The weather has been great lately as the temp during the day has reach the mid 30's C even thought it does cool down at night but you must remember, this is a desert and that is how the weather works in a desert.
We went shopping this morning but forgot it was "Apache Junction Daze" and got caught in the parade route. We should have known better because we were told about the traffic but I just forgot. However, after driving in south africa cities, this is a piece of cake. After picking up a few groceries we headed home to get out of the malaze and decided to hit the pool to relax for a couple of hours.
Today we invited friends Em and Kandy Davies and Stan and Helen Aberlye, from Med Hat, over for Happy Hour and enjoyed there company. Since we left home in Oct and have only seen them for a few mins since we arr in Apache Junction, we had lots of " local gossip " to catch up on. Also the ladies curling was on TV so we had to move inside to watch the Alberta Team beat Manitoba. Not only do we all like curling, we also think we need to call the shots for the skip. Anyhow, the Alberta Team will represent Canada at the Worlds and that is the main point.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Sunday, 26 February 2012
21 Feb to 23 Feb
Most of these days were spent watching the curling. Between games we did some shopping, getting some propane, hitting the pool. Some of our American neighbours said that they did not see us outside later. We mentioned that we were watching curling. And you can guess what they said. " What the hell is curling ".
So there goes 3 more days in sunny Arizona.
So there goes 3 more days in sunny Arizona.
20 Feb lazy day
As i have mentioned previous, many people from Medicine Hat winter in this area.
as it turns out,there are enough players in one particular RV park to form an all Medicine Hat Team and they play in a Monday morning league. Since I have played with some and against most of them, we ventured to their park to watch 2 games. Besides, we were waiting on the ladies curling to start so we needed to kill some time. ha ha.
In the afternoon we dropped in to visit our friends from ST. Thomas, ON and stayed to play a few rounds of cards which killed the Afternoon. So that's how you get thru Lazy Day in Arizona
as it turns out,there are enough players in one particular RV park to form an all Medicine Hat Team and they play in a Monday morning league. Since I have played with some and against most of them, we ventured to their park to watch 2 games. Besides, we were waiting on the ladies curling to start so we needed to kill some time. ha ha.
In the afternoon we dropped in to visit our friends from ST. Thomas, ON and stayed to play a few rounds of cards which killed the Afternoon. So that's how you get thru Lazy Day in Arizona
19 Feb Sunday Filly's Cowboy Bar
Two of our friends from Med Hat, whom have a winter home in Mesa ask us to join them for lunch at Filly's which is a "Real Authentic Cowboy " Bar and Grill, which is located, in the country side , about 2 miles from our park. Now, I have been to " The Ranchman" Bar in Calgary and it is no doubt a Western " Cowboy" bar where blue jeans, cowboy boots and Stetsons are the dress of the day. But it does not carry a candle to Filly's because this will take you back at least 50 years.
Filly's is so popular with all the " snowbirds" you have to be there by noon in order to get a table even though the Western band does not start until 1 PM. The band is outdoors and so is most of the seating/tables, however, you can bring your own chairs and sit on the lawn. Even thought they have sufficent waitress, they have a " walk up bar window " for those who can not wait for a beer and they also have a separate " animal style drinking trow " full of beer and ice for those too thirsty to wait for a waitress.
I took a visual count of those seated and it was around 250 but there was at least 100 people standing. I doubt there is a Fire code since it is outdoors. Because it is so crowded, the waitresses are not shy about telling you to get out of their way when coming thru with food and Beer.
Filly's also has real cowboys/cowgirls in attendance and this day there where 17 or 18 of them that rode up on horseback as Filly's has a hitching rail right outside the outdoor bar. The cowboys and cowgirls were dressed with chaps,spurs and worn out stetson's and one guy even had a pistol/gun even thought the sign read " No Weapons " allowed. I assume it was for show only.
We stayed for about 3 hours to swap stories with our friends, had lunch, did a little dancing , and mostly watched the people, especially the cowboys. One of the cowgirls was dressed as Annie Oakly but i did not have the nerve to take a picture. Did I mention that they serve Beer. Filly's was a great experience and we will definitely return for a second helping of fun as it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Filly's is so popular with all the " snowbirds" you have to be there by noon in order to get a table even though the Western band does not start until 1 PM. The band is outdoors and so is most of the seating/tables, however, you can bring your own chairs and sit on the lawn. Even thought they have sufficent waitress, they have a " walk up bar window " for those who can not wait for a beer and they also have a separate " animal style drinking trow " full of beer and ice for those too thirsty to wait for a waitress.
I took a visual count of those seated and it was around 250 but there was at least 100 people standing. I doubt there is a Fire code since it is outdoors. Because it is so crowded, the waitresses are not shy about telling you to get out of their way when coming thru with food and Beer.
Filly's also has real cowboys/cowgirls in attendance and this day there where 17 or 18 of them that rode up on horseback as Filly's has a hitching rail right outside the outdoor bar. The cowboys and cowgirls were dressed with chaps,spurs and worn out stetson's and one guy even had a pistol/gun even thought the sign read " No Weapons " allowed. I assume it was for show only.
