BONNIE'S OLD WEST MUSICAL REVUE

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BONNIE'SOLD WEST MUSICAL REVUE
Bonnie’s OLD WEST MUSICAL REVUEreaches back to the golden age of“Vaudeville” theater to bring you a showpacked with side-splitting humor andgood old-fashioned fun.
Bring your appetite!  A chuck wagondinner and full bar are availablethroughout the evening (sold separately).
Every Saturday and SundayMay 26 - Aug. 26Doors open at 6:15PMRagtime Sing-Along starts at 6:30PMMain Show stars shortly after
In the saloon at Bonnie Springs Ranch16395 Bonnie Springs RoadBlus Diamond, NV 89004
more information:http://oldwestmusical.com/BOWMR/Home.html

Las Vegas Little Theatre 3rd Annual VEGAS FRINGE FESTIVAL

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Las Vegas Little Theatrepresents
The 3rd AnnualVEGAS FRINGE FESTIVAL

The Las Vegas Little Theatreis thrilled to present the third annual“Vegas Fringe Festival,”to be held June 1 – 10, 2012.The two weekend Festival of Live Theatrewill feature an exciting buffet of new and established playsand performances of no more than 90 minutes each,performed multiple times throughout the festival.
Chaos Theatre presentsSOUL
Endless Productions presentsEXPANDING THE RELATIVE,PONDERING EINSTEIN
Las Vegas Little Theatre presentsTHE OPEN MEETING
Olde English Productions presentsIPHIGENIA IN OREM
Poor Richard's Players presentsDICK JOHNSON: PRIVATE EYE
Table 8 Productions presentsROLES FOR WOMEN
TstMrKt presentsASPHYXIATION/MASTURBATION
Fringe Shorts presentsKISSING HANK'S ASS & MARANATHA
Everyone Gets Cast presentsTHE FINALL FOUR
more information:http://LVLT.org/FRINGE2012HOME.htm

Arizona 2012 Tuesday (Jan 24)

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Tuesday January 24, 2012

About 8:30 this morning the guys showed up to wax the motor home. Better late than never--I guess! Larry talked to them and showed them the areas that were not clean from the wash yesterday. He told them he did not want the wax applied over the dirty areas. The guy assured Larry that they would clean the areas before waxing. They worked for about 2 hours and when they left the motor home looked very nice, so they did end up doing a good job, which meant--they also got paid. We considered sending them the wax group on their way and telling them the wash job was not acceptable.

I gathered laundry items to make my trip to the laundromat. The machines in the laundry take a money card rather than coins. I went to the clubhouse to buy a money card for laundry and found that the original card cost $5 then it has to be loaded with the amount needed for machines. What a rip this little scheme is! I saw a sign hanging near the money machine that the activity office sometimes has blank cards that can be used to load so I headed to office to talk to them. They did have a blank card so I was able to use their card rather than buying a card. I hope to have my washing machine running again soon so couldn't see the advantage of buying my own card. I also found it interesting that the card can only have money added in $5 increments. The washers are $1.50 and the dryers are $1.25 so there is no way to use the entire amount on the card --at least with the number of loads I had. Oh well, Another 'Senior Scam' I guess--it's only money which seems to fly out our door daily! 

The repairman is scheduled to come out tomorrow to work on my washing machine so hopefully he can locate the problem. My machine is less than 2 years old and of course, only used when we are in the RV. I assume there could be issues from just setting but I can't imagine it can be a big issue. I washed a couple of rugs when we first arrived and suspect lint or whatever has plugged the drain somewhere. I guess we'll know tomorrow.

The weather was nice today but the wind was horrible. It felt 20 degrees cooler than it actually was. The sun was shinning bright and it reached 75 but I felt cold all day due to the wind.
There was a group of guys grilling on the patio at the clubhouse. Larry asked what was going on and they told him every Tuesday they have a lunch for the residence at the club house. Today for $4 they had hamburgers, salad and a drink.

I had 4 loads of laundry so I had to load my card for $10. I decided to dry 3 of my loads at the laundromat to use the money. After I switched them over to the dryer, we decided to have lunch so we paid for our lunch and headed into the club house to eat.

We sat next to an older couple from Montana who were very nice. Her name was Ava. Of course I had to share with her that my grand dog's name was Ava and she had a good laugh about that. Her husband Don plays with the band from the park. The band was set up to entertain during lunch. Ava said her and Don had doctor appointments so he would not be playing with them today.

After we finished eating, I went to retrieve my laundry and Larry stayed at club house. When I returned, the band was playing. They were pretty good but felt I needed a stiff drink to enjoy their selection of music. I had a hard time setting with a straight face as the music was defiantly from my father's era and VERY country! Made me feel like I was setting in the audience at a HEE HAW taping. As I looked around the room, I realized that the majority of the residence were 20 years or more older than us. Matter of fact, the band announced that one of the couples were celebrating their 70 year wedding anniversary! WOW! Actually in my observance of the residence here, I find they are either quiet elderly or look too young to be a resident. In order to reside here one person has to be at least 55 years of age so I think there are several men here who have 'trophy' wife's as I've seen a number of very young looking women. Men and their TOYS-----need I say more!!!!!

We hauled our laundry home and I put everything away. We looked at the paper and Larry found two places advertising windshield sun screens. He had talked to our neighbor across the street and he told Larry the name of the place he bought his screens from.

