A couple of days spending time with friends and family. We got a nice email from our niece Jennifer wishing we going to be at her place for Xmas this year and we wish we were too. Its the worst part of Snowbirding for the winter. we sent her back a email and told her that maybe next year we will go back home for the Xmas holidays as we miss the decorations, family dinners, and watching the kids open presents. I told Jennifer that last year we celebrated my birthday (July 3) with a full blown turkey dinner and hope to make that a tradition. Since we had been missing turkey dinners on Xmas and Thanksgiving on a semi regular basis we thought it would be nice to do a dinner similar on the Fourth of July weekend. Maybe it will turn into a family holiday.
We picked up our Xmas cards and started doing them this afternoon, have to get them out soon. We talked to Paul and Linda over the phone, they are leaving for Tacoma tomorrow to spend the holidays with the kids. We had a nice chat with them and will be going over to Vegas on our way back home. We look forward to seeing their house when we get there. Hope to spend a week in town doing the Vegas thing. We also met Paul and Michele who live here in Palm Springs. We met them at Larry and Rose Mackey's wedding two years ago and reconnected with them last year when we ended up spending several weeks here in the desert. They are opening a nursery, "Aunt Effie's Garden" and we stopped by to see them there. Really nice place with a great selection of plants and gardening supplies. We bought a Poinsettia, white and red speckled. for our dinette table. We are going to meet them for dinner this weekend....probably for Sushi since we both like that a lot.
We also talked to Pat and Ed Tatman today and they are recovering from a week of the flu! That is part of the winter season that we sure don't miss. They are mostly over it and its nice that they got it out of the way before the festivities begin. I had the flu on Xmas about 30 years ago and can still remember just wishing Xmas Eve would get over so I could go to bed, and I love Xmas. My memories of that are still very very vivid. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
We had lunch poolside at the cafe today and sat under the awning but still in the sun and you could feel the sun hot on your back. Temps are up this week going to 75 the next couple of days.
We may get in the pool tomorrow if it stays as hot as it was today.
Not much on TV these days as most of our favorite shows are done for the year. We are keeping busy watching Netfix in the evening if nothing else is on TV. I can't wait for the final season of "Lost" coming up in February. We did buy tickets to see "Avatar" on Friday afternoon at the Desert IMAX in 3D... it will either be great or a bust but at a IMAX and in 3D we will maximize the experience one way or another.
I have been keeping up on the Seattle sports scene by reading the Seattle Times and Tacoma News Tribune and also listening to KJR Sports Radio 950 on IHeartRadio on my iphone. Lots going on with the Seahawks firing their GM and maybe coach, Jake Locker coming back to the UofW for his senior year, and the Mariners making huge moves in the hot stove league. I wouldn't mind spending a week in Peoria watching spring training before we leave for back home.
More coming later.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Monday we had the first rain we have had on our trip to date. It rained most of the day and by our standards I would call it rain, not a sprinkle, but not a pouring rain. You would need an umbrella if you spent much time in it. It was overcast all day and reminded me of Tacoma however the temperature was still in the low 60's. We laid low and enjoyed how cozy our rig was. The furnace kept us warm and toasty while we read, napped, and watched TV. The next morning it was sunny and clear and only the new snow on the mountains reminded us that it had rained the day before. Storms are blowing through all of Southern California this week but we are just catching about 30% of the weather. This weekend is supposed to be the worst of it but the sun is coming out just as I write this. There has been no wind with the "storm" so we have left the big awning out which keeps all the chairs, BBQ, and bikes dry.
We now have an address with the parks post office and can get mail. This is nice as it allows us to use Netflix while we are here. We shopped at Costco the other day and ordered our Xmas presents, two sets of golf clubs, as well as buying eggnog and Xmas cookies. Mark and Carol are coming here for ten days starting on December 20th and it will be great being together for the holidays. We sent them ads for lot rentals that owners hac posted on the bulletin board in the main clubhouse and they got a good rate for the trip. Susan found out that the grocery store we shop at, just outside the park, cooks turkeys for the holidays with all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie so we are ordering one for Xmas. It will be nice to have some turkey leftovers.
We received a call from our neighbors in Tacoma, who check on the house for use, letting us know our furnace was off and the house is cold (45)....so we are dealing with that long distance.
I checked out the hot tubs (2) and main pool yesterday. One tub is 90 degrees for the people who can't be in really hot water and the other spa is 104 degrees and we intend to make use of that this evening. The low 60's temps have chased people out of the pool although the pool temp is 85 degrees but the park is more vacant with people going home for Xmas so its probably a combination of both. It should be leave more room for us in the spas and on the golf course while Mark and Carol are here for the holidays.
