Back in Havasu

We arrived back in Havasu yesterday about 2:00p Arizona time.  Traffic along the drive was a bit heavy which can be expected since New Years is coming up.  The temperature here is about 10 degrees cooler than the California coast and today we have about 20 mph winds.  Fortunately the winds are supposed to die down tomorrow.

'It seems like, to me, a vagina - as a man - would be more desirable than a man’s anus.

I’m a Big Spender

For the last year Susan has wanted, well needed a new cell phone.  Finally I decided to start looking for a replacement for her antiquated communication device.  One problem is, since I don’t want to give up my Basic Phone Plan through Verizon (no need for a Data Plan) there is a Very limited selection of phones available.  I was in the local Best Buy store here near our daughters house and spotted a phone I though Susan would like.  As I always do I returned home and started my research on the Internet before making my purchase.  Well I found the same phone at Walmart Wireless for $0.01.  That’s right, 1 cent.  So I started the online order process only to realize if I ordered it now it would arrive at our place in Lake Havasu City before we arrived back.  Also the website said it would be activated when delivered.  Not wanting it to be delivered before we return and be activated leaving our present phone unless until we get back I decided to abort the order.  Not wanting to possibility miss the 1 cent deal I called the order number and asked about the activation process.  Well the girl (from India) said I could have it delivered after I return.  So I placed the order and asked to have it delivered after the first of the year.  The next day I checked the order status online and noticed it was shipped and will arrive Dec 20, which it did.  Good thing is it hasn’t been activated and our present phone has not been shut off.  The other thing that amazes me is they actually charged my credit card $0.01, yes that’s 1 cent.

Moved to California

We are now in California for Christmas.  We only took the car, which gets MUCH BETTER mileage than the motorhome.  I was pleasantly amazed that I got 30 MPG on this trip.  The last times I got around 28.  Guess the wind was blowing in the right direction. 

Anyway, we are now at our daughters house until the day after Christmas, then we will head on over to Susan’s parents house.  They are only 30 minutes away. 

We arrived Wednesday and today we got our grandson who will spend a few days with us.  Tomorrow we will pick up our granddaughter for the day.  We haven’t seen her for quite some time. 

I don’t plan on doing much here.  It’s just nice to get away from the resort for a while and it will be nice to see the family.

OK a new post

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.

Still no rain

Here we are in about the middle of August and still no rain in sight.  This is usually our monsoon season where we get winds, thunder, lightning, and rain.  None of that has happened.  The humidity has dropped and the temperatures have also dropped.  It is now below 110 but still over 100 everyday.  The nights have also dropped to the 80s.  Sometimes we can get by with only one air conditioner running.  The plants here in the resort are struggling.  Hopefully we will get some moisture before everyone starts coming back so the place will look nice again for everyone.

I just added some photos of our trip to the Sonoma NASCAR race this summer.  Click on the link in the left column to view.

Wet weather

No not rain, humidity.  We did get some rain Tuesday but not as much as we need.  What the rain did though is bring in the humidity.  It is now over 100 degrees and humid.  I like the heat but when I sit and do nothing and sweat, I’m not very happy.  With temperatures running over 110, some of the vegetation in the resort is struggling.  The ones that get afternoon shade are doing fine but you can really tell how the ones that get full sun are having a hard time.  This humidity will do the plants good though.