December 26 to 31, 2011; End of another year

DEC.  26, Monday, A new golf course
Val went for her Tai-Chi first thing this morning and I drove to the computer place where I found out that my inverter for the Sirius radio was working, we tried the radio but no luck so I left it there to see if they can fix it.  At 1 pm, we went to the desert near the Estuary where Lynden and Leo had built a golf course consisting of 5 holes, sort of!  There even was an elevated hole.  There were 14 of us out there (Lynden & Charlene, us, Leo & Lynn, Rick & Pat, Al & Brenda, Rick & Judy and Steve & Linda from the Lot).  Craig and Billy from the “Lot” also joined the group after we had started.  We had a lot of fun, needless to say, walking in the desert and with the recent rain, some spots were still soft and slippery which made things even more interesting; we were paired up with Leo and Lynn.  Val got first prize (150 pesos which everyone had to pay into at the beginning, 10 pesos each) for the closest to the pin on the first hole.  After everyone had returned, we all drove up to an abandoned building on top of a hill near the course where we proceeded to lay out food and drink beer or wine.  Even the dogs had fun and were able to run freely.  We were home by 5 pm and were so full that we didn’t have dinner but a snack later in the evening.  We went over to Al for the evening fire and after much laughs, ended up going home by 10 pm.
Needless to say I took lots of pictures and uploading them.

DEC  27, Tuesday, SC
The day began sunny but clouded over by the afternoon cooling things down a bit.  Val did a load of laundry and I put some of the X-Mas stuff away.  We had hot turkey sandwiches for lunch and there is still lots left over.  I went to the Computer place where I picked up my Sirius player, they got it fixed.  The afternoon was spent reading and while I had my snooze, Val and Tucker went for a walk on the beach.  At 5 pm, 6 of us went to Froggy’s pub for pizza, beer and listen to a live band playing jazz and blues.  We were home by 7 pm, had a fire and in bed by 10 pm. 

DEC  28, Wednesday, visit with Garry and Virginia
Val went for Tai-Chi; Rick and Judy left this morning for warmer pasture...Lo de Marco, north of Puerto Vallarta.  Rick, Pat and us went to see Garry and Virginia at their place in “Loma del Mar” and had a great visit.  We came home by 4 pm and happy hour at 5 pm.  Supper consisted of the last of the turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots and gravy.  Evening...fire at Al and Brenda then home for the night

DEC  29, Thursday, kayaking
We went kayaking at Esmeralda beach in the morning and had lunch out there.  Present were Lynden & Charlene, Lynn & Leo, Al & Brenda and us of course.  There also were a few Mexican families out on the beach.  The day was sunny and warm; 25*C!  On the way back to Totonaka, we stopped for a hot dog and cerveza then it was home to put everything away and read a good book, enjoying the rest of the afternoon.
The park is really getting full today.  A lot of people have come in today and a lot are on their way south to warmer climate in the next few days.  Fire was at Al & Brenda as usual.

DEC  30, Friday, fish cook-out
After Val’s Tai-Chi and a trip to Tekalie to return some books, we went in Guaymas for grocery shopping, lunch and the bank.  We returned by 3 pm and got the stuff ready for the big fish cook-out a neighbour’s place.  Over 50 people showed up from the Park and it was great food. The fish was Yellow Tail.  What a way to end the year.  Val decided to give Tucker a bath once we were home.  He always gets playful afterwards.

DEC  31, Saturday, New Year’s Eve in San Carlos, Mexico
The day began with a beautiful sunrise, remained that way all day with temperature of 25*C.  After cleaning house and getting another bottle of propane filled, we cycled to town for a hot dog at EL CHEQUE but ended up at THE EDGE instead for a hamburger.  We then biked over to TONY and got some tomatoes and milk and came home.  The rest of the day was relax and read.  The eight of us (Pat & Rick, Charlene & Lynden, Leo & Lynn, Al & Brenda and us) had a short Happy Hour, got all dressed up and walked over to the Italian Restaurant just outside of our gate and proceeded to have a delicious dinner.
We walked back home and got a fire going, set up a TV outside and proceeded to play bowling on WII.  We had a barrel of laughter; whoever got a strike and went into the gulley got shot tequila.  Everyone had at least one with some as many as seven!!!  I got three and Val four!!  We brought the New Year in with lots of noise and joined our neighbours who were also partying.  We finally called it quit around 1 am.

