The comment on the last post requested an update. Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, I really
have no excuse. Anyway here goes.
After posting about no rain we finally got it. We REALLY got it! We only got 2 rainstorms this season but I think we met our
average rainfall totals. I was sitting
on my patio watching the rain just hammering California across the lake when I
noticed it was getting darker over us. It
was raining so hard I could hear the rain fall even before it got to us. It was either a wide band of rain or it
stalled over us because it came down hard for close to an hour. The walking path in our common area got so
washed out that it took 10,000 pounds of fill to repair. That was a lot of work but the manager and I
repaired it. We also had 3 trees blow
over this year and we replaced those too.
This summer was so hot for so long that we didn’t want to do any
trimming of the plants for fear of damaging them. So when the heat let up we had a lot of work to do. We worked all day, every day, for over a
week trimming over 500 palms and probably twice as many plants and other
trees. The place sure looked nice for
our snowbirds to arrive for the winter season.
Halloween was a blast here.
We had a golf cart parade where we decorated the carts and drove through
the park trick-or-treating. We drove by
as the watchers tossed candy at us.
After the parade it was party time.
Well the park is filling up now. The Snowbirds are pulling in at the rate of a couple a day. Looks like we lost about 5 lot owners over
the summer from cancer and heart attacks.
I think this is the most we have lost in one summer.
My plan to work semi fulltime during the summer and very
little during the winter didn’t work out this year. We didn’t get the Workcampers we usually do for the winter so the
managers asked if I would work my summer schedule of 20 hours a week through
the winter. Actually they wanted me to
work fulltime but I refused. I think I
can keep up with all the maintenance on a part time basis. If not the managers said they would hire me
a helper from town. Hell, I am supposed
to be retired! Not only that but I have
become somewhat of a handyman around here.
Since I keep a high profile working here everyone knows me and knows I
can do just about anything. So whenever
there is something broken they bring it to me.
I have even been hired by some of the lot owners to cleanup their lots
for them. What the heck, it’s extra mad
money. The problem is, sometimes it
hard to find time to do my own chores.
I still find time for the cocktail parties just about every night
though.
In October the Lucas Oil Drag Boats came to Lake
Havasu. What a kick that was. It was the same weekend as the Finals for
the World Jet Boat Completion. I
intended to spend half a day at the Drag boats then head on over to the other
side of the island for the Jet Skis but never made to the Jet Skis. I spent the whole day watching the 250+ MPH
Top Fuel drag boats along with about 15 other categories of boats race. I even had access to the pits and watched
them getting their boats ready for their runs.
It was interesting to talk with some of the crews and learn more about
the ins and outs of the sport. Friday
evening they all lined up on Main Street and at dusk they fires them up. Lots of noise and flames shooting from the
headers and the burning eyes from the nitro methane fuels.
October was also the month of the annual classic car
show. This is the largest collection of
classis cars and hot rods from all over the country and some from Canada. There were over 750 cars not including the
more than one hundred cars from our local car clubs. Some nice cars!
Oh I forgot to mention, one of the lots I cleaned up here is
owned by the father of Susan’s favorite NASCR drivers Jimmie Johnson’s jet pilot. He just came back from the race in Phoenix
and said he tried to get her Jimmie’s autograph but didn’t get the chance, as
if Susan doesn’t already have a few autographs.
Anyway, that’s the update for now. There has been a lot more going on here in Havasu and a lot more
coming. I will try to keep you posted.
