MAY 31, 2013

Today we left Pacific Dunes and drove down the highway to Morgan Hill Resort.  It was a long 180 miles.  We will be here for a couple days.  It was an alright site, but there were cuckleburrs and I had to check Daisy every time she came back in from outside.  That was a pain...I hate those things. 

To get into this park there was a one lane bridge that you had to cross, creepy.  I don't like bridges.  The second day we were there, we went out to eat and when we came back, they were making us go in the back way because a big ole tree had fallen on a car right at the end of the bridge.  It couldn't be used until the tree was cut and moved.  Good thing they had it all taken care of because we left early the next morning.  I was creeped out going across it when we did leave. 

Oklahoma was hit with more F5 tornadoes the end of May.  They were devastating--loss of lives and homes.  So sad...  This is a picture of  one that struck close by the university where I worked. 

 

scary

 

 

 





Wish you were here...(I don't mean the tornado)  lol

living the retirement...

MAY 29, 2013

Today we left Fisherman's Retreat and moved to Pacific Dunes in Oceana, Ca.  It was a long drive and I hated going through  Los Angeles area.  The traffic was horrific, and we were not on it during rush hour--thank goodness.  Pacific Dunes is a wonderful park, it has 2 levels and we were up on the top level.  Dunes and ocean was around us.  It was a beautiful site and the weather was so nice.  We were here for a couple nights and we wish we could have stayed longer. 

We went into Pismo Beach and had dinner at Steamers.  Our dinner was wonderful and the view was beautiful.  Really enjoyed our date out. 

 



my dinner was so dang good.  I love fried shrimp

 

 We found an outlet mall and we walked it.  They just don't always have bargains...Check out this cool vending machine I saw, I loved it.  Wish I could bring it home to Leland, he would be a happy camper for sure. 

 

 

 

 



We hated to leave here..  

 

 

wish you were here...

 

living the retirement...



MAY 15, 2013

Today we left Cherry Valley.  There have been a lot of fires around us and they even evacuated a park not far from ours.  It is really scary and the air is so heavy with smoke.  Thankfully they are getting a handle on the fires.  People need to be so careful, a fire is just so dangerous. 

We are moving to Fisherman's Retreat in Redlands, Ca.  It is only 20ish miles away.  Really nice park and we have a good spot.  This park has 3 big ponds and the signs were out to watch for rattlesnakes.  Yikes...who wants those.  not us...  I put Ron in charge of walking Daisy, and that is funny because he is scared of only one thing and that is SNAKES.  I am surprised he didn't open the door and tell Daisy to walk herself and hurry back.  lol




There were lots of activities going on for Memorial Day.  This park was packed-tents everywhere.  People fishing kids playing this was a busy place.    Will be ready for things to get back to normal---whatever that is.  hehe

Wish you were here...

living the retirement...

MAY 4, 2013

Today was a wonderful day because we got good news from Leslie and Leland. I am so excited I can tell everyone this news. I am going to be Mimi to more grandchildren. My precious daughter my wonderful son-in-law are adopting 2 sisters. One is 5 and the other is 2. They have waited for such a long time to have a family and the girls are going to be in such a loving home.  Plus an extended family that will give them all the love in the world. Yeah I am such a happy Mimi.    Cannot wait to meet them. My heart is blessed — feeling wonderful.

No pictures yet and probably wont be able to post any until they are adopted which hopefully will be around December.  Then look out, you will be hollering at me to stop with all the pictures.  hehe

This now gives me 7 grandchildren, I am such a lucky MIMI.  Now I cant wait to see them. 

They get the girls on the 7th so Ron and I decided to sneak into Wagoner and surprise Leslie on the 9th.  We left California on the 7th and arrived into Tulsa late on the 8th and to their house on the 9th.  

When I knocked on Leslie's door, the look on her face was priceless.  I did it, she was so surprised.  That was a wonderful reunion of being with Leslie and her new girls and then to surprise Leland when he got back home.  It was a wonderful few days.  The girls are just absolutely precious and so beautiful.  Such a blended family they have.  It was hard to leave them and drive back to California.   We were only able to stay 4 days, not near long enough.

Got back to the park and stayed another couple days there and rested up.  We were so tired from our trip cause it was long and fast. 

Wish you were here...

living the retirement...

MAY 1, 2013

Today we left Cathedral Palms and drove to Cherry Valley RV Park in Cherry Valley, Ca.  It was less than 75 miles, I like that.  This is a nice park--it is a family park so there were a lot of kiddos here.  Taking Daisy for a walk was fun because the kids all loved her and she loved them also.  She would see them and they would start calling her name and running to her and she would just stop in her tracks and flip on her back.  They kiddos would love all over her and she was a happy camper for sure. 

We were in this park for a week.  We went into Temecula and shopped at Hobby Lobby.  Have I ever told you I love that place.  Had lots of fun there and bought my first knitting looms.  I started making hats and they are so much fun.  While we were there we went to SoupPlantation and enjoyed lunch.  love that place also. 

