Going on a Sunday's drive, we've all done this.

Sunday Polly and I decided let's go for a drive to Welton, a small town east of Yuma. We didn't get far and I realized the AC wasn't working again. 🥵 I said to Polly maybe not go, no she said, be ok. So off we went anyway, was a good drive about, likely will not go back. The smell of cow manure, and urine was heavy here, not what's desired if we stay somewhere. 

On the south side of the highway is real estate development, nice homes with a golf course in the middle and a huge clubhouse. Nice looking, but not for us. 

On the other side was many RV parks, some were nice, but the still the smell, and the lack of amenities in the town would definitely stop us from staying here. Maybe we have been spoiled, but this place was in the middle of nowhere, 20-25 minutes away from the foothills, and further to go to get into the center of Yuma this was not what we want. 

     10 or more workers with some shade 🥵

By now we had a very warm truck, and were ready to leave, on our way out I stopped to watch the farmers picking lettuce, WOW Sunday and working like dogs when the truck moves ahead in the rows. I sure will look at lettuce differently now. 

I remember when Ceaser Chavez was championing the farmworkers union in California, but I'm not sure that unions came to Arizona. Polly and I watched for awhile, is a very labour intensive job, bending over to the ground over and over, kinda like what I did when planting trees. Just much less forward movement. And in a row with production quota's I'm thinking. I'm sure glad I didn't have to do this, in the 90-120°F+ or 30-40°C I really can't imagine. 

On this same day I saw a guy on the golf course at 10am was 85° with his jacket on 😳. The extreme heat is not what I'm used to, that I understand clearly now. 

Onward to today's job at hand, toilet rebuild, Polly going to get her toes done today, so I have all the parts now, and will start after she leaves. I go for a walk about, as she's getting ready to go, come back after 9am, Polly is still home, appointment was cancelled. Oh well, I'ma still going to do the toilet, I get it off, then for the socket and rachet, LoL 😆 I have the truck in for AC repair again,

     FTS Auto & Diesel repair very clean shop

and just this year I decided to transfer all my tools to the truck, just in case I broke down when not with the trailer! LoL, well I did get the toilet apart, the slow crecent wrench 🔧 way, cleaned up and back together. Now for a shower and a swim. Cool this body down now. 

Life is interesting, even more when it's 🥵 hot

Love our life 

Sunday morning mews not News!

Yesterday our neighbors from Quebec pulled out, they travel in a truck with a camper. We talked when they first pulled up the guy and I, he spoke English much better than I speak French. He said they had started traveling from Quebec February 12th, they had been south, and came from Las Vegas to here, next San Diego. I asked, do you have a place to stay in San Diego? No, we just Wing it. 

I'm guessing with a smaller unit they can easily wing it, as could park almost anywhere. Not us, we need more room, although we do wing it sometimes, but wouldn't going to San Diego. 

I watched as they packed up, was a bit more that I would want, as while here they took the camper off the truck, they had bikes, but needed the truck to move around town. Loading the camper again was very interesting to me, as when I load it seems to me usually faster. He had to get on his knees under the back of the camper with a crescent wrench 🔧, something needed to be tightened, I didn't ask, I try to stay away when others are busy getting ready to go. 

Backing the truck up under the camper was a 3 try to make it, and very slow. I'm thinking never will I have this kind of camper. I really like how our trailer hooks up, maybe just used to it, but is way easier than what I saw them doing. Polly said, "I like our home better" of course we have a huge amount of room compared to the camper. Hmm "compared" that's the key here, if I was in a huge house looking at us, I might be thinking different. But we are not, we are here in our big for us trailer looking at the camper. 

Soon after I took this shot, Polly got up, she and I talked about the camper, our trailer and how much we loved our trailer as has luxury of bigger space to move in. 

The night before we were dancing in our trailer, Polly had the YouTube videos playing music 🎶🎼, and the two of us were dancing to our wedding song, was nice but we also sad feeling, so was much different day and night. Maybe a hurdle we had to get over, I don't know, but looking out at that camper made both of us know we had the perfect home for us as we move about the country. 

