Casa Grande, AZ: High Season Ends and RVers Hit The Open Road

This is a busy time of year at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort. The 'high' season is coming to an end; already the park is noticeably more empty as people return to the homes/campgrounds where they spend the summer. Many of the Canadian snowbirds have already 'left the roost' although a surprising number of folks have had to spend a few extra days/weeks in the park since the winter storms are still creating havoc in some parts of North America. 

Those without a specific home base, mostly full time RVers, are hitting the open road to explore more of this great country. 

So as the season comes to a close there are happy hours, good bye parties and end-of-year parties for all of the activities: water volley ball, pickleball, wood shop, lapidary, tennis, lawn bowling, baseball, etc., etc.  Way too many activities and events to list.

We went to the water volleyball end of year party on Sunday; lots of great food including my favorites: cake & homemade hand cranked ice cream. Lots of pictures displayed of the various games/players along with some video footage that played on the big screen. We played a game where you had to identify the player based on a something they said or a habit that person displayed while playing water volleyball. Too much fun and yet a little sad since we know we won't see most of these folks until next year's 'high' season, that is, if we elect to come back to this park next year.

When Mary Lynn first started talking about spending a month at the same campground I thought she was a little crazy. After all, we had just spent 10 months travelling across through 22 states, never staying more than a week. Our MO was pretty simple: explore an area by car & motorcycle for a week and then move 200-300 miles. Repeat. 

It worked pretty well for us and we had a great time so the idea of staying for a month or two seemed destined to be problematic. Not So, Grasshopper! There is so much to do at Palm Creek it's your own fault if you are bored. MLA and have only scratched the surface on the list of activities offered here.

Now I can see the appeal of winter destinations in Arizona, southern Texas and Florida. You get to know a lot of people in a very short period of time. Much more so than in a typical suburban/rural neighborhood where relationships take time to develop since the business of earning a living and raising a family tend to consume huge quantities of time and energy.

Released from the need to accomplish those two time-consuming activities relationships develop quickly. In an RV park/resort, everyone lives in a relatively compact space so they tend to spend a lot of time outdoors and in the process, lots of friendships are made. Living in the pet section accelerates the process of getting to know your neighbors since most pets need to be exercised which in turns requires you to get out and about every day. I've noticed that many times people learn and remember your pets name before they know/remember your name. 

In any case, we too are only two weeks away from 'pulling anchor' and getting under way. We will hit the road on April 15, making our way to Montana before spending the summer exploring Alaska if (and this is a big IF) the volcano Mount Redoubt doesn't completely blow its top and spread ash all over the region where we will plan to travel/explore in Alaska. Mt Redoubt is ~100 miles southwest of Anchorage and west of the Kenai Peninsula. 

Oh well, no sense worrying about something we have no control over; if it happens it happens and we'll drop back to Plan B. Not that we have a Plan B. In fact, for the past year we have not had a Plan B (or a Plan A for that matter) and we've had an awesome time. I'm sure we'll figure it out as we go...  

All we have to do is survive another two weeks of happy hours, BBQ's, good-bye dinners & end of year parties before we 'waddle' out of here on April 15th.

See Ya!

Tortilla Flats, AZ: Apache Junction & The Lost Dutchman State Park

We rode the motorcycle out to Apache Junction and then on to Tortilla Flats. It was a great day for a ride, sunny & warm, and the roads were nice and twisty.

We stopped at the Goldfield Mine, which is a tourist trap of the first order. It seems everyplace you go has to re-enact a shoot-out that occurred 'out here' in the Wild, Wild, West, and Goldfield Mine is no exception. They have a shoot-out that goes off like clockwork three times a day,

That said, the buildings are close to an accurate representation of an old western town and a mining operation.

Afterwards we rode through The Lost Dutchman's State Park on our way to Tortilla Flats. Supposedly the Lost Dutchman was a miner who found a large gold strike. Numerous attempts were made to get him to disclose the location of the mine while he was alive, however the Lost Dutchman refused to talk. He went to his grave with his secret. 

People still search (in vain) for his mine. You have to see how rugged this ground is to understand just how difficult a job it would be to find the mine. Unbelievably difficult terrain.

We returned to Palm Creek in time for the end of year party. Most 'residents' leave around this time of year and within a month or so it will be pretty empty over the hot summer months. Then in October the snowbirds start landing and all the activities are in full swing by the beginning of November.

