January, 2006
2006!!! Where does the time go? We’re into our 6th year of “fulltiming,� and it has passed
by us in a “flash of time.�
On January 1st, we said good-by to our good friends, the Dews, in the Toledo area and drove back to
Marysville, OH. We spent another fun day playing with our granddaughters, then on January 3rd, we
drove the girls to school, returned our rental car and went to the airport for our flight back to Phoenix.
Palm Creek friends, Cathy and Peter Nichita, met us at Sky Harbor and we caught up on Arizona
happenings while waiting for our luggage to arrive on the next flight. We had been at the Columbus and
Dallas airports in time to catch earlier flights, but the bags did not.
Back at Palm Creek we were immediately drawn into the activity schedule. We now have several
regularly scheduled bridge, golf and tennis dates each week, with an “odd event� and an evening
of games thrown in every once in a while. The tennis club had a social one evening where we were to
each bring a pot of homemade soup. Amazingly we had only one duplicate flavor in over 20 pots of
soup…quite tasty!
We had visitors in the park one afternoon…the Budweiser Clydesdales were in the area and made
Palm Creek one of their stops. Three semi-trailers arrived, housing the eight horses and their stalls, the
wagon, all the supplies and equipment, and of course the Dalmatian mascot. It was quite a project to
get all the horses groomed and ready and hitched up to the wagon for ride around the park (complete
with accompanying music).
by us in a “flash of time.�
On January 1st, we said good-by to our good friends, the Dews, in the Toledo area and drove back to
Marysville, OH. We spent another fun day playing with our granddaughters, then on January 3rd, we
drove the girls to school, returned our rental car and went to the airport for our flight back to Phoenix.
Palm Creek friends, Cathy and Peter Nichita, met us at Sky Harbor and we caught up on Arizona
happenings while waiting for our luggage to arrive on the next flight. We had been at the Columbus and
Dallas airports in time to catch earlier flights, but the bags did not.
Back at Palm Creek we were immediately drawn into the activity schedule. We now have several
regularly scheduled bridge, golf and tennis dates each week, with an “odd event� and an evening
of games thrown in every once in a while. The tennis club had a social one evening where we were to
each bring a pot of homemade soup. Amazingly we had only one duplicate flavor in over 20 pots of
soup…quite tasty!
We had visitors in the park one afternoon…the Budweiser Clydesdales were in the area and made
Palm Creek one of their stops. Three semi-trailers arrived, housing the eight horses and their stalls, the
wagon, all the supplies and equipment, and of course the Dalmatian mascot. It was quite a project to
get all the horses groomed and ready and hitched up to the wagon for ride around the park (complete
with accompanying music).
The Arizona State University Women’s
Tennis Team came to Palm Creek one day for a
demonstration. It was amazing how fast they
move and the strength they put into their shots.
Several weeks later a group of us went to the
ASU campus in Tempe and watched their first
varsity match. The ASU team was ranked #26,
and they “whomped� the 3rd ranked team
from Texas, with about 30 adopted grandparents
cheering them from the stands. After the match,
a group of us went to eat at the “Organ Stop
Pizza.� The restaurant is known for its giant
Wurlitzer theater organ and pipes that fill the
building, along with a lot of other instruments that
are controlled by the organist. It was quite a show
Tennis Team came to Palm Creek one day for a
demonstration. It was amazing how fast they
move and the strength they put into their shots.
Several weeks later a group of us went to the
ASU campus in Tempe and watched their first
varsity match. The ASU team was ranked #26,
and they “whomped� the 3rd ranked team
from Texas, with about 30 adopted grandparents
cheering them from the stands. After the match,
a group of us went to eat at the “Organ Stop
Pizza.� The restaurant is known for its giant
Wurlitzer theater organ and pipes that fill the
building, along with a lot of other instruments that
are controlled by the organist. It was quite a show
On Sunday, January 22 we packed up the motor home and drove the rig to
Gila Bend, Arizona where we parked in rows at the Elks Club along with 80
other Newmar rigs. We enjoyed a catered chicken dinner and meeting up
with acquaintances we hadn’t seen in quite a while. Early on Monday,
one row at a time – every 20 minutes – all of us headed south to Ajo and
Why, AZ and then into Mexico.
