JUST RIGHT

We moved back to Palm Springs TT on Saturday morning. There were only two site available when we arrived. This corner site was the first one we pulled into but it was very short and there was no where for us to park our car. This fifth wheel parked here later and as you can see he has parked his truck on the road.

This was the next site we pulled into and we had to stay over because of the electrical box in the back. The coach slanted to the left a lot so with several layers of blocks under the left tires we got the coach so it was even. We had room to park the car beside the coach, but found out it was so close to the door we could hardly get in or out.
Sunday morning a site opened up across the road so we were on the move again. Unfortunately it was up the road and we had to pull out going down. To get into the site you had to be facing the other direction. Remember how that fifth wheel had its truck parked on the road at the corner, Larry couldn't make the turn to come back up so he had to drive up and down two other roads to make a left turn back up this road. This is a very tight park and driving up and down the road is challenging. We fit into this site a little better but still there wasn't much room for the car. The sewer cap had been run over and was stuck down in it, so it wasn't usable. We would need to dump since we are here for the next three weeks.

Now there was one more empty site a few spaces further up. So we reported the damaged sewer and moved to the next site. WE FIT, even the car can park in front or beside the RV, so we know have a new home. I began to feel like Goldilocks and the three bears.

Taking about bears when we moved to this site there was the light on the left in front of this fifth wheel. We had been moving our things from one site to another all morning so I thought it was ours and moved it in front of our RV. When I went back to get some more of our things from the last site there sat our light. Who would have thought there were two identical lights! The man in the fifth wheel wondered what was up when he saw me moving his light. They had purchased it here two years ago and we got ours at the craft sale last week.

Kathy I thought of you when I saw this wash cloth towel bunny at the craft sale. Have you ever made these for your shut ins? How cute and simple.

We have set up each week at the craft show. Saturday ( after getting parked) it was a little slow so Larry detailed our car. Only problem Saturday night the desert had wind storms and the car was covered with dust. It was so thick you could hardly see out of the windsheild. The California duster took care of it with no problem. The dust in the air on Sunday was unbelievable. The air was real hazy, you couldn't see the mountains and several roads were shut because of poor visibility.

I'll stop this complaining and leave you with a beautiful sunset. We had several evenings last week that the sunset were spectacular.

ENTERTAINMENT

This was entertainment week here at Indian Waters. You had to get tickets ahead ($5.00), so Larry picked up two tickets for Wednesday's show, Laughing Bird. They were very talented, energetic, funny and entertaining. He played many musical instruments and she did most of the singing ( and she played the spoons). They will be at Orlando TT on March 19 so I hope our Florida friends can go see them.

Thursday night concert was by donation. Sarah Getto was born blind and with a cleft lip and palate. She taught herself to play the piano at age 3 and the violin at age 6. She went to regular school and college and has a teaching degree in music. Her father was her MC and was obviously very proud and supportive of her. They are travelling in her RV, of course she is not the driver. As he said can you imagine the faith the bank had that gave her a loan to purchase an RV - a blind girl with no job. She had a very nice voice and I was glad to purchase her CD.

Saturday night entertainment at Palm Springs TT was Sandi Castleberry and Don Reed. They had a very good turn out. We stood on the porch for the first part of their show. We enjoyed the guitar playing more then her singing. The quality wasn't what we had seen the last two nights.

I hadn't had my hair cut for awhile and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it a little longer or get it cut. But on Friday I went back to Coachella valley Beauty college and had my hair colored and cut. ($35). I think she did a nice job.

Larry had an appointment at the VA in Riverside this week, so on the way home we stopped at the Morongo Casino. It is one of the larger Casinos in the area. We got a free lunch buffet and then we played poker on the machine. They gave us no free money to play with so we gambled with our own money. We each played $5. He walked away with 15 cents and I ended with $6.75. So for a couple of hours of fun and a nice lunch buffet we spent $5 with tip and all.

Last Sunday on our way to Indian Waters we stopped at Agua Caliente Casino. It was very crowded for they were giving away some big drawing. They didn't have any meal or free play offer, so we didn't stay. But before we left we went and bought tickets to go see Jeff Dunham on Feb. 26. They only had a few seats left so we were glad we stopped. Of course I realized after we purchased them we were leaving the area on the 19th, so I had to book us into Wilderness Lake for that week and we will have to park the RV some where that night before we head to Verde Valley.

