter, ugh. We left the coach about noon and went to Cactus Jack's in Indio for a nice lunch. We then did our Costco run, restocking the vodka cellar and the freezer. It was fitting on the first day of Winter that the rains would come, it started in the morning and the forecast says it will be around until Thursday afternoon, then back again on Saturday. Ugh, again. After Costco we went back home and put stuff away. About 4:00 some full timing friends, Jim and Pat Goetzinger, came over to visit. They actually thought that today was the day I was doing karaoke at the RV park, because Jackie only posted that I was doing it on Wednesday, didn't say WHICH Wednesday. We still had a nice visit. We have know Jim and Pat since shortly after we started full timing, meeting them though several of our FMCA chapters. After Jim and Pat left we stayed in, listened to the rain and watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, December 22^nd, we left the RV park about noon and met two of our geocaching friends from the Coachella Valley, Roy and Darcy. We met several years ago, through caching, and we try to see them whenever we are in the area. They are also retired and spent almost three months in Alaska this past summer. They only have an SUV and a small, pop up A-frame trailer, so compared to the way that we travel they are roughing it. We had a great lunch and enjoyed listening to their stories from Alaska and telling them some of ours. After lunch we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day there. The rain finally quit about 5:00, although it is supposed to be back in a day or two. Friday we went out a little after 8:00 in the morning to get our blood tests done. Jackie always likes to be able to get it done early so she can then have her morning coffee. We are having our annual physicals in about two weeks, so needed blood work. After the lab we went back home and had our morning coffee and got cleaned up. We left again about 10:30 and drove to Palm Desert for the College of the Desert Street Fair. It was pretty small today, less than half the normal number of participants. I think the combination of the threat of rain and the fact that it is Christmas weekend caused a lot of vendors to skip this weekend. After the fair we had lunch at Islands restaurant, then headed back to the coach. We stayed in the rest of the evening.

Saturday, December 24^th, Christmas Eve. We had a stay at home day. In the afternoon Jackie made up a batch of stuffing for the Christmas party here at the RV park. We went over about 4:00 and the party started about 4:30. There were probably over a hundred people in attendance and we sat with two couples that we didn't know. There was lots of good food, most brought by guests, with the park providing Turkey and ham. We had a great meal, some nice conversation, and were back home by about 6:30. We stayed in the rest of the night, watched TV and then went to bed to wait for Santa.

Sunday, December 25^th, Merry Christmas! We celebrated our 18^th Christmas together by hanging out at the coach. I went out in the morning to get our Sunday paper and we spent the rest of the day with each other. We had a very nice, quiet Christmas day. Monday we left the coach about 11:30 and went to a local deli, TKB Bakery, for lunch with some geocaching friends. Kevin, Ron and Rex met us at the deli and we had a great lunch together. We met all three of these guys through our belonging to the local caching association, the Coachella Valley Geocachers. Kevin and Rex are good friends and they are the cachers. Ron is Kevin's partner and does not cache. After lunch we went to do our laundry and then did a Walmart run. We got all our chores done and were still back home before 4:00. Yea!

Tuesday, December 27^th, I went down to the Riverside County Veteran's Service Center here in Indio. Several of my veteran friends have encouraged me to try to get into the VA system, if not for full health care, at least for my hearing problems. I have had poor hearing and really bad tinnitus for quite a while. I went to the center and signed up for a consultation, but they only had afternoon appointments. I went back to the coach and went up on the roof to caulk around the bathroom vent where we have experienced some leaks during the recent rain storms. There did appear to be a few cracks in the sealing, so I hope I got everything sealed. We will see the next time the rain comes.

