Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our family and friends out there.  Gerry and I hope this will be a fantastic year for all of us and we will look back on it with a great fondness.

Our good friend Ron K is celebrating his birthday January 1 and we wish him a happy birthday and hope 2014 will be a great year for him.  Happy Birthday Ron.

Football Sunday

This was a great Sunday for dedicated NFL fans.  There were a number of games that actually meant something in the standings for several of the teams and they were really going at each other.  Too many times the games don't really mean that much and it shows in how well the game is played.  We didn't have to suffer through any of those games today.  From what my friend John N said, the Redskins-Giants game was terrible as the players were just going through the motions.  Glad I didn't see that game.

We wanted to see the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game, but the local showing was the Cardinals-49ers game.  A good game, but not what we wanted to see.  I checked around at a few bars and found out that Montgomery's had the game we preferred to see.  They had a few tables available if we hurried over there.  We managed to get a small table with a good view for me, but not so good for Gerry.  

The first half was sort of slow, but the action picked up in the 2nd half and it was an interesting game.  There were a number of Packers & Bears fans there and they we cheering on their teams.  Some of the Bears fans looked like they could have been defensive linemen a few years ago, but they were a good group and everyone got along really well.  I think we may have a return trip planned for next weekend if we can't get the playoff game we want to see on our local cable.

We came back to the motor home and waited for the Eagles-Cowboys game to start.  By this time I was bone tired and took a little nap and woke up refreshed enough to watch the game.  It looked like the Eagles would run away with the game, but it wasn't to be.  The Cowboys hung in there with their 2nd string QB and actually had a chance to tie the game late in the 4th qtr, but failed on a two point conversion.  

All in all it was a good day for football and we saw some good games.  I was especially happy to see the San Diego Chargers make it into the playoffs with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs.  I don't know why, but I've liked the Chargers for many years as secondary to my beloved Washington Redskins.  

We received a nice phone call from grandson Sean and Taylor, his wife.  They were on their way home from watching the Carolina Panthers win their game and were sky high.  Sean is a rabid football fan.  We have a bet every year whether the Skins or Panthers will have the best record.   The bet is also with Jared and I won last year, but didn't collect the bet.  It was double or nothing this year and at least it didn't cost me anything since I lost big time.  It is always super hearing from them and catching up on what they have been doing lately.  We really enjoy hearing from our kids and grandkids.

 

Potluck Dinner & Games

We had a small potluck dinner at the recreation center this afternoon.  There were about 25 people attending and it was very casual.  Everyone brought a dish and there was more than enough food to go around.  We brought a Costco vegetable tray with snap peas, carrots, tomatoes & broccoli with a dipping sauce.  There were some very good dishes there including Polynesian meatballs, delicious enchiladas, turkey noodle soup and many side dishes. 

It was a nice gathering and not too crowded so we got a chance to chat with a number of fellow campers.  It is difficult to socialize real well when the place is full and you can't even move around the room.  

We were on a time limit though since it was also game night and those who weren't staying around for garbage bingo had to hit the road.  Actually we would have been welcome to stay, but we had a busy day and I was getting a little worn out by then.

I usually go up to a local convenience store in the evening and pick up a cappuccino around 10-11 pm.  I like the hot coffee since it helps break up the stuffiness in my nose.  Last night when we went up there a little later the cappuccino coffee machine was being cleaned and I had to do without.  Tonight the same clerk was there and gave me a cheery hello and said he hadn't started cleaning the machine yet since he was waiting for me.  Evidently he mentioned last night to another clerk who is usually there when I go in and was told to wait for me before cleaning the machine.  Wow, talk about service.  I chatted with the clerk for a few minutes and headed on down the road.  

Ron K brought the old heating element from our fireplace back today and said it was repaired and ready to go.  It seems a small heat sensor was corroded and dirty and wasn't working properly.  Now I have a backup to the fireplace heating element and can replace it when/if it acts up again.  Nice to have friends who can repair just about anything.  Thanks Ron

We had a beautiful day and we took advantage of it to be outside for a while to enjoy the warmth.  The wind has died down and it was very pleasant out there.  

That was our day, how was yours?

FEDEX Late Delivery

Well, as it turned out we were involved in some of the late FEDEX  deliveries.  The FEDEX truck showed up early this morning with a huge package.  Actually, it was the largest package we've ever received at the motor home.  First thought was where are we going to store this gift, but as it turns out that won't be a problem.

This is what we received from our son and his family this morning.  Yep, 2 1/2 lbs of Whitman's Sampler.  Keep in mind that is a 42 inch tv behind the box, so you can get an idea of the size of the candy box.  They also sent some delicious cookies to add to our mix.  I don't think we will go hungry for a long time.

It's been a long tradition in the Clark family to have a Whitman's Sampler box of candy at Christmas.  We all enjoy the candies and they don't last long around the Clark household after Christmas.  This box may take a little longer to finish off since I have been avoiding candy lately to preserve my teeth.   Gerry will have to take up the slack this year.  I wonder how they freeze?

We took a drive through Saguaro East National Park today just to get out and relax for a while.  Gerry noticed the entrance fee is $10 per car now and since we have the Golden Age Passport we got in free.  If you like National Parks and Monuments and are 62 yrs of age or older, you can purchase a lifetime pass for $10.  Great bargain. 
 
Golden Age Passport was a pass issued by the National Park Service until January 1, 2007. It has been replaced with the Senior Pass of the new pass series now called America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, created by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act and authorized by Congress in December 2004.
The Senior Pass is a lifetime entrance pass to United States national parks for those 62 years and older. To obtain this a senior citizen need only go to any National Park Service facility that charges an entrance fee with the following:

• Proof of age (must be 62 years or older).
• Proof of citizenship (must be citizen or permanent resident of the United States)
• Ten Dollars cash (the one-time processing fee as of January 1, 2008).

