Apricity West 2

 March 12, 2022, Saturday

Another great dinner at T&J’s - huge pork chops marinated in beer and spices, garlic broccoli, and Healthy Harvest Blend mixture from Trader Joe’s. 

March 13, 2022, Sunday

Appetizers at our place for dinner hit the spot. We sat outside in the shade of an oleander bush. T&J came over and Marilyn (traveling alone with Casita) joined us. We found that there were several things we had in common. She has a degree in culinary arts (as does Rich) from Oregon State (where Jim went to college). She owned and managed restaurants (like Rich; journals daily as do Jim and I (blog); walks 3 miles twice a day and loves to bike ride; checks her Fitbit regularly to stay on track; knits socks; was a math teacher; has two sons, one of which flies cargo planes… That is what we learned about her so far and there is much more to find out - quite an interesting person. This is what I love about camping - meeting people from all over the country and learning their story. 

March 14, 2022, Monday

Finally, they figured out the food program at Harbottles and it was worth the wait. We had a delicious meat lovers pizza, but they also have pretzels, handmade chips, and more. Rich picked up their anniversary glass.

Afterwards we went to Safeway (our first trip into a grocery store since we have been in Tucson - we use Instacart) and then Goodwill where we donated a pair of crutches and a never-used immobilizer brace. Yay! 

 

March 15, 2022, Tuesday

Laundry day at Terri and Jim’s while they worked. Rich went to a local barber while I waited in their beautiful courtyard amongst fluttering hummingbirds and skittering lizards. Video in the body of this email…

Went to El Molinito Mexican restaurant for an early lunch. No dinner tonight.

It was 2 weeks ago today that I had my spill so have not walked any distance to speak of yet. Today with the temperature being 80, I pulled my bathing suit out and it still fit - praise God. Lacquered up with sunscreen and went across the way to the small pool where I was alone for a spell. It felt so good to just walk back and forth in the 4-foot deep section dozens of times. I found out later why no one else was in the pool - the heater was broken! Don’t forget in the desert the nights get cold. Although it felt cold, I must be used to cold New England water. 

 

We sat in the shade for a while with a cocktail in hand when we could hear the strains of a guitar across from us. John Randazzo is a Classical Contemproary guitar player whom we had met at the beef stew dinner a while back. He has a CD out called Bella Voce on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes. There is a short clip of video in the body of this email. We sat with him a while and chatted and listened, even sang along to House of the Rising Sun. He handed Rich his guitar to hold while he went to get his business card, “Don’t drop it! It’s a $5500 guitar and can’t be replaced!” Ugh!

Video in the body of this email…

A new neighbor from Iowa pulled in next to us today - Dave. He was a teacher who retired at 55 with his wife, Cynthia, and they are full-time campers now. An avid bicyclist, he chose this RV park because of the bike trail nearby. Yes, we warned him about loose gravel on the road to the bike path! His wife will be here soon as she is visiting their son in Rockport, CT. Their daughter is in Germany with her new young family and they visit there often.

Ready for any ride… Cynthia arrived. 

March 16, 2022, Wednesday

Lily has a large clump of matted hair on the top of her chest. We are trying to clip out a little at a time - me with plastic gloves and a face mask.

This is a section off of Interstate 10 that we drive by frequently. I am amazed at all of the new homes under construction and then there is another plot of land that is all leveled with piping going in. 

My line dance teacher from North Ranch emails new dances to me. They had their teacher appreciation party recently and this is the crew I danced with. Miss them and the activity so much.

March 17, 2022, Thursday 

Had a nice visit with Marilyn today. We are glad she fits us into her detailed schedule and stops over when she sees us outside. It is always a lively conversation covering numerous topics of interest. 

 

Allergies have settled down with Claritin and Benadryl. If I do have symptoms, I chew a homeopathic pill. Leg is feeling great… arm scab has mostly fallen off, but is itching like crazy. Thankfully, that is the worst of it now.