Shoot, still in San Diego

 

Sunday, March 29, 09                                                                                                      Lorraine’s Blog

Well, another quiet week here at the Elk’s parking lot campground in San Diego. While I haven’t been doing very much, I’ve gone into the laboratories around here giving blood for testing, just about every day of the week. And Friday, my doctor, Dr. Brozinsky had some good news for me. On Tuesday, he tested for Hepatitis E. Hep E is a newer form of hepatitis that is in places like Mexico; that was found in the late 1980’s. The lab worker didn’t even have the procedure of how to run the test and had to call someone who did. It turns out I Do Not have Hepatitis E. The liver specialist my doctor was talking with thought that may have been why I went the way I did, turning yellow, yellow skin and eyes, orange pee etc. So now we are back to square one. My doctor talked to another liver specialist up the road and she thought it was my Celebrex.

My liver numbers were going down last weekend, then the beginning of the week they went back up, and by yesterday, they were starting to fall again. But the important thing I’ve noticed is, I feel like I turned a corner. I think I’m starting to feel a bit better. I was hungry all day yesterday, and my pee was starting to lighten, just a bit. And the pain in my gut and stomach is almost bearable. You have to remember, the doctor took me off all my prescriptions, no pain pills or anything except my thyroid and blood pressure, which he said I could start taking on Tuesday. It’s been a trial for me, and I’m ready to get on with our lives. I see my doctor on Monday morning and maybe if my numbers are still falling, he said he may release me. I’m hopeful.

So that’s it for me for now. If we get to leave, I think we are heading north to Palm Springs TT. I love that area and look forward to spending some time there. Till next time……..Lorraine

 

3/29/09                                                                                                                                Chuck’s Report

Well, as the title says, we are still in the San Diego area.  We moved from Thousand Trials Pio Pico to the Elks Lodge in Chula Vista.  This is a nice place except we are parked on asphalt at the edge of their parking lot.  We do have full hookups and can get cell and internet, that’s a plus.  There are about 20 spots here, about half are taken, the camp host told me they are full most of the time, this is their “quiet” period. 

Lorraine’s doctor wanted her to stay in the area for at least one more week.  They are running lots of tests, trying to eliminate what it ain’t.  So more blood tests for her, at least no cat scans or MRI.  She isn’t up to going or doing too much so we stick pretty close to the coach. 

A couple of times we’ve headed out for a car trip, once even stopped at a Casino for awhile but she’s just not up to doing more.  We’ve also had to do some shopping but that’s pretty much our excursions.  Another thing that may not be helping her get better is my “cooking.  So if you are feeling bad for her, add that to the list too.  They are serving breakfast at the lodge this morning, we may head there soon. 

So with that, we have spent another week.  Not a lot to write about and no pictures.   Once again, we hope to leave here on Tuesday, after a doctor’s visit on Monday of course.   If he lets us leave, we plan on heading to Palm Springs Thousand Trails for a week before we head for the Bay area.  If we have to stay in the area, we can stay here for another week. 

Thanks   Chuck

2nd week in San Diego

 

Sunday, March 22, 09                                                                                                         Lorraine’s Report

Another Sunday and Chuck handed me his computer for me to post.  We are still here at Pio Pico in San Diego. I got out of the hospital on Thursday afternoon, with directions from the doc to take it easy, don’t take any of my current medications except for my Thryoid pill and come back to see him on Monday in his office.  I must say this is taking longer to get over than I originally thought.  I’m still yellow tinged, my eyes are still yellow and my urine has not cleared.  I don’t know what else I can do to help me get better.  It still hurts to eat food, my stomach muscles are all sore and my whole mid section is bloated.  Off and on, I still get that terrible headache, only there’s not much I can take for it.  The doc said I could have Tylenol, 325mgX2 once every eight hours, that is all. It still  hurts to go to the bathroom, so I’ve been eating very little.  I’ve been trying to drink lots to flush my system out.  Tomorrow I go into the doc’s office for blood work and hopefully a release to leave the area.  If not, we will be staying for more testing; a liver biopsy and who knows what else.  The other doc said when he did surgery on Tuesday evening that he saw no cancer or blockage, so we do not know what this is.  They did talk about Hepatitus A, but the test came out negative; I’m wondering if they missed the window of it showing up. 

Yesterday, Saturday, Chuck took me for a long drive.  We went and found several RV Parks, should we have to stay here longer.  It was nice to get out.  I guess there’s not much else to talk about.  I appreciate everyone’s prayers and good wishes. Thank you all for all your kindnesses.  So until next time………..Lorraine

Following is an Email that Lorraine sent out while she was in the hospital this week.  

