Day 41 Tuesday March 28

Up to cool weather but warming fast and eventually by noon got into the high 70’s.  Had a good W VB game then, while Sheila rested, (she skipped the VB in the morning). Judy & I went over to Larry & Judy’s unit and played Jokers & Pegs with Judy S, Judy K, Elaine & Me. Judy K & I partnered and lost all 3 games.  Then Sheila Judy K & I went to Winco to get groceries & a take out supper of chicken & assorted fancy salads.  As I mentioned before, I think, it is often just as cheap and certainly a lot less work to get take out for meals.  After supper the 3 of us had a couple of Pegs & Jokers games. Then I drove Judy to the Motel where she will pack up to move back to the RV tomorrow to stay Wednesday & Thursday nights and fly home on Friday.

Day 40 Monday March 27

Overcast in the early morning but by volleyball time it had changed to just cloud & sun with little to no wind.  Sheila skipped the game as she is still stuck with the sinus/whatever, thing plugging her up.  Larry Schaffer dropped by with an offer of chairs that he was getting rid of and I accepted them all, (4), as they will be handy around home in the summer and extra chairs for the RV for company. We went out to Winco and then Sheila went for a nail job and I visited with Larry & Judy while other Judy was at the Majong game.  Tonight it’s leftover Ribs & stuff from Angies for supper then Cribbage in the shuffleboard building. I actual won 3^rd place & got $2.50 back, that’s 150% profit!

Day 39 Sunday March 26

Slightly cloudy today but still nice.  Judy & I did the morning W VB game but Sheila rested.  At noon the plan was to go to the Hong Kong restaurant across the road from GVP entrance but Sheila opted out to rest and asked for a bowl of Won Ton soup brought back.  We went over & had one of the many $6.95 lunch specials; it came with hot & sour soup, and a large lunch plate.  It was filling. Back at the RV there was no afternoon W VB.  Other Judy & Elaine came over & asked if Judy K & I wanted to play Jokers & Pegs which I had mentioned that I wanted to get Judy K to learn. So we played in the afternoon.  For supper Sheila, Judy & I went out to Angies for supper.  I had the ribs of course.  Then it was back to GVP for the Sunday evening Bridge game. Sheila wasn’t up to playing so I partnered Judy K.  We only had 2 tables and Judy & I came in second and won $1.50 each.  After the game, Judy was feeling tired so I drove her back to Motel 6 & came home.  Sheila & I watched some TV and turned in. 

Day 38 Saturday March 25

Today is the "Ramona" Play  It’s at the Ramona Bowl outdoor amphitheater on a hillside just southeast of town.  It is California’s official outdoor play and the longest running – since 1923.  It takes place just as the Americans won the Mexican war against Santa Anna, (remember the Alamo). It gave all of California to the US and meant changes for the Spaniards, (Mexicans), and the Indians living there.  The play is based on a book about that era.  It is a long play, running about 3 hours including a half hour intermission.  The actors are all volunteers from the Hemet area and there are about 500 to 700 of them.  We all enjoyed it very much.  After the play we came home to the RV to rest up for a couple of hours.  Sheila has a worsening cold/sinus thing going that she is persevering through to join in the activities. For the evening we went to La Fogata for their 30^th anniversary special dinner – a Mariachi band and 30 % off the bill including drinks. All very enjoyable. After dinner Judy was very tired so we delivered her to her Motel then we came back to RV where Sheila lay down for a nap.  I did my journal, watched the news on TV for the weather and turned in around 11:30.  Sheila was still in bed asleep, she still has her cold/sinus/whatever thing slowing her up.

Day 37 Friday March 24

Turned out nice & sunny & clear after a cool to cold night.  I went up to morning WVB and Sheila joined in later and we had a good time, then hot tub then lunch, (more leftovers from our Chinese take out). Even with all our game playing exercise the meals here still are larger than one person can eat.  After lunch we went up for afternoon WVB & then back to the RV to get ready to go to the Elks Lodge for their Friday dinner dance event starting at 5 PM. Judy took the car back to the Motel to change and will be back at 5 to head to the Elks. It’s a rough life here but we struggle on with it. Judy was late and arrived about 5:20.  Off to the Elks.  It was packed!  Fortunately we’d made reservations so we had a table.  We waited for the dinner menu to arrive then ordered dinner which took quite a while to arrive. But we had ourselves and the other people at the table to talk to. Then the music and singer started about 6:30.  His name is Ambrose and he is really good, he has a terrific voice.  He does Chuck Berry songs like Chuck Berry & he did Delilah just like Tom Jones--very enjoyable. The music went to 9:30.  We left & stopped at Walgreens Drug Store to get some cold meds for Sheila, then dropped Judy at the Motel and home to rest up for tomorrow. 

