After Christmas

Now what? 

Looking back I remember many boxing day visits to friends and family. Short travel to a friend's house across town, and a few drinks always a part of today. A chance to show off your gifts given, and see others gifts gotten. A chance to give a hug and get one from the people you love.

 We spent so much time working and rushing around getting it all done (was never all done)😄 then as the day "Christmas" came and the opening of presents came and went, and the dinner was done we achieved our goal the day was done. Now onto the boxing day. I never got involved in the day of shopping, it never had much draw for me, still doesn't. 

I get up early as usual, and get to watch TV. Today is about people traveling at airports and lineups, the people traveling on the highways getting home again. I shake my head as I peck away and think how lucky I am, and how odd it is people just ignore the warnings re travel. Hmm, so silly trying to get somewhere in a snow storm that was forecast. At an airport waiting in lineups for hours to get where. Sure is nice to be here and no rush to get anywhere. 😊

Today we have a chance of rain, is a little windy out now, but all warm here, as I watch the forecast in Seattle as BC news not on yet. 

What does the next year look like is what I think of as the New year aproches. We have a plan to visit the north, BC, Yukon, Alaska. Is a big undertaking, but I do believe we are up for it, and as all we are doing, do it now before we get too old, and either don't want to, or we can't. We both have places we want to see, and as we plan ahead Polly always goes online and finds a few more stops that we will make along the way. 

One more trip back east is a goal we want to achieve as well, where we get to see the sights in Canada during the summer and travel south into the US in the fall, and spend some time in Florida before we travel back towards the west coast. 

Thinking about this I will be very aware of the weather, and travel when it is favorable, and plan best we can. Driving is tough enough in good weather in rain and wind is too much. Stay put is my standard plan, till things change for the better. 

There, that's a forward looking plan, subject to change always 😊

Back to today, we will play poker again with friends we have met here, and may go for another swim. Walk my friend Bosco, and hug Polly at least once 🤗🤗❤️

Dam, life is good. Sometime today Polly will likely say "I want to go pick up ?"  I will then say not today honey, Boxing day! 🤗 I'm sure she will agree, crazy out there.

 Life is just so good, as I shake my head and listen to the news about whatever. 

Bring on the rain, lol 🤣🤣 🤣

Christmas soon, are you ready? I am.

      The Calendar we made up for 2020

I do remember working right up to the day before Christmas, and thinking did I get all I was suppose to. Seems a long time ago when we would make sure we had all presents accounted for, pack the car with the gifts that Polly bought, (I did very little buying) and get ready for the drive to Port Alberni for our Christmas Eve, and Christmas day. Was always a rush, dress up, try to make sure all was brought into Memeres house and packed under the tree. Through Rain, Snow and Cold, to visit with our family's and celebrate Christmas. Seems so darn long ago. 

Life has changed as we move around in our traveling home, that helps us live in a different location as the seasons change. 

Yuma again this Christmas as last year, looking forward to another different Christmas. 

 Looking ahead to Christmas day I see we may have some rain on Christmas Eve. Not a big deal, as looks warm after. Wind & cool days are the weather conditions we watch out for here, no snow, rain usually light, no ice. Just a little warmer with different friends 😉 who are doing the same, escaping the Cold of the North.

Is this what I thought retirement was going to be like? Well, I didn't really know what to expect, but staying in one place and watching life go by is not what I want to do. We are here till end of January, then will drive into Mexico to San Carlos with 3 other couples in there RVs. Another new experience we are looking forward to. Not exactly sure what this will be like, but want to try a new experience, and see new places and people. 

We watch TV and FB about what's going on in BC, and see the strike in our forest industry making it to the news, I'm glad I'm not in it anymore, but I do feel for all that are. Is a long haul this time, and both sides are dug in deep, with so many people suffering. I'm always optimistic, but this seems to be the new company attitude, take it or leave it, we don't care. I give my opinion every once in awhile, but words won't cut it right now, action, it takes action to make the ice crack and move.

Today I have a poker game to attend at noon, and a choice of 2 pools to check out later. Happy hour is likely, even if just Polly and I, oh and Bosco. Is a tough life, but I'll take it over the rain and snow I remember from past Christmas's. 

Good Morning 🌞, Suns up, got to go😊

Christmas away from family ❤️

The sadest looking 🌲 tree I've seen here

Every year all my life Christmas has been a family time. Always a tree that was a focus point. Always presents and dinner with all family & friends we love. We took it as the way it is and always will be. When we chose to live in our traveling home this changed things.

When we travel south we make a decision to stay south through Christmas now, this is not done lightly. We planned to fly home this year and spend Christmas with our family, but as the time to leave BC came closer we decided to celebrate Christmas early with a family dinner thanks to Polly's Brother Dan my brother in law, & Georgina our sister in law. We asked if we could have a family Thanksgiving dinner at their house and yes was the answer. We appreciate this so much. ♥️ Dinner was great with everyone bringing something.