Hi all, 
Just wanted to up date everyone on what's been happening with me. I did have bronchitis, a urinary track infection, and this was the biggest problem. I'm currently in the hospital in Chula Vista, CA. Chuck took me to a specialist, Dr. Bronsky. He then took me for an ultra sound. Dr. Bronsky then sent me to the emergency room here in Chula Vista. I was entered into the hall in front of the office of the emergency room. Dr. Bronsky had another specialist, Dr. Mickhail, look at me. I then had an MRI. From the tests taken and blood work, Dr. Mickhail decided we should operate and check out my bile duct in my liver. I had surgery last night on what we hoped was stones in my liver, specifically the bile duct. All signs pointed to it being blocked by stones or something else. An operating room opened up and around 8 PM, I was in surgery. It went well, but no stones or other blockage, and he did open the bile duct further; no known reason for all my pain. I spent the night in the hospital.

I woke up this morning with no pain. My throat is sore from the camera going down to the liver. I was hungry, but all I could have was a clear liquid diet. They finally gave me food after my doc came in. It was 42 hours on clear liquid. But the doctor thinks we may have found the cause for my pain. I'm taking Celebrex for my arthritis, which I started again while we were in the bay area in December. The doctor said he had had a woman in his office whom he said did what i have just been through. He said I have to stop taking Celebrex NOW. Hopefully, this is the problem and it getting fixed. If my liver numbers keep dropping, hopefully, I'll be going home tomorrow.

Of all the places for my liver to stop working correctly, this happened in a good place. The doctors have been wonderful, the nurses and aides here have been wonderful. I'm so thankful for the initial walk in clinic doctor. She sat knee to knee with me and listened to all my symptoms. I'm grateful for the support of such a loving husband who supports me 100%.

So that's it for now. We still don't have cell or internet service at the campground at Pio Pica, that really sucks.

 

 

3/22/09                                                                                                                              Chuck’s Report

Happy first day of Spring, it’s raining here and in the mid 50s, not what I signed on for.  Guess I can’t complain too much, this may be the 5th time we’ve had rain since New Year’s day.  We expected it to be much warmer here for the past two weeks but still better than some area in the USA, that’s for sure.  We are still at the 1000 Trails park near San Diego, no cell phone or internet access unless we go to the lodge. 

On Monday, Lorraine had another doctor’s visit to see if they could figure out what’s going on.  They set her up to visit a gastroenterology specialist and get a cat scan on Tuesday.  When she met with the doctor, he set her up to go into the emergency room and have a MRI.  Between the doctor’s visit and the hospital, we had to return back to the coach and let Misty out.  Once we got to the hospital, they set her up for more blood work and the MRI.  The doctor also had a surgeon come by to check on her.

The emergency room here is very busy but they did a pretty good job of getting her going.  Once they started to fill out the paperwork for the MRI, they asked when she had last had anything to eat or drink.  Her doctor had told her she could have a light meal before going to the hospital but she only had some water.  They told her she would have to wait another 4 hours to have the MRI, lucky she hadn’t eaten anything.  Anyway, she had the MRI about 7 pm and they scheduled her for surgery following that. 

She got to the surgery room about 8 pm, was scheduled to last about an hour.  I had to return back to the coach to let Misty out once again and she was in the recovery room before I got back to the hospital.  The doctor said they didn’t find any stones (they were sure she had some but they didn’t show on the x-ray or MRI) or tumors.    I couldn’t see her until she got admitted to her room about 10:30 that night. 

Next day, the doctor came into her room for more consultation, reviewed her chart and tried to figure out what was wrong.  Her blood test showed her liver function was getting better (normal is around 15 – 20, hers was about 1900, lowered to 1500) and she wasn’t feeling pain in her liver anymore.  Doctor decided one of her medicine could be causing her problem, especially since she is allergic to sulfa or sulfur.  So she can’t take her Celebrex ever again.  I had read about this medicine before and it isn’t good for the heart or liver anyway so its a good thing she is off this one.  Doc said she could eat lightly, it was almost 40 hours since she had anything solid to eat and she was hungry. 

She stayed in the hospital until Thursday, they ran more test and still couldn’t find anything else.  So we pretty much just set in the coach, taking it easy.  Yesterday, I took her out for a drive in the area to let her see/do something.  Other than that, she has stuck pretty close to home and not able to do much.  Her skin color and eyes are still yellow but getting better, she says her pain level is manageable.    

