The Closing Days of Spring in Pahrump

 

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, May 30^th, with us still parked in our home spot at the Escapees Co-op RV park in Pahrump. Monday was Memorial Day and a stay at home day for us. I left the coach a little before 8:00 so I could attend a flag raising memorial here at the park. It was a very nice ceremony. I went back to the coach and had my coffee and morning paper before doing a few chores around the place. At 11:00 we took the golf cart and went over to our park's little outdoor picnic area, called Quail Run. We were there for a Memorial Day picnic put on by our friend Millie. Everyone brought their own food and we had lunch, then played some games. It was an enjoyable couple of hours with friends. After the picnic we went home and relaxed until 4:00 when we went to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we went back to the coach, did some fish on the BBQ for dinner, then relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, May 31^st, the last day of May. About 9:00 the technician from a local WiFi company arrived to put in high speed wireless wifi. Although we have unlimited data on our Verizon hot spot, the fact that so many people use Verizon in this area means that it is often very slow. Since we are going to be spending more time here now, we wanted something faster for when we are in town. About 3:30 we left the park with Millie in the car and headed for the Terrible's Roadhouse casino for another “dine-out” with members of the RV park. There were 16 people at the dine out and we had a great time. The Tuesday special at the Roadhouse is baby back ribs and every person in the party had the special. They were very good. Since the Red Sky restaurant closed up we no longer have anywhere to get great ribs. After eating we stayed and gamed for a half hour or so, not doing well at all. We then drove back to the park, dropped Millie off and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, June 1^st, was a stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for her Pokeno game with her girlfriends. Our friend Len came over about 1:30 and he and I went out to the shed for some guitar practice. We had a good time although it has been a few months since we played together. Jackie was done a little after 3:00 and Len left shortly after that. We went to the clubhouse for happy hour at 4:00, then spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing. We did some burgers on the BBQ for dinner. Thursday was laundry day again. We went to the laundromat after lunch and did all our laundry. After we were finished we went back home and put everything away and made the bed. We spent the rest of the night relaxing with the TV.

Friday, June 3^rd, I again left the house about 8:30 and went to the Sheriff's Office for more training for my Review Board position. Today the presenter was the Sheriff herself, Sharon Wherely. She is just coming up for reelection after her first four year term as Sheriff. She has lived in Pahrump since 1965 when she was in her early twenties. She spent most of her career as part of the security force at the National Security Site, which is the fancy name for the nearby nuclear test site, where nearly all of the land based nuclear testing has been done over the years. She gave a talk today about the history of Nye County and the Nye County Sheriff's Office. It was very interesting and informative. By my estimate next week should be the last training session since they told us there would be eight weeks of training. After the training I went home and we spent the rest of the day in the park. We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had some clam chowder that Jackie made. Millie joined us for dinner as she loves Jackie's chowder as well. After Millie left we watched TV and went to bed. Saturday we left the park about 1:30 and went to lunch at El Jefe's Mexican restaurant. After lunch we went back to the coach and relaxed for bit. A little before 5:00 we left and headed to the Elks for karaoke. It was a big crowd tonight and included our friends Tom and Phyllis, who just got back from a six week Florida vacation, and Len and Debbie. We still all got to do three songs. After karaoke we headed back home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. We spent the day doing some chores and relaxing. We did go to root beer floats at 2:00, but other than that were in the house all day.

Monday, June 6^th, we went out after lunch to run some errands. We needed to do a Walmart run and make a couple of other short stops. After our errands we went back to the coach until 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we went back to the coach, had dinner and spent the rest of the night with the TV. Since we got our new wifi service we have started exploring some of the streaming services, including Hulu, which we get by virtue of having Verizon phones. We just started watching The Handmaids Tale and have already done the first three episodes in the last couple of days. Tuesday I left about 11:30 and went to play golf with my friends Len and Tom. We only played nine holes on the executive course here in Pahrump, which given the nearly 100 degree temperature, was enough. After Len dropped me off after golf it was a stay at home day for the rest of the day.

Wednesday, June 8^th, my brother Dennis' birthday. I went over to the clubhouse at 10:00 to help the Election Committee count the votes on a ballot measure that went out to members of the co-op back at the first part of the year. The measure had seven proposals for changes to the co-op by laws or standing rules. None of the changes were earth shaking, most were housekeeping issues or changes needed for relatively minor problems that have come up. It took the group three hours to count the votes. Once we were done I went back to the coach and had a quick lunch. Jackie had gone over to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00 and at 1:30 my buddy Len came over and we spent a couple of hours practicing guitar. Len left about 3:30 and at 4:00 we went to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we came back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening relaxing. Thursday we were up early and out the door by 7:30 to take Jackie to the doctor. She was seeing her Neurologist today as a follow up since she is still having almost daily headaches. The doctor is going to try her on a different medication and also ordered another MRI of the brain, which is scheduled for early July. After the doctor we ran some errands, picking up mail and doing a quick Walmart run. We then stopped for breakfast at Denny's before heading back to the coach. We stayed in for the rest of the day.

Friday, June 10^th, I was again up and out of the coach by 8:30, headed to the sheriff's office for training. Today is supposed to be my last day. When I signed up for this Board I was told I had to go through 8 weeks of training by the Sheriff's Office. This is week 8. The instructor today was again the Undersheriff, who talked about the Dispatch section and warrants, both arrest and search. It was an interesting presentation, but nothing I didn't already know. The Undersheriff verified that, at least as far as he knew, this was the last week for me. Of the 12 people who were appointed or reappointed to the Police Officers Advisory Review Board in January, I am the only one who has been to every one of the 8 classes over the last 10 weeks. He said they are going to try to schedule one day for make up sessions with anyone who didn't attend one or more of the sessions. After that he said we would be sworn in and start seeing cases. I really don't know how the make up session is going to work and how many of the appointees actually get sworn in since attendance has been exceptionally poor. I guess we will wait and see. After the training I stopped for a quick lunch then headed back to the coach. Except for going to happy hour at 4:00 we stayed in for the entire day. We are in a heat wave and the temps are approaching the 110 mark, which is hot even for the desert. We had some pork chops for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, June 11^th, we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at the Roadhouse restaurant. After lunch we stopped and got mail and went to Albertson's for a couple of things we couldn't find at Walmart. After our errands we headed back to the coach. Normally we go to the Elks on Saturday evening for karaoke, but out friend Len called this afternoon and told me that karaoke was canceled for tonight. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV. Sunday was a stay at home day. Jackie is fighting allergies and the wind was really blowing today, making her not feel a hundred percent. We just relaxed for the entire day.

Monday, June 13^th, we went out briefly after lunch to run a couple of errands. After we got home we relaxed until happy hour at the clubhouse. We had dinner and tonight I had the first of three nights of security duty. I go out about 8:00 and check all the co-op buildings and make sure that they are secured properly. I also go around the entire property, checking for street lights out and anything that looks like it needs attention. The whole process only lasts an hour or so and I have the duty for three nights this month. After my tour of duty we watched TV and went to bed. Tuesday was a stay at home day for me. Jackie had a couple of appointments in the afternoon. She left about 12:30 to get a haircut, then came home for a bit before leaving to go to the local hospital for a breathing test ordered by our doctor. She came home a little disappointed because they couldn't do the test because her allergies kept her coughing too much. They will have to reschedule it for later this summer. While Jackie was gone I did a few chores and relaxed. I had another shift of security duty at 8:00, after which we watched TV and then went to bed.

