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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Good day family and friends!
New visits – old scenes! Once again we are in Yuma, AZ. We arrived on Friday, after checkout time since we had forgotten about adding an hour to our clocks. “Robert”, on security, placed us on the “fishy” side of the park on Striper St. (The eastern streets are birds, the western – fish. “Striper” isn’t too bad…we could have been on “Crappie” street.)

On Saturday, though warm, we had rain showers most of the day so we trucked to two outdoor flea markets, and then wandered through Walmart. Back at Rivers Edge RV we met some of our neighbours – Prairie folk from Ponoka, AB, Calgary, Medicine Hat, and Manitoba. Their rigs are massive, and our 20 foot Truck House looks more suited to be their towed vehicle!

Neighbour from Medicine Hat

No WiFi at all anymore at Rivers Edge, and T-Mobile is too weak. (Besides, in 2 days it ran through 1.4 GB of my allotted 4 GB of LTE speeds.) On Sunday’s cycling we discovered that the tourist info about a 10 minute ride away has wifi, so we can communicate – with exercise!

Biking the canal

Previous blog notes describe our bike rides (e.g. on the canal) but I have discovered a new place of interest. Outside the laundromat on Sunday, a gentleman from Vernon – Neil – was carving some cottonwood bark while he waited for his clothes to dry. Since carving is now a huge part of my woodworking experiences, (you’ve seen my rocking horse and reindeer, have you not?), I showed interest, and he pointed me towards a community woodworking group in the old town area on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So, on yesterday’s ride we found the place (a rather out-of-the way Community Rec Centre near the old Yuma Prison with some wanderers about), and Sandy chatted up some of the transients and bike-sat while I spent almost an hour inside getting info from carvers, and purchasing a new Flexcut carving knife, a honing board, and some basswood chunks. Sandy wasn’t quite as excited about this stop! This will give me alternative activity to reading when we finish our cycling, fishing and kayaking hours a Squaw Lake later this week.

Is Sandy having a good time? I’m glad you asked! She is! As you all know, she is an organized soul, and one of the purchases at a Walmart visit on Saturday was a magazine rack. Back at Rivers Edge, she was ecstatic when I mounted this rack above a window, and she re-organized her maps and brochures to fit into this rack. She sure is easy to please! And what will Sandy be doing while I am whittling??? – why organizing our 8’ home of course – an almost endless task with my careless “strewing” habits. (It is my duty, and pleasure to keep her happy!)

The magazine rack

And, on the exciting newscast…as of Sunday night we now have a new Grandniece – Mavie Lou Hancock – daughter of Brett and Ricki. She follows closely after another new Grandnephew – Theodore McIntyre, born on February 22, son of Laura and Allen. Welcome to our world little ones!
Much love and best wishes to all,

Tony, the Whittler, and Sandy, the Tidier (who tidies, even whilst I type!)