Day 90 Saturday April 13

My last WVB day.  We got up to sun & clear skies & no wind, so far.  This year, besides the cold & rain from earlier, we have been getting a lot of wind--not strong, but gusty enough that we have rolled up the awning a few times.  It seems to start in the early afternoon until about supper, and then it’s over until the next day at noon.  In previous years we didn’t have to roll up the awning nearly as much as this year.  I’m really glad we have an electric awning, just push a button & in it comes, a one person job. After WVB we had lunch at the pool cabana where Chuey’s Mex café was preparing food.  I had the burrito, which costs $9.00 and was big enough to share with Sheila, it was a good deal.  Larry & Judy joined us for lunch and after lunch we went over to their place for a farewell game of Bridge. We played all afternoon from about 2:00 to 5:00--more or less.  We played 6 hands & then changed partners so everyone played with everyone.  I ended up with the top score.  We came back to the RV to drop me off to start organizing while Sheila went out to the Panda Express Chinese Food for an order of dinner for us using our coupon from the “Taste of the City” event earlier this year.  Then we will start organizing the inside of the RV to be ready to roll on Monday morning.  Supper was great, with our coupon it cost just $9.00 for dinner for both of us with a little left over.  I think I will not do too much tonight & get an early to bedtime so I’m rested for tomorrow.  Sheila phoned Donna’s friend Pauline for an update on how’s she’s doing.  She’s had several more tests at RCH and VGH hospitals & each time she had to stay overnight there so they could check there were no repercussions from the tests.  She still has two more to go, and then the specialists will analyze the data from the tests to determine what caused her severe headaches & the numbness in her left arm and plan treatment.  Fortunately, her son Patrick has come from Seattle and is supporting her.

Day 89 Friday April 12

We got up to another nice day, so off to WVB.  I had a better game today, lots of fun.  We went to the "Dog O Dog" hot dog stand for lunch.  I had one of their specialty hot dogs, Sheila had 2 small  tacos that were really good.  We hope that GVP has them back next year as they are really good.  After lunch, we puttered around in the RV till it was time to go up to our last Mocktails event.  We got there about 5:50 & there were lots of seats so we didn’t need our RV chairs.  We had a good time, I danced with Sheila a cpl times.  Tonight’s entertainer didn’t play any line dances so Sheila didn’t do anything on her own.  It ended at 8 & we chatted away at our table with our table friends until almost 8:30.  One was Laurie, a regular WVB player, & the other a GVP park resident we met at Mocktails several Fridays ago. Back at the RV we watched a cpl shows on TV & then turned in.

Day 88 Thursday April 11

Nice & calm in the morning & sunny with a little cloud cover so off to WVB.  I seemed to be uncoordinated today & missed a lot of balls I should have been able to get.  Sheila eventually joined the game, (just one pool today again as more people leave for home, although we did have 9 or 10 to a side still). After the game, hot tub & shower, its lunch time.  The large RV club group that’s here all week has had music & a fancy hot dog/taco stand, Dog O Dog, up all week, so we have had music the last half hour while we play.  I keep forgetting to take my wallet up as some of the hot dogs they have sound good.  After lunch we relaxed till time to go to Emilio’s for Happy Hour at 3 PM.  Sheila tried a blended Mango Margarita, but did not like it as well as their Strawberry one.  Today is the last GVP Happy Hour of the season.  We are down to 8 & some will be gone by next Thursday--us for example.  En-route back home, we stopped at the 99 cent store for some groceries.  Then its home to relax, watch TV, & I need to make a list of stuff needing to be done before we move the RV & pull out, either Mon or Tues.

Day 87 Wednesday April 10

Still windy when we got up but it calmed down enough that I went up for WVB and Sheila followed.  It gusted a lot periodically changing the path of the ball in mid flight.  It has stayed fairly windy all day.  After WVB we came home for lunch and then Sheila went out to look at the display rigs in the Tiffen RV club that came in over the last 2 days and maybe sit in the sun or go on the computers in the clubhouse.  I went outside & unhooked the SPECTRUM internet system I had installed, (rented), & bagged it for return.  Then I did a Winco shopping. I returned & Sheila was still out inspecting giant “A” Class motor homes, some with a MSRP over $400,000!   She did like one or two--too bad, she’s not getting one!  I went down to Spectrum & returned my internet equipment, no problem, then came home to have supper. After supper, we stayed around the RV, watching TV & taking life easy.  The winds died down just after supper time so hopefully the wind will be mostly gone by tomorrow morning.