We spent the day yesterday moving slowly, watched too many movies, talking with friends and family, and just hiding from the heat, was a very hot day! Today is the same forecast, no complaints, the pools still Cool 😎. 

Today's plans are a drive about, then lunch out, and home. Our parcels that I ordered didn't show yesterday as Amazon led us to believe they would 😆, and Sunday so likely not today either. I'm not in a hurry to do a toilet rebuild anyway. 

So goes our day, always one day closer to our move north to home on the island 👍

Happy to have the room to move about, even dance if we choose! I imagine a party 🥳🎉🎉 or two when we return home. Looking forward to seeing and being with our family & friends 🤗❤️

Love this life of choice 😍

if you do what you love!

Watching queen with Polly tonight and it really struck me, if you are truly doing as you are into, what turns you on, you will be great. Freddie Mercury was just fantastic, live aid. Told to sing 2 songs, but he didn't listen to that

He did what the audience wanted. Unbelievable, I say now, what a performance. We are the Champions! Fantastic 😍

I thank you all! He says

Amazing, knowing what we do now. He had aids, and was headed to the grave and he knew it, what a great performance! 

I knew a friend who was always saying AAAyyyooo, AAAyyyOOO. 

I never knew, till now what he was repeating. What he was saying?

He's gone now, so is Freddy. I miss him, as we all do, but my friend John Bethel, I miss him too. Some thought he was a "wast of skin" I once heard someone say, but I knew he wasn't, he was not a amazing person, as so many judge, but to me he was a courageous person, always a great friend, always hooked on booze. 

He was imperfect, and so am I. Just a real good friend, and a very hard worker, never need to ask for a hand with John around, he was always there to help. I worked with him, and we never needed to ask, we knew what the other needed. 

John read many books, he was way more educated than I in many ways, but give him a map &  he was screwed, always I heard, "Brent, where are we going? Look at this!" That was what he was good at, saying, 

I need help! 

So as I go forward I keep thinking, what am I good at? Writing is something I like, and meeting people, directions, driving, listening, learning, always learning. I'm a good friend, as was John, so "waste of skin", that's not really true. Everybody has something to contribute! At least that's what I think. 

Today was a very hard day, much hurt, much pain, and just couldn't stop the waves of remembrance. So much happened this last while, hard to not feel the pain. A friend said "welcome to the club nobody wants to be in" I'll Never forget this. Today I'm going forward!

I'm doing good now, after drinking a bit too much booze today, we have been doing good, but today was just a dam shitty day for me, Polly supported me, just great 👍. 

We swam in the pool,  watched videos tonight on YouTube, that got me away from feeling sad, thanks to Polly. I'm only able to write as the pain is gone for now. 

What to say, but friends are always with you, and life goes on. Every day another adventure!

What's next? Home, and friends and family 🤗❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 

When the weather is good 😊🌞🌞🌞

Travel, does it matter what we do in our old age

       Our short visit with Linda in San Diego

I started writing this Blog over a month ago, finished this morning 😀 

Polly and I have been traveling for the last six years, into our seventh now I'm wondering does it matter what we do in our old age? Soon our lives will end, soon being the unknown entity. While we are still alive does what we do matter? Well so far it has been fun seeing and doing all we have, but the question I ask now is does it matter what we do? 

Maybe not to many, but to us yes, to our family and friends, yes, to some degree, as they all have lives beyond us and are busy with their lives. So really it just matters most to us, what we want to do with the last of our lives. 

Let's turn here, 😃 let's go there, 😀 how about this, wanna do this? Let's see that. I was thinking 😆 What about? Would you like to? 

We have often keep our options open, so if we want we can change plans, stop, turn, alter our plan. This has worked well for a long time now, I think it will continue. 

This year, well more than a year since we started this journey, we started this leg of our journey on December 31st 2021 as we drove to the ferry in Victoria, on our way to Port Angeles. New year's eve on the ferry dock in Victoria, fireworks we were too tired to look out the window at, sleeping, ready to leave Canada again, as Covid travel restriction was over, and we were ready for some warm weather. 