This morning, I took her up to the lodge for breakfast, I’m not much of a cook.  I’ll add a couple of pictures here, just because. 

Jim/Annie, a very nice couple we met here.  I asked Jim if he would walk Misty for me while Lorraine was in the emergency room on Tuesday.  Of course, he said yes.  We are glad we met these nice folks.  Jim is a retired Military and Airline pilot. 

Territorial view between Yuma and here.

Bad picture of large rocks that make up some of the hills around here.

Lighthouse in the hills, not sure why as it is many miles from the ocean.

 

Some flowers along the road and the type of palm tree that Lorraine likes, not sure of their name however. 

So that’s another week.  We see her doctor tomorrow for more blood work and to see if we can leave the area on Tuesday.  If are able to leave, we will head towards Palm Springs for two weeks.  If we have to stay here, we checked out some other campgrounds that we could move to.  So lets all hope for the best, here’s hoping we head towards Palm Springs. 

Thanks   Chuck

We ended up in San Diego

Lorraine’s Report

Sunday, March 15, 09

Well, it finally happened, it wasn’t planned, and it was totally unexpected, and I find it totally unreal.  I got ill, not with just one thing, nor two, but three things at once.  I have bronchitis, a urinary track infection, and either a bladder infection, or I’m passing kidney stones.  I started feeling not well last Wednesday. 

We finished up our week in Yuma with a quiet day on Sunday; we cleaned up the coach and packed up to leave on Monday, I did laundry, and we went to dinner with Larry and Kathy and Joe and Alice.  We went back to Papagayous’ for Mexican.  It was very good, but I wasn’t very hungry. I took home over half of my dinner for lunch the next day. 

Monday was moving day, so we finished packing, saying our goodbyes to Larry and Kathy and then we were off.  We drove over to Pio Pico, a Thousand Trails park, here by San Diego, CA.  Actually it is about 15 miles or so out here in the hills.  It has sewer, water and 50 amps for power, but this park has NO phone service or internet, so we have to drive over to the main offices to get internet.  We got her by 3:30 or so and set up.  Monday night was spent quietly at home.

Tuesday was spent exploring the area.  Chuck and I took off around 11:00 am or so and drove down to the beach and toured the whole area, deciding what to do for our time here.  I left the camera home that day and missed some great pictures from around this area.  The flowers are blooming, i especially like the bright fuchsia colored ones that cover parts of the road side.  The boats at the harbor were great as were some of the homes.  We stopped by a Costco on the way home; we hadn’t been to one for several months. I returned the GPS we had bought there a year earlier; it kept trying to shut off;  they took it back and we bought another Nuvi.   We came home and i fixed us dinner. 

Wednesday, Chuck said we needed a day to rest since I wasn’t feeling all that well.  We spent a very quiet day home.

Thursday we got up and I told Chuck I thought I should go to a walk in clinic.  I was feeling worse.  We stopped at the guard shack and they gave us the name and address of a walk in clinic close by.  So in we go.  We got there and I filled out the paper work and waited.  The doctor saw me within a half hour to forty five minute wait.  I described what was happening.  She listened and then started the tests.  I had an EKG, blood work, urine test and they gave me an oxygen treatment since my oxygen was low.  She then sent me for a chest x-ray  and a stomach x-ray.  It was their lunch hour, so I had to return after.  She put me on a strong anti-biotic, only one a day, and said I had to return the next day. 

Friday, we headed back.  That’s when the doctor told me what was happening with me. They gave me an inhaler to help with the bronchitis, and to keep drinking plenty of fluids. She wants me to go back on Monday, for another follow up.  Now I know that on the road, where ever you are, you can find compassionate and competent doctors who care how you are doing.

Since it was so early, Chuck had the car washed and then we went to Viejas Casino for a couple of hours.  I had some luck, then we headed home.  Another quiet evening reading and watching movies.

Saturday and Sunday mornings TT has breakfast here at the park.  We went and ate a delicious breakfast, came back and then went to the Adult Lounge to read our e-mail.   

That was our week.  I must say it hurts when I eat and again when I have to go to the bathroom, and I have a headache that won’t end.  I sure will be glad to get over this and feel better again.  I hate being ill.  At least the weather is okay, although it is a lot colder here than Yuma, and it got down to freezing one night here.  I’m looking forward to seeing some of the sights here in San Diego. 