Wednesday, June 15^th, Jackie went to the clubhouse for Pokeno at 1:00, then had a nail appointment at 3:00. For the first time in about 12 years she is getting acrylic nails done again. While she was busy I did the laundry at the clubhouse laundromat. We wanted to have the laundry done before we left for our cruise this weekend. After everything was done we had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed. I did have to go out for an hour of security duty at 8:00 p.m., my last shift for this month. Thursday was my eldest daughter, Tye's, birthday. Happy Birthday baby girl. We left the park about 12:30 and went out to do chores. I dropped Jackie off at the nail salon to get a pedi and went to Supercuts to get my hair cut. After the haircut I picked up mail, then went back to the nail salon to get Jackie. After she was done we did a final Walmart run before we leave on Sunday for our California cruise adventure. After Walmart we headed back home, did the happy hour with the SKP crew, then watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, June 17^th, was a stay at home day. We spent a good part of the day getting stuff together for our cruise and starting the packing process. Other than going to happy hour at 4:00 we didn't leave the motor home today. Saturday was a busy day. I had a meeting in the morning with one of my committees that I serve on here at the park. After the meeting I went out to gas up the car for our trip to Los Angeles on Sunday. We spent a few hours finalizing our packing for the cruise. About 6:00 we left again, with Millie along, and went to Carl's Jr. for dinner. After dinner we went to the Saddle West Casino so Jackie and Millie could go to the annual “Ms. Senior Golden Years” pageant. While they were in the ballroom I did a little gaming out in the casino. The pageant ended about 9:00 and we went back to the park, dropped Millie off and went home. We spent the rest of the night with the TV. Tomorrow is the big day when we leave in the morning to drive to Los Angeles to catch our cruise ship on Monday.

At this point we are close to three weeks since our last posting, and with our cruise adventure starting tomorrow it seems a good time to get this episode posted. Until next time, remember that real friends don’t get offended when you insult them. They just smile and call you something even more offensive. See ya soon.

Warming Up In Pahrump

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, May 8^th, Mothers Day. We are on our lot at the SKP Co-op RV park in Pahrump, our home base, and will probably be here for a while. Right now we have no firm plans for travel this summer except for a short cruise out of Los Angeles in late June.

Monday, May 9^th, we left the coach about 11:00, picked up our friend Millie, and drove to the El Jefe Mexican restaurant for the monthly “dine-out” with the Escapees Club Chapter, Lucky Rollers. While most of the active members of the Lucky Rollers live in the SKP Co-op park, it is only necessary to be a member of the Escapees Club to be a member of the Lucky Rollers. The Chapter represents Escapees for the entire State of Nevada. We had a couple dozen people at the dine-out and it was a lot of fun, and the food was great. After the dine-out we went back to the coach for a while. About 3:30 we went out again and I dropped Jackie off at the hairdresser so she could get a haircut and also get her new wig thinned out a little. While she was doing that I did a mail run. When I was done I picked her up and we went back to the coach. Jackie was happy with her haircut and now has a place in Pahrump to get her hair cuts. Up to this point we always had to drive into Las Vegas because she didn't have anyone up here that she liked. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

Tuesday, May 10^th, Jackie went to a 10:00 meeting with some people from the clubhouse group because she will be in charge of the ice cream freezer and the cookie jar for a few weeks while some of the other women are out of town. At 10:30 she left in the car and drove to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned. I did some office work while she was gone. She got back around noon and we spent the rest of the day working around the house. The wind was still blowing, but not nearly as strong as over the weekend. We went to the clubhouse at 4:00 for happy hour with the group, then went home and had dinner. After dinner we spent the night watching TV. Wednesday was basically a stay at home day. I did some chores and worked on some RV repair projects. I did go out to Home Depot for some parts, but other than that I was home all day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for Pokeno with her friends. We went to the 4:00 happy hour, then had dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Thursday, May 12^th, I went over to the clubhouse a little after noon and got set up to do the Zoom broadcast for a monthly meeting of the Silver Seekers group. The meeting started at 1:00 and by 1:30 it was done and I cleaned up all the equipment and we went back to the coach. We left then and did a Walmart run. After Walmart we went home and put everything away. About 4:00 I left and drove to the dentist while Jackie went to the clubhouse for happy hour. The dentist put in my new permanent crown and got everything properly fitted. This is the last of my dental work now until my next cleaning appointment in the Fall. After the dentist I went home and we had dinner, then relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Friday I was out of the coach by 8:30, headed to the Sheriff's Office for my weekly training session for the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. Today's training was on the custody operations for the Sheriff's Office. The structure of the jail command, what types of employees they have, and how the jails are operated.

Nye County has a large (230 nominal population) jail in Pahrump, built in 2017, and a smaller jail dating back to the 90's in Tonopah that holds around 75. Currently the Tonopah jail is used as a holding facility for arrests in the North County and for female inmates. The County also has a contract with the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to old ICE detainees up to a maximum of 100. This is a substantial source of income for the Sheriff's Office and currently funds 30 detention deputies. The jail staff is a mix of civilian civilian Detention Technicians, Detention Deputies, who are “Peace Officers” by state law, but undergo a lesser level of training than Sheriff's Deputies, and regular Sheriff's Deputies. After about 90 minutes of classroom instruction the training sergeant took us on a tour of the Pahrump jail. I found it to be a well thought out design for a small jail. After the tour we were done for the day, about an hour earlier than normal. I went back to the park and we went out to Mom's Cafe for a late lunch, then ran some errands. After our errands we went back to the park. At 5:30 we went over to the clubhouse for the monthly bingo session. Neither of us won anything in bingo, but we had fun. After bingo we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, May 14^th, we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch at Johnny's, one of the Mexican places in town. After lunch we picked up our mail and did a quick run into Albertson's for some things that Walmart didn't have the other day. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 5:00 we left and headed to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. To our surprise, when we got there we learned that karaoke had been canceled for tonight. We sat at the bar and gamed for hour, then headed back to the coach. Worked out OK because Jackie hit a jackpot and cashed out $50! After we got home we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, May 15^th, Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife, Jackie. Today was a stay at home day. We went over to the clubhouse at 2:00 for root beer floats, but other than that we just relaxed around the house and did a few chores. Today was also the full moon along with a full lunar eclipse. About 8:00, after the sun went down, we went over to one of the small parks here at the RV park for a “moon watching” party with some of the other residents. Unfortunately, there was cloud cover and we missed both the moon rise and the beginnings of the eclipse. By the time the clouds cleared enough to see it, the moon was in full eclipse and starting to come out. At least we got to see it in it's “blood moon” phase. We had about ten people at the little gathering and we still had a good time sitting out there in the cool evening and chatting. After we got back to the coach we watched some TV and then went to bed. Monday was a shopping day. We left the coach about 9:30 and headed over the hill to Las Vegas. We first stopped at one of the shopping centers in the Southwest part of the valley and visited Kohls, Ross, and Big Lots where we bought a few odds and ends. We are sort of shopping for stuff for our upcoming cruises, but we didn't actually get much in the way of clothes. We went to the In n Out in the same center for lunch, then drove to Costco for some serious food shopping. We were running low on a lot of meat and meal stuff, so we spent a bunch. After Costco we went back over the hill and unloaded everything at the coach. We went to the happy hour at the clubhouse, then back home where we relaxed in the coach for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, May 17^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and went into town to do our laundry. We were done about 3:00, after which we made a stop at the UPS store to pick up mail, then head back to the RV park. We went to the 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse and after happy hour went home and had dinner. We spent the rest of the night with the TV. Wednesday I left the RV park by myself about 10:30 and headed back over the hill to Las Vegas again. I had an appointment at the ophthalmologist to be tested to qualify for upper eye lid surgery. The doctor had recommended I consider the surgery last year and again this year during my checkup. I never gave it too much thought but I now notice that my lids are very droopy and interfere with my vision. They gave me a test that checked my field of vision twice, once with normal facial expression, and then a second time with the upper eyelid taped up. According to the doctor it was a no brainer that I would be approved for the surgery. Medicare requires these tests and prior approval before they will pay for the procedure. I am now tentatively scheduled to have the surgery on August 9^th. I also stopped at a couple of stores while I was in Vegas and made it back over the hill just in time to go to happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we had dinner and then relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Thursday, May 19^th, we left the park about 12:30 and went out to lunch at the Artisan Cellars winery for lunch. They don't have a huge food menu, but what they do have is really good. We had a nice lunch and shared a bottle of nice wine. After lunch we went to pick up mail and then did a Walmart run for a few things before going home. About 3:00 the guy we hired to wash the motor home arrived and spent an hour cleaning the outside of the motorhome. At 4:00 we went to happy hour then came home, had dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching TV. Friday I left at 8:30 for another session of training at the Sheriff's Office. Today the Undersheriff was the instructor again and talked about the Records section of the department, as well as the laws and policies regarding official records. After the coffee break he had another introductory session covering the detective division. We got finished about noon so I stopped for lunch then went home. I spent an hour or so washing and putting up our old outside window shades on the motor home. It appears that we will be staying in Pahrump for most, if not all, of the summer because of the cost of travel right now as well as the fact that we really don't want to go to California at all. Since it will be getting really hot soon, I dug out the old outside shades, which we stopped using when we had the inside ones installed a couple of years ago. They will help keep the inside of the coach dark and cooler when the real summer heat hits. After that I did some inside chores and office work, then relaxed the rest of the day.

