It is time to leave for our winter home.  December 17 saw us leave Jane’s home in Petal, MS.  Being Sunday, we had to find a place for our weekly Bloody Mary, a couple of hours in to the drive.

Our winter home will be in Casa Grande, Arizona where we have spent two previous winters but this is a new resort for us. The drive was over 1500 miles and we did not want to drive too far in any day so planned for 4 days. It actually only took 3 1/2 (3 nights) so we arrived a day early.

On the way, we boondocked the first night in a in a Walmart parking lot in Lindale, Tx. The second night was a campground in Big Spring, TX. With our Passport America, it cost us $17.50. The final night was another Walmart lot in Deming, New Mexico. Pretty cheap camping along the way.

Casa Grande

December 20 found us in Casa Grande at Casa Grande RV Resort & Cottages where we plan to stay for 3 months.

We went to the pool at our new resort to enjoy the hot tub on the 21st. It was great to finally enjoy a hot tub after many months without one.

On Dec 22, we decided to check out our favorite local bar, the Airport bar. WE went up for a couple of beers and laughed when we saw a Minnesota license plate near the ceiling.

Our park had a free Christmas Eve dinner and we attended. We were served ham, cheesy potatoes and veggies. Many of us brought White Elephant gifts to exchange. It was a fun evening, a good way to start meeting people.

Christmas was different this year; it was the first time we spent the day entirely by ourselves. We started the day by opening gifts and found out that Jane had had a difficult time keeping secrets as she knew about some of these. (Actually, Dave shared his gift to me with a lot of people…)

There is a photo of Boo that we both really like. We both used it to have a gift made for the other. Sice everything was sent to Jane’s house, she knew about it all. It is great that two great minds think alike!

We continued the day with Bloody Mary’s, time outside and had supper late in the afternoon. We had a simple but delicious meal of Cornish game hens, mashed potatoes and gravy.

We went back to the Airport on the 27th, just for a beer but ended up staying for a supper of tostadas. At $3 each, we decided the food thawing in our fridge could wait a day.

We attended another park dinner and party on New Year’s Eve. This was pork chops and mashed potatoes. They always serve enough for 3 people on each plate. There was also a DJ for the evening which wrapped up after the ball dropped in New York City. It was another fun evening.

When we started toward Arizona, we decided to start looking around for a more permanent place to stay for our winters. That would mean Casa Grande is our “go to” place every winter and probably a longer stay than our previous winter stays. We were not committed to buying something, just looking but would make a decision if something struck us just right. Well, it did!

We purchased an almost fully furnished home and will take possession on January 16. This is bittersweet for both of us because January 21 marks the end of 6 years of full time RVing. We will still live in the RV 8 months a year and it was our first home together but it won’t be FULL TIME anymore.

Dave has been busy finishing some projects and hopes to have them completed before we put the rig into storage for the time we are in our house. He had to replace part of our under carriage that decided to leave us part way through Dallas. He is also refinishing our table which does not stand up well to daily Yahtzee games. Last, we are going to replace the carpet under the table with a newer type carpet that Cedar Creek is using now. It is made from bamboo, is flatter and will not mat down under our feet. It should arrive by this weekend.

Because I have been a bit under the weather for most of the time since we left Mississippi, we really have not done much. Friends Denny and Meg even cancelled a visit to see us on New Year’s Day. But, we were going stir crazy so on January 6, we drove to Florence, about 30 miles away and visited the Windmill Winery. This is a neat place and we plan to return someday when it is warm enough to sit outside and enjoy their outdoor space.

We took three days to move in to our home. The first day, we took fridge and freezer stuff over. That way, we could get the fridge and freezer empty and defrosted in the trailer, before final day. We also brought most of the pantry stuff so I could arrange the new kitchen. This left the trailer kitchen pretty empty!

The second day, we brought over hanging clothes. Wow, it looks like so much! it is amazing that all of this fit in the closet in the trailer.

We sat on our patio that afternoon and had a Papa Murphy’s pizza for supper before heading back to the trailer for a final night of sleep. It will be bittersweet because the trailer ( first the travel trailer, then the 5th wheel) has been our home for just shy of 6 years).