December 22 to 25, 2011; Christmas in San Carlos

DEC  22, Thursday, San Carlos
We awoke to a beautiful sunshine and I watched it rise up as I was up by 6 am.  Later in the morning, I took the line converter for the Sirius dock to a local store as it had stopped working,  he advise me he could probably fix it so I left it with him.  We then drove to Guaymas to TELCEL where I had our kids phone numbers registered as it is faster and cheaper when we phone them.  We stopped for lunch then checked out the new by-pass taken trucks and RV’s around Guaymas for free to Empalme.  Very nice highway!  We had Happy Hour early today and came in when the sun went down around 5 PM.  Got propane this morning!

DEC  23, Friday, San Carlos.
What a wind storm we had last night!!!  It blew almost everything down; had to bring the awning in during the night.  Even this morning, although the sun is shining and it is 16*C, it is still blowing but not as hard as during the night.  Everybody is cleaning and picking up their chairs this morning.
It was windy all day so we stayed inside.  The sun is shining but that wind is cold and from the North.  There must be a big storm in Arizona!?  We did into town, San Carlos, and got some milk and the turkey for Sunday...a 14 pounder!
There has been a couple of guys climbing a quadruple ladder to reach the top of the Palm trees behind us and trimming them.  It has been quite a show and an entertainment for everyone at Happy Hour.  Check out the pictures on the web, it is quite something.  Minimum safety, maximum efficiency!

DEC  24, Saturday, Christmas Eve in San Carlos
A quiet but windy day, everyone basically doing their own thing today, getting ready for tomorrow.  Val did some knitting and I read.
A 5:30 pm, we went to CHARLY’s ROCK for margarita drinks and dinner.   After a beautiful sunset and darkness set, all the boats came out all lit with Christmas lights.  They ran in front of the restaurant.  Linda, Cathy, Manfred and Bill were in their kayak all lit up with lights.  It was really neat to see.  After dinner, we continued drinking margaritas which were free and needless to say, not many people walked away sober.  Almost all of Totonaka was here too.  We got home by 9 pm and it was to bed, after saying goodnight to everyone.  Pat and Rick had left earlier than us and when we got home, we each had a small present waiting.  How thoughtful!

DEC  25, Sunday, Sunny & warm!  MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!

We were up by 8 am and Val got the turkey prep for cooking.  It is sunny and no wind so far.   We spent the morning visiting everyone in the park and wishing Merry Christmas to one and all.  The oven is in the oven so we sat outside and read and relaxed.  It is a beautiful and warm day.  Around 11 am, Val called Joanne and her grand-daughter and chatted with them.  At 1 pm we called my daughter’s place and found everyone there including my son so we got to chat to one and all.  The girls sounded really great and happy and so did my grand-son Graeme.
At 3 pm we set up the tables in the yard then served the food.  There were 12 people over for dinner.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and filled up on turkey and all the trimming until one couldn’t get another mouthful.  It was a success but then, was there any doubt!?  After putting everything away, we had a fire but we called it quit by 8 pm.  It was a WONDERFUL day!

December 17 to 21, 2011; San Carlos and dentist visit

DEC  17, Saturday, SC
It was a cloudy and cool day!  BEAR was washed today and now looks very shiny.  I bought a kilo of huge shrimps and we had some for dinner.  12 of us went to SOGGY PESOS by Esmeralda beach and had a drink, a bit to eat and a walk on the beach...well... the girls did as we, the boys, drank more cerveza and told more lies and resolved all the world’s problems.  We came home around 3:30 and just hung out to our individual sites, recuperating.  After dinner, we had a fire then it was bedtime.

DEC  18, Sunday,
Cloudy with sunny periods, windy but warm...20*C!  Today we went to the beach at Esmeralda and took our yearly X-Mas pictures.  Afterwards, we went to TONY and the new LEY to get a few items then came home to read and relaxed.  We had dinner outside at Al and Brenda with Rick and Pat.  Pat made the lasagne which was delicious, Val made the salad and Brenda provided the garlic bread and dessert.  Rick brought over his TV and we watched the final episode of SURVIVOR.  IT got so cold that we all came over to our place after everyone had eaten and watched the last hour at our place.