That's 1 year 2 months ago, and I'm starting to be ready to spend some time at home. Vancouver island, Port Alberni, at Arrowvale campground is home feeling now. Actually most anywhere on Vancouver island feels home, friends and family all over the island ☺️

We will be in Shreveport Louisiana tonight, visit friends we met on our first trip all around Canada and USA. Will be interesting as we only briefly met, exchanged FB, and off we went. Since we have followed each other on FB, watching as we have changed in our lives. 

 Winston & Donna after our visit in Shreveport 

After Shreveport, then Port Arthur, Texas for sure, we have a friend there, and have not visited for awhile. 

  Our visit with Lee Ann & Hanna was great 👍

Next? I'm still not sure, maybe south, maybe west. Will see when the time comes. 

On our way to Fort Worth we stopped for a visit with Terry & Jan, who were making their way across the country towards New Orleans & Memphis another meeting that FB helped us make. 

So does it matter? Does it matter which way we go? We are the ones that make the decision and so far, been staying south, keep where it's warm. New Mexico, Tucson, now Yuma. So many places & friends to see on our way across the States. 

It matters to us where we go, who we visit, what we learn, and how warm 🌡️we want it.

South we will stay till May, then home we'll go home. 

Look who came to visit, our friends we met in Indio, who now winter in north of Phoenix, in Sun City. What a fun visit we had, with plans now to meet in Laughlin, just what I've been saying here, leave our options open to change.

Change is always in the plans, our ability to make those changes work for us is what we like, every day we are able to choose a different direction, depending on what comes our way. Isn't life Grand. 

Yuma is a good base for us, I'm sure we'll be back, friends here are forever friends we know this, as when you come back it's just like coming home again. 

Birds are up, sun be up soon too, I'm thinking hot tubs calling 😄  Polly just got up too ♥️🤗

Yes life is Grand! 🤗♥️

6 months today that our son, fiance, brother, uncle, cousin, friend was hit by another person with a car.

No pictures here today, I do have some of Chris in hospital, I was deleting some photos yesterday and came upon them, I looked, and will likely not look again for a long time. 

Not something I wanted to see, but once I was at the photos I looked through. The last memories of Chris were in the hospital, but I choose to remember the last as when we visited in the spring/summer earlier last year. I visited with Chris Ciara & Colton Chase too a few times. The time I love to remember is when I came over early in the morning and sat with him and drank coffee ☕☕ and watched as he would feed, change and care for Colton. 

This is the times I remember best, this is what I'll hold onto as my thoughts of Chris. 

Our lawyer is slowly making progress towards a civil suit, Never fast enough for me, but moving forward. The Police are a no show, not a message from them. I don't expect to ever hear a word from them, unless I do something to get them to lift the rock they have over the investigation. 

Today I write to keep Chris's memory in the forefront. People that knew him remember, just a jog in our memories to say it was 6 months ago today we got the most devastating call from Ciara. 

To this day we talk in some way most every day, being in contact with Ciara and Colton is great!  We Polly and I really enjoy watching his growth daily, Polly says he reminds here of Chris, I see him as Colton, but his demanding attitude is like Chris, yet even more 😀

Today is just another day, yet I find myself tracking the days, and months. 

6 months, no charges, but Chris is not forgotten.

❤️🤗💔

Liking the feeling of no pressure to do something.

This morning we have no plans. As I sit looking at our shadows with the sun at our back's I'm thinking how fortunate we are to have this time to just relax and do as we feel.

Yesterday Polly was busy cleaning out the fridge, a job she had put off awhile. I went to the hot tub for awhile, on the way home passed by the people playing pool in the clubhouse. I said be back in awhile as I went home, hung up my wet stuff, and let Polly know what is was up to. 

Pool was always an interesting game for me, as I age and my eyes 👀 get less clear pool gets even more interesting. I'm really not too competitive, if I can I try, but in a game I can loose with no problem. I'm just not that driven to win, and this group of people at the pool table are right up my alley. We joke, laugh, and play the game for fun. I didn't stay for the second game yesterday, as was prepared to go to poker at Fortuna de Oro with friends there. 