Day 36 Thursday March 23

Up to clear sky & sun but cooler, in the mid 60’s F. Judy arrived to play Pickle Ball and I am waiting for the propane truck to arrive, sometime today.  They will accept payment in the office if you want to leave a cheque but it has to be on a US bank account in a US bank.   I can put today down as an extra rest & recovery day although I feel fine now, no sniffles or anything.  Sheila will go up for the morning W VB. Propane came & finished by 11:30 but too late to make the morning game.  Had lunch, Sheila went up for afternoon game & I decided to go to Home Depot to find a cpl pieces of dowel or wood to try to give a bit of rigidity to the table to make it more steady, then I went to Winco for some supplies. Back at RV by 2:15 & we want to leave for Emilios Happy Hour by 2:45 more of less so I’ll wait for Sheila here.  Big group at Emilios, Judy was amazed at the price for Margarita’s of $3.00.  After, back to the RV to rest up for Mexican Trains night tonight. At the game which is 3 rounds of 3 individual games each after which the 2 lowest scores switch tables, each winning a quarter, (low score wins as it is the total of points on your dominos you have when someone goes out).  Well, after 8 individual games I actually had the highest score in all the previous games ie worst score.  I ruined my chance of making a mark of getting the highest score in all 3 rounds by going out in the very last game. It is all a lot of fun, possibly Erica & Mikaela might like it as it just involves recognising how many dots are on each domino and they are all colour coded for matching up. So ends another day here.

Day 35 Wednesday March 22

I’m feeling a bit better and found we had some cold remedies so I took some Cold FX & another type of cold prevention gel cap with my morning coffee & am feeling much better but I will take an off day today.  It is cloudy but no rain, sun coming out and warming nicely.  I walked up to the office to order the Propane truck for tomorrow to come & fill my tank. When I got back I was feeling tired so I lay down around 11 AM and stayed there most of the afternoon. I think Sheila went up for afternoon volleyball.  It is nice & sunny now around 3:45. Sheila had been in the pool & said she had a wonderful game because there weren’t too many people in the pool, so she got lots of chances to get the ball and pass it around. Judy came back from a trip to her motel room and we decided to go out for Chinese at the take out place, (they do have tables for eat-in), that we have used before, Mr Woo’s Chinese, cheap prices, generous servings. Sheila & I got one box with 2 entrées and we brought a bunch home.  Judy got chow mien & rice & one entre and brought some back. Both Sheila & Judy went to the advertised Gospel sing in the ballroom but it was cancelled, no explanation so Judy went of to play Hand & Foot which, as I said earlier, (I think), they play completely different rules here so I am not interested in confusing myself, (anymore than I already am). 

Day 34 Tuesday March 21

Judy picked us up & we got to La Fogata about 8:28 so no problem, they hadn’t been by to take orders.  After breakfast we all returned & went up for W VB.  The weather is holding sunny, not in the 90’s but nice & warm and blue sky.  After the game & hot tub we came back to the RV.  With the big breakfast nobody was hungry so after a bit we headed out for the 1:30 W VB game.  It got a bit cloudy towards the end of the game, (3 to 3:30), and we actually had a couple of raindrops fall but nothing to wet the ground. We packed it in & came home to the RV. Tonight is 1 dollar Taco & karaoke night at the Elks so we all went there.  Taco’s served from 4 to 6 & the music goes from 4 to 8. We had taco’s & drinks & listened to the singing, some of which was very good especially a black couple who were excellent. We left about 7:30 to come home to find it had rained as the parking lot was very wet but rain had stopped. Drove Judy to the Motel and then we came back to the RV.  Sheila stayed up to watch TV but I was starting to feel sniffle like a cold was coming on so I went to bed with extra blankets on and slept soundly. 

