A Chilly Month in Yuma, Arizona

Hi there, welcome back to our story. Our last episode concluded on Monday, January 21^st, Martin Luther King Day, when we arrived in Yuma, Arizona for a month long stay. Tuesday was laundry day. We had a huge stack of laundry because it had been over a month since we did all of our laundry. We had done a couple of loads in Cathedral City and then a load in Quartzsite, but that was only sheets, towels and underwear, stuff we needed to wash. We both have so many clothes that we can go for a long time with most stuff. After laundry we went back to the coach and got everything put away and relaxed for a while. We went over to the Bullock's for cocktails and then had a nice spaghetti dinner that Peggy made. We talked for a while then went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, January 23^rd, we left the coach around 11:00 and drove to our favorite taco stand in all of the world, Tacos El Cositas. We have been coming to this family taco stand for the last five years or so and when we are in Yuma we have lunch here at least once a week. The stand moved last summer, from an empty lot on Foothills road to an empty lot on 32^nd Street, right along the freeway. It is an open air taco stand, but the food is wonderful. Peggy and Vernon met us there and we had a great lunch. After lunch we went to Fry's market for a few things we didn't find at Walmart the other day. The Fry's store in the Foothills is one of the big “Marketplace” stores and is really nice. After lunch and shopping we headed back to the coach and we stayed in the rest of the day. I spent a little time putting up some of the decorations outside, including my flagpole. We had cocktails with the Bullock's about 5:00, then did some pork ribs on the BBQ for the four of us. We also had beans and coleslaw and we had a great meal. About 7:30 we went back to our coach and watched some TV before going to bed.

Thursday, January 24^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove to the Yuma Marketplace, the outdoor shopping area about five miles from the RV park. We always make a couple trips to the Marketplace when we are in Yuma. We bought a couple of little things, some garlic that Jackie likes and a new hat for me. After walking around the Marketplace for about 90 minutes we left and drove to downtown Yuma to the Discount Liquor store to pick up some vodka. For the last three years this store has had the best price on Three Olives vodka, which is a good brand. If you buy it by the case it is less than we pay for the house brand stuff at Costco or Sams Club. We bought a case for us and a case for the Bullock's, along with a bottle of bourbon for the Bullock's. We headed back to the RV park, stopping at the Dollar Tree to pick up some Valentine's decorations, the unloaded our booty. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the coach. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:00 and after they left we had dinner on our own. After dinner we watched TV and then went to bed.

Friday, January 25^th, we had pretty much a stay at home day. I started a batch of chili colorado in the crock pot in the morning. After lunch Jackie and I went and got our toenails clipped, she gets a full pedi, I just get a trim. We had cocktails with the Bullock's around 5:00 and then later a very nice Mexican dinner of chili colorado, rice and beans. I have to say that I make a pretty decent chili colorado and everyone seemed to enjoy it. After Peggy and Vernon left we watched some TV and went to bed. Saturday we left the RV park with the Bullock's and drove to downtown Yuma for the annual Date Festival street fair. Other than a half dozen booths from date farms in the Southwest it was pretty much the same as all the Yuma street fairs, about two blocks long with not a whole lot of interesting stuff. We did manage to get a geocache that was located on the next street north of the street fair. After walking the fair the four of us went into Da Boyz pizza place downtown for lunch. Jackie had a chicken parm sandwich and I had a calzone. They give you lots of food in this place and it was very good. After lunch we got back in the car and went back to the RV park. We spent the rest of the day hanging out. We had cocktails with the Bullock's, but no dinner because of the big lunch. After the Bullock's went home we relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Sunday was a stay at home day as Jackie woke up not feeling well. We stayed home all day, got a few chores done and just relaxed.

Monday, January 28^th, we left the house about 11:30 and went out to run some errands. We were going to go to our taco stand, but when we got there we realized they were closed on Sunday and Monday. We went to the nearby Denny's and had a nice lunch. After lunch we did a grocery run at Fry's, then headed back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the coach. About 4:00 Peggy and Vernon came over and the four of us watched a movie we had on the DVR. The movie was called “A Dog's Purpose” and is a very touching movie about a dog that keeps getting reincarnated until after a 50 year period gets reunited with it's original owner. A very nice movie. After the movie the four of us had dinner, a nice shrimp and asparagus risotto that Jackie made. After dinner the Bullock's left and we watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, January 29^th, we left the coach about noon and drove to the Yuma shopping mall to go to the movies. We have not seen a movie in a theater in nearly a year. There is no movie theater (yet, hopefully) in Pahrump, which means when we spend a lot of time there we don't get to go to movies. It doesn't make sense to drive 60 miles one way to a movie in Vegas. We saw The Upside with Kevin Hart and Bryon Cranston. It was based on a true story about a multi-millionaire who becomes a paraplegic in a hang gliding accident, then loses his wife to cancer, and becomes despondent. His corporate assistant, played by Nicole Kidman, is hiring a full time, live in life assistant to take care of him. Hart's character is a ex-con on parole who has to get signatures on his job search form to show he is looking for work, or his parole officer will send hem back to prison. He shows up at the interview, thinking it is for a janitor position. Cranston hires him on the spot, not in spite of his lack of experience, but because of it. He has a “do not resuscitate” order and assumes that Hart will probably do something to cause him to go into distress and then he can die. He can't kill himself because he can only move his head and neck. As it turns out, Hart is very bright, learns the job and the two become extremely close. It is kind of a romantic comedy, very touching and quite funny. We really enjoyed the movie, although I noted that the critics didn't think much of it. Not complicated enough for them. After the movie we went back to the coach, then had cocktails with the Bullock's at happy hour. We had left over spaghetti for dinner with Peggy and Vernon, then went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, January 30^th, we left the coach about 11:30 and met Peggy and Vernon at Daybreakers, a restaurant about a mile away that is actually a truck stop cafe. The food is very good and we like to go there from time to time. The four of us had a nice lunch, although Vernon had breakfast. After lunch the Bullock's went out to run some errands and we did a little local geocaching. We had two that we determined we couldn't get to with our new car because they were out in the desert. We found two and had two other DNF's. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. Our friends Ray and Suzi Babcock, and Clark and Judi McKay arrived today and were parked just down the street from us. They were moved in but still getting set up. Around 5:00 we had our first Yuma 2019 Happy Hour with the Group. Our four couples have been coming to Yuma for one or two months every winter for the last five years. Occasionally another couple or two will also be with us, but the eight of us have always been here together for at least some period of time. Ray and Suzi got a new dog, a little female called Nikki. Their old dog, Casey, died last year. They had Casey for as long as we have known them. Ray is a real dog person and we knew it wouldn't be too long before they got a new one. We had a good time catching up with everyone. We have seen Ray and Suzi several times over the last few months and traveled with them last summer. We hadn't seen Clark and Judi since last February when we were here in Yuma, although we stay in touch through social media. After happy hour we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, January 31^st, we left the coach about 11:30 again and met our friends from Pahrump, Dick and Millie Duffin, at the taco stand for lunch. They always come down to Yuma for a couple of months in January and February and have a spot in the Foothills area not too far from our park. We had a nice lunch and talked for an hour or so. After lunch we stopped at another RV park, right next door to the taco stand, and visited with Len and Debbie Forrest, also friends of ours from Pahrump. They also come down to Yuma in the Winter for a few months. After that visit we went out and got the two geocaches that we had to DNF yesterday. The cache owner sent us some hints by email and with that help we were able to quickly find the caches and fix our DNFs. Yea! We then did a Walmart run and went back to the coach. We had happy hour with the group at 5:00 and then we had a steak BBQ. We all ate in the Babcock's coach because it got windy and cold outside, but we had a great dinner. Everyone provided and cooked their own steaks and then we had sweet potatoes and salad as well as dessert. After dinner we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, February 1^st, already a month into the new year. We left the coach about 10:30 and drove West into California, then south for our first visit this trip to Algodones, Mexico. Every year we go to Algodones for dental work, glasses when we need them, prescriptions, and even just for lunch. Who knew Mexico had great Mexican food? This trip we only needed to get our teeth cleaned. We into Mexico about 11:00, walked around and shopped for a while, although we didn't buy anything. Over the years we have pretty much gotten all the Mexican stuff we need. We walked up the hill to our dentist and got our teeth cleaned. Jackie was all good, I need some work done, but am going to put it off until next year when we are here longer. After the dentist we went across to the street to a restaurant for lunch. It was the La Parilla and is one we had not been to before. We had a drink and ordered lunch, which was very good. This place has a good menu and we will come here again. While we were eating we saw some friends of ours, John and Rita Ham, come into the restaurant. We waived them over and they sat with us. We have known John and Rita for probably ten years, mostly from FMCA as they have a Monaco coach and belong to several of the same Chapters as us. We used to see them at a lot of rallies, but they now have a house here in Yuma and don't travel quite as much. John is also an avid geocacher, so we have that in common as well. They ordered lunch and we had a good time talking a catching up. The last time we saw them was last summer in Wyoming at the FMCA rally. John and Rita come to Mexico a lot, John even has a number of geocaches hidden in and around Algodones, and they drive their car in. They asked us if we wanted to ride with them to go back to the States, and we said sure. Sitting in an air conditioned car for an hour beats standing in a line for an hour. We had a nice ride and when we got back across the border they dropped us off, we got in our car and drove back to the RV park. We will see them quite a bit over the next couple months as they are going to some of the geocaching events we are going to, as well as a couple of motor home rallies. After we got back to the coach we relaxed until happy hour with the group at 5:00. By 6:30 we were back in our coach for the evening. We had some leftover risotto for dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, February 2^nd, we left the coach about noon and went to Arby's for lunch. They sent me a coupon for a free sandwich for my birthday, so we had lunch there. After lunch we went to the Yuma Marketplace, finished what we missed the first time last week, and then a few more aisles just to kill time. We bought a few little things. We stopped on the way back home to pick up one geocache near the marketplace. We had cocktails with the group, then we and the Bullock's did some hamburgers on the BBQ. After the Bullock's left we watched TV and went to bed. Sunday, Super Bowl Day! We had a stay at home day. I did some chores and mostly relaxed. The game started at 4:00 and we watched it in our coach with Peggy and Vernon. As I think most people would agree, the game was a bit boring. It was mostly a defensive game, turning out to be the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever. I was a little bummed that the Rams lost, as I was rooting for the west coast. Jackie is a Patriots fan, mostly because of her friend Helen's love for the team. We had various snacks and goodies during the game, so no formal dinner. After the game Peggy and Vernon went home and we just watched some more TV before going to bed.