So what was the theme of this years end of year party? A Wild, Wild West party -- complete with a re-enactment of a shoot-out involving the Younger brothers. I've never seen so much shooting at such a close range with so few people hit. They must have fired two hundred shots, with everyone within twenty feet of each 

other, and at the end of the shoot-out, only two 'outlaws' had been hit.  Too Funny.

See Ya!

 

Casa Grande, AZ: How About A Long Grand Canyon Raft Trip Next Year Dear?

Timing, they say, is everything in life:

• Add an extra layer of clothes under the clothes you are wearing to get warm while shopping at the mall: poor timing; you could end up in criminal court.
• Pay your mortgage late: poor timing; you could end up in bankruptcy court.
• Kiss the neighbor at any time other than the annual New Year's Eve party: poor timing; you could end up in divorce court.

• Ask Mary Lynn if she wants to raft the Colorado again while the bruises are still on her legs: poor timing; you could end up in the emergency room (well, can you think of a court associated with the emergency room? Huh, can you? -- neither could I). 
  

Actually her bruises have reached the optimum shade of black & blue. You know the shade I'm referring too. A shade that lingers for several days before dissolving into just a memory. Her lips, no longer blue from the cold, are a nice rosy red. I'm guessing they are no longer blue; it could just be her lipstick is covering her still blue lips. I'm afraid to ask.

And her hands no longer ache from holding on tightly to the raft. The penalty for failing to hold onto the steel rail with a vice grip-like hold was to be launched out of the raft or to be thrown into the bottom of the raft. Either way you ended up floating in ice cold water until the raft had exited the rapids, although the 'rescue' from the bottom of the raft was easier to accomplish.   

So, as curious as I am about whether or not she would consent to a slightly longer raft trip down the Colorado, I know better than to ask the question right now.

I figure the timing will work out as follows: all physical evidence (other than photo's) of this weeks raft trip will be gone in three weeks. Her ability to remember vividly the exact temperature of the river when she slipped under the raft will be gone in about six months. Within eight months she'll no longer be able to describe with clarity the punishment she feels is appropriate for the person who invited her to rafting through the Grand Canyon. 

So ten months from now, in January 2010, it will be safe for me to ask my lovely bride if she would do me the honor of accompanying me on another raft trip. 

Of course I'll have to guarantee warmer weather on the next trip and I'll have to agree to several future jewelry purchases, the specifics to be worked out at a later date and payable on demand. 

All that said, I'd do it in a heartbeat. It's hard to describe the majesty of the Grand Canyon or the power of the mighty Colorado River as it roars between massive rocky cliffs whose color consists of a 1000 shades of brown & red. Some of these canyon walls pierce the sky for over a mile.

It's impossible to realize just how large some of these structures really are. Only when some man made object, like a helicopter, flies towards one of these 'close' walls until it appears to be a mere speck do you realize just how massive these rocky behemoths really are. Many times an object that appears to be an easy hike away can actually be many miles away, and a mile in height. 

Next time it would be nice to do a couple of days floating in a raft where the guides use oars to steer through the rapids and then everyone, guides included, enjoy the peace of just floating to the next set of rapids. Sleeping under the stars on soft sandy beaches caps off days filled with timeless stretches of calm floating interspersed with several minutes of sheer exhilaration/terror as you shoot through the rapids while getting inundated with shockingly cold water. Then back to lots of sun and warm (sometimes hot) temperatures. 

Yep, as great as that sounds I'm keeping a low profile on that desire. Please don't mention anything to MLA; I'll spring that on her in a weak moment when she is deliriously happy about arriving back in Palm Creek!

How can my plan possibly fail?

See Ya!

Grand Canyon, Arizona: We Survived The Mighty Colorado River

Well, we survived our rafting trip on the Colorado River through a portion of the Grand Canyon. All in all it was a great trip however the air temperature was 10-15 degrees cooler then ideal so if you ask Mary Lynn if she enjoyed the trip you might get a slightly different opinion. More on that later.

Plus no one wore wetsuits for this trip. Everyone had on shorts, t-shirts, and life vests. A few had rain suits or ponchos. 

The trip started Monday afternoon with a bus ride from Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ to Peach Springs, Arizona. Peach Springs is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, which forms the southern border of the lower portion of the Grand Canyon. Peach Springs is the gateway to the Peach Springs Canyon, which contains the only road you can drive down to the Colorado River. All other access to the river in the Grand Canyon requires you to ride a burro, hike down, or take a helicopter. 

The road to the river from Peach Springs is 22 miles long; the first half a mile is paved. The other 21 & 1/2 miles are not. We rode an old school bus over 21 & 1/2 miles of unpaved road. Maintained by a bulldozer it is frequently washed out by flooding as the canyon and surrounding land drains rain fall.