We stayed for about 3 hours to swap stories with our friends, had lunch, did a little dancing , and mostly watched the people, especially the cowboys. One of the cowgirls was dressed as Annie Oakly but i did not have the nerve to take a picture. Did I mention that they serve Beer. Filly's was a great experience and we will definitely return for a second helping of fun as it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Friday, 24 February 2012
18 th Feb Saturday
Several of my friends from Med Hat were playing in a ball tournament at Monte Vista RV park at 9 AM so we ventured over to watch them. As it turns out the ladies went shopping for few hours. When i got to the ball field I not only met my friends from Med Hat but there were several American players that I have play with over the years. I played with 2 of the American in Mesquite , NV about 8 years ago so it makes you realize just how fast the time flies. As a point of interest, each team had 6 Canadians so you can imagine just how many Cdns are spending the winter in this area.
After the tournament we visited with Lynn and Margret Ann, for an hour or so as they are returning home on shortly because Lynn is feeling " under the weather " and does not want to get sick or worse, hospitalized here. Also, they have sold their Condo in Med Hat and are moving in May to BC and of course have some things to get ready for the move.
Also, the Scotties ( Ladies Curling ) was started so we wanted to see the action. Additonally, we always carry to two TV's because I switch from Curling to Hockey and that drives Carroll nuts. so you can say: we have a His and Her TV.
After the tournament we visited with Lynn and Margret Ann, for an hour or so as they are returning home on shortly because Lynn is feeling " under the weather " and does not want to get sick or worse, hospitalized here. Also, they have sold their Condo in Med Hat and are moving in May to BC and of course have some things to get ready for the move.
Also, the Scotties ( Ladies Curling ) was started so we wanted to see the action. Additonally, we always carry to two TV's because I switch from Curling to Hockey and that drives Carroll nuts. so you can say: we have a His and Her TV.
17 th Feb Friday
Today was a slow day and we are invited out for supper by some friends ( Lynn and Margrat Ann) from Med Hat who are in a different park. Actually, the trailer did not feel level on one side so rather than connect up and move it to put it on my " Leveling Boards" I decided to jack up the axles and slip the boards under the tires. This project took about an hour and when you don't have much to do , it really does matter how you take to do it.
You may have heard the story about the Wife of a retired guy who ask him what he intended to do today; he said he was going to do Nothing; she said you did that yesterday; he said, I know but I didn't finish it. Well, that'a about how i felt.
Around 4 PM we ventured to our friends for supper and there was 2 other couples of which one was another friend from Med Hat. The other couple where Canadians , retired farmer and teacher who travel exclusive and had recently been to South Africa, so naturally we swapped stories.
Lynn advised me that there was a ball tournament in his park the next day and that a few Med Hat players were in the tournament so i decided attend that tournament. After a great supper and some refreshment we called it a day
You may have heard the story about the Wife of a retired guy who ask him what he intended to do today; he said he was going to do Nothing; she said you did that yesterday; he said, I know but I didn't finish it. Well, that'a about how i felt.
Around 4 PM we ventured to our friends for supper and there was 2 other couples of which one was another friend from Med Hat. The other couple where Canadians , retired farmer and teacher who travel exclusive and had recently been to South Africa, so naturally we swapped stories.
Lynn advised me that there was a ball tournament in his park the next day and that a few Med Hat players were in the tournament so i decided attend that tournament. After a great supper and some refreshment we called it a day
Thursday, 23 February 2012
16 Feb Apache Junction
Today was a "Get Organised Day " since we are new to this area of the country. Our friends gave us the "Lay of the Land", but mostly where to shop and the locations of the several other RV Parks where many of our friends are spending the winter. The first thing was to do some grocery shopping and in AZ, a company called "Fry's " is the competition for Wal-Mart and Safeways for groceries. Since the prices are competitive , we shop there because they have a "rewards " card that give 10 cents off a gallon of gas if you spend 100.00 and their diesel is at least 5 cents cheaper than any other gas station. Incidentally , diesel cost 3.75 / gal and gas is around 3.45/gal. The state Sales Tax is 10%.
We had intended to visit the AZ Tourisum today to get some tips on the " Must See " in the area but we ran out of time. There are quite a few areas to visit, such as the Roosevelt Dam, Superstition Mountain, and Tortilla ( pronounced Tor tea a ) Flats, which is an authentic old stagecoach stop , now better known as a must see, Tourist Trap. Somedays they have a bar room fight which spreads out to the street and ends up being a gun fight. They also have a Swap Meet in Apache Junction; which we call a Flea market, and it is so huge you need 2 or 3 days just to walk the entire area. If they don't sell it, then you don't need it. We have scheduled the Swap Meet for Sunday.
I should mention that we are also watching the Ladies curling if and when we can squeeze it into our schedule. The park also has a Jam Session at the Park Hall once a week at 7 PM but we did not get there until 7 PM and it was full, with a sign on the door saying to come back at half time. I guess the "Jammers" are real good or the people in the park stuck for some entertainment.
We had intended to visit the AZ Tourisum today to get some tips on the " Must See " in the area but we ran out of time. There are quite a few areas to visit, such as the Roosevelt Dam, Superstition Mountain, and Tortilla ( pronounced Tor tea a ) Flats, which is an authentic old stagecoach stop , now better known as a must see, Tourist Trap. Somedays they have a bar room fight which spreads out to the street and ends up being a gun fight. They also have a Swap Meet in Apache Junction; which we call a Flea market, and it is so huge you need 2 or 3 days just to walk the entire area. If they don't sell it, then you don't need it. We have scheduled the Swap Meet for Sunday.
I should mention that we are also watching the Ladies curling if and when we can squeeze it into our schedule. The park also has a Jam Session at the Park Hall once a week at 7 PM but we did not get there until 7 PM and it was full, with a sign on the door saying to come back at half time. I guess the "Jammers" are real good or the people in the park stuck for some entertainment.
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