Till next time, see you down the road.   Lorraine

 

Chuck’s Report                                                                                                                          3/15/09

Last week we weren’t sure where we would end up for this week, it would be based on if Susy and her family could meet up with us.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t break free and meet us so we headed for Pio Pico, a Thousand Trails park about 15 miles East of San Diego. 

This is a nice park, we have full hookup with 50 amp; however we are in the hills, without any cell phone or internet access.  There is a couple of spots, if you stand in the correct area, on one leg and hold your left arm out at a 45% angle, you can get limited cell phone.  They do have wi-fi in the adult lodge  but it’s about dial-up speed.  So unless we head into town where we can get cell phone or head over to log on, we are pretty much out of touch.  We do have good, Southern exposure for our satellite TV reception so we can watch TV.  The weather is a bit cooler than normal, not quite shorts and tee shirt but close.  We did have a bit of a freeze on Wednesday morning but as soon as the sun came out, it warmed up again.  I hear the forecast is for warmer weather next week, we’ll take it. 

So, without cell phone or internet, we have been able to get caught up on our reading.  They have a good sized book exchange plus there are lots of squirrels and rabbits for Misty to chase.  The swimming pools are open, they have some pool tables too but we haven’t done either of them yet. 

We planned on being here for two weeks, so on Tuesday we just explored the San Diego area by car.  Lorraine hadn’t been feeling up to par so we took it easy on Wednesday, hoping a day off would make her feel better.  But on Thursday she still wasn’t feeling well so we headed to a walk in clinic.  She had some tests and was scheduled to return on Friday for the results.  I’m sure she will go into more on this but the short of it is, we stuck pretty close to home as she doesn’t have much stamina.  She is wanting to go but we will wait until she feels better before we do much exploring.   

So, that makes for a short report and the only pictures are of the drive from Yuma to here.   Most of the pictures don’t need any caption, they are just scenery of the drive over.

 

There are lots of different crops being grown in Yuma.  They just finished with the lettuce harvest, not sure what all the other crops are.

 

 

  Lots of rocks in these hills.  I’m sure there are some snakes there too but we didn’t go snake hunting, that’s for sure. 

Our last week in Yuma for this year

 

Sunday, March 8, 09                                                                                                     Lorraine’s Report

This is our final day in Yuma, AZ, and what a great time we’ve had here. We’ve seen friends come and go, we’ve gone to Mexico for dental cleaning, we’ve been to see the Yuma lights twice, we have had dinners out, barbeques, the swap meet for shopping and just a really nice time. When I think about the family and friends back home and how cold it still is, it’s hard to believe that for the last week in February and the first week in March, the temperature was into the mid ninety’s. That may have been the best weather we will see for the whole time we are in Alaska for the summer.

Sunday was a quiet day for us. I was tired, as was Chuck, so we spent the day home, sitting out in the shade, watching TV and reading. We took TJ and Sharon to dinner to the Cracker Barrel, since they were leaving Tuesday morning to head over to Phoenix to visit family and friends.

Monday was another warm day, and we went to Yuma Prison State Park with Joe and Alice. The museum and movie about the prison was very interesting We went to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant Joe and Alice know, it was good, and we had a great outing.

Tuesday, TJ and Sharon left by 10 am. We had made plans to go to Felicity, which is called the Center of the World, with Joe and Alice. It was very interesting, and we took a lot of pictures. We all decided to go to the new casino, Quechan, since it was early and still so warm. Chuck came out ahead, as did Joe and I. Alice had no luck. We then stopped by the In and Out for burgers. Another great day!

Wednesday was clean house and do our running day. Kathy and Larry invited us to go to the Chinese Buffet place for dinner, which we did. Also, we got mail that day, so we had some business to attend to.

Thursday, Chuck took his prescription into Wal-Mart for refills. We had several other things to get at the Swap Meet, so we went there for a couple of hours. It was still hot out so again we went by the new casino. We stayed only an hour or so, the spent the evening home watching TV.

Friday found the temperature down around ten to fifteen degrees, from the mid 80’s to 90’s, to just into the 70’s. We tried to spend the afternoon outside reading, but I had to come in and warm up, the wind was blowing and it was chilly. I can’t believe I’m used to the temperature being in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. I know, it’s a dry heat, but it still gets hot.