The trip down the river is about 40 miles long. All of the rapids are on the first third of the river journey, including the Travertine Falls rapids. After running these rapids we stopped and hiked up to the falls. This required climbing up several rope ladders where you get thoroughly soaked in the process however it was worth the climb. A spectacular 40 foot waterfall created a slot canyon and from there the water drops another 100 feet or so before flowing several hundred yards to the Colorado River. 

A spectacular climb however through some unfortunate turn of events I ended up hiking to the falls without my camera. Really bummed as this was one of the best hikes & views of the day.

I have been on almost a dozen raft trips in the US on 6 different rivers before rafting the Colorado. The mighty Colorado definitely earns it's name: it is huge with lots of powerful rapids. 

After the hike to Travertine Falls we did a few more rapids, all of which were bigger and tougher than the rapids from earlier in the morning. After getting thoroughly soaked in these rapids we stopped for lunch to warm up and get dried out.  

The water temperature on the Colorado is 45 degrees when released from the dam and warms up to a 'toasty' 47 degrees in the canyon. Wow. We knew the river temperature would be brisk however we were not expecting the air temperature to be so cool. A large front blew Through Arizona over the weekend and cleared out the warm weather. Too bad; it made the 2nd half of the trip a little too cool.

Once we reached our take-out point we hiked up a short distance to the helipads. The wind had picked up but not so much that we couldn't fly out of the canyon. Mary Lynn and I ended up on the last helicopter ride (10th flight out) of the day and by then the wind was really gusting. The helicopter bounced around when he landed to take us out.

As we departed the wind blew us around and MLA started looking a little green. When the copter dropped 50 feet in a down draft she  started looking for the airsick bags. The flight lasted about 5 minutes. If the flight had lasted six minutes I would still have MLA's fingernail pattern tattooed on my leg. Boy can she grip tight when she gets a little nervous. 

In any case we landed hard, with the helicopter bouncing around on its skids for a few seconds. MLA was ready to yell at the pilot before I told her it wasn't his fault. They were stopping flights after ours due to the wind.

Before driving 2 & 1/2 hours back to the hotel we went on the new Skywalk. That's the walkway with a glass floor that extends over the Grand Canyon, giving you a look down ~4000 feet to the canyon below. I've never seen so many people nervous about walking on what is basically a sidewalk, albeit a sidewalk made of glass.

More later...

See Ya!  

Casa Grande, AZ: Packing For Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

This has been a busy week and now we are preparing for our rafting trip down the Colorado River, right through the heart of the Grand Canyon. A few clothing items that provide at least some warmth when wet and that dry quickly form the foundation of our equipment. A hat, some suntan lotion and lip balm complete the personal protection part of the package. In case of rain we are packing a couple of inexpensive rain poncho's.

Add in some gear to protect your cameras (zip lock bags or dry bags, depending on the size of your gear and your level of paranoia), stuff it all into a backpack and you are ready to raft 

the mighty Colorado. 

We can pack so lightly since we will only be on the river for one day. The rafting expedition company takes care of everything else: food, water, snacks, rafts, life vests, paddles, guides plus extensive knowledge of the Grand Canyon's history, flora and fauna.

Mary Lynn and I are incredibly excited. We cannot take Dobbie so our 

friends Dave & Mary Anne will be watching her. 

This will probably be the last post until at least Wednesday evening, perhaps until Thursday. If I can get access to a computer I'll leave a quick update however that's unlikely. 

Our cell phones will not work Monday evening, all day Tuesday, and Wednesday morning so if you need to reach us leave a message and we'll get back to you once we get coverage.

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Grand Canyon Rafting Trip Preparation

Mary Lynn and I have been busy the last few days. On Wednesday, after playing Pickle Ball and Water Volleyball, we had a Water Volley Ball Happy Hour followed by a pre-trip meeting for our Grand Canyon Rafting Trip. The Grand Canyon trip is scheduled for next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The rafting trip preparation covered a lot of the same information we had in our handouts. These days, trip leaders feel it's necessary to cover the material provided in the handouts since so few 

people actually read the handouts, so , after reviewing the handout material the trip leader opened the session to Q&A.

The handout clearly states the Indian Reservation we are staying at in the evening is 'dry', meaning no liquor is sold/served on the reservation.

The trip leader made a point of saying the reservation is 'dry' however he would stop the bus at a convenience store just out side the entrance to the reservation, if anyone wanted to buy wine, etc.

