Into the New Year

 What a busy Holiday Season it has been.  Loaded with lots of golf cart parades and lights.  We took a ride on a wagon full of people from our park through a very bright neighborhood.  I obviously didn't take many pictures because I was too busy looking at all the lights and feared I would fall out an get run over and die!  It was an amazing neighborhood where every house had a fabulous display.  

We had to borrow a golf cart and decorate it to participate in the parade in the park where we live.  Of course I gave away all my decorations when we sold everything so our cart did not win the best of the best but we had fun throwing candy at old people!!

We had to decorate this trailer so we could all sit on chairs and ride around the park at dark time singing all the favorite Christmas Carols.  Of course there was hot chocolate and cookies afterwards!

We got the opportunity to take in a couple of shows during this Holiday Season.  This one was David Arkenstone. I have wanted to see these guys forever.  Mostly instrumental with a Scottish/Medieval vibe.  I totally enjoyed their Christmas show and would definitely go again.  The other show was a comedy Scrooge play.  Kind of set in the 50s with loads of 50s music and funny shit.  I love comedy playhouses, and this is one we will definitely go to again.  Tiny individual tables and food and drink served right to your table.  We even got adult milk shakes that were delicious!

This next picture pretty much sums me up!!

We get to see this sunset sky every night. We will have to walk out to the desert across the street to watch it without buildings and homes in the way!

Our truck had a baby!!  We bought an new baby truck to drive around in for better gas milage.  It's a hybrid so really better gas milage.  We love our baby!

WOW, just WOW!  Look what this cookie queen had resorted to for Christmas cookies!!  Ritz crackers with Rolos melted in the middle.  Gad zooks, life does get easier when you are retired!!

Not my cactus but this is how people decorated in the southwest!

This is the golf cart parade at the resort we will spend our winters in.  So many lights on the carts that I was almost... Blinded by the light🎶

We had visitors already at the new place.  Friends from Las Cruces and Dicks Mom and Sister!  Hope the people keep coming to visit as we will reciprocate and visit them. Fun was had playing pickleball, swimming, hot tubbing, eating food, Packer game, and a pajama french toast party with 100 of our closest friends from the new resort.

We even had a stand in for Doug during a family picture!!  One of these people is not like the other, one of these guys just doesn't belong.

We took a selfie that may be one of our best.  Again.... we really do suck at taking pictures of ourselves so enjoy a halfway decent one.

Pauline and Barb were forced to have fun with us on Christmas & Thursday dinner with ice cream and bingo and sitting around in the sun!

Left, right, center with the workcamping gang. High stakes for this.  A buck!!!   Not just a quarter or  penny!  We didn't win!!

If you come to visit, please do not believe I will let you relax for a moment!! I drank hot chocolate while they dug dried hot chocolate powder from tiny ornament bulbs.  Of course, there was butterscotch schnapps in the hot chocolate which made it more fun for me!!

Took a desert walk with Barb across the street from the resort.  Nice trail even though there were some sketchy areas where we thought javelinas were going to jump out of the brush and chase us down and bite our ankles! But we made it out alive obviously because I am writing this very popular blog that I am sure you all wait with anticipation!

The very next day was another adventure.  We drove up to Mt Lemon.  A kind of tall mountain that they actually have a ski hill at.  YES, snow is close but far enough away to make us happy. It was a beautiful drive with lots of places to pull off and enjoy the views.

Ate lunch at a restaurant with a view walked around a bit at the ski lift area.  There was very little snow then so no one was skiing.  You can take the lift to the top or hike up and get a free ride down. When we go back, I will choose to ride up and ride down cause I am worth the extra money!! 

We disc golfed with Barb the next day.  Of course there is disc golf & nature in every blog.  What would life be without either?

We welcomed in the New Year with all the folks at the resort where we are volunteering and Pauline and Barb.  Of course, the old communities in the southwest celebrate when New York celebrates so it was over at 10pm.  Not a huge fan of the band scene but we had fun. 

After Pauline and Barb departed for home we met up with a family we met in Yuma that was passing through and had awesome smoked ribs, wings and poppers.  Picked fresh grapefruit from the multitude of trees in the park and had some yummy fresh squeezed cocktails. We plan to drive to Yuma to visit them and other friends in the future for more fun.  This lifestyle has given us the opportunity to meet so many awesome people/

I even go my baby fix for a bit.  Can't wait to see our own grandkids but for now we are happy to borrow other people's kids.

So much fruit in our park.  When the citrus is ready the owners of the trees pick and just leave on the curb to take.  Dick, Barb and Pauline had the opportunity to pick and gather lots of fruit while here.  The owners post on facebook where the supply is located daily!

Dick and I took a hike up "A" mountain.  It was a paved road you could have drove up but we got there to early in the morning and the gate was closed.  Good thing we are not to old to still take these slow strolls up big hills.  Great views from the top.  As I have said in many other blogs....you just cannot see the beauty and depth in these pictures. Get out and hike and climb while you still can.  Tomorrow is never guaranteed!

Awaiting the arrival of 10 relatives, family and friends for my next adventure.  Dick is going to Wisconsin for his yearly adventure, and I am juicing all the citrus for fresh citrus margarita's, bought the tamales, and the local coffee.  Should be a great weekend for the both of us and if you were not invited to either event, your invitations got lost in the mail and you will just have to read the next blog to see what we were up to.