Friday the Pow Wow, which is why we stayed in Yuma another week, started at 7 pm, or so we thought. Larry, Kathy, Chuck and I went out to the grounds about 45 minutes before it was suppose to start. We were surprised to find very few people there with not much set up. The Grand Entry was set for 7 pm, but didn’t start until 8 pm. Usually the colors are presented before any dancing starts, but it didn’t happen here. And the biggest surprise was that there were no male dancers in their regalia and no drummers, while we were there. It was so cold and very windy, Kathy and I brought only our sweatshirts and we froze. We left by 8 pm. That was Larry and Kathy’s first Pow Wow and I was disappointed for them and for us.

But I didn’t let that deter me from going back with Joe and Alice on Saturday. But first they asked us to go to the Swap Meet with them, so we did. We stopped by the Peanut Patch for ice cream cones. Then we headed back out to see if things improved at the Pow Wow. It did. We spent a wonderful afternoon listening to the singing and drumming. The swirling colors, the regalia, and the beading were spectacular. The dancers were tall and handsome and the gals were very pretty in their beautiful outfits. We ate Indian Tacos which were really good. Too soon it was time to leave. We had to get home to let Misty, our dog out. We spent a quiet evening home watching TV.

So here we are, it’s Sunday and Joe and Alice asked us to go back to Mexico with them. I’m not sure if we will go. We have to pack up stuff here in the motor home and car and get ready to leave tomorrow.

I want to say “Thank You” again to TJ and Sharon for letting us come into their lives and spend the time here on their beautiful lot.

I also want to wish Corliss and Phil a very “Happy Birthday” Hope it’s a happy day for you.

That was our week. I hope this finds you all healthy, and life is treating well. Till next time……Lorraine

 

3/8/09                                                                                                                               Chuck’s Report

Boy, almost can’t believe we’ve been in Yuma this long and are almost ready to leave tomorrow.  This year we first came to Yuma in late January before we went to Mexico for a week.  We have met with old friends, made new friends, learned how to play Pegs and Jokers, seen the area and mostly just enjoyed ourselves in this wonderful weather.  It will be hard to leave but is is starting to get a bit hot on some days, I know we don’t want to be here when it gets into the 90s or better everyday. 

One of the area attractions we wanted to visit while here is the Yuma Territorial Prison.  I know everyone has seen it in movies and such, on of the best being “There was a crooked man” with Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas.  So on Monday we met up with Joe/Alice and headed out to set this.  There is a small fee to enter the area, lots of the building have been torn down, some have been preserved as movie sets, some as it was back when and has a museum with information about the prisoners that had been there.  All in all, this was a nice way to spend part of an afternoon. 

  Yep, that’s us just outside the Yuma Prison.  Notice the desert in background, would have been hard to escape this place, yet lots tried and some succeeded. 

Joe/Alice at same spot. 

That’s the Colorado river just outside the prison.  This was one of the first places in Arizona to have electric power. 

A picture of one of the flowers on a cactus at the prison. 

Yep, they got Joe and me where we probably belong. 

Here is Alice and Lorraine standing in front of a flowering bush.

One of the 6 man cells they kept prisoners in.  I don’t even want to think about that white pot in the middle.  Makes empting our holding tanks a little less of a bother.

Here is where they sent the prisoners when they “broke” a rule.  Its a small hole, cut out of the rock with a vent hole that the guards used to drop in rattlesnakes and spiders.  Nice folks both inside and working here.  They said the most every in here at one time was 14, it’s about 8’ x 10’ with no furnishing.  At least it wasn’t as hot inside, out of the sun and lots of rock around them. 

Tuesday TJ/Sharon left to visit with family and friends in the Phoenix area.  They told us we could stay on their lot even though they weren’t here.  We sure liked getting to know them much better that when we first got here, too bad we will leave before they get back.  Maybe we will see them back in Washington this spring.  Thanks for letting us stay with you on your beautiful lot here in Yuma.   So far, if we decided to buy a RV lot, it would be here in the foothill of Yuma where yours is, what a nice area. 

After they left, we met up with Joe/Alice once again, this time to head to a small town to the West of us called Felicity.  They have somehow been designated as the center of the world, they have the paperwork to prove it.  There is a small pyramid  with a plaque inside and they give you a certificate to prove you have been there, too.  They also have about 10 granite monuments that cover a multitude of things, from the French Foreign Legion, to the history of flight, history of mankind, history of California and Arizona but most of them are still blank, to be filled in later.  Its kind of hooky but glad we went, just the same.  Its right off the freeway and most people just pass it by, never even knowing they are that close to the center of the world, ha.

Another blooming cactus, this one in Felicity, California.

Joe/Alice just outside the pyramid at the center of the world. 

A different sun dial, seems to be pointing a Joe, huh. 