Monday, February 4^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and went out to do some geocaching. In about three hours we were able to get ten new finds, along with one DNF. This is the first time we have done a real caching afternoon in a while. After caching we went back to the RV park and had happy hour with the group at 5:00. After happy hour we went over to the Bullock's and had dinner. Peggy made a pot of chili, very much like mine, along with corn bread. We had a great dinner and talked for awhile. About 8:00 we went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, February 5^th, Happy Birthday to me! Yea, I finally reached room temperature, 72. We had a quiet day at home for the most part. Around 3:00 our group of eight gathered for an early happy hour, along with Dick and Millie Duffin, invited by Jackie, and Pat and Tammy Kight invited by Peggy. Tammy is a friend of Peggy's from the sixties, and we have met them on numerous occasions at RV parks and at the Bullock's house in California. About 4:30 dinner was served. Ray cooked a big turkey on the rotisserie, Peggy made stuffing, Judi provided the potatoes and gravy, Jackie made a green bean casserole. It was like Thanksgiving all over again. We had a great dinner and it was a good thing that we started early because around 6:00 the winds kicked up and it got really cold. By 7:00 the party was over and everyone headed back to their own RVs. A very nice day indeed.

Wednesday, February 6^th, we went out after lunch and drove into town to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. After Sam's we went back home and relaxed for a while. About 5:30 we left again, dressed up and ready for our date night. Yesterday was my birthday and tomorrow is our 15^th anniversary, so we decided to go out tonight to celebrate. We went to Julianna's Patio, a nice restaurant here in Yuma, to have a fancy dinner. We had an appetizer, and Jackie had lamb and I had Asian short rib. The meal was wonderful, the service was great and they gave us a free dessert for our celebrations. We had a really nice time with just the two of us. After dinner we went back home, relaxed for a bit and went to bed.

Thursday, February 7^th, our 15^th Wedding Anniversary. We left the coach after lunch and went to the laundromat. After we had our clothes done we did a quick Walmart run, then went back to the coach. We put away the clothes and made the bed and spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing. We had happy hour with part of the group, the Bullock's and the Kight's then went back to our coach and had dinner on our own. We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Friday, February 8^th, was a busy day. First of all, it was another anniversary of sorts for us. On February 8^th, 1998, I reunited with Jackie after not having communicated with her for over 21 years. For me she was the long lost love that I finally got back. Today was also day for getting together with geocaching friends. For background, there is a large geocaching community in the Yuma area, probably because there is a huge number of retired people who live here, or spent the winters here. The group calls itself the Southwest Arizona Geocaching Group, or SWAG. Every February SWAG holds a geocaching event. When we first started coming here in the winter, about eight or nine years ago, the SWAG event was big, but was not considered a Mega Event, which requires over 500 caching teams to attend. At that time they provided a nice meal provide by the club. About five years ago the event got big enough for Groundspeak, the company that “controls” organized geocaching, declared it a Mega Event. They got so big they had to stop providing food, but they still have a lot of activities over the entire weekend of the event.

The actual event is Sunday, but today there was a meet and greet event at Martha's Date Garden, which is only a few miles from our RV park. The Yuma caching weekend draws close to a thousand geocachers and many of them are people we have met along the way and made friends with. One couple, Russ and Nellie, are from Grants Pass, Oregon. We met them in Quartzsite about six years ago at a geocache we were both trying to find. We have since crossed paths with them many times, and visited their home in Oregon. They are here for the event and we met them at Day Breaker's restaurant for lunch. We had a nice lunch and caught up with them. It has probably been a year or so since we last saw them, although we stay in touch. After lunch we went back to the coach and continue to visit for a bit, then we drove to the meet and greet event. There were several hundred cachers there and there were at least a couple dozen that we know well enough to consider them friends. Many of them we haven't seen in a while, others we saw as recently as this past summer. It was a great event and we made a few more friends. After the meet and greet we picked up a couple of geocaches in the area, then drove downtown to attend another event, this one a Flash Mob event in the Yuma Mall area. The Flash Mob event is another regular occurrence for the SWAG caching weekend. One year it was everyone blowing bubbles, another time everyone walked around with a banana acting like it was a phone. It is just a quick, silly get together for a bunch of senior citizen teenagers. Today everyone had a balloon and we all walked around the traffic circle in front of the movie theater complex waving the balloons in the air. After a few minutes the music stopped and everyone popped their balloon at the same time. That was it, the event was over. We drove back to the coach, had cocktails with some of the group, then went back to our coach for the rest of the night.

Saturday, February 9^th, we left the coach a little after 11:00 and met Peggy and Vernon and Pat and Tammy at the taco stand for lunch. After lunch we drove to the Palms RV Resort for the annual Boomer Bash car show. They hold this event every February and we have been going for about five years. Two different years we won big raffle prizes, one year a huge booze cart with about $600 worth of liquor, and then the next year a $300 Ashley Furniture gift certificate. We entered a bunch of tickets this year, but didn't win anything. I got the requisite tee shirt and we spent a couple hours looking at the cars. They had over 150 cars this year, some really nice ones. After the car show we did a little geocaching, getting a half dozen new finds. We then went back to the RV park and relaxed for a bit. We had happy hour with some of the group and then we, the Bullock's and Kight's, did hamburgers on the BBQ along with beans and cole slaw. By 8:00 we were back in our coach watching TV and then going to bed.

Sunday, February 10^th, we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to the downtown area of Yuma to the West Wetlands park on the banks of the Colorado River. We were going there to attend the annual Southwest Arizona Geocachers (SWAG) Mega Event. There were somewhere between 600 and 800 people at the event and they had the usual activities. There is a poker run, where you go to five temporary, and very easy, caches inside the park to collect five playing cards sealed in envelopes. You then have to take them to the booth where they take out the cards and see what kind of hand you get. In the past we have always gotten crap, a pair at best. Same old crap today, an ace high junk hand. Not high enough to win, not low enough to get the boobie prize. We bought a few caching trinkets, some containers, a shirt, a hat, and had some pizza for lunch. This is mostly a social event and we did a lot of cachers were were friends with and even more with whom we had some acquaintance. We stayed for about three hours, then left and went back to the coach to relax. We had cocktails with the Bullock's and the Kight's, then went to our house where we all had dinner. Jackie made a chili relleno casserole and we had it with rice and beans. We had a nice dinner and everyone left about 8:00. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Monday, February 11^th, we were up and out early, a little before 10:00, heading to Algodones, Mexico for another geocaching event. This was the closing event for the geocaching weekend and was a lunch at one of the larger Mexican restaurant's in town, El Paraiso Cafe. There were several hundred geocachers there for the event and we sat with some of our friends at a table for eight. The lunch was very good, as were the beers and margaritas. After lunch we walked around town for a while, getting a couple of the new geocaches that have been hidden down there, and doing some shopping. We picked up a very pretty new name sign for the front of the coach. Our old carved one is getting old and junky, the new one is very nice and was only $20, inexpensive given the skill it took to paint it. Unfortunately, the line to get back to the States was the longest I have ever seen it in the seven years we have been going into Algodones. It was a two hour wait, but we were in line with friends, so we just talked and killed time. After we got across the border we drove back to the coach and just crashed. It has been a busy and exhausting weekend, fun but it wore us down. We didn't even get together with anyone from the group. We put on our jammies, had cocktails and a light dinner and relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening. Tuesday was a stay at home day. We got a few chores done, but mostly relaxed. We had cocktails with the whole group at 5:00 and then we and the Bullock's did some pork chops on the BBQ for dinner. They left around 7:30 and we watched TV until bedtime.