There weren't cacti in bloom today, but the 8 mile drive takes you through some different terrain and thousands of Saguaro cacti.  Many of them are well over 100 yrs old and beautiful to see.

It was a relaxing drive and over all too quickly.  There were a number of others driving through the park today and the ranger said they have been busier than usual with park traffic.  We will head back there again around the first of February and maybe some of the cacti will be in bloom.

I talked to my doctor today about some concerns over my knee.  He said everything was going along smoothly and I was making good progress.  I'll know more next week when I go in for my 4 week exam and I am looking forward to receiving the go ahead to drive once again.  I sure do miss it.  Gerry is about to go out of her mind with me wanting to take a drive - or several- every day.  She doesn't mind driving during the day but draws the line at night time driving.  The oncoming headlights really interfere with her comfort zone.  Relief is on the way, Gerry.

That was our day, how was yours?

Christmas Dinner & Local Neighborhood

Early this morning Ron C stopped by with the paper and some cookies and fudge.  Gerry loves fudge so I don't think it will be around the home that long.  I also managed to dig into the cookies and they were great.  Thanks Ron & Dee.

We received most of our phone calls from friends and family early in the day and enjoyed hearing from everyone.  I returned calls using the Google free phone call app and it worked fine for us.  We used the computer speakers and it was easy to understand everyone.  Much better than we can get on our phone speakers.

It was a beautiful day with temps in the mid 70s and bright sunshine.  Hard to believe it was Christmas day.  Gerry had to go back in the motor home for a last minute item and then it was on to the park recreation center for dinner.

We spent so much time on the calls that we were late getting to the hall.  The park provided ham, turkey and scalloped potatoes and each family brought a dessert, side dish, bread or something to fill out the menu.  As usual we had more food than we could eat and the desserts were great.   I wound up bringing a doggy bag home since I was so full.   We sat at a table with Ed & Helen; Dee & Ron K and had nice conversations with all.

Gerry, Helen, Ed, Ron & Dee

Larry & Gerry

 We took a short ride toward Corona de Tucson and took a side street to look over the neighborhood.  One house in particular had the front yard full of tractors, fire trucks, signs, outhouse and many other assorted items.  The American Pickers guys should check this place out.

Snowman in outhouse

I worked on the fireplace a little and downloaded an old Christmas tree photo to the TV.  It would have been nicer to have a wide angle picture, but thought this one looked nice.  What do you think?







There wasn't much on TV this evening so I decided to watch Duck Dynasty for a while.  I've seen 5-10 minute clips before but never a whole segment.  It is a unique show and I don't quite understand why it enjoys the popularity it does.  However, different strokes for different folks.

We hope everyone out there in cyberspace had a great Christmas and celebrated it in style.  

That was our day, how was yours?

Merry Christmas

We wish a Merry Christmas to all our friends and family.  We are in Tucson, AZ for Christmas this year and miss all our family in Central Illinois and the East Coast.

We don't miss the freezing weather with snow, but the snow would add some color to the season.

'Twas the day before Christmas

A couple weeks ago the fireplace heater went on the fritz and quit producing sufficient heat.  It would heat for 4-5 minutes on very low and then not produce any heat at all.

The fireplace came with the motor home or we would never have spent the money to install one.  They didn't impress either of us that much and we thought it would just take up space.  Well, we were wrong on those thoughts and we really enjoy having the fireplace running on those cold mornings or evenings.  It is very quiet and does a great job of heating the area where we spend most of the time.

We called the manufacturer about what could be the problem and were told it was the heating element.  She said give her the serial # and model # and they could ship out another heating element.  I was a little skeptical they could make that determination so quickly, but went along with it.  For some reason it was still under warranty and they shipped it FEDEX and it arrived this afternoon.

I had asked Ron K to give me a hand with a TV hookup problem and he came up right away to help.  He loves to tinker with things and fix them and he is very good at it.  He's had a lot of experience with maintenance repairs.  The TV problem still is a problem and when we decided it was the wireless speaker set I bought from Costco that was the problem, we gave up on that repair.

The park closed the office at noon today and I had checked with them about packages arriving after noon and Nate said he would deliver all those packages.  Great service.

Nate dropped the part off and Ron asked what it was and immediately said let's install it while he was here.  Zoom, zoom and a tug and pull here and there and the fireplace insert was out, along with the heating element.  A quick reversal and the new element was installed.  It seemed to produce heat like it used to and so far it is running fine.  Thanks a million Ron.

This is the bad part that had to be replaced.  At least it was one big piece rather than numerous smaller ones.  Easy change over.

Now we have a place to put out our stockings and wait for Santa to arrive.  I hope he uses the front door, since the opening for the fireplace is quite small.

Gerry has been working herself to a frazzle taking care of me, the motor home, baking and putting up decorations.  We usually do the decorations together but with my limited mobility I've been more of a hindrance than an asset.  

Waffle kind of day

This week after Christmas day they will be picking up the CPM that exercises my leg .  Normally they would pick it up a little sooner, but due to the Christmas holiday they decided to leave it here a day or two longer.  Good thing, since I've been hard pressed to get on the machine twice a day rather than the three they recommend. Hopefully, the extra days will help me make up the sessions.

My pain medicine wore off around 5:00AM this morning and since the pain had been a little intense, I took two pills and then decided to get on the CPM machine around 6:00AM.  It is very boring to be laying there for 80-90 minutes so I turn the TV on for some entertainment.  Gerry can usually sleep through the TV noise so it works out o.k. for both of us.  While I was laying there I got to thinking I hadn't heard from my good friend Mann and decided to give him a call.  Not that early, but later.

