November was Busy!
Jan often describes Quartzsite as an adult playground where you can play yourself to death. It’s true! We have been really busy ever since we arrived.
We have been back and forth to Los Algodones, Mexico, a number of times for dental appointments. Of course we added a bit of shopping and dining to the trip. On my birthday we had lunch with several sisters from the Branch at Olive garden, then Jan took me out for a birthday dinner at the Riverside Grill in Yuma, where we dined under the stars. Yup, I was spoiled! I also got a special birthday present. I haven’t seen Cracker Jacks in a long time, so it was a real treat.
I’ve heard of Desert Golf, but never played. A group of friends introduced us to the Quartzsite version, and it was a blast! You play with one iron, and always use a tee. There are a lot of rocks on the course, so even a straight shot can suddenly bounce your ball in any direction. There are also lots of bushes to hide the ball, so using a colorful ball is mandatory. The “green” consists of a pin flag, with a small trench dug around it. When the ball gets on the “green” you‘re done. So much fun!
There is a family of bobcats in the park. No one has an exact number, but some think there are two adults and two young ones. with the high number of quail and bunnies, this is apparently a happy hunting ground, so the photos we’ve seen show some very plump bobcats. The quail population is very definitely reduced from last year. There are also fewer bunnies, which is very sad.
Ever since we arrived, there have been two little bunnies visiting us on a regular basis. Someone in the past has fed them, because They have no fear of humans, and they are VERY persistent beggars for carrots! One little guy, Spot, for the dark spot on his/her nose, almost touched Jan’s foot one day, looking for carrots. We have had two special bunnies visiting us almost every day.
However, one bobcat has been seen in our little neighborhood recently. We haven’t seen Spot in 5 days, and the other bunny hasn’t shown up in 3 days. We are hoping they will show up, but they may have ended up as bobcat dinner. I’ll post if they show up.
I finally got a different pressure washer. Last week I tried it out on Big Red. After some online research, I found some really good wash chemicals to use, and they really do clean better. The boy sparkles after a “spa” treatment. It really gets the dust off.
Another activity we experienced is going rock hounding. Jan was really excited, ‘cause she has always loved collecting rocks! We followed the rock club out to a location, an old surface mine. Unfortunately, we also acquired some significant scratches that will require some attention at a body shop. Desert bushes definitely leave marks! While out there, Jan found some keepers. I have no idea what kind of rocks they are, but we came back with a bunch. she plans to cut and/or polish a couple at the rock club in the near future. If we go again, Big Red isn’t going! Lesson learned.
We spent Thanksgiving with our favorite friends, Mike & Mary, in north Las Vegas. We had a great time catching up, since we hadn’t seen them since last Christmas. I spatchcocked a turkey on our Traeger, and there were lots of goodies to go with it. Before leaving I went with Mike to drop off all the materials for their booth at the Cowboy Country Christmas for the National Finals Rodeo. While out shopping Jan modeled a hat for me.
The park has restarted Wednesday night jam night and Sunday night gospel jam nights. Jan did a duet this last Sunday. I missed them, but got a couple shots of the evening. Lots of music here in the park!
To kick off December Jan got us tickets for the world premier of The Chosen Christmas Special on December 1st down in Phoenix, at am AMC theater, with the big cushy seats. The place was 80% full. It was an amazing evening of music, a movie of The Messengers, followed by some monologues and more music. If you follow The Chosen, you can imagine the experience we had that evening.