Sunday, Feb 1st Desert Hot Springs still

Whew we've had a busy but not remarkable week. The weather has warmed up once again, the wind has kind of blown away, though it's still winter season here. We are now back to wearing shorts and tee shirts. Bits of snow on distant mountains only.

We bought a new outdoor plastic type woven carpet in Quartzsite, 10 x 16 for outside the trailer. Lary put grommets in it, with a grommet kit. It was so windy here that we had it all staked down with nails through washers. It held well.

I got a camera case and a new chip for my camera. And we found out much to our delight that Jen and Sue are coming down to join us and stay here at our park, in a rented self contained park model trailer, for a week, in early April.

Di went to a new watercolor painting class Tuesday and started painting a picture. The teacher Sue Honnell is really nice, and paints wonderful pictures. Di has decided she won't be the next Picasso, Van Gogh or whatever. She's still searching for the painting genes of her great aunt Sophie Pemberton. Think that 'talent' is a result of a lot of hard work and practice. There are so many things to paint down here, all those swaying palms and wonderful sunsets, etc. Cactus, birds, foliage very different from what we are used to at home.

Retail therapy on Tuesday, Ross Dress for Less, Big 5, and Walmart. Stocked up on Bush brand baked beans. Also Jose Cuervo for margaritas. Whoo, tail wind here we come!!!!!

Lary got some new walking shoes as he's walking each morning before it gets too hot.
Dave needed a sports jacket for his upcoming cruise, they leave Feb 14th for the Panama, so he and Lary went to buy sports jackets at Men's Warehouse, similar to our Moore's mens shops, they both got a sports jacket and two pairs of pants each.

Dave and Wendy have been looking for a new trailer, and particularly a Cardinal 5th wheel, around 33 feet. Much to and froing here, as you never know what you will face at the border for importing it into Canada, state taxes here, and the like.
They are now over the moon as Dave found one in the BC Okanagan, and I think it will even be delivered down here, and their old one taken home in trade. A great resolution for them. So much more clear with it being in Candian $, the exchange at the moment is running around 1.25 Can for a US 1.00.

Relaxing days here, happy hours together with Dave and Wendy, some dinners here at the clubhouse for a very reasonable price. More pool time again.

Saturday morning we went to the street fair at the College of the Desert, Fred Waring and Monterey Sts. Lovely things there, arts, crafts, jewellry, housewares, clothing, farmers market, furniture. We just got a few things, Di found some beading supplies she needs. Wendy was selling her crafts here at our own park in the morning.
In the afternoon we went through a mobile home park near our trailer park, in Desert Hot Springs, just for interest- looking casually at house trailers there on a small golf course. Nice spot.

In the evening we four went into Palm Desert to the first of the springtime Saturday evening Jazz concerts, at the Gardens mall/shopping centre, on El Paseo, the swankiest shopping street down here. Lovely music by Brian Simpson, a jazz pianist, and another talented guy on a saxophone, and 2 super backup musicians for Brian. The site itself is incredible, on a lawn beside the shops, with pretty outdoor bronze sculptures of children cavorting in the gardens.
You only pay $10 which all goes to charity, you get 2 small glasses of wine, and a plate of appies, and an hour of wonderful music by big local talent, in a wonderfully pretty setting. Gardens and flowers everywhere around you.
It starts at 5:30 PM in the daylight, music from 6 PM to 7 PM, but by golly, during that short hour the temps go from summer to chilly, quite quickly. We were glad to get up and get moving at the end of the concert, as we were all pretty chilly.
Headed out together and ate at Olive Garden restaurant.

Today Sunday in the park there is a Super Bowl party, though we may have one of our own, our TV is bigger than the one in the lower clubhouse.
Tonight there is a showing of a movie on a bigger screen, The Other Bolyn Girl or something like that. We may go.

Tuesday we leave here, going first to Ehrenberg 2 nights on the Colorado River, CA/AZ border, then on to Casa Grande, AZ for 5 nights, then over to Tucson for a month, from Feb 9th or so.

This may be our last posting on the blog for a few days as we move. Not sure if we'll find good WiFi in the parks or not, it's pretty weak here in our trailer, better when we come down to the lower clubhouse.