Four Seasons and Frankie Valli

Our neighbours, Mel and Debbie, had tickets for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on Sunday evening.  They asked if we would like them, as they had decided not to go. SURE! So, what turned out to be a planned quiet Sunday evening watching our usual British shows, was great fun attending the concert at the Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino.  It is a lovely facility within a 30 minute drive of us.  The concert hall was still designed as a " fight hall", as is 29 Palms Casino.  The best concert hall is truly a concert hall, and that is at Agua Caliente Resort.

The concert was very well done, with a terrific back up band and sound system.  The performance started almost 30 minutes late, very unprofessional, especially since there was no announcement as to why the show was starting late. We picked up a CD on the way out after the concert, to give to Deb and Mel.

Yesterday was swimming laps, then water aerobics and back to finish up a quilt job for a friend's first baby grandson.  Then, we were invited to golf here with Mel, Deb, Rick, Roger and Margo.  The guys golfed together and the gals were right behind them.  Since it was a beautiful day, play was slow, but none of us thought it was a bad thing, as we visited and rested on the benchs between each hole. Deb managed to birdie #8, so it was a good ending.

Today is another beautiful day, with a late afternoon potluck planned by friends. 

A howler in the night

We spoke too soon about the wind, it's back.  We pulled one of the slides in for the first time this year. Seemed like the wind was coming from all directions last night, and it was like a tunnel through one of the slide toppers, so in came the slide so we could sleep. This morning seems not as howling, so we pushed the button and sent the slide back out.

Yesterday we enjoyed a very quick visit from Allen and Lolita, catching up on theirs and our travel plans for the coming summer. They left a great gift of a few oranges! Delicious! I think they headed off to Rick and Paulette's after visiting here.  I told Lolita, as she was driving, to swing by the end of our 'loop' in the rv park, to see the biggest fifth wheel we have yet encountered! Yes, it is a 50 foot fifth wheel, looking brand spanking new. I guess when it arrived, they tried to fit it into a couple of sites before one was of enough size. It is from B.C., our home province.

Shhhhh the wind has died down......

Yes, the posts are lacking and we were even  'upbraided' for not posting by a couple of readers who we met at last Saturday's Pancake Breakfast. Gently, of course, but point taken.

We seem to be busy, and my intention is to keep a longhand journal every start of a new year, with data such as the weather and what we did for that day. Yes, the blog fits some of that function so it seems like it would be done twice so no, the journal has yet to be started for another year! The  quilting clubhouse times have been busy with a quilt show on Monday of our own quilts.  We also made a trip to San Jacinto for the Valley Quilt Guilds annual show, which is a favorite as the quilts are 'do-able' to us, unlike the master art quilts at Road to California. Two different shows, for sure. Ken and Karen joined us and the fellows did not come to the quilt show - they went to Harbor Freight Tools, then we went out for lunch at the Morongo Casino before returning back to the Park.

We had a lovely visit from our friends, Bob and Karen, from Chase and our RV club Chapter.  With them, we are hosting a rally at the end of May, so we made a few more plans and just had a good visit.  They stayed at Lake Cahuilla County Park, which is not very close to us, but a lovely park on a reservoir lake. Too bad it was so windy and cool for their visit, but I think it has been unusually cold for the southwest this winter for everyone.

On Tuesday, Donald and I decided to get out of the wind and make a trek into downtown Palm Springs to have a lovely lunch just behind the green umbrella in the photo, and do a little people watching. It is Modernism Week in Palm Springs, and it seems quite busy with even a double decker open top bus giving tours of architecture and homes.

What else? Oh a T shirt making workshop for me, golf for Donald with friends Mel and Rick, coffee afternoons at the neighbours, a Mardi Gras Party at Ken and Anne's, another dance last Friday night and yesterday we went to see the movie, Argo. Very good.

The pool is closed this morning for cleaning, so today I am off with a couple of gals to Palm Springs and then who knows what will be the afternoon.... the wind has subsided.... shhhhhh. Don't let it be know, lest it come back!!!!

San Diego in a Day?

That was a quick trip and you cannot 'do' San Diego in a day, but we did have a really good sense of what we would like to come back and see.  Our RV park arranged a one day bus trip to Old Town San Diego, with the option of an additional discounted ticket on the Old Trolley Tour of the city, which we took advantage of.

The weather was very cool and misty/cloudy and with the plastic covers over the windows in the trolley, seeing everything was fine, but photo taking was not the best.  The trolley tour takes just over two hours, going to Coronado Island, downtown and different areas.  Donald had the map of the route and decided that we should hop off at the second to last stop, which was Little Italy, for lunch.   We only had about 5 hours total at our disposal as we had to meet back at our tour bus stop at about 3 pm.
My favorite place that I would like come back to was Balboa Park and the magnificent museums and architecture.  I think Donald wanted to go back to the Island and the beach.

