Ever Wonder????….

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,500+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 23rd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at American Legion Post #19 in Yuma, Arizona. I expect to depart here March 1st.

 

 

What snowbirds do on a Sunday afternoon in Yuma, Arizona?

 

The answer is about 500 of them go to VFW Post #8242 from 2-5 PM to listen and dance to country music.

 

The best band is Keepin’ It Country and they play on Sunday and Monday. Other bands play on other days.

 

Since yesterday was my last Sunday in Yuma for this winter season, I went out there and spent an enjoyable 1.5 hours listening to some great country music.

 

Here are some of the photos I took…

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

And finally a video…

 

 

 

 

It’s been years since I have danced. But when the prettiest and slenderest gal in the joint ASKED ME to dance, how could I refuse?

 

After the dance we chatted for a few minutes and as soon as she found out I was a nomad, conversation over! That how life is for a nomad!  🙂

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos and video.

Forecast for today is sunny and 63 degrees. Cool for Yuma.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Arizona. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken at Rogue River, Oregon, October, 2017…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2018

Shady Acres Mobile Home & RV Park – Yuma, Arizona

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have almost 4,000 postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

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The motorhome is parked at Shady Acres Mobile Home and RV Park in Yuma, Arizona. I expect to be here a couple of months hiding out from the cold, wet weather. Average temperatures in January are high 69.6, low 47.6. In February, high 73.8, low 50.1. As nice as Yuma is, I wouldn’t want to be here in August.  🙂

Upon arriving in Yuma on December 23rd, I went to the Shady Acres Mobile Home & RV Park. I chose this park because it came highly recommended by two friends who live here. In addition, it’s location is close-in near everything, yet still in a quiet neighborhood, is very clean and appears well maintained and managed…all at a reasonable rate. Here are some photos of the park…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The office…

 

 

With a community board to keep all informed of what’s happening…

 

 

The recreation building…

 

 

Where about 75 very friendly people, including myself, enjoyed a delicious Christmas meal…

 

 

A nice pool. Nearby there is a hot tub, restrooms with showers, outdoor cooking area and laundry facilities…

 

 

It’s an older, but clean and well-maintained park…

 

 

With orange trees..

 

 

And grapefruit trees…

 

 

To see the other 16 photos that I took, click the below link…

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPcadQLGte5WCjxufFvkMUalwqNrMMvVcN3ZAa6

 

 

The people who live here seem to really enjoy it. The couple who sat across the table from me at Christmas dinner own a unit in the park and have been winter snowbirds for the last 26 years.

You can read about this park by clicking this link…http://westernm.com/Shady%20Acres/

 

Recently I’ve been running blogs about my 2004 Central America trip. While here I’m intending to continue those postings while also alternating with Yuma area blogs.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 Yesterday was sunny, windy and 58 degrees. Forecast for today is sunny and 58 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 600 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2015

Where The Winter Is Not By Bowser And Blue…

The motorhome is currently parked at Mary’s home in Murphys, California. My current departure date is scheduled for December 1st. Three days and counting!

This is an exciting time of the year for snowbirds…folks who head for the sunny and warm southlands to avoid the Winter chills…like me! Visit http://www.RVontheGo.com to see how you can Winter differently with Thousand Trails and Encore RV Resorts…of which Mary and I are members.

Here Bowser and Blue show how they do their snowbirding…

If the video did not work, click this link…http://youtu.be/8n9SuvPYy74

Here’s the link to their website…http://bowserandblue.com/

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE VIDEO.

The cataract surgery of my right eye was conducted on October 9th and my left eye on November 6th. Both eyes are now at 20/20. The only remaining item left (other than eye drops until early December) is a visit to the optometrist to be fitted for reading glasses at the VA Hospital in Livermore, California was yesterday. I made a last-minute phone call and changed my appointment to December 2nd.

Yesterday was a mostly sunny day and 72 degrees. Forecast for today is mostly sunny and 69 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.

There is no reason not to find the fountain of youth  if exercise has anything to do with it-and, in my opinion, it does. The so called “snowbird” resorts of warm winter climates like Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Florida  and Southern, California attract thousands of Northerners from the U.S and Canada of retirement age.  Drive the streets of Apache Junction, Yuma, Mesa, Maricopa or any number of other places and row upon row of  gated communities  are filled to the gills with retirees.  Activities vary but most have swimming pools, a club house, spa,  scheduled and special events. What’s not to like? The sounds of friendly gatherings, music, barbeques, people chatting with their neighbors, catching up with “the news” or having visiting grandchildren or friends in for a day is testimony to the homey, feeling of snowbird resorts like Country Side, (where we stayed last year), and Golden Sun where we are now.

Yesterday morning, I passed by the pool exercise group and attended a stretch exercise group for an hour.

I snapped this picture just as everyone was getting ready to leave. Provided is a wooden bar and weights of differing size. The stretches cover every muscle group from your toes to eyes. Invigorating.

I returned to the motor home for 45 minutes and then attended a yoga  class.  The instructor was humorous and had all of us laughing and sending bad vibes away. The one hour session ran over by 15 minutes and was so much fun, I would like it if  I had access to a class like this every day.  She teaches a  morning and afternoon class.

The schedule here is Tai Chi, Lap swimming, Floor exercises, Stretch exercises, Water exercises, Sweating to the oldies and Yoga, everyday or set days of the week.