Day 33 Monday March 20

Awoke to solid overcast & cooler weather.  Not all that cold but into the high 60’s F in the morning so a big difference from the 80 & 90 F degree heat we have had.  We had some errands to run so we went out to a Bath, Bed & Beyond for something Judy needed for home but couldn’t find there and then, as it was noonish, we went to find a restaurant we remembered from years previously.  We sort of knew where it was but couldn’t remember the name.  We guessed right & when we saw the name “J and M Family Restaurant” we knew it.  They have great food at great prices, I had my usual there – the rib special. It comes with salad or soup, choice of potato and dessert all for $8.99. The soup was asparagus which Sheila had and I tried it, delicious.  We came out of the restaurant and the sun was out and it was getting warmer.  Back to GVP and Judy went to check out the Majong game, she stayed to play and we came back to the RV and changed for the pool.  We got about 14 people out by around 2 PM and had a good game.  Then Hot tub and back to RV for supper of leftovers from our meals out – I usually finish everything but Sheila & Judy always have leftovers to bring home. Then Sheila gets to watch Dancing with the Stars premier show while Judy & I go the cribbage game event that runs every Monday evening at 7 PM.  After the game, back at the RV, Sheila was still watching the 2 hour opening event, (8 to 10).  We let Judy take the car to drive back to the Motel but she has to be back by 8:15 AM tomorrow to pick us up for the Tuesday “Breakfast Club” at the La Fogata restaurant.     

Day 32 Sunday March19

Nice & sunny & hot but there is cooler weather in the forecast for next week.  Into the pool for fun at W VB.  Supper at the RV in the evening then the 3 of us went up to the Sunday night bridge game. I played with Judy & Sheila partnered Mel. Earlier in the day I had written out for Judy some basic opening bids as a memory jogger; the 5 card major opening, short club, No trump and not much else. She had played a lot in the past but at the Airport when we worked there. I assumed she would remember it all.  So what happened was that we were getting hands I even have never seen in all my years of playing.  One example was that I got an 8 card good heart suit with a spade void & a singleton and almost opening points. Judy was void in my hearts & had a 7 card suit in my void of spades. She kept going up in the bidding, (3 spades over 3 hearts, then 4 spades over 4 hearts), and we went down.  We had other stuff I have rarely if ever seen, it was a disaster, not her fault at all, and she had no idea what to do with my apparently weird bidding, like opening 3 hearts, as I had not mentioned pre-empt long suit bids.  The old KISS rule but I kept it too simple.

Day 31 Saturday March 18

Judy made it down for the Pickle Ball and was able to get in to play.  Sheila & I skipped WVB this morning to go out for some assorted supplies & stuff.   We came back for lunch with Judy in the RV then we went to the afternoon WVB game 1:30 to 3:30.  We had a good game; all 3 of us got some good hits & didn’t mess up too often. Then hot tub, shower & back to RV to change for the Elks St. Pat’s Day dinner dance. Social hour starts at 5, dinners at 6 & dancing at 7. We got there about 5:30 and got a table with 5 others, one of which was the Exalted Ruler and her husband. It was a nice meal—corned beef & cabbage, potatoes & carrots followed by a delicious Key Lime Pie.  Unfortunately for Sheila, Judy, the Exalted Ruler & her husband, they ran out of the Key Lime pie before they finished their meals, so they did not get any!  Instead they got a large scoop of mixed Sorbet with whipped cream which they enjoyed.  The music was by “Leather & Lace,” a husband & wife who started singing & playing part way through dinner which was nice.   We stayed to dance until the last number at around 9:30.  They played music from the 50’s & 60’s, just like Larry Stevens used to do, although they weren’t as good as he is, however, we enjoyed it all--a tiring but fun day!  Enroute home we dropped Judy at the Motel and came home to tidy & do the journal.

Day 30 Friday March 17

The usual weather--just another sunny & hot day.  We did WVB in the morning and then lunch of our leftover homemade Taco’s in the RV. Sheila went to the afternoon WVB while Judy & I retrieved some of her stuff from the Motel Room.  Then at 4 pm, Mike & Elaine, Larry & Judy, & the 3 of us went off to the Knights of Columbus lodge for their Spaghetti dinner. It was a good deal, for $8.00 you got bread & butter, spaghetti, meat balls, salad, & ice cream, plus there was iced tea & hot coffee included.  I bought 50/50 tickets and a day later I got a phone message that I won - $28.00, a nice win that more than paid for supper.   Afterwards, we came back to GVP for the Mocktails party.  They supplied the mixer plus nachos and entertainment, you supplied the booze. So, a free party for me.  The mixer was 2 choices, a blend of cranberry & other juices or a mango/OJ/7 Up mix.  The entertainment was a local group of seniors who sang to 50’s music and were great--they did them in the same style and tempo as the originals.  They put on a great show.  They will be coming again next Friday and doing a “country” show—lots of line dancing for Sheila, and  Judy, if she decides to forgo Shuffleboard for the party.  The show ran from 6 to 8 pm. 

Day 29 Thursday March 16

Still sunny & hot.  Didn’t see Judy until the 10:30 WVB game. We had a good game; I think I am improving a bit.  Sheila is improving even faster she got some great shots in.  Back at the RV we all 3 had lunch then Judy & I went out to do a bit of shopping for assorted supplies.  Sheila went up late for the 1:30 W VB game. After we returned, Judy made us a taco supper using soft tacos which you can put stuff into & roll up. We ate outside as it was very pleasant.  Then, off to the Mexican Train Dominos game at 7 PM.  It went to around 9 pm or so, then I drove Judy to the Motel and made sure she got in the door OK, (the door has an electronic key but the green light that indicates it is unlocked is sporadic and it can take several tries to get the door open). Back at the RV to catch up on journal entries & blog postings. 

Day 28 Wednesday March 15

Slight overcast but still nice & warm, (well over 70 F).  Judy & I went over to check out the Pickle Ball then I took her on a tour of the facilities as it was dark when we arrived last night.  Then we played in the morning WVB.  Judy caught on fast and did well.  Back to the RV for lunch then it’s off shopping and moving Judy to the Motel 6 across the road.  We took Judy to Motel 6, got her signed in.  She had difficulty getting the door open with the electronic key tho finally it worked.  Then, off to 99 Cent store for assorted supplies & Winco for the cake for tonight’s Spud Night event. Back at the RV, we organized the stuff we were taking & then went up to settle in at the table we shared with Larry & Judy Shaffer and Mike & Elaine.  Larry & Judy remembered meeting Judy Krar in Vancouver.  After the Spud night event, (for $2.00 GVP supplies the potato, butter & sour cream, & everyone brings extras to share with the people at their table.   Sheila supplied a 7-UP cake and some grapes), & we also had salsa & tortilla chips, wieners, & devilled eggs.  They did Karaoke and it was quite enjoyable. Judy Krar went to play Hand & Foot. I got a copy of the rules and they are completely different from how we play with the Roamers RV club group. After the Karaoke & Judy’s game I took her to Motel 6 & returned to the RV.  She will walk over in the morning; it’s about ½ a long block to the park gates, then about a half, or more of a km to our site. 

Day 27 Tuesday March 14

Slept in a bit and were almost late for the Tuesday “Breakfast club” but we made it to the Early Bird Café on time at 8:30.  After we put gas in the car for the first time, (it was full when we got it), it seems to get much better gas mileage than the old Focus or maybe it just has a bigger tank.  I went up for W VB & Sheila went to Winco for groceries.  Sheila & I got together & fixed the leg back on the BBQ.  The bolts that held it on had vibrated off in an RV storage bin; fortunately we didn’t lose any parts.   Sheila went up for the afternoon W VB game while I looked up drive times to Palm Springs Airport to pick up Judy Krar, arrival time is 18:05.  Computer says just 48 minutes for 47 miles and most of it is on hwy 79 then hwy 10. Picked up Judy successfully and left P. S. Airport & headed home.  Stopped at Angies Dinner in Hemet for a nice supper, I had their rib special, just as good as I remember. Brought Judy back to RV where we arranged for the night with her sleeping on the couch. 

Pictures of out rig in it's spot

Here are 3 pictures of the site at GVP

our spot at GVP

 our spot at GVP side view

 Our spot from the side

looking back from in front

day 26 Monday March 13

Another clear & hot day.  I met up with Larry at 9:30 and we drove down to the Costco in Temecula to pick up the dessert cakes & dinner rolls for tonight’s event.  I had a Costco Strawberry Sunday, they are twice the size as back home and cost about $1.75, well worth it. Then we drove back arriving home around noon, we dropped off the cakes at the main hall.  It was hot in the RV so I started up the A/C and it cooled it from 93 down to the high 70’s, Fahrenheit of course. Sorry but it is a major nuisance to change Fahrenheit to Celsius so you are stuck with me quoting Fahrenheit.  Sheila went up to the afternoon W VB game and I stayed at the RV to dig out St Patrick’s Day stuff and do some assorted odd jobs. At 5 PM we headed out to the big hall for the St. Patrick’s Day event. Lots of food, I even brought some corned beef home for tomorrow, maybe Judy K would like some.   It was a fun evening and back to RV by 8 PM. Sheila had helped out with the set up & a bit of clean up so she was tired & lay down for a nap a bit after 8 PM. We watched a PBS show on the Carpenters, very interesting and fun to watch & listen to their music.

