2015 Begins

Thursday - New Year's Day   We woke up to over 6" of snow covering everything.  What a change!  We had seen snow in the desert in some of our other visits through the years, but now it affected us with the motorhome and our scheduled travel for the day.  Gary went out and climbed on the roof, sweeping all the snow off the slide awnings and roof, before we went to Mass.  Luckily, the sun came out mid morning and melted most of the remaining snow and ice off the slides before we had to pull them in to drive out.  We said goodbye to Wally and Jan and left the park about noon.  The roads were all melted and dry by then.  We stopped for gas and propane fill ups, hooked up the car and headed north to Mesa to the Good Life RV Resort for our new job.
Arriving at Good Life, we were escorted to our space and got set up.  It was dry and sunny, but a little chilly air there in Mesa.  We checked in and were told to report the next morning to talk to our supervisor.  A long, busy day with new challenges - we were tired and went to bed.

Snow in the park, even on the palm trees

Snow covered everything

Sun and blue sky - melting has begun

Snow covered mountains - we have never seen this much on them

 Friday - We went in at 9:00 AM to meet our supervisor, Leanne.  We met with her for a short time and then were told we would have orientation at 9:00 on Monday.  She gave us our uniform shirts and name badges.  "Enjoy the park and learn about all the amenities" was our assignment for the weekend.  We spent more time at home, setting up everything for our stay and then rode our bikes around the park to see everything. Our neighbors, Ken & Vi, from across the street welcomed us and invited us to join their group at the park happy hour gathering that afternoon.  They told us who some of the other neighbors on the our street are and where they are from.  Most of them are from Canada - provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and have been coming here for several years. We also have Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowans on our block, so lots in common.
We went to the Happy Hour gathering.  The park hosts one every week day, providing entertainment with live music or karaoke.  The park does not have any concessions, so everyone brings their own beverage and snacks.  We found out line dancing is huge here, they have lessons in the park and many of the ladies were up dancing to every song.  Some songs were good for couple dancing, so we were able to get out on the floor a few times.

Saturday - We spent the day enjoying our new site in the park and watched football.  I went to a walking exercise class in the late morning.  They use videos by Leslie Sansone's, on Saturdays they walk 3-5 miles in the video. We ran errands and picked up groceries and then went to enjoy the heated pool and hot tub that night.

Sunday - We went to Mass at one of the many area churches.  Home again, we watched football and took naps.  That night, we grilled chicken in the NuWave oven and enjoyed sitting outside.

Sunset view from our new site in Mesa

2014 Ends

Monday - The UPS drivers had told Gary they thought he was done working for the season, but he received a call that morning.  It was a "normal" schedule, 12:30 to 5:00.  I cleaned house, preparing for our move to Mesa on Thursday.

Tuesday - The last workday for Gary with UPS.  I ran errands and visited the Goodwill store for their after Christmas clearance.  Did not find much I had to have.

Wednesday - Up early, we headed in to Tucson to drop off Gary's UPS uniform and collect his last paycheck.  They accepted the uniform, but would have to mail the paychecks...to our SD address.  Then we headed to the airport to pick up Jan and Wally who were flying back from cold South Dakota.  We stopped for a coffee and then waited in the cell phone lot until they arrived.  On the way back home, the travelers were hungry so we stopped for an early lunch.  Back home at the Junction, Wally and Jan unpacked and we packed up, ready for our move to Mesa the next morning.  Gary picked up all the outside lights and hoses, we knew it was supposed to start raining and possibly SNOW! (So sorry I used that 4-letter word!).  For New Year's Eve, we were invited to Dan's.  Dan and Connie, Joe and Deb (Deb had flew back from South Dakota that day too) and Gary and I spent the evening together.  We left there about 9:00 and stopped to say goodbye to Leo and Doris.  On our way there, it started raining, and when we left there house about an hour later, it was blowing and snowing.  Reminded us of South Dakota, our wipers were on high and it was hard to see through the snow as we drove back home to the Junction.  The ground was starting to get white when we shut the door for the night.

Christmas in the Desert

Monday - We cleaned in the morning and Gary worked for UPS in the afternoon.  He worked with Louie early afternoon and then with the Saddlebrooke driver in late afternoon.  I had a chiropractor appointment that afternoon, my first chiro appointment since we left Sioux Falls, July 2013!  Would not have gone this day, but I had a muscle pulling when I reached certain ways in my front collar bone area.  She made some adjustments and gave me new stretching exercises for my front shoulder muscles.  Very helpful!

Tuesday - Today, I gathered my recipes and ingredients and went to Deb & Joe's to do my Christmas baking.  I tried a new recipe for Bacon Candy, made Crispix mix and the annual batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms with miniature Reese's.  Gary worked both both drivers again, this was the long day of Christmas deliveries.

Wednesday - Christmas Eve   We visited with Ben & Kelsey by Facetime in the morning, they were leaving for Europe on Christmas Day.  Gary went to work at 12:30 and was done at 5:30.  I met Gary at Joe's - we spent Christmas Eve with him.  Joe made oyster stew for he and Gary for supper and made me some delicious chili.  I baked my Pumpkin Pie Dessert and we had that after supper.

Thursday - Merry Christmas!  We slept in, then went to Christmas Day Mass and talked to Katie and family on Facetime in the morning.  We were invited to Doris and Leo Smith's for a late afternoon Christmas Dinner.  I was to bring mashed potatoes in the crockpot.  We went to Joe's to cook and mash the potatoes, so had a nice visit with him before going to the Smith's.  Leo smoked a ham, Doris made roasted turkey and all the guests brought the other dishes for a delicious Christmas meal.  Connie G. made apple pie and chocolate cake for the dessert.  We had a great time visiting.
It was very different to not be with our kids for Christmas.  But Katie and family were hosting other family and Ben and Kelsey were off on their European holiday trip, so we will celebrate in other ways in the new year.  Hope you and your families or friends had a wonderful celebration.

Merry Christmas from our house

Friday - Gary checked in, but did not have to work this day.  We rested and worked on odds and ends, watched football and sent out our Christmas letter to friends.

Saturday and Sunday - more college football, enjoyed sitting outside and worked on finances and holiday thank yous.  Sunday night, Joe made steaks in his new smoker and I made pasta and vegetables for supper at his house with Lisa and Jeff.  After we arrived there late afternoon, we saw a roadrunner out on his patio.  We tried to take pictures, but it kept moving.  Suddenly, it flew up into a cactus.  Joe said they only do that when there is a predator around, so we went out and looked.  Two young bobcats were in the gully behind their wall.  We were able to get close up pictures of the roadrunner as he waited for the kitties to leave.  Later, we enjoyed a magnificent sunset.

Mr. Roadrunner

The two kitty cats

Early sunset colors

Same direction, ten minutes later