What do you think the first question was? "Is liquor available at dinner in the hotel on the reservation?". Too funny. Although I did begin to get an idea about the priorities for the group we will be travelling with...

In any case, our trip itinerary is as follows: 

Monday - bus trip to the Indian Reservation near rim of Grand Canyon, dinner and a rafting safety course in the evening. Basically rafting safety is "make sure you wear your 

life jacket any time you are in the raft or on the river".  He must have repeated this six times. I'm sure they will also cover what to do if you are thrown from the raft into the river, however, in the six years of running the rapids, that has not happened. 

Now if you have ever river rafted you probably know getting thrown into the river is a fairly common experience. Not here, mainly because these rafts are a little bigger than normal and motorized. No paddling necessary.

 

And it's a good thing people are not usually thrown into the river. River temperature will be an invigorating 47 degrees although the outside temperature should be in the high 60's/low 70's.

Tuesday: After a ~22 miles bus ride down into the canyon our rafting trip will cover about 40 miles of the mighty Colorado River, with a stop somewhere along the way where we can hike up to a water fall after lunch. 

After completing the 40 miles of rafting we will hike up to a plateau where there will be a couple of helicopters waiting to take us to the Grand Canyon Skywalk. The Skywalk is built out over the rim of the Grand Canyon and allows a spectacular view through a glass floor to the floor of the Grand Canyon some ~4000 feet below. A quick trip back to the hotel where dinner will be served. 

Wednesday: We take another bus back to Palm Creek. 

I can't wait. I bought a 'dry bag' for my camera gear so I'm hoping  to get some great photos.

I will not have my computer with me so I may not be able to post on Monday or Tuesday; maybe I'll be back in time to post Wednesday evening. 

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: St. Patty's Day At A Mexican Restaurant

Tonight Mary Lynn & I had dinner with our friends Bill & Diane H, who live several streets over from us (they live in Washington state during April through September). They are one of many great couples we have had the pleasure of meeting here at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort. I think the relationships formed here are one of the big attractions that keep people coming back season after season. RV living forces you to get outside, for games, activities, classes, etc., and it's the process of getting out of your 'shell' that allows you to make all of these great friendships.

Bill and I both enjoy water volleyball and when I was asked to play in the competitive water volleyball league I was (pleasantly) surprised to learn Bill 

was on the same team: The Pool Sharks. Great name huh? Sounds a little more aggressive than we play however all of us have a great time playing in the competitive league on Mondays and Fridays.

I find it interesting that I can play water volleyball with someone almost every day of the week for a month and then hardly recognize them when we met 'in street clothes'. The transformation from soaking wet in a bathing suit to casual (not to mention dry) clothing can make all the difference! Funny, I feel like the same person.... Mary Lynn and I ran into Bill at the laundry room twice and I hardly knew it was him. We go to the laundry room every couple of days to take advantage of a machine there that dispenses a gallon of water (created by reverse osmosis) for 25 cents a gallon. Tastes great, convenient and sure beats paying for bottled water.  

In any case, we had dinner with Bill and Diane at a local Mexican restaurant. Not the norm on St Patty's Day I realize however it was just what MLA and I needed. 

We both played Pickle Ball from 10- 2 today. At 3 I took a Pickle Ball skills improvement class however MLA said it was too hot (upper 80's) and she went to the pool for a little R&R. She said she earned it by playing two hours of pickle ball during the mid-day sun. 

After biking home after my lesson, I didn't really feel like cooking the steaks I had marinated earlier, so when Bill and invited us to go out to dinner, I was in the shower before you could say "Where are we going". 

Tomorrow I have Pickle Ball from 10-2 and then I'll go play water volleyball to cool off. Sounds like another perfect day in paradise. 

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Pining For Alaska In Beautiful Arizona

Another beautiful sunny day here in Arizona with temps in the low-80's, however it's about to get very warm. This week the temps will be in the high 80's and low 90's. This will be a challenge for us since one of our heat pumps went out last week and the other went out over the weekend. 

No problem you say? Well, you have to remember that our electric heat pumps are our air conditioning units. We could keep the temperature manageable in the RV with only one AC so I wasn't too worried until the second unit decided to join it's twin by blowing out it's insides all over the coach. Mary Lynn was not a happy camper when that happened. 

So tomorrow I need to get the  repair/warranty process started. At least I hope they are covered under warranty. The first unit is now 13 months old and I think it's covered by a one year warranty. The second unit was just replaced in January while we were at the Tiffin factory in Red Bay. At a minimum I think it should be covered by warranty.