Polly got involved in poker after our second year here in Yuma, as she always loved to play, just was a little hesitant to join in. Now though she very much enjoys the group of people that collect for games here. You get to know each other, and the play is always fun. This is our #1 pass time here in Yuma. During the winter there is always a game to play at, Sharon & Jim were key in showing us the many games we could play at in many RV parks. So far we have limited it to Fortuna this time. 

Knock knock on the door, and the guys from Aztec, a company the works for Spectrum, the internet provider here, is at the door. "I'm here to burry the cable" says the guy as I answer the door. We were told by the company Monday, but I'm sure the guys want to keep the weekend free, Sunday & Monday are holidays, and listening to the talk outside Im thinking these two are Mexican people, and Easter is a big deal in their religion. 

We on the other hand, at least me, not to big a deal. I remember the days when our children were young, the egg's, and the Candy, basket's and all the fluffy stuff that made the Day. We would do up eggs with different coloured dye, and clear wax crayon's 🖍️. Was so much fun, happy to have the memories, not likely to repeat this, but great to have done it. 

This year our Easter will be a drive to San Diego early Sunday Morning and a visit with a very good friend from Ontario, Linda & hopefully her Mom. I have had San Diego in my mind for awhile, wanting to just have a look around the old downtown area. Made the plan yesterday with Linda, I booked a airb&b for Polly and I, just don't want to drive back the same day. We won't be able to see too much, but be a time to have a look around, and get wet at the Beach. 

Be nice to see Linda again, and hopefully her Mom. This will be our Easter 🐇🐣, no children, no jumping up and down, no screams of excitement as they run looking for eggs, Jezz, that sure was fun 😊. Dinner out, and a walk on the beach with friends, that's this year's Easter. Will be relaxed and fun. The drive there I hope to leave early enough to get to San Diego before traffic builds. 

So this is a different day, the Guy comes to the door, Polly answers he says "we done" Polly was thinking the system was not working, but the sun just stopped her from seeing the lights on the equipment. I get outside and ask the guys if they get Monday off? "No! We work all time. Lot's to do. My family all at the Beach, we have to work, someone has to." Both just doing what it takes, I remember when that was me, but fortunately I managed to get most Holiday's off when I was working. 

As I'm writing Penny messages me, "Good morning" funny, I'm usually the good morning one, but she often beats me. Today she's got Jet home for a few day, he's now a teenager doing some of what she did, so as she guide's him, she realized she's saying word's I said to her! A realization I'm happy to hear, life has a way of returning our word's.

I'm late on my hot tub vist, but still will be nice just the same. Polly has finished her coffee ☕☕, and ate her breakfast, I'm still writing 😆 still finishing my second cup☕☕ 

Polly searched through the movie's on Netflix, found one that fits her, a chef's teaching his students, a very mean chef, also famous in the show. I'm now finishing writing. 

So the day will be relaxed, Polly says after I ask her if she has plans, "we could go to the pool, it's going to be warm today!"

I'm feeling a lull today, pre Easter? I don't know, just going to enjoy what comes as well as I can. 

Polly's trying to teach me about the cooking term's, I'm leaving now, learning about this not really my fortes. 

Love our Life 🤗❤️

Full circle Yuma to Yuma, the long way home

         Snowbirds are traveling north now.

One year ago we passed through Yuma on our way south, here we are again now making our way north, this year we will stay awhile here in Yuma for a look around again, catch up with some friends that are still here, as most leave today or earlier. Still nice to be here again, feeling like our second home. We met many people here over the last few years, travel has kept us away, but still some very good friends here, and we got to visit with a few of them last night. One person that has really kept us in the loop is Constance, she messaged when she new we were here and said, "stop by if you get a chance, we leave first thing in the morning."