The rest of the activity schedule varies. For instance, Monday: Women’s Pool (billiards), Shuffle Board, Round Dancing, Men’s B Leage Pool, Line Dancing, Craft Class, Potluck Social & Dinner, Texas Hold’Em, Ceramics.

Tuesday: Smell The Roses Hiking, Charity Quilters, Bridge, WWarII Vets Meet.

Wednesday:  Shuffleboard, Quilting, Golf, Mens Senior Pool League, Ceramics, Games.

Thursday: Women’s Pool, Women’s Pool League Bridge, Line Dancing, Cribbage, Texas Hold’em.

Friday: Hiking With Rex, Shuffle Board, Men’s A Legue Pool, WWII, Dance.

Saturday:  Nickel Bingo, Games

Sunday:  Couples Pool.

Those are regular activites with special events added in. The Dance on Friday nights is always live music.

A constant round of activities from which you can partake or ignore.  The resort at Country Side, as I remember, had more golf aficionados with there own, home-made golf course on vacant land across from the resort. Snake Hole Golf Course was blogged here January 13, 2011, if you wish to see it.

In 2008, we rented a less fancy place for $250 a month in Yuma to have my dental work done.  For us, we move in for a week or two, partake and leave. But, for those who like a permanent address for six months of the year for good weather and fun?  The choices are endless, and golden agers have found the fountain of youth. Exercise, friends, social contacts, sunshine, economy and bring your pet if you have one.

SETTLING IN

We woke up to a cute little bird sitting on our mirror, looking very fat and happy. After packing things in for travel mode, we moved a short distance to Golden Sun RV Resort. We looked in at the rec center, 8 pool tables, swimming pool and spa, a large exercise room, a huge library, a card room, ceramics room and many planned activities including  live music dances on Saturday nights. They have planned hikes, excursions, golf nearby and volunteers pick seasonal fruit for local food banks. They serve dinners and breakfasts every weekend.

Trade books,  stored in the Bronco, came out of hiding. Found two Anita Shreves and picked three new authors to try since the price is a simple trade.

Apache Junction’s post office is the biggest I’ve ever seen. I waited in line for twenty minutes to pick up one piece of mail. I got the scoop later in the evening from Nancy and Tom who shared a table with us at the Moose for their Friday night fish & Chips.

“I used to be a snowbird, said Tom. Now I live here.  Any business we have, we take care of  in the summer otherwise you wait in lines all over  town. The snowbird invasion.”  He chuckled. Locals love it and hate it. Great for business but, inconvenience comes with it.

Tom recommended several places to eat. He seems to know them all.

Today, I’ll contact  friends and relatives I hope to see.

 

LUNCH IN ALGODONES

This is a sign you can understand in any language and not one we see much. Algodones, Mexico, about five miles West of Yuma  is reputed to have the highest density of dentists, pharmacies, doctors and opticians in a four block area,  than any similar four block area  in the world.

Hawkers reach out and offer to guide you to a dentist, doctor, etc.  every step of the way. Not that you need guidance, every other sign is for one or the other.  For most of them you don’t need an appointment. We arrived at 9:00 a.m. to be first in the door to Denny Salinas’ office, except, he was no longer at the same address as our last visit in 2009.  A young woman named Bettina walked us several blocks away to his fancy new digs. We learned you now need an appointment. But, as a former  customer,  he took a look at a problem I was having with an implant he did and fitted me in for ex-rays and a diagnosis.

We walked around town to look around. People, many recognizable “snowbirds”, were sitting in a busy square sunning themselves and  listening to a very good musician play several types of flute. Hauntingly beautiful sounds I recognized from Peruvian culture.

His partner was selling  his very popular CD’s. I could have stayed an listened for an hour.

The spray can artists were also working the square. They can do amazing things with spray paint and a piece of paper, rubbing the paint on then quickly drying it with a hair dryer. Jim cautioned this guy waving  a cigarette near the painters  but he laughed and defied the notion that a cigarette around all of those chemicals was in danger of exploding or starting a fire.  Popular pieces are the television dishes snowbirds have on their RV’s. In fact, Algodones depends so much on Canadian and American tourists they have a closed-street block party in December welcoming snowbirds  back to Algodones.

In our motor home we don’t have room to buy “stuff” but I like to look, anyway. People buy cheap drugs and liquor here as well. I got a bottle of vodka.

We like an open restaurant, hole-in-the wall type, that starts you off with three  kinds of salsa  a red, a green, both hot and home-made. Then avocado salsa,  sour cream, limes,  and chips.  A plate with tomatoes, onion, cilantro and shredded cabbage.  They cook their meats on a charcoal grill in front of their place. I tell you that because I haven’t a clue what the name of the place is if you go.

The food is always good and cheap, $5 for a whole chicken with rice and beans. Jim took a small portion. I ordered four tacos forgetting that they fill them really full of meat. Our two meals with Tecates cost us $13.00. The Tecate is good with a squeeze of lime in it. I never have this much fun when I go to my dentist in Murphys, doncha know!

Jim likes to go early so we get back across the border before the crowds line up. We didn’t make it. I didn’t mind at all talking to other folks in line. It was about a twenty-minute wait before we went through the friendly immigration inspection.

Something new since our last visit, for $5 you can be driven over in the yellow cart  and skip the line. The drug sniffing dog sniffs the cart and all the cars, too.