We haven't been to the TTT for breakfast this season so I talked Gerry into going there this morning.  It was very warm in there and there were so many people, it was uncomfortable.  Then I got the bright idea to go to the Waffle House for breakfast rather than TTT.  It turned out to be a good choice since Gerry got her waffles and my egg & bacon sandwich hit the spot.

KOA recently took over the campground at Lazydays so we stopped by there to see if there were any changes.  The only ones we noticed were the prices for camping.  The restaurant is only open for a few hours and the campground was about 20% full at best.  It's a shame since it is a nice campground and would make a great snowbird place for the winter, if it were in a different location.  The facilities are nice and they have more than enough room for a clubhouse if needed.

Mann beat me to the draw and called this afternoon and we talked for a hour or so getting caught up on what's been going on in our lives.  They are getting ready to head to Florida for a couple months and possibly Texas after that.  They have to maintain a flexible schedule since Carolyn's father is having health issues and she is currently making decisions for him.  It was nice talking to Mann and hopefully with my recovery and more free time we can chat more often.

Then it was on to some football and another lazy Sunday afternoon and evening.  Exciting stuff.  

Just a few more days to Christmas and then 2013 will be almost over.  I must say I am glad to say goodbye to the year and move on to better things next year.

Christmas Lights

We've always liked to ride around neighborhoods and check out the Christmas decorations.  Back in the old days when we used to decorate the house inside and out, it seemed to always be a very cold and windy day when it was time to put up the Christmas lights.  We would buy new lights each year to add to the existing stock, but they changed the light strings so many times that we couldn't keep a large workable set.  Does anyone remember bubble lights?  Well, they are back in fashion.

I usually put the lights on the bushes around the house and in the lower branches of the trees.  Then, we always had to have 3-4 strings running down the gutters.  At first I would go out and turn on the lights at sundown then turn them off around 11pm just before bed.  Finally I wised up and bought a timer that went on at sunset and turned off around midnight.  

Decorating the inside of the house was another story.  When we first got married Gerry wanted the old leaded icicles spaced about 1/2 inch apart on every branch of the tree.  Once that was finished (2-3 days), then we could put the light bulbs on the tree, the Angel on top and then the rest of the ornaments would go up.  As you can imagine, decorating the tree wasn't taken lightly in the Clark household.  None of our children have carried on this tradition.

The decorating of lawns seems to be a much bigger deal now with all the electric deer, sleighs, santas, elfs all the other things available now.  Whole neighborhoods get together and have set rules on what can be put up and when.  I think I prefer the old way and do what you can when you can.

It is easier to see the finished product back east where homes don't have walls around them like out here in the Southwest.  In either case, it is nice to see the outside decorations.

Sunrise & Soap

The PT on Thursday tired me out more than I thought it would.  I came back to MH and slept much to long and therefore I am up at 6:30AM.  It was time for pain pills anyways so I will stay up and hopefully make it to 10pm before bedtime tonight.

Husbands should not have to get up so early in the morning.  I did take a few pictures of the sunrise over the mountains.  From what I could see it was worth waking up for the view. 

We had a few leftover dishes on the counter and I decided to wash them and start the day on the run.  The picture below does show why husbands should not be allowed to wash dishes so early in the morning.

So much for the morning, let's see whats in store for the day ahead.  If anything of interest I will be back later on today.

Today was Lexi's birthday and we just got off the phone chatting with her.  Sounds like she got a lot of gifts and had a great time.  They sent us the following photo taken with a cell phone, so the quality isn't the greatest.  You can see what a pretty girl she has turned into and such a great smile.

Lexi doesn't like cake and prefers pies for celebrations.  So she got an Apple pie with candles for her birthday. 

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY

LEXI

PT & Game Camera

I've wanted a game camera for a long time but never could justify in my mind a reason to purchase one.  It's not like I do a lot of hunting or really have a need for the camera, so it fell into the "I want one" category.

Gerry recently bought a Kindle reader and set up an Amazon account to buy books and such.  As she was skimming different areas of Amazon she came across a "daily deal" for a nice Bushnell, Trophy Camera Camo.  It came in last week right about the time I was released from the hospital and I didn't have a chance to work with it very much.  I did read the manual and set up the camera the best I could, but the picture quality wasn't there.  This morning I set it up on the picnic table while we sat out there and had our breakfast.  Small step, but it did answer a couple questions I had about the camera.  I haven't updated the date and time yet, but I hope to do that soon.  Poco a Poco!    Little by little.

It was about this time that a fellow camper was walking by and I asked him to take a picture of us sitting out in the warm sunny morning.  I left the Bushnell camera sitting there in active mode while all this was going on to see how it worked.  Great.

The picture below is the one taken by the fellow camper and it turned out pretty good also.  Of course it was taken with Gerry's Panasonic camera.

Note Bushnell camera on table by green tarp

Today was also a PT day with Ian, my physical therapist.  He tends to push me a lot and while I hate the hour long session, I feel that I make good strides when he works with me.  I had asked if I could get on the bike the last time I was there and today was the big day.  After a warm up period I walked over to the bike and slowly turned the pedals until I made a revolution going backwards and then started working for forward motions.  I must admit it was a little scary but it was worth it.

  

The rest of the session was devoted to typical therapy exercises and they went well also.  At the end he put the ice bag on the knee which was the most painful part of the therapy.

I did get some more great news.   Since I'm doing so well, I can put the walker away and use a cane.  At this time the cane is a little more difficult but I know that I will adjust quickly and that makes it easier on Gerry handling the walker so much.  

It's hard to believe that I had the operation 15 days ago.  I am looking forward to the next 15 days and hope I can make as much progress.

As a reward, Gerry took me to the Hot Rod Cafe for lunch.  We sat outside under cover and enjoyed the great weather.  I had a Taco Salad that was so large I couldn't finish it.  Gerry had an Enchilada platter and brought home over half of the meal.  

