I finally finished the cross stitch project that has consumed so much of my time the last week or so. It was around 1 PM when I finally took it apart from the frame and washed it with Goop, pressed and dried it between towels and headed to Michael's to take advantage of the huge custom framing sale that ended yesterday. I have the same gentleman - Howard - doing this one that has done the last three of my projects and does such a great job. The 60% plus 20% sale was significant and I saved over $350 on the frame and materials. I'll get a photo of the final product around the middle of December when I pick up the piece. Next year, I will plan better and have my project done earlier.
I can now concentrate on the Christmas decorations that need to be set up outside. We will do mostly just lights this year and not set up the tree that Josie made last year. The problem we had with the tree was the effect that the winds had on the garland and the cone itself. It was a challenge last year keeping the tree upright. We also have decorations that will be set up inside the fifth wheel in our windows and around the inside.
Another nice thing about this time of the year is the almost constant Christmas programming on the Hallmark Channel that we love to watch each season. The movies are terrific and are all about the holiday season. We copy most of the shows and watch them at night when nothing else is good on TV. 'Tis the season to be jolly...
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Black Friday Experience
We were up early and out the door by 6:15 AM for our Black Friday shopping trip. We started with a stop at the Sam's Club in Surprise. When we arrived at just before 6:45 for the 7 AM opening, there were already about 100 people in the line. The Sam's Club employees were very considerate. They were walking down the line asking shoppers what item(s) they were interested in, and they were pointing out the location inside the store where they could be found. They also passed out flyer's with all the sale items listed. Josie was afraid that all the people in line were after the same item she wanted - the Cuisinart cookware set - so she was concerned.
The doors opened at 7 AM and we went directly to the area where our item was located and there was as a stack of about 50 of them. No problem. We then walked around to check out other deals before checking out and heading to Costco for our other items.
Costco didn't have more than about 25 or so people in line at 7:45 AM. We thought they were going to open at 8 AM, so we waited. Folks standing in line around us also thought it was going to open at 8 AM. Wrong. It turned out that 9 AM was the opening, so we walked away from the line and went to the local Denny's for breakfast. When we returned at 9 AM, the doors were open and no line was present. We got our items there and left. Following a car wash at Costco, we returned home at about 11 AM. That about summarizes our Black Friday experience. We both forgot our phones, and therefore, our cameras, so no photos were taken of our experience.
We watched Austin's game against Northern Illinois for the MAC conference lead and thought they were going to win their seventh straight game - until the second half which began with WMU leading 21-7. The NIU defense completely shut down WMU's offense and the game finished at 31-21 in favor of NIU. Austin was hurt on the final play of the game where he was drilled by an NIU player and hurt his hip. Patty said he received a shot from the team doctor and came home with them for the weekend. We hope he is OK and will be well enough to play in the team's bowl game - to be announced at their banquet next Sunday in Kalamazoo. What a great turnaround and great season for his team this year. They went from 1-11 last year to 8-4 this year, and will only get better for next year.
That was the extent of our Black Friday. Josie goes to work today and I will - finally - complete my cross stitch project and take it to Michael's for framing. Somehow, we will also get the Christmas decorations set up over the weekend...
The doors opened at 7 AM and we went directly to the area where our item was located and there was as a stack of about 50 of them. No problem. We then walked around to check out other deals before checking out and heading to Costco for our other items.
Costco didn't have more than about 25 or so people in line at 7:45 AM. We thought they were going to open at 8 AM, so we waited. Folks standing in line around us also thought it was going to open at 8 AM. Wrong. It turned out that 9 AM was the opening, so we walked away from the line and went to the local Denny's for breakfast. When we returned at 9 AM, the doors were open and no line was present. We got our items there and left. Following a car wash at Costco, we returned home at about 11 AM. That about summarizes our Black Friday experience. We both forgot our phones, and therefore, our cameras, so no photos were taken of our experience.
We watched Austin's game against Northern Illinois for the MAC conference lead and thought they were going to win their seventh straight game - until the second half which began with WMU leading 21-7. The NIU defense completely shut down WMU's offense and the game finished at 31-21 in favor of NIU. Austin was hurt on the final play of the game where he was drilled by an NIU player and hurt his hip. Patty said he received a shot from the team doctor and came home with them for the weekend. We hope he is OK and will be well enough to play in the team's bowl game - to be announced at their banquet next Sunday in Kalamazoo. What a great turnaround and great season for his team this year. They went from 1-11 last year to 8-4 this year, and will only get better for next year.
That was the extent of our Black Friday. Josie goes to work today and I will - finally - complete my cross stitch project and take it to Michael's for framing. Somehow, we will also get the Christmas decorations set up over the weekend...
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thanksgiving Dinner 2014
We left a little early to drive to Brian and Amy's for Thanksgiving dinner. There was a home that was available for rent just off of Carefree Highway close to their house, so we did a drive-by to check out the possibilities. It was a very nice home, on over 1 acre of property with a nice swimming pool and private backyard. The problems we had though were that it was pretty far off the main road (2 miles), the final block leading to the home was a dirt road and finally, the grounds were not in good shape and we could see that much of the property had been neglected. Anyway, there wasn't a reason to follow up on it with the agent.
We arrived at the Reeds' residence just before 3 PM and enjoyed a nice afternoon of conversation and watching the football game on TV outside on the patio. The dinner was excellent, as always, and there was probably enough food to feed a group twice the size as ours. Here is a good shot of our group:
Amy took the picture for us so that is why she isn't in the photo. Then, there is this shot of Jesse and Jason doing marshmallows in the firepit next to the pool:
It was a fun time and as always it was great to see everybody.
We are ready for our Black Friday excursion to Sam's Club to pick up a great deal on Cuisinart cookware. It's hard to believe that we are going to Sam's Club at 6 AM in the morning the day after Thanksgiving. Oh well, We'll get an early start on Christmas...
We arrived at the Reeds' residence just before 3 PM and enjoyed a nice afternoon of conversation and watching the football game on TV outside on the patio. The dinner was excellent, as always, and there was probably enough food to feed a group twice the size as ours. Here is a good shot of our group:
Amy took the picture for us so that is why she isn't in the photo. Then, there is this shot of Jesse and Jason doing marshmallows in the firepit next to the pool:
It was a fun time and as always it was great to see everybody.
We are ready for our Black Friday excursion to Sam's Club to pick up a great deal on Cuisinart cookware. It's hard to believe that we are going to Sam's Club at 6 AM in the morning the day after Thanksgiving. Oh well, We'll get an early start on Christmas...
Thursday, November 27, 2014
All Set for Turkey Day
The frustration set in for me yesterday as I haven't finished my project yet after spending most of the last three days working on the thing. It is a difficult cross stitch, but the real problem is I waited too long to work on it in order to get it done in plenty of time for the framing sale at Michael's. I will still finish it in time for the sale, but it will be a last minute trip to Michael's on Friday or Saturday.
Josie was home early for the second consecutive day this week which is unusual for a holiday schedule. Even though the business was a bit better this year, it is still way down from the pre-downturn days. It's tough owning a floral business these days.
It's not very often - in fact, I can't ever remember - putting together a list for the Black Friday shopping days. This year, we will participate in the frenzy by going to Sam's Club early on Friday to buy a couple items. Speaking of Sam's Club, I received a call yesterday from the Union Hills store asking me to come into the store on Monday for an interview. I wouldn't mind working there at all, so I hope the job and terms are suitable if I receive an offer.
We are looking forward to a fun time at Brian and Amy's house today and look forward to seeing everybody.
Josie was home early for the second consecutive day this week which is unusual for a holiday schedule. Even though the business was a bit better this year, it is still way down from the pre-downturn days. It's tough owning a floral business these days.
It's not very often - in fact, I can't ever remember - putting together a list for the Black Friday shopping days. This year, we will participate in the frenzy by going to Sam's Club early on Friday to buy a couple items. Speaking of Sam's Club, I received a call yesterday from the Union Hills store asking me to come into the store on Monday for an interview. I wouldn't mind working there at all, so I hope the job and terms are suitable if I receive an offer.
We are looking forward to a fun time at Brian and Amy's house today and look forward to seeing everybody.