Was able to visit Bill and Jeanne in Hemet-love love love those awesome people. 

Well, I will write more later...

wish you were here

living the retirement

APRIL 24, 2013

We left Catalina Spa RV Resort, space 45, and went to Cathedral Palms RV for another week.  This is a nice park and a good grassy area for Daisy and a nice pool and hot tub for Ron and I. 

GOING INTO THE CITIES TODAY...

4/17/13  WEDNESDAY

Well, we waited all day Tuesday for the propane man to come and at 7 pm we finally left as we had to go to the grocery store.  We are at the store and had been gone about 30 minutes and the propane man called and said he filled the tank.  He must have got there right after we left, waited all day for him.  crazy...

We left the house today about 11 to run errands and get more groceries.  I had to go to Sprouts, I love that place - they have the best fruits and veggies and chicken breast.  They had the chicken breast on sale for $1.99 a pound so we get a package that has half a breast cut in two and it weighs 2 1/2 #s.  It is so big and they are so good.
Got watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and all color bell peppers, zucchini and yellow squash, onions apples bananas.  yum yum

Finally after doing our running around 5 hours later we come back home.  Then we had to try and find a place to put everything.  That is a challenge as to my fridge is not very big.   So tired but got my fruit cut up.  

Didn't even get to go to the pool today as we spent it running around.  Hopefully we can go tomorrow.

We had hogey sandwiches tonight for dinner and they were so dang good.  Glad we didn't stop and eat out before we came home.  We started to, but I just couldn't leave the food in the car while we ate.  Good decision.

see you later, wish you were here.  miss you
living the retirement...

WINDY CITY

4/16/13

Wow,  these last few days the wind has been blowing so hard.   Taking Daisy out for her walks have been a challenge.  They have had to close several roads due to the blowing sand-visibility is zero.  The motor home just shakes like crazy.  Today, at this time it is mild.  We are waiting for the propane man to come into the park so we can get our tanks filled.  Wish he would hurry up as we have places to go and it is now 2:00.  I hate to wait for someone else.  He better not forget us, he was supposed to have been here last Thursday, but when we called them they said he would be in the park today.  We will see...

Here are some pictures of sunset at our park, they are really pretty.

look real hard and you can see the pretty flowers on the fence



you know I had to throw in a picture of daisy on her evening walk.  She enjoys the sunsets also.  She is saying "stop taking the pictures and lets finish my walk"...hehe

Ok, another subject, I have been taking care of my nails after many years of neglecting them  So, I want to show you how my nails turned out after using my fan brush and acrylic paint. 

I love painting my nails now, just wish I could do my toe nails better...I have so many bottles of polish and just keep buying more.  I bought these cool images that you use polish or acrylic paint and then a dabber and then you can transfer the image to your nail.  I have to practice a little more to get it right, but they are so cool.  Here are pics of what they look like. 

I have 27 of these discs and there are 4 or 5 images on each one.  All kinds of things.

 

this is the scraper and the dabber you use to transfer the image...pretty cool.

 

As soon as I get it to work better I will post how they look.  Check it out on youtube, it it the Konad nail art.  Well, guess I will go now...still waiting for the propane man.  May give up on him and go do my erands.  They are saying the winds are supposed to die down tonight at 8, hope it tells good time I am sick of it...

Well, you take care, miss you and wish you were here.

living the retirement....





4/11/13 IN CATALINA SPA & RV RESORT

Today Ron finally did our taxes.  Goodness, we will be so happy next year as we wont have to pay taxes out our yangyangs anymore.  We drove into Desert Hot Springs to the post office and mailed them and then stopped at Ralph's for a few groceries.  We had no idea Desert Hot Springs was as big as it is. 

Went to the pool and spa after we got back.  They are wonderful, the pool is heated and the spa is big and feels so dang good. 

Today is the first day of CoachellaFest in Indio and that place they say has more than doubled in size.  I am kinda glad we got out of there because it will be crazy.   It  is a hugh rock concert and art festival that will go on for a couple weeks.  There are 6 concert areas and thru the weekend there will be lots of bands and I think they said Red Hot Chili Peppers will close it out for this weekend. 

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

4/12/13

Today we went to Joshua Tree National Park in 29 Palms with Bill and Jeanne Snyder to look at the blooms in the desert.  Here are some pics of the entrance to the park.  We stopped here to pick up literature.  

 

 

some cool art work that was at the entrance

 

 

here we go on a trip thru the park...enjoy

 

Some interesting facts about the park.  There are two parts to the park--the Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert.  The Joshua trees only grow in the Mohave Desert and nowhere else in the world.  They can grow over 40 ft at a leisurely rate of one inch a year. Branching only occurs after it has flowered.   It's clusters of cream colored flowers bloom February thru April.  