Wednesday, February 13^th, we left the coach about 11:00 and met the rest of the gang of eight at the Love's Truck Stop for lunch. That location was selected because the truck stop has a Chester's Chicken fast food place and Chester's, unlike KFC, Churches and the other chicken places, has chicken livers and gizzards on the menu. Most everyone got chicken livers, or fried chicken for lunch. I didn't feel like chicken so I got a Subway sandwich since Subway was also in the food court. We had a nice lunch and then everyone went their separate ways to run various errands. We drove to downtown Yuma to the liquor store that has the great price on Three Olives vodka and picked up another case. We are leaving Yuma next week and won't be able to find that price anywhere else. We then stopped at Sam's Club to put some gas in the car after almost two months. Our average for the not quite three quarters of a tank of fuel was over 90 mpg. Yea! After fueling the car we went back to the coach and stayed in for the rest of the day. We had happy hour with the group and then we went back to our place and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Thursday, February 14^th, Happy Valentines day and Happy Birthday to my granddaughter Courtney, whose middle name, not surprisingly, is Valentine. We had some plans for lunch and exploring today, but we woke up to rain. It was the same storm that was soaking California, but fortunately for us it was only a light but steady rain here. Later in the afternoon the winds came up, causing a few issues with crap flying around, but at any rate it was enough for us to just stay in all day. We did a few light chores, but mostly just relaxed. Friday we left the coach about noon to go to lunch. We had to wait a bit to leave because today was propane delivery day and we were running low. We drove to near downtown to a restaurant called El Charro. According to this morning's paper it was just voted number one Mexican restaurant in Yuma. We met Peggy, along with Linda and Ernie Ellis, some other RVing friends of ours. We met Linda and Ernie in 2009 on our Alaska caravan, which was also where we met Peggy and Vernon. Linda and Ernie are square dancing fanatics and base their travels around that hobby. We run across them frequently at various FMCA rallies, including the Indio rally every January. Vernon was doing some work on the motor home and didn't come, so the five of us had a nice lunch and talked for a while. After lunch Peggy went off to run some errands and we took Linda and Ernie in car and did some nearby geocaches. Linda has always been interested in our hobby and likes to go, even if just briefly. We found three caches nearby before we dropped them off at their car and said goodbye. We then headed back to the RV park. I helped Vernon with his project, removing their old sleeper sofa from their coach to make room for a new sofa. We had cocktails with Peggy and Vernon at 5:00, the other two couples had other plans for tonight. After cocktails we went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Saturday, February 16^th, we left the coach about 12:30 and drove about a mile east in the Foothills to the RV lot that Millie and Dick Duffin rent in the winter here in Yuma. She was having another of her “Dilly Muffin” parties, and it was her birthday. There were a dozen people there, half of them Canadian snowbirds. Our other friends from Pahrump, Len and Debbie Forrest were also there. We knew about half the group from previous parties of Millie's and everyone brought food and snacks to nibble on. We played a few games and talked and visited with everyone. The party went until about 5:00 when everyone started to pack up and head for home. We went back to the RV park and sat outside for an hour with the group at happy hour. We then went into our coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Sunday, February 17^th, Jackie woke up sick with a cold or really bad allergies. As a result we had a stay at home day, I spent a couple hours in the afternoon taking down the screens and putting away all the outside decorations. We are not leaving here until Wednesday morning but we are getting the coach washed and waxed tomorrow morning, so I had to take down everything on the coach and figured I would just get a head start and put everything away today. Monday Jackie was still sick. About 10:00 the contractors arrived to wash and wax the coach. That only took a couple of hours. After they left I went out and ran a few errands, to the bank and to Walmart for a few things. After I got back and put everything away I finished our income taxes and got them filed, then just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. At 5:00 I had cocktails with the group, but Jackie didn't feel like going. After cocktails I came home, made some dinner and we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Tuesday, our last full day in Yuma. Jackie was still sick, so we really didn't do anything. We stayed in all day and got a few chores done, but mostly just relaxed. I had cocktails with the group and then went back to our coach and fixed dinner. After dinner we watched TV and went to bed. Our time in Yuma for this year has come to an end. It was a cold winter and it looks like it is going to continue to be colder than normal in the Southwest for the foreseeable future. However, it is still way better to be chilly than ass deep in snow. This marks a great place to close out this chapter and get it published. Until next time, be crazy, be stupid, be silly, be weird. Be whatever, because life is too short to be anything but happy. See ya soon.

Some Time in the Coachella Valley, Our Old Stomping Ground

Hello again, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, December 30^th, when we arrived in Cathedral City, California, in the Coachella Valley, after three months in our “home” of Pahrump, Nevada. We joined up with our good friends and frequent traveling companions, Peggy and Vernon Bullock. On Monday, December 31^st, New Years Eve, we spent most of the day at home. We did go out and do a Walmart run in the afternoon, then spent New Year's Eve with the Bullock's. We did some steaks on the BBQ and watched the East coast network TV shows and celebrated New Year's at 9:00 California time. The Bullock's went home and we watched a little more TV before going to bed and sleeping in the new year.

January 1^st, 2019, Happy New Year! We had a quiet New Years at home. We got a few chores done and just relaxed for the most part. We had cocktails with the Bullock's and then Peggy served dinner. We had pork loin with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Peggy said it was a German dish that was supposed to be good luck if you had it on New Year's day. We talked for a while and went back to our place about 8:00, then watched TV and went to bed. Wednesday we left the coach about 12:30, along with Peggy and Vernon, and drove to Indio to meet our friends Ray and Suzi Babcock for lunch. Ray likes the China Bistro in Indio and is always willing to drive over a hundred miles from their house in Murrietta just for lunch. We had a great lunch and sat and talked until about 3:00, after which the Babcock's drove over to the RV park and met us all at the Bullock's for desert. Peggy had made a lemon pie and we all had a piece. The Babcocks then headed home. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:00, but no dinner since we had such a late lunch. We went out about 7:00 and drove to the Starbucks in Cathedral City for a geocaching event.  There were several old caching friends there, as well as several people we had not met before.  We had a good time and stayed for about an hour.  We then went back to the coach and watched some TV before going to bed.

Thursday, January 3^rd, we stayed home for most of the day. About 4:30 the four of us left and drove over to Palm Desert to the Cactus Jack's Bar and Grill. Regular readers will know that when we still had the house in Indio, Cactus Jack's was our hang out place. The Indio location has been closed, but the owner, George, opened a new store in Palm Desert. We had a wonderful meal and saw a couple of old Coachella Valley friends. The food at CJ's is not inexpensive, but it is very good. After dinner we drove home and just relaxed the rest of the day. Friday I left the coach about 9:30 and headed to Rancho Mirage to visit the dermatologist. Since I had my melanoma scare in 2009 I have gone in every year for a skin check. The doctor looked me over, gave me my usual shower with liquid nitrogen to get rid of the small basal cell skin cancers, and one new mole, and sent me on my way. Jackie and Peggy had gone out about 10:30 to do some shopping and errands and have lunch. About 11:30 Vernon and I left and went to Boy's in Cathedral City, just a mile or so up the road, for lunch. I used to go there all the time when I worked in Cathedral City and they have the best pastrami sandwich anywhere. After lunch we went back to the RV park and I spent the rest of the afternoon doing some chores and relaxing. Peggy and Jackie got back around 3:00 and we had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:00. Peggy then served dinner, some lemon picatta chicken with linguine . It was very good and we all enjoyed it. After dinner we talked and visited until about 8:30 when we went back to our coach. We watched a little TV and went to bed.