We decided to go to Yuma to check on the prices from a couple of the places that had adds in the paper. On our way out, Cynthia next door was setting outside so we walked over to see her. She told us the company they bought their screens from and that she thought they were cheaper than the other company in the paper.

We found both companies and stopped in to get prices. One of the places are coming out to RV Park tomorrow to measure and give us an estimate. The other company said if we made an appointment and brought the motor home to them, they would make the shades and install in one day. The price was a lot cheaper from them if we chose to take the RV to them. They said they could come out, take the measurements and then come back to install. We talked about the inconvenience of taking the RV to them and decided it would probably be worth the extra money for them to come to us. The problem with taking the RV to them is you have no home for an entire day and of course, the cats must go with RV!! Oh the joys of owning 3 cats!!!

We drove over to the Yuma Mall and I returned the shirts I had bought in Las Cruces as they didn't fit. We decided since we had hamburgers for lunch we weren't up for anything big for dinner. We  decided to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad. Our dinner was excellent, as always at Olive Garden.

Arizona 2012 Wednesday (Jan 25)

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Wednesday January 25, 2012

Another beautiful morning in Yuma. A little cool early this morning with a moderate wind. If it were not for the wind, the temperature would be very nice. Seems we've had wind for the past several days, some much stronger than today.

I had a check to mail to CEFCU so I Walked up to the office to drop it in the mail. On my way home, Doris our neighbor behind us, was setting outside. I stopped to visit awhile and she said her and a few from the resort drove over to California yesterday to take the Farm Tour near El Centro. We have been wanting to take this tour mainly to find out what they are growing in all the fields around us. She said it was very nice and at the end of the tour they let them all pick some fresh vegetables. She asked if I would like a few of the items she brought home. I ended up with a head of cabbage, broccoli, red and white radishes and a head of cauliflower. The red radishes were huge about the size of a turnip.
We had a pretty long boring day today as we had to stick around the RV to wait for the repairman for the washer and for the guy to come measure for our sunscreens. The guy for the sunscreens called early and said he would be here between 11 and 1:00. He ended up coming around 11:30. He gave us a discounted price if we paid cash so I ran over to Chase Bank and drew out enough for the deposit before he left. We ordered the sunscreen for the windshield, the side window on drivers side, the door window and the window by the passenger side. We also decided to get the sunscreens for the RV tires. We have wheel covers, which we did not bring along but they are mainly for winter and a hassle to put on anyway. The sunscreens fit over the wheel wells and attach with turn screws so are very easy to put on and remove. He told us all of the screens would be done in about  2 1/2 weeks.
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We sat here all day waiting for the repairman for washer. By 2:00 We still had not received a phone call so I asked Larry to call and find out when they planned to show up. Surprise, surprise--Larry didn't remember who he had called. He said it was an advertisement in the local paper so he dug out the past 3 days of papers and looked thru all the adds but still could not find one that sounded like the place he'd called. This was not a shock to me as I figured he would not be able to come up with the name. We sat here until 4:30 and still no call and no one showed. We decided by this time no one was going to come. Larry got to thinking about scheduling the appointment, and said maybe they scheduled for next Wednesday rather than today. This just makes me crazy when he takes care of the details around here as he never seems to get a firm confirmation! We finally decided to run over to Walmart and when we returned at 5:30 there was a card hanging on the door of RV. I knew what it said before I ever read it. Yes, he was sorry he missed us and written on the card was a note saying he called our home number and it was not in service. Possibly because he failed to dial the area code which I remember Larry specifically telling the lady the area code when he scheduled. I was so mad I wanted to call immediately to unload on them. I really hope he does not plan to charge the $60 trip charge because I will come unglued on them. He had been here at 5:10 according to his card so I could have probably reached him but decided I better cool off before calling. I still have steam rolling from my ears after setting here the entire day waiting on him!

There is so much business to be had here for everyone that most of these business's could care less when they show. They make their money during the winter, I'm sure, because when the snowbirds go home it must be slim pickings for most of them. Yuma is not that large an area as far as their population so I'm sure once the winter is over,they probably are very slow on business.

We bought rope lights at Walmart for our palm tree but when Larry put them up, we defiantly do not have enough. They were so expensive, I'm not sure how many more I want to invest in. I figured we'd try one more strand and when we go to Mesa we can use them around the patio. Everyone in the park decorates their palm tree with lights and they look so festive at night. I would like to have 2 or 3 of my 20 plus strands of Christmas lights from home. Larry looked for the lights at Walmart tonight so I don't know if they had the regular Christmas lights, if so, I'm sure they would be cheaper.

   I think we need a FEW more lights!???!!

Larry went out to start the grill and two couples walked by and stopped to talk. I stepped outside to take the food out for the grill and they introduced themselves to me. One couple was from Idaho named Skip and Vicky. The other couple with them was Brian and Judy and they were from outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Both were fun to talk to and they both have been here since November. Brian told me his sister lives in Jacksonville, IL and works for one of the big chewing gum companies--I don't remember who. He and Judy are planning to visit her this summer. Both couples were retired but I thought Brian and Judy looked pretty young. I couldn't decide how old Skip is but might be close to my age.

We finally got our food on the grill and came in for dinner about 7:15. Neither of us had much to eat again today so I was starting to get the shakes from hunger. We had brats and hamburgers and they tasted good being cooked on grill.