AN ADVENTURE!

We left Wilderness Lake on Sunday morning and drove to Palm Springs. We didn't have a place to park on Sunday night because our reservation at Indian Waters didn't start till Monday. Luckily we were able to pull into Palm Springs TT for the night. The best part of this stop was we ran into Louise and Smitty. We hadn't seen or heard from them since they pulled out of Orlando to purchase their Phaeton two years ago. They are vending Coil and Wrap and had just done the FMCA rally at Indio and were on their way to Quartzite. Smitty still enjoys a game of pickleball.On Tuesday 18 of us took a 5 mile hike to the "Grotto".

The hike was here at Mecca. Driving here we saw acres of lettuce and amazing geology.

Larry stayed at TT and played pickleball while I went on the hike. Louise went with me and I was so glad we had the time to visit. The metal post she is standing beside were the trail markers.

When we parked there were many horse trailers. It was a horse club going on a ride. There were 28 of them. We wished we were on horses by the end of the hike.

We started up the trail and into the canyon.

We were almost to the top.

I didn't realize we were so close to the Salton Sea.

Resting and enjoying the view after our climb up the trail.

The trail we had to go down to the Canyon floor. (What we didn't think about was we had to climb back up it when we returned!)

We spy the horses on the ridge. It reminded us of a movie and you see the Indians in the distance.

The horses coming down the trail. The only problem the women were using the bush at the bottom as the outdoor restroom (oops, I think those riders were just mooned)

We started our walk on the Canyon floor. The only problem the horses went left and we went right. After walking about a mile we didn't see any of the landmarks or markers we were suppose to be seeing and realized we should have also gone left. So we added a few miles to this hike!

Shade at last! It was an unusually hot day, upper 80's and it was past noon by now. But after a little lunch and rest we were ready to continue our hike to the grotto.

The entrance to the cave. You had to climb over the rocks, across a plank, and down a rope. No way! So this was as far as most of us went.

We dragged ourselves up the trail, a long hot tiring mile climb. I wasn't sure we were going to make it back. One foot in front of the other, a little water, and climb some more.

We all made it back safe and sound. Next time just going to the top and the view of the Sultan Sea would be enough. Lynn, our hike organizer told us he hadn't done this hike before (our first warning!) An easy dinner, a shower and it was early to bed for me.

WATER, WATER

On Saturday I went over to Diamond Valley Lake visitor center in Hemet. Larry and I had taken a 5 mile hike here yesterday and I wanted to go back and go through the visitor center.

This is Southern California's largest freshwater reservoir.

The visitor center had many interactive displays all about water and conservation of this resource.

You are under the pond, kinda neat.

A clever way to show how everything we eat needs water. What an educational tool, I guess I still have that teacher outlook. The water gallons were on Velcro and you had to put them next to the items from the hamburger that shows much water it takes to grow or make it.

This big hamburger then gave you the correct answer for water used for each item.

This map told about the aqueduct system throughout California. You pushed a button and it lit up and it told about it. It was very interesting.

When I left the visitor center at 4 o'clock this man had two large telescopes set up. He was the president of the Riverside Astronomical Society and they were having a sky watch that night. From the telescope beside him I was able to look at the sun. Wow, never saw the sun like that before.

From this telescope I looked at the moon. It looked just like pictures you see of it in a magazine. I could see the creators on it.

It was a clear beautiful night so I hope they had a great turn out. He said they often get about 300 people.

We didn't go because there was country dance at Wilderness Lake TT that evening. I had been teaching line dancing all week and we knew some of the line dancing that were called, but the group that came in from the surrounding area knew a lot more and it was definite their dance.

CATS AND BIRDS

I spent two evenings putting this puzzle together. The cats and boxes went together quickly, but there was just too much blue!

On an evening walk at Wilderness Lakes you get to see many different birds (and all day long). There are many mallard ducks.

There are at least four blue herons making their home here. One couple has a big nest in a tree by the pickleball court . It is something to see them flying around and landing in the tree tops.

There were several of these birds along the water ways. MaryAlice is it a kingfisher?

And there are lots of little birds.

I believe this is an egret. Another bird we see all the time flying or wading around here.