This is the point, with a plaque, to prove we were at the center of the world.  This is inside the pyramid.  That’s Lorraine on the top (North), Joe on the bottom (South), Alice on the right (East) and me on the right (West). 

They have a new,nice church on site.

This a picture, taken through one of the windows on the North side, of the stained glass window on the south side of the Church. 

Anyone who has been in Yuma will recognize these painted tanks right off the freeway. 

Wednesday was a quiet day, we went to dinner with Larry/Kathy, neighbors of TJ/Sharon’s.  Nice folks who we enjoyed getting to know. 

Kathy/Larry at TJ’s lot.  They just retired last year, built a small house here in Yuma and will be traveling in their new 5th wheel during the summer months.  Larry actually grew up in Bellingham but he mostly lived in California.

Thursday was another day to go to the local Yuma Swap Meet, Lorraine had a couple of things she wanted to pick up.  Afterwards we stopped in at the new Indian Casino for a couple of hours. 

Friday and Saturday we went to the Indian Pow Wow.  This is the biggest reason we stayed another week in this area.  On Friday night we went there with Larry/Kathy and we were pretty disappointed in it.  There weren’t any drummers, very few dancers and they were very disorganized.  We were glad we got there before they started charging any money.  We set around in the cold wind (must have been in the low 60s with 15 MPH wind) for about an hour then decided to leave.  On Saturday we again met with Joe/Alice, went to the Swap Meet for the last (I hope) time and then headed out to the Pow Wow.  I must admit, I didn’t want to go, it was so bad on Friday night.  But on Saturday it was good, they had about 6 groups singing ,with drums, and 50 or so dancers.  We set out in the sun but otherwise it was a nice time.  I was glad it wasn’t like the Friday night as there was a car show in Yuma that I could have gone too instead.  Following are some pictures Lorraine took during the Pow Wow. 

 

So that brings us up to Sunday, the end of our week’s report.  We aren’t sure if we are going back to the Pow Wow with Joe/Alice this afternoon or not.  As this is our last day here, we also need to pack up and get ready to move out on Monday morning.   With all the “stuff” from Mexico and the swap meet, it may take awhile to find a place for everything and get everything in its place. 

At this time, we are planning on going to San Diego for the next two weeks.  That might change as we invited Susy, Mark and Kaitlyn to meet us either in San Diego or Palm Springs.  We are open to either, if they will meet with us, we will head to where they would like to be.  So we don’t even know where we will be tomorrow, what a life.  We haven’t been to San Diego for a long time and we like Palm Springs area, a winner no matter where we go, I’d say, especially if we can meet up with Susy, Mark and Kaitlyn!

So that’s it for now from the ones who don’t even know where they are headed.  We set our plans in Jell-O sometime and that’s fun for us, we know that’s not for everyone though.  I remember once Lorraine and I went to Atlanta with a co-worker and his wife.  They were uncomfortable because we didn’t have reservations for the first night.  Even though all turned out great, I bet they don’t travel without making reservations for each night to this day.  See Steve, I didn’t even say it was you, ha, remember the fried cheesecake?

So till next time -----  Chuck 

Quieter week in Yuma

 

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Lorraine’s Report

Another week, another blog for me to write. Well, there’s not too much new here. We are still here in Yuma, AZ. The weather has been hot, into the mid 80’s during the day and probably the 50’s to 60’s at night. The first day we had to put on shorts and tank tops, we opened all the windows and turned on the fans. It was incredibly warm for us. This week it’s supposed to get into the 90’s; I find this hard to believe. This is February, and it’s still winter for most of the country. I know the folks back home had seven inches of snow and it was 30 degrees out side this week. The days here are hot and lazy.

Monday, Dave and Sandy drove over to visit us from Phoenix, AZ. We had a wonderful time; we just sat outside here with Sharon and TJ and visited. We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch; too soon it was time for them to go. We don’t know when we will see them again. They are headed to Red Bay, Alabama for work on their coach. Eventually, they will head home to Minnesota. Thank you for coming to visit, we will miss you guys.

After they dropped us home and left, Sharon and TJ and Kathy and Larry had the pegs and jokers board set up, so we played that game until dark. Thanks guys, a fun time was had by all.

Tuesday, we went to the new casino, Quechan, on the way to Mexico, with Joe and Alice and their friends. We enjoyed the buffet, really good food for a casino just opening two weeks ago. When we got home, we were invited over to Kathy and Larry’s for his very colorful campfire. He’s put copper pipe with holes in the pipe, and rubber hose. It makes the fire turn incredible colors. I couldn’t get a good picture of it, but I tried.