In the end it doesn't really matter; we need to have air conditioning so we will get it fixed one way or the other.  

I started working on the Alaska itinerary before water volleyball today and then again after dinner. It's starting to come together. First pass has us entering Canada from Montana in mid-May and getting back to the US around September 1. We will drive approximately 5500 miles and travel the Alaska Marine Highway System from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Haines, Alaska with stops in Petersburg & Juneau. 

I've begun putting together a rough list of activities in each town we will visit as well as a list of campgrounds in the area.

At first blush I can tell you that RV campgrounds in Alaska are a lot more 'rustic' than their counterparts here in the US. Many have no RV hook-ups or electricity only. Many times a campground will have a dump station located near the exit rather than individual septic connections at each site.

No worries though, every thing I've found so far tells me this will be a once in a lifetime trip.

Not to mention  MLA tells me this is the only time she is going to a cool weather destination like Alaska. In fact she would have been quite happy with taking a cruise ship to Alaska. Her thinking is simple: she would only be in the cool weather for 1-2 weeks and then it would be over. 

I told her we can travel for 3 months on what it would cost for a 2 week cruise. She finally relented only because she didn't want to see me beg. If she only knew; I would have been willing to go much further than begging. It would not have been a pretty picture.

That said, we are planning to take our time seeing and doing as much as possible in Alaska and Canada. 

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Palm Creek Car Show or Back To The Future Time Travel?

Any of us who have seen the movie "Back To The Future" (and who among us of a certain age has not), has at one time or another thought about what it would be like to use the magical Delorian, converted by Doc to enable travel back in time. Many of us wish such a device existed.

Well, since that device is still in development, existing only in the movies, I'm here to tell you about a pretty good substitute for time travel. If you guessed "Cars at a car show", you are a winner! But not just any old car will do. It has to one that has been loving restored to its original beauty; preferably more than one car. In fact, the more the better. 

Today the Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort held it's annual Car Show and it was terrific. Maybe 100 cars all together; a wide variety of models, manufacturers, styles, sizes and colors. The local RV dealer sponsored a band that was pretty darn good; lots of 50's & 60's Rock & Roll that fit the car show theme perfectly. It seemed as if most of the 1000+ Palm Creek residents turned out to enjoy the cars, the music, the food and of course, the glorious weather with temperatures in the low 80's.

Restoring and showing older cars is a strong passion for some folks and the rest of us get to reap the benefits (and the time travel experience if you don't mind eves-dropping & are willing to listen carefully).

In fact, what I enjoyed the most was over-hearing the various stories spectators told one another as they looked at the cars, as if the windows of the car were somehow transformed into windows into another time and place. A place occupied by happy memories, young bodies, loved ones who have since left us, the exuberance of youth and yes, the lessons learned from inexperience. 

A time when all of us were being shaped and molded just like soft clay, by events and yes, things like cars, into the person we have become. And all of this usually happened without any of us having a clue that these were "the good ol' days".    

Listening to the stories made me realize just how easily and fully the person telling the story could be transported back to a time when they had 'that' car, or their parents had 'this' car. Stories about learning to drive, about accidents survived, lessons learned from dumb mistakes, and stories about days gone by (or is it bye?). Speed, more speed and too much speed. People, especially older people, can get downright misty-eyed when a hunk of metal & rubber with a specific shape and/or color, brings back memories of a simpler time.

It seemed everyone had a story. The cars at a car show have an almost magical ability to bring back those memories, albeit viewed through rose colored glasses that only see/remember the very best from that era.   

Today, a lot of fortunate people were able to be transported back in time and a few of us were lucky to be able to tag along. 

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Make Your Dreams Come True Now

Given the incredible losses during the last several months in housing, the stock market, and the economy I was feeling a little down about the impact to our portfolio and it's possible impact on our RV lifestyle.

I mean, Mary Lynn and I are having the time of our lives. We enjoy the RV lifestyle and all the wonderful people we are meeting. Like us, many are concerned about what the future holds. Most want to know how long the economic downturn might last or how long before stock market investments re-gain some of their value.

While many folks have been impacted, most still have their original assets (homes, stocks, etc) even though these assets now have much less value than they did just a year or two ago.

Then on the evening news I see that Bernie Madoff plead guilty to 11 criminal charges all centered around his bilking $65+ Billion dollars from investors. These investors, which included celebrities, executives, rich investors, middle income investors, universities, and charities, have lost everything they had invested with Madoff.