Tomorrow I have my first dental appointment in Las Algodines. The appointment is scheduled for 11:30 which means in Mexican time, I might get in by 1:30 or 2:00. It's crazy how many people are there waiting for an appointment. I think they must schedule 5 people per hour and everyone just waits their turn. The first time I went to Dr. Castro I had the crazy thought that if I had an appointment, I should be seen within a reasonable time frame. This is not true in Mexico so if you want to see her, you show up and make sure you have a good book to read.

Arizona 2012 Saturday (Jan 28)

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Saturday January 28, 2012

The wind is horrible this morning. I listened to it blowing during the night and feels almost like a winter morning.

We decided to check out 'old town' located on main street in downtown Yuma. We first found the visitor's center which is near the river in the Quartermaster Depot State Park. When we found the park area they had a large Civil War Re-enactment going on. We looked around the visitor's center and picked up books and pamphlets with information on the Yuma area.

We drove back to main street, parked and walked through a few of the shops located along this area. None of the shops looked like they would be in business within the year. There was nothing unique about any of them and I wondered how they could possibly make enough to pay their rent. The wind is just horrible and it's hard to decide if a jacket is needed or not. When in the sun and out of the wind, it's quite warm but once the wind hits, it is very very cool. One of the shop owners said the foot traffic in 'old town' was down considerably because of the wind being so cold. I would hope that today's shoppers are not a normal day for these places.

 Inside Lutes Casino
We continued walking and found Lutes Casino. I have read a lot about this place which is basically a restaurant and bar. The history on Lutes states it was never a casino but rather a billiard and domino hall in 1901. It is a quirky place with lots of crazy antique items hanging from the ceiling and old posters on the wall. The front of the restaurant has bars on the windows and doors and a large window where they are preparing food on the grills. The history states  that the Lutes family obtained the building from the original owner due to a gambling debt owed to the family. With most things, I'm a little disappointed after all I've read about the place.
We found a table and ordered a pitcher of beer and looked at the menu. I read their hamburgers are the best but wasn't in the mood for another hamburger just yet. We decided to split a tri tip sandwich and an order of onion rings. We ordered the Philly style tri tip and it came on a hoagie bun with peppers, onions and cheese. When we were in Mesa last year we had a tri tip sandwich at one of the craft shows that was wonderful. Tri tips are a special cut of beef that is known for it's tender texture.  Arizona is the only place I have seen tri tip as an offering. Our food came and we were both a little disappointed in the sandwich. The meat was wonderfully tender but just no flavor to speak of. We doctored it with ketchup which helped considerably! The onion rings were very good and of course, the beer made it all go down smoothly. We ordered another small pitcher of beer and listened to the piano player who was quite entertaining. 
When we left 'old town', we drove over to Home Depot as Larry is still looking for a lightweight ladder for the RV. While there, I looked at the rope lights and found a 48 ft. length for $35, which was far cheaper than anyplace else we've looked, so decided to buy.
I looked up the address for Lowe's and we drove over to price their ladders. We found that Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's all carry basically the same ladder for various prices. Larry decided to look around a little more before buying.
We headed home with the idea we might give the cats a little time outside in their new pet cage. When we got back to the RV the winds were still bad and the temperature had cooled so decided the cats would not be so thrilled to be outside today.
I looked through the brochures we pick up at the visitor's center and found many interesting facts about the produce agriculture here in Yuma. I read that Yuma County has over 530 farms averaging 1,435 acres each. Some of the crops grown here include, lettuce, spinach, onions, apples, endive, figs, kale, squash, mustard greens, okra, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes. There are 13,000 acres of broccoli, 7,000 acres of Cauliflower, 10,500 acres of melons, including cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelons. The citrus farms are fewer than in years past because grower's found other countries can grow it cheaper. Lemons are the citrus most produced here with about 12,000 acres of groves. There are still a few orange and grapefruit groves in the area. Another crop that is produced in the Yuma area is something called Jojoba. According to the brochure, Jojoba is grown for the liquid wax contained in it's seeds. Jojoba is commonly added to soaps, shampoos and cosmetics. 
Yuma is also a large producer of Medjool Dates which is a $35 million dollar industry. Last week we stopped at the farmer's market located in the parking lot of the Yuma Mall. While shopping one of the vendor's offered us a Medjool Date which I found to be very good. I have never been a fan of dates but these were very tasty. There are several stores around Yuma, owned by the Bard Date Company, that offer stuffed dates, chocolate covered dates and the much advertised Date Shake. It was interesting to read about the intense care needed for the growth of these dates. Yuma is one of the only areas producing the Medjool Dates outside of the Middle East. It is basically a 12 month care program which includes, thinning of the trees, de-thorning and each fruit cluster must be draped with bags to prevent birds eating the fruit or the fruit falling to the ground. It takes 7 years for a tree to start producing fruit and a tree can live up to 60 years and beyond. The surprising thing I read was a date tree only thrives in low humidity and high heat but one tree can consume 100 gallons of water per day!
The Yuma area is also a producer of cotton, 40,000 acres of wheat and 35,000 acres of alfalfa. The wheat and alfalfa grown here feed  thousands of head of cattle, some locally owned and others by large corporations who own over 120,000 head of cattle. Sheep are also a local industry but the sheep are basically imported to the Yuma area from the northern states in late September, because of it's winter climate. The sheep are brought to the Yuma area to graze the fields, bear their lambs and put on weight, preparing them for market.
WOW--I had no idea Yuma had this multitude of industry! Of course it take hundreds of workers to maintain these business's. The climate here pretty much makes it possible for agriculture to be ongoing the entire year. I also read that the permanent population of Yuma is around 100,000 and temporary population counts of 30,000 military personnel and 90,000 snowbirds. The Foothills, which is where we are staying, has a permanent population of about 35,000. I also read that the agriculture workers number around 50,000. All in all, Yuma area is larger by population numbers than would be expected. Yuma has a small town feel; much different than the Mesa-Phoenix area.