Saturday, May 21^st, we left the park about 11:30 and drove to the Saddle West Casino to visit the Home Show that was being held in the ballroom. It was a decent sized gathering of business around Pahrump that something to do with home improvement or maintenance. We picked up some good information and free goodies but missed out on the door prize drawings. After the show visit we drove to the VFW post near our RV park for a veterans tribute rib dinner, but when we got there learned they were out of ribs. We then went to the Mountain Falls Country Club restaurant for lunch. It was a nice day so we were able to eat at a table on the patio overlooking the golf course. We both commented that it didn't look like we were eating in Pahrump, more like Palm Desert, near where we used to live. After lunch we went home and relaxed for a bit. A little before 5:00 we left again and drove to the Elks for karaoke. They had canceled last week without notice, but he was there tonight, so we got some drinks and enjoyed the show. Our friends Len and Debbie came tonight, the first time we have seen them in about three weeks. I got to do three or four songs and had a good time. We were done a little before 9:00, then drove home and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Sunday, May 22^nd, was a stay at home day. I did a few chores around the coach and we went over to the clubhouse about 2:00 for root beer floats. Today I did have my first tour of duty as part of the Security Committee of the park. Members of the committee are assigned by the chair of the committee and usually do three or four nights per month. The security person goes out about 8:00 at night and does a tour of the property, checking on all the Co-op buildings and making sure they are locked up properly. They also do a full sweep of all the streets, looking for water leaks, burned out lighting, and anything else that looks out of place. The final step is locking up the clubhouse at 9:00 and making sure it is secure. Members of the Co-op are allowed to be in the clubhouse after 9:00 and there are combination locks on a couple of the doors for that purpose, but it is rare that anyone actually does go in after 9:00. Because today was my first tour I went out tonight with our friend Linda Sullivan, who has been around for a number of years. The whole process took about an hour, after which I went back in the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Monday, May 23^rd, we left the park about 10:45, with Millie in the car, and drove to the China Wok buffet for another of our MASA luncheons. MASA is basically medical transport insurance, which we bought into in 2007. We have a lifetime membership, but existing members are still invited to the sales presentations. Makes for a free lunch several times a year. After the meeting and lunch we went to Walmart for some supplies and picked up mail before heading back to the park. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. I did go out at 8:00 for an hour of my security patrol, on my own tonight. Tuesday was a stay at home day. Did a couple of chores around the coach and spent some time in the music room with my guitar. We did happy hour in the clubhouse at 4:00 and I went out at 8:00 for my last “tour of duty” this month on security. After I got back a little after 9:00 we spent the remainder of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, May 25^th, we had another stay at home day. Jackie went to the clubhouse at 1:00 for her Pokeno group while I stayed home and did some chores and practiced guitar. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. Thursday we left the coach about noon and went to Denny's for lunch. After lunch we picked up mail and did a quick Walmart run. At 2:00 we went to the nail salon where Jackie got a pedi and I got my toe nails trimmed. After our chores we went back to the park. We did happy hour with the clubhouse group, then went home for dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, May 27^th, I was out of the coach by 8:30 and headed to the Sheriff's Office for more training. Today the lecture was on the county ordinances that created and regulate the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. The lecture was supposed to be given by the County Manager, but he got tied up with something and the Undersheriff had to sub in for him. We also had the Sheriff in the class for most of the session giving her perspective on the POARB. The session was out about noon, a little early, after which I stopped and picked up mail, stopped for a quick lunch, then went back to the coach. We went out about 1:00 to do a casino visit for some gaming and went to the Pahrump Nugget. Neither of us did well, losing or $40 stakes in an hour or so. After that we went back home and stayed in the rest of the afternoon except for going to the clubhouse for happy hour. After cocktails we went home, made dinner and watched TV until it was time for bed. Saturday was pretty typical, we left about 1:00 for a late lunch at the Pour House, a place that primarily serves Indian food, but also has great pizza. Jackie usually gets a lamb dish and I get a pizza. We had a great meal after which we picked up mail and then drove back home. We relaxed for a while before heading out about 5:00 to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. It was a big crowd, including our friends Len and Debbie. I learned that one reason for the increased crowd, most of whom were familiar to me, was that the Moose Lodge was no longer doing Saturday karaoke. Everyone got three songs in for evening. Jackie spent most of the night at the bar playing poker. After karaoke we went back home and watched TV until it was time to go to bed.

Sunday, May 29^th, we left the coach after lunch and went into town to run some errands. We went to Home Depot first, mainly to scout small air conditioner units and ceiling fans. We got approval from the Co-op to put an A/C in the storage shed as well as a ceiling fan in the enclosed patio area. We wanted to get an idea of what the retail costs would be so we can do some shopping. After Home Depot we did a Walmart run, then headed back home. We put away our stuff and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach. We did some pork chops and corn on the cob on the BBQ for dinner, then watched TV until bedtime.

We are now about three weeks into this episode and it is time to get it published. Until next time, ponder the words of actress Mae West. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” See ya soon.