By this time I was ready to head back to the motorhome and take a break.  As it turned out, the break overlapped with a nice long nap.  Now I just hope I can fall asleep tonight and wake up raring to go in the morning.

The weather today was beautiful with a high around 83 degrees and a nice breeze.  Life is good.

 

Another slow day

I got hooked up to the CPM machine to exercie my leg and that took up almost 2 hours.  The biggest problem this morning was that I kept falling asleep in between setting the time for the start/finish segments.  I move the pressure up by 5 every 20 minutes and start at 80.  It doesn't take long to reach 110.  Sore, but not long.
  
Ron C was feeling a little under the weather so the "Boss" stopped by with the newspaper.  We had a nice visit with her and the morning slipped by fairly quickly.  After Dee left we finished up some chores quickly and Gerry worked on the Christmas cards.

My chores for the afternoon were to watch some very good basketball games and a little of the Army-Navy football game.  I worked for the Navy 10 years and owe my allegiance to Navy; however, it is time for Army to step up their game and win one.  Sorry about that Darlene & Tom, but it would make for some interesting games rather than blowouts.

I called the family in Illinois to get an updated address for my niece, Sheryl.  She and her husband buy, fixup and sell houses constantly.  He is good at it and likes to work.   I think they move around more from house to house than we do from RV park to another.  A change of scenery makes life more interesting.

It was a good time to call since most of the nieces were together baking cookies at Vonda's house.  I even got a chance to talk with their supervisor ( my brother Dick ) and get filled in on what he's been up to.  Not much as it turns out.  I guess winters aren't a good time to be out and about.   They got 6 inches of snow back there in South Central Illinois and some cold weather to go with it.  Ouch!

Meanwhile, there was time to watch the Univ of MD play and almost lose to a bad team.  Arizona played Michigan in basketball and had to come from behind to pull it out.  Big difference between MD and UA in quality of basketball played by them.
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Pain Pills & PT

I started back on my physical therapy on Monday, exactly one week after the knee operation.  I am using Noonan Physical Therapy just like I did with the other knee replacement.  They did a great job on that knee and I didn't see any reason to change away from them.

The first therapy usually is one where they check your leg movement and overall flexibility and then plan the next therapy session based on the those results.  I came into the session in better shape than last time and had better results.  Hopefully I can recover quickly work my way out of these sessions.

One thing I do have to work on is my memory.  They poke and prod you and twist the knee into painful contortions and by not taking my two pain pills, I upped the level of pain I had to go through.  That won't happen again.

A common thread to the blogs I follow is the cold weather and overall lousy weather out there.  We've had a couple cold nights, but nothing really bad so far.  Way too cold to sit outside in shorts and a t-shirt, but ok compared to the rest of the nation.  The weather forecast for Wednesday calls for the high 60s during the day.  I'll take those temps all winter if we can get them.

Time for a late night coffee run to pick up my foo foo coffee.  It helps clear up my breathing passages and gives me an additional boost.

 

Football & Great Defense

Well, I made it through a great weekend for football.  There were a number of great games going on and much was at stake for college teams.  It's all about winning and getting into a prestigious bowl game and the $$$$ that go with that.

The national title game is the ultimate prize and just a week or so ago it looked like Alabama and Ohio State would play in the championship game.   When Alabama lost it opened it up for Florida State, Missouri, Ohio State and Auburn.  Then it looked like it would be Ohio State vs Florida State for the title.  Florida State held up their end of the bargain, but Ohio State was knocked out of the picture with a loss to Michigan State.

You may wonder what all the above has to do with great defenses.  During each game it seemed like the announcers would ramble about how good the defensive was for each team.  What do you think about the great defensive was in these games?

Florida State U 45, Duke 7
Ohio State U 24, Michigan State U 34
Missouri 42, Auburn 59
Oklahoma U 33, Oklahoma State U 24

When I think about great defenses, score in the teens come to mind more than plus 40 pts in a game.  They constantly modify the rules of the game to make it more interesting and it seems that most people like the high scoring games.  At least you have to sit and watch the game to the end or you miss the most exciting part.

The Pro games were interesting yesterday and couple of them were played in a snowstorms.  For some reason they televised the Eagles vs Lions game in the Tucson area.  It was snowing so hard that they couldn't kick an extra point due to the depth of the snow.  The Eagles did find a way to score 28pts in the 4th qtr and won the game.  Great defense?

I did enjoy watching the games and most of all enjoyed the final episodes of The Amazing Race.  It was an interesting finish and for a change a team we rooted for won.

That was our weekend, how was yours?

    

I'm back home

Friday was the big day for me since that was my projected release date from the hospital.  I passed all the physical requirements along with the occupational ones and I am now a free man.  Well, as free as someone can be with a bum right knee and in a lot of pain.  Nothing I can't handle though.

Gerry picked me up at the hospital around 2pm and we came home after a short stop to drop off a prescription.  I have pain medicine that is still good and will use that first and then start on the new medicine when the old runs out. 

I am still on hospital time and wake up about every hour or so waiting to be prodded, woke up, vitals taken and the usual questions from the medical staff.  Anything to make you stay up longer for some reason.

I wanted to be home for the football games today and watch them on our 42 inch tv with great sound rather than deal with the tiny tv with terrible sound like the hospital tv.  Mission accomplished.

As you can imagine, I don't have anything interesting to write so I will cut this entry off before I ramble around like an old fool.  When/if I have something interesting to report on I will start blogging again.  Till then, thanks for all the well wishes, cards and emails regarding this time.

Got to "run along" for now.  See ya.

The Day Before

Well, I can't put it off any longer.  Right after watching our favorite TV program "The Amazing Race",  I will take my shower with the special soap and try to hit the hay early for a change.  Our usual bedtime is anywhere from 11pm to 1am and even at those late hours it takes me a while to fall asleep.  With all that is on my mind, I have no idea when sleep will come.  I did take a 45 minute nap before the race so that should help.