The COMPOSERS' SHOWCASE (The Smith Center)

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The COMPOSERS' SHOWCASEis presented this eveningMay 16at 10:30PM(doors open at 9:30
Cabaret JazzThe Boman PavilionatThe Smith Center351 Symphony Park Ave.Las Vegas, NV 89106
featuring the songs of:Angela ChanKelly Clinton-HomesAmos GlickChristine HudmanE.J and Michael LackeyAaron MacKenzieMichael ManleyAaron RamseyKeith ThompsonMark Wherryand special guestClint Homes
more information:www.thecomposersshowcase.com

Arizona 2012 Thursday (Jan 26)

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Thursday January 26, 2012

I am scheduled for my first dental appointment in Las Algodones this morning. We took showers, left home at 8:30 and stopped down at Daybreak Cafe for breakfast. We finished eating and headed to Algodones around 9:30.

We stopped at the 'Q Casino', which is just before the Mexican boarder, to use an ATM Machine. Taylor called while we were there and I talked to her awhile before heading down to border. Kyle is in Florida for the buyer's mart where he purchases his merchandise for the Pro Shop each year. Taylor and Addison are picking up Morgan from school at 3:00 and heading for the airport for their Florida flight to meet Kyle. Taylor and Kyle have planned a surprise trip to Disney World for the girls. Taylor said Morgan kept asking her this morning why she was picking her up from school so early and wanted to know if they were going to the doctor. I'm sure they both will be very surprised to find out they are spending the next few days at Disney World!!

We parked walked across the border and went directly to Dr. Castro's office to check in. My appointment is not until 11:30 but from past experience we know that it's basically first come -- first served! The receptionist told us there were two people ahead of  me so come back in 1 1/2-2 hours, which is basically 11:30 or 12:00!

We walked over to the Purple Pharmacy to pick up medication, that my friend Cathy ask for, and cigarettes. When we left, we looked at the sidewalk vendor's merchandise and I picked up a few items  and then stopped at the stained glass shop. I talked to the guy who makes the stained glass and ordered a St Louis Cardinal and a Chicago Cub stained glass piece. He said he would have them ready in about two weeks.

I reported back to Dr. Castro's office and we went outside to sit in the courtyard to read until they called me in. I actually am seeing Dr. Juan today who works for Dr. Castro. I saw him last year and like him a lot as he speaks wonderful English. Next week we are both scheduled to see Dr. Castro on Thursday but I will probably continue with Dr. Juan since he will be setting up a treatment plan today.

We sat outside for only about 20 minutes before they called me in. Dr. Juan checked my teeth and took several xrays of the area where the bridge is to be replaced. After looking at xrays, he explained that I have a considerable amount of gum recession and bone loss in certain areas, so he gave me two options. He showed me the xrays and suggested that an implant might be a safer way to replace teeth. He said if I had a bridge attached to the two most posterior teeth, I could loose the entire bridge if the abutment teeth had to be extracted a few years from now.  My tooth in the front that had been part of bridge has been drilled down almost to the gum line so he suggested I see the endodontist to have it evaluated as to whether it could have a root canal and posts. He told me he would decide the best treatment plan based on whether this tooth could be saved.

So from past experience, I was sure I was destined for a very long day of dental work. Dr. Castro's office called Dr. Gaspar, the endodontist, and they told me to come in at 1:30.  Dr. Castro's office told me to be back to their office at 1:00. In Mexico someone walks you from one dental office to the other, so one of the office girls would take me over to Dr. Gaspar. Two years ago, Dr. Gaspar did a root canal and post on Larry and 3 root canals and 3 post on my teeth. Dr. Castro then replaced the lower right bridge after I completed the root canals. Dr. Gaspar is very competent and quite 'easy' on the eyes as well--at least MY eyes--I doubt Larry noticed!! Ha!
The old 'farts' at El Paraiso








We had more than an hour to kill so headed to El Paraiso's Bar and Restaurant. This is located in the plaza with outdoor tables and they always have a band playing. It is our favorite place in Los Algodones and they have margaritas to die for!! We both ordered a margarita and a plate of nachos. Decided we should eat something as the remainder of the day could get very busy with dental appointments. We followed our margarita's with a bottle(quart size) of Pacifica beer. The choices of beer were limited to Corona, which is like drinking water or Pacifica. The Pacifica is pretty strong but tasted soooo-- good since our normal beer choice these days is Michelob Ultra!!