More Spring Adventures in Pahrump

 Welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Easter Sunday, April 17th, while we were at our spot in the SKP park in Pahrump. Monday my brother Ken and his wife Susan came over about 10:30, picked us up, and the four of us went to Las Vegas to visit with one of our other brothers, Russ and his wife Zen. Russ has lived in Las Vegas since the mid-80's and works as a supervisor at the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Vegas. Zen cooked a fabulous lunch and we all ate our fill. We all sat and talked and caught up until about 4:00 when we left and headed back over the hill to Pahrump. Ken and Susan dropped us off about 5:30 and went back to their coach up at the Wine Ridge RV Resort. We changed clothes, fixed a cocktail and just relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, April 19th, we left the coach a little after 1:00 and headed to our dermatologist's office. I try to go at least every six months for a “body check” since I have a history of skin cancers. Over the years I have had all three of the most common skin cancer types removed. Jackie also goes because she has occasional small items of concern on her skin. Today I was mainly concerned with my eczema, an issue I have dealt with on and off all of my life. The doctor told me my skin was exceedingly dry and I needed to moisturize it. He gave me a prescription for the eczema break-out on my legs, and recommended a good moisturizing cream. For the first time in a long time he didn't find any other issues on my skin and I didn't even get sprayed with the liquid nitrogen. Jackie had two little lesions that he sprayed. After the doctor we went to Walmart for some supplies and then stopped at Walgreens to pick up my prescription. We also stopped at the bank so Jackie could get some nickels for the games she plays at the clubhouse. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed until 4:00 happy hour at the clubhouse. After happy hour we went home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Wednesday, April 20th, we had a stay at home day. About 11:30 we went over to the clubhouse for a pot luck luncheon followed by a show put on by a local group called the Pahrump Valley Silver Tappers. This is a group of about fifty local women who sing and dance and put on a pretty good show. Everyone in the group is 50 or older and the leader of the group, who still performs a little, is 97. Our friend Debbie Forrest is a member of the group. She didn't dance today because they were in Yuma for a few months and she had not had enough time to learn the new numbers the group was doing. She was behind the scenes, helping with the dressing changes of the performers. Our other friends from outside the park, the Howells, also came. The show went about 90 minutes, after which we went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in. Thursday was a stay at home day. We went to the clubhouse at 9:00 for the monthly meeting of the Co-op Board of Directors. That meeting went until a little after 10:00. Shortly after we got back to the coach I got a phone call from my son Roy Jr. that he had arrived at the SKP park and was up front waiting for the office to open. A couple years ago he sold his condo in Phoenix, bought a motorhome and has been full time since. He is not even 50 yet, so he can't retire, but he has found his niche doing work camping. He has done several stints with the U.S. Forest Service in Northern Arizona and for the last four months or so has been working in Death Valley National Park as a maintenance guy for the contractors who run the hotel at Stovepipe Wells. He has finished his contract there and is on his way back up to Northern Arizona to work at one of the Forest Service campgrounds near the Grand Canyon. He stopped here at the SKP park to visit for a week or so. We managed to get him parked in the spot right next to us. Jackie played Pokeno with the girls in the clubhouse in the afternoon. We had pork chops on the BBQ with Roy for dinner, then sat and talked with him until about 8:00, after which we watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 22nd, I left about 8:30 and headed off to the Sheriff's Office for my second training class for my work on the Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. This session was on the ethics, culture and code of conduct for the Nye County Sheriff's Office. The class was taught by the Undersheriff, the second in command of the department after the elected Sheriff. In Arizona this position went by the title of Chief Deputy. It was interesting and lasted until 1:00. After I left I ran some errands, picked up mail and a newspaper and headed back to the coach. We relaxed for a few hours and then at 5:00 some friends who live in the park, just down the street from us, Dale and Sue Vice, picked us up to go to dinner. We have known Dale and Sue, who came in the SKP park about the same time as us, for a while and I have worked with both of them on various committees. They are very pleasant people and we wanted to get to know them better. Jackie mentioned this to Sue a week or so ago and she invited us to have dinner with them on their anniversary. We went to the Mountain Falls Country Club and had a very nice dinner. We learned a lot about their history, having been married for 27 years, and truly got to know them better. After dinner we came back to the park and sat with them in their park model for another hour talking. About 8:00 we walked back to our place and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Saturday, April 23rd, we left the coach about noon and went out for lunch at the Pour House. This is an Indian restaurant that also has excellent pizza, thus pleasing both Jackie and me. Roy went with us to lunch and the two of us shared a pizza while Jackie had a lamb dish. After lunch we all did a Walmart run before heading back to the coach. We relaxed for a while and about 5:00 Jackie, Roy and I left again and headed for the Elks Lodge for karaoke. Roy doesn't sing, but wanted to go along to hear me and do some gaming with Jackie at the bar. The usual crowd was there, including our friends Tom and Phyllis. Roy and Jackie both hit jackpots at the bar and both walked out with over $60 more than they came in with. Karaoke ended about 8:30 and we went back to the park. We relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, April 24th, about noon my brother Russ came up from Las Vegas, and my other brother Ken and his wife came over from Wine Ridge RV Resort up the road, for a family get together. This was the first time that I have been with more than one of my four brothers at the same time since my mom died back in 2009. I have seen all of them at least once over the years since, but only one at a time. We had a great time sitting on the patio and talking. Later in the afternoon I did some hamburgers on the grill and we had a great cook out. Russ and Ken left around 5:00 after which we went in the house and relaxed for the rest of the night. It was good to see family together again. Monday we went out about noon to have lunch with some friends of ours from the Escapees, Les and Kim. We had planned to go to an Italian place, but Kim called us just before we left to say it was closed for the day. We ended up going to Romero's, a pretty good Mexican place here in town. We had a very nice lunch and learned some more about our friends. After lunch we did a couple of errands and then headed back to the coach. About 4:30 we, along with Roy, drove up to the Wine Ridge RV Resort to have happy hour with Ken and Susan. They are leaving on Wednesday to continue their travels, so this will be the last time in a while for us to see them. We had a nice happy hour and headed home about 6:00. We stopped at Lakeside resort for dinner since we had not planned anything at home. After dinner we went back to the SKP park, Roy went home and we watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 26th, we both were up and out of the coach about 8:30 when we went to the medical center to have our blood tests done. We have our annual physical next week with our primary doctor and needed to get the lab work done. I again left the park about 12:30 and went to the dentist. Last year, when we got decent dental insurance for the first time, I went to a local dentist here and started a process of fixing some issues I had. That was almost exactly a year ago and today I started the final part of the process. I had some decay under a crown that I had in my lower jaw. The tooth had a root canal years ago, so I had no pain, but the dentist said it needed to be addressed before the tooth got too weak to support the crown. They had to remove the crown, then fix the decay, then build the stub of the tooth back up, take some molds and have a new crown made. I was in the chair for two and a half hours and left with a temporary crown, no lower partial, but at least no pain. I have to go back in two weeks for the final fitting of the new crown. After I got home we just watched some TV before Jackie made a nice chili relleno for dinner. Roy joined us for dinner and watched some TV with us afterwards until he went home about 8:00. We watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, April 27th, we had a quiet morning. Jackie went over to the clubhouse about 12:30 to play Pokeno with the girls. Roy came over with his bass guitar and he and I spent a couple hours jamming in the shed/music room. After Jackie got done we all went to Walmart for a few things. After we got home we had happy hour and then watched TV until bedtime. Thursday Jackie left about 10:30 and went to the DMV Office to renew her drivers license. After she left I used the golf cart to run back and forth to the laundry room here at the SKP park doing our laundry. I was done with laundry by about 1:00, sadly, Jackie was not done with DMV. She ended up not getting home until almost 4:00, sitting all that time waiting in the office. I spent another couple hours in the afternoon doing some work in the yard putting up shade screens for our gazebo. We had happy hour with Roy in the coach and afterwards we had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, April 29th, I left the coach about 8:30 and headed to the Sheriff's Office for another training session for my Peace Officers Advisory Board position. The instructor was again the Undersheriff and the topics were the Nevada laws regarding the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, Nye County Sheriff's policies regarding discipline and internal investigations, and a review of the labor agreement between the Deputies Association and the County. It was interesting in that in my day, the mid-80's, when I was the Commander of the Internal Affairs unit, there was no such thing as a Peace Officers bill of rights and certainly no labor agreements. The session ended about 12:30 and I headed back home after a quick stop for lunch. We spent the rest of the day hanging around the coach, doing a few chores and relaxing. We had happy hour and dinner with Roy, then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, April 30th, the last day of April. We left the coach with Roy about 12:30 and went out for lunch and some errands. We stopped at the mail store to pick up some packages that had been delivered, then went on to the 5280 Mexican Grub, a Mexican restaurant and bar in the northwest portion of the valley. This is a fairly new place and we were first here last fall shortly after it opened. They have really good food. They used to run a food truck in Las Vegas before they decided to move to Pahrump and open a brick and mortar restaurant. They still use the truck for special events. We had a really nice lunch, then headed back to the coach. I did some chores around the place and we decided not to go to karaoke at the Elks tonight since none of our friends were going to be there. We had leftovers from lunch for dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Sunday, May 1st, May Day, May Day! We had our usual relaxing Sunday morning and I did a few chores in the early afternoon. At 2:00 we went over to the clubhouse for root beer floats. After our snack the three of us went to Home Depot to buy some chairs for our patio in the front yard. We bought six relatively inexpensive stack chairs that fit nicely under the gazebo. After we got home we put the chairs on the patio, then relaxed for the rest of the day. We had happy hour with Roy, then watched TV until bedtime. Monday my son Roy left about 9:30 headed today for Mesquite, Nevada. He is going to overnight there, then go to St. George, Utah on Tuesday morning to have some service done on his motorhome. After he is done in St. George he is headed for his summer job on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. Jackie left about 12:30 and drove into town for a pedi appointment while I stayed home and did some chores. We went to happy hour at the clubhouse about 4:00, then after we got home we had dinner and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Tuesday, May 3rd, we left about 1:30 and drove to my ophthalmologist appointment for my annual exam. Basically my eyes are good, no glaucoma, mild cataracts which are not severe enough for corrective action yet, and 20/20 corrected vision. I do have viscous floaters in one eye, but the doctor was clear that there isn't much that can be done about that. He did recommend that I consider having my drooping eyelids corrected. This is the second time he has brought it up and I asked some questions to be sure that it was covered by insurance and not a major surgery. He said it is an outpatient procedure, twilight anesthesia, and short recovery period. He also said that they do some standard testing to be sure I meet the Medicare requirements to have the surgery. I made an appoint to go to their Las Vegas office for testing in a couple of weeks. Since they had dilated my eyes for the exam Jackie had to drive home while I kept my eyes closed to avoid the bright light. We did go to the clubhouse for happy hour, then came back, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, May 4th, May the Fourth Be With You! We left the coach about 11:30 and drove to the Intermountain Medical Center for our annual visit with our primary physician. We got in fairly quickly and had a good examination and time to talk to our doctor. All in all we are pretty good shape, the labs were mostly good as were the vital signs. He did send me for an xray of my hip because of some pain I have been having, but other than that we got our prescriptions renewed, recommendations for pneumonia shots and covid boosters and we were on our way. It was about 2:00 when we got done, so we went for a late lunch to Chatthai, one of our favorite Thai restaurants. After a great dinner we went and picked up mail and then headed back to the RV park. We went to the happy our at the clubhouse at 4:00, then back home and the rest of the evening with the TV. Thursday, May 5th, Happy Cinco de Mayo! We a mostly stay at home day, doing a few chores and relaxing. Jackie went out for an early dinner with some of the other women in the park at Romeros, one of the Mexican places here in town. She was back about 5:30 and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing with the TV.