At 1:00 I went back to the vet center and talked to a very nice guy, another vet who now works for Riverside County. He copied all my paperwork from my military service and asked me what my issues were. When I told him I had tinnitus and poor hearing, he said, “that's two claims,” let's get started. He filled out a form which advises the Veteran's Administration of my intent to file a claim. He said that filing this form puts them on notice, and also locks in December 2016 as the date to which any potential compensation would be back-dated. He then gave me some paperwork for an initial screening with a local doctor, which wouldn't cost me anything. If the doctor agrees I have a serious enough hearing loss to merit filing a claim, then we will file the actual claim for compensation. After that the VA will send me to one of their doctors, who will test me again and send the results to the VA. They will review the claim and make a determination as to if, and how much, compensation I may be entitled to. He said that the process takes about 9 months.

After my interview, which took less than an hour, I went back to the coach and did a few more chores. Our good friends Peggy and Vernon Bullock came into the RV park today. They will be traveling with us, on and off, for the next three months or so. We last saw them in Pismo Beach in October. About 5:30 they came over for cocktails and then Jackie served chili relleno, which has become kind of a traditional welcoming meal whenever we connect up with the Bullock's. We ate and then visited until about 7:30 when they left. We watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, December 28^th, we stayed at the park for the day. In the early afternoon I took all my karaoke stuff over to the clubhouse and got everything set up and working for the karaoke happy hour later. About 3:30 Jackie and I went over and at 4:00 they started happy hour. At first it was a little slow on the karaoke and I was doing most of the singing, but then a few other people came up and then some line dancers started going and pretty soon it was a real party. Everyone was pretty much gone by 6:00, so a little after we packed up most of the stuff and went back to the coach. We went over to Peggy and Vernon's for cocktails and then Peggy served some ham and beans she had been making in the crock pot. We had a great dinner and about 9:00 we went back to our coach, watched some TV and then went to bed.

Thursday, December 29^th, I went over to the clubhouse in the morning and packed up the rest of the karaoke equipment. I then came back home and spent a couple of hours picking up and packing away all the Christmas decorations and lights. Jackie went out shopping with Peggy for the afternoon while I worked at the coach. About 6:00 the four of us drove to Cactus Jack's in Indio for dinner. Peggy and Vernon love to go to Cactus Jack's at least once when they are in Indio. We had a great dinner and great conversation. Vernon and I had the beef ribs, as usual, while Peggy had prime rib. Jackie went with the seafood combo. We had a chance to say hi to our friend George Bishop, the owner of Cactus Jack's, and also had a chance to say hi to actor William Devane who was at the bar. Bill Devane has a house in the Coachella Valley and is always a regular in Cactus Jack's when he is in town. We were acquainted with him when we lived here and also frequented CJ's. Jackie mentioned to him that we always had a laugh when one of his commercials for buying gold and silver comes on TV. The tag line for the commercials is always, “what's in your safe?” We always answer the TV, “none of your business!” Jackie told Bill that he needs to stop following us around the country asking about our safe. He had a good laugh at that. After dinner we went back to the coach and had a nightcap. About 8:00 the Bullock's went back to their coach and we watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, December 30^th, I left the coach about 10:30 and drove to the Palm Springs airport to get my screening test for my hearing as part of my effort to get VA benefits. The doctor is a 93 year old WW-II Navy vet who is still a practicing FAA approved flight surgeon. He as a flight surgeon in the Navy and never quit. He gives free screening exams to any vets in the area who are trying to deal with the VA. He gave me the test and filled out the VA forms, acknowledging that I had a substantial hearing loss in both ears as a result of working around jet aircraft and guns in the military.

Vernon had gone along with me so we could go to lunch after my doctor's appointment. Peggy and Jackie had gone out for lunch and haircuts, so Vernon went with me. When I was done with the doctor we went to lunch at Boy's, a restaurant that I used to frequent when I worked in Cathedral City. They have the best pastrami sandwich anywhere. Vernon and I both had it. We then did a drive through of the RV park in Cathedral City where we are moving on Sunday. It is kind of run down, but it will be OK for the week we are going to spend there. We then drove back to the RV park and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. About 5:00 we went over to the Bullock's coach for dinner. Peggy made pork chops and sweet potatoes, along with some veggies. We had another great dinner and stayed until about 8:00 visiting and enjoying each other's company. We then went back to our coach and watched a little TV until bedtime.