Our lunch was wonderful, with access to this rather large seating area through a rather small store hallway! The outside was tiny, and you almost would have missed it. Inside, there must have been over 100 people enjoying their meals and busy with a great wait staff.

walk through to Felippe's eatery

In Hyder, Alaska and Oatman, Arizona you can enter into the pub and write your name on a dollar bill and post it on the wall. Here, you can get an empty bottle of Chianti, write on the straw/wicker part and hang it from the ceiling. There were hundreds of bottles hanging.  Of course, the bottle closest to our table was written by a couple from Vancouver.

Donald had the lasagna and sausage and I had spaghetti, and both were the best we have ever had. Nothing now in a restaurant will compare to the lasagna that Donald enjoyed at Felippe's. I could not even finish my one meatball. Delicious. We hopped back on the trolley, sitting with other neighbours from our RV park,and then did a walk about through Old Town till we had to meet up with the bus. Old Town is pretty much a tourist zone, with Mexican goods that you can get at Los Algodones for 1/4 of the price as there. We enjoyed an afternoon coffee with a look at some beautiful flowers.

It was nice for Donald not to have to drive, and instead he got a kick out of looking down into vehicles as we passed, or as they passed, to see how many people were talking or texting on the interstate as they drove along. He wanted to be back in time for his Gold Rush show on the Discovery Channel to see what mess the Hoffman brothers were up to now.  We did make it in time, but our dish must have dis-aligned itself and it took us about 30 minutes to set it all back up! Errrg.

Today is Clubhouse Quilting and the Park Appreciation Lunch at noon. Better get going.........

So, when is there time to get the truck washed?

Poor Donald. We all have lists in our heads, specifically the 'to-do' lists, and on his list is to take the truck to get a proper wash at the Airport Truck Wash.  There just seems to be no time! He arrived back from golf with Rick, Rick and Mel on Sunday, only to have me at the door of the rig asking for some cash in order to buy 2 tickets to San Diego from a couple that cancelled their trip.  When are we going to San Diego, he asked?  Tuesday! When do I get the truck washed? Don't know, no time! After his golf game on Sunday there was a Superbowl Party at Mel and Debs with Rick, Paulette and another Rick and his wife, Kathy. Then yesterday was a day at the quilt clubhouse for me, and he helped ( or supervised ) Michael and Darcy leaving the park. After that, it was off to pick up a couple of things at W*mart, and then back here for the 3 - 5 pm Quilters BBQ at Judy's, hosted by Rick  and Paulette. Rick is going to be in so much trouble for the picture and little words about Sandy and her delicious Red Velvet Cake. It was a wonderful time with great friends.  Siena's husband, Jack, made the circle of men, asking each one if they knew what a Fat Quarter was.  Yep, some did know, some did not want to admit it, and I heard one shout " And what is a Stitch in the Ditch?".

Well,  today we are off to San Diego. There is a bus group organized at a very reasonable rate per person for just a day trip to Old Town San Diego. Can he get the truck washed on Wednesday? Maybe, but I have our regular Clubhouse Day, and we also have a Park Appreciation Lunch at 12:00.  Ah! The regular Happy Hour is cancelled because of the lunch, so yes, there is time after lunch.

We love being so busy here, and of course the weather helps. 

I think I need a day-timer to keep track

There was a phone call last evening from #2 son, asking what we have been doing. I told him we hardly get about 10 minutes of down time a day, we seem to be so busy, but doing what was hard to relate back to him, other than we are having a great time.

The weather has finally turned for the better, with temperatures hitting just about 80F/28C during day.  I finally no longer have to wear a touque on my head to swimming in the morning, as by the time aerobics are done, it is nice and warm and I am not running to get a jacket and windpants on as soon as I step out of the pool.  Awesome. Today was a big grocery shop, as it was long overdue and the larder was getting fairly bare, followed by dog sitting Miss Ellie Mae and enjoying the 1 acre dog park here, drop by visits from friends, and then off to a pizza place in Desert Hot Springs for supper for 8 of us. Darcy showed up with her mini Valentines quilt in the afternoon and we managed to get some binding cut and sewn on lickety-split.  Very good pizza afterwards. Very good company.

my Valentines Day runner, mini-group taught by me at Quilt Clubhouse

This morning is the pancake breakfast at the main hall at 8 am, then we have to go to Kohl's, then a Happy Hour celebration later in the afternoon as Michael and Darcy will be leaving next Monday. I think that means I won't have to make supper again - yahoo!

Sunday is Superbowl time, and of course, all the local quilt shops have a superbowl sale on, so guess where I will be, and guess where D will be! I think he will be looking for an invite to watch the game on US cable or dish tv. Our Shaw system, which is Canadian does not show all the cool Superbowl commercials.  My favorites are the Budweiser big horses.

Red sky in morning sunrise, coming through the window - Quartzsite