We returned to Dr. Castro's office and Dr. Gaspar's office girl walked me across town to their office. When I arrived there were several people waiting. I assumed it would be some time before my name surfaced to the top. Two years ago when here, I became quite friendly with Vanessa, one of the office girls. She was pregnant and during my visits we talked a lot. She speaks such beautiful English it was hard to believe she is actually Hispanic. Vanessa remembered me but made the comment that I looked like I had lost a lot of weight since 2000, when I was last there. We discussed the South Beach Diet, which she was not familiar with. I would imagine living in Mexico, it is not so popular considering their high carb offerings.

I sat so long waiting that my beer was taking it's tole. I pulled the chair next to me away from the wall to rest my head on the back-- I think I actually caught a short catnap. I finally went out to the courtyard and decided I should send Larry a text message to let him know I was still waiting for appointment. He decided to wait for me at Dr. Castro's office so figured he was wondering what was going on. I went back into waiting room and after another 30 minutes was called into office.
I was placed with Dr. Hernandez, which I'm not sure of his position in this office. He was here two years ago but did not work on me. I have the feeling he is on an ' OJT'  position or he just has not practiced long enough to be out on his own. Hmmmm- not sure I'm happy with this but as he proceeded, I felt confident he knew what he was doing. He consulted many times with Dr. Gaspar about my progress. Vanessa was his assistant and she explained what was going on since Dr. Hernandez does not speak the best of English. She showed me the xrays and said I had one root that was calcified and the doctor was having a hard time getting into the canal. After an hour of having my entire upper extremities malled by Dr. Hernandez, Vanessa told me to go back into waiting room until Dr. Gaspar could see me. Vanessa called Dr. Castro's office to let them know my progress and they said they would bring Larry over to wait with me.

Another 30 minutes passed before I was called back into see Dr. Gaspar. He again explained that my tooth was giving them some issues trying to break through the calcium to get into the canal. He said I still might end up having it extracted. He worked on tooth for another 45 minutes and finally got into the canal to clean and medicate. Dr. Gaspar sealed the tooth and told me I would need to return next week to have posts set. I think the reason for waiting out the week is to find out if the tooth is going to respond to treatment or if in the end will be extracted. Vanessa called Dr. Castro and coordinated my appoint times between their office and Dr. Gaspar's. I will see Dr. Gaspar at 8:15am and Dr. Castro(or Dr. Juan) at 11:00 next Thursday. Larry has an 8:30am appointment with Dr. Castro on Thursday as well. Sounds like another full day in Mexico next week.


Electrical Pole in Las Algodones. A favorite term of our daughter, Leslie, comes to mind when looking at this------
'Hot MESS'!!




By the time I was finished with Dr. Gaspar and picked up his prescribed medication from pharmacy, it was around 5:00. WOW, what a full day and when we looked at the line waiting to cross the border we assumed it would be at least another hour or more to get out of here. We checked out the bicycle transport and the line was pretty long there as well. Oh well, figured we could enjoy drinking beer over standing in this massive line waiting. We headed back to the plaza and ordered another Pacifica and relaxed while the band played. There were still a large number of people in the plaza for this hour of the day. We have never been here past 4:00pm so we asked our waiter how late the border was open. He assured us they would be open until 11:00pm, Arizona time. We finished our beer and ordered another. Hope we don't end up spending the night here behind bars for being intoxicated! My mouth was so swollen from the anesthetic, I could hardly drink out of my glass. By the time we left my head was pounding. I wasn't sure if it was from the beer or being malled all day from dentist.

We walked back to border line. Still a couple hundred people in line so we walked over to bicycle taxi line. This year they have added two new taxi's to the mix. The two new taxi's are two man taxi's verses the 6 man original. The small taxi's were powered by women, one in her 50's, the other early 20's.

When our turn came up we rode the the small taxi driven by Ruby who was 24 years old and told us her father-in-law owned the service and her husband and mother-in-law was driving the other 2 taxi's. She was such a beautiful young lady and spoke flawless English. She shared that she was born in Mexico but had lived in San Diego since she was 1 year old. She and her husband bantered back and forth, teasing each other about who was going to reach the border first. She told us they have an 18 month old daughter and they live near Yuma from January through April to help run the taxi's. It cost $5 per person to ride the taxi so I can imagine the profits are quite good. I'm also sure that the border receives a portion of these profits as the taxi's are allowed to go ahead of the cars and waiting line of people. We were delivered to the entrance of  the parking lot and our entire wait was less than 30 minutes verses probably another two hours in the normal walk-thru line. Ruby said today was the busiest day of the year so far which I believed judging from how many had already cleared customs before us.

The weather today was absolutely beautiful and it was still 73 degrees by the time we got home at 7:00pm. There was no wind, for a change, and the sun was shinning bright all day. The temperature was so perfect in Las Algodones that I could have sat in the sun all day.

Arizona 2012 Friday (Jan 27)

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Friday January 27, 2012

When I got up this morning I was a little surprised at how sore my mouth was from my dental procedure yesterday. Dr. Gaspar gave me a prescription for antibiotic and pain but I have not yet had any pain from the tooth. I am hoping it will settle down and by next week and I can proceed with my treatment plan.

Larry and I walked this morning and went back to the far end of the park. I had not been back to this area yet so I had no idea the park was this large. There are a majority of the spaces filled by park models and a big majority owned by Canadians. This is not surprising as I think at least half of the snowbirds in Arizona are from Canada.

