Yuma Holiday

Jan 2 saw most of us heading out. Some to the next stop at Wellton or Martinez Lake. We headed out in a different direction. Back toward Indio.

Jan 1, 2009 Our group has a tradition of going to the Chinese Buffet on New Year's Day. We had the back room and over 70 of us gathered to try and empty the buffet tables. We did a pretty good job of it too. There was a circle in the afternoon but we didn't host it. Instead we went to Lake Mittrey where our Boomer group was meeting. We arrived when all were gathered for their pot luck dinner. It was fun to get reacquainted with friends we hadn't seen in a couple of years. A campfire in the evening ended our day with the Wins.

Dec. 31 Bob finally got the windmill up. But the wind died at that precise moment and it hasn't turned at all. At 5 we all gathered to share finger foods and at 6:30 our party was moved to the VFW where we had more finger foods, socializing and dancing. At the first break for the band our very own Bagpipe Bob appeared and played.
We all got up to clap and march. More than half of the people there were the Win's and friends. One sad piece of news a dear Win friend passed away. Don Prouse lost his battle to a brain tumor. He will be missed.

Dec 28, 29, 30 More of the same happening. Dance lessons in the morning, dancing in the evening. Bob working on the wind generator. Us hosting by making announcement in the morning for activities during the day. Many are doing the Mexico run for dental work, some hiking and kayaking and a myriad of other activities. Campfires every evening. Busy, busy, busy.

Dec. 27 Dance classes continued. Bob is taking them while I rest for the evening dances. Ha...I did laundry for 2 hours and it just about killed my back. Did manage a little dancing. About 30 of us went to an rv park that had a great dance floor and music. Here are those at our table.

Dec 26. The start of week two with the Wins has found Bob and I being the hosts. We couldn't be late for hugs as we had to make the announcements. We started by announcing our annual "mini Dance Rally" where Judy teaches for 2 1/2 hours daily for 5 days. The VFW is most gracious and allows us to use their dance floor. Bob went to the dance classes. Others chose to go to Algodones. 9 of us went including me. Some went to dentists. Most of us bought drugs or alcohol. We went to lunch at the Rincon Our waiter spins the tray with one finger.
And I danced with our waiter.
Two of the fellows wanted to see the Green Door so I took them to it. It is a sports bar/brothel. While 5 of us stood in the 1hr 20 minutes customs line 4 of the men went back to the Green Door to watch the girls pole dance. Bob led the 4 o'clock circle as we didn't get back until almost 4:30. Nearly 40 of us went to the Moose Lodge for the fish fry and dancing. Then we headed for Micky B's for more dancing.

Christmas Day on the desert...After hugs those who wished to participate brought a present for a gift exchange. We were given numbers and when your number was called you could pick an unopened gift or steal one from someone who had opened a gift. Dale went first and had this lovely purse until the bitter end when he was able to steal from someone.We thought he should keep it and start a new trend. There was a bottle of Irish Cream that had to have changed hands over a dozen times. We ended up with a bottle of champagne and a jar of macadamian nuts. Then at 1 we all joined together for Christmas dinner at the VFW next door.
The post provided the ham and turkey, potatoes and gravy while the rest of us brought all sorts of other foods. We stood in line for 1/2 hour to get our plates filled. Had to have been 250-300 people there. The band played and we danced. There were around 70 Wins there. Circle was at 4 where Bob and I were introduced as the hosts for the second week of our gathering.

Christmas Eve...Bob started working on mounting our wind generator while I ran to the grocery store for last minute items for our pot luck. At 3 pm we all gathered for carna asada (grilled steak) and finger foods. This was followed by a talent show. Jokes, singing and recitations ending with our chorus. We took time out for refreshing ourselves then gathered for caroling around 3 campfires inside an oval.

While I was up on the hill taking a picture of the caroling I took a picture of our motorhome next to the blue kayaks.
We continued into the evening chatting then Bob came by with his bagpipe and played christmas carols and the God Bless America. Even if we cannot be with our families at this time we are with our adopted family of friends. Merry Christmas everyone.

Tuesday 12/23 We went on a 4 wheeling trip with a few of our group. The road quickly deteriorated and at one point the guys had to throw rocks into a washed out area for the cars to get thru. We went thru about 2 ' of water and mud near a railroad trestle. On the other side at Lagurda we went to the cafe. There were 11 of us. We headed back to Yuma on the nearby interstate and to the lawyers for more paper signing. In the evening we went out to the campfire and solved the problems of the world. It was decided that the government should give every adult American a million dollars so WE could turn the economy around. It would be less expensive than some of the plans that are coming out of our leaders mouths.

Monday 12/22 We got up very early as we had to have the motorhome for the refrigerator to be serviced. No problem but in order to keep the warranty it was a necessity. We left the mh parked there and went to our attorney to sign the papers for our Living trust. This binds us together more than a marriage certificate. Reparked the motorhome back at our spot and then ran more errands all afternoon. Late afternoon we went to the VFW for a little dancing and socializing.
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Wednesday 12/17 We drove in rain to Yuma. This is the second big storm this year. The other was at Thanksgiving. The flowers ought to be beautiful this spring. After getting more propane we headed for the Escapee park. We are #78 on the list to get a lot here. It will take about 8 years. Our future plans are to winter here and spend the summer at our lot in Showlow. That is if we are not traveling. We went to social hour at 4 and then played cards in the evening. Sure beats sitting around a cold campfire.

12/18 SUNSHINE! A beautiful day. Hi was in the low 60's but with the sunshine it feels warmer. We started the day with a short walk which made my hip hurt just enough so that when we went to our new doctor he could tell. He said at this point I do not need a new hip, gave me a cortizone shot and scripts for stronger pain med. We both need blood work and a followup visit in 4 weeks. We killed time at a nearby casino, I lost and Bob won. Then we met up with our WIN friends at Famous Dave's
. There were around 40 of us there and we took over their bar section filling about 7 booths and a table with some others sitting at the bar. Even the manager was put to work. About half of us went onto an rv park's single's dance with a live band. We stayed about 1 1/2 hours then my back gave out so we went home.

12/19 Moving day. We relocated to the VFW/BLM after getting our lab work and breakfast. We are with our WIN's group for the holidays. After settling in Bob went and bought a wind generator for our rig. After 3 days of limited sunshine in QZ and lots of wind he wants an alternative for power. Now we have solar, wind and diesel generator for power. We may never have to hook up to power again. :) Our group had it's first circle at 4 and it was so good to see old friends and meet new members.

12/20 Saturday we went to Algodones for our dental appointment. We both got a filling. Don't know what it costs on this side but in Mexico it was $50 a filling. We then had a bite to eat at our favorite restaurant and I danced with our favorite waiter briefly. Off shopping for my medication and our liquer before heading back to the border. I had forgotten our passports so Bob used his driver's license and birth certificate while I used the DL and my voter card. We were late for circle but got to hug more friends. There are 80 of us now squeezed in to this bit of BLM land. We went to the Moose Lodge and Mickey B's for some dancing.

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