Saturday, January 5^th, our last day in Cathedral City. We mostly stayed home, doing some chores and getting stuff put away in preparation for our travel to Indio tomorrow morning. We did go out to the grocery store in the afternoon. We had cocktails with Peggy and Vernon and then Jackie served a nice Mexican dinner, chili relleno casserole, rice and beans. We had a great dinner, talked for a while and then, after the Bullock's left, watched some TV before bed.

Sunday, January 6^th, we were up EARLY so we could get packed up and on the road by 8:00 a.m. We don't normally travel that way, but today we are only going 20 miles across the valley to the Indio Fairgrounds and the FMCA Western Area Rally. The actual rally starts on Wednesday, but we are parking with one of our Chapters, the Overland Trailblazers, and there are a lot of activities scheduled with the group for today. The first four days on the fairgrounds is sort of an onsite pre-rally. We did get out right at 8:00, got into the fairgrounds by 8:30 and were finally parked and getting set up by 9:30. We got the basic set up done and then at 11:00 we traveled, with many of the chapter members, to the Empire Polo Grounds just a mile southwest of the fairgrounds, for the opening day of the winter polo season in Indio. Some of the Chapter members had set it up so we could all go as a group into the grounds and watch the day's matches. Although Jackie had been to the polo grounds for matches many years ago, I have never been to a match and never even been on the grounds here in Indio. The venue is gorgeous, as you would expect a “money sport” like polo to have. We were at a nice table, under shade, with servers to bring food and drinks. Everything was expensive, but it was still fun with lots of people, many of them dressed for the occasion. We had lunch and a cocktail and watched one full match. Unfortunately, during the match we watched a horse and rider go down and the horse never got back up. Never heard exactly what the issue was, but I suspect the horse was put down. Too bad, although it is a surprisingly rough sport. We didn't stay for the second match because it was getting pretty cold and windy.

We drove back to the fairgrounds and I finished getting everything set up around the coach. About 4:30 I went over to one of the buildings on the grounds to get my sound equipment set up for tonight's meet and greet dinner with the Trailblazers Chapter. I have become the Chapter's sound and music guy. About 5:00 we went over for the dinner and there were probably a hundred people in attendance. This is a large and active Chapter. We had a nice dinner of flank steak and sides, all provided by the Chapter. The party went on until about 8:00, after which we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Monday, January 7^th, we went out about 11:30 and stopped at In-N-Out for lunch. After lunch we did a grocery run at the WinCo store. We like the lunch meats that we can get at WinCo. We then went back to the coach and about 1:45 the mobile oil change guy arrived at the coach. The next two hours we hung around the coach while he did the annual oil and lube service on the coach. We used to get this work done every year while on the road, usually at a truck oil change company somewhere. About four years ago I started using this same mobile guy who comes to the Indio rally every year and it has been a lot more convenient. After the oil change was done we relaxed for a while and then around 4:30 we went over to the same room we were in last night for another Overland Trailblazers event. Tonight was a heavy hors d'vouers night and Jackie made a Mexican corn and cheese dip. There was lots of food and everyone had a good time. I did about an hour of karaoke after dinner and we actually had a couple of people come up and do a couple songs each. This was a big change from last year when none of the members seemed to be the least bit interested. By 7:30 we were back in the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, January 8^th, Jackie and Peggy left about 10:30 to go to a ladies luncheon with our group. They went to the Shields Date Garden restaurant here in Indio. I stayed home, did some chores and just relaxed. They got back about 1:30 and we both did a few chores. Around 2:30 I went down to the concrete slab our group uses as a gathering place on the fairgrounds and set up the sound equipment. Today was just to provide sound services for the annual meeting of the Chapter and then music for the pizza party afterwards. The meeting started around 3:30 and went on for about 45 minutes. There was a break and then a little after 4:00 they brought in the Caesar salad and pizza, both from Costco, and served a light dinner for the group. I just played a bunch of 60's music that everyone seemed to like. After the party was winding down I packed up the gear since I didn't want to leave it unattended outside overnight. We had cocktails with the Bullock's and were back in our own coach relaxing a little after 7:00. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Wednesday, January 9^th, we didn't have anything special to do in the morning. About 1:00 we went down to the main building at the fairgrounds for the Chapter Fair. This is something they do at rallies where the provide tables for all the various chapter to set up informational booths so they can try to recruit new members. I wasn't associated with any single booth as far as responsibility, so I just wandered around and helped a little at several of the booths for chapters that we belong to. We left around 2:30 and went back to the coach. After a brief break I went down to the slab to set up the sound equipment for tonight's event with the Trailblazers. One of the main things the Chapter does at each Western Area Rally is a big BBQ and potluck on Wednesday night of the rally. They will have up to 150 people at the BBQ and it is a big recruiting tool, it's how they hooked us. The BBQ started at 4:00 and after announcements I started playing some music. The BBQ was ribs and chicken and the potluck part was all the side dishes. There was plenty of food and everyone had a good time. By the time dark came on the party ended, I packed up the sound equipment and went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Thursday, January 10^th. Although the rally officially started yesterday, there were no vendors or seminars until this morning. I was out of the coach about 9:00 for a meeting with the Board of the Trailblazers Chapter regarding elections. I am a member of the nominating committee and we needed to talk about how to get people to step up into leadership positions. After that meeting Jackie and I went over to the auditorium for the Full Timers Chapter seminar on full time RVing. I was one of the presenters for the seminar, which the Chapter does at all the FMCA International conventions, as well as at the Western Area rally. The seminar went well, we had a lot of interest and a lot of questions and comments. After the seminar we and the Bullocks drove off the grounds and met with Ray and Suzi Babcock for lunch at an Indio Chinese restaurant near the fairgrounds. They had driven in for the day again, this time to go through the vendors at the rally. They used to come to the rally like the rest of us, but the last few years they have decided they didn't like the grounds, so they no longer come with their coach. We had a nice visit and a great lunch.

After lunch we went back to the fairgrounds and relaxed for a while. About 3:30 we went down to the area of the slab, where our Chapter has been meeting, to line up on the street for the parade. Regular readers may remember that the Western Area rally always has a parade where the various chapters at the rally build floats and make costumes to reflect the theme of the year, which this year was “Once upon a Time.” There were some really great floats and costumes, as always, and everyone was really enjoying the event. Unfortunately, after the parade was over Jackie was helping Peggy fold up her chairs and tripped over a traffic cone nearby. She fell over backwards and hit her head on the concrete. I was not right there, I had taken our chairs over a few hundred yards when it happened. I found out about the accident and went over to her. She had a knot on the back of her head about the size of a half grapefruit, but there was no bleeding, it had not broken the skin other than a slight abrasion. She had not lost consciousness and showed no other signs of concussion, but I was very worried about the huge hematoma on her head. I got the car and then drove her to the emerg

ency room at JFK Hospital here in Indio. It was a typical noisy, busy smelly ER, but they did take her right in. She was in treatment for a couple of hours, they did the vitals and some cognitive tests, and also sent her for an CT of the head. They found no fracture, no subdural bleeding, no sigh of concussion. They gave her a tetanus shot and we headed home, getting back around 8:00. She had a bit of a headache, but was otherwise OK, just a little scared by what could have been. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Friday, January 11^th, Jackie had a good night, slept well, and when she woke up the knot was greatly diminished in size, now just a small bump. I had woke up several times during the night and heard her snoring, so I knew that she was OK. I think she made it through this event without any serious injury. We had a pretty quiet day today with very few commitments with regard to the rally. After lunch we walked over to the vendor area and spent a couple of hours checking out the merchandise. We ended up buying nothing. After the vendors we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while and then around 5:00 we went over to one of the buildings on the fairgrounds for a social with the Military Veterans Chapter. The turnout was a bit disappointing, only about a dozen people. This is a very large chapter with close to a thousand members nationwide. As the Vice President of the Chapter I felt obligated to go and we had a good time talking to the few people that were there. After the social we walked over to the auditorium for the evening entertainment. Tonight was a stand up comedian named Ken Kaz. It is rare to have comedians at rallies, usually it is music, but the National President of FMCA discovered this guy at some non-RV related event and thought he was really good and since then he has done several FMCA events. He put on an hour long show and was VERY good. Funny, topical, clean and really entertaining. I would look for him playing anywhere and go if I could. After the show we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Saturday, January 12^th, the last full day of the rally. We had no commitments today, and just as well as it was raining when we got up. Not too hard, but enough to be cold and wet. The rain finally let up around noon when we left the fairgrounds and went to La Casita, one of our favorite Mexican places in the Desert, for lunch. Peggy and Vernon met us there and we had a nice lunch. After lunch we went to Walmart and Costco for some supplies, then went back to the coach. We were supposed to have a final happy hour with the Trailblazers at 4:30, but the weather was threatening rain again, so it was canceled. Instead we just had cocktails with the Bullocks. They went home around 7:00 and we watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, January 13^th, moving day. A number of people had left the fairgrounds yesterday and they started pouring out this morning around 7:00. By the time we left at 10:30 it was half empty. We got on the freeway and headed east, going 120 miles to Quartzsite, Arizona. It was an uneventful drive and we arrived in Quartzsite about 2:00 local time, since we changed time zones and lost an hour. We quickly got settled into our spot and spent a couple hours getting set up for our eight day stay here. Peggy and Vernon are parked right next to us again and we had cocktails together at happy hour. We didn't do any dinner as we all had lunch late. After they left we watched some TV and went to bed.