DEC  19, Monday
It was sunny with a few clouds today!  We went to take more pictures for our cards after Val did the laundry.  In the afternoon, I took the truck into town and got washed in & out for 100 pesos (approx. $8.50).  We had Happy Hour with George and Paulette and were entertained by Mexicans climbing a ladder to cut the leaves off a palm tree.  It was quite a show.

DEC  20, Tuesday; 5 days to Christmas!
A very quiet day today and quite cool too.  It did get to 20*C but with the wind, it felt much cooler, especially in the shade.  We stayed home and just read (someone has to do it!).  Val went for a walk on the beach around 3 pm then it was happy hour at Al & Brenda with Lynden & Charlene, Pat & Rick and Leo & Lynn.  Once the sun was down, Happy Hour became quiet hour as everyone was cold and headed for their respective home.  After dinner, we had a fire then called it a night

DEC  21, Wednesday, Dentist visit in Guaymas
Well, today is the shortest day of the year.  It gets better and longer from here on in!  Or so I thought!?  It poured rain overnight, and I mean pour!  It woke me up but this morning, the sun is shining as if nothing happened.  Val went for her Tai-Chi lesson then we drove to Guaymas for her dentist appointment, we are going to have to return.  Afterwards, I took my I-Phone to Nextel and got a chip to call long distance and local.  We stopped at LA BOGACHA for a bite to eat then to Walmart to pick up a couple of items.  We came home in time for Val to get ready and go with Brenda and Pat to the “LOT” to meet the girls there for a cookie cooking session; another excuse for drinking wine and gossip!!!  Hihihihi!  I stayed home and read, took Tucker for his walk and caught up to the blog.

December 14 to 16, 2011; San Carlos

DEC  14, Wednesday, Tucker haircut and wash day!
It was a cool and windy day!  We got the laundry together and drove to the Vet to drop off Tucker for his haircut then we went to BARACUDA BOB, a local restaurant and laundry-mat at the Marina.  We did the laundry, had breakfast there and then picked up Tucker once the laundry was all done.  He looks great again!
In the afternoon, Val visited the neighbours and I put together the new speaker system and then set up the satellite so that we could watch SURVIVOR in the evening.  For dinner, we had cod fish that we had bought in the USA.
In town, things have changed a bit; first, there is a new LEY which will open this coming Friday (it’s a mega grocery store like Walmart); TONY’s Place is still there but he has rearranged and improved on the place.  Everything else seems to be the same.  I got propane today.

DEC  15, Thursday, San Carlos
A sunny day and very warm!  Today was the “Ley” grand opening and we went but drove on by when we saw the crowd there.  We picked up some coffee at Avia, vegetables and tamales at “Tony’s” then stopped at the Ley for milk; it was still crazy with people.
We had Happy Hour at Al & Brenda.  George and Paulette came over for a drink which was really nice.  The park is getting fuller with new people arriving daily.  We had other friends arrive today: Rick and Judy.  They are here for only one night then carrying on to Mazatlan.  The evenings are cold, due mainly to the dew blowing form the sea of Cortes and especially after a warm day.  After dinner, we all met again at the fire pit.  Funny thing is that once the evening has progressed, the air warms up a bit.

DEC.  16, Friday, San Carlos
A sunny day again; 14*C at 9 am; it cooled off as the day progressed though.  Val biked to the local gym for TAI-CHI classes.  I went to the bank to get more pesos then stopped at TONY to pick some carnita and chilli renello.  At noon, Pat& Rick, Al & Brenda and us went to CHARLY’s ROCK for a lunch, margarita and a view of the sea.  The afternoon was spent reading and the girls organized the meal for X-Mas.  Happy Hour at 4 pm and Rick and Judy joined us, they are leaving soon for Mazatlan.  We had a fire in the evening and then it was bedtime

December 9 to 13, 2011; Yuma to San Carlos, Mexico

DEC  9, Friday, visit with Jack and Mim
Val went for exercises at 8 am then we went to town to find a part for the screen door which turns out I have to bring the screen door to get the right fit.  I uploaded a couple pictures to our Picasa web page. We went geo-caching and found over 20 of them then we drove to Albertson to pick up some stuff.  We had lunch then drove to Mim and Jack and had a great visit with them.  We got back home at 9 pm.

