Winter in Yuma Arizona - Part 2

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Sunday, February 2nd, the big Super Bowl weekend, while we were in Yuma, Arizona. This was just the beginning of our three month stay here. Monday was a stay at home day for me. Jackie and Peggy went out for sushi, which is something I don't really care for much. They also did a little shopping as the sushi place was close to Yuma's shopping mall area. I did a few chores and spent an hour and a half on a conference call with the members of the Executive Board of the Military Veterans Chapter of FMCA. I am the Vice President of the Chapter and members are scattered all over the country so it was an opportunity for the board to talk about some admin issues. After the girls got back we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Tuesday, February 4th, we left the coach about 11:00 and headed back to Algodones, Mexico so I could continue my dental work. We first stopped for lunch at a new restaurant for us, Mariscos El Paisa. Jackie had a shrimp chili relleno that she said was excellent. I had some fish and carne tacos that were as good as those we get at our place in the Foothills. After lunch we went to the dentist. Today was a root canal on one of my bottom teeth. After getting the root canal the tooth was prepared for the new crown and they took a bunch of impressions. They also have to rebuild my lower partial. The place was very crowded, as it always is during the season, so it took forever to get into the chair. We finally got out of the dentist at 6:30. The good news was that nearly everyone had gone home already and there was NO line at all at the border. We walked right up to the building and there were three people in front of us at the door. We finally got back home around 7:00. Peggy, bless her heart, had dinner waiting, a nice meatloaf. We had a great meal, talked for a while, then went back to our coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, February 5th, happy birthday to ME! Yea, hung on for another year. Although my tooth didn't hurt last night, it did this morning. Around 11:00 we went out for lunch, this time to a place called Wheezy's in the foothills. It is a sports bar and grill. We had been to this building about four years ago when it was a different restaurant, but they had a fire and never reopened. Wheezy's opened in the renovated building last year, but we didn't get around to coming here. Peggy as with us and we met Dick and Millie there as well. The five of us had a great meal. My tooth hurt a bit, so I didn't enjoy lunch as much as I should have, but the food was great. We will come back. After lunch we stopped at Fry's for a few things, then went home. Jackie spent the afternoon making a pot of clam chowder for tomorrow. About 5:00 the three of us drove to Carefree Village RV Resort to visit with our friends Clark and Judi McKay. Clark and Judi are members of what used to be the gang of eight, us, the Babcocks, the Bullocks and the McKays. However with both Vernon Bullock and Ray Babcock passing away last year the group is getting smaller. Peggy is still traveling, but Suzi Babcock is not and is selling their motor home. We had a nice visit with Clark and Judi, whom we had not seen since last winter. About 7:30 we left and went back to our coach, Peggy went home and we watched TV until bedtime. Thursday was pretty much a stay at home day. We and Peggy did have the clam chowder Jackie made yesterday for dinner tonight. It was wonderful and I ate way too much.

Friday, February 7th, our 16th wedding anniversary. We didn't do much during the day, but we did go out for a “date night” wedding anniversary dinner. We went back to Icon's to see how the dinners were. Jackie had the scallops and shrimp served over a bed of sauteed spinach. She said it was very good. I wanted prime rib because several people have told me it was the best. However, they had run out, at 6:00 on a Friday. They also ran out of the salmon dish. Not good planning on their part. I had the rib eye steak, which was good, but not the most tender cut of meat. I am still disappointed in Icon's. They did give us a free desert for our anniversary, a huge cookie with chocolate sauce and ice cream on it. Yum! After dinner we went home and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Saturday, February 8th, technically another anniversary for us. It was February 8th, 1998 when I reconnected with Jackie after 22 years. We were up and out of the house about 11:00 and headed over to the Palms RV Resort for the annual Boomer's car show. This is a big car show that we always go to when were are here in February, and they have silent auction items where you buy tickets and put them in the bucket for the item you want. Jackie won something two years in a row a couple years ago, one was a huge booze cart with lots of liquor, the other was a $250 gift certificate to a furniture store. We used it to buy a new side table for the living room of the coach. Last year we didn't win anything, and this year we didn't either. Oh well, the cars were nice to look at and I got a tee shirt. After the car show we went back to the coach and had lunch, then at 3:00 there was a free concert by Kelly Hughes, a well known country entertainer in the Yuma area. They had it on the street at our park, just yards from our coach. It was a great two hour concert and we had a wonderful time. After the concert we went back to our place and I did a lasagna for dinner for us and Peggy. After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, February 9th, we were up and out of the house, along with Peggy, by 9:00, heading to the west side of Yuma for the annual South West Arizona Geocachers (SWAG) Mega Event. This is a sanctioned geocaching event and is a Mega Event because it draws more than 500 participants. We have only missed one of these in the last eight years or so. Once we got there we met a number of our geocaching friends and spent some time walking around, looking at vendors. I did the poker run, where you go out and find five very easy temporary geocaches and gather five playing cards. I never get good hands. Today was two pair, the best I have ever had, but far to small to win anything. I got the tee shirt for the event and we exchanged some travel bugs. After a couple hours we were ready to leave. We stopped at Da Boyz pizza place downtown, since it was close, and had some pizza for lunch. We then headed back to the RV park and relaxed for a while.

About 5:00 we left and went to Wheezy's bar and grill in the Foothills and met some RVing friends for cocktails and dinner. Mike and Darlene Neighbours and Geoff and Johanna Matthews. Peggy went with us as well. Both couples are full time Rvers, and Mike is the current president of the Full Timers Chapter. Geoff and Johanna were vendors for many years, doing satellite TV. They sold that business and now sell insurance at FMCA rallies. Mike and Darlene also work part time with them on insurance sales. We had a nice dinner and chatted for a while. We saw both couples in early January in Indio at the FMCA rally. After dinner we went home and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Monday, February 10th, we were again up and out early, this time a little after 8:00, heading to Algodones for another day of dental work for me. While I was getting my teeth worked on Jackie went to the eye doctor to have them check her new glasses. She was having trouble seeing with her right eye. Turns out they botched the prescription for that lens, so they took them in to get them right. Jackie also went to another caching event at one of the Algodones restaurants. I had two root canals done, had prep work and temps for five crowns, and had a four tooth bridge that I have had since 1970. We didn't get out until almost 6:00, but like last time that meant that there was no line to get out of Mexico. Between the three hours of heavy rain and the late hour everyone was gone. My mouth hurt so we went home and I just took some pills and relaxed, had some soup and watched TV. Jackie went over and visited with Peggy and Clark and Judi for a while. After She got back we watched TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, February 11th, we had a stay at home day. In the morning we did our laundry at the park's laundromat. About 3:00 or so the Shade Pro guy showed up to install our new blinds in the front of the coach. He got all the windows done, but when he went to install the big shades in the front of the coach he found that they were about an inch too long and wouldn't fit. He said they would remake the shades and he would be back on Friday to put the big shades in. He worked until about 7:00 and after he was done we went over to Peggy's and had some soup for dinner. She made a taco soup that was quite good and easy for me to eat with my compromised mouth. We also invited Ryan, the Shade Pro guy and he came over too. It was nice because these guys live in San Diego and work in Yuma and only get home on the weekends. During the week they all share a house in the Foothills and Ryan was happy to have a home cooked meal. After dinner we went back to our coach, watched some TV and went to bed.

