Men's Hockey Wins Gold

Well, today was the day!!! Canada played the U.S. in the final game. The U.S. tied it 2 - 2 in the final 24 seconds of the game. I thought my heart would stop. Next was overtime and Sidney Crosby got the tie breaking goal to win us Gold which you can see under the flags when they were raised. This set a record for the most gold medals a host country has EVER won and the most won in this Olympics. The bars, restaurants, venues and streets across Canada were filled with cheering crowds singing our national anthem and cheering as you can see here on Robson street and so were we. We saw a program on TV on the way the medals were designed and we found that it was a very interesting process with a lot of thought going into it.

Happy Hour

We had 4 couples over. Haven't seen Joan and Ken for a few years. We all get so busy at home that we never get together so it's fun to catch up here. We ended up with another segregated gathering - the guys watching curling and we women having a lovely time discussing just about everything under the sun. It's fun to have our friends meet other friends we talk about. You can see that when the sun goes down, it's time to bundle up.

Olympic Hockey

We found Ted and Elaine here so visited Mon. Their satellite dish blew over and broke in a strong wind Mon so - disaster. While it's in being fixed they joined us for the games Tue and Wed. It was lots of fun being together and enjoyed my jambalaya one night and they brought lasagna and salad the 2nd. Delicious. You can see how intense Ron is on a Canadian goal saying 'YES'.

Over to Desert Pools

Moved over here today today for a week. We are glued to the TV watching the Olympics. Suzanne and Paul both got to hold the torches in their respective towns. Chris and family also went to the the torch Parade in their city but I didn't get a picture.

The Imperial Valley

As we drove around the Salton Sea, we saw all the agriculture that takes place in the area. We passed date, citrus, hay and vegetable farms, wineries and trucks hauling produce passed us. The vegetables are started out under plastic. The area is so salty, it looks like snow on the roadside. This area is the Imperial Valley. It was discovered in 1540 by Hernando de Alarcon and further explored by Spanish explorers and Spanish friars. Settlement started in 1858 but no real development took place until water was brought here in 1901. The Colorado River is the east boundary with the Chocolate Mountains extending 60 miles and the Algodones Dunes on the west, one of the largest dune fields in America..

Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge

On the east side of the Salton Sea, we stopped at this center. Created in 1930, this 37,600 acre refuge is a haven for a diverse range of wildlife including 24 types of reptiles and over 20 species of mammals. It is 228 ft. below sea level, one of the lowest places in the U.S. They have recorded 424 species of birds here. You go up onto a large viewing deck where there are 2 telescopes and you look over land and out into the water. There is lots of information in the building with 6 different videos on local inhabitants. This is part of the Pacific flyway and very busy. There are 100 breeding species and the largest breeding colony of double-crested cormorants on the West Coast. Very beautiful spot.

Salvation Mountain

Next to Slab City is Salvation Mountain. This amazing structure is the work of Leonard, who has been building this for 29 years while he has been spreading the Love of the Lord for the same time. He's 79 and greets you and explains his 'car tire tree' which we are standing in front of, and 'truck tire tree' with all the materials what he has found left in the desert and dragged over here. He adds wood and branches and plasters them with mud and water - adobe. Next comes the paint. It is a work in progress, painting every day. To get to the top of the mountain, you follow the yellow brick road. He lives in the painted old fire truck at the bottom.

Slab City

When we were going around the Salton Sea last Friday, we turned left at Nyland and went out to Slab City. Rumor has it that this was an army base or government facility in the past and when it closed down, they cleared out all the buildings, leaving only the concrete slabs. Apparently there are about 100 people living here year round with no power or any services. The middle picture is their 'community center' - an outdoor entertainment area.
Not on our list to stay, but interesting to see.

Happy Valentines Day

We are having beautiful hot sunny weather. Barb and I are at the pool a lot. When we went out this morning, we found that the Valentine Bunny had brought us a present. Thank you.
We had the gang over for a visit in the shade. They leave for Hemet tomorrow.

Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics

We really enjoyed the opening ceremonies last night. We thought it was world class and were proud of what was done. There were many thoughtful choices of flag bearers, torch bearers and the entertainment was great.

The Salton Sea

We circumnavigated the Salton Sea today, a 6 1/2 hour trip. It is California's largest lake, 35 miles long and 15 miles wide - nearly 380 sq. miles. It is said that it used to be part of the Gulf of California from Baja California, Mexico but silt buildup shut that opening a long time ago. In 1905, massive flooding caused the Colorado River to break through an irrigation canal and flow into the Salton Basin for a year and a half. Drainage from 500,000 acres of farmland now sustains the Sea.
We went down the east side and enjoyed walking along the shore where about 15 RV's were boon docking. This side is lovely. The sea looks beautiful in the distance but on the west shore you see many dead fish. They are lying on a bed of white shells and old bones, quite smelly. wouldn't want to own a water-view home here. There is an abundance of Tilapia here, a prolific breeder introduced many years ago from the freshwater areas of Africa. The lake continues to grow more saline daily, due to evaporation and the runoff of agricultural fertilizers into the lake. This has affected fish reproduction and survival. Water temperature is also a concern as high temperatures in the summer reduce the amount of oxygen and fish die offs occur. Conversely, if the water gets under 55 degrees in the winter, the same will occur. There are millions of fish in the water and there were productive fisheries here during WWI and II.
The Sea is called California's Crown Jewel of Avian Biodiversity and It is on the Pacific flyway and an important site for migratory and wintering shorebirds. We saw pelicans, egrets and many more.
Here's Chuck sitting on an old chair abandoned on the shore.

RV Casuals

I went past the windmills with women from the park today out to RV Casuals in Banning. This is the store that brings their clothes to our park for fashion shows. We browsed through all their racks and then were served a lovely lunch. Jeanie and I got a kick out of the little hats for the Red Hat Ladies.

The Birthday Boy

Chuck and Barb, our Friday night pool friends from home arrived here today and I planned a turkey dinner for 16 for Ron's birthday. He enjoyed all the phone calls from friends and family.We planned happy hour at 3:30 but the rain blew in from L.A. so we ended up down at the lower clubhouse. I mean, we Canadians are hardy folk but outdoors just wouldn't work today. Everybody brought some food and we are great cooks. Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Souplantation - a dining experience

We went off to a new restaurant called Souplantation. They have a huge salad bar, 6 kinds of soup, a potato bar plus desert. It was delicious at $9.97 for dinner with 10% off for seniors. It's lucky we know some.

Up through the Imperial Valley

We left Yuma and went west on I8, past the sand dunes and north at El Centro through this lovely agricultural area. The canal is very important and and this area is below sea level. The waterline is up at the halfway on the water tank. We couldn't figure the differences in gas prices. We'd just fueled up in Yuma, $2.59'9 for diesel and gas here it's $2.93'9. Go figure. As you drive up, you see the Salton Sea in the background. We're going there Friday, so more then.