Sunday ; Today was sunny and warm. Of course !
This morning I did a "dog agility" session with Bo utilizing the concrete "toadstools" in the back yard of our new lot. I'm not clear on what these concrete toadstools' purpose was / is, but for now, they can be a dog agility course. HA HA HA ! I think they were likely flower pot stands.
This afternoon we entertained our first visitors on lot 52. Our full time RV'ing / Escapee friends Glenn and Rosi came by to visit. We phoned them yesterday, knowing that they would be in Yuma for a few days at the same time as us on their way eastbound. We had a lovely visit with Glenn and Rosi, whom we see about every two years or so. And we were very pleased with the social versatility of our yard. We started our visit in the back yard, on the Mexican bricked patio, some of us sitting in sunlight, and some sitting in the shade of the storage shed / workshop. We used one of the concrete "toadstools" as a patio table. As the sun moved westward, we moved to the screened front patio, again some of us sitting in the screen diffused sunlight and some in the shade of the trailer.
Monday ; Sunny and warm again today ! Joanne worked on cleaning the truck using some "detailing" products left over from last summer's trailer exterior cleaning. I began to work on removing the vinyl "snap-on" walls on lot 52's screen room / Arizona room / casita. I sprayed each snap with WD-40 then pried the snaps open with a special GM prying tool left over from our previous GMC truck. The vinyl walls were filthy. I took the sections of vinyl panels I had removed from the front / west wall and cleaned them in the back yard. The screen walls of the Arizona room are also very filthy. There will be a lot of cleaning to do !
We spent the afternoon running errands. The first, and most important, was going to the Bank Of America to get a cashier's cheque to pay for lot 52 tomorrow. I had removed a section of damaged screen from lot 52's front patio and we went looking for a specialty sewing company where we could have a new patio screen section made. The first place we went to was too expensive, and could make a section that large only with a seam in it. I didn't want that. The second company was about half the price, and could make the screen section without a seam. What a busy place ! About half a dozen motorhomes parked in their parking lot getting custom sun screen window covers made and installed.
We refilled with diesel at Barney's, bought some RV parts at RV Connection, a local RV parts store, and special ordered some RV parts I have been looking for since home. We shopped for hardware at Lowe's. We bought groceries at Fries, including a turkey for $5.85 ! We had chili cheese hamburger, chili cheese hot dog, chili cheese fries, and milkshakes for lunch at Wienerschnitzel. HEY ... Joanne's choice, not mine. We went to CVS Pharmacy to buy some advertised specials, but ... Joanne was looking at specials advertised in last week's expired flyer !
Back at home we had the last of our whole what perogies for supper. What a stupid idea ... whole wheat perogies !
Tuesday ; < YAWN > It's almost 11 PM and I'm tired ! It's been a big day !
Today was Kofa Ko-op's weekly lot transfer committee meeting. We paid for, and now own lot 52. YIPPEE ! ! ! We've been on the park's waiting list for almost six years ! And it was worth the wait ! We're quite enamoured with lot 52 !
BUT ... what a lot of dirt ! It's been three or four years since the previous owners have been down here. The screen room / Arizona room / casita ( take your pick ! ) has been closed all that time. And blowing desert dust has a way of finding its way in ! After paying for the lot right after lunch we were given the keys and entered the Arizona room and storage shed / workshop. YIKES ! We spent the rest of the day cleaning. The previous owners sold the place to us "as is". It's kind of like that TV show "Storage Wars". We discovered all kinds of interesting things in the Arizona room and storage shed. Including a large American flag and a bible. Just what I always wanted ! I wonder if there is any "American picker" value in a Bullwinkle Moose wall clock that runs backwards / counter-clockwise. HA HA HA!
Wednesday ; Today was day two of cleaning the Arizona room, the storage shed / workshop, and the yard. It will take a lot more than two days to get this place cleaned up !
Late in the afternoon I left the cleaning work to Joanne so that I could resume the installation of the Wave heaters. The Wave heater installation project still has quite a few "loose ends". I didn't get much accomplished on that before it was time to wash up and head for the regular Wednesday afternoon happy hour & appetizer potluck. We sat around for quite awhile afterwards chatting with one of the very few remaining founding members / original residents of this park.
Thursday ; American Thanksgiving
WHEW ... the cleanup continues ! We're actually beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In another day or two we should be able to actually begin using the Arizona room. The entire day was dedicated to continuing the cleanup.
Had communal Thanksgiving dinner tonight, And despite a great variety of excellent food ( turkeys, mashed potatoes, and gravy supplied by the park, everything else potluck ), I'm dismayed and ( obviously ) annoyed by the "eat and run " mentality at this RV park. Slow down ! Actually chew your food , people ! And what's the hurry to rush off after swallowing your last bite ? ! ? GEEEEEZZZZZ ! ! ! ! ! Sit around and visit for awhile ! Isn't that part of the Escapees "sharing and caring" motto / concept ? Isn't that part of "communal" dining ?
Friday ; Well ... after four long, hard days of cleaning efforts, our Arizona room is habitable. And it looks very nice. We are very happy with what we've got here ! There is still a lot of work to do, but the initial cleanup of the yard and Arizona room is complete. We're now working on the initial cleanup of the storage shed / workshop.
This afternoon while Joanne continued the cleaning efforts, I went shopping for hardware and supplies. And fresh peanut butter at The Peanut Patch. MMMMM ! After I returned home I resumed working on the "loose ends" of the catalytic radiant heater installations. HMPH ... still lots of "loose ends" to deal with.
Saturday ; Another sunny, warm day. Almost every day in Yuma is sunny and warm, so I should only comment on the weather when it's not sunny and warm. This morning we went to Kofa Ko-op's potluck brunch. Afterwards we headed out for a day of running errands. We shopped at the Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift shops. We went to the Indoor Marketplace ( flea market ) and bought some new kitchen knives ... and I got a free flu shot ! Thank you very much Sunset Community Health Center. Down here a flu shot normally costs $32 to $40 ! We went to the Post Office < sigh > and then to Fry's for some groceries.
Back at home we cleaned up the screen room's swamp cooler. Why would a screen room need a swamp cooler ? It was covered and wrapped with two layers of rotting tarps, and a lot of rotting ropes. There was a lot of sand and debris under it and inside of it. Cleaning it was a bigger job than we had anticipated. Joanne thinks having a swamp cooler, a poor man's air conditioner, on a screen room is ... just plain stupid !
In the evening we attended the 26th Annual Ken & Betty Borland Holiday Pageant & Friendship Tower Lighting. Now there's a mouthful ! It was at the Ray Kroc Center baseball field. There was about an hour of variety entertainment, mostly youth dance groups, but also some choirs, followed by the ceremonial lighting of Friendship Tower and the arrival of Santa Claus. I guess ... down here ... kids don't expect Santa to arrive in a sleigh. He arrived in something that looked more like a golf cart, one of the more popular modes of transportation around here. HA HA HA !
We finished the day with an all you can eat buffet at KFC. OOOOO ... Joanne's favourite !
DSK
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