DEC  10, Saturday, Visit with Ed and Judy in Welton, AZ
We went into town to Home Depot and bought a flashing X-Mas tree and a hose connection.  We then stopped in Best Buy where we bought a sound system for our TV.  From here, we fuelled @ $3.74/gal. then we went to RV CONNECTION to buy a part for the screen door and ended up buying a dual wheel chock and a telescopic flag pole.  We came home, unloaded everything, had lunch then drove to Welton to visit Ed & Judy.  Jack and Mim showed up about an hour later and after chatting for a while, we had dinner.  Judy had made a chilli made with ground turkey and different spices; it was very good and nothing was left for Ed’s left over!  We had a great time.  We got home by 8:30 pm. 
We called the kids tonight but no one was home so will try again tomorrow

DEC  11, Sunday, to Nogales,
The forecast is for rain for Tuesday so we decided to leave a day early.  We were on the road by 9 am, drove East on I-8 then I-10 and eventually I-19 south to exit 48 where we spent the night at Mountain View Park.  We’ve been here before, it is a Passport America park @ $14+tax with full hook up, WIFI and cable; can’t beat that!!!  We arrived here at 3 pm, set up and now just relaxing.  We stopped in Eloy for fuel and lunch, $3,80/gal.  It is cloudy with sunny period and 71*F.

N 31* 42.230’

W 111* 03.760’
Alt: 3081 ft
We travelled 284 miles (460Km) @ an average 57 MPH in 5 hrs

DEC  12, Monday, to San Carlos, Mexico
We were up by 6 am and on the road by 7:30 under heavy clouds.  We drove 45 km to Nogales where we stopped at Walmart to buy last minute items then to the Insurance office to buy our Mexican insurance.  We entered Mexico at 9 am and drove south on Hwy 15.  The road was really rough until Santa Anna.  We were also stopped for about three quarters of an hour due to an accident; a rig missed its turn and flipped over down the embankment.  It was quite a mess.  We drove on further and saw another accident on a straight stretch where an army truck flipped over in the ditch.  We saw a couple of bodies covered with a tarp so it wasn’t a pleasant scene.  It rained most of the way down!  We arrived at our turn-off where I stopped for fuel @ $0.98 per litre.  Then it was onward to Totonaka, San Carlos where everyone was waiting for us.  After setting up, we said hello to everyone including George and Paulette who are still here.  Also are Lynden & Charlene, Rick & Pat, Al and Brenda, Leo and Lynne.  A real home-coming reunion and that doesn’t include the people whom we met previous years.  The sky is finally clearing and we had a nice sunset.  Six of us went out for dinner at Arbolito and had a great dinner then came home and Al had a fire.  We were in bed by 10 pm.

N 27* 57.908’

W 111* 01.490’
Alt: 17 feet
We drove 291 miles (472 Km) in 6.5 hrs at an average 45 MPH

DEC  13, Tuesday San Carlos; sunny with a few clouds.
Temperature was 16* C when I got up at 7 am, it will be a nice day, I think!
Today was set up day!  Val cleaned the inside of “BEAR” and I set up the outside.  We have the X-MAs tree up and all the decorations.  At lunch, we went to the bank to withdraw some cash then went to “El Cheque” for his famous hot dog.  In the afternoon, I had a snooze while Val visited the neighbours and read.  At 4 pm, the “Lot” people (Steve & Linda, Craig & Cathy, Bill & Tammie and Manfred & Judy) came over for Happy Hour at Pat & Rick.  It was a great reunion and we caught up to everyone’s news.  After dinner, we had a fire at Al & Brenda.  The gang came over including Randy &Shirley and Steve & Marie, neighbours we met last year!  Another fun day and evening ends on a happy note!

December 5 to 8, 2011; Yuma and visit with Aud & Marcel and Louise & Dave

DEC  5, Monday, back to Algodones, Mexico
It is windy and very much cooler today; barely got to 16*C!  Val and I went back to Algodones for a dentist appointment.  We got some prices on dental work then picked up our tourist cards at the border and paid $50 US.  We had breakfast, drove back to Yuma where I filled one propane tank at $23 then came home.  Val washed the blankets that were inside the truck and on which Tucker was sick a few days ago.  This is a relaxing day at home.  Dave and Louise came over for Happy Hour and after dinner, we watched a video.

DEC  6, Tuesday, Yuma
More of the same today; visit with Marcel and Audrey; Louise and Dave were with us in the “Beast”.  We ended up at Marcel and Aud where he proceeded to cook us a steak dinner with all the trimming.  We had a fun evening and got home around 11 pm.