Friday, May 6th, I had a day off from my Sheriff's training because they had some sort of drill scheduled for today that would keep all of their people busy. I did a few chores in the morning and about 2:00 we did a Walmart run for some supplies. After we got home we put stuff away, then went over to the clubhouse for happy hour. After happy hour we went home, had dinner, then watched TV until it was time for bed. Saturday we went out about 1:00 to the Roadhouse for a late lunch. After lunch we gamed a little, but neither of us had much luck. We went back to the coach until about 5:00 when we went to the Elks for karaoke. The usual crowd was there, however our friends the Forrest's couldn't make it and the Howell's are out of town. We did meet a group of younger Escapees, members of the Escapers group, one of whom is actually on the list for Pair-a-dice. Karaoke was over about 9:00 when we went home and watched a little TV until bedtime.

Sunday, May 8th, Happy Mothers Day. We had a relaxing morning and about 11:30 went over to the clubhouse for one of our friend Millie's “Dilly Muffin” party, the name being a play on her name, Millie Duffin. Today was a fairly small group, only about seven people, but we had fun. We played some games and just spent a couple of hours chatting and enjoying the company of friends. At 2:00 we had cake and ice cream as a Mothers Day celebration courtesy of the park. After the cake and ice cream we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV.

We are now three weeks into this episode and it is time to get it online. Until next time, ponder the words of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard . “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” See ya soon.

Back Home in Pahrump - Spring has Sprung

Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, March 27^th when we left the FMCA rally at the fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona, and drove to the town of Buckeye, Arizona. Monday we left the coach about 12:30 and went to El Pollo Loco for lunch. After lunch we did some geocaching in the area, getting 7 new finds in an hour and a half or so. After caching we stopped at Walmart for a few supplies before heading back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach with the TV.

Tuesday, March 29^th, we actually had a little rain overnight and in the morning. By lunch time it was starting to clear, but it was still cool and a little windy. After lunch we did a few loads of laundry at the RV park. About 5:30 we left the park and drove to Glendale, not too far from the part of Phoenix that I grew up in and lived in most of my life before 1998. We went to visit my oldest daughter Tye and her husband Frank. They live in a huge apartment complex and it took a bit to find the right building, but we finally did. We had a nice visit with them for a couple of hours. We didn't want to stay too late as we are not really night owls anymore and I didn't want to be out too late. After our visit we headed back to the RV park and spent the rest of the evening watching TV. Wednesday we left after lunch and drove to the nearest Costco for some supplies. The primary reason was we were running low on vodka and needed to resupply. This was our first trip to Costco in over three months since there are none in or near Yuma. We ended up with vodka and a bunch of other stuff that caught our eye, including some new decorations for our lot in Pahrump. After Costco we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing.

Thursday, March 31^st, another travel day. We packed up and left Buckeye about 10:30 and started Northwest to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, about 173 miles away. We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Lake Havasu about 1:30, got checked in and set up. We were in this lodge once, about 15 years ago, but have never stayed in their RV park. They have almost 30 full hookup 50 amp sites and they take reservations. We had a reservation for our five day stay and it was a good thing since they looked pretty full. After we finished setting up we just relaxed after a hard day's travel for the rest of the day and evening. Friday we went out after lunch to run a couple errands and explore Lake Havasu City. We did our errands, a stop at the bank and the post office, and also got two geocaches. We drove around the city, including over the London Bridge and onto the island. The lake appears to be really down, which I guess is to be expected since the entire Southwest is in drought conditions. We explored until about 3:30 after which we went back to the coach and relaxed. About 5:00 we walked over to the lodge and sat at the bar for an hour having a couple of cocktails. This is a huge lodge, with over 4,000 members, and they were very busy. At 6:00 we went into the dining room for dinner. Tonight was full menu night and we both had prime rib. Mine was very good, Jackie wanted an end cut and it was a little over done, but still pretty tasty. We had a very nice, relaxed dinner, and by 7:00 we were back in the coach relaxing with the TV for the rest of the night.

Saturday, April 2^nd, we had a stay at home day. Did a few chores and basically just relaxed for the entire day. Sunday I actually was able to get a Sunday Las Vegas paper, our first in three months. After lunch we went out to do some geocaching and were able to get five new finds, and one DNF, in an hour and a half or so. Since it was starting to get warm we quit caching and just explored for a bit. We did stop and check out the local Goodwill store. After our touring we headed back to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in.

Monday, April 5^th, our last travel day for a while. We were packed up and on the road out of the Lake Havasu Elks Lodge about 10:00, heading a little over 200 miles to home, Pahrump, Nevada. We got an early started, but it was kind of negated by a really bad accident on State Route 95 on the North end of Lake Havasu City. The main road was closed in both directions and we had to take a long detour with a lot of traffic, adding another half hour to our travel. We finally got on the road and by about 2:00 we had arrived in Las Vegas. We stopped for fuel and then disconnected the car for trip “over the hump” through the Spring Mountains into Parhump. This is a really long, steep climb and it is easier to keep the coach from overheating if we don't tow the car. We finally made it into the SKP park in Pahrump a little before 3:00. We checked in at the office and let them know we were back, then parked the coach in our spot. We did the basic setup, utilities, leveling and TV, then went over the clubhouse for happy hour at 4:00. We were glad to see our Pahrump friends again. After happy hour we went back to the coach and just relaxed for the rest of the evening after a long but successful day. It's good to be home.

Wednesday, April 6^th, we had a stay at home day. I spent much of the day unloading stuff from under the coach and starting to get our home base set up for our stay here in Pahrump. We did take a break at 11:00 to go to another MASA luncheon. MASA is a sort of insurance policy for medical transport. We bought a lifetime membership in 2007, but they encourage existing members to come to the sales luncheons to show potential members that many of their friends and acquaintances are already members. This luncheon was here at the SKP park in the clubhouse and was well attended. After the sales pitch they served Chinese food from Panda Express. It was a pretty good lunch. My brother Ken and his wife Susan came also. They are staying here in Pahrump for a few weeks. They are actually staying up at Wine Ridge, the RV park where we always stayed before we got our spot at the SKP spot. They are on the list for a site here as well and have moved up to number 23 on the list. After lunch Jackie went back to the clubhouse for Pokeno while I stayed and visited with Ken and Susan for a little while. When they left I went back to work until about 3:30 when I finally got hot and tired and came in. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.

Thursday, April 7^th, I went out in the morning and did a few chores, continuing to set up our spot for our extended stay here. After lunch, about 1:30, we left to go to the nail salon. Jackie got a pedi and I got my toenails clipped. After nails we went to pick up our mail at the UPS store, then stopped at Albertsons for a couple of things we needed. We then went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. We went over to the clubhouse for happy hour at 4:00 and were back in our place at about 5:00. We watched news and had some burgers for dinner. After dinner we watched TV until bedtime. Friday I was up and out of the house by 8:30 on my way to the Nye County Sheriff's Office for my first day of training for my new volunteer position as a member of the Nye County Peace Officers Advisory Review Board. I had applied for one of the ten open positions on the Board back in October and was appointed by the County Board of Commissioners in January.