I've finished all the chores that I can and the rest will have to wait until I am more mobile.  Now all I have to do is concentrate on getting the knee operation over with, physical therapy and strengthen the knee.  Simple!  I wish that was so, but going in I know what is ahead of me and hope it all goes as well as last time.  One good thing, I only have two knees, so I won't have to do this again.

I'll be off the air for a while until I get back to the motorhome.  Plus, I don't think I will have anything interesting to write about unless you like hospital stories.  I don't!



  

Today was for the birds

Some days are more interesting and exciting than others, but today was one for the birds.  There is a bird feeder near the motorhome and it is always full of doves and gambel quails plus some other smaller birds.  Lately there have been a couple road runners hanging around the feeder, but they don't seem to be eating the bird seeds.

Road Runner

Road Runner sitting & Gambel quail in bush

Buddies

Gambel quail

 I was working outside cleaning the portable grill and putting it away for the next month until I will be grilling outside again.  Gerry came out and pointed out a road runner that was about 15ft from us and totally unafraid of being so close to us.  Gerry went back into the motorhome to get her camera and the road runner kept getting closer to us.  After getting it's picture taken the bird decided to move on back toward the desert.  We always enjoy seeing road runners and they remind us of Wiley Coyote and the cartoons.

Aren't I pretty?

 We bought a wireless printer on Black Friday for $30 and I decided to install it today.  I wasn't able to get it up and running and will try again on Sunday.  It would be nice to have a wireless printer and place it back in the bedroom out of the way.

Gerry also picked up a Kindle Fire on Friday and we've been playing with it and downloading some books.  This one has a wireless connection and Gerry can pick up her email and surf the web with it, in addition to using it as a reader.  I know many of you have moved past the Kindle Fire and on to more recent and nicer tablets, but the Kindle is all Gerry wants at this time.  It was so cheap that we couldn't pass it up.  Better late than never.

Ron C came over and worked with Gerry on downloading a book and explained some features of the Kindle.  I don't have any experience with it and was hesitant to learn it before my operation.  Maybe I can fool around with it and see what it can do while I'm recouperating.  Thanks Ron.

Maryland Terps 41 -  North Carolina State 21  Bright spot today.

Later on Ron & Dee C, Gerry and I went to Montgomery's for dinner and took advantage of their happy hour prices.  Gerry and Ron seemed to enjoy their meals, but I don't think Dee was that happy with her fish and chips.  We ordered some Wings and also Onion Rings for appetizers and they were fine, except for one wing that didn't seem to be cooked long enough.  

The restaurant has TVs placed all over the place with different football games being shown.  There was a loud cheer from the bar area and everyone was up clapping and cheering like their team won the Super Bowl.  Alabama was attempting a field goal for the win with one second left and the kick fell short and the Auburn player caught it and ran the ball back for a touchdown.  So much for another National Championship for the Tide and goodbye undefeated season.  It will be nice to see another team win it this year even though none of the teams I root for have a fighting chance.  

We stopped by Ron & Dee's place for a drink and some conversation after dinner.  The Missouri-Texas A&M football game was on at that time.  Dee is from Missouri and we all rooted for them to win and they did.  Now they will play Auburn for the SEC championship and most likely the winner of that game will place for the National Championship.  You got to love college football and the passion the players exhibit during the game.

Now it is time for me to take my pre surgery shower which consists of an anti-microbial soap.  Then I have to take another on Sunday night and one Monday morning before the surgery.  I just hope it doesn't dry my skin out so much that I itch all night.  Yuk!

I got a report from Al, my cousin Sharon's husband, updating me on her condition.  She has colon cancer and is refusing any further treatment and basically has given up.  It is especially sad to see someone close going through this when there is no hope.  I do hope she remains pain free and doesn't suffer a long time.  We saw them in April and it was evident she wasn't in that good of shape.  Sad.  Say a prayer for her.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's that time of the year again.  All the Christmas sales are going on and the TV is full of sales ads.  That must mean it's Thanksgiving time already.  Gerry and I will be having dinner at the clubhouse here at CCRV, the same as the last 7 years.  The RV park provides the turkeys, mashed potatoes and gravy.  All the attendees bring a side dish or dessert and there usually more food than we all can eat.
 I expect this to be the case again this thanksgiving.

This year will find the Clark family all over the place with Cassie & Jack going to Bethany Beach, DE; Larry, Jane and Grant in Mint Hill, NC while Barbara & Henry will be in Concord, NC.  I am not sure where Darlene & Tom are going this year, but hope they have a Happy Thanksgiving wherever they are.

When we had the house in Maryland, it was always a big party at Thanksgiving and more food than could possibly be eaten.  The football games were on TV and there was bedlam in the house.  We loved it all while it lasted, but the children now have their own families and traditions.  Maybe next year we will join them like we did two years ago.  Tell Henry to get the extension leaf ready for the table again.  

We also want to take this opportunity to wish all our friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving.  Gerry's family had a favorite saying for the holiday:  "Happy Gibbens" and it is fondly remembered in our house.

Thanksgiving 1963

Left to right:  Rose Marie Brabec Kotzman, Darlene Brabec McArthur, Barbara Brabec, Jerry Brabec, Don Kotzman, Cody Zarr & Larry Clark.  Rose Marie & Darlene are Gerry's sisters, Barbara & Jerry are her parents, Don Kotzman was a bil and Cody was her Uncle.  Gerry took the picture.  Barbara & Cassie Clark, along with Jerry Kotzman were in the kitchen eating their turkey dinners.   