Wednesday, February 12th, we left the coach about 10:00, with Peggy along this time, and drove back to Algodones for what is supposed to be my last appointment with the dentist. We got across the border and I got into the chair around 11:30 or so. Peggy and Jackie went shopping. They got my bridge and crown in and did all the adjustments, then did an epoxy job on one small tooth that needed a small hole filled. After they were done it was great and I was finished! Yea! After the dentist we did a little shopping and then went to have lunch at one of the Mexican places down there. After lunch we got in line to go back to the USA. The line was really long today since it was mid afternoon, but it went fairly fast and in an hour and a half we were back in the states. We went back to the RV park and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Thursday, February 13th, we stayed at home doing chores until about 3:00 when we left, with Peggy along, and drove into the main part of Yuma to meet friends. Regular readers may remember that our good friend Ray Babcock died suddenly about six weeks ago at his home in Menafee, California. We have not seen his wife Suzi since several months before that and she was coming to Yuma for the weekend to see us, Peggy and Clark and Judi McKay. Her daughter Wendy, whom we had never met but heard a lot about, was also coming. They were staying in a hotel near the shopping mall area. Suzi never drove their motor home and had no interest in learning or continuing to RV after Ray's death. We arrived at the hotel and met up with Suzi, Wendy and their two dogs. We sat around the hotel room and talked for a couple hours. Clark and Judi were also there. Around 6:00 we decided to go to the Angry Crab seafood restaurant which was in the hotel. We had been to one of these in the Phoenix area several years ago and it was OK. This one in Yuma was a terrible dining experience. The food was fair at best and the service was horrible. Will never go back to this place. After dinner we went back home to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Friday, February 14th, Happy Valentine's day and happy birthday to my granddaughter Courtney. We left the coach about 10:30 with Peggy and drove back into Yuma to the Ninja Sushi restaurant, which is right next door to the hotel the Babcock's are staying in. We met Suzi and Wendy there, along with the Clark and Judi and the seven of us went in for lunch. Everyone likes sushi except for me and Clark, so we had teriyaki dishes. We had a great lunch and after lunch we all went to the Arizona Market Place outdoor market to do some shopping. We spent a couple of hours there, bought a few things, and then headed back home. About 3:30 the Shade Pro guy came and installed the large, front shades in the coach. We also had him measure for some additional shades in the bedroom and kitchen. About 5:00 or so Suzi and Wendy came over to visit us for happy hour. The McKay's were not there as they were going to a Valentine's dance at their RV park. After cocktails Peggy served some shrimp Alfredo for the five of us. We visited with the Babcock's until about 7:00 when they went back to the hotel. We watched some TV and then went to bed.

Saturday, February 15th, we went out after lunch to do a Walmart run. About 3:00 I took all the karaoke equipment down to the clubhouse at the park next door, Sunset Palm, to do karaoke. As I mentioned in the last episode, I couldn't get the activities director in our park interested in karaoke, but the one in the neighboring park was delighted to put it on the schedule. It's no big deal because all four of the parks around us are part of the same management group. I got everything set up and started karaoke about 4:00. Our friends Len and Debbie Forrest were there as were Dick and Millie Duffin. At one point we had 13 people in the rotation, plus a couple songs by groups of people. We had a really good turnout and things went pretty well. The karaoke only runs two hours, so at 6:00 everyone left, I packed up the gear and we went home. I was really bushed, so we just relaxed, watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, January 16th, we spent the morning doing chores. Around 1:45 we, along with Peggy, drove over to the lot in the Foothills where the Duffin's were parked for another of Millie's “Dilly Muffin” parties. Today was also Millie's birthday. There were quite a few people there, including two other couples we know from Pahrump, Jim and Paulette Woolridge, and Tracy and Julie Filippini. We all sat around and talked, had some snacks and then played some games. The party broke up around 5:00 and we went back to the coach. About 7:00 Jackie and I went to the Day Breakers restaurant for dinner. After dinner we went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV the rest of the evening.

Monday, January 17th, Happy Presidents Day. We had a fairly relaxing day, going out after lunch to Fry's to get some supplies. About 5:00 we had happy hour on the patio since the weather was nice. Clark and Judi drove over and joined us and Peggy and we had a nice time talking. They left around 6:30 and the three of us had some steaks on the BBQ with sweet potatoes and asparagus. After dinner we relaxed with the TV until bedtime. Tuesday we were up early and on the road by 9:00, heading for Algodones again. This time I didn't have anything I had to do there. Peggy had a dental cleaning appointment at 10:00 and Jackie had to pick up her new glasses, which they had to remake because the lab messed up on one of the lenses. We were both finished about the same time, did a little bit of shopping and were headed for the border by 11:00. Since we got in early and were leaving early there was no line and we were out in ten minutes. After we got out we stopped at Sprouts, the local version of a Trader Joe's, for a few things that we have been unable to find in other stores. We then went to El Charro, a local Mexican restaurant that just won the local newspaper's “Best Mexican Food in Yuma” award. We have been there before, but it was several years ago. Other than being very loud because was crowded and small with no sound deadening material inside, we had a great meal. The food was excellent and worthy of the recent award. After lunch we went back to the coach. We had happy hour on the patio with Peggy and then spent the rest of the night in the coach after she left.

Wednesday, February 19th, we went out with Peggy about 11:30 and went to another of our favorite Foothills places, Mr. Fish for fish and chips. We had a great lunch, then ran some errands, including the post office and a couple of RV supply stores. We also managed to pick up one of the few Foothills geocaches that we haven't already gotten. After lunch we relaxed at home for the afternoon. We had happy hour on the patio and then Jackie made fried cabbage and beef for dinner. We had a great dinner with Peggy, then after she left we watched TV until bedtime. Thursday was a stay at home day. We got some chores done and some cleaning. In the afternoon the Shade Pro guy came back and installed the last of the window shades in the coach, the bedroom and kitchen windows. He also did some adjustments on a couple of the others. We had cocktails with Peggy and then we did carne on the BBQ, both chicken and beef. We had a nice dinner and after Peggy left we watched TV until bedtime.

Friday, February 21st, Jackie and I left the coach just before 1:00 and went to get our toes done. I just had a trim, Jackie got a full pedi. After the nail place we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. Around 3:30 we left again, with Peggy along, and drove to the far East end of the Foothills area to have a happy hour with members of the Overland Trailblazers Chapter of FMCA. We went to Lewie and Carol O'Harra's place where we met up with about a dozen or so members and former members of the chapter. The O'Harra's have one of the big, double RV lots on which they have a park model on one side and usually put their RV on the other side. For the short term, however, one of the OTB members, Russ and Claudia Hill have their RV parked there. We had a good time, some cocktails and light snacks and chatted with everyone until about 6:00 when we went back to our coach. We had cocktails at Peggy's coach and Peggy cooked a tamale pie casserole for dinner. We had a great dinner and by 8:00 we were back in our coach relaxing with the TV until bedtime.

Saturday, February 22nd, Jackie and Peggy went out after lunch to do some shopping. They are in charge of doing table decorations at the Monaco International rally next month in Benson, Arizona. I stayed home and did a few chores. One of the sad things I had to do was transfer all the Babcock's geocaching travel bugs to our account. Ray was the big geocacher and Suzi really has no interest in it now that Ray is gone. After the girls got back home we had happy hour at Peggy's and then had the left over casserole from last night for dinner. Peggy had spiced it up with some green chilies and jalapenos and it was pretty good. We talked for a bit after dinner then went home and spent the remainder of the evening with the TV.

Sunday, February 23rd, we left the coach about 11:30 along with Peggy and drove into Yuma to the Asian Star restaurant. This is one of our favorite Chinese places in Yuma and has also won the “Best in Yuma” survey for Asian food. We had a great meal and then went out and did some geocaching. We had to DNF the first two caches we went to and were getting a little down, but then we were able to get eleven finds in a row, making for a good afternoon. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 5:00 Clark and Judi drove over for happy hour and we sat out on the patio and talked until about 6:30 when they left. We then did some burgers on the BBQ for the three of us. After Peggy went home we watched some TV and went to bed.