We put our Christmas decorations up yesterday so it feels more like the season. We have lights around the awning and a lit wreath on the front grill of the motor home for outside lights. I will attach a photo of the inside which is cozy with the little tree, hung stockings, etc. We also hung Santa hats on the outside mirrors. It all turned our very nice considering the space and storage limitations. Quite a few sites have something out for Xmas but not all as many are leaving anyway and will celebrate at home. The clubhouse is nicely decorated with lit reindeer, snowmen, Santa, presents, etc. on the front lawn and the long entrance street has white lights around the trunks of the palm trees lining the road...the effect is very festive. We have yet to attend any of the weekly events in town as we have been keeping busy. Each Thursday night is the "Street Fair" when they close down Palm Canyon Drive (the main street in Palm Springs) for about twelve blocks and have booths, food, music, etc. and the restaurants stay open until late. The other event is the College of the Desert, a shopping fest with about a bazillion booths selling everything you can imagine. This happens on Saturdays and Sundays from 7am to 2pm....year around. The early start and stop is due to the heat during the summer months. We are looking forward to that but since we will be here for the whole winter we are not rushing to it. Better to wait until it gets closer to Xmas and then shop for seasonal deals.
We can't say enough about how nice everyone in the park is. Some of the rigs in here are million dollar showplaces but the people don't seem to care what you are in, they treat everyone the same way. We didn't find that the case a couple of years ago in Indio where the lots seemed to be in a competition to see who had the most luxurious outdoor kitchens, coolest golf carts, or the sexiest electric boat to pilot around a very paltry lake system. "Boys and their toys". The people here refer to that park as "Outdo" instead of Outdoor...pretty funny.
I am enjoying NFL football down here although I miss the Direct TV Sunday Ticket package I had the last couple of years. I didn't renew this year because the Seahawks were looking so bad this year but I do miss not seeing ANY of their games and being forced to watch the games the Networks pick rather that the games I would like to watch (New Orleans, Minnesota, Indianapolis for example) but usually get the stinking Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants. Next year I'm in with the Sunday Ticket again. Can't wait for the playoffs to start, then it will get real interesting for me!!
I should mention that I now think that the best fast food burger is "In and Out". I had one last year, and two this year and they are the best. It's probably a good thing that they are not in the NW if you get my drift. LOL
More next Saturday, Merry Christmas!
Larry, Sue, and Ollie too!
We now have an address with the parks post office and can get mail. This is nice as it allows us to use Netflix while we are here. We shopped at Costco the other day and ordered our Xmas presents, two sets of golf clubs, as well as buying eggnog and Xmas cookies. Mark and Carol are coming here for ten days starting on December 20th and it will be great being together for the holidays. We sent them ads for lot rentals that owners hac posted on the bulletin board in the main clubhouse and they got a good rate for the trip. Susan found out that the grocery store we shop at, just outside the park, cooks turkeys for the holidays with all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie so we are ordering one for Xmas. It will be nice to have some turkey leftovers.
We received a call from our neighbors in Tacoma, who check on the house for use, letting us know our furnace was off and the house is cold (45)....so we are dealing with that long distance.
I checked out the hot tubs (2) and main pool yesterday. One tub is 90 degrees for the people who can't be in really hot water and the other spa is 104 degrees and we intend to make use of that this evening. The low 60's temps have chased people out of the pool although the pool temp is 85 degrees but the park is more vacant with people going home for Xmas so its probably a combination of both. It should be leave more room for us in the spas and on the golf course while Mark and Carol are here for the holidays.
We put our Christmas decorations up yesterday so it feels more like the season. We have lights around the awning and a lit wreath on the front grill of the motor home for outside lights. I will attach a photo of the inside which is cozy with the little tree, hung stockings, etc. We also hung Santa hats on the outside mirrors. It all turned our very nice considering the space and storage limitations. Quite a few sites have something out for Xmas but not all as many are leaving anyway and will celebrate at home. The clubhouse is nicely decorated with lit reindeer, snowmen, Santa, presents, etc. on the front lawn and the long entrance street has white lights around the trunks of the palm trees lining the road...the effect is very festive. We have yet to attend any of the weekly events in town as we have been keeping busy. Each Thursday night is the "Street Fair" when they close down Palm Canyon Drive (the main street in Palm Springs) for about twelve blocks and have booths, food, music, etc. and the restaurants stay open until late. The other event is the College of the Desert, a shopping fest with about a bazillion booths selling everything you can imagine. This happens on Saturdays and Sundays from 7am to 2pm....year around. The early start and stop is due to the heat during the summer months. We are looking forward to that but since we will be here for the whole winter we are not rushing to it. Better to wait until it gets closer to Xmas and then shop for seasonal deals.
We can't say enough about how nice everyone in the park is. Some of the rigs in here are million dollar showplaces but the people don't seem to care what you are in, they treat everyone the same way. We didn't find that the case a couple of years ago in Indio where the lots seemed to be in a competition to see who had the most luxurious outdoor kitchens, coolest golf carts, or the sexiest electric boat to pilot around a very paltry lake system. "Boys and their toys". The people here refer to that park as "Outdo" instead of Outdoor...pretty funny.