More picture from the Fountain of Youth RV Park stay

 Set up to watch the F o Y parade; Sheila, Kevin & Leslie, Sandys wife & Sandy, Dorothy & Les Bullis, Phillis & Jay In front of Jay's Mobil Home

 Me standing by the entrance of the metal sculpture workshop & store

Our new car in front of RV at F o Y

Day 25 Sunday March 12

These are some of the metal sculptures in  Boraggo Springs Calif.  from our FoY stay.   Finally figured out how to add photos. More to follow

Up an hour earlier due to Daylight Saving Time but fortunately it is a hot day so it wasn’t cool at all.  We played W VB then back for lunch. Then Sheila washed floors in RV. Sheila went up to watch the W VB tournament for a while then about 3 PM we headed out to Beaumont to meet up with Bill Phillips who I knew when I lived on Wallace street near Jericho Beach, we went to Bayview school together before he left to live in the US.  We had a nice chat and catch up at his house and then went out for supper, he wanted to pay but we said no, either we pay or we go Dutch. We went to his recommended Mexican restaurant. I made a discovery, the Taco Salads that I really like are called Tostada Salads down here so I had one, lots of meat, (hot too!), light on the lettuce, lots stuff in it, it was really good. Then we drove home, got back around 8 PM. It was a great visit.  

Day 24 Saturday March11

Up & off to W VB and back to RV for lunch.  They did have a place doing lunch at the cabana and live music but as it was all Mexican type food I didn’t stay & came back to RV for lunch, plus I didn’t have my wallet so I would have had to make a special trip just to get my wallet. Sheila went off to the afternoon W VB while I had some things I wanted to do at the RV, plus as we have only been here a week & as we have clear sky & lots of sun I thought it better not to get too much sun and possibly pick up a bit of a burn. I got most of the things done and sat down to relax just as Sheila came home. Then Judy Shaffer dropped by and we chatted for a while. Then Sheila & I made supper.  After, Sheila went off up to the office for their computers to get on line hoping they would connect easier.  Sometimes there are a lot of people on the system and we can’t get on the internet. I finally got to sponge wash the car.  Tonight Daylight Saving Time starts.

Day 23 Friday March 10

The TV forecast for the next while has highs over 80 F which is 28 to 30 C & up.  It cools at night into the mid to high 50’s, (14 to 16 C), but warms quickly once the sun is up so by 9:30 to 10:00 it is quite comfortable to be out in shorts & short sleeve shirt.  Sheila went off to try the ladies pool and I will meet her in the pool for the 10 AM water VB game. I phoned the ELKS to get St. Pats day tickets for Sat the 18^th but neither line worked so I drove down & got them no problem and I also got their new phone numbers.  On the way back I stopped at a Stater Bros store, (they’re like a Safeway store), where I saw a TV Guide magazine.  I didn’t get it because they wanted $5.50 for it and it was a 2 week program and it only went to 17 March.  After I returned we went back east on Florida and south State Street to the giant discount liquor store. This is the store that the owner donates large amounts of liquor to events at GVP, he basically sets up a free bar with a large selection of assorted bottles.  On the way back we stopped at Pollo Loco for take out chicken for supper.  Then over to the Mocktail party at the cabana area near the pool where they had nachos & toppings & mixers, you just supply the booze.  I decided to try the shuffleboard so went over to the shuffleboard building.  It’s a $1.00 entry fee that all goes back as prizes. The team I was on (3 people) “won” a prize.  We came in last so we got our dollar back. Sheila said the Mocktail party was fun; they had live music playing so next week I will go there. Back to the RV before 10 PM. 

Day 22 Thursday March 9

Sunny & clear, 72 F at 9:30 AM up over 80 F in the afternoon.  Off to morning water VB after which I came back to RV to change & then I went to set up Judy at Motel 6 for her visit here after dropping Sheila at Winco.  After setting up the motel I joined Sheila at Winco. We did our shopping then returned home and got ready to head out to the Thursday Happy Hour at Emilio’s till 5:30ish.  Then back to the RV and heading for Larry & Judy’s for Bridge.  No need for supper, between a pizza slice & smoothie at Winco and Emilio’s appies we are full. We went over to Larry & Judy’s park model home for a game of Bridge and had a nice visit. 