It has now been three weeks again since we published. We have another three weeks or so here in Yuma until we leave to go to the Tucson area for a couple of weeks for rallies. We then return to Yuma for a couple weeks before starting our summer travels for the year. This is a good time to close out this chapter and get it published. Until next time, ponder the words of novelist and futurist Arthur C. Clarke. “I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.” See ya soon.

Winter in Yuma Arizona - Part 1

Hi there, welcome back. Our last chapter ended on Sunday, January 12^th, when we left Indio, California and arrived in Yuma, Arizona for a three month stay. Monday I spent about three or four hours finishing setting up for our stay here. Since we are in one spot for well over two months, I put out lots of decorations and lights, which take some time to set up. Once I got finished our spot looks pretty inviting.

Tuesday, January 14^th, we went down to the clubhouse about 10:30 for a lunch with the owners of the RV park. This investment group actually owns six RV parks in Yuma, including both of the neighboring parks to the one we are in. They provided free beer, wine and soft drinks, and had a catered luncheon of ribs, beans and cole slaw for all the residents of the park. While we were having drinks before lunch the various owners all walked around, introduced themselves and chatted with the residents. It was all very nice. They are doing this for all of the parks that they own and apparently do it every season. After lunch we went back to the coach, then went out and did a Walmart run. After Walmart we relaxed for the rest of the day and evening.

Wednesday, January 15^th, we met our friends Dick and Millie Duffin at El Cositas, our favorite street taco vendor here in Yuma. Of course, regular readers will remember that Dick and Millie are our good friends from Pahrump, who now have a site in the Escapees park there and were the inspiration for us getting on the list to live there too. They come down to Yuma for three months or so every spring and stay on one of the residential RV lots in the Foothills area. They have a friend who owns the lot. We had a nice lunch and caught up since we last saw them a month ago. After lunch we went to the laundromat to do our laundry. That took a while since we had a lot of clothes and the place was busy. After doing laundry we went back to the coach, put everything away and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Thursday was a stay at home day. I got a lot of office work done, paid some bills and did some travel planning for the summer and Jackie did some cleaning in the coach. We never left the RV park but got a lot of stuff done.

Friday, January 17^th, we left the RV park after lunch and went to the Arizona Market Place, the big semi-permanent street market. It has about a hundred booths selling everything from clothes to RV supplies to most anything. We walked around for a couple of hours and ended up buying a lot of little things. Didn't spent too much money, but filled up our little shopping cart we bought at the rally in Indio. After the market we drove to the shopping mall near downtown to go to Kohl's. Jackie had a coupon that was due to expire in a day or two. Jackie didn't get anything but I got a couple of nice tee shirts for a total of $10 after the coupon discount. After Kohl's we drove back to the RV park and relaxed in the coach for the rest of the night.

Saturday, January 18^th, Dick and Millie came over to our place about noon and then the four of us went in our car down to the Yuma Civic Center and Stadium for what was advertised as German Fest. A few years back we had gone to a Scandinavian festival here and enjoyed the craft booths, food and entertainment. We got to the stadium but found that the German Fest was a bit of a disappointment. They had a couple of food booths serving brats and sauerkraut, and schnitzel, and also, weirdly, a booth serving tacos and burritos. There was, of course a beer booth. There were several other booths serving baked goods, drinks, popcorn, but no crafts at all. The entertainment was a polka band and singer and a dozen or so dancers in lederhosen and German farm girl dresses. We did have lunch, took a few photos and then left. We drove around for a bit looking for the indoor marketplace, a smaller version of the Arizona Marketplace, but we couldn't find it. I have later figured out that it has closed up due to high overhead for the indoor venue. We stopped at the Humane Society just to have something to do. I also had some leftover powdered food that we had bought for Benji so he could get some nutrition. We looked at cats for a half hour, but got out without an animal. We went back to the RV park, the Duffin's went home and we just stayed in for the rest of the day. I did a few chores, but we mostly just relaxed. Did some hamburgers on the grill and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, January 19^th, we went out after lunch and went to the nail salon. Jackie got a full pedi and I got my nails trimmed. After the nail salon we did some geocaches, getting six caches pretty quickly with no DNFs, although one of the caches was named Mr. DNF. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the day. Monday we left the coach about 11:00 and drove into California and then down into Algodones, Mexico. Most readers will know that Algodones is a small town in Baja California right in the corner where Arizona, California, Baja California and Sonora all come together. It is one Mexican town that is safe, or at least as safe as most U.S. towns. It is primarily dentists, optical stores, pharmacy, liquor stores, and doctors. There are also lots of street vendors, both in booths along the sidewalk and the walking around vendors. And, of course, lots of Mexican restaurants.

Our first stop was Meyer Optical, one of the many but one we have used for a couple of years now. We both had eye exams and Jackie had a big prescription change, so she had to get new glasses. My vision didn't change at all from last year, so I get to keep my glasses. Because we are past customers, I didn't even get charged for the exam. After the eye exam we did a little shopping, then went to the Alamo restaurant, one of our favorites. We both had shrimp, grilled in garlic and butter, with rice and fresh veggies. It was a great meal, plus you get one free margarita. After lunch we had the biggie reason we came to Mexico. Last year my dentist here in Algodones recommended a bunch of work. I have worn partial dentures for many years, and the partials over the years have worn through some of the “anchor” teeth and caused decay. Several have also been loosened and need to be extracted. I decided last year to put it off because nothing was bothering me. However, halfway through the year I started getting toothaches in the problem areas and they have been getting worse. When I called my old dentist office a couple of weeks ago to make an appointment they told me the dentist I had been seeing since 2006 has left the practice. I decided this was a good time to change dentists, so I called Dr. Erika Medina's office and made an appointment. Dr. Medina was recommended by our good friend Ray Babcock and Peggy had also used her last year for a cleaning.

The appointment went well. It was a very nice dentist's office, with up to date equipment. They did an exam and a bunch of Xrays and then Dr. Medina gave me a treatment plan. It is quite extensive, which I expected, three root canals, seven crowns, one of which is a four tooth bridge that I had done in 1970. They also have to take out two teeth and rebuild my partials. All of this work is right at $3,000, which sounds like a lot, but it would be $10K or $12K at a dentist in the U.S. and we don't have any insurance for dental. After the exam she gave me a prescription for antibiotics for the infections I have around the loose teeth and I made an appointment to come back in a week to have the teeth pulled. They don't like to pull teeth when there is infection present. After the dentist we went to get in line to go home, but the line was really long so we went to a restaurant right on the street where the line to go back into the U.S. is, and had a couple of drinks. The line finally got fairly short and we were back in the U.S. by 6:00. We drove home and relaxed in the coach for the rest of the night.

Tuesday, January 21^st, I was up early as the car wash company arrived at 7:30 to wash and wax the coach and the car. They did a really good job and were finished by about noon. After they left I had to put all the decorations back in their proper places. We did some other chores but stayed in for the rest of the day. Wednesday was mostly a stay at home day. We did go out briefly after lunch and did a grocery run at the nearby Fry's. I also stopped at a Foothills insurance agency to inquire about getting Mexico travel insurance on the car for a couple of months. Even for two months the amount was almost $400, which is just too much in my opinion for the convenience of sitting in the car in line instead of standing. Peggy arrived from Quartzsite about 4:00, got checked in and parked in her site which is just behind ours. She was running late because she had to have some work done on her coach in Quartzsite before she left and it took forever. She got the basics set up then came over to our coach for cocktails. Jackie made the traditional “welcome Peggy” chili relleno casserole for dinner and we had a nice dinner. Peggy was really beat, so she didn't stay long after dinner. We watched TV for the rest of the evening and went to bed.