Day 86 Tuesday April 9

Today is our final Breakfast Club event.  With people leaving we were down to 7 people and we usually get around a dozen or more.  We went to the Little Pantry on State St. near Menlo St. Today is propane delivery day, so I got back from breakfast about 09:45 & I’m waiting for him.  Propane truck arrived & was finished up by 11:35 so no WVB today.  We took 11.9 USG of propane, so there was about 2 USG in the tank because it holds a fraction over 14 USG when totally empty.  While waiting for him I checked our battery water levels, (2 that do the coach lights etc at 6 volts each & one engine starting battery at 12 volts), they were fine, didn’t need topping up at all.  Sheila came back from WVB & said they had one pool with 9 to 10 a side but with the wind blowing it really affects the light beach balls and they are hard to judge where they are coming down so you can hit them. Sheila went back up to the pool area after lunch to do a wash while I rested, relaxed, & read my book.  We had leftovers from our restaurant meals for supper and stayed in to watch TV, read etc. A lot of wind in the evening & into the night, the 11PM news said a lot of damage in LA from falling trees & branches, plus power outages & blown transformers.  We are in a valley so don’t get the full force but still we get 15 MPH more or less winds.

Day 85 Monday April 8

Today is forecast to be well over 80 F for, I think, the first time since we got here.  Up to WVB and Sheila followed after a bit.  We played in different pools again.  The coloured chip system they have for deciding which pool you go into is a good system & very fair to everyone but is does mean I don’t get to play with Sheila that much – luck of the draw!  They had music & a hot dog stand set up because there is a huge RV group coming into the park, around 200 units.  Sheila came back to the RV after the game & when I got back to the RV she had the main cabin A/C running – first time since we got here. We have used the bedroom A/C a cpl times to cool the bedroom when going to bed. She said it was over 88 F inside when she arrived back at the RV.  That’s over 32 degrees Centigrade for you young’uns. Sheila went up to see if there is a 1 pm game & if not, is going to look up stuff on the clubhouse computer, (air-conditioned and room to write on the left side of the computer).  There wasn’t a game so she used the computer but had to come home when she realized that she couldn’t go out to buy some supplies as she didn’t have her wallet & money with her.  Running the A/C is keeping the RV at about 84 F.  Sheila said that when she went out to the car, which had been sitting in the sun most of the morning it’s outside temperature was registering 102 F!  As she was driving, it went down to 92 F where it stayed the rest of the afternoon.  We had leftover Applebee’s food for supper & some is still left for the next day.  I relaxed around the RV inside & out and made good progress on the book “Nighthawk Crossing”.  Most of the evening games have stopped now due to the volunteer snowbirds running them leaving for home, (they come down in Oct or Nov so have been here 6 months).   

Day 84 Sunday April 7

Sunny & hot & off to WVB. Both Sheila & I ended up in the same pool side by side as we had arrived close together.  After the game ended we stayed floating around in the pool talking with Judy Shaffer & another CDN couple Don & Gerri.  They are from Vancouver Island and have a trailer here 6 & 6, (that means they never move the trailer, it sits on their site all year and they can use it for 6 months and then vacate for 6 months, obviously they get a much lower rental rate when they’re not here.  It works for Canadians as we are only allowed to be in the USA for a total of 180 days in any 12 month period).  We came back to the RV for a lunch – the left-over Tilapia fish from yesterday and some Rice-a-roni.  We had arranged with Judy to go out with her & Larry for supper and a promised dessert treat on us for them.  We went to Applebee’s for supper then over to the Coldstream Creamery, (like the one we used to have at home).  We had great ice cream creations.  Larry & Judy insisted we use the $15.00 coupon they had won at GVP which just about paid for their ice creams anyway.  A good deal for us! After dessert we went back to their place for some Bridge.  We put our leftover dinners & ice-cream in their fridge. Tonight I actually came out on top after partnering with Sheila, then Judy. We all finished off our ice cream treats after the game and as it was a nice night we walked home, (equivalent distance of about 2 blocks).  Home by about 10 PM