Have a great Thanksgiving everybody!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Getting Ready for Holidays
We say this every year, but it is true - Christmas comes earlier every year. Usually, it is Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend that kicks off the Christmas season but sales, decorations and even the music have begun already. In fact, I heard Christmas songs on TV over the weekend. I will say though, that we have followed the store offerings for the Black Friday store sales more than at any other time. I'm not sure if it is an earlier start to the season or just more blanket coverage for the big stores. Whatever it is, it seems to be working. I'm still going full speed ahead to finish my cross stitch to take advantage of the Michael's custom framing sale which runs through Saturday.
Josie took her chili to work yesterday and everybody loved it. At least, they ate all of it which says a lot since she took a crockpot full and brought it home empty. She left work a little early which indicates either they are super efficient with the orders or the business is still down from the economic downturn. It may be a little of both.
There is an auto show - the annual new car show - this weekend at the Convention Center in Phoenix. We went last year and thought it was pretty much a waste of time, but we are interested in looking at options to replace our truck and smaller Jeep. We are thinking of a Grand Cherokee, but might want to make sure by looking at all options. We'll see.
In the meantime, I will be cranking away on my project which is taking longer than I thought. I need to get it done soon so that I can concentrate on other things...
Josie took her chili to work yesterday and everybody loved it. At least, they ate all of it which says a lot since she took a crockpot full and brought it home empty. She left work a little early which indicates either they are super efficient with the orders or the business is still down from the economic downturn. It may be a little of both.
There is an auto show - the annual new car show - this weekend at the Convention Center in Phoenix. We went last year and thought it was pretty much a waste of time, but we are interested in looking at options to replace our truck and smaller Jeep. We are thinking of a Grand Cherokee, but might want to make sure by looking at all options. We'll see.
In the meantime, I will be cranking away on my project which is taking longer than I thought. I need to get it done soon so that I can concentrate on other things...
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Component Ads
I put together a couple online ads for the equipment we removed from our entertainment "cabinet" in the bedroom that the TV guy emptied. Our DirectV receiver is now in the living room - where it belongs - and the old equipment that was used for our surround sound system and DVD carousel player is now available for sale. Of course, it is over 6 years old and considered old technology, so the prices are very low. If I don't get any interest from the ads, I will take the equipment to Goodwill and take a tax deduction for the donation. It's unfortunate that when they were new in 2008 they were worth hundreds of dollars, but today I would be lucky to get $150 for both of them.
Josie was busy at work doing Thanksgiving arrangements. We went to the store last night to pick up ingredients for her chili which she made to take into work today. I guess everybody helps with providing goodies for lunch during the holiday work seasons. She is also baking some corn bread this morning before going to work. I get to try a little bit of each for lunch today.
We caught another nice sunset last night on the way to the store, so I'll end this post with another shot of the Arizona sunset:
Josie was busy at work doing Thanksgiving arrangements. We went to the store last night to pick up ingredients for her chili which she made to take into work today. I guess everybody helps with providing goodies for lunch during the holiday work seasons. She is also baking some corn bread this morning before going to work. I get to try a little bit of each for lunch today.
We caught another nice sunset last night on the way to the store, so I'll end this post with another shot of the Arizona sunset:
Monday, November 24, 2014
Storage and Michael's
The main thrust for yesterday was to pick up our Christmas decorations from our storage unit. Since we were going to Surprise anyway, we stopped at Sam's Club to pick up some glasses for Josie and, of course, a few items that we didn't have on the list that were on sale for the Black Friday early birds. We also stopped at the local Michael's in Surprise to see if Josie could pick up some yarn that she is trying to match to complete an afghan that she started a while ago.
The pressure to complete my cross stitch project was off for yesterday and I didn't spend much time working on it. There are still probably two days worth of effort remaining and then I will take it to Michael's for framing. We made a late afternoon trip to the Michael's store in Peoria to take advantage of their 25% discount on the entire purchase. I purchased all of the materials for my next stitching project and saved $20 which always helps. I have the rest of this week to get the huge discount on the framing.
It's back to work for Josie for this Thanksgiving week. She will work Mon-Wed, have Thursday and Friday off before working again on Saturday. I get to begin the decorating process this week by setting up the outside lights.
We are looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving dinner with family at Brian and Amy's on Thursday...
The pressure to complete my cross stitch project was off for yesterday and I didn't spend much time working on it. There are still probably two days worth of effort remaining and then I will take it to Michael's for framing. We made a late afternoon trip to the Michael's store in Peoria to take advantage of their 25% discount on the entire purchase. I purchased all of the materials for my next stitching project and saved $20 which always helps. I have the rest of this week to get the huge discount on the framing.
It's back to work for Josie for this Thanksgiving week. She will work Mon-Wed, have Thursday and Friday off before working again on Saturday. I get to begin the decorating process this week by setting up the outside lights.
We are looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving dinner with family at Brian and Amy's on Thursday...
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Stitching Day
I spent almost the entire day just as I planned yesterday while Josie was at work - stitching my latest project. I thought I had to complete the project by 4 PM today to take advantage of the sale at Michael's - 60% off PLUS an extra 20% off on entire custom framing order. That's a huge savings for anything requiring a custom frame. I discovered a coupon this morning that extends that sale from today through Saturday the 29th. It's a good thing, as I don't believe it will be quite done today. The pressure is off.
We have pretty much decided to move forward with our plan to leave the fifth wheel set up permanently on this site, sell the truck while it is still worth some money, and purchase a smaller trailer to travel with and upgrade the Jeep to be able to tow the new trailer. I plan to get the truck prepared for sale and I expect to get top dollar for it with only 45K miles and being in perfect shape. We'll see. Our whole plan depends on it.
Just a note on the game yesterday between Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University. Austin's team won for the sixth consecutive time, 32-20, and they are a shoo-in for a bowl game. They are 8-3 overall and 6-1 in the MAC conference and tied for the lead. Talk about an improvement from a 1-11 team last year. Wow! Congratulations again to Austin.
We will finally make our necessary trip to our storage unit today to pick up our Christmas decorations. I expect to set them up during the week while Josie is at work. The only hole in our plan described above is the removal of our storage unit which has been a fairly high priority for us. That in itself is not a reason to get a house. We'll have to figure out something else for that problem. In the meantime, life goes on with the storage unit in our foreseeable future...
We have pretty much decided to move forward with our plan to leave the fifth wheel set up permanently on this site, sell the truck while it is still worth some money, and purchase a smaller trailer to travel with and upgrade the Jeep to be able to tow the new trailer. I plan to get the truck prepared for sale and I expect to get top dollar for it with only 45K miles and being in perfect shape. We'll see. Our whole plan depends on it.
Just a note on the game yesterday between Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University. Austin's team won for the sixth consecutive time, 32-20, and they are a shoo-in for a bowl game. They are 8-3 overall and 6-1 in the MAC conference and tied for the lead. Talk about an improvement from a 1-11 team last year. Wow! Congratulations again to Austin.
We will finally make our necessary trip to our storage unit today to pick up our Christmas decorations. I expect to set them up during the week while Josie is at work. The only hole in our plan described above is the removal of our storage unit which has been a fairly high priority for us. That in itself is not a reason to get a house. We'll have to figure out something else for that problem. In the meantime, life goes on with the storage unit in our foreseeable future...
Saturday, November 22, 2014
RV Show at Glendale Stadium
There was a huge RV show being held at the University of Phoenix Stadium for four days, beginning Thursday and ending this Sunday. We went to the show yesterday and even though there was only one dealer represented, it was the largest dealer in the Phoenix area. La Mesa RV is a national company and they have a huge inventory of several different manufacturers.
We saw several nice trailers that would qualify for our intended use. The best one, and one that we are seriously considering, is a 30' Winnebago Ultralite. We took several shots of this rig. Starting with the outside views:
The inside is very close to the kind of arrangement we now have in our fifth wheel and like very much. We like the flexibility we get with a table and chairs versus permanent dinette and the island kitchen is also a plus. These are the inside shots:
It's very good quality and would due nicely during our four month stay in Wyoming each summer. It would also work for any other trips that we might take on weekends or longer. With this plan, we would turn our fifth wheel into a permanent home on the annual site we now have at Lake pleasant. We would sell the truck and purchase a trailer - like this one - and upgrade our Jeep to a Grand Cherokee which would tow up to 7200 lbs and would work with this Winnebago trailer. All we need to do if we implement this plan is to first sell the truck which I will pursue this coming week.