Day 21 Wednesday March 8

We woke to nice sunny weather, temp outside up to 70 F by 9:30 AM, and going higher. We went up for the morning session of water VB, and then I went out hotel shopping. I spend some time trying to get info for Judy Krar to come down & visit; motel rates & locations etc. They have fully furnished cottages on site that rent for $880.00 a week but they would be too big for one person, they would fit Michael & family fine probably, hint hint.  Unfortunately they would probably have to ship the car seats down just for the trip from & back to the airport.  I skipped the afternoon water VB as I didn’t want to be out in the sun overly long until I rebuild my 12 month tan that I usually have from being down here early in the year and then at home for our summer. We actually started the A/C this afternoon.

Day 20 Tuesday March 7

We went out for breakfast with the “Breakfast Club” to “The Little Pantry” on State St. just north of Fruitvale St.  We had a nice time with the group as well as a delicious and reasonably priced breakfast.  Back to the RV to get ready for 10:30 Water Volleyball, (which usually starts about 10 AM). I had a good game but Sheila stayed in RV to do housework and work on the computer.  After the big breakfast I will skip lunch.  Sheila wants to make it to the pool for the 1:30PM game. We made it a bit after 1:30 and the game went to 3:30. I thought I did a lot better than previous days so I guess I’m getting back into the swing of things.  After getting back to the RV & changing, we went over to the Elks Hall where they are having a $1.00 Taco night with karaoke.  The Tacos were good and some of the singing was quite good, all in all enjoyable. On route back we stopped at a dollar store that advertised frozen $1.00 rib eye steaks, 3.5 oz each, we got 4. Then it was back to RV for the night, watching TV & working on the computer doing the journal and blog.  The only problem with the TV is that the local papers don’t carry TV schedules any more so we don’t know what is on & when.  We are looking for a TV Guide type magazine that gives daily schedules but no luck so far.  

Day 19 Monday March 6

The sun is back, although still coolish in the morning, (mid 50’s F this morning), but climbing into the 60’s F by 10 AM.  After breakfast it was up to the pool for Water Volleyball from 10 till noon, then a hot tub soak for 20 or so minutes, shower & home for lunch.  After lunch I went to the pool for a 1:30 - 3:30 W-VB game. Sheila went out to the Dollar Store for some groceries we needed.  Then tonight it’s off to the Horse Race event in the ballroom here. It’s fun. What they do is run real horse races on a TV screen.  I think they give the horses different names because each of 8 races have the same horse names in it, however, they may not be actually the same horses. You get a bunch of playing money, $130,000.00, you can bet on a max 3 horses per race. Anyway, out of 8 races I only won money on 2 of them and ended up broke.  Sheila did better winning 5 races, one of which paid odds of 16 to 1 so she ended up with $203,000.00. Several people won way over 1 million, however. The winner of the evening won over 13 million. It was a fun event which ended early, (8:30 pm).  Back at the RV afterwards we watched TV and I completed the Blog for today. 

Day 18 Sunday March 5

A bit overcast & cooler, I haven’t got the outside thermometer set up yet but in the RV with no heat on at night it was 59 F when I got up.  We went up for water volleyball.  With it being a bit cloudy, some wind and lower temperatures than normal, we only had about 16 people out. However in the pool it was nice & warm, so no problem. After the hot tub session, we headed back to the RV for lunch and then Sheila went to Larry & Judy’s to watch some of the Oscar shows that they had recorded & saved for her. It got cloudier as the day progressed and finally started to rain. I puttered around in the RV, nice & warm catching up on stuff like my journal, blog, and expenses. We have had trouble getting the oven to light so Judy Shaffer is loaning us the toaster oven from their Park Model home that she doesn’t use much, so that took care of that. Tonight was bridge night at the club house. We had enough for 4 tables. We start at 6:30 and play 4 hands & then change tables.  It’s $1.00 per person with the money going to prizes.  We finished about 10:00 and came back home for the night. Sheila & I had a terrible night as far as trying to get a suit match: when we did get the contract one of us would be short on trump, like 1 or 2 trump cards. We weren’t last, but close to it.  