Monday, January 14^th, we had a stay at home day. The laundry for the RV park was right across from our coach, so we did a load of laundry to tide us over until we get to Yuma next week. We spent the day doing some chores and generally relaxing. Jackie still has a lot of pain on the back of her head from her fall, so she didn't feel like doing much. About 1:00 it started raining and we had light rain for the rest of the day and evening. We had happy hour with the Bullocks and then did some burgers on the BBQ. The rain was very light, so it didn't interfere with our BBQing. We had a nice dinner with the four of us and then watched some TV and the girls played cards. They went home around 7:30 and we watched TV until bedtime. Tuesday was a stay at home day. It rained all night long and was still raining in the morning. The rain finally cleared late in the afternoon. I made a big pot of chili for dinner for the four of us and Peggy made some cornbread. We had cocktails and then dinner, then after the Bullock's went home we watched some TV.

Wednesday, January 16^th, we woke up to clear skies, yea! The four of us left the RV park about 11:30 and drove the 20 miles back west to Blythe, California to go to Garcia's restaurant for lunch. It is a little, hole in the wall Mexican place that has great food. After lunch we stopped at a couple of stores, then drove back to Quartzsite. We then walked to the “Pow Wow” which is an annual gem and mineral show which is held in an event area located right behind the RV park in which we are staying. Although we don't collect rocks, they also have some nice jewelry and other items and it fun to just walk around for a bit. After walking around the rock show we went back to the coach, then at 5:30 we had happy hour with the Bullocks. We didn't have any dinner because of the big lunch. After the Bullocks went home we relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Thursday, January 18^th, my brother Ken and his wife Susan drove up for the day from their home in Goodyear, Arizona. Goodyear is on the far west end of the Phoenix metro area and it is a straight shot on Interstate 10 to Quartzsite, about a ninety minute drive. We and the Bullocks met them for lunch at Silly Al's pizza restaurant here in Quartzsite. We had a great lunch with lots of leftovers and after lunch we drove back to our coach and sat and talked for a couple of hours. Ken had worked for the City of Avondale, also on the west side of Phoenix, as a Code Enforcement officer, but recently retired and went to work as a flight instructor at a flying school in Goodyear. He and Susan are planning to do the same thing as we are in about five years. They seem to have their stuff together and a good plan. Ken and Susan left around 5:00, after which we had cocktails with the Bullocks and then went back to our coach and watched TV until it was time for bed.

Friday, January 19^th, we left the coach about 11:00 and went to Tyson Wells, the big swap meet/market in town. We spent a couple of hours walking around, bought a few little RV related things and enjoyed the nice weather. We had lunch there and were finished shopping around 2:30 or so. We went back to the coach and relaxed for a while, then about 4:15 we left again, with the Bullock's, and drove over to the “big tent” area for a customer appreciation party put on every year by Redlands Truck and RV. We felt that we deserved to come because we had some work done by them a couple years ago, however, the party is free and open to anyone who knows about it. Apparently everyone in town knew about it. There were several hundred people there, an open bar and some great BBQ for dinner. By 7:30 the party was over and we went back to the coach and relaxed the rest of the night.

Saturday, January 20^th, we left the coach with the Bullock's about 10:30 and drove over to the big tent for the opening day of the Quartzsite RV Show. The tent is up for about two weeks every January and is about a quarter mile long and a hundred yards wide. There are several hundred RV related (mostly) vendors inside, plus another couple dozen outside around the tent. Thousands of people come through the tent every day and I think most of them were there this morning. We simply could not find a parking space, so we gave up and went to breakfast/lunch at one of the local cafes, Mountain Quail. After lunch we went back to the RV park and rested for a bit. Around 2:00 we made another try for the tent and found a parking space, so we spent a couple hours going through the vendors. I bought some supplies, water filters, fuel filters for the coach, and we picked up a bunch of stuff from various RV parks that had booths. By a little after four we were done and went back to the RV park. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:30 and later did some lamb and steak on the BBQ. Actually, everyone but me had lamb, I had a nice cow. We talked for a bit, then went back to our coach, watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, January 21^st, our last full day in Quartzsite. We stayed home for the day, doing some chores and getting ready for travel tomorrow. We had cocktails with the Bullocks at 5:00 and were joined by some friends who arrived in the park today, Ernie and Andie. They are old friends of the Bullocks who we see almost every year when our paths cross. We first met them in 2011, a couple years after we met Peggy and Vernon, at a boondocking campout here in Quartzsite with a bunch of the Bullock's RVing friends. After cocktails we went back to our coach, had some dinner and watched TV until bedtime. Monday was another travel day. We were packed up and on the road around 10:00, heading south from Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona, a trip of about 80 miles. We arrived at the Carefree Village RV Resort around noon and quickly got set up and moved in. We are parked right across the street from Peggy and Vernon and will be joined in a couple of weeks by the Babcock's and McKay's. We have all been coming to Carefree Village in the winter for the last three years. It is a nice park with very big spaces. We finished getting set up, then had cocktails with Peggy and Vernon about 6:00 and did some pork chops on the BBQ for dinner. The Bullock's left around 8:00 and we watched some TV before going to bed.

Our arrival here in Yuma for a month long stay marks a good point to close out this episode and get it published. Until next time, remember the words of the old radio talk show host, Bernie Meltzer. “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” See ya soon.

The Final Weeks of Winter in Nevada - Christmas in the Desert

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter concluded on Saturday, December 8^th while we were still in Pahrump, nearing the end of our three month stay. On Sunday I went out and got the paper and other than that we didn't leave the coach. We had a nice, relaxing day, getting a few things done and just laying back.

Monday, December 10^th, we took Jackie to her PT at 1:00 and afterwards we stopped at the Dollar store for a couple of things. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker. I lost about $7 and Jackie lost a couple of dollars. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed. Tuesday we were supposed to go out to lunch with the Duffin's, but Jackie woke up with what she thought was a minor bladder infection, so we canceled the lunch date and just stayed home for the day. We got some chores done and spent the entire day inside.

Wednesday, December 12^th, Jackie was feeling better today. Shortly after we got up I noticed that the furnaces had quit blowing and when I checked on things I discovered that we had run completely out of propane. I had signed up to get refilled when the truck came through the park, but that was not until next Wednesday. We had the tank filled six weeks ago, but have been running the furnaces a lot because it has been colder up here than what we are usually used to in the Coachella Valley. The store just down the road has propane, and it is a lot cheaper than what they charge for the mobile service, but you have to pack up the coach and drive there. We didn't have any choice, so I took down all the Christmas stuff, we packed up the coach and drove down to get propane. It only took a few hours, but it was a pain in the butt. Had I been paying attention I would have had the tank filled LAST Wednesday when the truck came through. Oh well. We got back to the park and back into our spot. Jackie went to her PT appointment and I spent most of the rest of the afternoon getting set back up again. I didn't get all the Christmas stuff back up, but I did do most of it.