Saturday, December 31^st, the last day of 2016. After lunch we went out and did a Walmart run for some supplies. About 6:00 the four of us went down to the clubhouse for the New Year's Eve party. There were a over a hundred people in attendance and they had music provided by the DJ''s who work at the RV park in Pahrump. The food was catered by Sherman's Deli in Palm Desert, a very well known restaurant. They had brisket or salmon, along with veggies and salad. They provided wine and bar, but we brought our vodka to drink. The food was very good but the music was a little boring. As in the past, they did a New York New Years,which meant they turned on the TV at 9:00 and watched the ball drop in New York City. We stayed another half hour or so and then headed back home. We watched a little TV, listened to the sound of gunfire in the Indio neighborhoods and then went to bed.

Sunday, January 1, 2017. Happy New Year!!!! Today was another moving day for us. In the past we would stay at Indian Waters until the Western Area Rally starts, which this year is one week. However, since our old Western Horizon's membership company is no more, they don't offer the big discount rates any more at the old WHR resorts. We were able to stay for the last two weeks through another of our discount affiliates, RPI, at only $27 a night, but after today the rates go up to $59 a night with no discounts available. We are not going to pay that kind of money, so we are moving to another RPI park in Cathedral City for the week until the rally starts.

We were on the road about 11:00 and were in the Cathedral Canyon RV park before noon, it was only a 20 mile trip. It took us a while to get settled in because the first spot they gave us was under a tree and no matter how I parked the coach, I couldn't get TV. We finally moved across the street and got settled in. The Bullocks also moved and are in a spot right across from us. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon after we got set up. About 5:00 we went to the Bullock's for cocktails and then BBQed some great steaks on the grill. We had a nice dinner at the Bullock's and went back to our place about 8:30 where we watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, January 2^nd, the actual Federal holiday this year since the 1^st was on a Sunday. About 10:30 we left with the Bullock's in our car and drove to Banning to go to a friend's open house in Sun Lakes. Bonnie Green has been a friend of Peggy and Vernon's for many years, and we met her a few years back. She invited us to a holiday open house, so we took the 45 minute drive to visit. There were a lot of people there, but Bonnie was the only one any of us knew. We stayed until about 1:30 and then drove back home. I did some chores and repairs and we relaxed the rest of the afternoon. We had cocktails with Peggy and Vernon about 5:00, but did dinner on our own. We had leftovers from last night's steak dinner. We watched TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, January 3^rd, we went out after lunch to do some geocaching with the Bullock's. We haven't done any real geocaching in several months. We were able to get eleven new finds in a few hours, with no new DNFs. After caching we stopped at the grocery store for a few things and then headed back home. The Bullock's came over about 5:00 for cocktails and then we had dinner with them in our coach. Jackie made some calamari scampi over angel hair pasta and it was very good. We sat and talked after dinner until about 8:00 when Peggy and Vernon went back to their place. We watched TV for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, January 4^th, we were out of the house by 10:00 and headed to breakfast with the Bullock's. We went to an old favorite of ours from the days we worked in Cathedral City. Don and Sweet Sue's is well known in the area as a great restaurant. I had machaca and it was the best I have had, even better than when I get it in Mexican restaurants. Jackie had a chicken liver omelet which she said was great. Both Peggy and Vernon had chicken fried steak. The only complaint was that Peggy's eggs were undercooked.

After breakfast Jackie and Peggy went out on their own. Jackie had her annual mammo- gram scheduled in early afternoon and after that they went shopping. Vernon and I left the restaurant and went to the Palm Springs Air Museum. It has been over a dozen years since I went to the museum and they have added a lot of new planes and displays. They have one hanger dedicated to the pacific war with mostly Navy and Marine planes, another dedicated to the European theater with Army and German planes. They have a fairly new hanger that houses their B-17 bomber, one of eleven in the world still flying. They are in the process of constructing another new hanger for the Vietnam era aircraft and displays. They have a lot of old 50's through 90's aircraft out on the flight line waiting for restoration and display in the new hanger. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the museum before heading back to the RV park for the rest of the afternoon.