And some of these investors had all/most of their money invested with this crook. Now its gone -- or appears to be gone. 

So as concerned as I am about what has happened to our investments, at least the opportunity exists for these assets to regain some/all of their value. Those ripped off by Madoff have no such opportunity.

All the while, Madoff claims he acted alone. And, according to Madoff, all the money is gone. I have only one question.

Where does $65 Billion dollars go? How could Madoff and his family spend that much money and not have accumulated more assets?

OK, that's two questions. 

So what does it all mean? I don't know the answer, at least not the entire answer. 

What I do know is this. There are no guarantees in this life for any of us. I am incredibly grateful that MLA and I have had this opportunity to see the country by RV together. 

And that's my appeal to you. Get out now and do whatever it is you have been dreaming about. Explore the country by RV as MLA and I have done. Take your boat and explore the Caribbean. Travel to Europe and/or Africa or where ever it is you have dreams about. Take your family on that incredible vacation you have imagined time and again.  

If you wait until the ideal time to go you will never go. Do what you can to pay off/eliminate debt. Reduce your expenses. Do whatever you need to do to make your dreams come true. It's that simple: get dreaming -- get scheming -- and get going. Now!

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Who New Retirement Would Be So Taxing?

Today we shipped our tax information off to our account. Finally. We have been waiting for the last 1099 to come in for the RV mortgage. I knew the deadline for mailing 1099's had been extended from January 31 to February 15 for financial services/mutual funds. This was because almost 90% of the 1099's sent last year by January 31 had to be re-done and mailed later when all the changes were finally said and done at the mutual funds. 

So to keep the financial companies from having to send 1099's twice again this year they extended the deadline by two weeks. 

It seemed everyone and their brother took advantage of this new date for 1099's and some companies even missed the new, later date. Personally I think it's because none of them wanted to send out statements showing just how bad last year really was. 

That said, sending the 1099's late was not the worst part. That I could handle by simply sending my tax info to the accountant a few weeks later. More work for the tax accountants who now have to do the same amount of work in a shorter period of time. Unless the IRS is allowing a later date for paying your taxes and I didn't hear about it. Anyone? I didn't think so. 

Nope, the worst part was receiving 1099's that (essentially) said "even though we lost 30-50% of your money, you still owe taxes to the government....". I mean, how can you owe taxes when these clowns turned your 401K into a 201K? OK, OK, technically you only owe taxes on your taxable accounts, not on your non-taxable accounts but you get my point -- these guys lost your shirt but still want you to pay the laundry charges for washing the shirt. Ouch!

I try not to dwell on it. My financial advisor tells me everything will be fine. Fine that is, as long as 

1. the stock market improves by 500% in the next 18 months
2. the housing market turns around and my house doubles in value
3. health, dental and optical care is nationalized by Obama/Clinton and is free
4. the Trillions being spent by Obama does not increase the deficit and is not inflationary

Just to be safe I've been studying for my 2ND career by saying (aloud) "Do you want fries with that?".

In any case, now that the taxes are off to the accountant now we sit back to see how much (more) we owe the government.

Who new retirement would be so expensive?

See Ya! 

Casa Grande, AZ: Alaska Trip Purchases Begin

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!

Casa Grande, AZ: League Water Volleyball & Competition

Here at the Casa Grande Golf & RV Resort I have been playing water volleyball almost every day from 2 pm to ~ 5 pm. There is also a competitive water volleyball league that plays every Monday & Friday from 11 am to 1 pm. We arrived 3 days after the sign-up period for the league closed so I have not been able to play in the competitive league. 

This was disappointing because the competitive league plays six on six; that is, six people on each side. This makes for a very exciting game with lots of action. With only six players (three on the front row & three on the back row) you have a lot of ground (water actually) to cover. The level of play is higher which makes the volleys longer which means you get a lot more action & exercise. 

I have been pretty competitive my whole life and don't see that changing any time soon. In fact, Mary Lynn would get mad at me when I was playing games with my children because I wouldn't just let our children win the games unless they beat me. She felt & still feels that the adult should "take it easy" in order for the child to win. 

Not me. It's a tough world out there. Our children need to understand that they have to fight hard in order to make a living and in order to find your way in this world. I wanted my kids to be tough, physically & mentally, in order to take on the challenges of this world. I told MLA our kids would never be able to thrive in this world unless they were tough & hardened against the realities of life.

MLA pointed out our oldest was only 4 and making him run laps and lift weights before a t-ball game might not be the best way. Rubbish I told her, and increased his morning calisthenics. 