About 4:30 we went down to the clubhouse for some activities. The first was a spaghetti and wine dinner. Normally the wine dinners are catered by the Symphony Restaurant, which is next door to the RV park. However, they were closed for a private event tonight, so the RV park staff cooked the dinner. It was OK, but a little light for a $15 dinner, even with the wine. After dinner the park had it's annual “pound auction” event for charity. The idea is that people buy something that weighs a pound, could be candy, cookies, a book, a box of rocks, it doesn't matter. You wrap it up and then it is auctioned off. Last year I paid $15 for a bag of black beans. The money all goes to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive, so no one minds when they get a gag item. Jackie and I each won one of the auction items. I paid $11 and got a very nice looking coffee press with a couple of coffee mugs. Actually a pretty nice item for that price, although we won't use it. It will probably be re gifted somewhere along the line. Jackie spent $20 and got a box of dog biscuits, and we don't have a dog. Our friends Ray and Suzi Babcock just got a new dog, so we will save the biscuits for her. The auction raised over $300 for Toys for Tots and it was fun. After the events we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Thursday, December 13^th, I spent a little bit of time in the morning finishing up with reinstalling the Christmas decorations on the coach. About 12:30 we left and went to Red Sky BBQ for lunch. Red Sky has the best baby backs anywhere, and for a reasonable price. We both had full racks and took half the rack home for another meal. After lunch we picked up our mail and then did a Walmart run. A couple of other little errands and we headed for home. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker. Since they didn't play last night because of the auction, they rescheduled for tonight. I should have stayed home as I had no luck, losing about nine dollars. Jackie won ten, so I guess I know where my money went since she was playing at the same table. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and then went to bed.

Friday, December 14^th, we took Jackie to her PT at 1:00 and I did my walk. We picked up mail, made a quick stop at the grocery store and went back home. About 4:30 we went down to the clubhouse for tonight's social activities. Normally Friday night is social hour and then karaoke. Tonight they had a soup pot luck dinner provided by the park. They had two kinds of soup, potato and split pea. Then the attendees brought appetizers to go with the soups. After dinner they had a white elephant gift exchange. That is the type where each person brings a wrapped gift, usually an inexpensive item, gag gift, or a re gift. Every person draws a number and when your number comes up you get to either pick a wrapped gift or steal one of the gifts which have already been opened. If you steal a gift, then the person you stole it from can steal another, or take an unwrapped gift. It is a lot of fun. We ended up with a drinking game of tic tac toe and a cute RV coffee mug, although we had several other gifts before the end came. After the festivities we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV the rest of the night.

Saturday, December 15^th, we went out after lunch to scout some sites for new geocaches. There is a lot of open space in and around Pahrump and we need a few more caches here. We finally found a site out in the open desert, just off a paved road, in the southwest part of town. We put an ammo box out there, put some goodies in it, then went back home to submit the cache. Now we just have to wait for it to be approved. We spent the rest of the day in the coach, had dinner and watched TV until bedtime. Sunday we enjoyed the paper in the morning, then about 12:30 we went down to the clubhouse for another of the Dilly Muffin parties. There were probably 30 people there and it was a pot luck with lots of great food. Everyone visited, we played some games and we ate. It was a very nice, low key party. After the party we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the day and evening.

Monday, December 17^th, we went to Jackie's PT at 1:00 and after PT we picked up mail and did a quick Walmart run. We went home and relaxed until about 6:30 when we went down to the clubhouse for poker. Both of us lost a little, again! After poker we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime. Tuesday was laundry day. We went to the laundry after lunch and did our clothes then went back to the coach. We stayed in for the rest of the day. Wednesday was another PT day in the early afternoon. After PT we went back home and I did some work on the newsletter for the Full Timers Chapter which I edit. After dinner we went to the clubhouse for poker and for the first time in a couple weeks we both won, not a lot, but we both ended up a few dollars ahead for the night. Yea! We went back to the coach, watched some TV and went to bed.

Thursday, December 20^th, was mostly a stay at home day. I cooked up a big pot of chili for the RV park's chili contest tonight and did some office work and other chores. About 4:30 we went down to the clubhouse for the chili cook off. There were eleven entries, most of which were similar to mine as far as the recipe. One made a chicken chili, and one a pork chili, but most were the usual with only the spices differentiating them. I didn't win any prizes, but I liked my chili, so that's what counts. After the judging everyone had chili for dinner. After the contest and dinner we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night. Friday we went out in the early afternoon for Jackie's last PT session up here and a quick grocery run, then spent the rest of the day around the coach. Jackie made a chili relleno casserole and we had our friends Regina and Richard Rubenstein over for an early dinner. The four of us had a nice afternoon and a great dinner. About 6:00 we went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. There wasn't a very big crowd, but we had a good time and got to sing a lot of songs and listen to our friends. After karaoke we went back to the coach and watched a little TV before bed.

Saturday, December 22^nd, we left the coach around noon and went out to Denny's for breakfast. We then picked up mail and did a Walmart run before going back to the coach. About 3:00 we left again and drove over to our friends Len and Debbie Forrest's house for dinner. Millie and Dick Duffin were also invited, and Debbie's mom, who lives with them, was also there. There was a Christmas party being held at the RV park, but we wanted to spend a little personal time with friends today. We had a great time visiting for a couple hours, and at 5:00 Debbie served pork roast, potatoes and veggies for dinner. Jackie had brought a salad. We had a great dinner and more conversation. We left around 7:00 and went back home, then watched TV until bedtime. 

Sunday, December 23rd, we enjoyed our usual relaxing morning with the newspaper and coffee. About 1:00 we went down to the clubhouse for a Christmas party put on by Millie Duffin. Millie always has had a Christmas Eve party here at the park, but this year the clubhouse was not available on the 24^th, so she set it up for Christmas Eve eve. There were about 30 people at the party with lots of food, visiting, fun and games. The party went on until about 5:00. One of the highlights was that one of the Duffin's sons, who live in Park City, Utah, drove down to be with them. Although Dick knew they were coming he didn't tell Millie. She was very happy and that made everyone else happy. After we got back to the coach we just relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Monday, December 24^th, Christmas Eve. My brother Russ and his wife Zen drove up from Las Vegas to spent the day with us. He works in the Golden Nugget Casino downtown and has to work tomorrow, so they came up today to celebrate Christmas. This is the first year we have done Christmas here in Pahrump, most have been celebrated down in the Coachella Valley, so it was nice to have family for the holidays. We sat and talked, and Jackie prepared a very nice Christmas feast with turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberries. Zen brought some hors d'oevres and also an apple pie and ice cream for dessert. A complete meal. Yea! We had dinner, talked for a while longer, then had our desert. Russ and Zen left about 6:30 and headed back over the hill and we just relaxed for the rest of the evening, watching for Santa to fly by.

Tuesday, December 25^th, Merry Christmas! Since we had already partied with our friends up here in Pahrump, and already celebrated with the only family we have close by, we had a quiet Christmas with just the two of us. We celebrated the holiday and relaxed for the entire day, never leaving the coach. A very nice Christmas. Wednesday was mostly a stay at home day. Since we are leaving Pahrump on Saturday I spent a couple of hours taking down the Christmas decorations inside and outside of the coach and storing them away for another year. Other than that we just hung around the house for the day. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker, our last session for this trip. Both of us won a couple of dollars. After cards we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Thursday, December 27^th, we left the coach about 10:00 and headed over the hill for Jackie's last followup appointment for her knee. This time we got to talk to the doctor himself instead of just the staff. They gave Jackie a cortisone shot, but in the place below the knee where the hamstring muscle connects to the leg. They thought this was a likely place for at least some of her pain to be coming from. They also gave her a prescription for a course of oral steroid pills. After the doctor's visit we stopped and had lunch, then did a Costco run and stopped for haircuts. Once we were done with our errands we headed over the hill and back to home, where we stayed in for the rest of the night.

Friday, December 28^th my brother Ken's birthday. We spent the day getting ready for travel tomorrow. I took down the screens and other outside decorations and Jackie did some work in the coach. After lunch we did a Walmart run and stopped for mail. We then returned to the coach and stayed in for the rest of the day and evening. There was no karaoke or social in the clubhouse tonight. Saturday was a travel day, our first real travel in three months. We left Wine Ridge about 10:30 and started south, heading ultimately for Cathedral City in the Coachella Valley, but stopping overnight in Hesperia. We got into the Hesperia Elks Lodge about 3:30, after making a lunch stop at the Mad Greek in Baker, a regular occurrence when we take this route, and a fuel stop outside of Barstow. We got settled in for a one night stay, doing the minimal set up.

Sunday, December 30, New Year's Eve eve. We left Hesperia about 9:30 and continued south and east to Cathedral City. We stopped for propane along the way, but still arrived at the Cathedral Canyon RV resort about 12:30. We quickly got registered and parked and began the set up process. We will be here for a week before moving 20 miles east to the Indio fairgrounds for the FMCA rally. Peggy and Vernon Bullock are parked right behind us, having also come in today, although from only a dozen miles away at the Thousand Trails park in Palm Desert. We have not seen the Bullocks since early September when we saw them in Redding, California. After we got set up we relaxed for a while, then about 5:00, we went over to the Bullock's for cocktail hour. After cocktails Peggy served her penne pasta dish, which we both love, for dinner. We sat and talked until about 8:00, when we went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Our departure from Pahrump after three months marks a good spot to close out this chapter and get it published. As I mentioned, we will be in the Coachella Valley for two weeks, then we move on to Quartzsite for a week and then Yuma for a full month. Until next time, remember that life is like a roll of toilet paper; hopefully long and useful, but it always ends at the wrong moment. See ya soon.