Peggy and Jackie got home about 4:00 or so and we had cocktails at our place with the Bullock's and some other friends of ours, John and Suzanne Budevic before dinner. The Budevic's got in yesterday. We have actually known them since our days with the local Elks RV groups before we went full time, but have not been really close friends. We meet up with them occasionally as they are also full timers and tend to travel the same circuit us us. The Budevic's left about 6:00 and we went over to the Bullock's for dinner. Peggy made a pot of excellent tortellini soup for dinner. We sat and talked until about 8:00 when we went back to our place for the rest of the night.

Thursday, January 5^th, we again went out after lunch to do some geocaching with Peggy and Vernon. We were not as successful this afternoon, finding seven caches and having to DNF two. After caching we did a little sight-seeing in Palm Springs, driving around the Movie Colony neighborhood where many of the stars from the 40's had vacation homes. We didn't have any kind of a map, so we really didn't know where any specific houses were, except for Liberace. We had addresses for both the homes he lived in here and drove past them. The picture is one of those homes.  After our tour we stopped at Walmart for some supplies and then headed back to the RV park. We had cocktails and dinner on our own tonight, then watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, January 6^th, we went to lunch about 11:30 at a local Italian restaurant called Nicolino's. We used to go there occasionally when we worked in the area. We went with Peggy and Vernon and met with Bonnie Greene, the lady whose home we went to on Monday for the open house. Because there were so many people, we didn't have a chance to talk to her much, so she said she would drive in for lunch with just the four of us. We had a very nice lunch and talked for almost two hours. After lunch we did a Costco run. After we got home we relaxed for a bit and then had cocktails and heavy snacks with the Bullocks and Budevic's. Everyone left about 7:30 and we relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.

Saturday, January 7^th Jackie and I went to the College of the Desert Street Fair. Didn't buy much, but had a good time walking around the vendors. After COD we stopped at Denny's for a quick lunch before returning to the RV park. I spent a little time outside putting stuff away and getting ready to move again tomorrow. About 5:00 we went over to Peggy and Vernon's for cocktails and then dinner again. Peggy made some spaghetti and meatballs that was very tasty. We sat and talked until about 7:30 then went back to our coach for the rest of the night.

Sunday, January 8^th, moving day. We were packed up and out very early, at least for us. We were on the road by 8:30 heading back to Indio. It is only a 20 mile trip, so it didn't take too long. The reason we left early is that we are going to the Western Area FMCA rally at the fairgrounds and we are parking with the Overland Trailblazers (OTB) Chapter. They have great parking right up close to all the activities. The parking people wanted to park all the big groups early, so we had to be there and ready to park by 9:30. The parkers did a great job and we were in our spot and set up by lunch time. We have a great spot this year, right on the paved road heading out of the fairgrounds. We are also very close to the gathering place for the OTB Chapter. We took a little walk to pick up our welcome bag and also stopped by the Babcock's coach. They are parked in the handicap area.

We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. About 4:00 the OTB group had a social hour. There are supposed to be 30 rigs with the Chapter, so the group for cocktails was quite large. We knew a lot of the people because we went to two rallies with the group this summer, one in St. Maries, Idaho and then the one in Astoria, Oregon. At 5:00 a lot of the group left to go to the Soup Plantation for dinner. We don't like to do dinners with these large groups, so we went to Peggy and Vernon's coach and had leftovers for dinner. About 8:00 we headed home and watched TV the rest of the evening.

Monday, January 9^th, I was up and out of the coach about 7:30 so I could drive to the Indio office of the County Veteran's Service office to drop off the paperwork from my hearing test. I was in and out of the office in 40 minutes and I now have an official claim made for veteran's benefits based on a hearing loss. I have to undergo another test a few months from now and then the VA will make a determination of benefits. Only time will tell. About 10:00 we packed up our laundry and went to the laundromat. By noon we were done with the clothes, stopped and had a quick lunch, and then went back to the coach.