Wednesday, we had some running to do. Then at 4pm, we met up with Joe and Alice and nine other of their friends and went back out to the Yuma lights. We brought food and had a hot dog feed, then waited for the lights. There must have been around 30 to 40 other cars full of people there to watch for the lights. One guy almost hit Alice with his car, trying to get one of the big fire circles. That night was very warm, the light breeze was warm and the stars were beautiful. The lights came out, but not as impressive as they were the first time we went this year.

Thursday, our friends, Jag and Bev from Ottawa, Canada came over to visit us before I went for my hair appointment. They had spent the winter down by Cabo San Lucas. It sounded like they had a wonderful adventure.

I made an appointment to have my hair colored. I ended up at a place called Cost Cutters. I thought it was very close to where we are parked. It turned out to be twelve miles away and I was late. But the young man said no problem, and did my hair anyway. Well, this isn’t the best color I have had, but I know it will need to be colored again in about four weeks.

When I got home Sharon had made dinner for us all. She fixed wonderful fajitas with beans and rice, and had strawberry margaritas for us to start; and I brought out the rest of the fruit salad and lemon cake I had taken to the Yuma lights. Good food, good friends, thank you Sharon. Then we all went to play pegs and jokers with a group of their friends who lived in and around the Puget Sound. There were three tables of six each. It was my first time on my own. My goodness, those guys were vicious, they ended up winning.

Friday we went back to the Swap Meet for things we decided on getting. It was very crowded when we arrived, but our car was the only one left where we parked it by 2:30.

When we got home, Sharon invited us to have dinner again with them. She had made pork steak, potatoes and carrots in her crock pot. It was delicious. Thank you again, Sharon. I told her I would cook for her on Saturday. Again we played pegs and jokers.

Saturday, I slept in; I hadn’t been sleeping very well this past week. After a lazy morning, Chuck and I decided to go to Cocopah Casino for a couple of hours. When we got home we sat out and visited with TJ and Sharon. I then went in to start dinner. We had steaks, which TJ grilled on the barbeque, thank you TJ; they were delicious, I made fried potatoes and onions and we had fresh pineapple and grapes. Dessert was fresh chocolate chip cookies.

After dinner, Chuck and I taught them to play 10,000. It’s a fast, easy game to play and most of the time doesn’t take too long, and any number can play.

So that was our week. Sharon and TJ are planning on leaving here Monday or so, they want to go visit with family and friends. We will be gone when they come back. I will miss all their company, their many kindnesses and being with good friends. Thank you again Sharon and TJ for letting us come into your lives and sharing a bit of our time with you. You guys are the best!

Till next time, I’ll see you sometime down the road……Lorraine

3/1/09                 

Chuck’s Report

This was a quiet week for us, one we have been looking forward to having.  It is great to be retired and not have much on our schedule. 

Sunday, TJ/Sharon and their neighbors, Larry/Kathy went four wheeling for a few hours.  While they were gone, Lorraine prepared a dinner for all of us, pork steak in mushroom gravy, cooked in the slow cooker. 

On Monday, our friends from Minnesota, Dave/Sandy, came down from Phoenix to visit for a portion of the day.  They traveled over 200 miles ONE WAY to visit with us.  Sandy had just returned from a quick trip to Minnesota, leaving Dave to play bachelor for a few day, all alone in their motorhome.  We had a very good visit with them, went to lunch and wished them a safe travel back to their motorhome.  And we were glad to hear the family and friend medical problems are looking somewhat better.

We met them about one year ago and they have become very good friends already.  We don’t know when our paths will cross again but I’m sure they will.  I have mentioned before how many folks we have met in the past 18 months who will become life-long friends and I count these two in that group, they are good folks.  Dave/Sandy, thanks for driving over 400 miles to see us, looking forward to seeing you next time, whenever, wherever that may be. 

Dave and Sandy at lunch with us, good friends.  Dave has a picture in his blog of a ~2 foot rattlesnake close to their motorhome.   Sandy had just walked by that area and didn’t see it,if it was there.  Be careful out there guys.

There has been enough rain this winter to allow the desert to green up and start flowering.  We are having warm to hot temperatures during the daytime (high 70s to high 80s).  We hear it snowed again back in Bellingham, about 7” in places.  Sorry to hear that but we sure like this weather.

Hard to see but there are lots of purple flowers out in the desert.