Thursday, January 23^rd, we had planned to go with Peggy to the taco stand for lunch today, but Peggy called me early in the morning and said that she was sick. We took in her little dog Belle and did a stay at home and do chores day. I had the time to clean out the two main storage bays under the coach. Just like in a house, full time Rvers tend to collect stuff. I found stuff in bins that I had forgot about five years ago, the last time I did a full clean out of the bays. I threw away a lot of outdated and unneeded stuff and did some reorganizing. Jackie did some cleaning in the house as well. We spent the evening in the house watching TV. The dog ended up spending the night with us. She has known us since they first got her, so she is pretty comfortable with us. Friday we went out about noon and had lunch at a local restaurant called Icons. It is fairly new, having taken the place of a small steakhouse that closed up. It was basic cafe food, although there is some emphasis on steaks and several things have cajon influences according to the menu. Jackie had what was billed as a prime rib Cajun Philly steak sandwich. The meat was clearly not prime rib and was overcooked. She also said it was not at all spicy. I tasted it and it didn't taste any different than any other Philly steak I have had. I had a fish sandwich. It was good sized and the fish was good, but it was a little under dressed. It could have used some spicy tarter sauce and some cole slaw on the plate. The service was average as was the food. Not a bad meal, but probably not somewhere we would be in a hurry to go back to. After lunch we went to one of the local hardware/variety stores, which is really big, and just looked around for a half hour or so. We then went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the day. Peggy had taken Belle back, but she was still not up to cocktails or company.

Saturday, January 25^th, we left the coach about 11:00 and drove to The Eatery, another Foothills restaurant to meet a number of our friends from the Overland Trailblazers Chapter that we spent so much time with in Indio. A lot of the members come to Yuma early in the year, and several even have winter homes here. There probably 20 people there and we had a great lunch. The food was good and the service was excellent even for a large group of people. After lunch we went to the Verizon store because Jackie had dropped her phone and cracked the protective screen. The phone itself was OK, but the protective screen cover cracked and popped off. They didn't have any for her model, so we will have to go to Best Buy to get one. About 2:00 we drove over to Millie and Dick Duffin's place for a small party.

They have some friends here in Yuma with an RV lot that they use every winter for two or three months. As when we are in Pahrump she periodically puts on little parties she calls “Dilly Muffin Group” get-togethers. Today was really small, the only other people there were the folks in the park model on the lot and our friends Len and Debbie Forrest, also from Pahrump but spending four months in an RV park right next door to where we are. We sat and talked, had some light pot luck food and played some games. Around 5:00 the party broke up and we went back home. Peggy was feeling good enough to have cocktails on the patio, so we sat our and talked until dark when she and the dog went home. We went in and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, January 26^th, was a stay at home day. Got a few chores done, but mostly just relaxed. Monday Peggy said she was feeling better, so we left the coach about 11:30 and drove into town to another of our favorite places to eat, the El Ranchito Mexican restaurant. The food was really good and we had a good time until at the end of the meal Peggy really started feeling bad. She was sweating and saying she felt like she was going to pass out. We got some cold cloths on her and she started feeling a little better, however, we talked her into going to the urgent care. We drove to an urgent care in central Yuma and got her checked in. They told us it would be at least an hour or more, so we left her there and drove to the mall and the Best Buy. Jackie got a new protective cover on her phone screen so she is good again. We did a little more window shopping, then drove back to the Urgent care just in time to pick Peggy up. They did a bunch of tests and a breathing treatment, but decided it was not pneumonia but was bronchitis. She had a bunch of prescriptions so we took her back to her coach, then went to Walgreens for her and picked up her meds. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach.

Tuesday, January 28^th, we left the coach about 11:30 and drove back to Algodones, Mexico, so I could get the first of my dental work done. The appointment wasn't until 3:00, but we had arranged to meet some friends of ours from Sacramento, Curt and Sharon Minard, for lunch in Mexico. We met Curt and Sharon through the Bullocks about ten years ago and we have stayed friends. We met at the Alamo restaurant and had a great meal. We sat and talked and caught up since we had not seen them in person in a couple of years. We do follow them on social media though. After lunch we did a little shopping and I bought a new ring from The Mine, a really good jewelry store in Algodones. At 3:00 I went to the dentist. Jackie went in first and got her teeth cleaned and then I went in and had two teeth pulled from my bottom jaw. They were both very loose and could not be saved. They shot me up pretty good with Novocaine so I didn't really feel much, but I couldn't talk either because everything around my bottom lip was numb. After the procedure we got in line to go back to the States. It was about an hour and a half and by then the Novocaine was wearing off and I was hurting a little. I had a bunch of prescriptions from Mexico, took my pills and just relaxed for the rest of the night. By the time I went to bed the numb had worn off and the pain was greatly subsided. I actually had a pretty good night's sleep.

Wednesday, January 29^th, the pain was pretty much gone. One tooth had been a little more difficult to remove, so the gums around where it had been was slightly swollen and sensitive to the touch. As the day wore on, this too subsided. I had some soup for lunch and then we did our laundry. We did it at the park's laundry, which was located quite close to the coach. After a couple of hours the laundry was done and we were relaxing. About 7:00 we decided to go to dinner at the Day Breakers restaurant just on the other side of the freeway. Peggy was feeling much better and went with us and we had a nice dinner. I had hash and eggs, which were easy to eat even though I have to be careful not to dislodge the protective clots where my teeth came out. After dinner we went back to the RV park, dropped Peggy off and we spent the evening with the TV. Thursday we left, along with Peggy, about 2:00 and drove over to another RV park in the Foothills to have a happy hour with our friends Curt and Sharon Minard. We sat in their RV, which is the same make and model as ours, just a year newer, and talked. We had a very nice visit, some light snacks and a had a good time. They are leaving tomorrow as they were only down here for a week. We left about 6:00, went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the night.

Friday, January 31^st, we went out about 11:30 and went to the taco stand for lunch. Our second time there, but Peggy's first this year. After a great lunch we dropped Peggy off at her coach and we went to Walmart for some supplies. After Walmart we went home and put everything away. I spent an hour or so installing a new sound bar for the television in the front of the coach. Our built in surround sound system has been gradually failing over the years and we decided to upgrade the sound. For dinner Peggy made a pot of Southwest chicken tortilla soup, without the tortillas because of my tender gums. The soup was very good and we had a nice meal. After dinner we went back to our coach and watched TV until bedtime. Saturday morning a guy from the Shade Pro company came over to the house to measure for new shades in our coach. He had been over at Peggy's to repair one of her slide toppers. We have been talking about putting in windshield shades inside the coach for a while now. The sun screens I have been using are nearly 15 years old and are getting worn out. The guy did all the measuring and we ordered the shades for the windshield and all the windows in the front of the coach. We decided to leave the old shades in the bedroom for the time being. They will be back next week to install everything.