We left the show and stopped at Cabela's to check out their Black Friday deals:
They had some real nice apparel for sale but the prices were still too high for us.
Josie is back to work today and will have tomorrow off. We still need to get to our storage unit to pick up Christmas decorations, so that looks like tomorrow's activity...
We saw several nice trailers that would qualify for our intended use. The best one, and one that we are seriously considering, is a 30' Winnebago Ultralite. We took several shots of this rig. Starting with the outside views:
The inside is very close to the kind of arrangement we now have in our fifth wheel and like very much. We like the flexibility we get with a table and chairs versus permanent dinette and the island kitchen is also a plus. These are the inside shots:
It's very good quality and would due nicely during our four month stay in Wyoming each summer. It would also work for any other trips that we might take on weekends or longer. With this plan, we would turn our fifth wheel into a permanent home on the annual site we now have at Lake pleasant. We would sell the truck and purchase a trailer - like this one - and upgrade our Jeep to a Grand Cherokee which would tow up to 7200 lbs and would work with this Winnebago trailer. All we need to do if we implement this plan is to first sell the truck which I will pursue this coming week.
We left the show and stopped at Cabela's to check out their Black Friday deals:
They had some real nice apparel for sale but the prices were still too high for us.
Josie is back to work today and will have tomorrow off. We still need to get to our storage unit to pick up Christmas decorations, so that looks like tomorrow's activity...
Friday, November 21, 2014
Unexpected TV Fix
The surprise for yesterday was an unexpected problem with the TV, a visit from the TV repairman and a $330 bill when he left after 3 1/2 hours.
Last year we had the same problem - rolling and jumping picture, and shadows - and the TV repairman (Dan Dotson) fixed the problem. He is from Happy Trails in Surprise and is the only TV repairman we have used since we got our fifth wheel. He is also the individual that installed our satellite system back in 2008. He knows our setup, for sure. Anyway, the problem was in the same box that he fixed last year but this time the box died. It happens that this particular "box" is out of production and we couldn't find one anywhere, including online. I even contacted Doubletree to see if they might have one they could sell to us - no dice. That meant a re-work of our entire setup.
One of the negatives that we have lived with in our fifth wheel is the location of the entertainment system components in a cabinet in the bedroom. This was our chance to relocate everything to the front, where the TV is located and where they belong. He spent 3 1/2 hours relocating our DirectV receiver and cabling to the front This is a shot of the cabinet location that now is practically empty:
The TV that is in our bedroom remains with its' receiver still in the bedroom. The components that were removed will be sold on either eBay or Craig's List, as they are all older technology anyway. Dan had to run cables on our roof to the location in the living room, so that is a different problem to be addressed down the road sometime before next summer.
That activity pretty much consumed our entire day, so we will use today to catch up on what we had planned. There seems to be an RV show at the University of Phoenix Stadium which we didn't know about, and will try to make today. Josie also has laundry to do and we both are working to complete craft projects in order to take advantage of Black Friday sales, so we expect to be busy all of today...
Last year we had the same problem - rolling and jumping picture, and shadows - and the TV repairman (Dan Dotson) fixed the problem. He is from Happy Trails in Surprise and is the only TV repairman we have used since we got our fifth wheel. He is also the individual that installed our satellite system back in 2008. He knows our setup, for sure. Anyway, the problem was in the same box that he fixed last year but this time the box died. It happens that this particular "box" is out of production and we couldn't find one anywhere, including online. I even contacted Doubletree to see if they might have one they could sell to us - no dice. That meant a re-work of our entire setup.
One of the negatives that we have lived with in our fifth wheel is the location of the entertainment system components in a cabinet in the bedroom. This was our chance to relocate everything to the front, where the TV is located and where they belong. He spent 3 1/2 hours relocating our DirectV receiver and cabling to the front This is a shot of the cabinet location that now is practically empty:
The TV that is in our bedroom remains with its' receiver still in the bedroom. The components that were removed will be sold on either eBay or Craig's List, as they are all older technology anyway. Dan had to run cables on our roof to the location in the living room, so that is a different problem to be addressed down the road sometime before next summer.
That activity pretty much consumed our entire day, so we will use today to catch up on what we had planned. There seems to be an RV show at the University of Phoenix Stadium which we didn't know about, and will try to make today. Josie also has laundry to do and we both are working to complete craft projects in order to take advantage of Black Friday sales, so we expect to be busy all of today...
Thursday, November 20, 2014
More Lake Debris
I took what has become my usual daily bike ride which takes me to the south ramp of the lake each day. All of the winds we've had the previous three days have caused another debris flow from the north of the lake. They had to close the ramp again for the second time this season. This is a shot of the latest debris:
In all the years we have been coming to the lake, we've never seen this problem occur. Whatever activity has taken place at the north end of the lake has resulted in this problem and one wonders what care was taken by the crews that did the work up there.
Josie worked her last day until Saturday and has the next two days to enjoy. She took this shot of another postcard sunset on the way home:
We don't have much planned today except we will make a trip to our storage unit, shake our heads, and grab the Christmas decorations so we can get set up at the site. We hope to be ready for the holidays by the end of the weekend.
Along with holiday setup, we hope to take advantage of at least some of the early Black Friday sales. At least, there is the one at Michael's that runs on Sunday night. 'Tis the season...
In all the years we have been coming to the lake, we've never seen this problem occur. Whatever activity has taken place at the north end of the lake has resulted in this problem and one wonders what care was taken by the crews that did the work up there.
Josie worked her last day until Saturday and has the next two days to enjoy. She took this shot of another postcard sunset on the way home:
We don't have much planned today except we will make a trip to our storage unit, shake our heads, and grab the Christmas decorations so we can get set up at the site. We hope to be ready for the holidays by the end of the weekend.
Along with holiday setup, we hope to take advantage of at least some of the early Black Friday sales. At least, there is the one at Michael's that runs on Sunday night. 'Tis the season...
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Race to Finish Project
Since we've gotten all the notifications of Black Friday sales and the dates and times that they are in effect, we both have zeroed-in on a couple items that we would like to take advantage of during those sales. One that I have seen is the huge sale at Michael's for 5 hours only, on November 23 between 4 PM and 9 PM where everything you purchase is 25% off, including sale items. I always get my cross stitching projects framed at Michael's when they are completed. They usually have 50% off the regular price of custom framing and, occasionally, an additional 20% off. With this special sale, I can get at least 75% off the framing which is not ordinarily an inexpensive item. Now I am racing to have my project completed before the sale on the 23rd.
Josie gave one of her hats and one of the scarfs that she crocheted to Alex for his going away gift - and thank you for all your support - before he leaves for Colorado. His last day at work is Tuesday and as he travels to all of the Phoenix Flower shops , she wanted to make sure he got these before then. Here is a shot of Josie and a very grateful Alex:
He will be missed.
The winds finally stopped yesterday at about noon and I was able to get a bike ride in between sessions of work on my cross stitch project. There wasn't much else to mention, so we'll close for now and I'll be back tomorrow...
Josie gave one of her hats and one of the scarfs that she crocheted to Alex for his going away gift - and thank you for all your support - before he leaves for Colorado. His last day at work is Tuesday and as he travels to all of the Phoenix Flower shops , she wanted to make sure he got these before then. Here is a shot of Josie and a very grateful Alex:
He will be missed.
The winds finally stopped yesterday at about noon and I was able to get a bike ride in between sessions of work on my cross stitch project. There wasn't much else to mention, so we'll close for now and I'll be back tomorrow...
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Black Friday Ads Overload
Emails over the last few days have created an overload on Black Friday Deals. The advertised sales from many of our favorite stores - Costco, Sam's Club, Michael's, Walmart and others - are getting our attention. The problem we have while reviewing these ads is to separate "must haves" from "would like to have" from "wish list" items. The other problem is to make sure the windows for these sales (which are all different) are times when we are available. I can see us now - starting at Costco at 8 AM on Friday, making it to Sam's Club by noon, getting to Walmart by 3 PM and making sure we hit the Sales sales window at Michael's between 4 PM and 9 PM. Whew! There are some great prices so make sure you check them out.
The wind yesterday didn't allow for much outside activity although I did take a 6 mile bike ride. The dust was blowing all over everything and it took a long time to get all the dust off the furniture late in the afternoon. It picked up again during the night just when I thought it was done.