January 18 is moving day. We were so organized. I had bags, boxes and other containers loaded the night before, except a few things in the bathroom. We left the campground and headed to the house. Once there, I handed things to Dave from the door of the trailer and he took them into the house or the garage. We had the trailer emptied of all that we intended to empty within an hour of leaving the campground. Very efficient!

After a little lunch, it was time to put the trailer to bed in storage.

Many neighbors stopped to introduce themselves the first few days. I am having a difficult time remembering names and faces but this is the friendliest place I have ever lived!

I was anxious to start making the house look like our own, so a few days later, we headed to Chandler, to the Hobby Lobby store where I did a little damage to our credit card. I found a few things that were just what I wanted. I was anxious to put them in place at home, but we decided to go to Gilbert first to check out OHSO Brewery, to see if it has changed at all in the last two years.

We continued to shop on line and added some decor for outside. Marshall’s in CG and Target in Gilbert gave us a bit more also.

We also met up with our friend Kim from St. Peter, at the OHSO Brewery in Gilbert. She moved to the area last fall and we had been looking for a time to see her. It was a fun afternoon.

So far we have not done any sight seeing since we got to CG. however, we have found our CG church, a Methodist church about 2 miles away, United Methodist Church of Casa Grande which we have attended twice now. The people are nice and the services are what we like.

We went to lunch one day with Curt Runing and Ann Hutton who park next to us at Sawmill in North Mankato. We met at a nearby Mexican restaurant and it was delicious.

We have been going to Saturday morning coffee in the park, Monday night BINGO, Friday afternoon Pegs & Jokers where Dave is the only guy, and also getting in pool time when the weather permits. We also attended a chili cook off and Fairways Frolics, a funny, talented park talent show.

When it is cooler, we have been working around the house, inside and out, make small repairs like trimming bushes and yanking out the ugliest cactus I have ever seen, a pine cone cactus.

My birthday came around again and I hit a big one…70… Oh my!  We went out for dinner but started with a cocktail first at a a different place, checking for a possible brunch location.  Cocktails were at McMasher’s where we hoped for a Hurricane but had to settle for similar drinks.  I liked mine but Dave was not crazy about his.  Later, we went to the Hideout Steakhouse for supper where I had popcorn shrimp and Dave had salmon.   It was our first time here and we really liked both the rustic atmosphere and great food but it was a bit pricey.

A few days later, Dave ran some errands and surprised me with a Valentine’s bouquet.  He officially asked me to be his Valentine.  It was the first time in my life I have been asked that.  Sweet

We made more new friends here at Fairways, Denny and Judy.  Our conversation turned to many things but we mentioned our friends in St. Peter who use Crown Royal bags to make quilts as a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s.  They returned a while later with bags to donate for Julie and Wendy.  How nice!  Also, Bo too the opportunity to hop into the golf cart with Denny.  We think she is jealous of all the dogs she sees riding around on the carts and she does not get to, since we do not have a golf cart.  Silly dog!

We have hardly done any exploring since returning to Arizona this year so one Friday, February 16, we packed a picnic lunch and Boo, and headed to the Salt River Preserve.  We hoped to see some of the wild horses that often visit that area.  We did not see the horses on that trip but the birds and rock squirrels were really neat.

 

We also celebrated our 6th anniversary with a simple meal out.  We returned to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants Anaya’s.  Mexican meals seem to be our them on our anniversaries.  We even wore our wedding clothes again.

A month after arriving in our new home, we had our “Official Welcome” meeting.  We received an unexpected gift.  I did not get a picture when it was nicely wrapped in cellophane with a pretty black and white plaid bow.  It was a colander, place mats, dish towel, oven mitt, candy, coffee and coffee mugs.

 

Angie and her friend Brenda came to visit us, arriving at 4 AM on February 24th.  Whew!  They had a long wait at car rental at the air port.  Day one was a lazy day here at home, with me enjoying mom/daughter time and getting to know Brenda again.  Dave prepared his ribs on the grill and I made potato salad, per Angie’s request.  We also spent time at the pool.

