More sun fun

We're really enjoying this park. We went to a slide show promo by Fantasy Caravans about their trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, the 44 day trip we did last year. It was fun to see all the pictures again and talk to 2 couples who'd already done it like us.
There are very active jig saw puzzlers here. We've finished a puzzle that said that the picture on the box was not like the picture on the puzzle. You had to look into your crystal ball and think into the future. The young couple getting engaged were now grandparents with their daughter and son-in-law picnicking with 4 kids, including twin babies. The grandma pushing a stroller turned into the grown baby pushing grandma in a wheelchair. The old houses were gone, a freeway in their place with skyscrapers on the background. So it was done with no picture to refer to and Jan, Pauline, Penny and I would run into each other working on it at different times. Quite challenging and fun.
As usual, I'm enjoying the beautiful flowers. These peach colored ones, shaped like little trumpets, were on trees outside the dining room. They remind me of the yellow trumpet blossoms on the trees in the harbour at Victoria we saw when we were there for Marika and Tobin's wedding in September.

Indian Waters

We moved down to Indio, just 20 miles away for our 'out' week. This is the first time we've stayed here and we're finding the people very friendly and there's lots to do. Carol and Roger are here so we've played cards 2 nights.
We went to the Augustine Casino today out in the date tree farming area. We joined the Players Club, so got $5 off our dinner and a free $5 to use in the slot machines. Luckily I came home with an extra $20 so that more than paid for our $10 lunch.

Joan, the Barber

Joan and Barry from Sydney on Vanc Island arrived yesterday. Joan and I did a very quick shop at 7:45 this morning as it's the day before American Thanksgiving and we waited fourth in line for the teller even this early. Can you imagine - prime rib was on sale for $3.99 lb. so Joan bought one. Happy hour was at their place while Joan gave all of us haircuts, after a glass of wine. Barry did the roast on his Ronco BBQ which you can see, and we ate at our place where we did the rest of dinner. Needless to say, absolutely delicious!!

Shopping Day

Joanie, Carol and I went shopping today. We're exploring the consignment and charity thrift shops in Palm Springs. My those women give away some incredible clothes. We stopped for a quick bite because 1)this is hard work and 2) we don't want to waste our shopping time.
This is Hamburger Mary's.

A Roadrunner

We are having a great time with friends. Joan and I went golfing Monday at Hidden Springs, Mom and Dad's old park and saw this roadrunner on the 18th hole. It's the first one we've seen this year. They used to be all over the place but not anymore. We hear lots of coyotes howling in the desert at night. When I saw my first roadrunner back in 1975, I didn't know they were a real bird, I thought they were only a comic character in cartoons. This one is about a foot long.
We played in the Wed. Pool tournament and Roger played also - Carol being the cheering section.
Ron came first and earned another sirloin hamburger for the Sunday BBQ. Sat he came first and I came 2nd - 2 more burgers. Guess I won't be cooking much on Sundays.
We had Joan, Phil and Carol and Roger over for happy hour Thur and enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine until 5:30 because by then it's getting dark.

An Oasis

Carol and Roger and I went down to the Coachella Valley Preserve today while Ron was playing water volleyball. This is an amazing 17,000 acre site ten miles east of Palm Springs which is actually part of the Colorado Desert. This was created to protect the fringe-toed lizard and protects the last undisturbed sand dune and valley floor habitat of the Coachella Valley.
For as long as 600 years the Cahuilla Nation held this whole area as their home. They were tranquil, traditional and productive and this waterpoint, the Thousand Palms Oasis enabled them to do so here.
It was discovered by an early trader in 1900 who received the deed for 80 acres around the 6 oasis from the U.S. President, and swapped this land for 2 mules and a buckboard wagon in 1905 to Louis Wilhelm. His son Paul built a "log' cabin but not like we know. It is made from palm tree lengths standing upright, all the logs cemented with clay to construct the one room cabin. Today it's a 3 room cabin used as an interpretive center with vast information about the area and 6 oasis here. We hiked 1.4 miles on the McCallum Trail, first through a fan palm grove that was so thick you could get lost 5 feet from your neighbour, but couldn't get through the dense spiked palms fronds without getting a hundred bleeding cuts. We left there to cross hot desert to get to an amazing crystal clear oasis with clams, salamander and native pup fish. You couldn't even see this from the road, a hundred feet away and it was incredibly interesting and 20 degrees cooler in the shade of the oasis than on the open trails. You can see previous flooding water cut a 5' wash through here some time ago.

Lest We Forget - November 11

This is always such a bittersweet day when you think of all who have fought in wars and today are still doing this to give us the life we enjoy. Thanks to the satellite TV, we watched Memorial Ceremonies from Ottawa to Vancouver.

Water Volleyball

Back to Cat Spa yesterday and I would have to say this is our favourite park. We joined in 1992 so really know a lot of people and enjoy the activities here. Pool, as in pool table, started yesterday and Ron came in 2nd, winning a sirloin hamburger. I played like a fish - sank the eight ball and sewered against Ron, then sank the eight ball but it rolled all the way down the table into the wrong pocket against Bob, so I was gone.
There are 2 pools, upper pool allows children, water aerobics at 9 a.m. daily and volleyball games are played there 3 times a week. Ron played today for the first time, enjoyed it and was very good when I watched the game. I can't do it because I can't look up or spin around without getting dizzy. Here Ron's at the net with his arm in the air as he's just fired the blue ball up in the air and over.

Happy Hour with Yucatan friends

We had originally signed up for our Yucatan Mexican Caravan at Ehrenberg, AR in Feb. 06. We met Ray and Sharon from Alaska there signing up for the 08 trip. Well, they'd heard too much about bad roads and drivers and with fuel so high they have now cancelled out.
We reminisced about our great and trying trip with them and Dave and Barb, Calif, and Adele and Jim from Keremeos, whom we met on the Caravan.
Bano means bathroom and this was only one of the primitive ones used on that trip.

A week at Desert Pools

Time to move around the corner for our 'out week'. The campgrounds in our membership parks allow you 2 weeks in, then 1 week out before your next 2 in. It works fine for us as all our friends are doing the same thing and you catch up to different people all the time.
We are enjoying this 90 degree weather while watching the rainy stuff at home. I'm swimming 46 lengths 4 times a week. It was 70 lengths at home so I'm in a bigger pool here and loving the sunshine outdoors. This mural is outside the swimming pool with the golf carts lined up alongside. You can see a small yucca cactus in bloom. We saw bundles of larger blooms in Mexico on the roadsides where the people sold them as food.