When we got home, Larry called another RV Repair to make an appointment to have the washing machine looked at. This guy is somewhat cheaper on his service call than the one we scheduled earlier this week. I was mad enough about the missed call on the other place that we decided to not call them back.  The place we called said they would be here Monday afternoon. Hope I can hold off on laundry until then. Of course, I am assuming the repairman will be able to fix the washer on Monday, if not, I'm back to the laundromat I guess!
I got dressed and was setting on the patio with Raven and Tucker on the leashes. Our neighbors across the street came over to see the cats and introduced themselves. Their names are Sharon and Cecil and they are Canadian, which was not surprising. They both were very nice people and we talked for quite a while. They are in a 5th wheel and plan on being here until the end of April.
We drove to the 3rd flea market in Yuma. It is an outdoor market located on 32nd street just west of Walmart. We walked through the isles and found this market to be much superior to the one we went to in Yuma last week. Larry bought sandals and various items for repair around the motor home. I bought a couple of new beads for my Pandora bracelet and a sweatshirt. I love browsing through all of the shops as they carry so many unusual items that are not normally found anyplace else. The prices vary but most times they are reasonably priced.
We found a vendor selling pet items and looked at a collapsible pen that we thought the cats would enjoy for outside. It is a waterproof fabric with mesh all around the outside and the top. They really hate being on the leashes when we put them outside. It amazes me the attention the snowbirds give to their animals. Everywhere we go we see dogs in strollers with their cute little apparel. When we walked into the food court area later, a lady had a small dog in her dog stroller wearing a sweater anda pair of matching sunglasses. The sunglasses were like goggles and strapped around the dog's head. I told Larry I could see Ava in a pair of these as Leslie has bought her a coat and doggy boots for the snow. The snowbirds replace their empty nest with their animals and go nowhere without their dogs. The pet shop had tons of dog strollers which look like a baby stroller with mesh that zips around the seat area for the dog. We stood in the pet shop and debated on buying the pen but decided to think it over for awhile.
About 1:00 we bought a corn dog and soda for lunch and sat outside for awhile and ate. Nothing sold in a fast food area is healthy so decided to just go with whatever sounded good. We have tried to limit our unhealthy choices but some days there are few healthy choices.  Yesterday took it's tole as this morning when we weighed we had both gained a few pounds. I'm sure our beer extravaganza yesterday was to blame.
We walked through most of the vendors and found a few items that we liked but decided we'd think them over before buying. We really don't need a lot but there are so many unique items at the flea markets as they cater to the RV community.
We went back to the pet shop and the lady told us if we bought the pen we were looking at, that we could return it if it didn't work out. We decided to buy it and give it a try. It is such a nice pen and collapses down into a flat carrying bag.
We stopped at Walmart on the way home. Larry wanted to look at ladders and I was going to buy more rope lights for our palm tree. We saw rope lights at the flea market that were cheaper so I decided to return the set we bought at Walmart and maybe look at them again  at the market later this weekend.
The new Pet Pen--'Castle of the Kings'!!!
When we came home we set  the pet pen up on the patio. I put all of the cats inside and Raven started with his angry attitude. He was so nasty that the other two cats were huddled down in the far corner as far away from him as possible. We thought we were going to have to throw him back in RV if his attitude did not change . He finally settled down and the other two were not exactly happy but I think they all will eventually decide they like it. We will try them in it again tomorrow when the weather is warmer.


Tonight the wind has kicked up again and it feels pretty cool. Larry said a lot of the neighbors were outside earlier taking pictures of the sunset. I did not see it but Larry said it was very red and quite beautiful. Wonder if this indicates a change in the weather??

Arizona 2012 Sunday(Jan 29)

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Sunday January 29, 2012

We decided to take a trip to San Luis, AZ today. I keep seeing signs for this area but have no idea what it is like. I read that Somerton, AZ is only about 12 miles outside of Yuma and San Luis is another 12 miles beyond Somerton. San Luis is a border town and doesn't appear to be very large but thought it might be interesting.
We stopped by our local Daybreak Cafe but there was quite a wait for breakfast so decided to go on to Yuma to eat. We drove by a small 50's diner that I saw an advertisement for in the local paper. It didn't appear to be too busy so we decided to go in and give it a try.  It was a pretty small place and there were 3 or 4 couples waiting for a table so we opted to eat at the bar area. We waited awhile for our food but basically it tasted pretty good.