One of the requirements was to attend training sessions at the Sheriff's Office to become familiar with their structure, policy and procedure and also applicable Nevada State Laws. There is training scheduled every Friday for the next eight weeks. Today was basically an introduction to what we would be introduced to over the next weeks. Today's session was very basic, an introduction to what Nevada law says is a Peace Officer. Today's session only lasted a couple of hours, but the rest should be more like four hours each. After the training was over I drove to the China Wok restaurant to join Jackie and a half dozen other members of the SKP park at yet another MASA luncheon. Nothing says Senior Citizen like an offer of free lunch. We listened to the same presentation we got on Wednesday at the park, then had a nice Chinese Buffet lunch. After lunch we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 5:30 we went over to the clubhouse for the monthly Bingo night. Neither Jackie nor I won anything tonight but it was still fun. The session ended at 8:00, after which we went back to the coach and watched TV for the rest of the evening.

Saturday, April 9^th, was a stay at home day. I did some chores around the coach in the afternoon and then around 3:00 I started gathering my sound equipment and taking it over to the clubhouse. I am scheduled to do a karaoke show at 6:00 this afternoon, my first here at the SKP park in a while. I had everything set up and working by about 4:30 so I went back to the coach to rest, cleanup and change clothes for tonight. About 5:30 we went over to the clubhouse to start the party. It was not really well attended, I would say maybe 20 people from the park, but we had also invited some of our friends, Phyllis and Tom Howell, Len and Debbie Forrest, and Jerry and Marge Dunn. We see the Howells and the Forrests a lot while we are in Pahrump, but we haven't seen Jerry and Marge for almost two years. They are also full time Rvers, but when in Pahrump they stay at Wine Ridge. We normally do karaoke on Saturday nights at the Elks Lodge, and Phyllis, Len and Debbie are also regular singers, so we invited them to our session. As it turns out it was a good thing because we only had two people from the park who sang, and one of them only did one song. It would have been a short, one man show without our friends. We finished about 8:30 and I tore down the equipment and took it back home. After we got settled in the coach we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, April 10^th, I went out for the Sunday paper and we had a relaxing morning. About 11:30 we left the coach and headed out to do our laundry. We normally don't like to do laundry on Sunday because the laundromat is usually very busy, but we needed to wash clothes and the rest of the week was busy. We first went to Denny's for brunch, then headed over to the laundromat. As predicted, it was VERY busy, but we managed to get everything in and we played some cards while the clothes washed and dried. We were done by about 3:00 and we headed back to the park and put everything away. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach. We did some steaks on the BBQ for dinner. Monday we had a cold front move in which also came with a high wind advisory for the area. We went over to the clubhouse about 11:30 for a brown bag lunch and meeting with the Lucky Rollers, which is the SKP Chapter here at the RV park. There were quite a few people there, including my brother Ken and his wife Susan. They had joined the Lucky Rollers in the Fall when we went on the outing with the group to Golden Valley, near Kingman, Arizona. After the lunch we had the meeting of the group, which mostly dealt with the upcoming camp-out to Lake Havasu. We had originally planned on going, but had to cancel because of my training schedule with the Sheriff's Office. After the meeting we went back to the coach, visited with Ken and Susan for a while, and then just relaxed the rest of the day. The winds really came up, probably well over 50 MPH gusts. We had a few things blowing around and later in the evening I noticed that it had dislodged one of the plastic mesh panels in our enclosed patio. Nothing major, but needing to be fixed tomorrow. We had dinner and then watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 12^th, we went over to the clubhouse about 12:30 for the monthly Town Hall meeting. There wasn't a whole lot to discuss and the meeting was over in about 40 minutes. After the meeting we drove to the UPS store to pick up our mail, then did a quick Walmart run since we were in the area. After Walmart we headed back to the coach. We went over to the clubhouse at 4:00 for happy hour and after we got back to the coach I made a pot of chili for dinner. Today was cold, with the high temp only being 60 degrees. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed. Wednesday was a stay at home day. I had a 10:00 meeting with one of the committees at the park that I serve on. After lunch I spent about three hours outside in the yard finishing up the decorations and set up of our site. I now have almost all of the outside work done. I just have to put the cover on the gazebo and the yard will be complete. Jackie went to the clubhouse and played Pokeno with the women for a couple of hours. About 4:30 we went to the clubhouse for happy hour and dinner. They had what they called “hobo stew” for dinner. Anyone who was going to come was expected to bring in something to put in the stew, which was really a soup. It ended up being a very hearty vegetable soup and was quite tasty despite having no meat component. They also had bread and crackers and cake for desert. We stayed until about 7:00, after which we went back home and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Thursday, April 14^th, we went over to the clubhouse at 12:30 for a meeting of the Silver Seekers. This is the group that takes care of the clubhouse and the planned activities in it. After the meeting we went up to the DMV office so Jackie could renew her drivers license which expires next month. They were very busy and it didn't look like she would get served before closing, so we decided to come another time. We headed back home, stopping at KFC for some dinner to take home. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach. Friday I was supposed to go to the Sheriff's Office at 9:00 for my second stint of training, but they called about 8:00 and said this week was canceled due to “personal issues” at their office. So, I had a free day. For the most part it was a stay at home day. I spent most of the day working around the lot, finishing up getting the decorations and stuff in the yard done and then cleaning and organizing the shed and putting my “music room” back in service in the shed. I did make one quick Walmart run for some stuff I needed for my projects, but other than that we stayed home. We went to happy hour at the Clubhouse at 4:00, then came home and spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Saturday, April 16^th, I had a 10:00 meeting with one of the groups I work with at the park. About 12:30 we left the coach and drove to the Terrible's Roadhouse Casino for lunch. We had a great lunch, the Roadhouse has the BEST liver and onions anywhere. After lunch we gamed for an hour or so. I lost $20, Jackie cashed out for $75. Yea! After lunch we went home and relaxed for a bit. Around 5:00 we left again and drove to the Elks Lodge for karaoke. It was pretty much the same group there and our friends the Howell's and Forrest's were also there. It was a little smaller crowd than usual, probably because it's Easter weekend, so the rotation was shorter and we got to do four songs. Jackie gambled at the bar while we sang. After karaoke was over we drove back home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Sunday, April 17^th, Happy Easter. Today was a stay at home day. I did go out in the morning for the paper, but other than that we were at the park. We had a relaxing morning early afternoon. About 3:00 Ken and Susan came over and the four of us walked over to the clubhouse for Easter dinner. There were a couple dozen people that came and the meal made by some of the ladies in the park was very good. It was a chicken breast with cheese and bacon, salad and mac and cheese. They also had sherbet for dessert. We had a really good meal and visited with the people at our table. We went back to the coach about 4:30 and Ken and Susan stayed about an hour and we visited. After they left we had cocktails and then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

We are now three weeks into this episode and it is time to get it published. Until next time, ponder the words of the incomparable John Lennon. “There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.” See ya soon.

Finally, After Two Years - Some RV Rallies!