DEC  7, Wednesday, Yuma
We went to town to meet Aud and Marcel for lunch then we went to mail a parcel for Val’s grand-daughters and X-Mas card for my grand-kids.  I’ve been meaning to call Jeff and Rochelle but the timing is never right.  We have to before we go into Mexico.  We came home and at 5 pm, we, including Dave & Louise, went to meet Marcel and Audrey for dinner at a restaurant called MIMI’s CAFE.  Dinner was excellent and we had lots of laughs as usual.  This is everyone’s last night in Yuma:  Dave & Louise are heading east to Florida and Marcel and Aud are going back to Palm Spring and flying back to Alberta from there after storing their motorhome and jeep.
We got home around 8 pm and called it a night!  Tucker got a bath and his treatment for fleas.

DEC  8, Thursday, last breakfast with the gang and some geo-caching
We went to the “Q” Casino for breakfast where we met Audrey and Marcel, Louise and Dave.  We had a nice breakfast, a few laughs then it was time to say goodbye!  They heading their own way and we went to town to get some groceries then came home to put them away.  Afterwards, we went geo-caching until 2:30 pm when we headed to 4^th Ave South and visited our friends, George and Helene from the Lower Mainland, BC.  We had a very nice visit and the four of us went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant that had a buffet for $9.99.  Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and went home.

December 1 to 4, 2011; Desert Hot Springs to Winterhaven, CA near Yuma, AZ

DEC  1, 2011, Thursday; Last day in Desert Hot Springs
We had a really bad wind storm overnight.  We woke up to a mess outside and it is still blowing but not as bad.  We watched a couple movies, had a drink with M & A then it was a quiet evening at home.

DEC  2, Friday, to Winterhaven, CA
We had breakfast at the club house then we left around 9:30 am.  We headed south on Dillon, stopped for fuel for Marcel and Audrey and continues on Hwy 86.  In Brawley, we continued on Hwy 78 East to the sand dunes where we stopped for lunch and watched ATV’s cruising on the dunes.  After lunch, we continued on and eventually turned on SR 34 south to I-8, and east to Pilot Knob RV Park.  We arrived around 2:30 pm local time (Arizona Time, we lost an hour).  Our mutual friends, Dave and Louise, were already here so we all visited for about an hour then Marcel and Audrey left for Yuma Lake, approx 14 miles from here,  where they are staying with their Coast to Coast membership.  Louise cooked us dinner, we visited for a while then headed home to bed.

N 32* 44.774

W 114* 45.819
Alt: 256 feet

We drove 168 miles ( 273 Km) in 3.5 hours at an average 52 MPH.

DEC  3, Saturday, to Algodones, Mexico
Marcel and Audrey showed up at our place around 9:15 am and by 9:30, the six of us were on our way to the Quilchena Casino where we had breakfast.  Afterwards, we continued south to the Mexican border, parked on the US side and walked across.  Val and I bought our tourist card for our stay in San Carlos which means we won’t have to stop at Km 21, south of Nogales.  We then met with the rest of the group and proceeded to visit the town.  This was the week-end when Algodones had an “Appreciation Day” for all the gringos so there were free margaritas and some food for free.  We visited some shops, stopped for a couple drinks then eventually, it was time to leave.  It took us over an hour to cross, what with the line up, but we had fun and it didn’t seem that long.  We came home and had a few more drinks, Val made a chilli for everyone and we had more laughs.  IT was a Perfect Day filled with laughter, love and friendship.  Everyone went home eventually by 8 pm

DEC  4, Sunday, to the local Yuma flea market
Louise and Dave came with us and we drove to Yuma Lake RV Resort where Marcel and Audrey are staying.  From here, we went to the outside RV flea market near the Marine Air Base and proceeded to look around.  We had lunch here and continued on, we bought two more chairs, Marcel a hat and Dave, RV parts.  We also looked at satellite dish for Marcel and Audrey.  $2500 sounds like a good price and we may seriously look at it upon our return from Mexico.  We came home around 4 pm after stopping for some groceries, walked the dogs, Val made a salad and Louise a desert then we drove to Marcel and Audrey for steak dinner.  Needless to say we had a wonderful time filled with laughters and we returned home around 11:30 pm.  It was a great day!