After lunch we, with Peggy along, went out and did a little geocaching, getting five new finds and one DNF. After caching we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. At 4:00 I went over the RV park next door, which is identical in layout to ours and owned by the same people, for karaoke. I have been unsuccessful in getting the park we are in to talk to me about karaoke, but I saw a sign for the other park advertising karaoke today. I went over to see what was what. Turns out their activity director like karaoke and bought a cheap CD based karaoke machine with a tiny black and white monitor and was using it for karaoke. Fortunately, the clubhouse had a good sound system with multiple wireless mikes so the sound was good even if the optics weren't. They also only had a dozen or so karaoke CDs so the dozen or so people there were delighted when I showed up with my case with over a hundred discs. The activities director was also happy to learn that I was willing to do karaoke a couple times a month and I was meditatively booked for three nights, every other Saturday until we leave to go to Tucson. We had a great time singing and most of the group were actually pretty decent singers. The show was over at 6:00 and I went back to the coach. We had leftover soup for dinner and then relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Sunday, February 2^nd, Super Bowl Sunday! Neither of us are big football fans. I don't watch football on TV and don't really follow any teams. What little I know I get from the sports segment on the news shows. However, we generally do watch the Super Bowl every year. The last few years Jackie was rooting for the Patriots, mostly because our friend Helen back in Massachusetts was a huge fan. We even went to Las Vegas last year for the game because Helen gets comped at the Mandalay Bay for the big Super Bowl party. This year I don't have any interest in either team, but rooted for the Kansas City Chiefs only because they weren't a California team. As it turned out, I made the right choice. We didn't go anywhere today and spent the evening watching the game. After the game we watched some more TV and then went to bed.

It has now been three weeks since published, so I will close this out for now. We still have a couple months here in Yuma and will get new stuff online every three weeks or so. Until next time, remember to go through life like a duck: Majestic on top, kicking like hell underneath. See ya soon.

Back to the Coachella Valley of California for a While

Hello again. Our last chapter ended on Monday, December 23^rd, our first full day in Indio, California. We finished our two month stay in Pahrump and will now be in the Coachella Valley of Southern California for three weeks. Tuesday was Christmas Eve. Jackie spent several hours today baking mincemeat cookies, some for the Christmas party at the RV park clubhouse tonight, more for me. My mother used to make mincemeat cookies every holiday and I love them. I hadn't had them for many many years until about two years ago when I got Jackie to make me some. She did good, they taste just like mom's. I spent the day doing some chores. About 3:30 we went down to the clubhouse for the party. There were a lot of people there, several hundred, and a LOT of food. The park provided the turkey and ham and the guest brought everything else. This is our first time back at the Indian Waters RV Resort in about three years, so we didn't know anyone at the party except for a couple of the staff people. However, we had some very nice people at our table and had some great conversation during the meal. It was an early dinner and by 6:00 we were back in the coach, watched some TV and relaxing for the rest of the night.

Wednesday, December 25th, Merry Christmas! We had a relaxing day at home. Jackie finished up the mincemeat cookies and also made a big pot of clam chowder for dinner. She did an outstanding job on both. Thursday morning the winter storm the weather folks had been talking about the last few days moved into our area. The rain started about 4:30 a.m. and got steadily heavier throughout the morning and early afternoon. Although our RV park wasn't affected there were some scattered power outages and local flooding through the Coachella Valley. We went out about noon to do lunch and then our laundry. We thought that a rainy day after Christmas might mean the laundromat wasn't too busy. It wasn't. We went for lunch at a new place in Indio called Steers Bar and Grill. We went because it is in the building that used to be the original Cactus Jack's Bar and Grill, our old hangout when we lived in Indio. Our friend George, the owner, opened a new Cactus Jack's in Palm Desert and when the landlord at the old place wanted to raise the rent he closed the original down. That was almost two years ago. We wanted to go in mostly to see what they did with the place.

The original Cactus Jack's was a classic, old style bar and grill with lots of dark wood, red leather and dim lighting. The new owners have left the floor plan basically the same, but it is now very modern looking with lots of light colors and light. The old dark wood bar is now a gray granite and all the furniture is new and modern looking. The menu is very limited right now, although we talked to the chef who said he is working on expanding it. There were very few people there, so they need to do something about that or they won't make it. We both had patty melts, so that is the only food we can comment on, but they were very good. After lunch we went to the laundromat and did our laundry. While we were in the laundromat the rain finally stopped and the skies started to clear. We finished about 3:00, so Jackie wanted to stop for a haircut. We went down to La Quinta for that, then headed back to the RV park. After we got everything put away we relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Friday, December 27th, we left the coach after lunch and went out to do some errands. We needed to check on four of the geocaches that we have hidden in the Coachella Valley because they had all been DNFed recently. Three of the four were still exactly where they were supposed to be and in good condition. The fourth was actually gone and since we didn't have a suitable replacement for this particular cache, we just archived it, meaning it would no longer be available to look for. We also drove to Shane Ryan's apartment in Palm Desert to drop off the various cat items we had from Benji, cat box, cat bed, food, feeders and the like. We have decided to hold off on getting any new pets for a while. We also stopped at Kohl's to check on the after Christmas sales and both ended up getting a few things. Once all our errands were done we went back to the coach and stayed in for the rest of the night.

Saturday, December 28th, we left the coach about noon and drove to another of our favorite places to eat, the TKB Deli in Indio. This is a sandwich shop with the world's best sandwiches. We met some friends there, Jim and Pat Goetzinger, and Sonny and Carol Gillespie. They are old RVing friends of ours and are here in town for the Western Area rally next week. Sonny is the FMCA Security Chief, so he has to come to the rallies early. Jim and Pat also work security and are supervisors under Sonny, so they get to come in early too. We had a great lunch and talked for about an hour. After lunch we did a Walmart run, then went home. I spent a little time getting ready to leave Indio tomorrow. We are going over to Cathedral City for a week, then coming back to Indio for the Western Area rally. We spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Sunday, December 29th, another travel day. We were only going 19 miles east to Cathedral City, so we didn't leave Indian Waters until 11:00. We didn't hook up the car either, gave Jackie a chance to drive. We arrived at the Cathedral Palms RV Resort about 40 minutes later, got checked in and parked. A few minutes after we got parked and started setting up, Peggy Bullock pulled in. After Vernon died this summer Peggy decided that she was not going to give up traveling in her RV, and she has made several trips since. I think this trip down to Indio from the Redding area was the longest so far. She came in and parked right next to us. I spent the next couple hours getting set up for our week long stay here. I also helped Peggy with a couple things she was unsure of, including setting up her TV for both satellite and local channels. Jackie made chili relleno casserole for dinner, a kind of tradition whenever we and the Bullock's would get together after not seeing each other for a while. We had a nice dinner, then spent the rest of the evening with the TV.

Monday, December 30th, the weather forecast called for rain today, so we didn't make any plans or go anywhere. We did a few chores around the house and stayed home all day. About 5:00 we went over to Peggy's for cocktails and then Peggy served dinner, meat loaf, potatoes and carrots. It was very good and we had a nice meal. After dinner we talked for a while and then about 8:00 we went back to our coach. We watched some TV then went to bed. Tuesday, New Year's Eve. We left the coach about 10:00 and drove to Indio to attend a small New Years Eve geocaching event put on by some caching friends of ours. Reily and Karen Caton are both geocaching and RVing friends of ours that we met some years ago at a Monaco coach rally. They put on an event this morning so that those of us who attend can get the Groundspeak “Goodbye 2019” souvenir for our caching page. We will have to find a geocache tomorrow for the companion, “Hello 2020” souvenir. We left the caching event about 11:00 and drove back to Cathedral City where we met Peggy for lunch at La Casita. After lunch we went to the Palm Desert Costco, then came back to the coach. For dinner we did steaks on the BBQ for the three of us, along with some scallops and broccoli. We watched TV for the midnight in New York celebration. Since we have both east and west network channels we can watch the ball drop at 9:00 our time. We were in bed by 10:30 and slept the new year in.