Border Fence from Somerton to San Luiz, AZ


We got on RT. 95 from Yuma, headed South to San Luis. We drove through many vegetable fields on our route. We started noticing a 'border' fence running not far from the highway. The area of the fence visible from the road was probably 20 miles long and ran all the way into San Luis. When we drove into the edge of town, the first thing we saw was what else but a Walmart! We drove on into town and it started feeling more like a Mexico town as it was so dirty and poor looking.
 We drove down the main street and had to promptly turn onto a side street to keep from going across the border. We pulled around to a McDonald's and ordered a soda and I asked the cashier about going across the border to San Luis, Mexico. I asked her if there was any shopping there and if it was safe to go across the border. Of course she and everyone else in town was Hispanic and when I asked these questions she gave me a strange smile and answered yes to all my questions. Later she told me that the shopping was about the same as in San Luis, AZ. This promptly changed our minds about going into Mexico because when looking along the street here, the stores were very 'seedy' looking. We pulled the car into a parking space along the street and walked about a block on both sides of the street. The stores we went into made the 'dollar' store look like a Macy's!@!! I cannot believe anyone would have a need for this junk, which as I looked at the prices and they were very expensive. I can understand how Walmart can exist in this poor area as they must be the only place in the town to buy decent merchandise. Well, needless to say our trip in and out of San Luis took less than 45 minutes! Wow, I'm so glad we came!
 Imperial Sand Dunes
We made a quick trip back to Yuma and decided to take a drive toward California since it was still very early in the day. We headed toward El Centro, CA which we noted by the road signs was only 45 miles from Yuma. El Centro is where we want to take the 'Farm Tour' as soon as we can find a day to do so. We drove out of Yuma about 15 miles and starting seeing huge sand dunes with lots of RV's and 4 Wheelers. We stopped at a rest stop located in the Imperial Sand Dunes. Part of the dunes are obviously in Mexico as the 'border' fence was visible from the roadway in many areas running along RT 8. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to run the dune buggy's over these massive mounds of sand.
After we ran out of the dune area we again started seeing huge vegetable fields. It is impossible to figure out what is growing in these fields looking at them from the highway. Some looked to be broccoli or cabbage and a lot of the fields looked like they had been harvested recently. I'm curious if the broccoli reproduces after being harvested as the plant itself was left in the field. If it has only one harvest, I would believe they would plow and replant the field immediately. Maybe when we take our farm tour we will learn a bit more about the growing process.
We exited RT 8 into El Centro. The town was medium size and appeared to be very clean. We decided to have a burger at the In-and-Out as it had been several hours since breakfast. We got our food and sat outside at the tables to eat. The day is very sunny and the temperature shows 77 degrees but we were cold setting outside. Larry had on shorts and I had on capri's with a sweatshirt but With the lack of humidity, the weather always seems cool. 
As we left the restaurant, the RV's starting arriving back in town from the dunes. We drove through the rest of the main street and wound our way back to RT 8 headed back to Yuma. There were lots of business's along the main street in town and a large mall on the west side of El Centro that appeared to be pretty new.It seemed our trip back to Yuma went much faster than the drive over as it usually goes, I guess.
We came home and let the cats outside for awhile. None of them seem to enjoy this for some reason. In years past, they were constantly wanting to be outside. Raven seems to be more in tune with being out than Tucker or Charlie. Actually, Charlie seems to be aging very fast since leaving home and feels like he's skin and bones. I'm wondering if he will live long enough to make it back to Illinois.
Lights on our Palm at RV SiteWe sat outside and drank a beer and put our new lights on our palm tree. By the time I wrapped the lights around the tree my hands were bleeding! The trunk of the tree, where they have trimmed the palms, are like a knife and both Larry and I have snagged our arms and hands several times while walking by it. The sun was going down and the temperature was starting to cool so we packed up and moved inside for the evening. It amazes me that we are this far south and the days are so cool feeling. There is only about two hours out of the day that feels really comfortable without a jacket but I still prefer this in January over the weather in Illinois.

Arizona (Monday Jan 30 2012)

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Monday January 30, 2012

I worked on posting my blog when I got up this morning. The Internet service was so slow last night that I gave up. It was much better response this morning.

Received a call from Bob, the washer repairman, about 9:00am and said he planned on being here about 10:30. I worked around the RV doing some cleaning and walked up to office to check our mail. Nothing in the mail today. Leslie sent mail and Larry's prescription drugs out on Saturday so should receive maybe tomorrow.

Bob showed up right on time and started working on washer. He ended up having to remove front panel to get to one of the main drains from the washer. When he removed the hose he found Larry's comb and a dryer sheet plugging it. He cleaned out some pretty nasty gunk, which I think was from the rugs I washed when we first arrived here. I have never washed rugs in my washer before. I had the feeling that I should not have washed them in my washer and started having problems with washer shortly afterwards. He worked on the washer for more than an hour and when he left his bill was $100. I guess I could have bought several new rugs for this price. The repair seemed quite reasonable considering the guy that was to come last week charged $60 just for a 'trip' charge. Bob has a repair service in Idaho and lives in Yuma for the winter. When he is here he runs his  repair business here as well. He was such a nice guy that I was happy we called him.

When I was setting outside this morning, Don the guy next door was out and we talked for awhile. They have a tiny dog named Missy. He brought her over to see Raven, which was not a big hit. Of all the cat's, Raven is not the ' PR'  man of the group. Yuma is Don and Cynthia's permanent residence but are from Indiana originally. They work as security for the park part time. Cynthia was the one that helped us get settled on our site the day we arrived. They are both very nice people. We are very lucky to have such great neighbors all around us. Everyone is very friendly and very helpful with whatever is needed.

We called the University of California to make a reservation for the Farm Tour and we are scheduled for Wednesday. They told us that Thursday would be a better day as they have fewer people but we both have dental appointments on Thursday. After we talked about it, we decided to call back tomorrow morning to find out if Friday might be a better day to go than Wednesday.

After the repair call, we went to the post office to get a box to mail my friend Cathy's medications, that I picked up in Mexico last week. From there we were going to take the car through the quick wash but there were 6 cars waiting in line. We drove on down to Walmart to return rope lights we bought last week and pick up a few groceries.