  

Visitors & a roundup

Sunday morning we received an unexpected call from friends Pat & Steve F.  We last saw them in Red Bay, AL. and went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant with them.  Well, they had just arrived in Tucson and were staying a couple days at the Pima County Fairgrounds campground.  Pat wanted to meet with us and go out to dinner at a "Mexican" restaurant.  She has been dying for some good Southwest cooking and figured it didn't come much better than here in Tucson.

Last spring the Rancho Rustico restaurant opened up a couple miles from us, so we setup a dinner reservation for Sunday evening after church service.  They arrived right on time and we sat down to non stop chatting with them.  They have been on the go since Red Bay and visited friends in Colorado Springs and checked out Santa Fe, NM and fell in love with the town.  They had planned on staying longer in that area but the forecast was for cold weather and snow.  Not to their liking.

We all enjoyed our meals and Pat was thoroughly pleased with the place.  They serve a huge plate of food and it's almost impossible to eat it all.  However, we all managed to clean our plates except for Pat.  Piker!   After the meal we sat around and chatted some more and will keep track of each other's travels and hopefully meet up with them somewhere next spring.  They will be volunteering at the Lost Dutchman in Apache Junction for a few months.  We are thinking we will be able to meet them somewhere in-between here and there before departure time for each of us.
 
I was forced to go grocery shopping by myself today and got everything except for buying the wrong pumpkin pie mix.  Not bad for me.  On the way to the store I was in the middle of a cattle roundup by a Tucson policeman.  There was a lone steer running down Houghton Rd on the wrong side of the fence.  I tried to block it with the car, but that didn't work.  I hoped to herd it thru the entrance to the park, but the cattle guard did it's job and the steer beat a hasty retreat behind the car and continued down the road toward I-10 and El Paso.  I think the policeman needed a lasso to retrieve this steer.  Hopefully, it didn't get onto I-10 and cause an accident.  I guess we'll check the news tonight.

These ones are on the right side of the fence.

 
It looks like we will be on our 5th campground manager this year.  The couple who managed the park the last few years split up and she ran the park for the last 6-7 months.  We found out today that she will be leaving within the next couple weeks and I assume someone else with take over the position.  

Each has averaged less than two years on the job here at CCRV.  It shows since each year there are fewer and fewer snowbirds in the park and more permanent people.  While I understand the need for year around income for the park, it seems like the more permanent residents, the less friendly the park is.  Many of the permanent ones work and don't socialize and that becomes a problem as fewer snowbirds show up.  Too bad, this used to be a nice friendly park with many activities and nice people.  That's not to say the permanent people aren't nice, they just tend to keep to themselves.

I won't be that friendly either starting next Monday with my knee operation scheduled to take place at 7:30am and PT scheduled for later in the same day.  YUK!

Happy Birthday Stephanie

Our granddaughter Stephanie is celebrating a birthday this month, week & day.  She has always expected and most of the time been able to stretch her birthday celebration to a month.  Since her family pet name is "The Princess", she has been able to pull it off.

It's been a pleasure to watch her grow from a young child into a beautiful woman.  She is our daring grandchild, rather than her three brothers.  She has gone spelunking in a cave, cave crawling, parasailing and most reeently sky diving.  In addition, she has a heavy foot and loves to run in the high speed lane.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPH

Steph & Shawn

 Today she attended the NC State, ECU football game.   One of her brothers attended NC State and another ECU.  See how daring she is?  Which one will she pull for?  How will she keep peace in the family?  Of course, she will be able to sweet talk around whichever way she must  Way to go, Steph!

I hope she had better weather in North Carolina for her birthday than we had here in Tucson.  We've gotten about 2 inches of rain the last couple days here in the desert.  The sun hasn't shined for 2 days and at times it feels like we are in Oregon or Washington.   They are calling for clearing Sunday evening and we should be back to our sunny and warm days.  I hope. 

Dinners, Doctors & Dozing off

I've been working around the motorhome finishing up all the little tasks that need to be done before December 2.  It seems I complete one task and two more popup awaiting their turn.  I thought selling the house would make all these jobs of the past, but it's not so.  At least it gives me something to do in my spare time.

I had my pre-op exam with Dr. Dixon who will perform my right knee replacement in just over a week.  He must be a great doctor since we had to wait over an hour just to get escorted back to the examining room.  He swooped in and got right down to what was going to happen to me in the next 6-7 weeks or so.  Most of what he covered wasn't new to me since it was the same as when the left knee was replaced in February.  There was one added information that he gave me that didn't make me that happy.  Since both knees were bothering me in Feb., the pain of the right knee helped mask the pain of the operation on the left knee.  Now I don't have that counter balancing effect, which might be a problem with pain.

After the doctor appointment Gerry and I scoured the paint stores and hardware stores for a wood pallet.  I built a platform out of a pallet for the last knee operation and it helped a lot getting into and out of the motor home.  We finally found a nice free pallet at a neighborhood Walmart store and they graciously gave us permission to take a pallet.  Thanks Walmart.

Then it was on to Home Depot to pick up some cheap plywood to place on the pallet.  I only need the platform for a month or so and chose to buy some panel board and have it cut to size to cover the pallet.  The Home Depot worker kept trying to sell me a $25 sheet of plywood and had numerous reasons for not buying what I did.  Longer lasting, stronger, etc., etc.  I doubled up on the cheap wood last time and it worked fine, so I went with it this time also.  Then he tried to convince me to apply for a Home Depot credit card.   The cashier also tried to get me to accept one.  Nope, that is what I have Visa & AM EXP for and they work in many places, not just Home Depot.