Wednesday, January 1st, 2020. Happy New Year! We left the RV park about 1:00 along with Peggy, and went out and did a few geocaches. We had to get at least one today to get the second New Years souvenir. We ended up with three new finds for the day. After caching we went to Walmart for a few things, then headed back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing a few chores and relaxing. For dinner tonight Peggy served her penne pasta dish, which is one of my favorite things she makes. We had a really nice dinner, the girls played cards and we went back to our place about 8:30. We watched some TV and went to bed. Thursday was mostly a stay at home day. I did a few chores and we relaxed. About 5:00 we left with Peggy and drove to Palm Desert for dinner at Cactus Jack's, our old hang out when we lived in the desert. Of course, as I discussed in the entry a week or so ago, the Cactus Jack's we hung out at was in Indio and has now been closed. However, the Palm Desert location has the same owner and the same chef, so only the location is different. Jackie had the halibut, I had the beef ribs and Peggy had prime rib. Everyone enjoyed their meal and brought home left overs. After our meal I drove back to Cathedral City and we relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Friday, January 3rd, in the morning I started a batch of chili colorado in the crock pot and we did some chores. We did go out briefly to do a quick grocery run for a couple of things we forgot the other day. We had Peggy over for dinner and had the chili colorado along with rice and beans. Another great home cooked meal. After Peggy left we watched TV and went to bed. Saturday we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to Palm Desert for the College of the Desert weekend street fair. Peggy went to Indio to meet some friends and go to the dog show at the polo grounds. We spent a couple hours at the street fair, but didn't buy much. After the fair we did a couple of geocaches on the way back to the RV park. We relaxed for a few hours and I did some chores getting ready to leave tomorrow and drive back to Indio for the Western Area FMCA Rally. Around 5:00 we left again and drove to Rancho Mirage to have dinner at a new restaurant in the area, an Irish pub called O'Caines. The reason we went there is that Jackie's Godson Shane works there. He ended up being our server for the night and we were able to talk to him a little bit in between his work. The restaurant was OK, with a distinctly Irish menu. I had fish and chips and Jackie had lamb ribs, which were unlike any lamb I have seen before, but Jackie said they were tasty. After dinner we headed back to the coach and watched TV the rest of the night.

Sunday, January 5th, we were up very early because we had to leave the RV park by 8:00 in order to get over to Indio and the Fairgrounds in time to get in line to go into the rally with our RVing club, the Overland Trail Blazers. We have been camping with this group for several years now and they always have a lot of activities and fun times. We arrived at the fairgrounds around quarter to nine and got in line with the rest of the group. By 9:30 we had been taken in and parked and I spent the next couple hours getting set up for our week long stay here. After lunch I gathered up all my sound equipment and took it over to the room where the club is having a dinner tonight. I am the appointed sound guy for the club. I set everything up and made sure it was working, then went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. Around 5:00 we went back for the party. There are about 32 coaches with the group this year, and the club served a “potato bar” meal for tonight. Everyone got a big baked potato and then went down the line for the various fillings. They also had a margarita bar with some pretty tasty margaritas. I had the sound equipment set up and played music and was planning to do some karaoke, but the party broke up early. This group has never had much interest in karaoke in the past, so I suspect we didn't miss much except for me getting to sing a couple songs. I packed up the sound gear and we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, January 6th, we left the fairgrounds about noon and went to Sloan's, a local Indio restaurant, for lunch. Peggy met us there and we had a nice lunch. After lunch we did a quick run to Walmart, then went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. Around 3:00 I went to the big concrete slab near where everyone in our group is parked to set up the sound equipment. This area, called “The Slab” is our meeting place for happy hours, the BBQ, and social events. After I got everything set up and working I just rested. At 5:00 we met for a heavy appetizer pot luck. I played some music and provided sound for the event. We had a nice time visiting with people and about 7:00 it was over. I left some of the stuff set up, speakers and the table, but took my amplifier and computer and put them in the car. No sense tempting anyone with valuables. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, January 7th, I was awake early because the mobile service guy arrived at 8:00 a.m. to do the annual service on the coach. This year was expensive because I hit the trifecta of service needs. The oil and filter, and fuel filters get done every year. The generator oil and filters is every other year and the transmission is every five years. All three came due this year. So, almost a thousand dollars later, by noon, the coach chassis was up to date with service. Jackie and Peggy went to the ladies luncheon put on the Overland Trail Blazers while I stayed home and monitored the service guy. At the lunch all the woman made painted cocktail glasses.  We relaxed for most of the day, but I had to set up the sound equipment at about 2:30 for the annual meeting of the Trail Blazers. After the annual meeting we had a pizza and salad meal for the group. I played some music and after dark even got some dancing going. I shut everything down and packed up about 7:00 and we went back to the coach. We watched some TV and went to bed.

Wednesday, January 8th, the first day of the actual Western Area Rally. Jackie went down to the main auditorium about 11:00 to do sign ups for the craft class she is doing this year. She and Peggy are again going to teach how to do pop top lanyards. Jackie had just enough materials left from previous classes at rallies to do one more class. I came down to the auditorium around 12:30 to go to the Chapter Fair. I don't go to sign up for chapters, we belong to enough now, but to help with the booths of some of those that I am already a member of. The crowds petered out around 2:00 and Jackie had sold out her class, so we left and went back to the coach for a while. Around 3:00 I went down to the slab and set up the sound equipment for our last night of activities with the Trail B

lazers. Tonight is the big BBQ for the members. At 4:00 we went down to the slab for dinner. They had BBQ ribs and chicken and all the fixings. It was a great meal and we had a nice time talking to people, including the President of FMCA Jon Walker, and his wife, who sat at our table. After dinner we played some music and visited for a while, but by 6:00 the party was over because there was bingo at the auditorium. I packed up the sound equipment for the last time, we went back to the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Thursday, January 9th, we left the coach a little before 11:00 and went to the auditorium to help with the Full Timing seminar. The Full Timers Chapter, of which we are members, and I am the newsletter editor and a past president, puts on this seminar at all of the national FMCA rallies and for the last four or five years here at the Western Area rally. I was one of the panelists and Jackie helped with the information booth and working the audience during the Q&A portion of the presentation. We were done a little after noon so we left and went out to In N Out for lunch. After lunch we came back to the fairgrounds and visited the vendors. Today was the first day they were open. We were disappointed in that there were probably a third fewer vendors than last year. Each year the number gets smaller. We didn't buy anything, although we did see a few things we might go back for later. After going through the vendors we went back to the coach and relaxed a bit. A little before 4:00 I went to participate in the parade. The Western Area rally always has a theme and then a parade on Thursday where all the Chapters represented at the rally decorate vehicles, trailers and golf carts and create costumes all to reflect the year's theme. This year was “At the Hop” so there were lots of poodle skirts, juke boxes and soda fountains on the floats, along with 50's rock music. I participated with the Military Veterans Chapter which had the honor of being at the front of the parade with the U.S. Flag and the flags of the military branches of service. I carried the Marine Corps flag of course. After the parade we went to a happy hour with the Overland Trail Blazers group, but because tonight was the first night of entertainment it broke up about 6:00. The entertainment was a country western band and we were kind of tired, so we just went back to the coach, relaxed until bedtime, and went to sleep.