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Saturday, March 5th, which was our last full day in Yuma for this season. Normally we would stay through March, but we have some other plans, including rallies, for this March. Sunday was our first travel day in a couple of months. We are only going 31 miles today, from the Foothills to the Copper Mountain RV park in Tacna, just over the mountains East of Yuma. We are going there for three days to spend some time with my Brother Ken and his wife Susan. We left Sunset Palms RV park about 11:00 and by 11:45 we were checking into Copper Mountain. We got parked in a spot just across the street from Ken and Susan and after we got set up we went over to their coach to visit. They just recently retired, sold their house in Goodyear, Arizona, and went full time in their RV. At the time they retired they had a 40 foot Newmar motor home, but we learned today when we went over that they have upgraded and just a few weeks ago bought a new 43 foot Newmar coach. We spent a couple hours talking travel plans and full time RVing tips. We had cocktails on the patio about 5:30, but didn't stay out too long because it got chilly. We went back to our coach for the night. We had dinner and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 7th, we had a nice, relaxing day. We went out after lunch to do some local geocaching. We went on our own because Ken and Susan are also avid geocachers and have already gotten all of the local caches that we would be able to go to with our wimpy, low slung car. It's our own fault because we got them started in caching some years ago and now watch them catching up to us in total finds. We were able to get nine new finds, and one DNF, in a an hour an a half or so, then we went back to the coach. About 2:30 Ken and Susan came over to our coach and we spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards. About 5:00 we left with Ken and Susan in their car and drove west a few miles to the town of Wellton for dinner. They took us to a Mexican place called Geronimo's and the food was pretty good. The service was a little slow, but they were packed and had several large parties along with a vigorous take out business, so it was understandable. We were back home before 7:00 and after they dropped us off we got into our jammies and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, March 8th, we had an enjoyable day with Ken and Susan. About 1:00 we left and went out with them in their Jeep to do some off road geocaching. Since we traded in our last Jeep four years ago we haven't been able to do anything rougher than a graded dirt road, so it was fun to get out on a trail again. We were out for about two hours and got nine new finds with no DNFs. After caching we went back to the RV park and played cards until about 4:30. We took a break and Jackie cooked dinner, a nice Chinese chicken casserole, and we had dinner. They stayed and talked until about 7:00, after which we watched TV and then went to bed. Wednesday was another travel day. We were packed up and on the road by 10:30, heading East to Arizona City, just south of Casa Grande, Arizona. We arrived at the High Chaparral RV park about 1:15 and got registered and parked. We have been at this park a number of times over the years. It is located about 8 miles South of Casa Grande, making for easy access and is a lot less expensive than parks right in Casa Grande. The town has become a haven for Snow Birds, so the prices are much higher than they were ten or fifteen years ago. We got set up for a week long stay, then spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach relaxing.

Thursday, March 10th, was a stay at home day. We had a couple of Zoom meetings with groups back at the SKP park in Pahrump, and we did a few chores around the coach. Friday we left about noon and drove into Casa Grande to the Big Wa Chinese restaurant, one of our go-to places in Casa Grande. We had a great lunch, after which we ran some errands. We went to Walmart for some supplies, then drove to the mall area so Jackie could go to a Bath and Body Works store. We got one geocache in the mall parking lot. Jackie was going to also get a haircut today, but all of the Great Clips in town were back up, some as much as two hours. We went back to the coach and put everything away, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with the TV.

Saturday, March 12th, we left the coach after lunch and drove to the Pinal County Fairgrounds to visit the Pinal County Fair. When we got to the fairgrounds, East of Casa Grande, we did not find a fair. Doing some checking online we realized that we had both misread the articles we had seen and that the fair actually started next week, not this one. Oh well. We enjoy going to small fairs, so that is why we got excited when we thought it was going on during our stay here. We headed back into town so Jackie could get her hair cut. There was still an hour backup at the salon, so to kill some time we did some geocaching, getting four new finds and one DNF. Jackie finally got in and got her haircut, after which we headed back to the RV park. We spent the rest of the day in the coach relaxing. Sunday is my son, Roy Jr's birthday. It also was a stay at home chores day. I did some minor repairs to the air conditioner in the bedroom, a diverter plate had come loose. I then went outside and cleaned all of the windows and the front of the coach so it would look better for the rallies. Jackie and I then cleaned all the windows inside of the coach. We then watched some TV, had a chili relleno casserole for dinner, and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 14th, we left the coach about 12:30 and drove to the Casa Grande In N Out for lunch. It has been months since we visited an In N Out and lunch was as good as ever. After lunch we went to a laundromat for laundry day. We finished the laundry about 3:00, after which we went to a nail salon so Jackie could get a pedi. Once she was done we went back to the coach, put away the clothes and made the bed, then relaxed for the rest of the evening. Tuesday was another stay at home day. We just relaxed for the entire day, getting ready for a couple of weeks of being busy at the rallies. Jackie made a meatloaf for dinner and we watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, March 16th, was another travel day. Today was a short trip, about 70 miles South to Tucson, Arizona. We arrived at the Voyager RV Resort about 12:30 and got checked in and parked. We are here for five days for the Monaco International chapter of FMCA pre-rally to the FMCA Convention next week. We have been members of Monaco International since 2005, shortly after we bought the motorhome and went full time. This and the Full Timers Chapter are the FMCA groups we have been most active with over the years. Today was pretty much a free day since it was an early arrival day. We did go to one of the activity rooms at the resort for some games with other early arrivals. We played card bingo for about 90 minutes and caught up with some old friends and made a couple of new friends. After the games we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening in. Tomorrow is the also pretty much a free day until the 4:00 welcome social since it is the official arrival day for the rally. The actual rally is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, after which we move to the Pima County Fairgrounds for the FMCA rally.

Thursday, March 17th, Happy St. Patrick's Day. We went out after lunch to do some local geocaching, getting ten new finds, and one DNF, in a couple of hours. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for a bit. About 4:00 we went down to the activities room for the welcome social. There are probably 40 or 50 attendees and we had a good time visiting. They only had appetizers to eat, but there were a lot of them and they were pretty good, so it took the place of dinner. They also served beer and wine, but we brought our vodka drinks with us. The social was over at 6:00, after which we went back to the coach and just relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening. Friday was the first full day of the rally. We actually were up and out of the coach a little after 8:00 to go to breakfast. The Monaco rallies always feature breakfasts and dinners, along with happy hours, as part of the rally fee. After breakfast we relaxed for a bit then went to the first timers meeting. Of course, we are not first timers, but we volunteered to serve as mentors to another couple who were. Fortunately for us, they have been active in FMCA for many years and have gone to a lot of rallies, just none with Monaco. This meant they didn't need much coaching. I think they were paired with us because they have a home

address of Pahrump, but it is just a mailing address for them. They were originally from Las Vegas. They seem like a nice couple. After the first timers meeting we went back to the coach again for a while. About 4:30 we went down to the activities room to meet tonight's entertainment and so I could set up the sound and video equipment for tonight. I am one of the few in the group with experience with sound and video equipment, so I generally get the job at these rallies. Happy hour started at 5:00 and dinner was at 6:00. Tonight we sat with our mentees, although after tonight we can make the rounds to other tables. The entertainment started at 7:00 and was a musical couple act called the Cordell's. They had a very 60's vibe in their tie-dye wardrobe and musical choices. They put on a two hour show and frankly it was terrible. Bad singing, bad backing tracks and mediocre musical ability. They did have some cute videos on their video screen which played while they did songs. After the show was over we went back to the coach and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Saturday, March 19th, we again went down to breakfast about 8:30. After breakfast we went back to the coach and just did our normal stuff. At noon I dropped Jackie off at the activities room for the ladies luncheon. I went back to the coach and did some office work. I picked Jackie up at 2:00 and we went back to the coach until just before 3:30 when we went back the main room for the meeting of the caravan group. One of the regular things for Monaco pre-rallies is that the dates of the rally are coordinated with FMCA so that our rally usually ends on Sunday. Monday is usually the first entry day for FMCA attendees, so Monaco International has a caravan from the site of the Monaco rally to the site of the FMCA rally. This allows MI people to be parked somewhere near other MI people. Over the years we have had some really long caravans, both in numbers of coaches and distance. We have been at MI rallies where we have had upwards of 500 coaches, that makes for quite a parade of fancy motorhomes. We have also had some that were long, two that come to mind are Coos Bay, Oregon to Salem, Oregon, and Lancaster, California to Pomona, California, both of which were well over 100 miles. Of course today rallies are much smaller. This caravan is only 20 coaches and we are only going about six miles to FMCA on Monday. After the rally meeting we just stayed in the room since we had to greet the night's entertainers when they came in around 4:00. I helped them get their equipment in and set up before happy hour started. We had happy hour and then dinner, which tonight was stir fry chicken. It was OK, but still not up to old Monaco International standards. At 7:00 the entertainment started which was a local four piece band called Southern Roads. They were very good, very entertaining and way more people stayed until the end at 9:00 then did last night. After the band quit we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Sunday, March 20^th, the last full day of the Monaco rally. There weren’t a lot of rally activities during the day. I spent some time in the afternoon getting the coach ready for the FMCA rally. We will have 30 amp electric at FMCA, but no water or sewer. I wanted to make sure that the water tank was full and the waste tanks were empty when we left tomorrow. I also had to test the water pump to be sure that we would have running water in the coach. Everything checked out. About 4:00 we went down to the activities room for the evening events. We had cocktails at 5:00 and then before dinner started at 6:00 I did a brief veteran’s tribute for the group. Dinner tonight was excellent, the best of the rally. We had prime rib, carved to order, and it was wonderful. After dinner we had a musical couple called Musical Reflections, and they were also very good. They played a lot of 60’s and 70’s stuff and a lot of good dance music. Most of the group hung around until they finished at 8:30. After the entertainment we helped clean up the room and put away the tables and chairs. We then went back to our coach and watched a little TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 21^st, we were actually up at 5:00 a.m. getting the coach ready to travel. We are going with the group to FMCA and they were planning on leaving at 8:30. The trip to FMCA is only a little under 10 miles, but by going in with the caravan we will get parked quicker. The caravan went well and we arrived at FMCA by 9:00 or so and were parked by 10:00. We got set up and just relaxed the rest of the day. We did take a drive around the grounds in the afternoon just to get a feel for where everything is in relation to our parking location. We have been to several rallies at the Pima County Fairgrounds in the past, but we are always parked in a different place. We stopped and visited briefly with our friends Mike and Darlene Neighbors who are also at the rally. Like most of our RVing friends, we have not seen them in two years. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.