Even the cactus are blooming, this one has red flowers on the tips.

Another Arizona sunset.

Tuesday Lorraine and I met Joe/Alice at a new casino where we had a a good buffet dinner.  Afterward, we were invited over to Larry/Kathy’s for a campfire.  Larry put a copper pipe with a piece of garden hose in it in the fire pit, it creates lots of colors, from greens to blues.  We set around and enjoyed the fire and good company with Larry/Kathy and TJ/Sharon.  The following pictures don’t do the colors justice but show some color. 

 

Wednesday afternoon we went back to see the Yuma lights once again.  We met up with Joe/Alice and some of their friends.  This is the third time we have traveled out to see these, the first time (last year) we were the only ones there, a week ago there was another group who came in after us but this time there were about 6 different groups, maybe 30 cars all together.  We had a good time visiting, cooked hot dogs then waited for it to get dark and the light show to begin.  It did get dark but the light show didn’t thrill us, we saw lights maybe three times and very faint at that.  We had a good time but were really disappointed in the lack of lights this time. 

Most of our group shown here, notice the two other groups in the back.  Lots of folks came out this day.

Joe doing a good job as head chef on the grill.  Thanks Joe, good job. 

Thursday Jag/Bev, our friends from Ottawa, came over to TJ/Sharon’s lot where we are staying and we had a good visit with them.  We first met them last year when they came to visit with our group at Quartzsite and again at Red Bay, Alabama.  They told us about their just completed three month trip to Baja.  They were with a caravan on the way down and back only, the rest of the time they were on their own.  I had followed along with their blog but listening to them sure reinforced the good time they had.  They are leaving here today, good travels to you and looking forward to our next visit down the road.  Jag has built his own web page and has one of the better blogs with great pictures. 

Jag and Bev at TJ/Sharon’s lot.  They sure seem to have good adventures wherever they travel.

Lorraine had to leave while they were here because she had a hair appointment that morning.  I’m sure she will give more info on that but I will say it turned out nice again.  I should have taken a picture but forgot, shoot.  After Lorraine got home, Sharon invited us to dinner, she had made fajitas for us.  

After dinner we went to TJ/Sharon to a nearby RV park where they play Pegs and Jokers on Thursday night.  There were about 18 people there so we split up into three groups of six.  We had a good time playing cards with this group, they were lots of fun.  Even though we are relative newbies to this game, I think we managed to play ok.  One of the gals, Diana,  playing was in the Hospital Auxiliary with Lorraine many years ago in Bellingham, its a small world. 

Friday we headed back to the Yuma swap meet, we wanted to pick up a few things.  We stopped off at the Super Wal-Mart on the way back and got a few supplies for the house too.  Once again, Sharon surprised us with a good dinner.  She had made pork steak, potatoes, carrots and gravy, um, um, good.  

Saturday, Lorraine and I went to another local casino for a couple of hours.  Lorraine was planning to cook dinner for TJ/Sharon so when we got home, she started getting things ready.  Lorraine made fried potatoes, a fruit salad and fresh, hot, chocolate chip cookies for dessert  Meanwhile, I pawned off the job of cooking the steaks to TJ, who did an excellent job.  Once again, um, um, good.  I’m watching my figure and its getting out where I can see it again.  What with all this good cooking going on, I’d better start taking Misty for longer walks.

During the week we managed to get a few games of Pegs and Jokers in with TJ/Sharon.  Sharon must be thinking we know what we are doing as she “hacks’ me off every chance she gets.  We sure have fun with them, sometimes the laughter goes beyond the boundary of their lot.  Saturday night, Lorraine wanted to play a dice game, called 10,000, with them.  Sharon won the first game, the second was a “no contest” because she got  5,000 points before everyone got on the board.  She was sure rolling those dice. 

We got one bit of bad news this week.  One of the original foreman at the refinery, Andy (Leroy) Anderson, passed away.  He and his wife, Shirley, and their son Brian, who I worked with at the refinery also, have become good friends of ours.  Sorry to hear about Andy’s passing, your family is in our prayers.  As the old Irish saying goes, “May you be in Heaven two days before the devil knows you’ve passed”, or something like that.  Bye Andy, you were one of the good ones and will be missed. 

That brings us up to date for this week. a quiet week.  We have had good meals, good games and good times with lots of friends, just what we wanted.  We had been planning on leaving Yuma this week but Lorraine found out about an event going on here this week so we are staying for one more week, more on that during next week’s report.  So until then - - - -

Thanks   Chuck