Friday, January 10th, Jackie was up and out of the coach about 8:30 to go teach her craft class with Peggy. I dropped her off, then went back to the coach, took my walk and got cleaned up. I picked them up again at 11:00 and we went back to the coach for lunch. Jackie went to the ladies luncheon at 12:30 and I walked over to the vendor area to pick up a couple little things. I then went back to the coach and waited for Jackie to be done with lunch. At 3:30 we went over to another area of the fairgrounds for a social with the Elks International Chapter. There were not too many people there and we knew most everyone. After an hour or so we went over to the social for the Trail Blazers until about 5:30 or so. At 6:00 we went out with Peggy to the China Bistro, one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in town, for dinner. We had a nice dinner with lots of left overs. After dinner we went back to the fairgrounds and spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

Saturday, January 11th, the last day of the rally. We were able to sleep in today since we didn't have any real responsibilities today. We walked over to the vendor area about 10:30 to look one last time, and also to meet some friends, Rex and Vicki Jennings, who live here in Indio. They have a motor home and are also geocaching friends, but they only come over to the rally on a day pass to go through the vendor area. We visited with them for an hour or so and did some shopping. I did buy a couple of portable wind screens, which will come in handy for the patio both in Yuma and Pahrump. Both of these areas can get pretty windy and dusty at times. I also made a quick run out to the local NAPA store for some filters for the coach. We met Peggy for lunch at a local Mexican place, Pueblo Viejo, and had a nice lunch. After lunch we went back to the fairgrounds and I did a little cleaning up and packing for our departure tomorrow. We went to the last Overland Trail Blazers happy hour at 4:30, then went to the auditorium for the last entertainment night. We wanted to go tonight because the group, The Alley Cats, is a favorite of ours. We have seen them several times before at rallies and really enjoy their music. They are a Doo Wop acappella group, four guys just singing fifties and sixties music. They are also very funny and entertaining. The show was great and afterwards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Sunday, January 12th, the coaches were starting up and pulling out about 7:00. We were not in quite that big a hurry. We packed up our stuff and were hooked up and pulling out at about 11:00. We are headed for Yuma, about 160 miles, but Peggy is staying in Indio for a few more days, then going to Quartzsite for a week. She will be down to Yuma in about ten days. She moved over to the Elks lodge from the fairgrounds. We helped her ferry her Jeep over there so she didn't have to hook up and tow for two miles. The trip to Yuma was uneventful and comfortable, we arrived in about three hours, although with the time change it was 3:00 there. We got the basics set up but left all the decorating and cleaning until tomorrow. We are at a different park this year, Adobe Village, which is still in the foothills area of Yuma and only about a mile east of the park we were in the last three years. This is a smaller park, but still very nice. We will be here for three months. We had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Our arrival here in Yuma, Arizona for our extended stay marks a good place to close this chapter and get it published. Until next time, ponder this Chinese proverb; “A man who cannot tolerate small misfortunes can never accomplish great things.” See ya next time.

Our Last Three Weeks of 2019 In Pahrump

Hi there, welcome back to our story. Our last chapter concluded on Thursday, December 5^th while we were still in our hometown of Pahrump. Friday we left the coach early, about 9:30, and drove over the hill to Las Vegas so Jackie could

get the MRI that the neurologist she saw ordered. This is all still in connection with the fall Jackie took back in January where she hit the back of her head. She is still getting headaches all the time. We were done with the MRI about 11:30, and, of course, the results wouldn't be available for a week or so. We stopped at a place called Distil, a Vegas chain of restaurants with an interesting and fun menu, and had lunch. After lunch we drove to a nearby Costco and did some shopping. Once we were done with Costco we headed back over the hill, getting back to the coach about 4:30. We were both a little tired and I wasn't feeling 100 percent. On Thursday I had a bout of chills in the afternoon and a slight fever, but after taking some ibuprofen it went away. I once again had a low grade fever and was just tired. We decided to forgo the Friday happy hour at the clubhouse and the Christmas singalong that was to follow. We watched TV and went to bed.

Saturday I woke up feeling worse and was fighting a fever all day. By mid-afternoon I was throwing up and feeling really bad. I went to bed about 6:30 for the night. I threw up a few mores times along with a couple of dozen bathroom trips, but when I woke up on Sunday the nausea was mostly gone. I still had a light fever and didn't feel too good, but I was pretty sure I was on the backside of whatever I had caught. We stayed home all day, waiting for the predicted rain which finally showed up about 7:00. The rain was very light. We spent the day and evening watching TV, including re-watching the old 1980 Stephen King thriller, The Shining. We wanted to see it again because the new movie out, Dr. Sleep, is a sequel to it. We went to bed at our normal time and I had no nausea episodes all day. Even had some chicken soup.

Monday, December 9^th, I woke up a new person! No fever, no sickies, just hungry. Although I felt great, sadly, Jackie was now complaining of feeling yukky. Oh dear, I shared my sickies. She did throw up a couple of times mid day, but late afternoon and evening she was just feeling poorly. Fortunately, she was not showing any fever, so I thought she only got a light case. Needless to say, we didn't do anything today either. I did go out after lunch by myself and went to the UPS store to pick up some mail and packages we got on Friday. Other than that we just stayed home, rested some more and worked on getting better. Tuesday Jackie was feeling OK again, so we were both healthy! Yea! We went out after lunch and ran a couple of errands, stopping by the Escapees RV park to see if we moved up on the list. We are still number 19, but there are supposed to be three openings coming up in the near future. We had some hamburgers on the grill for dinner, and watched TV until bedtime. I did contact the dermatologist's office and learned that the mole they cut out last Monday was benign, so no further treatment needed. Yea!

Wednesday, December 11^th, I left the RV park about 10:00 and drove to the DMV office to renew my drivers license, which expires this coming February. I had expected a long wait, but was surprised that there were very few people there. From the time I went in until I had my temp in hand walking out it was 30 minutes. Try that in California. However, there was one thing that happened that kind of astounded me and renewed my faith in the ability of a bureaucracy to operate beyond the limits of logic and common sense. As with all states, Nevada has had to come up with a process to issue what the Federal Government has labeled a “Real ID” card/drivers license. This is supposed to be a card issued based on verified documentary evidence of a persons identity and nationality. At least for now the only use for it, other than as a regular drivers license or state issued ID card, is that it can be used as the sole ID to board a domestic airline flight. It is not sufficient for international travel, not even Mexico and Canada.

A couple of years ago the Nevada legislature amended the various statutes and the state now gives you the option when getting your first Nevada drivers license, or renewing a Nevada drivers license, to opt for either a regular drivers license or the new, enhanced “Real ID” one. Now I have a passport and have for 30 years, so I don't really need a card to fly domestically, a passport works too. Not that I fly anyway, haven't been on a plane in 20 years. However, I figured that since it didn't cost any more than a regular license I would go ahead and get the enhanced one. I had my birth certificate and documents to prove my residency and social security number, all in accordance with what I read in the statutes. I give my paperwork to the lady, she looks at the birth certificate, then looks at the Federal 10-99 I presented to prove my Social Security number, and said, “sorry, these documents aren't acceptable because you are a “Sr.” but your birth certificate doesn't say “Sr.” I was so shocked I just stared at her for a bit before I asked, “how would that be possible?” She told me that she didn't know, she just knew that the “book” said that the name had to be exactly the same and having Sr. after my last name on the other documents meant that it didn't match the birth certificate. I asked a couple of more questions about how my mother could possibly have known in 1947 that I would name my son Roy Jr. in 1974 so she should put Sr. on my birth certificate, but all I got was an expression of “I don't care, I don't make the rules, I only look at the papers.” Now, I didn't have my passport in my possession because I just applied to renew it and to do that you have to send the current passport with the application. Since I didn't need the damn enhanced card anyway, I just gave up and got a regular drivers license. Bureaucrats!