OK, I might have overdone it when my kids were young. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to let them win at Checkers or Parcheesi, I don't know. 

Not that I didn't try. I signed the girls up for a t-ball league, determined not to be the pushy & loud father. I went to the first game determined to be supportive regardless of how anyone played. In my mind I imagined fluffy clouds, purring kittens and long pony rides. I was ready to nurture my children's inner being. Reassure them and smooth the troubled waters...

When the coach announced they did not use umpires I felt my blood pressure rise slightly however after a few moments of deep breathing (not easy while you are biting your tongue) I calmed down a bit. 

As the little boys and girls proceeded to swing at the t-ball, the coach informed us the child could take as many swings as they needed in order to hit the ball. Again I felt myself tense as child after child flailed at the ball sitting atop the tee until they finally, mercifully, managed to knock the ball off the tee and take off for first base. 

One child, after swinging repeatedly for several minutes without hitting the ball or even the tee for that matter, was told by a coach "that's OK, just run on down to first base". Wait a minute I thought, how can you do that to this child? Not one of my children mind you; each of my children had mandatory t-ball batting practice every morning before school and again after dinner. 

My mind reeled at the idea anyone would allow this youngster to run to first base as if they had actually hit the ball. At this point I was almost in tears from biting my tongue and finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"Coach" I cried out, Is that legal? Will his run count the same as the other children who actually hit the ball and ran to first in the manner baseball was intended to be played?".

"It's OK" the coach tells me, "We don't keep score".

Hearing him say they don't keep score caused the pressure in my chest to skyrocket and my head was spinning faster than a titanium drill bit through balsa wood. It was a race to see which would explode first, my head or my chest. 

Not keep score. Had I gone to sleep and awoken in some communist state where socialism ruled? 

It was too much. I collapsed right there; right next to the scorekeeper who was drawing little hearts and flowers next to each child's name, having already completed the task of cutting oranges into wedges for the "Every Ones a Winner" party held after the game. For both teams. All together. Aghhhh. 

And that's exactly what happened. At that age, the kids can't really catch the ball, and, if they should somehow stop the ball, they can't throw the ball with any accuracy, so, we sat there for several hours watching all the children run around the bases until, mercifully, the game ended on account of darkness. 

At the "Every Ones a Winner' victory party, even the kids were confused. Many a child would ask "Who won?" and each looked equally confused when some parent or coach would say "You all won". I almost cried.....

So you can believe me when I say I am competitive. 

So several weeks ago I put my name on the alternate players list, waiting for an opening on one of the competitive water volleyball teams. When one of the team captains called last Saturday to ask if I'd be interested in playing on a league team, I was ecstatic. When I hung up the phone, MLA thought I had a bee in my shirt as I danced around the RV. 

You should have seen the look she gave me when I told her my reason for celebrating was getting on a league team. And yet, as always, she humored me, told me she was happy for me, and in general tried not to let me see that she felt I was a complete nut. She tried but I've seen that look before, the little sigh and the drooping of the shoulders. She tried but I knew what she was really thinking....

In any case, today was the first day I played in the competitive league. The game started at 11 am; I was there at 10:30 am. Why you ask? Well there is a lot of preparation before the game. You have to take a 30 second shower and you have to wait 15 seconds for the shower water to warm up and you have to, well, ah, well that's pretty much it as far as preparation before the game is concerned.

No coach's strategy session, no review of the rules, no instant replay cameras, no announcing of the players names; heck they didn't even play the Star Spangled Banner. What's wrong with these people? 

Truthfully I had a great time. Lots of action, lots of laughs and of course, lots of competition. 

One other thing. In my daughter's first t-ball game, the actual score was 37 to 29 in favor of my daughter's team....    I just thought you would want to know... I know I did!

See Ya! 

Casa Grande, AZ: Cactus Fly In and Chili Cook-Off Contest

What a great day in Casa Grande. Mary Lynn and I went riding with Larry & Shirley, our motorcycling friends, on our Harley's. It was a beautiful day for a ride; in fact the only disappointment was the fact the airport was not very far away!

We spent several hours enjoying all of the various planes that have flown in for the Casa Grande Cactus Fly In. What an incredible variety of planes. It really was a perfect day: bright, sunny, not too hot, not too cold. Truly beautiful.

Larry and I viewed almost every aircraft there while MLA & Shirley 

waited for their boys, I mean men, to finish drooling on the planes. Anyway, after watching a few of them take off & land, we decided to head over to the 31st Annual Chili Cook-off, also being held in Casa Grande today.