We're getting closer to decisions on how we plan to spend the next several years. The plan needs to be implemented before it gets too late to take advantage of prices and before the best deals go away. We'll let you know when it all is in place - it shouldn't be much longer...
The wind yesterday didn't allow for much outside activity although I did take a 6 mile bike ride. The dust was blowing all over everything and it took a long time to get all the dust off the furniture late in the afternoon. It picked up again during the night just when I thought it was done.
We're getting closer to decisions on how we plan to spend the next several years. The plan needs to be implemented before it gets too late to take advantage of prices and before the best deals go away. We'll let you know when it all is in place - it shouldn't be much longer...
Monday, November 17, 2014
Mesa Park Models
I had done some research on park models as an option for a full time, permanent setup in Lake Pleasant. I was surprised to find that there are very few dealerships in the Phoenix area that even carry these rigs which are actually called "Destination Trailers". These trailers differ from park models in that they have slide outs and also have wheels and a hitch that can be removed if necessary. Park models are built without slides and are meant to be set up on a foundation or other permanent base. Anyway, I found a couple dealers in Mesa that carried a few of the models we would be interested in - Little Dealer with Little Prices and Camping World about a mile away from the first dealer.
Our time at the first dealership was cut short when we discovered that the model we wanted to see was still on order and not in the inventory. We instead looked at a couple smaller trailers that would potentially replace our fifth wheel for summer travel. We then moved on to Camping World RV and saw the Cedar Creek Cottage unit that we had information on and appeared to be very nice. It was. We actually loved the unit and here are a couple shots that we took. This first photo is of the outside:
Here is the first shot of the inside:
and the second shot:
It was very good quality and had all the nice options. The one big problem and probably the fatal negative was that it didn't contain anywhere near the inside - or outside - storage that we now have and would need to have in any replacement rig. Even though there were plenty of cabinets, they were all shallow, with the exception of the counter cabinets. We spent a lot of time talking with the sales people and probably would have pulled the trigger if it had the right storage requirements. Anyway, we may keep the option open and keep looking for one that might satisfy our needs.
We left Mesa and made one stop at Michael's in Glendale to pick up some special yarn for Josie's project and got home around 3:30 in the afternoon. She starts her week today and will work M-W and then Sat for her scheduled time.
The winds were really fierce during the night and we had gusts upwards of 40 mph during the night. They are still blowing this morning but we hope to see them end sometime today...
Our time at the first dealership was cut short when we discovered that the model we wanted to see was still on order and not in the inventory. We instead looked at a couple smaller trailers that would potentially replace our fifth wheel for summer travel. We then moved on to Camping World RV and saw the Cedar Creek Cottage unit that we had information on and appeared to be very nice. It was. We actually loved the unit and here are a couple shots that we took. This first photo is of the outside:
Here is the first shot of the inside:
and the second shot:
It was very good quality and had all the nice options. The one big problem and probably the fatal negative was that it didn't contain anywhere near the inside - or outside - storage that we now have and would need to have in any replacement rig. Even though there were plenty of cabinets, they were all shallow, with the exception of the counter cabinets. We spent a lot of time talking with the sales people and probably would have pulled the trigger if it had the right storage requirements. Anyway, we may keep the option open and keep looking for one that might satisfy our needs.
We left Mesa and made one stop at Michael's in Glendale to pick up some special yarn for Josie's project and got home around 3:30 in the afternoon. She starts her week today and will work M-W and then Sat for her scheduled time.
The winds were really fierce during the night and we had gusts upwards of 40 mph during the night. They are still blowing this morning but we hope to see them end sometime today...
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Watching WMU Rout
The most significant activity of the day yesterday was enjoying watching Austin's team at Western Michigan University (WMU) trounce Eastern Michigan University (EMU) 51-7. Once again, the turnaround by that team is incredible. The individual that stole Austin's main position at halfback is among the leaders in rushing throughout the country. He is averaging 150 yards per game, and Austin will have a hard time displacing this freshman. It doesn't matter though, as the team now has won 5 in a row to bring their overall record to 7-3 and are almost a cinch for a bowl game as they are tied for the division lead in their conference. Austin is still playing on all the special team plays and is doing very well. Congratulations to him.
I also took a five mile bike ride before the game started and got a couple of nice shots. This first one is of the pretty desert that surrounds the resort:
This next one is of the lake with all the sail boats on the water. There seemed to be more boats than usual so I wonder if there was a regatta or race of some kind:
The day was beautiful but has turned sour this morning. Already we have wind gusts up to 30 mph and it is only 7 AM. The forecast is for breezy - here, that means very windy - for the next couple days. We plan to take a drive to the Camping World RV store in Mesa today to look at a couple of park model RV's that is another option we have been thinking about. We'll (hopefully) get some shots of those and shed more light on that option tomorrow...
I also took a five mile bike ride before the game started and got a couple of nice shots. This first one is of the pretty desert that surrounds the resort:
This next one is of the lake with all the sail boats on the water. There seemed to be more boats than usual so I wonder if there was a regatta or race of some kind:
The day was beautiful but has turned sour this morning. Already we have wind gusts up to 30 mph and it is only 7 AM. The forecast is for breezy - here, that means very windy - for the next couple days. We plan to take a drive to the Camping World RV store in Mesa today to look at a couple of park model RV's that is another option we have been thinking about. We'll (hopefully) get some shots of those and shed more light on that option tomorrow...
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Shopping and Nice Visit
We left at around 10:30 AM to go to Josie's shop to pick up her paycheck and to begin a round of shopping that consumed almost the entire day. Our visit to Costco was almost like the Christmas season there as the holiday merchandise has hit the shelves and there was a crowd that rivaled the Christmas rush. We spent an abnormal amount of time walking around the entire store making sure that we saw all of the new stuff along with getting our list of items. Of course, we got much ,more than what was on our list and spent our customary couple hundred dollars to contribute to their profits.
We went to Sam's Club to pick up a couple more items that are not available at Costco, and then went on to Michael's to get some yarn for a new project that Josie will begin soon. It was close to 4 PM by the time we wrapped up all the shopping activity.
On the way home from our shopping trip, Josie caught this shot of a hot air balloon that was just lifting off from the side of the road in Peoria:
They are usually all over the desert out here and it was a surprise to see one so close to the highway.
We had a very pleasant dinner with George and Cheryl when we met at Haymaker's in Peoria. We had a terrific meal and enjoyed catching up on everything we all have done since our last get together in the Spring. They both look good as George is preparing to have his back surgery when he hears from the Doctor's office. He expects to have his surgery sometime soon after Thanksgiving. Here is a good shot of them from last night:
We then went back to their house for dessert and more conversation. It's good to see them again and we hope to see them next at Thanksgiving dinner at Brian and Amy's house.
Josie was asked to come in for work today to fill-in for one of the other employees. She expects to work the whole day up to 5 PM, so I guess our day today is pretty much taken up with normal "work day" activities...
We went to Sam's Club to pick up a couple more items that are not available at Costco, and then went on to Michael's to get some yarn for a new project that Josie will begin soon. It was close to 4 PM by the time we wrapped up all the shopping activity.
On the way home from our shopping trip, Josie caught this shot of a hot air balloon that was just lifting off from the side of the road in Peoria:
They are usually all over the desert out here and it was a surprise to see one so close to the highway.
We had a very pleasant dinner with George and Cheryl when we met at Haymaker's in Peoria. We had a terrific meal and enjoyed catching up on everything we all have done since our last get together in the Spring. They both look good as George is preparing to have his back surgery when he hears from the Doctor's office. He expects to have his surgery sometime soon after Thanksgiving. Here is a good shot of them from last night:
We then went back to their house for dessert and more conversation. It's good to see them again and we hope to see them next at Thanksgiving dinner at Brian and Amy's house.
Josie was asked to come in for work today to fill-in for one of the other employees. She expects to work the whole day up to 5 PM, so I guess our day today is pretty much taken up with normal "work day" activities...
Friday, November 14, 2014
Cleaning Mode Continues
I bit-the-bullet yesterday and, while I was still in a cleaning mood, took the truck over to the wash station in the resort. When I arrived there and got all set up by putting the detergent in the bucket, extending the wash brush and getting the hose unraveled from the bracket to turn on the water - uh, oh - there was no nozzle on the hose. Rather than load everything back into the truck, I walked the approximately 1/4 mile back to our space and grabbed the nozzle from our hose and rushed back to do the job. The water is very hard here and I had to wipe the entire truck when I was finished washing in order to remove the spots that were left. I finished cleaning the inside when I returned back to the site. All in all, it was a good workout that lasted most of the morning.
There was no further fallout from the resignation of Josie's GM at work. She will be meeting with him before he leaves after Thanksgiving. We don't anticipate any problems, but you never know how these things can change policies and working conditions.
We had another, postcard sunset last night. This is what we saw shortly after Josie returned from work:
She has three days off now, and we start with a dinner tonight with George and Cheryl at a local restaurant. It will be good to see them again and talk about their long, hot summer here. There are some chores that we need to get done today, so we will be running around to different places.
We are now leaning toward continuing our lifestyle here at the resort - in spite of some of the negatives, it still is the best deal around - and put the house hunting activity on the back burner. Unless, of course, there is a deal that falls on our laps that we just can't refuse...
There was no further fallout from the resignation of Josie's GM at work. She will be meeting with him before he leaves after Thanksgiving. We don't anticipate any problems, but you never know how these things can change policies and working conditions.
We had another, postcard sunset last night. This is what we saw shortly after Josie returned from work:
She has three days off now, and we start with a dinner tonight with George and Cheryl at a local restaurant. It will be good to see them again and talk about their long, hot summer here. There are some chores that we need to get done today, so we will be running around to different places.
We are now leaning toward continuing our lifestyle here at the resort - in spite of some of the negatives, it still is the best deal around - and put the house hunting activity on the back burner. Unless, of course, there is a deal that falls on our laps that we just can't refuse...
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Bombshell
It was early in the day - around 9:30 - when Josie texted me that Alex Jackson - the GM at Phoenix Flower Shops, and her "champion" - had resigned. It was totally unexpected and was a shock to everybody in the company. He is the individual that is the "glue" in the company and the go-to guy for every employee. He is also the one that treats Josie like his favorite employee and always made room for her during the winter season. Evidently, he has some personal situations that have resulted in his resignation and he will be getting out of the business and moving to Colorado where his brother has a plumbing business that he will join. Only time will tell if the impact of his departure will affect Josie in any way. The early indication is that it will not, and Josie will be meeting with him before he leaves.
I spent most of the day outside washing and wiping the fifth wheel. It has desperately needed a good cleaning since we returned from Jackson. I also cleaned the grill and furniture while I was at it. Once I get into one of those cleaning moods, I don't want to stop. I'm thinking that today I will take the truck over to the RV wash station and give it a good cleaning. Maybe.
The planning for the next chapter in our adventure will be placed on hold - temporarily - while the situation at Josie's shop develops. It's not like we have to do something soon anyway, but it is always nice to plan. In the meantime, we will be looking at options, but not thinking of any time frame - yet.
I spent most of the day outside washing and wiping the fifth wheel. It has desperately needed a good cleaning since we returned from Jackson. I also cleaned the grill and furniture while I was at it. Once I get into one of those cleaning moods, I don't want to stop. I'm thinking that today I will take the truck over to the RV wash station and give it a good cleaning. Maybe.
The planning for the next chapter in our adventure will be placed on hold - temporarily - while the situation at Josie's shop develops. It's not like we have to do something soon anyway, but it is always nice to plan. In the meantime, we will be looking at options, but not thinking of any time frame - yet.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Computer Day
It was a very intensive computer day yesterday. I had to gather all the pictures from the last few years that have been scattered over several computers, our phones and a few remote drives including several portable USB drives. That is no small task. We have been taking pictures willy-nilly over the last few years without any real organization. If we wanted to pinpoint photos from a given date, we would be hard pressed to locate them in a short time. I'm not sure I'll ever get the right system for organizing them and this will remain a work in progress for some time.
The day was complimented by doing some cross stitch and I'm almost to the point where I can estimate how long it will be before I complete this project. This is one of the more difficult pieces I've ever worked on, and when it is completed, you will understand why.
I spent some time on the phone with George yesterday AM and he is scheduled to have surgery on his back after Thanksgiving. He has suffered a long, long time with his back and without any significant improvement, so he decided to finally "go under the knife" which is probably the best - and only - remedy for his problem. We will get together with them for dinner on Friday night at a local restaurant to catch up on our activities.
It looks like more computer work today along with some reading that I have to catch up on - magazines are beginning to stack up and that is not good for our limited space. It forces us to keep up on those kinds of things so that we don't get overwhelmed by clutter. I'll end today's entry with another shot of a nice Arizona sunset from last night over the sailboat storage area behind our site:
The day was complimented by doing some cross stitch and I'm almost to the point where I can estimate how long it will be before I complete this project. This is one of the more difficult pieces I've ever worked on, and when it is completed, you will understand why.
I spent some time on the phone with George yesterday AM and he is scheduled to have surgery on his back after Thanksgiving. He has suffered a long, long time with his back and without any significant improvement, so he decided to finally "go under the knife" which is probably the best - and only - remedy for his problem. We will get together with them for dinner on Friday night at a local restaurant to catch up on our activities.
It looks like more computer work today along with some reading that I have to catch up on - magazines are beginning to stack up and that is not good for our limited space. It forces us to keep up on those kinds of things so that we don't get overwhelmed by clutter. I'll end today's entry with another shot of a nice Arizona sunset from last night over the sailboat storage area behind our site:
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Reviving Old Ties
I received a message from an unexpected employer yesterday - Amazon. They called to find out if I could work at the Phoenix - actually, it is located in Goodyear - facility for the peak season. They asked that I just walk into the HR department with some ID and sign up for work. The money is good and, of course, there would be overtime, but the commute really eliminates any chance for that to happen. The warehouse is located at 95th Ave and Camelback. I'm not sure if I would be up for the heavy physical requirements for that job anyway, but it was nice that they still had my number and thought to call.
We also received an email from our friend, Carole Cole, who lives in Happy Trails. She is doing well from her cancer treatments and is still active in activities at the Resort. We will follow up with an email to inform her that we would be contacting her to come for a visit sometime soon. It's good to hear that she is getting along and enjoying her full time life at Happy Trails.
Josie is getting into the flow at work and is enjoying working with the staff at the shop this year. Her days are longer and she is working more days, so the job is working out well for her.
We received an email with 8 listings of homes from the real estate agent in Overgaard. There are some terrific homes that we would like to see, so we will probably coordinate another trip there in the near future. The Overgaard area is close to incorporation which will raise the values of the homes and that has extra appeal for us. There is a lot to evaluate in this situation.
That's about it for today...
We also received an email from our friend, Carole Cole, who lives in Happy Trails. She is doing well from her cancer treatments and is still active in activities at the Resort. We will follow up with an email to inform her that we would be contacting her to come for a visit sometime soon. It's good to hear that she is getting along and enjoying her full time life at Happy Trails.
Josie is getting into the flow at work and is enjoying working with the staff at the shop this year. Her days are longer and she is working more days, so the job is working out well for her.
We received an email with 8 listings of homes from the real estate agent in Overgaard. There are some terrific homes that we would like to see, so we will probably coordinate another trip there in the near future. The Overgaard area is close to incorporation which will raise the values of the homes and that has extra appeal for us. There is a lot to evaluate in this situation.
That's about it for today...
Monday, November 10, 2014
Nice Drive to Overgaard
It was a perfect day to take a nice, long drive in the countryside. We had made arrangements with a real estate agent in Overgaard, AZ, (Ernest Matkin) who is the top agent in the area and works for West USA Realty. We planned to meet him around noon which meant we had to leave around 8:30 AM for the three hour drive.
We took the western route - up I-17 and across US 260, through Pine, Strawberry and Payson where we called Ernest and he gave us directions to his office which is right on route 260 in Heber. The Mogollon Rim is a spectacle and geographical wonder of nature that still amazes us. It is one of Arizona's landmarks and is the dividing line between the southern, desert country, and the very heavily treed northern country. Heber-Overgaard lies between Payson and Show Low and is on the Rim. We have a couple shots of the Rim as we approached it on the way to Heber-Overgaard on route 260:
As we got closer to our destination, we were surprised to see so much air traffic in the area which is evidenced by the vapor trails in the clear, blue sky. At one time we spotted 12 separate trails that criss-crossed the sky. This is one shot of all the flight activity:
The sky was totally clear except for these vapor trails from the airlines.