After my fun at the DMV I went back home, then we went out again about 12:30 and had lunch at the Red Sky BBQ place. We love their ribs and always get the full rack so we have ribs to take home. After lunch we ran a few errands and then went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at home.  One interesting thing we saw is just down the street from the RV park there were four wild horses hanging around on the street and in the yards of some of the houses.  My guess is that they came down from the foothills because of the cold weather and snow, and found they liked the bushes and grass in the yards.  They didn't seem to be especially spooked by people or cars, but we saw either them, or the evidence of them (HUGE piles of poop) for the next week or so.  The RV park is right at the edge of the undeveloped desert, so they weren't far from their regular environment.

Thursday, December 12^th, we left the coach about 10:30 and drove to the South Pointe Casino in Las Vegas to see a movie. We went to see Knives Out, the new “whodunit” with Jamie Lee Curtis, Danial Craig, and several other bit stars. It was an excellent mystery comedy, one of the best movies I have seen in several years. Right up there with the classics like Clue, Murder by Death, and the Pink Panther. After the movie we stayed and gamed for a little while. The place was VERY busy as the National Finals Rodeo is in town and the place was filled with folks in western wear. Haven't seen that many cowboy hats in one place in a long time. We both lost our $20, so we headed out for Pahrump. Although we have been to this casino a number of times because it is the closest movie theater, we never noticed until this trip that the parking garage has electric car charging stations. They are on the other side of the garage from where we normally park, but because the place was so busy we had to go over there. They are high speed stations, so we plugged in and when we came out three hours later the car was fully charged and ready to go. Yea, free miles. After we got home we had leftover ribs for dinner, then went down for poker at the clubhouse. Jackie had a good night, about five dollars up, I was about the same in the other direction. Still had fun though. After cards we went home, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Friday, December 13^th, we went out after lunch to run a couple of errands. We did a Walmart run, then went back to the coach and relaxed for a while. About 6:00 we went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. It was about a seven person rotation until towards the end of the evening, so I got to do a lot of songs. Most of the singers were pretty good and we had a great time listening and visiting with friends. After karaoke we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed. Saturday we went out after lunch and did a few errands. About 5:30 we left and went to Terrible's Roadhouse Casino for dinner. They have really good daily specials. We met Dick and Millie Duffin and had a great dinner. Tonight's special was prime rib and it was pretty good. After dinner we gamed for a half hour or so, then went home and watched TV until bedtime.

Sunday, December 15^th, we had a stay at home day. I did leave and drive down to the quickie market for a newspaper. We had a relaxing morning with the paper, and did some chores in the afternoon. Monday we were out of the coach about 9:30, heading back to Las Vegas so Jackie could go see her neurologist one last time before we left Nevada. We got in to see the doctor, actually a PA, and she went over the results of Jackie's MRI. There were no abnormalities detected in the scan at all, except for one very small, old calcified benign growth. No evidence of scarring, stroke, bruising, or anything else. The doctor told her it could take up to two years or more for all the issues from her fall to completely go away. She renewed her prescriptions, the one of which she takes at night seems to help. After the doctor we stopped at the Lazy Dog restaurant for lunch, a great lunch by the way, then headed back over the hill to Pahrump. On the way back home we stopped and took a picture of a Yucca plant on the side of Highway 160 just outside the Pahrump town limits.  Someone had decorated it for Christmas, complete with lights. We relaxed for a bit and then went down to the clubhouse at 6:30 for poker. Jackie did well, winning about eight bucks, I lost two. We then went back to the coach and relaxed with the TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, December 17^th, my brother Russ and his wife Zen drove up from their home in Las Vegas for a visit. He knew that we were leaving in a few days and wanted to visit before we left. We sat and talked for a couple of hours, then the four of us drove down to the Lakeside Casino cafe for lunch. We had a great lunch, then drove around a little bit. We took Russ and Zen over to the Escapee's RV Park so they could see where we were trying to get a permanent place. We then went back to the coach and sat around and talked until about 4:00. Russ and Zen left to drive back home and we spent the rest of the evening in the coach.

Wednesday, December 18^th, we went out after lunch and ran a couple of errands. After we got back to the coach we stayed in, did a few chores, and relaxed for the rest of the day. Thursday we left the coach about 12:30 and went to Chat Thai, our favorite Thai restaurant here in town, for lunch. I had what they called Sake Shrimp and noodles. It was sauteed shrimp in a coconut milk sauce with peppers, scallions, pineapple, mushrooms all over skinny egg noodles. It was the best Asian dish I have ever had! Jackie had Pad Thai, which she has had before, but today she said it was bland and the chicken was tough and overcooked. She didn't enjoy her meal, but I sure did mine. After lunch we did a couple of errands and then went back to the coach. We relaxed until about 6:30 then went down for our last session of Texas Hold'em for a while. We didn't have a stellar night, Jackie was down about nine dollars and I lost four. But we had fun. After cards we went back to the coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Friday, December 20^th, was mostly a chores day. I spent a couple of hours outside taking down the screens and putting stuff away in preparation for our travel tomorrow. This is our last day in Pahrump. After lunch we did a mail run and then went back to the coach and did some more chores. At 5:30 we went down to the clubhouse for karaoke. Most of our friends were there and the rotation was short enough that I got to do about 10 songs, some with other singers. It was a great night and by a little after 9:00 we were back in the coach and watching TV. Saturday was a travel day. We were on the road by 10:00, headed south towards Hesperia, California. Our ultimate goal is Indio on Sunday, but we always stop in Hesperia on the way. We stopped for lunch at the Mad Greek restaurant in Baker, then headed to the Hesperia Elks Lodge. We arrived at the lodge about 3:00 and got parked. We are only overnighting here, so we didn't unhook the car or do much setting up. After we got set up we just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Sunday, December 21^st, we left Hesperia about 10:30 and headed for Indio. Traffic was pretty heavy, but except for some brief periods of wind the weather was OK. We arrived at the Indian Waters RV Resort about 1:00, got checked in and parked. It has been a couple of years since we stayed here at Indian Waters. It is owned by the same company that has Wine Ridge in Pahrump, but because of the Coachella Valley location the rates are quite a bit higher. We got parked and the basics set up, then left and went to lunch at one of our local taquerias. After lunch we went back to the coach and finished getting set up. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach. Normally I close out a day's entry when we go to bed, but I need to add an addendum to this evening. About 2:30 I got up to go to the bathroom and while there I heard a strange bump. When I went into the living room I saw Benji lying on the floor by my chair. He has been getting progressively worse for the last month, losing weight and having trouble breathing. The vet visit a while back didn't help any, so we have been feeding him a liquid diet and trying to just make him comfortable. We knew he was dying, but he seemed to be dealing with it and did not appear to be in pain. As I watched he gave out one last meow, trembled a little, and then lay still. It broke my heart to watch our little fur kid die, but at least I don't have to worry if he is hurting now. I wrapped him up and put him in his bed one last time.

Monday, December 23^rd, when I woke up I made some phone calls and found a nearby veterinary clinic which would take Benji and arrange for a cremation at a reasonable cost. About 11:00 we left and took Benji in and said goodbye. Like Fuzzy and Smokey before him, we were not going to get Benji's ashes back, we just wanted a respectful disposal of the body. After sending Benji off we went to La Casita Mexican restaurant to meet Jackie's Godson Shane Ryan for lunch. Shane is now 25 years old and lives and works in the Coachella Valley. He is about 6 foot 4 with lots of tattoos, but he is still the same well spoken, polite Shane we know. We had a great lunch, catching up with what is going on in his life. He hasn't had it easy because he has Type 1 diabetes and has struggled to stay healthy. After a nice lunch we went to Walmart for some things, then went back to the coach. We spent the rest of the day and evening in the coach.

It has been about three weeks since we last published and we will be here in the Coachella Valley for about three weeks, so this is a good place to close out this episode and get it published. Until next time, ponder the words of author John Grogan. “Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” See ya soon.