Day 17 Saturday March 4 - sunny but quite windy

We pulled out of Spotlight 29 casino @ 10:25 @ 45469 miles.  At 11:15 we pulled into Morongo Casino just west of Palm Springs for brunch at 45512 miles. We found a food court with a Subway and with regular Subway prices, (the lunch buffet in the casino was over $20). We pulled out at 12:35 heading for Golden Village Palms arriving at 1:15 @ 45537 miles. We checked in for a month but may have to leave a day or two early to get Sheila to her Dental appointment and then maybe come back for a week or more before heading home.  We got settled in; all services hooked up and are ready to relax.  We met up with our friends Larry & Judy; they are just 8 spaces away on the same road.  We had supper & went out to a dance “The Art of Sax” It wasn’t what we thought it might be.  There was one sax player, one bass guitar player & one lead vocalist. Sheila found it too loud and the hall too dark.  They played lively music but it was mostly unknown material to us.  A lot of the crowd there were singing along with the group and were really enthusiastic.  I guess it is just not our era and most bands & groups at GVP just don’t play music that is known to us.  They played continuously with no break for close to 3 hours & were still going strong when we left to go back to the RV.

68 miles -   An hour & a half on the road but that included driving into & out of Casino parking lots and through traffic lights into Hemet.

Day 16 Friday March 3 - ***SHEILA'S BIRTHDAY***Sunny and hot - 80 to 84 F

I got up early enough to put the present Adeline had given me for Sheila on her bedside table so she got it first thing and was thrilled, it was a very nice, very colourful hand crocheted, knitted ??,  hot mat, she loved it.  Then we packed up and got ready to go, slides in, tanks dumped, everything put away, bars in fridge & cupboards. We hooked up the car and pulled out at 45425 miles @ 10:35 and we arrived at Spotlight 29 Casino @ 11:35 @ 45469 miles. . We had lots of time so we took off to find Sheila a place to get her nails done.  We went straight to the “Food 4 Less” mall which has lots of small shops & sure enough they had a nail place and they could do Sheila right away, so that worked out well. Then, back to the casino for their lunch buffet, $10.95 less a dollar with our player’s casino card & drinks were included.  It was a good meal, they had roast pork with a delicious mushroom gravy and lot of other great items such as crab salad and grilled catfish served in a delicious lemon dill sauce--plus it is our favourite place for bread pudding, with a great sauce.  They also have good caramel flans.  It was quite hot in the RV when we got back from lunch so we fired up the gen to run A/C.  We ran one A/C for about 2 hours. Then off into the casino to check on waiting times for the CCR Tribute band free concert that evening.  They said line ups start around 5:00 & doors open at 7 to get your seat for the 8 PM show.  We went back to the RV for a short time before going over to line up for the concert.  There was no one lined up at 5 pm. So I sat down & waited until a line formed & joined it @ 6:00.  Sheila returned from the slots at 6:30 so I could take a break.  We weren’t far back in the line so when the doors opened we got a nice booth more or less centred in the showroom which held 1400.  Nice and comfortable.  As the booth could accommodate 8, we invited another 2 couples to join us when they asked if we were expecting more people.  They were Canadians, one cpl was from Victoria & one was from Sask. Although she found it quite loud, Sheila agrees with me that it was a great show.  All four men were very accomplished musicians--especially the lead singer. And it turns out they are from the Seattle area.  After the show, I took Sheila to an Asian Fusion take-out place near the showroom and she ordered some deep fried butterfly shrimp as a bedtime snack!  Then I came back to the RV while Sheila stayed to play the machines for another half hour.  It didn’t work; she didn’t win even though it’s her birthday today!  

44 miles 60 minutes

Day 15 Thursday March 2

Another great sunny day.  This morning when I got up to set the furnace to come on it was reading 66 F, (around 16 or 17 C).  We went down for the 10 AM pool exercise session. I actually didn’t mind it. It wasn’t like doing calisthenics in the water, it was gentle movements designed to keep all your joints moving easily.  After the 1 hour session I sat in the hot tub for a bit then the sun while Sheila swam lengths. We had a snack at Freddy’s Fountain Café,(corn chowder soup & a Caribbean smoothie and then came back up to the RV.  We had supper in the RV, then Les started the last fire of the season that all of us would be there for.  Over the next day or so 4 or 5 of the group are leaving FoY. We had a good fire & roasted marshmallows.