We had a chance to give all our family members a hug and a kiss and give cards early to our Children and Grandchildren. Sounds like all good, but always feelings of missing family as Christmas aproches. 

This year we have friends from the Island here at Fortuna, making it feel a little more like home, and friends we have made here as this is our 3rd year we have spent a couple months in one spot, but only our 2nd year away for Christmas. 

We have a Christmas dinner planned early here, for the whole RV Park which will be nice, but the day of Christmas not sure yet, but likely will have a dinner with a few close friends here. 

Content not to travel at Christmas and happy to be here, is how I would describe my thoughts now, Polly is ok with it to. I'm sure Polly will create some beauty dinner for the day, like I need more delicious food🤣🤣🤣

Hmm, and that's what I'm thinking about today as we look forward to our Christmas south as I watch the weather forecast for BC on TV. Not sure how the Christmas day will go right now, but sure that this way of spending our time is what we want. 

I think I will celebrate Christmas day with a swim in the pool this year 🏊 😎 😊

Loving life here in Yuma, AZ.

    Bosco enjoying my lap as I peck away.

Good morning, this is how I do morning😊

Most every morning I wake 1-2 hrs before Polly. I get the fireplace going, big job hit a switch 😅, then I get to the coffee. Today I make it with bottled water as here in Yuma the water has many minerals in it and tastes like crap. Now grab the charged up phone, just think how life has changed over my lifetime. I can rember before there was computers, and before there was coloured TV, shit I'ma getting old man 😲🤣. I would laugh harder, but this is it, not so funny anymore. 

I sit in my nice comfortable recliner and PEC away on the phone scrolling away seeing what has happened overnight. 

Sometimes something I like, mostly crap I don't. FB has a few posts that are of people's lives, and the good that has happened or is happening, this I really like, but all the crap on there is kinda fluff I call it, just filler. What I like to read is about what's good in our lives, and what's uplifting. 

Thinking of that I usually post what we are doing, where we are, and of course a banter with others, as I like to believe we can still have fun here without setting others off because of some ??? Somebody's take on it. 

After a scrolling and pecking for about 1/2 to 1 hour, I get tired of reading the news, so I turn on the TV and listen to the weather, and news. Sometimes I hear what I have read, not much different. 

Mostly I like to hear the sound of quiet. 

Depending where we are parked the sound of birds start first, here in Yuma at Fortuna de Oro, the birds are Grackles among others, and I've grown to love their sound. They are so loud, and look so interesting as the squak and point there heads straight up, like the are sure they are in charge 😃

Maybe this is what I like so much, they just behave in a way that is sure, seemingly happy, and focused on food, water, and squaking about mating 🤣🤣🤣

Life is simple, as people we screw it up. Boarders, I always wonder about them, and here in Yuma it is a BIG DEAL! 

The birds don't pay attention to them, they go back and forth like there is no line in the Sand. People on the other hand, they are cut off as the boarder is there. People made the boarders, countries, town's states, county's, Control🤔

What for, why are people always controlled? Like animals, we are directed to do this, do that, don't do this, and Oh, you can't do that! I'm not good at being controlled, but I'm not stupid, some things I know I have to control, or face the rule makers😊

I'm wandering now, and if you followed this far you see how quiet time in the morning with a ☕ and an electronic 🔥 in a dark trailer can warp my mind🤣🤣🤣

I have not given any answers here, just said what I am thinking as I drink some Mmm 😋 good coffee, and Peck away on a phone😊🤔

Loving this life 🤗❤️

Sun up soon, have an interesting, loving day hey 😁♥️ Life is a little shorter now.

Paradise, what's that?

We are in Indio, California @ Indian Waters RV park enjoying the first few days our winter retreat. Sunny, 🌞 warm 😎 beautiful days make me think of paradise. Is this it? 😲

 Feels so nice to be in our shorts again, with friends we met last year here, and friend we knew before. 

We all have an idea of what the ultimate paradise is, and if you ask people often it would encompass many of what I see here. Pools,

Sunshine, 🤗 Warmth, beautiful ground's, friendly people, feeling safe and comfortable, many thing to do, golf, pickle ball, bochi, all sorts of games. Happy hour, evening entertainment, in a well cared for  environment. Most everything you could want. 

This Paradise is manufactured by companies that create Paradise for people like us wanting to spend Winters in warm sunny places like the geese and others. I'm glad they do, and we enjoy this warm weather, clean cool pools on hot days, talking with friends about many things. 

One thing we all know is how fortunate we are to be able to live the last part of our lives as we envisioned a paradise. 

This place like many may be manufactured, but the people and the way we treat each other isn't. We have aged and are the same and yet changed. Funny how we act when we are at peace with our lot in life, and satisfied with all that's left. 