Tuesday, March 22^nd, we spent most of the day around the coach. I spent an hour or so outside setting up our pop up canopy and some tables for the Block Party on Thursday. A few years back FMCA came up with the concept of Block Parties, where on a specific day and time individual chapters can set up a party site. FMCA provides a $50 stipend for food and beverages and arranges for the individual hosting the party to have a larger parking site. This year Jackie and I are the hosts for the Block Party for the Military Veteran's Chapter. We got a nice big end site when we parked yesterday. About 3:00 I went down to the activities area for the FMCA Chapter Fair, where chapters can set up tables to try and recruit new members. I was splitting my time between the Full Timers and Military Veterans tables, which were right next to each other. About 4:30 Jackie and I left the fairgrounds and drove to the Del Lago Golf Resort, located a few miles away, for a dinner with the Eastern Gourmands Chapter. This is a chapter which is basically just about having a very nice, high end dinner with the group during an FMCA rally. We had 29 attendees tonight at the Hacienda Restaurant at the resort, including the National President of FMCA and several other National Executive Board members. We are friends of probably two dozen of the people who came to the dinner. I had a rib eye steak that was outstanding and Jackie had salmon, which she said was also very good. Our table mates were the Neighbours, Mike and Darlene, and we had a very nice time. We were back home by 7:30 and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, March 23^rd, the first day of the actual rally. I went down to the activities area for a seminar on veterans benefits at 9:00. It was informative, although I didn't really learn much new. After the seminar I went back to the coach and did a few chores and had lunch. After lunch we both went back down to the activities area for a few meetings. We first went to a meeting of the Elks International Chapter, which we have belonged to since we first joined FMCA. It was actually the first FMCA chapter we joined. Although not actually associated with the BPOE, to join the Chapter at least one of the couple has to belong to an Elks Lodge and have a current membership card. After the Elks meeting we went to a gathering of the International Area. FMCA has a number of geographical areas, Western, Eastern, and so forth. These Areas are for chapters that have members primarily in one geographical area. The International Area is for those Chapters who have members all over the country, including Canada. Most of the Chapters we belong to are in the International area. We know almost all of the elected Board of INTO, as the International Area is known. After the Into gathering we were going to the Western Area gathering, but since the INTO meeting got out early, we decided to go shopping in the vendor area instead.

We didn't go through the entire vendor area, but I did go to the Roadmaster booth to look at a new supplemental braking system for the car. This is a system, legally required in most states, that applies the brakes on the car when it is being towed behind the motorhome. We have had a Roadmaster system since 2005 that we have moved between the various vehicles we have had, but it finally gave up the ghost this past summer after 15 years of service. I ended up buying a new system from Roadmaster that they will install on Friday. While I was spending a bunch of money Jackie was over looking at wigs. She has wanted one for a long time, but never found one she liked. The company that is at the rally has a good reputation and Jackie finally found one she likes and she bought it. Now she has something for those “bad hair days” that come once in a while. After the shopping we headed back to the coach and relaxed for a little while. At 7:00 we went over to the entertainment venue for the evenings entertainment. FMCA always has three nights of entertainment at the big rallies. They had the opening ceremonies first, then a group called Southwest Surfers and was basically a Beach Boys tribute band. They were pretty good and played most of the Beach Boys and other surf band music. However, the venue was outside and after an hour or so it got too cold, so we left and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, March 24^th, we left the coach about 10:30 and went down to the vendor area to go through the entire building. We bought a few little things, but certainly not like yesterday. After the vendors we had lunch at the Cantina, a little indoor restaurant here on the fairgrounds. After lunch we went through a few display coaches before heading back to the coach. After resting for a bit I went outside and put the top on the pop up and starting getting ready for the Military Veterans Chapter Block Party at 5:00. A couple of the other Board members from the Military Chapter came over with food and drink and other stuff for the party. At 5:00 people started coming over for the party. I would guess over the course of the two hours we had 75 people or so pass through. There were dozens of other block parties going on at the same time and they were widely scattered, so most people could only go to one or two at most. At 7:00 we cleaned up all the food and drink and closed down the party. I left the tables and pop up for tomorrow. We spent the rest of the evening in the coach relaxing.

Friday, March 25^th, I took the car over to the Roadmaster service area on the other side of the fairgrounds at 8:30 so they could install the new braking system. I walked back to the coach and had my coffee. About 10:00 we left and went to one of the seminar areas for the Full Timing Chapter's seminar on Full Time RVing. I helped the chapter president, Mike Neighbours, put on the session. It went pretty well and only lasted an hour. After the seminar we had a quick lunch and then spent a little more time in the vendors tent. At 1:00 we went over to one of the entertainment stage areas to help with the ice cream social. FMCA always has a ice cream social at their rallies and the Full Timer's Chapter has always been the one's in charge of putting it on. FMCA provides the ice cream and we provide the servers. It is always a lot of fun because you can be sure that just about anyone at the rally will show up for free ice cream, so you get to meet a lot of people. We gave ice cream to about 3,000 people in twenty minutes. After the social we went back to the coach and relaxed. I did spend some time outside taking down the tables and pop up from the party and kind of cleaning up the outside. It was warm today, close to 90 degrees, so we actually had to run the air conditioning in the coach for most of the afternoon and evening. At 5:00 we drove over to another parking area in the Fairgrounds to go to a happy hour with the Monaco International group. We had a good time visiting with people. About 5:30 we went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Saturday, March 26^th, the last day of the rally. We didn't have too many obligations today. About 9:00 a service tech from Roadmaster came over to the coach and installed the air outlet for the new braking system on the car. This allows me to connect the air brakes on the coach to the car braking system. After lunch we went over to the vendors for one last look. We still had a few “bonus bucks” coupons from FMCA left and we didn't want to leave any money on the table. After shopping we went back to the coach until 7:00 when we went to the entertainment area for the closing ceremonies. They did a brief veterans and first responders tribute before the entertainment started. The entertainment was a folk rock group which was mediocre at best. We left after about a half hour and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, March 27^th was another travel day. There were people pulling out of the fairgrounds as early as 6:30, but we were not in a big hurry. We left the fairgrounds around 9:30 and started north, headed to Buckeye, Arizona, a suburb on the West side of the Phoenix metro area. We arrived at the Leaf Verde RV Resort about 1:00 and were quickly parked. We got set up for our four day stay here and then just relaxed in the coach for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

We are now about three weeks into this episode and it time to get it published. We now have just a little over a week and two more stops before we are due to arrive back in our home of Pahrump. Until next time, ponder the words of the 19^th Century writer Guillaume Apollinaire. “Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.” Be happy and see ya soon.