One thing about this relatively small town of 45,000 residents, Casa Grande always has something going on. Native American exhibits, car 

shows, chili cook-offs, art shows, food contests, etc. Every weekend there is something to do (and yet another way for the snowbirds to spend money in support of the local community). 

Back to the chili cook-off. In addition to the chili there were lots of vendors selling their wares and food stuffs. But we came for the chili and for a very reasonable cost of $4, you received a tasting bowl and a spoon. 

After the contestants turned their bowl of chili into the judges at 2 pm, 

the chili chefs began serving up samples of their chili. I'd estimate ~20 chili wizards were in the competition, trying to deliver to the judges the best chili possible.

Of course the challenge is the fact there are so many ways to make chili. Some insist it's only chili if you use diced beef, others insist you need ground beef, and a few say no beef at 

all. Some with beans, some without. In fact, many chili competitive chefs will tell you it's not chili if it has beans it the mix. That said, probably half of the chili's had beans. 

And the heat. Some were spicy and some were not.  And one was advertised (thru big warning signs) as the hottest chili in the world. I don't know if it was the hottest in the world however there were plenty of people brought to tears, if not screams, by this chili. Most would simply taste a very small portion of a spoonful and then the fun would begin. 

Several people claimed to be able to eat any spicy food only to have this 'World's Hottest Chili' bring them to their knees, begging for the pain to stop. At least one lost his lunch, the chili was so hot. How hot was it? Don't ask me; I'm long past proving my manhood by eating more super spicy food than anyone else; It's been months since I did anything that immature.....

Then we headed back to Palm Creek to catch the end of the mixed doubles Pickleball competition and to enjoy the spaghetti dinner offered as a fund raiser for the Palm Creek Pickleball Club. Mmmm, good.

All in all, just another perfect day here in paradise.

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Is It The Weekend Already?

Mary Lynn & I have trouble remembering the day of the week. Some of you might find it hard to belive however it's true. Time seems to run at a different pace when you are RVing, especially when you are RVing full time. 

Not only does time seem to run at a slower speed, time also has much less significance than it held when we were working. It's just not that important anymore.

Don't get me wrong, it still has some importance. I mean, without knowing the day of the week we wouldn't know if we were supposed to go to play horseshoes or pickleball; dance lessons or lapidary; golf or softball. How would we know? To keep it all straight we keep an activity calendar on the refrigerator.

So when I told MLA that on the way to water volleyball today I ran into Larry & Shirley, and they want to take the motorcycles out for a ride on Saturday, we both had to pause and think about it for a moment. A quick consult with the calendar and we realized tomorrow is Saturday. 

Cool, because there are two 

community events taking place in 

Casa Grande this weekend plus the Pickleball Tournament will finish up this Sunday here at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort. 

The Casa Grande airport is hosting 

the great "Cactus Fly-in", which I am very excited to go see & photograph. Plus there is an Car Show & Chili Bake-off in downtown Casa Grande. I get to ride the motorcycle, sample different styles of chili plus take photo's of cool cars & airplanes. Is this a great country or what?

I came home from water volleyball this afternoon and immediately knew something was up. Mary Lynn couldn't wait to show me what she had purchased while out shopping today. She gets that way when she finds a great sale with lots of bargains. Sure enough, she had a big bag full of items that had been marked down to just a dollar or two. 

Her two best finds?

The first is a large coffee table book on the polar regions, including lots of information on Alaska.The book has lots of beautiful pictures of the animal, landscapes, and scenery we can expect to see when we travel to Alaska by RV this summer. Very cool; I think she is actually starting to get excited about this trip. As I said before she is basically a warm weather person these days and our trip to Alaska has her a little concerned.  

The second item is also a large coffee table book, this one is about Birds of Prey. Again, this book is chock full of large beautiful pictures. Many of the photos are simply amazing.

Now, I hear some of you asking "Dale, what about the rule you have about buying anything while living in the RV? You know, the one you have where you must make room for any new item you bring into the RV by removing something of similar size & weight. What about that rule?". 

Well, since we'll be here at Palm Creek for another month or so, we agreed she could bring these books into the RV as long as she donates them to the park's library before we take off.

Also, MLA being the smart lady that she is, I had to modify our shopping rule a little bit. I had to specify that the item(s) MLA takes out of the RV have to be items belonging to her, not me! I told you she is tricky...

Very excited about tomorrow's activities. I'll be sure to take some photo's and share them with you in the blog.

See Ya!