A Single Bypass

No, not what you think. Last night a group of us went to the Heart Attack Grill for dinner. Upon arrival, you are put into a hospital gown, fitted with a wristband and the attending nurse fills in your chart. I had "flatliner fries" (cooked in pure lard) and a single bypass (a burger with 1/2 lb of meat and 3 types of cheese) and to drink, a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Nothing healthy about this place, but the food and atmosphere was "to die for". If, and I say if, you can eat the quadruple bypass, you are wheeled out of diner in a wheelchair. Healty - no / fun - yes.

Just A Catchup

The coach still hasn't moved, but we did take the car and go to Jerome, Az last week. What a fun little town. Now, it's just a tourist attraction with cute little shops and eateries. Once is was a thriving mining town, then it was abandoned, next it was home to the hippies and artists (still quite a few living in the 60s and 70s) and now it's just a fun place to visit.

Survived Another Year

Eight of us went to the Arizona Opry (http://www.azopry.com/) last night for my Birthday dinner. This is the second time this year that we have gone and ejnoyed this performance as much as the first. It's a family operated BRANSON like dinner show. The lead performer and music director (George Staerkel) married into the family and is terribly talented. In his earlier life, he was the lead singer for a group called The Tokens. He was best know for his lead vocals in the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. He's not lost any range of vocals over the years. He also plays over 55 musical instruments. I'll have to give this show a thumbs up.

The Winnebago Hasn't Wandered

The coach stayed in Mesa but we took the PT and went to Las Vegas for a 4 day NASCAR weekend. Friday's practice and qualifying was cold and windy and Saturday's Nationwide race was not only cold and windy, but we had rain and the race was delayed a couple of hours. But then on Sunday, the weather was perfect for short sleeves. Cheryl went to her first race on Saturday and wasn't that thrilled. She said it was OK, but doesn't care to go again.
Now, the gambling part of the trip wasn't profitable at all, but had a good time non the less.
Now, we're back in Mesa for the duration of the winter, except for a few side trips with the PT. The weather has finally started to warm up so it will be "pool" time in the afternoons.

Rain and Wind Times 3

We have been inundated with rain and wind for the past week. And I mean RAIN and WIND. Yesterday we semi-survived the 60+ MPH winds and 3.54 inches of rain. The dining canopy bit the dust but everything else more or less survived. I have 2 of my wheel covers under the motorhome and as soon as it dries out, I will crawl underneath and retrieve them. The dining canopy was another story. During one extreme gust, it picked up and flew into the dog run. Twas a sight to see. Upon landing, it folded up like an accordian. The cover went into the trash today, and the metal framework went into a recycle bin.
There were several motorhomes that sank into the sand and are being towed out as I write this. Ours isn't one of them. I put pads under the jacks when we arrived and it helped. I will have to raise the jacks and reposition the pads, but that isn't a big deal. We had at least 4 tall palm trees that I know of that have toppled over. Thankfully, no RVs were damaged by them. Hopefully, the storm due late today and into tomorrow will be the last for awhile.
On the plus side, this area got their entire yearly rainfall in 3 days. There isn't any drought now.

Rim Rock Roamer Snowbird Potluck

Just a couple of pictures of the 1st annual RimRock Roamer Snowbird winter gathering in Mesa Arizona. We had 7 coaches represented, but there were several that were just a little too far away to make it for lunch. The weather was superb and as usual the potluck was wonderful.

After the potluck, we toured Val Vista Village with Bob and Judy to see if it was somewhere we might want to winter next year. It's another "mega park" and although the price is right, we're just not sure if we want another large park or if we want something a little smaller. The beauty is that we don't have to decide right now.

New Years Day

Another first today. New Years Day in a swimming pool. Now that's an interesting concept. It really wasn't a "Polar Bear" swim. The water was a cool 85 degrees, and the hot tub was a warm 102.