Part 3 of Our Winter Stay in Nevada

Hello again. Our last episode concluded on Wednesday, November 14^th, while we were still in our official “home” of Pahrump, Nevada. Thursday was a fairly quiet day and we stayed home most of the day so Jackie could continue her recovery from her knee surgery. She is still in a lot of pain, even two weeks after the surgery and is getting frustrated. We did go out briefly in the late afternoon to get pedicures.

Friday, November 16^th, we went out after lunch so Jackie could go to PT, then we ran a few errands afterwards. We went back to the coach and did some chores, then after dinner I went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. Jackie didn't feel like going down there and having to sit for three hours, so she stayed home. After I got back from karaoke we watched a little TV and went to bed. Saturday we again left after lunch, stopped and picked up our mail, which today was the last package of several that I had coming from Amazon over the last two days. I ordered a couple of new speakers for my music system. The ones I have still work, but over the years they have become really ugly and are large and hard to store. They were my original speakers from when I ordered all the sound system stuff in 2001 and have served their purpose. The new speakers are more compact, but have comparable performance to the old ones. They are also in more durable cabinets so they won't get so beat up over time. After we got our mail we went to the big park in Pahrump for the annual Pahrump Pow Wow, which is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. They pull in a lot of Indian tribal members from California and Arizona, and there are even a couple of tribal areas in Nevada. We walked around the vendors for a while and watched some of the drummers and dancers. Some of the costumes were outstanding. After visiting the Pow Wow we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Sunday, November 18^th, I went out in the morning and got a paper and we had a nice relaxing Sunday morning. About 2:00 we drove over to the Escapee's Park for a party with our friends, many of whom either are staying, or used to stay, at Wine Ridge RV Park. Dick and Millie Duffin were doing the party, Millie actually, and she used to do them every couple weeks when they were staying at Wine Ridge. This year their name came up at the Escapee's, so they now have a lot there. This is the same park where we just recently put our name on the list for a lot. There were a couple dozen people there, most of whom we know fairly well. We had a nice snack pot luck, played some games and talked for a couple of hours. After the party was over we went back to the coach, had a light dinner and watched TV for the rest of the evening.

Monday, November 19^th, my brother Russ, who lives in North Las Vegas, came up to spend the day with us. He is a Floor Manager for the craps pit at the Golden Nugget in downtown Vegas and has Sundays and Mondays off. We spent some time talking and catching up. The last time we spent any real time with him was back in February, although we did get to say hi to him at work a couple of times during the year when we found ourselves in Las Vegas. We also stay in touch on social media of course. About 12:30 we went to the Chinese buffet and had a nice lunch, then went out to do a few geocaches. We had gotten Russ interested in geocaching about six or seven years ago and he has stuck with it and still enjoys caching. One of our “caching kids” who hung in there with the sport. There is a new caching team in Pahrump and they are starting to put out caches in the urban area, so we actually have something to go look for again. We have long ago found all the urban caches in Pahrump. About 3:00 we dropped Jackie off for her PT, then Russ and I continued to drive around, talk and check on a couple of our own caches that had been reported as having problems. We fixed the caches, stopped at Walmart for a bit, then picked Jackie up and drove back to the coach. We sat and talked until about 6:30 when Russ decided he needed to head for home. We spent the rest of the night with the TV then went to bed.

Tuesday, November 20^th, we had a stay at home and do chores day. Never left the park, but both of us got several chores finished and off our To Do lists. Wednesday we left the coach about 12:30 and drove to the Mountain Falls Country Club grill for lunch. We had eaten here once before earlier this year and had enjoyed the food. I had a Reuben, which was very good, as was the bean soup, but Jackie's chicken sandwich was overcooked to the point of almost inedible. After lunch we went to Walmart and did some grocery shopping, then Jackie went to her PT appointment. After PT we went back to the coach, put everything away and relaxed for a while. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker night. Jackie lost a dollar and I came out five ahead. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and then went to bed.

Thursday, November 22^nd, Happy Thanksgiving, very early this year. We had a relaxing day and about 2:00 we went down to the clubhouse for the Thanksgiving Dinner party. It was a pot luck of sorts, but the park provided the turkey and all the plates and plastic ware. Jackie made a big Chinese Chicken salad, which went over well. We didn't bring much home. The place was full, with probably over a hundred people there, but there was more than enough to eat. We sat and talked with folks after dinner until about 5:00, when we went back to the coach, had cocktails and spent the remainder of the evening with the TV.

Friday, November 23^rd, we had a 10:00 appointment at the Verizon store to take advantage of their Black Friday sales event. Jackie has been wanting to upgrade her phone for a few months now, but we waited to see what sales might be going on. Jackie go a new Samsung Note 9, which is a little larger and more powerful than the regular Samsung S9 phone. It also has a stylus that stores in the bottom of the phone, the first Android phone with a “pencil” attached. Our intention was to follow our usual routine, which was that Jackie gets the upgrade, newest phone and I get her hand me down. In this case it was a Samsung S7 Edge, a nice phone that has worked well for Jackie. Jackie's new Note 9 had a $400 credit for Black Friday, which was a good deal, glad we waited. While we were doing all the paperwork and stuff for her new phone the gal who was helping us was telling Jackie that we were lucky because apparently the Samsung S7 phones had battery issues, with the batteries overheating, swelling up and occasionally even catching fire. We never had any problems with her phone, so didn't give it too much thought, but when she pulled the phone out of the leather case Jackie kept it in the battery was swelling and popping the back off the phone! A dangerous situation, which meant that I wasn't going to get a hand me down this time. To the rescue, the gal told us that the Samsung S9, which was the latest regular Samsung smart phone, also had a $400 price reduction offer and so long as we did two separate transactions we would get both offers since both phones were upgrade eligible. So, I did get a new phone, a brand new phone! Yea! After paying the taxes on $1,400 in phones, as well as screen protectors for both new phones we were $300 poorer, but both had nice new phones. Our Christmas presents. After the phone store we headed back to the coach and played with our phones for a little while.

About 2:00 we left and drove over to the Escapee's RV park to meet with our friends Dick and Millie, who now have a spot there. They had invited us over to go with them to a post-Thanksgiving leftovers dinner and music at the clubhouse there. They know that we got on the list to get a spot at the Escapee's, so they wanted us to see what the clubhouse looked like and meet some of the other residents. It is a nice clubhouse and they had a lot of leftovers. Most of the people were friendly and the music host was pretty good. They even did some karaoke so I got to sing a couple of songs. The only thing was that it started at 2:30 and by 4:30 they were done and packing up. This is NOT a night crowd at all. We went back to the coach, relaxed for a bit, and then at 5:30 went down to the clubhouse at Wine Ridge for the leftovers dinner there and then karaoke again. They had a lot of food and we had a good crowd for karaoke. We stayed, listened and I sang about four songs. By a little after 9:00 we were back in our coach, watched a little TV and then went to bed.

Saturday, November 24^th, we had a stay at home day. Both of us got a few chores done and had a quiet day. Sunday I went out in the morning and got a paper and we relaxed with our coffee and Sunday paper. About 12:30 we drove over to the Escapee's park for a party with Millie and Dick Duffin and a number of other friends, most who are staying at the Wine Ridge RV Resort with us. There were a couple dozen people there, lots of good snacks, visiting and some fun games. About 4:00 the party was finished and we went back to the coach. We stayed in the rest of the evening, watched some TV and then went to bed.

