I think I'm going to need a vacation when I get home from this vacation. It has been another full week of fun and a bit of work.
Our garage sale visits on Saturday were productive, with a number of useful items purchased by J and L. I picked up a mug to leave at the clubhouse for coffee/tea - coffee hour is on Thursdays and I always forget to bring a mug with me, and a cross stitch magazine. I spent a whopping $1.50. The RV park we visited had 1200 lots, two clubhouses, five pools, several hot tubs, as well as pickle ball, tennis and shuffleboard courts. Far too big for me, and the monthly lease costs are approximately $800 USD per month. Too rich for my blood.
In comparison, the park I am in has 59 lots, a clubhouse and a 15 man hot tub. It is a mix of park models, house trailers, and RV's. As a Co-op, and with few amenities, the lot lease is only $125 US per month. That includes cable television, WiFi, and water. I should note the water is not potable. There are many places to buy water. I walk about 4-5 blocks to Desert Water, where I can refill two of my gallon jugs for a mere 50 cents. Walmart and Food City sell these for about $1.50 each. I go through about 3/4's of a gallon each day, more if I'm doing much cooking.
This weekend, many of the residents were busy with painting the perimeter fence. I helped some on Friday, took the day off on Saturday, and then jumped in on Sunday to paint the fence at three lots. I finished the second coat of the third fence on Monday morning. There are some residents who chose not to do the work themselves, so the park will be charging them a fee for the work. The last lot that I finished on Tuesday morning, was one of the latter. On the other hand, there were several people in their 80's out there putting in more than their fair share of work. My painting partner on Sunday turned 79 this week. As a renter, I wasn't expected to help but I know everyone was eager to get it finished. Those who weren't able to paint provided supplies for lunch every day, and it was prepped and put it out for the workers at the clubhouse.
Tuesday was thrifting day, with L and A. We hit up three thrift stores, where I found a couple of pieces of clothing, another set of knitting needles and a book of crocheted dishcloth patterns. One can never have enough patterns, right? Then we headed off to the mall, where I picked up my first Christmas gift. It is a pretty pink purse for my daughter. We had lunch at In and Out burger, a restaurant I've never been too. It was good and very reasonably priced. The Wednesday photos were from that trip. I certainly know where I need to go if I should need any bathroom aids as I age! The tree was in the The Palms mall area; an oleander, which I've learned is toxic, but so pretty!
The wind picked up that day and there was a lot of sand in the air. Happy hour was held in the enclosed area beside the clubhouse, and even there the wind felt cool. It was noisy overnight, as there are items hanging on the side of the park model that bang. It had calmed down slightly overnight, but I decided to forgo my walk in the morning, and caught up on some housework. I'd vacuumed the prior morning, so washed the floors. I also put together a casserole from leftovers in the fridge. Time is ticking down, and I want to use up as much as possible.
By Thursday, the wind had died down, but it was cloudy and cooler, just 17C (63F) at noon. I went to the clubhouse for coffee (in my case tea) and goodies in the morning. There were sign up sheets circulated for the Heritage dinner (Feb 22 - I was already signed up), for the women's luncheon (Feb 26), and St. Patrick's Day (I won't be here for that.) In fact, I have less than two weeks remaining here! Time does fly when one is having fun. That evening, I went to dinner at Olive Garden with the birthday gal L, and her husband G, and their park neighbour D. L and D were both nurses and worked together in their community in British Columbia.
I've spent the afternoons stitching on my cross-stitch project. I think I started it a couple of years ago, and I've a long way to go.
You sure have jumped in and integrated into the local community. That is pretty cool. Sounds like you are really enjoying your time. If you go home to nasty weather, life will seem so very slow!
ReplyDeleteSo far, the forecast for my return looks decent. At least for Saskatchewan, but that can change. I'm hoping it won't be frigid as it is now. My blood has thinned. :)
DeleteI just went back and read over your posts from when you left Canada to go down to Yuma. I'm interested in your costs, etc. as husband and I would like to rent some place for maybe a month in the southern states. We don't know anyone who goes to Arizona, so it's interesting to hear your details. You certainly don't have to say, but I'd love to know how much it costs per month where you are (I know different parks are different amounts...). Would you say your grocery costs are comparable to home? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteJust saying, a month won't be long enough. :) Especially after the brutal winter you've had.
DeleteWhew...you sure keep busy with projects and activities. I've knitted washcloths, though I do crochet; just never thought to crochet the cloths vs knitting them. Nice pattern. Bet you feel like you hit the lottery when you have a good day thrifting. Enjoy your last 2 wks, hope things slow down a bit for you.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
Thanks Sandy. The weekend has been quiet thus far, and it feels good to relax.
DeleteYou are staying busy!
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd be painting fence when I came down here. Social activities, yes. Didn't hurt me any though.
DeleteWhew is right! Will you return next year? It seems you've taken to the community experience like a duck to water! I'm curious as to why you can't drink the water, though. It's not on any municipal system, at a guess?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the remainder of your stay and PLEASE bring back some warm weather!
I'm not certain why we can't drink the water, but no one does. I believe if one had a filtration system, it can be used.
DeleteYes, I plan to come back next year...unless our borders are shut down.
I'll try very hard to bring home the warm weather. It's freezing cold back home. :)
Your holiday is quickly coming to an end. We will have some extremely cold weather for the next 4 days and then things begin to warm up here in Estevan and the city, so you may be coming back at a good time.
ReplyDeleteOf course one can never have too many patterns for knitting or crochet.
God bless.
Thanks Jackie! I needed the reinforcement regarding the patterns. :)
DeleteI love the oleanders too. There are a lot around us here.
ReplyDeleteThat is the sad part about being busy. Time flies too quickly but at least you are enjoying yourself.
Funny how we are saying that 17C is cool.
I know, it's -30C this morning at home, and I whine when it's below 20C here. Of course, I'm not dressed the same way I would be at home.
DeleteThe community atmosphere sounds wonderful! Hope these last two weeks are just as great as the previous!
ReplyDeleteIt truly is, Marie. The folks here have really built a community here, with people helping each other out as needed. Apparently it hasn't always been that way, but in the past 10 years there has been a lot of turnover of residents. There are still some grumpy old-timers here, but they tend not to engage with the rest. It's an interesting dynamic to observe.
DeleteI'm afraid it's still going to feel like the middle of January rather than March when you return!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you're right FG. We'll certainly have lots of snow on the ground. It's going to be a real adjustment.
DeleteI swear, reading your day is a nice as typing mine can be on occasion. Love your activity. You already know that!
ReplyDeleteThanks Carole! I've missed you, you haven't been here for awhile. :)
DeleteAs a born and raised Yuman I love reading your posts. I can usually picture where you at...like where you buy water. I believe the Yuma water is safe. It's just very hard and doesn't taste good. But my mother always drank Yuma water and she lived to be 90. We are out in Wellton and we have been advised by the Town to NOT drink the water. There are 3 water kiosks where we get water for free. Enjoy your last 2 weeks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Elva. That's an interesting fact about the water. I grew up on well water that had a lot of iron in it, and actually prefer the taste. I should give it a go here and see what the water actually tastes like - maybe it will be similar.
DeleteI'm hoping to return next year and spend more time exploring the area. This year has been about finding my place in the community and exploring nearby.
We spent some time in Yuma in an RV. I do remember the wind, there was a lot. Glad you've enjoyed your time there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Allison. I don't mind the wind as much as I mind the dust that comes with them. It's hard to keep my unit floors clean. :p
Delete