Leslie called when we got home and said she took Ava to Bass Pro after work. I did not know that they allow people to bring their dogs into Bass Pro when shopping. When they walked in, the guy at the door asked if Ava could have dog treats and he gave her 3 handful's of treats. When it came time to leave, Ava refused to walk out the door so Leslie picked her up and carried her to the car. Ava is almost as big as Leslie so she is not easy to pack around. To say Ava is spoiled would put it mildly! Pete is much stricter with Ava's training than Leslie. When Pete is traveling for work, Ava gets very spoiled by Leslie while he's gone.

Sent Taylor a text message to find out if they got home from Florida today. They have been at Disney World since Thursday and I have received several pictures from Taylor of the girls while there. I am missing them terribly already!!! Taylor sent me back a message that they did get home without a problem so I was relieved they were home safe.

Sat outside and drank a couple of beer. The weather today was absolutely the best. The first day since we've been here that it got almost hot and there was no wind so was beautiful setting outside. Raven thought it was wonderful being outside today as well. I had him out 3 times--2 times on the leash and once  in the pet cage. Tucker refuses to be put in the cage and he doesn't really enjoy being outside at all for some reason. Poor Charlie hardly has the energy to get off the bed during the day. I feel so bad for Charlie and am afraid we may have to have him put down. He is so thin it is like picking up a feather. I'm beginning to seriously worry about him.

Larry put brats on the grill and I cooked onions and peppers in a small amount of the garlic olive oil that we bought in Las Cruces. I steamed the cauliflower and broccoli that Doris gave us last week. Dinner was either very good or I was very hungry! I was so stuffed  and was very uncomfortable for most of the evening. We went back outside and drank our coffee and sat out on the patio until after 7:00 without a jacket. This is the first time it has been warm enough to be out after dark without a jacket since we arrived in Yuma. If we continue with the warm days, I will be spending my afternoons lounging at the pool soon.

We talked about going to the Date Farm tomorrow. I looked on the Internet to find out where it is located. I don't remember where the brochure said it was but I don't think it is very far from Yuma. When I looked up information on the Date Farm, I found there are several around this area and a few in Southern California. The Bard Date Farm is located in Bard, AZ which appears to be just outside of Winterhaven, CA. We were in Winterhaven last week and it is only about 8 miles out of Yuma. On the website however, it sounded like  they only give tours to groups. I may call before we go over to find out what's available. I would love to see the farm as it sounds like it is a very interesting process.

GOLDA'S BALCONY (The Smith Center)

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The Jewish Federation of Las Vegasand theJewish Repertory Theatre of Nevadapresents
GOLDA'SBALCONY
By William Gibsonstaring Tovah Feldshuh
A riveting portrait of one of the great women of our time,Golda Meir.An award-winning smash that, in 15 sold-out months on Broadway,set the record for the longest one-woman show in Broadway history.From the pogroms of Russia to the halls of the Knesset,the story of Golda Meir is the story of the state of Israel in the 20th century.Starring four-time Tony® and two-time Emmy® Award nominatedTOVAH FELDSHUH,this one-woman tour de force promises to be a thrilling,deeply moving and unforgettable night of theatre.
April 1 • 5PM
The SMITH CENTERReynolds Hall
more information:http://www.thesmithcenter.com/events/golda’s-balcony/

The COMPOSERS' SHOWCASE (The Smith Center)

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The COMPOSERS' SHOWCASEis presented this eveningMay 16at 10:30PM(doors open at 9:30
Cabaret JazzThe Boman PavilionatThe Smith Center351 Symphony Park Ave.Las Vegas, NV 89106
featuring the songs of:Angela ChanKelly Clinton-HomesAmos GlickChristine HudmanE.J and Michael LackeyAaron MacKenzieMichael ManleyAaron RamseyKeith ThompsonMark Wherryand special guestClint Homes
more information:www.thecomposersshowcase.com

ON WITH THE SHOW (NCT Benefit)

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Nevada Conservatory Theatrepresents
ON WITH THE SHOW
a benefit event for the Nevada Conservatory Theatreis set to feature Clint Holmes, Graham Fenton, Kristen Hertzenbergand cast members from NCT's"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To The Forum"
Monday, May 217PM
the Artemus W. Ham Concert HallUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas campus4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Supporters can mingle with cabaret starsduring a pre-show cocktail receptionand take part in a silent auction.
Tickets are $50.Call 895-2787more information:http://nct.unlv.edu/event/nct-benefit-show?delta=0

MARY POPPINS (The Smith Center)

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The Smith Centerpresents
MARY POPPINS
book by Julian Fellowesmusic by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman and George Stileslyrics by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman and Anthony Drewebased on the Mary Poppins book series by P.L. Traversand the 1964 Walt Disney Film
Mary Poppins is bringing its own brand of Broadway magicto theaters across the country,which has Variety raving,“This is the rare touring production that over-delivers on every level!”Featuring the irresistible story and unforgettable songsfrom one of the most popular Disney films of all time,plus brand-new breathtaking dance numbersand spectacular stage-craft,Mary Poppins is everything you could ever want in a hit Broadway show!So get swept up in the fun of this high-flying musicalthe New York Post gives 4 out of 4 stars and calls it,“a perfect piece of musical theater.”
May 22 - 27Reynolds HallThe Smith CenterMore information:http://www.thesmithcenter.com/events/mary-poppins/