Monday, November 26^th, Jackie had early PT, at 11:00. After PT we went to the new BBQ restaurant here in Pahrump, called QU BBQ. I had the pulled pork and chopped brisket combo and the food was quite good. The pork was better than the beef. The beans and mac and cheese sides were also very good. Jackie had pulled pork and pork ribs. The ribs a bit dry, but with sauce were also good. In my opinion the ribs at Red Sky, the other BBQ place in town, are better, but they don't have any pulled pork on the menu, so we will probably be back. After lunch we did a Walmart run and picked up our mail, then headed back to the coach. At 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker night. Jackie and I both lost, me about $7, her about $10. Couldn't get a good hand to save my life. After poker we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, November 27^th, we left the coach about noon and drove to the new doctor's office for my first appointment. Unfortunately, we got there at 12:15 and I found that I had put 12:30 on the calendar when it was supposed to be noon. They couldn't get me in and had to reschedule me for Saturday. Not a great first start with a new doctor. We went out and got two of the new geocaches that have been put out in Pahrump, our first finds in a few weeks. After that we went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing. Wednesday we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to China Wok, the buffet here in town, for lunch. Today was a free lunch put on by Medical Air Transport Association (MASA), which is a sort of insurance for emergency medical transport, either by land ambulance, helicopter, or fixed wing plane. They also perform emergency asset recovery, for instance, if you have a heart attack in New York they will bring your motor home and car back to your home if you can't. We are lifetime members of MASA, joining in 2007 shortly after we went full time. We haven't had to use it, but it gives great piece of mind with the amount of money that the various medical transport companies charge. Periodically MASA puts on lunches and welcomes current members to come. Of the 50 or so people at the lunch today at least two thirds were existing members. Dick and Millie Duffin, who are also members, joined us at our table. After a great free lunch we took Jackie to her PT at 2:00, then went back home for a while. At 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse to play poker. A little better night tonight, each of us only lost a couple dollars. After cards we went to the coach, watched a little TV and then went to bed.

Thursday, November 29^th, we were up and on the road by about 9:15, driving over the hill to Las Vegas so Jackie could do another follow up with the orthopedist. There was a winter storm moving through so it was cold, cloudy and sometimes rainy for the whole trip and after we got to Las Vegas. Again the doctor didn't come in to see Jackie, but the nurses and assistants did an interview and exam and gave Jackie some modified PT orders and some medication samples. They just told her to keep doing what she is doing and wait for the pain to lessen with time. After the doctor we stopped at a restaurant called Distill, which is almost next door to the ortho center. We had eaten here the last time we came down,

but we were in a hurry and didn't get to enjoy the meal. They have a great menu with some really interesting items and we wanted to try again when we didn't have to rush. I had a BBQ brisket grilled cheese sandwich which was wonderful. Jackie had a blackened chicken club. After lunch we went to Costco for some things, then stopped so Jackie could get a haircut. After the haircut we went back over the mountain. By the time she got done at the salon the rain had stopped and it was clearing up. We got home in time for cocktails, then watched TV and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Friday, November 30^th, we left the coach after lunch and went to do our laundry. While the clothes were washing and drying Jackie went up the street for her 2:00 PT appointment. By the time she was done with PT the clothes were also done. We went home and put everything away and had dinner. About 6:00 I went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. Jackie didn't feel like going as they kind of beat her up during her PT. By a little after nine I was back home after a fun night of singing with friends. We watched a little TV and went to bed.

Saturday, December 1^st, the end of the year is approaching. I went to my doctor's appointment at 10:30 and got to meet our new family doctor, Dr. Wiggins. He is a fairly young guy who said he recently relocated to Pahrump from Alaska. We talked a little about the recent earthquake, which was centered not too far from where he lived. The exam went well, he reviewed my meds and put me on an additional blood pressure med. He also told me to come see him again in April when we get back and to get my lab tests done then. He said he would send all my med renewals to the pharmacy. He also gave me an order to have an abdominal aorta ultrasound exam. He said it is recommended for men between 65 and 75 who have ever smoked. Even though I quit 40 years ago he thought it was good to have the test. After seeing the doctor I went to the imaging center, which is conveniently in the same building, to set up an appointment. To my surprise they said to come in tomorrow at 8:00 a.m., which is a Sunday. After my doctor's appointment I went home. After lunch we went to Walmart for some supplies, then went back home and stayed in for the rest of the day and evening.

Sunday, December 2^nd, I was up and out for a quick 8:00 appointment at the imaging center. It was the only section of the building that was open, all the doctor's offices were locked up and dark as were the lab, pharmacy and coffee shop. I got right, in, the young gal did the ultrasound, and I was on the road for home by 8:30. I picked up a Sunday paper on the way home and we enjoyed the rest of the morning with the paper and our coffee. About 1:00 we went down to the clubhouse for another of Millie Duffin's Dilly Muffin parties. Since it was getting really cool someone had made arrangements to use the clubhouse at Wine Ridge for the party. There were about 25 people there and lots of food and snacks. We talked, played some games and ate. We had a great time and the party was over about 4:30. We went back to the coach and spent the rest of the evening watching TV.

Monday, December 3^rd, we left the coach a little before 1:00 and took Jackie to her PT. While she was in PT I did my exercise walk. After her PT we went home and I spent a little bit of time taking down and putting away a few things. Our original plans were for us to leave Pahrump tomorrow and head down to Silent Valley, near Banning, California for almost a month. However, we decided a couple weeks ago to extend our stay here in Pahrump so Jackie could continue her PT. As it stands now we have to move to another spot in the park tomorrow. When we decided to stay for another month the park was pretty much booked up and the only thing open was one of the pull through sites. I don't have to take the screens down since I can see good enough through them to move a few hundred yards, but I had to put away the flagpole and some other stuff. After I got done with those chores we relaxed for a while and then had dinner. About 6:30 we went down to the clubhouse for poker. Unlike last week, both of us had good nights. I ended up nine dollars ahead and Jackie was three dollars ahead at the end of the two hours. Yea! After cards we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, December 4^th, moving day; or so we thought. I got a call a little after 7:00 a.m. from the manager of the park telling me that they had some cancellations and we would be able to stay in our current spot for another month. Yea! I spent a little bit of time in the morning putting some of the outside stuff back in place, the BBQ, our chairs, a few things. I didn't put the flagpole back up because in a day or two I will be putting up our Christmas decorations since we will be here in Pahrump over Christmas. About noon we left and went to have Mexican food at El Jefe, one of the several Mexican places in Pahrump, and one we haven't been to in a while. The food was good and there was lots of it. After lunch we picked up our mail, which is significantly less now that the election is over. We then went to Walmart and then stopped at one of the casinos in town to game for a while. We both lost our small stakes, Jackie down $40, me $25, but it took an hour and a half and we had fun. After the casino we went home and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the coach.

Wednesday, December 5^th, we left the coach just before 1:00 and took Jackie to her PT appointment. We actually got a little rain overnight, but only enough to just dampen the ground. After her PT we went out to do some geocaching. We have already gotten all the urban caches in the Pahrump area, and we no longer have a high clearance vehicle suitable for getting the ones on the gravel trails outside out town, so we have not done much caching lately. However, some caching acquaintances of ours from Pahrump are putting out some new caches, so we now have a few that we can go out after. This series of caches is not far from the RV park, on a good gravel road that our little electric cart can navigate, so we started doing the series. Today we got the first ten of the ones that are out, leaving another dozen or so to get another day. It was cloudy and cold and after ten we decided that was enough. We went back to the coach, relaxed for a while, had dinner, then at 6:30 went down to the clubhouse for poker. We did OK, I lost about six and Jackie lost two. We still had fun though. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Thursday, December 6^th, we had on and off drizzly rain all night and it appeared that it would be that way all day too. Considering the torrential downpours in Southern California I guess our light rain is a good thing. I spent about three hours, with short rain breaks from time to time, putting up our Christmas decorations. This is the first time we have been in Pahrump over Christmas. After decorating we just relaxed and watched the rain for the rest of the day. Friday we went to Jackie's PT at 1:00, then after PT we ran a couple of errands. We picked up our mail and made a quick Walmart stop. We went back to the coach and relaxed and had dinner. At 6:00 we went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. We had a good time, there was a pretty good sized crowd, but only about eight singers, so we had a quick rotation. By 9:15 we were home relaxing with the TV until bedtime.

Saturday, December 8^th, we were up and out of the house just before 9:00 a.m., early for those of you who know us well. We got out early to go to a small geocaching event here in Pahrump. It was put on by a winter visitor geocacher from New Hampshire who was going to be in Pahrump for a few weeks and wanted to meet some of the local cachers. It was a small group, about a dozen people, and we had a good time talking caching. We knew most of the people by their caching handles, and even a couple that we have previously met. They were mostly from Pahrump and Las Vegas with a few Rvers thrown in for good measure. The event lasted about an hour and half, after which we went home and relaxed for a while. After lunch we went out to do some geocaching on our own, picking up 13 new finds, which, when combined with the event this morning, gave us 14 finds for the day. After caching we went back home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

It has now been about three weeks since we published and we have about two weeks left here in Pahrump, so it would be a good time to get this episode published. Until next time remember the words of Will Rogers, “if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” See ya soon.