It was a fun day and we saw a few cabins that were good possibilities for us. The Heber-Overgaard area is one that has attracted us for quite some time as being a small community that is made up of mostly seasonal folks and is laid back and in a beautiful area. The homes we viewed were all in the Bison Ranch community and Ernest said we should also look at homes that were not in planned communities and offered much more for the money. He is going to line up some of those for a return visit. The problem now is that many of the properties that are available are vacant and off the market for the winter season. We may not be able to see good properties until the Spring. We'll see.
We left the area at 2:30 PM and chose to return along the Beeline Hwy - US 87 - which is a bit shorter than the way we drive in the morning, but takes longer as we had to drive through more populated areas to get from the Beeline Highway to Lake Pleasant. It was close to 6 PM by the time we arrived home. It was a terrific day, and we look forward to returning to this area to see more nice properties...
We took the western route - up I-17 and across US 260, through Pine, Strawberry and Payson where we called Ernest and he gave us directions to his office which is right on route 260 in Heber. The Mogollon Rim is a spectacle and geographical wonder of nature that still amazes us. It is one of Arizona's landmarks and is the dividing line between the southern, desert country, and the very heavily treed northern country. Heber-Overgaard lies between Payson and Show Low and is on the Rim. We have a couple shots of the Rim as we approached it on the way to Heber-Overgaard on route 260:
As we got closer to our destination, we were surprised to see so much air traffic in the area which is evidenced by the vapor trails in the clear, blue sky. At one time we spotted 12 separate trails that criss-crossed the sky. This is one shot of all the flight activity:
The sky was totally clear except for these vapor trails from the airlines.
It was a fun day and we saw a few cabins that were good possibilities for us. The Heber-Overgaard area is one that has attracted us for quite some time as being a small community that is made up of mostly seasonal folks and is laid back and in a beautiful area. The homes we viewed were all in the Bison Ranch community and Ernest said we should also look at homes that were not in planned communities and offered much more for the money. He is going to line up some of those for a return visit. The problem now is that many of the properties that are available are vacant and off the market for the winter season. We may not be able to see good properties until the Spring. We'll see.
We left the area at 2:30 PM and chose to return along the Beeline Hwy - US 87 - which is a bit shorter than the way we drive in the morning, but takes longer as we had to drive through more populated areas to get from the Beeline Highway to Lake Pleasant. It was close to 6 PM by the time we arrived home. It was a terrific day, and we look forward to returning to this area to see more nice properties...
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Trilogy at Wickenburg Ranch
Our day was taken with a planned session at the offices of the new Trilogy development in Wickenburg, AZ. It is called Trilogy Ranch at Wickenburg, and is consistent with all the other, national Trilogy developments in the country. The session for yesterday was about the clubhouse, and its amenities. There were only five couples in the session and it was more a workshop than a presentation. We all sat at tables in the room where a presentation was given on the overall plan for the community, followed by an interactive workshop where we all were asked to indicate amenities that we must have, would be nice to have, and don't need at all from a list they provided. We followed that with discussion on each category. They are in the final phases of completing the plan for the clubhouse which will begin construction in December. All of the final home plans and clubhouse plans will be released to all the workshop attendees - before the general public - in late December or early January. It doesn't appear that any homes will be completed before the Spring of 2015. It promises to be a stellar, top-of-the-line adult community. They then gave each couple a bag of goodies that contained info on Wickenburg, some candies and a mug with the Trilogy logo.
Following that session which lasted just over an hour, we stopped at a location that we have been curious about for a long time. There is a Country Club - Quintero - which is just off the Carefree Highway between Lake Pleasant and Wickenburg. It looks like any other turn off the highway, but is an unbelievable surprise when you enter the grounds which are about 1/4 mile off the highway. We drove around the entire area, just saying "wow" with each turn. We took a couple shots of this place where the other half lives. The first is of one of the homes within the development:
and this one of the course itself:
This club has received many awards as one of the top residential, private golf clubs in the country. We can see why. If you have a couple million dollars lying around you might want to take a look.
We have planned a trip to Overgaard, AZ today to look at a couple homes we have received emails about. I have signed up for notifications from the website - Trulia - which provides updates on available homes within your indicated price range, in the areas you specify. We get updates for about 6 different areas. The homes we are looking at today are a couple that we received notification about that are in the Bison Ranch area of Overgaard. That will take up the entire day, I'm sure, as it is about a three hour drive from here. It is a nice drive, and a good way to spend a Sunday...
Following that session which lasted just over an hour, we stopped at a location that we have been curious about for a long time. There is a Country Club - Quintero - which is just off the Carefree Highway between Lake Pleasant and Wickenburg. It looks like any other turn off the highway, but is an unbelievable surprise when you enter the grounds which are about 1/4 mile off the highway. We drove around the entire area, just saying "wow" with each turn. We took a couple shots of this place where the other half lives. The first is of one of the homes within the development:
and this one of the course itself:
This club has received many awards as one of the top residential, private golf clubs in the country. We can see why. If you have a couple million dollars lying around you might want to take a look.
We have planned a trip to Overgaard, AZ today to look at a couple homes we have received emails about. I have signed up for notifications from the website - Trulia - which provides updates on available homes within your indicated price range, in the areas you specify. We get updates for about 6 different areas. The homes we are looking at today are a couple that we received notification about that are in the Bison Ranch area of Overgaard. That will take up the entire day, I'm sure, as it is about a three hour drive from here. It is a nice drive, and a good way to spend a Sunday...
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Progress on Lake
We took a nice long (2.25 miles) hike yesterday morning. The progress on removing the debris and junk that has floated down from the north side of the lake is slowly being removed. We took a couple shots of the scum that remains and it can be seen, in this first one at least, that the effort is gaining ground on the problem:
The removal is being performed by the use of the resorts' front loader, and it seems like the debris is made up mostly of wood chips (?):
The removal is being performed by the use of the resorts' front loader, and it seems like the debris is made up mostly of wood chips (?):
The south ramp has been closed while this cleanup is taking place. We haven't talked to anyone in the office about a date for the ramp to reopen.
We followed that with a trip to the shopping center where Josie got a pedicure while I went to Home Depot to look for spray bottles. Josie needed a bottle to use for spraying water on arrangements at work. I went to three stores before I found one for her that would work without spending a lot of money.
We relaxed outside for the rest of the afternoon in the beautiful sunshine - 84 degrees and no wind.
Our plan for today is to drive to Wickenburg for our scheduled session at the offices for the Trilogy Ranch at Wickenburg development. We don't know exactly how that will turn out, so stay tuned for that report tomorrow...
Friday, November 7, 2014
Crock Pot Practice
Since Josie was working her fourth day of the week and we had very little left in the frig for dinner, I made a pork loin roast in the crock pot. It was a new recipe that I got online and had a sauce made with dry onion soup, soy sauce and red wine. I went to the store to grab some of the onion soup and a few potatoes that I threw in later. It turned out great but I can say that Chef Gordon Ramsey has nothing to worry about. I guess I will be doing meals for us in the crock pot often this winter. They are easy and they last for a couple days.
Nothing else was very noteworthy for the day except I tried to modify our drip system to eliminate the puddles that were being created near our entry gate. I still have some tweaking to do for that system. We have three hanging baskets near the gate and I have to use different drip nozzles for those versus the smaller plants that we have on the ground around the site. We'll get it right.
Josie has the next three days off so we are trying to plan some things to do to take advantage of her down time. The only real event we have scheduled at this point is to attend a "Living Visions Session" on Saturday at the offices for the new Trilogy development that is being built in Wickenburg. The development has not been opened yet, and this is one of many sessions that the developer has set up to get input on features and amenities. Our session is about the clubhouse and floor plan features. There will also be some discussion on the home floor plans which we are interested in seeing. Supposedly, folks that take part in these sessions have a ground floor opportunity to purchase early release models in the new development. We are interested only from the standpoint that Wickenburg is one of the areas we are looking at for future possibilities.
We'll start with a long period of relaxing over breakfast and some coffee- maybe outside on this beautiful morning in Arizona...
Nothing else was very noteworthy for the day except I tried to modify our drip system to eliminate the puddles that were being created near our entry gate. I still have some tweaking to do for that system. We have three hanging baskets near the gate and I have to use different drip nozzles for those versus the smaller plants that we have on the ground around the site. We'll get it right.