Time will change us now, more every day, but how we treat each other is just so nice now as we age. Seems we care for each other just a little more now seeing we all have aging process that we really can't battle, we have to accept this will come. 😁🤣 And it isn't all than fun, we know we only have so much time left, so let's enjoy it. All of it.

Paradise is what you want, make, see, view envision it. Take this time to really Do what you want, as paradise only lasts so long.

Living life to the fullest here in Indio🤗❤️

 

Choices, we all have them.

As we travel we often get a choice where we are located in the RV park or wherever we stay. But sometimes we are given a site and don't ask to change. For many years I have thought not to change it up as we seem to get a good place even if we thought not good for us at first. 

Acceptance is a big part of our ways, Polly is great at acceptance, she has a very easy going way, and if something is not quite as we would have it Polly shruggs it off and we go on. I learned years ago that trying to choose the best situation doesn't always pay off, and as we travel we see these times as opportunity. Never know what might work for you, we find that something or someone makes the situation just great. 

Example lately is at Zoli's place, he saw the barn parking not as desirable, and so did we at first, but as we moved the trailer around and found the level spot, and kinda like a Bosco does, go around in a circle a few times, we got to where we were just fine. We were very happy in the spot next to the barn. Horses greeted us in the morning, so did the goat's. The view out our back "picture" window was south so we saw the 🌞 come up every morning. 

All was good, we had power for our coffee and our small heater on low, we had water, and close access to Beaver & Elk lake trails. Zoli came and visited, and we went to his house and met his family. Was just so great, spending time with him before we headed south.

Being at Zoli's also gave us opportunity to attended Melissa & Carl's wedding from here, that was so good. Polly got to reconnect with Terry, Ellyn and other's.

 If we had gone to an RV park we would not likely had all this. So when we had a challenge to get into Zoli's from the road, I thought I can't do this, I will have to go to an RV park. But Zoli said I can, and helped me into the spot, and helped me turn around and made a very nice place for us to stay. 🤗 Thanks again Zoli 😊

So going forward we will continue to pay attention to good opportunities that come our way, and make the best of what comes 😊

Loving our life as we go! 🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️

In the dark

Power outage this morning makes for some alternative ways to start the day. Coffee was 1/2 way through the coffee maker, so boil some more water on the stove and gitter done. Check out FB on this phone, then a little chat with my son on Snapchat, now another cup, and the day is off. Well almost, is still dark out, just starting light. Bosco woke at 4am, had to pee. Kids hey! Lol 

I hear the flag flapping, and swinging on the pole attached to the ladder on the back of the trailer, I put it up Tuesday as I was once again cleaning out the trailer basement, and organizing. Got rid of a few more things. 😁 Always happy to dung out a bit more stuff. I am close to throwing out a bunch as have been packing it around for awhile and not using it. Funny how we do this, just hang onto it because we think we will do something with it in the future. 

I went on a long walk yesterday as is low tide early in the morning.

Was interesting going out from the campground towards the waters edge as it's muddy and wasn't sure how solid the ground underneath was, not sure if I would loose a boot or not. No Bosco this time, too mucky. I made it across the bay, oysters

everywhere, and started walking the beach edge around the corner looking at what was there, following another guy's tracks, and his dog, then deer tracks x2, then a raccoon I think, then a little further and I see some bear tracks, but from the day before. Was kinda nice, peaceful, then I see some smaller bear tracks, hmm, ok now I get looking around, don't want to bump into Muma. 😆

Walked till I had seen enough, and legs started getting tired, then turned around as tide was coming in. The trip back was interesting too, as the sun was coming up above the tree's now so shining on the beach making it so I could see better, and what do I see but a golf ball, and another, Holly crap, there's a bunch. So I picked them up till my coat pockets were full, and then I made my way home. 

And that was my morning, 😊

Out of energy now I come in and Polly says my sister called and asked us to lunch in Naniamo. Polly said she looked in on me in bed and thought I was sleeping, so told Joy I'd call back later. LoL, I said goodbye when I left, but Polly was busy and it didn't register I guess, we had a good laugh over this one. 🤣🤣🤣

Retirement is great, moving from place to place is the icing on the cake for me. I like to take pictures and I like to walk, usually with Bosco, he likes to walk me, 😆 🐩🐾daily. 

Lunch in Naniamo @ Milanos was great, Thanks Joy & Dan. On the way home we stopped so Polly could get her Halloween outfit from Value Village, now we will work on that today and get our costumes all ready for Saturday nights dance at the Brass Bell pub here in Crofton. Cookie Monster is playing, and will be fun for sure. If your in the mood for some fun, stop in, will be a blast for sure. Dance starts at 9pm, but we will go early to get our seats. Life is just so good 😊🤗❤️