We have started making the
purchases we will need for our trip to Alaska. Just a few items that should make the trip go better with fewer problems. Things like DVD's & books on traveling in Alaska, a few minor camera accessories (extra batteries, remote control, lens cap & lens cap lanyard), and one really expensive item.
Last night I ordered a cover to put on
our car while it's being towed behind the motor home. There is so much gravel on the roads in Alaska, your toad can take a real beating. Some rocks will get thrown onto the toad by our RV however most rocks will get thrown by vehicles traveling in the opposite direction. Trucks are
especially effective at spraying rocks all over your toad.
Several people who have been to Alaska recommended a good toad cover and mirror covers. Several of them said they learned this the hard way; they had to replace their windshield after returning from Alaska and complained that their toad's paint was 'dinged'. Hopefully this $400 investment will protect the toads windshield and it's paint. We'll see.
The cover starts under the front bumper, wraps over the hood and continues up over the windshield, completely covering the front, hood & sides of the car over the front wheels. Plus I ordered a pair of mirror covers.
Sunday night we were invited over to the neighbors to learn a card game called Euchre. Mike and Janice are from Canada and spend just under six months in the US every year. They own a village home here in Palm Creek and spend almost all of their six months here at Palm Creek enjoying the amenities. Canadians who winter in the US are careful to stay less than six months to avoid tax issues.
Mostly Mike & Janice play golf, swim at the pool and hike in the local mountains. They are a lot of fun and make it a point to include us (and others) in many of their activities and parties.
To me, Janice appears to be (or should have been) a professional party organizer. Every time I turn around she is organizing another Pot Luck or Happy Hour or getting folks together for a card party, in this case Euchre. This worked out well because I wanted to learn Euchre; Palm Creek residents play lots of card games every week, including Euchre.
Janice & Mike seem to have an endless supply of friends who stop in Casa Grande on their way to other destinations. Sometimes they stay for a night or two and sometime they stay for a couple of weeks.
So on Sunday we learned Euchre from Mike & Janice's friends, Darsey & Aileen, who are from Ottawa. Before retiring they owned a property management company and a landscaping company. Altogether they had about 75-80 employees. Having a landscape company allowed them to take off during the winter and travel.
Aileen was a real powerhouse, as opinionated and hard charging as any executive I've worked with. Eventually she tired of getting the business back in shape after being gone for several months of travel so they sold the landscape business and kept the property management company.
Now she and Darcy travel most of the year and operate their property management company from the road. Aileen tells me she spends several hours every day on the phone/computer in their rig. She and Darcy said several times how fortunate they are and how much they love their life on the road.
Unfortunately they were only here for two night but maybe we'll see them again next year. Or on the road sometime this year. You never know....
After learning Euchre on Sunday night, I played in the competitive water volleyball league on Monday for two hours followed by three hours of water volleyball from 2-5 pm. After dinner on Monday evening I crashed, completely wiped out.
Today, Tuesday, MLA and I went and played Pickleball for 2 hours and then I went and played water volleyball. I was so tired I nodded off for a few minutes before dinner.
Just what the doctor ordered was a nap. Hispanic cultures know how to live; they have a siesta in the middle of the day, avoiding the worst of the heat in the middle of the day.
See Ya!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment