On December 1 we went into hibernation for the winter at a new-to-us RV resort in Mesa. We selected it based on an activity roster that promised to keep us on our toes but thus far we haven’t participated in much. Our time has been eaten up with doctor, dentist and RV tech appointments. Not to mention a roaring case of terminal inertia.
The “resort” has dinner dances on Tuesday evenings and we’ve attended several of those. Generally the music has been pretty danceable and we’re looking forward to more opportunities to “cut a rug” as the season progresses. The meals are of the stick-to-your-ribs (thighs, butt, etc.) sort. My palate never learned to think of gravy as a food group but here it’s the base upon which the food pyramid is built.
We’ve yet to meet many of our neighbors (many won’t arrive until after the holidays) but we’ve bumped into many old friends and acquaintances while trolling through the grocery stores. It never ceases to amaze us that we run into more folks we know here than we ever did back East, living in the same place for years. Russ and Rochelle are here at the same resort and so we’ve spent time socializing with them. We ladies have taken several beading classes together and the guys have been fooling with computers, Russ having taken the giant plunge into the world of bits and bytes. Next the guys need to get organized enough to start biking again. Knees permitting, I’d like to give pickleball a try. Or maybe lawn bowling.
The weather hasn’t been what we’ve come to expect of The Valley of the Sun. Our arrival was greeted with a few days of heavy rain and it has been on the chilly side ever since. The space heater runs nearly full time and we are not eager to see the first month’s electric bill!
Over the years we’ve settled into a Christmas routine that does not involved exchanging gifts with each other but usually results in the purchase of some major gift to our domicile. This year was no exception…the coach got a new toilet. And will soon be getting new seals for the slides, along with other assorted bits and pieces to make it whole again. We’re all starting to show our age.
One sunny Sunday afternoon we went off to Tempe to scope out The Festival of the Arts. Finding a parking spot was quite an adventure…I don’t know who reaps the benefits of the exorbitant parking fees but it must keep some civic budget balanced for the year! Most spots were $10 but we found one for $5 several blocks from the main festival site. It’s an enormous festival and we noticed than many of the exhibitors had come quite a distance to participate. It’s always fun to see the creativity expressed at such shows…who knew you could do so many things with old hardware?
One of the biggest reasons we keep coming back to the East Valley every winter is to partake of the cheap produce. In summer months we often find ourselves in areas where the growing season is short and grocery costs high so we do enjoy the opportunity here in Arizona to have fresh melon, pineapple, bell peppers and whatever other fruits and veggies catch our eye. And at prices that won’t break the bank.
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever other holiday you might celebrate) and we send along our best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
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