 

It was cool because you could tell when you entered the Colorado Desert because the Joshua trees were not in sight. The Colorado Desert is the Eastern half and it is below 3000 feet.  It is so interesting how things only grow in the different deserts when they are right next to each other.  The only things that is different probably is just the elevation.  I was always yelling when I walked out into the desert to take a picture because I sure didn't want any snakes, kangaroo rats, lizards or any other critter to surprise me.  I have never been one to think the desert is pretty but I enjoyed the trip thru the park anyway. 

enjoy my pictures, wish you had been with us...

 

so pretty --  yucca

 

 

I think this is a beaver tail cactus in bloom

 

 

cholla cactus.  The blooms jump at you so I was afraid to get too close for a picture.

 

 

not sure what this is but it had pretty yellow flowers on it. 

 

Joshua tree the clouds are pretty behind it.

 

 

blooms on the Joshua tree

 

I think this is a beaver tail cactus

 

closeup of a bloom on the Joshua tree

 

 

look closely and you can see the guy climbing the rocks. 

 

this guy made it to the top of the rocks...

rock formation

 

 

rocks are everywhere

 

 

way up high...

 

 

me, up high on the mountain...

 my crazy Ronnie always sticks out his tongue,  I need my sunglasses on so I wont squint so much.

 

 

Ocotillo, typical of the Colorado Desert.  Beautiful red blossoms in spring and often again in the fall. 

 

 

hope you enjoyed the pictures of our trip thru the desert. 

 

wish you were here...

 

living the retirement...



 

 

  

 

 



 



CATALINA SPA & RV RESORT

4/10/13

Woohoo, we moved today and the wind was so much better.  It was nothing like it has been, thank goodness.  We left Indian Waters and came over to Catalina Spa & RV in Desert Hot Springs.  This is a nice park, lots of rvers have gone home so it is quiet here.  We found a good spot (45) that is surrounded by some trees to ward off the wind.  Here are a couple pics of our spot.



OUR 2 WEEKS IN INDIAN WATERS

Saturday, March 20th, we had to have some things for the motorhome so we drove to San Bernardino to Camping World.  While there,  they had something I had seen and wanted before in LasVegas so I had to get it.  Here is a picture of it.

 

they are so dang cute...love em.

 

On the way to SB the wind was blowing so hard.  Off Hwy 10 where the hundreds of windmills are they were making electricity like crazy.  Below is a picture of part of the windmills...

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back we were able to stop in Hemet and see Bill & Jeanne.  While we were there, we checked out a couple rv parks.  Didn't find one to stay at.  We were glad to get back home because it is about 100 miles or more round trip.   This is funny, I was telling Ron on the way to SB that I would like to feel a SMALL earthquake.  Well,  Sunday there was a small one that hit around Indio and I felt it.   Gotta be careful what we ask for...right???

 

I belong to some fb groups and we always try to meet others whenever we can.  Well, I made plans for Ron & I to meet with Sally Hawkins Zellmer and her hubby Alf.  We met in downtown Indio (a wonderful place of course) at a pizza place.  They were just a wonderful couple and we had a nice visit and lunch with them..  Sally is from Oklahoma also and Alf is from Germany.  They invited us to their house the next evening for bbq.  They live in Indio in a Beautiful gated community and we meet another couple of their friends (Maureen and Ed  Nunnaly)  and it was a wonderful evening.  I love meeting my Okie friends.

 

The wind has been blowing so badly for the last almost week it felt like you could go flying whenever you walked outside.  There were a couple time one of the roads off hwy 10 had to be closed because of the blowing sand--visibility was zero.  I was so hoping it wouldn't be windy when we moved to our new park. 

 

l will write more later and I will say I hope I do better next time at keeping things current. 

 

 



MARCH 27 MOVING DAY TO INDIAN WATERS IN INDIO, CA

We were at Cathedral Palms RV Resort until the 27th.  It is a nice park and we had a good spot.  We are always ready to move on to the next resort to see what is happening there and what kind of trouble we can get into. 

Today we move to Indian Water RV Resort in Indio, Ca.  Our space number was 15, it was a good spot.  Here are some pictures of the park...

 

front entrance from the dog park...

 

 

where our space was.  sorry for dark picture

 

 

pretty park...

 

 

club house area

 

 

two pools and a hot tub...

 

 

 

such pretty flowers everywhere

 

wonderful dog park down the road from our space

 

 

Indio is a wonderful desert city.  There are so many shopping centers around.  Almost every corner is a shopping center with so many shops...We are excited because there is a Souplantation and a Sprouts Market.  I have not been able to learn my way around all the desert cities.  It seems like I am always getting lost, and thinking we are going the wrong way. 

 

When we were moving from Lake Havasu, I moved Daisy big tub of 40# dog food and hurt my back.  It is finally starting to feel a little better. I didn't do a good job of keeping up with my blog.  I will try to get better...