About 2:00 the diesel service guy arrived for our appointment to have the annual oil change and lube of the coach done. I have been having my oil changes done here in Indio by this guy for the last three years, and have been very happy. He finished up in an hour or so and we relaxed for a while. At 4:00 we had a social hour with the group we are camping with. About 5:00 we went over to the Babcock's coach, along with the Bullock's, and had cocktails. Then the six of us drove to one of our favorite places in Indio, the China Bistro, for dinner. We had one of the group dinners, you know, the kind where “with six you get egg roll” kind of items. We had a wide variety of food to share and all left very full. By about 8:00 we were back in the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, January 10^th, Jackie went to an Overland Trailblazers Chapter ladies luncheon about 11:00 with Peggy. They went to Mario's Italian restaurant. The l I stayed home and did some chores around the house. About 2:00 Jackie and I left the fairgrounds and went to our doctor for our annual checkups. The checkups went well and we are in fairly good health. My only big concern was my sugar level was too high, putting me at risk for diabetes. I have to make a point of losing some weight and am going to start working on that. After our doctors appointment we did a quick Walmart run and then came back to the coach. About 5:00 the Babcock's and Bullock's came over for cocktails. We sat and talked until about 7:00, after which we had dinner on our own. We relaxed the rest of the night.

Wednesday, January 11^th, we were up early so we could take Jackie to a 9:00 appointment with the orthopedic doctor about her knee. After talking to the doctor for a while it was decided that she should have the arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn meniscus in her knee. This will be several weeks from now, so we will have to drive back up here from Yuma, but hopefully it will help with her pain. After the doctor's appointment we went back to the coach and had a quick lunch so Jackie could get to the rally administrative area by noon to do sign ups for the craft class she is doing at this rally.

For a number of years Jackie has been making lanyards of aluminum can pop tabs and colored yarn for us and for friends. Every rally requires you to wear a name tag or entry slip so they know you are an authorized attendee. She has gotten a lot of feedback from people about how popular the pop tab lanyards are, so this year she elected to teach a craft class on how to make them. She has two sessions, one on Thursday morning and one on Saturday. She has to sit at the craft sign up table today to collect the $15 fee, which reimburses her for the cost of the tabs and yarn, and sign people up for the two classes.

While Jackie worked her sign ups I went back to the coach and did a few chores. About 1:30 I went back up to the auditorium for the Chapter Fair. This is where any chapters who want to can set up a booth to try to encourage new members to join. This year I wasn't working any booth, so I could go around and check out other chapters and visit with people I have become friends with over years of attendance at motorhome events. About 3:00 both Jackie and I were finished with our activities in the auditorium, so we went back to the coach for a bit. At 4:00 we went to a pot luck with the Trailblazers Chapter that we are camped with. Every year at the Western Area Rally the group has a big BBQ with chicken and ribs, and a lot of side dishes from the members. By the time we got to the table the chicken was gone, but the ribs and side dishes were great. We sat and talked and ate until about 5:30. We then went in our coach and had a drink with the Bullock's before they left to go back to their coach at 6:30. We then watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, January 12^th, the first real day of the rally. Officially the rally started yesterday, but today is when the seminars start and the vendors open, which are the reason most people come to these events. We were up early again because Jackie had to be at her craft seminar at 8:30. Peggy went with her to help. After I dropped them off I went back to the coach for a little while. I did a couple of chores and then about 10:30 I went back to the seminar area so I could participate in a seminar on Full Timing. I was the one that initiated the Full Timing seminar at this Western Area Rally about four years ago. Prior to that the Full Timers Chapter had only put on the seminar at the big FMCA conventions. It has been a hit and was well attended again today. I was part of the panel for the seminar and had a good time. Jackie's craft class was also a big hit and was well attended. She and Peggy enjoyed doing the class.