Well we did call, and went next door to Fortuna de Oro RV park for a visit. We barely got in their trailer and here comes Tammy and Leonard too. Come over to our place they say, let's have a visit there. Was surprising and powerfully wonderful, if that terminology is correct, just Funtastick! We visited with Don & Constance for about 1/2 hr, so much to talk about, then over to their new purchase, a park model over looking the wash, and facing the mountains that gives them a great view. 

Just a great place, and plans for reno's, and a golf cart comes with it. Such a beautiful place.

 Then to Cathy and Leonard's place, we had a brief look at their place last year, is beautiful, looking over the wash, with mountain views too. 

Then over to Jim & Tammy's place they just bought and put their remodel touches on it, right beside each other, sisters that are very close. 

Not long after the tours are done we settled to yak, girls over there, guy's over here. Was great sharing stories again, so much past, and feeling like we had never left too. Was such a warm welcome after a couple years of traveling about, we both commented later, felt like coming home 🏠. Polly even said she felt emotional about it all when she was talking with Constance, even teary. 

We both felt so welcome, was just what we needed after a few years of traveling about. Friends that welcome you back like you had never left! Was great 👍

As we wake this morning early, as the sun comes up, our view gets just a little better, the trailer behind us pulled out, now a clear view of the lot behind, will be easier to see the sun coming up, and the parks comings and goings as we stay here another month enjoying the warmth of the sun 🌞, and the beauty of this desert climate. 

A little time to get some clean up on the trailer and truck, make it all spick and span as the saying goes. And get a few maintenance thing's done while here. 

Catching up with our friends, playing a little poker, enjoying the sun and warm, yep looking for to this. Polly has a different list I'm sure, more around, "I wonder if there are any shows going to be happening?" Casino is here 😆, just to name a few. I'm sure a month will go fast, and we will be on our way north then too. 

For now, just being in one place for awhile with friends will be nice. Not everyone will leave now, the pool is great here, and the events calendar still has plans we can take in here at Sundance. Kinda reminds me of what we'll be doing "Sundance" 💃🕺the two of are dancing here in the 🌞 sun as we slow down for a little relax. 

It's Sunday morning now, I wake early, make the coffee ☕, when I sit down I look at the phone 4:20, I have to laugh as this is a running joke now between us and friends of Chris's that have become closer now. Often well text each other 4:20, as a jiggle of our memory of Chris. Just a way of keeping him in our thoughts 🤗.  Now I read a message on the phone from a friend about his day, he spent with his son it was just great to see he's doing what I did, enjoying his family, as he goes through his life, as it should be. He knows how important it is. 

Yep, life moves on!

Now as I carry on this writing, yesterday I  moved our friends trailer, they had to go home to Canada as he had a kidney stone that was causing much pain, and medical insurance will only cover two visits to hospital, then get home they tell them. Bugger, seems like when you buy insurance you kinda expect to be insured In the country you bought it for, for as long as you need it! Sadly not how it is. I'm learning to ask what I'm insured for when I buy our medical insurance. 

Anyway they buttoned up there trailer and off they went with their truck home, him in pain, her driving as flights were impossible at spring break. 

So yesterday Polly and I went over, Polly cleaned out the fridge, I got it ready to go with the help of their son-in-law, then took it to storage here in Yuma. 

                   Stored for now 

When I got home Polly made me a nice breakfast 🍳🥓 once I got going in the morning, I just went for it, so breakfast was not on my agenda. After, a snooze 😴 that's part of my day now, then later I just had to go over and enjoy the pool for awhile before dinner. Polly was cooking ribs, and I was not far away, as pool is right across from us.

I met a woman in the pool, Julie, who had just bought a Park model here, we had a real good yak. 

After I had time sit & to listen to the music 🎶🎶 piped in by the pool, and feel the warmth of the sun for awhile before Polly called over "youhoo' Dinner's on"  WOW that's great, I'm going to enjoy the heck outta this place. 

I didn't get my ears wet! 👂No more earaches for this guy! 

Lunch is planned with friends today, friends we met last year. Really looking forward to this.

We are fortunate, friends wherever we go makes for welcomes we just don't expect 🤗

I've heard you get what you sow in life, I'm thinking this is true. 

I love our life 🤗❤️