Josie has the next three days off so we are trying to plan some things to do to take advantage of her down time. The only real event we have scheduled at this point is to attend a "Living Visions Session" on Saturday at the offices for the new Trilogy development that is being built in Wickenburg. The development has not been opened yet, and this is one of many sessions that the developer has set up to get input on features and amenities. Our session is about the clubhouse and floor plan features. There will also be some discussion on the home floor plans which we are interested in seeing. Supposedly, folks that take part in these sessions have a ground floor opportunity to purchase early release models in the new development. We are interested only from the standpoint that Wickenburg is one of the areas we are looking at for future possibilities.
We'll start with a long period of relaxing over breakfast and some coffee- maybe outside on this beautiful morning in Arizona...
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Probably a Normal Day
The winds finally subsided at around noon yesterday after three days of steady gusts over 25 mph. We should be good for at least a few days now, so I guess it means a cleanup this morning.
I finished all the paperwork and got everything scanned and forwarded to the Aramark folks for our Super Bowl jobs. All we need to do now is wait for word on when our training begins.
I was reminded again yesterday when I had to mail a package that there are no post offices anywhere near us. I signed up for a USPS account online to be able to print labels and pay from home so I could have the packages picked up at the resort office. That was nixed when I couldn't 1- get an accurate weight for the package and 2- couldn't get the payment part of the transaction to work. I'll have to work on that another day. I ended up taking the package to the local UPS Store down the road which is fairly convenient, but more costly.
Josie's schedule was changed slightly. She will work her fourth day of this week today instead of Friday. For the next week she will work the same Mon-Thu schedule and then go to Mon-Wed and Sat for the following two weeks. It's nice that she is getting four full days per week this year. That is, until the holidays roll around and then she goes into marathon mode.
It was pretty much a normal day yesterday and will most likely be that way again today. I hope to get the cleanup done from the winds and messy tree, and maybe get some work done on my cross stitch. If the weather is nice, I'll probably get some time outside reading some magazines to catch up on those...
I finished all the paperwork and got everything scanned and forwarded to the Aramark folks for our Super Bowl jobs. All we need to do now is wait for word on when our training begins.
I was reminded again yesterday when I had to mail a package that there are no post offices anywhere near us. I signed up for a USPS account online to be able to print labels and pay from home so I could have the packages picked up at the resort office. That was nixed when I couldn't 1- get an accurate weight for the package and 2- couldn't get the payment part of the transaction to work. I'll have to work on that another day. I ended up taking the package to the local UPS Store down the road which is fairly convenient, but more costly.
Josie's schedule was changed slightly. She will work her fourth day of this week today instead of Friday. For the next week she will work the same Mon-Thu schedule and then go to Mon-Wed and Sat for the following two weeks. It's nice that she is getting four full days per week this year. That is, until the holidays roll around and then she goes into marathon mode.
It was pretty much a normal day yesterday and will most likely be that way again today. I hope to get the cleanup done from the winds and messy tree, and maybe get some work done on my cross stitch. If the weather is nice, I'll probably get some time outside reading some magazines to catch up on those...
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Story is About the Wind
We do love this place at Lake Pleasant but the winds are very unsettling. We remember the winds from last year, and it is when we get several days of non-stop wind that we want to leave. The last three days have been mostly sunny, and a little cool, but we have had winds in the 24, 27 and 29 mph range each of those days. That means that we cannot do anything outside and also means that we have a cleanup to do on the site when the winds eventually stop. I'm sorry to say that for these reasons, our future here at Lake Pleasant will probably be shorter than longer. We have some tough decisions to make regarding our abode for the winter season.
Josie had a sort of reunion yesterday at her shop. Her schedule started on an off day for her manager, Kathy, on Monday, and yesterday she was working along with Alex who is the GM and person that champions Josie's cause each year. They all had a grand time catching up on each others' summer. Of course, the work also got done. The only consideration for her this year is the added distance and time for her commute. The fact that she is working longer days helps.
All of the paperwork is complete for our jobs at the Super Bowl early next year and I will scan those into the computer and send them to the HR people today. We expect our training to begin in January, probably around the 10th or so. Josie has already informed the flower shop of this exciting duty and they said they would work her schedule around the training for the job. Nice gesture.
The windy days are allowing more time for my cross stitching project as I near completion on the piece that will most likely be entered in next year's Teton County Fair - if all goes according to plan. Right now, we envision a fourth year in Jackson for the summer and unless, or until, something better comes up, that will be the target for the next summer season...
Josie had a sort of reunion yesterday at her shop. Her schedule started on an off day for her manager, Kathy, on Monday, and yesterday she was working along with Alex who is the GM and person that champions Josie's cause each year. They all had a grand time catching up on each others' summer. Of course, the work also got done. The only consideration for her this year is the added distance and time for her commute. The fact that she is working longer days helps.
All of the paperwork is complete for our jobs at the Super Bowl early next year and I will scan those into the computer and send them to the HR people today. We expect our training to begin in January, probably around the 10th or so. Josie has already informed the flower shop of this exciting duty and they said they would work her schedule around the training for the job. Nice gesture.
The windy days are allowing more time for my cross stitching project as I near completion on the piece that will most likely be entered in next year's Teton County Fair - if all goes according to plan. Right now, we envision a fourth year in Jackson for the summer and unless, or until, something better comes up, that will be the target for the next summer season...
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Another Milestone
When I began this blog almost 6 years ago, I never expected to go this long - 2000 entries as of today - without missing a day. There have been some days when I could write forever and have lots of pictures to show, and others where it has been difficult to write even one paragraph. Some days are busy, some days are without activities. There have been near misses - like when I have had computer problems or there was no internet access as a result of being in a "dead" area, but 2000 consecutive days is something I never imagined. There will come a time when the streak ends, but for now, I am happy to keep going and report all that we do, even when it's not an exciting read.
Josie's first day back at work at her new location went fine, and she made the trip in about 50 minutes with construction delays on Carefree Highway and accident delays on the freeway. It appears that her schedule and working conditions will be fine for this season.
I started to complete all the paperwork for our job as cashiers at the Super Bowl working in one of the concession stands. Josie has the experience as a cashier in this environment, but it is a new experience for me. Nonetheless, it will be exciting for both of us.
The winds have returned as we had 20 -25 mph winds and rocked-and-rolled in bed all night long. It is impossible to totally eliminate the movement even though we have stabilizers all around the fifth wheel. It comes with this area, I guess.
I'll end this 2000th entry in the blog with this nice shot of another pretty Arizona sunset that Josie took on her way home last night:
Josie's first day back at work at her new location went fine, and she made the trip in about 50 minutes with construction delays on Carefree Highway and accident delays on the freeway. It appears that her schedule and working conditions will be fine for this season.
I started to complete all the paperwork for our job as cashiers at the Super Bowl working in one of the concession stands. Josie has the experience as a cashier in this environment, but it is a new experience for me. Nonetheless, it will be exciting for both of us.
The winds have returned as we had 20 -25 mph winds and rocked-and-rolled in bed all night long. It is impossible to totally eliminate the movement even though we have stabilizers all around the fifth wheel. It comes with this area, I guess.
I'll end this 2000th entry in the blog with this nice shot of another pretty Arizona sunset that Josie took on her way home last night:
Monday, November 3, 2014
Change in Mode
We didn't do too much yesterday except some laundry, making and eating some cookies and watching football on TV. Not the healthiest way to spend a day. Today will end all that. Josie is starting work today and we both are disgusted with our eating habits and will begin taking care of that business today.
While Josie is working, I plan to take care of some other business - like getting our applications all completed and sent to the HR person for our participation in the Super Bowl game for Aramark. I followed up on the email I received and asked if Josie could also be included in that activity. She was also accepted, as expected, since we have the experience and a good track record with Aramark.
There are also some small projects that need attention in the fifth wheel that I will begin tackling today. There are some "normal" wear and tear items that need repair and a few other actions that need to be taken care of before they get out of control. One of those is spraying the entire periphery of our fifth wheel with Home Defense spray to eliminate the insects that are beginning to feel like they have open season on our rig. We are also still dealing with the "messy" tree on our space, and that requires constant cleaning to keep up with the winds that create the mess all the time. I had thought about emptying a gallon of Round-Up on the tree to be done with it, but the shade is too valuable to lose while a new, replacement tree would be growing.
That's about it for this morning as we get underway on the business part of our season here at Lake Pleasant...