The girls left early the next morning to do some Arizona exploring on their own for a couple of days.  They took in the Grand Canyon and Sedona and had a great time.

We had been trying to get some wicker furniture on Market Place and finally connected with the owner while the girls were gone.  a trip to Fry’s grocery found new cushions at half price.  The room sure looks nice now.

Returning to us, we spent Sunday with brunch out at Cafe De Manuel where we had Bloody Mary’s and a delicious breakfast.  Back on the road, we headed to Tortilla Flat where we enjoyed a beer and more important, music by the TF Band.  The bouncer was a funny lady with a six shooter water pistol that she used to keep Dave in line!  Next, we backtracked a bit and stopped at Goldfield’s Ghost Town where Angie and Brenda’s friend Becky joined us.  Becky had recently moved to Arizona and lived close by ( Becky’s mom was a close friend of mine too).  We had a beer on the patio and strolled the shops. 

We had planned to go the the Windmill Winery but checked their hours on their website and found we would not be able to get there before closing.  Instead, we took the girls to the Airport bar for burgers.  They were impressed with our favorite dive bar and the excellent food.  The day ended with and evening drive into downtown historic CG to see the neon park.

The next day, we were on the road by 8n AM.  We already had a variety of salads and a couple of bottles of peach wine.  We headed south to the Saguaro National Park to show off more of the beauty of our state and to enjoy a picnic lunch so Angie could witness how Dave and I live our lives when we are out exploring.  They thoroughly enjoyed the trip.  Dave was disappointed because he waned to see the petroglyphs but the road to that part of the park was closed.

Returning home, we went to the pool for a short time but it had gotten pretty cold so we did not stay long.  Dave made stuffed peppers for supper.  Then, we all played Pegs and Jokers the rest of the evening.

I was sad to see Angie and Brenda leave at 3:30 AM the next day (Feb 29).  Summer will be here soon though and we will see them again.  I was sleepy and did not venture into our room to start putting things away for a few hours.  The girls had left us a Thank You gift, badly needed beach towels.

On Saturday March 9, we went back to Goldfield Ghost Town.  We had two reasons to return.  First, when we visited with Angie and Brenda, I fell in love with all the colorful metal wall art.  Dave and I had agreed that we would decorate our Arizona room with it.  I went armed with dimensions of each wall and ideas from what I had seen earlier.  We walked through each shop to confirm what we wanted, then got busy.

I went to each shop to make purchases and Dave returned to the truck several times so items did not get damaged or too heavy.  Within an hour, we had bought enough items to make our Arizona room beautiful.

Saguaro above hall cabinets

   

 

 

We got together at the Mammoth Saloon that day, with Dave’s high school classmate Larry Evers and his wife Diane for a beer and some fun conversation.  Mammoth Saloon is also in Goldfield.  After leaving, Dave took some pictures of the neat sky on the way back to Casa Grande.

This was certainly Sleepy Eye, MN week.  A few days later, we entertained old friends and new when Carol and Al Fisher, Kevin and Eileen Murphy plus their friends Diane and Dean Ibberson came to our place for and afternoon of refreshments and conversation in our garage.  Later, we all went to supper at The Hideout.  It was a fantastic day of catching up.

On March 14, we decided we needed a day out because we had not done much since we got to Arizona this winter.  We ventured to Glendale (near Phoenix) to the Cardinals stadium to check out the RV show, to see what was new and different in RVs.  On the way home, we looked for a place for lunch and found the Crooked Pint Ale House.  Apparently this is a chain but we were unfamiliar with it.  We were excited to learn they have a “juicy” on their menu, which was the special of the day.  The bartender was very familiar with Matt’s Bar in Minnesota.  Also, there was a definite Minnesota sports theme throughout.

We wanted to take in some real Arizona entertainment, so on March 17, we drove to Queen Creek for the lasts professional rodeo of the season.  We went early and since it was Sunday, found a Bloody Mary.  It was okay but ours are definitely better.  We wandered around the carnival for a while, people watching.  Eventually, we made our way to the stands. The rodeo began at 3 PM and was everything I could ask to see, from bronco busting to hog tying and cattle roping.