Then it was on to Guadalajara Fiesta Grill for Happy Hour and to meet friends Ron & Dee C for dinner.  Since I will be laid up for a month more or less, we have been going to some of our favorite places for dinner.  That will have to stop soon or I won't pass my pre-op physical on Monday morning at 7:30 AM.  ( What's wrong with those people expecting me there so early?)   We had a great time chugging a few beers and margaritas with Ron & Dee and staggered out of there after 6:00PM.  Whew, those 22 oz Dos Equis's go down smooth and Gerry enjoyed her huge margarita.  

Fresh Salsa made at your table.

 Ron & Dee think like we do about the meals at the restaurant.  The dinners are huge and too much for one person to eat, so we order a dinner and an appetizer.  Even at that, we brought enough food home for a large lunch today.  Thank God we have space in the frig.  I know we will be back there as soon as my knee heals, so that will give me something to look forward to.

We used to go to TGIF at the Marine House when we lived overseas and Larry Jr. would comment that I always got "sleepy" after 3-4 hours of drinking then going out for a late dinner.  Well, history repeated itself tonight.  I could hardly keep my eyes open.

I would be remiss if I didn't wish our good friend Judy R a happy birthday on Friday.  I don't understand why she ages so well and I don't.   It might be that she started off at a much higher level with good looks than I did.  In any case:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDY

That was our day, how was yours?

  

Birthday Lunch with Ron & Dee

This was coffee and donuts day at the park and we went up for the freebies.  There is a lucky buck drawing where people buy tickets for a dollar and then put the tickets into a bucket.  Ron C was selected to draw out the winning number and managed to draw his own number and won $33.  What a way to start your birthday celebration.  Way to go Ron.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON!

Gerry joined the sewing club group for their usual Tuesday sewing session.  Since she had to take her sewing machine, I gave her a ride to the clubhouse.  Then we set it up for her to call me to pick her up after the sewing session.  For some reason our ATT phone didn't ring even though she called me 4 times.  When it finally did ring I picked her up and she wanted to know what happened.  We tested the phone and it didn't ring when she called it twice.  We finally changed it over to "outdoor setting" and it worked.  Go figure.

We joined Ron & Dee C for a late lunch at the Red Robin restaurant in Tucson Mall.  It is the only Red Robin in Tucson and Gerry and I didn't even know it was there.  We all had a very nice meal and left full to the gills.  The only downer was a woman in a booth behind us with a young child who screamed and carried on for the longest time.  Since I don't hear that well, it didn't bother me at all.  

After the late lunch and sitting around chatting at the restaurant we came home in rush hour traffic.  I must admit, after fighting Washington, DC rush hour for 25 years, the traffic on I-10 wasn't that bad.  As long as there isn't an accident, the traffic moves smoothly.

When we got back to the motorhome I managed to make it to my easy chair and take a nap.  I had to get ready for watching tv in the evening.  Job accomplished.

I talked to my brother in Illinois to tell him about a cousin of ours and how close the tornado came to him.  The cousin lives in Washington, IL and they were at ground zero.  When I told brother about the tornado he said he knew about it and was right in there with the bad weather.  He picked Sunday to deliver a lathe to Mason City, IL which was right in the path of destruction.  He managed to unload the lathe and then found shelter from the terrible wind, rain and hail.  He said he could hardly keep the pickup on the road it was so strong.  Scary!

We just finished watching "Person Of Interest" on tv and Gerry is upset about what happened on this episode.  They had put out teasers about one of the main cast members not making it through tonight.  The ending wasn't what she expected and it made her upset.

That was our day, how was yours?  Hope it was a great one for you.

Sunsets & Myths

We spent the day watching some football and then decided to go for a bike ride.  We had both of our bikes worked on last week and had some pieces replaced, new bike seats (old ones destroyed by hail) and an overall tuneup.  Today was the time to see if all the money spent on the bikes was well spent and if they would be ready for the road again.  They were, but I am so out of shape that it will take some time to build up my leg strength again.  I only have two weeks, so it will be close whether it will work out in time.

Getting ready for the Tour de CCRV

 We rode around the park a bit and Gerry managed to capture some nice sunset pictures.

Our son-in-law Henry has worked in the food service industry for a number of years and for many of those years his company made fruit cakes.  There was a story going around that there were only fifty fruit cakes in the whole of the U.S. and they were regifted every year.  I finally was able to disprove this theory when I was in Sam's Club.  They had a pallet of Claxton Fruit Cakes for sale and when I went back a day later, the pallet was still there and full of fruit cakes.  I picked one off the pallet and put it in the shopping cart.

An old neighbor of ours was from Claxton, Georgia and bragged on these fruit cakes for many years.  In reality, Gerry loves these fruit cakes and looks forward each Christmas season to buy one.

The new TV is working fine and I think we are keeping it.  Not positive, but it's looking that way more and more.  I will have to cut a couple inches from the brace and lower the tv, but it will be workable.  Just another task to put in the job jar and have it finished in the next two weeks, or ---. 

New TV & Visitors

Ron & Dee C came by Friday afternoon and I jumped into their beautiful Ford pickup.  It looks and rides more like a Lincoln than the old pickups I am used to.  It has more electronics, bells and whistles than a fully loaded car.  

The three of us were on a mission to buy a tv at Sam's Club after Gerry and I talked over the pros and cons of three 42" tvs we checked out on Thursday.  We settled on the JVC 42" Smart tv and we loaded it into the back of their pickup for the long drive back to the campground.  Ron helped me unload the tv and bring it into the motorhome.  They hung around for a while and we got caught up on what's been going on with them.  It was very nice of them to help me on this purchase and also provide a delivery service.  Thanks a million.

Ron K came over and we removed the tv in the living room area and replaced it with the new tv.  Ooopss!.   The new tv isn't as tall as the old one and there is an opening beneath it showing the wires and such.  Now we have to decide if we want to keep the tv, rework the braces holding the tv and lowering it, buy a decoration to cover the opening or what to do.