While Josie is working, I plan to take care of some other business - like getting our applications all completed and sent to the HR person for our participation in the Super Bowl game for Aramark. I followed up on the email I received and asked if Josie could also be included in that activity. She was also accepted, as expected, since we have the experience and a good track record with Aramark.
There are also some small projects that need attention in the fifth wheel that I will begin tackling today. There are some "normal" wear and tear items that need repair and a few other actions that need to be taken care of before they get out of control. One of those is spraying the entire periphery of our fifth wheel with Home Defense spray to eliminate the insects that are beginning to feel like they have open season on our rig. We are also still dealing with the "messy" tree on our space, and that requires constant cleaning to keep up with the winds that create the mess all the time. I had thought about emptying a gallon of Round-Up on the tree to be done with it, but the shade is too valuable to lose while a new, replacement tree would be growing.
That's about it for this morning as we get underway on the business part of our season here at Lake Pleasant...
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Drive to Scottsdale
There are many options that we are looking at for future living arrangements. One that we have talked about but never investigated, is the option to move to our original area within Scottsdale where our initial AZ home was purchased. Although not interested in buying another house, we wanted to look at the possibility of renting either a condo or home in that nice area.
There were several nice places that we saw online that were appealing, so we contacted the Realtor of one of them to see if she might be able to arrange for us to see them. We met Lynne Ramey, Realtor, in the first condo which happens to be the complex where she resides and is also just down the street from where Patty and Mark used to live in Ancala Country Club. It was a beautiful condo that sits right on a large lake in Scottsdale and has this view from the large patio:
Yes, it was an exceptional view and the condo was perfect inside. The only downside was that the owner is a couple from New Jersey that only wants to rent it out until they can sell their home in New Jersey. We are looking for something that will be available for at least 2 years, and longer, if possible. The rent was also at the top end of our budget for rentals.
The second condo was not too far from the first, and still not far from Ancala Country Club, and also had a spectacular view from the large and private patio:
Although it was a bit hazy yesterday, you can still make out Camelback Mountain in the distance and the city lights at night would be spectacular. Although this condo was well within our budget and available for multiple years, it was a second story unit that we aren't crazy about.
The third and final option was one that was further north and Josie and I went to that one ourselves. It was east of Cave Creek, still in Scottsdale, but was a horse property - and house - that was available on a long term lease. The home was beautiful from the outside:
but, was in an area where the road was unpaved and we could see where it had been neglected for some time. We could also see where the water from the summer storms had run through the property and that scared us. It was a place where we could keep our fifth wheel at the property, but we had no need for the stalls and horse equipment that occupied the one acre property.
The Realtor we met promised to do some investigating of other options but we are not in any hurry and made it clear that we are just looking at options. The idea of renting somewhere in Scottsdale where Patty and Mark plan to return in about four years appeals to us.
Austin's team (Western Michigan University) won again over Miami of Ohio yesterday to take their record to 6-3 for this year. What a nice turn around from a year ago - and they are bowl eligible now.
There is one more day - today - before Josie begins her work schedule at Phoenix Flower Shops. She has some laundry to do and we have a few chores to finish outside, so we are looking for a relatively calm day at home...
There were several nice places that we saw online that were appealing, so we contacted the Realtor of one of them to see if she might be able to arrange for us to see them. We met Lynne Ramey, Realtor, in the first condo which happens to be the complex where she resides and is also just down the street from where Patty and Mark used to live in Ancala Country Club. It was a beautiful condo that sits right on a large lake in Scottsdale and has this view from the large patio:
Yes, it was an exceptional view and the condo was perfect inside. The only downside was that the owner is a couple from New Jersey that only wants to rent it out until they can sell their home in New Jersey. We are looking for something that will be available for at least 2 years, and longer, if possible. The rent was also at the top end of our budget for rentals.
The second condo was not too far from the first, and still not far from Ancala Country Club, and also had a spectacular view from the large and private patio:
Although it was a bit hazy yesterday, you can still make out Camelback Mountain in the distance and the city lights at night would be spectacular. Although this condo was well within our budget and available for multiple years, it was a second story unit that we aren't crazy about.
The third and final option was one that was further north and Josie and I went to that one ourselves. It was east of Cave Creek, still in Scottsdale, but was a horse property - and house - that was available on a long term lease. The home was beautiful from the outside:
but, was in an area where the road was unpaved and we could see where it had been neglected for some time. We could also see where the water from the summer storms had run through the property and that scared us. It was a place where we could keep our fifth wheel at the property, but we had no need for the stalls and horse equipment that occupied the one acre property.
The Realtor we met promised to do some investigating of other options but we are not in any hurry and made it clear that we are just looking at options. The idea of renting somewhere in Scottsdale where Patty and Mark plan to return in about four years appeals to us.
Austin's team (Western Michigan University) won again over Miami of Ohio yesterday to take their record to 6-3 for this year. What a nice turn around from a year ago - and they are bowl eligible now.
There is one more day - today - before Josie begins her work schedule at Phoenix Flower Shops. She has some laundry to do and we have a few chores to finish outside, so we are looking for a relatively calm day at home...
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Halloween Dud
Our first hike - or walk - around the lake occurred yesterday. We walked a total of 3.5 miles down to the lake, around the edge to the marina and back again in about two hours. That included a stop at the Marina store to pick up a drink and to rest on the dock.
The lake is a mess. There are remnants of a new dam that was constructed on the north side of the lake and all the debris has floated, or blown down to the south end. Here are the shots we took while on our hike. The first is of the lake from the top of the hill:
The "scum" on the lake is visible in the lower center portion of that photo. Here is a better view of the mess:
We didn't follow any path on our walk around the lake and there were parts of the edge that were washed out from the heavy rains this past summer. We did eventually make it around the lake, and these two shots are of Josie along the way:
The marina bar was not open when we arrived there, but the marina store was. We bought something to drink and sat in the nice lounge area on the dock:
Our walk around the lake was followed by a brief trip to the grocery to pick up a few things and to get ready for Halloween night. Last year, we had about 20 kids and there was no guarantee that this year would be any different. It was. We had everything ready for the kids as the sun was sinking in the west:
All of the goodies for handing out are in a bowl that is with the candles you see in the lower right of the photo. We sat at our table and waited...and waited...and waited. No kids at all came by and at 7 PM, we closed up and came inside the fifth wheel. Last year, there were several families around us that had children and this year, we haven't seen any which must explain why it was a dud.
I received an email response from my effort to be part of the Aramark team at the Super Bowl in Early February. It will be played at the Glendale Stadium where the Cardinals play. I was accepted for a warehouse spot or a cashier, whichever I prefer. It looks like I will be attending the Super Bowl - and getting paid - even though I probably won't get much of a chance to watch the game. It should be a fun experience with all the excitement. Training begins in mid January, about the time my unemployment payments stop from Wyoming...
The lake is a mess. There are remnants of a new dam that was constructed on the north side of the lake and all the debris has floated, or blown down to the south end. Here are the shots we took while on our hike. The first is of the lake from the top of the hill:
The "scum" on the lake is visible in the lower center portion of that photo. Here is a better view of the mess:
We didn't follow any path on our walk around the lake and there were parts of the edge that were washed out from the heavy rains this past summer. We did eventually make it around the lake, and these two shots are of Josie along the way:
The marina bar was not open when we arrived there, but the marina store was. We bought something to drink and sat in the nice lounge area on the dock:
Our walk around the lake was followed by a brief trip to the grocery to pick up a few things and to get ready for Halloween night. Last year, we had about 20 kids and there was no guarantee that this year would be any different. It was. We had everything ready for the kids as the sun was sinking in the west:
All of the goodies for handing out are in a bowl that is with the candles you see in the lower right of the photo. We sat at our table and waited...and waited...and waited. No kids at all came by and at 7 PM, we closed up and came inside the fifth wheel. Last year, there were several families around us that had children and this year, we haven't seen any which must explain why it was a dud.
I received an email response from my effort to be part of the Aramark team at the Super Bowl in Early February. It will be played at the Glendale Stadium where the Cardinals play. I was accepted for a warehouse spot or a cashier, whichever I prefer. It looks like I will be attending the Super Bowl - and getting paid - even though I probably won't get much of a chance to watch the game. It should be a fun experience with all the excitement. Training begins in mid January, about the time my unemployment payments stop from Wyoming...
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