The day was pleasant but windy and we had not been certain how to dress.  By the time the last event, bull riding, started, we were pretty cold because the wind was coming in directly on us and had gotten pretty cold.  This was the best part of the rodeo and we watched several entries but left before they were all done.

 

A few days later, we had lunch with our friends Curt and Ann again.  This time, we chose BeDellon’s.  They had been there  but we had not.  Gals at the park had mentioned it to me and it was really neat.  We ate outside int the cactus garden before walking through the attached museum.  It will be great to see Curt and Ann again at Sawmill in Minnesota.

We have also been very busy at Fairways in March.  There was a BBQ supper and Dave was asked to help make ribs.  Six other guys made ribs also.  There was a total of 28 racks of ribs.  I made home made mac and cheese and later helped set up and also serve.  I believe almost 200 people came to eat that day.  The clubhouse was full.

Later that month, I co-hosted the annual Easter supper at the park.  This was a ham dinner.  The host is in charge of purchasing the food, finding volunteers for cooking and carving the ham, decorating, setting up and cleaning up as well as planning the entertainment.  I co-hosted with Gayle Shell.  For entertainment, we had an Easter egg hung and had fun shopping together for prizes.

Dave and I are more and more active in events at the club house.  We usually go to the monthly Social hour and pot luck (2 different events), Pegs & Jokers, karoke where we are audience only and have also joined a Sunday evening group that meets for a joint supper and Mexican Train.  Of course, there is pool time.  It seems we meet with different people at each activity.

I also recently took on the responsibility of the community newsletter, the DIVOT.  The past editor was also a part time resident so she had someone in the park take over during the summer months.  They both resigned at the same time.  I decided to take on the job year around.  My first publication came back from the printer yesterday, 4/24, and will get distributed next week.  I will have to work on the next several from a distance but someone in the park will pick them up from the printer for me.

I have decided to take up my hobby of counted cross stitch again and hope to complete some projects to hang on our empty walls here in Arizona.  To start, I ordered all of the colors of embroidery floss.  Then, I purchased to bins to store them in, all labeled by numbers so I can find them easily.  When the floss arrived, it was in no order so Dave and I laid them all out in the kitchen and dining room so I could get them organized.  What a project!

April 8 was a full eclipse.  it was about 80 percent in Casa Grande.  It felt kind of eerie but did not look dark.  We were able to capture a picture of the moon covering the sun.

On Sunday, April 14, we decided to head to the Windmill winery because it had not been warm enough to enjoy their patio the first time we visited.  A young man was singing and playing guitar so it was a fun afternoon.  Boo enjoyed it too!  Besides sharing a bottle of wine, we decided to have a Prickley Pear Margarita, our first this season.

On the way home, we stopped by the Gallopin’ Goose for a beer, one of the first places we went to with Denny and Meg 4 years ago.  We had a beer and shared an order of fries for supper.

We had a bridal shower in the park on April 17 for a couple who live here and met here about a year ago.  She was a widow and he was divorced.  They got engaged at Easter time and are getting married in a few days.  Congrats to Bev and Jim. 

As soon as the last gift was opened, I skipped out.  Jane was in Phoenix for a conference and we wanted to spend some time with her before she flew out the next morning.  The only dog friendly place we found near her hotel was a German place but it had very delicious food and we loved seeing Jane. 

On April 27, we went back to Tortilla Flat one last time to listen to the Tortilla Flat Band and had a great time on a beautiful day.

Our last week at Fairways was spent at the clubhouse in various activities, at the pool, cleaning, packing, organizing and saying goodby to many people.  It has been an amazing winter.  I hate to leave but am anxious to get on the road again and to see family and other friends.  We will be back in November!

Packing the rig was so much more work than we expected.  We had to go to the hot tub just to make ourselves sit down and rest.  Besides, it is really neat after dark.

Goodbye Fairways.  We will see you in November!