I am enjoying NFL football down here although I miss the Direct TV Sunday Ticket package I had the last couple of years. I didn't renew this year because the Seahawks were looking so bad this year but I do miss not seeing ANY of their games and being forced to watch the games the Networks pick rather that the games I would like to watch (New Orleans, Minnesota, Indianapolis for example) but usually get the stinking Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants. Next year I'm in with the Sunday Ticket again. Can't wait for the playoffs to start, then it will get real interesting for me!!
I should mention that I now think that the best fast food burger is "In and Out". I had one last year, and two this year and they are the best. It's probably a good thing that they are not in the NW if you get my drift. LOL
More next Saturday, Merry Christmas!
Larry, Sue, and Ollie too!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Outdoor Resort, Palm Springs
Home again, home again! At least it felt that way checking in here at the Outdoor RV Resort in Cathedral City. I had forgotten how nice it was. The two things you notice are how lush and pretty the grounds are with plantings, palm trees, lawns, lakes, and mature citrus trees on almost all the 1200 lots. The lots are owned but you can sublet them by the day, week, or month. We are in Lot 202 again this year. We like it because the location is just one site away from the main clubhouse, main pool, and the cafe. Nice when you just have to walk 20 yards to to get into the pool or hot tub, especially if you want a dip in the evening. Our site has a large orange tree in the back but they are not ripe yet and what looks like a grapefruit tree toward the front....they could be lemons but look huge. Our neighbor, Sam, from across the street brought us a half dozen lemons over from their tree. We used the juice over veggies and chicken for dinner and it was wonderful. Not as tart as store bought but super juicy. If the oranges are as good as the lemons...."Screwdrivers and Mimosas" for all.
The lots are big and private with parking for a couple of cars. We are pretty much set up and enjoying the weather.
Leap forward to Monday (today) and we have had the first rain of our trip. All of Southern California is getting wet today including the desert out here. In the sixties but looks like Tacoma today. Supposed to clear up tomorrow then maybe two days with partial showers as the storms move east over us. We are getting better forecasts than the coast however. We have been settling in this last week. We went to Costco today, then the grocery store. We have an address at the local park post office:
Larry and Susan Lee
69411 Ramon Road, Lot 202
Cathedral City, CA 92234-3350
Now we are getting Netflix again...yay! Just in time for the rain. We pretty much know our way around down here after being here three times and once at Happy Traveler but look forward to exploring the area more. We went shopping on El Paseo in Palm Desert which is know down here as the "Rodeo Drive of the Desert". It is loaded with really nice shops and the area is well planted and has plenty of restaurants. We had lunch upstairs on the patio at "Tommy Bahama's" restaurant and bar just a level above their store.
We take walks around the perimeter of the park each morning, it takes about 50 minutes to do that, and we have our bicycles to ride around on too. Looking to by some golf clubs down here and play the par three golf course on premises here. The have a total of 27 holes to play. Quite a few tennis courts, all lit, here also. The people here all seem pretty active so it does not feel as old as the other places we have stayed down here. We hung a hummingbird feeder and are doing boxoffice business even in the rain.
The Honda CRV we towed down here is really working out well. It was great in California traffic, I don't miss shifting the Wrangler one bit, and we can haul our Costco purchases easily. Also very quiet on the freeway and for today...nice and dry in the rain. lol We are lining up things to do for the Xmas season to help get us in the mood, but I miss not setting up our yard with outside lights and the house with a big tree. We did bring a lot of Xmas stuff to decorate, along with our Xmas DVD movies, and a ton of Christmas music on our ipods. Mark and Carol will be here from Dec 20 to Jan 2 so that will be really nice. We have found a couple of things to do in the days to come..."Wild Lights" similar to "Zoo Lights" in Tacoma and are looking for a few Candy Cane Lanes of houses that go "Sparkey Grizwold" every Christmas.
We bought some Xmas cookies and rum/bourbon eggnog at Costco today. Only about a gazillion calories and carbs in them. Actually, I am down to 205 from 221 in July so I intend to be careful about nonstop binging. We did find a place that sells a complete turkey (any size) and all the trimmings at a reasonable price and plan on doing that for Xmas day with Mark and Carol.
Not the same as home however.
Just remember 'nothing says Christmas like shades and a Hawaiian shirt!
Thanksgiving Dinner
We had a very nice turkey dinner with all the trimmings at "The Charthouse" restaurant in Marina Del Rey. A window table for four as Mark and Carol made it back from their Mexico trip in time to have dinner with us. Plenty to eat and for once I didn't need an alka seltzer after T-Day dinner. I do miss the leftovers and the turkey sandwiches that last all weekend but my body doesn't.
After dinner we drove over to the Turner's place and watched "Survivor" on DVR since we are all admitted junkies to that show. I can 't help admire Russell's ability to play the game, jerk or not.
Winding down our trip in LA and we move to Palm Springs on Tuesday.
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