Day 14 Wednesday March 1

Today is potluck breakfast beside Les & Kevin’s rig.   We got together for breakfast with Les, Dorothy, Kevin, Leslie, Sandy, Heather and Kitty.  After a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, sausages, fried egg mixture, bacon, and our hash browns with a side of fried onions & red pepper we went down to the pool area.  We went into the pool and after about a half hour I put my hand in my swim suit pocket and came out with my car keys.  The key is no problem but the fob that opens & locks doors & the hatchback could be.  I put it out to dry in the sun and eventually we tried it and no problem, it worked fine.   Sheila left to go up to the big hall for some line dancing lessons.  I stayed in the sun for a while then went into the computer room for a while, checked email. One email was my bill from my Flying J/Pilot charge card. It was for $503.00 US $.  Right now I have about the same amount of gas in the tank as I had when we left home so the cost of gas to get south is about $500.00, and that’s at $2.20 to $2.40 US for a US gallon, (about 80-82 cents a litre Cdn). I sat in the sun some more & then headed back to the RV. The hall Sheila was at is only about a half block from the dry camp area so she just walked home to the RV.

We had supper and then went down to Phyllis & Jays Park Model for a social evening along with our entire crowd, (see breakfast list). It was a pleasant visit, then home for the night.  Sheila really enjoyed the space & brightness of the park model after the confines of our RV, (especially when one is trying to conserve electricity by only having two or three lights on at a time.

Day 13 Tuesday Feb 28

Got up to sunshine, rains gone.  We went down for the Tuesday Veg & Fruit truck, and to try the pool exercises and do some blog posting.  Sheila talked me into joining the pool exercise program; it’s very low impact so it wasn’t too bad at all.  We had a hot tub session after the pool exercises and got our computer work done and then returned to the RV for lunch. After lunch we got laundry organized and went down again.  Sheila worked on her email while I relaxed & waited for the machine to finish and then moved stuff to dryer. Back up to RV and then ready for supper followed by TNT at the big hall, (TNT stands for Tuesday Night Talent). It’s a fun evening.  Sheila is going down for Tuesday TACO night at the Legion branch in Bombay Beach, a small community at the foot of the road up to FoY just off hwy 111 on the shore of the Salton Sea.  Sheila got back about 6:15 and we headed down for the show. They do have a lot of talent here in the residents & visitors.  They were talking about how people are starting to leave to head home.  Seems early to me but I guess a lot arrive in the end of the year months so have been here close to 6 months.  Plus it does get really hot in the spring & summer.  

Day 12 Feb 27 Monday

We woke up to showers which turned to rain by afternoon. I took our new car over to the car wash which caused it to start to rain again. Sheila went down to do the pool exercises, which even in the sprinkles, when you are in a nice warm pool the rain showers don’t bother you. However it slowed to a periodic sprinkle by early afternoon & then stopped altogether. I went down to the internet room to get on my computer & pay my MC bill for Feb.  Even plugged in I could not get on my M-Banks or, oddly, Sheila’s email.  The computer kept saying that it was taking too long and it severed the connection.  I then went to one of the hard wired computers and got on instantly like I do at home.   We are going out for Les’ Birthday dinner with a half doz. of more people from Fountain of Youth that we all know.  We went in 3 cars, us with Sandy & Heather, then in the truck Les & Dorothy, Kitty, Jay & Phyllis, then Leslie & Kevin in their car.  We all headed out and got to the “Chicken Coop” a Les calls it driving through off & on light sporadic showers.  There was no name or signs outside to say what was inside just a rectangle building with sheet metal outsides.  The real name is “Cowboy Bar & Grill” but nowhere is that in evidence.  We then found out that they had cancelled the dinner event on account of rain, what rain, we said! Anyway this is Southern California in the dry belt where anything worse than a heavy due is catastrophic. So off we went down to El Centro and a Golden Corral Buffet restaurant.  We have been to them before and really like it.  We had a nice supper in their separate room and then drove home getting back about 7 PM.  It was down to 65 F, about 18 or so C, so we started the generator & the heater and settled in for a quiet evening after a busy, (by our standards), day.

Day 11 Feb 25 Sunday

A bit overcast in the early morning but cleared to full sun well before noon.  We went down to the pool for the noon water volley ball game.  It was fun and we still know how to play, we’re not any better but we know the rules and what to do & how to field & hit the ball. Except that Sheila in reaching up to hit the ball had it hit square on the end of  a finger, not even the middle one that is longer but the one next to it.  She had it perfectly straight so I think that the knuckles got jammed together. It hurt a lot at the time and even though she is icing it, it still hurts a lot.  We sat in the sun and hot tub for a cpl hours before heading home. Made supper and then went out to tonight’s concert. A group called “The Hanson Family” billed as “Western swing – Blazing harmony” 2 sisters & a brother.  They were very good and we enjoyed them.  All 3 were good singers & yodellers.  They have played several places in BC including Barkerville and will be in, I think, Kelowna this summer