In the meantime we are watching the tv and getting used to using it.  It also has a lot of features including being able to access the internet through an ethernet cable or wireless reception.  They have some apps out there and one of them is Netflix.  Interesting.  I haven't activated this feature since I don't want to run it off the Millenicom wireless setup we have.

Saturday afternoon Sherwin and Linda stopped by for a nice long visit.  They have rented a house a few miles from here and we hope to see more of them this year.  It all depends on how fast my knee heals and I can get back on the road.

Right after they left Ron K stopped by to discuss what the next steps will be with the tv.  We discussed a few options and once we can decide what to do, I hope to finalize the installation.  

Gerry had a hair appointment today and headed over to Nellies for a cut and whatever women do to their hair.  She returned looking like a new and younger woman.  The short haircut looks great on her.  Why doesn't a short haircut look good on me?  No fair!

That was our Friday and Saturday happenings.  What interesting things did you all do today?

Settling in at Cactus Country

There hasn't been much to write about since we arrived here at Cactus Country RV Resort.  We've been settling in and filling the larder, shopping, eating out at Montgomery's in Vail and trying to stay awake past 10PM.  

We have the motorhome all set up for our stay here with our tow bar, brake buddy and associated parts stored away for the next five months.  The wash job we got at the TTT didn't work out very well and now we have a wash and wax job scheduled for Monday.  $$$

Tuesday was coffee and donuts day and seeing some of our friends who have arrived early at the Park.  It was nice seeing them and catching up on what's been going on in their lives since last spring.  They had a lucky buck drawing, however we weren't the lucky winner.   We have won in the past, so we will continue to play when we go there.

We've been shopping for a new 42 inch tv and it seems that there aren't many of them being marketed.  The stores have the plus 46 inch tvs in numbers, but not as much for smaller ones.  We did find three tvs in the range we are interested in at a Sam's Club today and will most likely buy one on Friday.  Gerry can't get used to the 32 inch tv we have now and prefers a larger one.  It seems that "smart tvs" are the rage now and there are may choices for them.  Guess that is the way we will go' too.  It's hard to keep up with all the changes in electronics now since they change so fast.

On the way back today we ran into a huge traffic jam.  The police had a major avenue blocked and were routing vehicles into neighborhoods.  We saw a lot of Tucson that we haven't seen before winding our way around those neighborhoods.  The police had K-9 dogs out and also a helicopter flying overhead.  We never did find out what the problem was.

The weather forecast for Friday is for winds in the 30-45 mph range with gusts over 50 mph at times.  They are calling for possible dust storms north of  Tucson and also in the Wilcox area.  I am glad we aren't on the road in those areas.

Tucson has instituted a ticket writing campaign this year.  The following paragraph was taken from the KOLD TV broadcast.
 
"TPD instituted a mandatory minimum, or quota, back in March. Each officer on the street is now required to write at least one traffic ticket a day.
We wanted to know how effective that's been, so we got the numbers.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 27 last year, before the quota: TPD wrote almost 25,000 tickets.
In the same eight month time period this year, TPD wrote more than 46,000 tickets; that's an 89 percent increase."

Guess I will have to watch my speed while we are here this winter.  Actually, I drive the speed limit and have gotten dirty looks, one finger waves and everything else.  Tailgating is very common here in the afternoon and people become aggressive on their way home from work.

See, I told you there wasn't much going on around here.  At least we've had super weather with temps in the 80s during the day and cool at night.  Life is good.

Marine Corp Birthday & Veterans Day

When I was an U.S. Foreign Service Officer serving overseas one event we always looked forward to was the Marine Ball celebrating the birthday of the U.S. Marines.  Sunday was the 238th birthday of this proud member of the U.S. Armed Forces and we wish all Marines a happy birthday.  The Marines have a saying that once a Marine, always a Marine.  Semper Fi.

Today is Veterans Day and we honor veterans of all the services who are serving now and those who came before them.  Without their sacrifices, we could not remain a free nation.  

Thanks to all veterans out there.

I got up early and drove the car to a tire repair garage and they immediately took off the tire and removed a 2 inch screw from the tire.  In went a plug to patch the tire and I was out of there in 20 minutes with only $8 missing from my wallet.  Great service and a fair price.

We stopped at the Tucson Truck Terminal (TTT) to fill the diesel tanks since they had an advertised price of $3.67/gallon.  When I pulled up to the pump, it read $3.83/gallon.  Gerry went in to check with the cashier and she said for units over 26,000 lbs it was the higher price.  Why?   Because they can charge it.  No problem, we drove across the street to the brand new Pilot station and filled up for $3.73/gallon.  Guess who we will patronize in the future.

We arrived at CCRV in Tucson today and have signed up for 5 months.  It is about 89 degrees outside and we are sitting in the cool comfort of our a/c.  Yes, it is a dry heat.
 
Time for a beer and some relaxation.  Life is good.  

Catching our breath

Gerry and I have been running low on energy and decided to take a couple days off and relax here in Benson, AZ.  We met Jerry and Suzy for dinner and caught up on what has been going on with them the last few months.  It was good to see them and we met at a local restaurant called Pablos and had a very nice meal to go along with the great company.

We did take some time out from chilling to do a little geocaching today and picked up three caches.  We looked high and low for another one, but it either had been muggled or was so well hidden that it escaped us.  We'll check it out again when we are next in the Benson area and see if it reappears.

The Saturn started making a ticking noise and now we have picked up a bolt in the driver's side tire.  The last time that happened we had to buy another tire and hope that isn't the case with this one.  It has a lot of tread left on it and should be good for 30K miles if it can be repaired.  Looks like I will have to check it out early in the morning. I hope it doesn't delay us getting out of here.  The weather forecast is for high winds on Tuesday and I don't like to drive in them.

It's almost time for "The Amazing Race" so it is time to close the blog for tonight.