After driving through Sonoyta, it was another 60 miles to Puerto Penasco and
the Playa Bonita Resort and RV Park. The sites are “tight� but we
ended up with a view to the Sea of Cortez from our front window and backed
up to several couples that we had become acquainted with through our
websites and the Newmar group. Our week stay at the beach had been â
€œloosely organizedâ€� allowing us plenty of free time to enjoy the
surroundings and friends.
Gila Bend, Arizona where we parked in rows at the Elks Club along with 80
other Newmar rigs. We enjoyed a catered chicken dinner and meeting up
with acquaintances we hadn’t seen in quite a while. Early on Monday,
one row at a time – every 20 minutes – all of us headed south to Ajo and
Why, AZ and then into Mexico.
After driving through Sonoyta, it was another 60 miles to Puerto Penasco and
the Playa Bonita Resort and RV Park. The sites are “tight� but we
ended up with a view to the Sea of Cortez from our front window and backed
up to several couples that we had become acquainted with through our
websites and the Newmar group. Our week stay at the beach had been â
€œloosely organizedâ€� allowing us plenty of free time to enjoy the
surroundings and friends.
On Monday night we attended a happy hour and Mexican
Sampler dinner at the Resort’s restaurant where we
enjoyed the margaritas and entertainment as well. We
joined one of several small 6-car caravans on Tuesday to
tour the town. The guide used Walkie-Talkies to point out
various restaurants, markets and landmarks. We
stopped to visit a “hole-in-the-wall� bakery where
they were baking bread in a long narrow brick oven. A
stop in a “shopping district� found us in lots of tiny
shops selling the usual pottery, blankets and trinkets.
After the tour, we drove back to the fish markets and
bought some fresh shrimp and scallops. Then in the late
afternoon, we gathered with Rich and Diane Emond,
Norm and Linda Payne and Jim and Mary Hepold for a â
€œracletteâ€� dinner. Rich and Diane have a â
€œraclette grillâ€� which has a stone griddle on the top
and insertable paddles below the heating element. We
placed raclette cheese in the paddles to melt and cut up
pieces of shrimp, scallops, chicken and sirloin along with
assorted vegetables on the griddle. We poured the
melted cheese over red potatoes that Linda and Diane
had cooked inside. The grill was fairly small, so we
enjoyed a “slow and easy� dinner hour as we
visited, cooked and ate with our friends.
Sampler dinner at the Resort’s restaurant where we
enjoyed the margaritas and entertainment as well. We
joined one of several small 6-car caravans on Tuesday to
tour the town. The guide used Walkie-Talkies to point out
various restaurants, markets and landmarks. We
stopped to visit a “hole-in-the-wall� bakery where
they were baking bread in a long narrow brick oven. A
stop in a “shopping district� found us in lots of tiny
shops selling the usual pottery, blankets and trinkets.
After the tour, we drove back to the fish markets and
bought some fresh shrimp and scallops. Then in the late
afternoon, we gathered with Rich and Diane Emond,
Norm and Linda Payne and Jim and Mary Hepold for a â
€œracletteâ€� dinner. Rich and Diane have a â
€œraclette grillâ€� which has a stone griddle on the top
and insertable paddles below the heating element. We
placed raclette cheese in the paddles to melt and cut up
pieces of shrimp, scallops, chicken and sirloin along with
assorted vegetables on the griddle. We poured the
melted cheese over red potatoes that Linda and Diane
had cooked inside. The grill was fairly small, so we
enjoyed a “slow and easy� dinner hour as we
visited, cooked and ate with our friends.
The rest of the week was a pretty leisurely one. We walked along the
beach and although it was cool, we sat in the sunshine. On a trip to â
€œOld Townâ€� we did some shopping in the native markets,
spending most of our money on fresh seafood…yum! The guys
supervised the washing and waxing of the rigs…work done by locals
and $66 for a total job on our 40-foot rig. By the end of the week most
of the Newmar coaches were a quite shiny group. And of course, there
were the happy hours on the “Veranda.� Our “rally fee�
included some entertainment and several “surf and turf�
dinners, the Mexican buffet and a great Sunday brunch in the RV
Resort’s restaurant. The wait staff did a great job with our large
group and were quite entertaining themselves. On Friday night our
little group of 8 went out to eat at a restaurant high on the rocks
overlooking the bay and the old section of town. We had a beautiful
view and a fantastic dinner. Our final group dinner included the chance
to break the traditional piñata. On Sunday night we had our final
delicious seafood cook-out while watching the sunset on the beach
and on Monday morning we gave out our good-by hugs and headed
back to Arizona with a week full of great memories.
beach and although it was cool, we sat in the sunshine. On a trip to â
€œOld Townâ€� we did some shopping in the native markets,
spending most of our money on fresh seafood…yum! The guys
supervised the washing and waxing of the rigs…work done by locals
and $66 for a total job on our 40-foot rig. By the end of the week most
of the Newmar coaches were a quite shiny group. And of course, there
were the happy hours on the “Veranda.� Our “rally fee�
included some entertainment and several “surf and turf�
dinners, the Mexican buffet and a great Sunday brunch in the RV
Resort’s restaurant. The wait staff did a great job with our large
group and were quite entertaining themselves. On Friday night our
little group of 8 went out to eat at a restaurant high on the rocks
overlooking the bay and the old section of town. We had a beautiful
view and a fantastic dinner. Our final group dinner included the chance
to break the traditional piñata. On Sunday night we had our final
delicious seafood cook-out while watching the sunset on the beach
and on Monday morning we gave out our good-by hugs and headed
back to Arizona with a week full of great memories.
Crossing back into Arizona on January 30 from Mexico was no problem,
other than the gates at the Border Patrol were not designed for wide-body
RVs. We passed through ever so slowly - watching the sides and mirrors
carefully. Just north of the border, we stopped at the Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument. We took in the informational slide show, viewed the
exhibits and attended a ranger program. We’d had trouble starting our
car when we were getting ready to leave the campground earlier in the day,
so decided against unhooking it from the rig and taking the scenic drive in
the park. Other than the unique species of fish that live in the park’s
ponds, driving north on Highway 85 to connect to I-8 in Gila Bend we could
see much of the same plant and animal life.
We arrived back in Palm Creek just in time to get all set up in our site before
dark. We spent the last day of the month doing chores to get us settled once
again for a long stay.
other than the gates at the Border Patrol were not designed for wide-body
RVs. We passed through ever so slowly - watching the sides and mirrors
carefully. Just north of the border, we stopped at the Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument. We took in the informational slide show, viewed the
exhibits and attended a ranger program. We’d had trouble starting our
car when we were getting ready to leave the campground earlier in the day,
so decided against unhooking it from the rig and taking the scenic drive in
the park. Other than the unique species of fish that live in the park’s
ponds, driving north on Highway 85 to connect to I-8 in Gila Bend we could
see much of the same plant and animal life.
We arrived back in Palm Creek just in time to get all set up in our site before
dark. We spent the last day of the month doing chores to get us settled once
again for a long stay.
The Budweiser Clydesdales paraded
tall and proud through our park.
tall and proud through our park.
The Mighty Wurlitzer sits in the center of the dining
room at Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ, surrounded
by the banks of pipes.
room at Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, AZ, surrounded
by the banks of pipes.
The Palm Creek Fan Club doing "the wave" at the
ASU Women's Tennis Match
ASU Women's Tennis Match
Our Mexico "buddies"...the Emonds (left), the
Paynes (top) and the Harpolds (below)
Paynes (top) and the Harpolds (below)
The baker checking the brick oven.
Cooking dinner with our "buddies."
A view across the bay from the Casa Del
Capitan restaurant to the Playa Bonita
RV Park on the beach.
Capitan restaurant to the Playa Bonita
RV Park on the beach.
Our group enjoying dinner at the
park cantina.
park cantina.
Mary Harpold and Mary
hugging the pinata before its
demise.
hugging the pinata before its
demise.
Happy hour on the veranda.
Sunset at the beach on the Sea of Cortez.
Mary with a "namesake" at the Organ Pipe
Cactus National Monument
Cactus National Monument