After my seminar the four of us, we and the Bullock's, left the fairgrounds and went to La Casita in La Quinta for lunch. We had a nice lunch and then returned to the fairgrounds where we went shopping at the vendor area. We only bought a few little things, after eleven years of RVing full time we pretty much have everything we really need, and/or can afford, for the coach. About 4:00 we went back to the coach and then went out on the street for the parade. Every year the Western Area chapters put on a parade based around the theme for the rally. This year the theme

was Beach Party. A lot of people in swim and surfing costumes. Some of the floats and costumes were really cute, especially considering that the Chapters don't really put a lot of money in the floats. It was unfortunate that the rain, which had been threatening all day, started at 4:10, making the parade participants and audience a little uncomfortable. Some of the groups quit marching before the parade end because the rain got a little harder. After the parade we went back to our coach and had cocktails with Peggy and Vernon. They left about six and we watched TV the rest of the evening.

Friday, January 13^th, we finally got to sleep in a little bit, no early activities. It had rained all night and was still raining pretty steadily when we woke up. We left the coach about 11:00 so we could drive back to Rancho Mirage and the Eisenhower Hospital campus so Jackie could take a quick nasal swab for the MRSA bacterium. MRSA, a highly contagious and antibiotic resistant bacteria, is a big problem in hospitals, so they require a screening prior to any surgery. It appears this is the only pre-op procedure required for Jackie's surgery next week. After we got the screening test we headed back to Indio and met the Babcock's and Bullock's at Cactus Jack's for lunch. Although we have been a couple of times this month, Ray and Suzie hadn't had the chance and wanted to eat there before we left for Yuma on Sunday. We had a great lunch, most of us the beef ribs again, and some good conversation.

After we got back to the fairgrounds we walked down to the vendor's tent for another quick walk through, despite the fact that it was still raining. Fortunately, we are only a hundred yards from the vendors, so we didn't get too wet. We did finally buy some of the “My Pillow” pillows to try out. We have been waffling about getting some for a couple of years now. After we got back to the coach we had the rest of the group over at 5:00 for a happy hour. The rain was still coming, although it did appear to starting to clear up some. Everyone left our place by 6:30 and we watched TV the rest of the night. The rain finally stopped about 7:00 and it is supposed to be clear tomorrow, the last day of the rally.

Saturday, January 14^th, the sun finally came out, Yea! Jackie and Peggy had to go back up to the events area to teach their second class on making lanyards. Today's class was at 11:45, so she didn't have to leave early. While they were teaching I went back to the coach and did some chores, including putting stuff away prior to our leaving tomorrow. After I picked Jackie up we went out and finally checked on our 10 geocaches that we have hidden around the Indio area. We have been trying to find the time to do that since we got here. After we check on our caches we did a quick Costco run, mostly for the Costco brand vodka we drink. There is no Costco in Yuma and we like their brand better than the Sam's Club brand available down there. After we got back we went to a meeting of the Trailblazer's Chapter and then went back to our coach and had cocktails with the Babcock's and Bullock's. They left about 6:30 and we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, January 15^th, another travel day. As is usually the case with rallies, people were already pulling out of the fairgrounds at 6:00 a.m. We were packed up, hooked up and on the road about 10:30, heading southwest to Yuma, Arizona. We crossed over the border about 1:00 and time traveled ahead an hour, then arrived at the Carefree Village RV Resort about 1:30. The Babcock's also traveled to the same place and were already parked when we got in. Peggy and Vernon are not coming in for a couple weeks, so it is just us and the Babcock's for a while. We got the basic stuff set up and were pretty much moved in by cocktail hour. We had drinks with the Babcocks and then went back to our coach and relaxed the rest of the night.

It has been nearly a month since we last published the blog, so our beginning a new season in Yuma marks a good spot to stop and print. We are going to be here nearly two months before moving on the next rally in Phoenix in early March. Until next time remember the words of Jackie Gleason. “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.” See ya soon.