Snow Bird Lifestyle at it's Best...Arizona!

Living Room

Honestly, after all these years I feel like a native here in Tucson while I know I am a native Oregonian.  Oregon is full of family and a neighborhood that is close and supportive. Arizona winters are all about another set of friends, golf and restoring old houses. (We are only on our 2nd house so that is something new. We live in them so the restoration fills our days.) When we're here, we miss there and when we're there, we miss here..

The home we own in Arizona is bigger (4 bedrooms) than the one we own in Oregon for a reason. Now we can actually have family visit and everyone can have their own space. They live near us in Oregon. It is turning out to be perfect.

Our home is located on the 5th green at a golf course called Rolling Hills. It is a beautiful Santa Fe style home that is 50 years old. We are cleaning up the yard and the interior. We still need to replace bathroom sinks but they function. It is not perfect but it works beautifully.

Family Room

So the question that is in my mind now is 'Should we make the Arizona home a summer Airbnb? The idea seems so appealing to me. Should we set up that process? May, June and September are wonderful hot summer months with cheap golfing on world class courses. What do you think?

Do you know anything about how that works? I want to hear from you...links, personal thoughts, etc. 

Thank you for listening...it is just a thought! Have a beautiful day!

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Awkward Retirement or Are You a Bob or a Barbara

Barbara

I see that Bob Lowery over at Satisfying Retirement is writing about the daily life of a retiree. He has a huge readership so I am sure many people are taking note. That is a good thing.

I know Bob and his wife and have spent time with them. I think that he and I are pole opposites in that he likes a plan and I like a life lived willy nilly! I am sure that he finds me totally unorganized and a little bewildering.

My garden reflect my thought process. It is a scattered mass of this and that. Plants from friends, day lilies here and there and one single specimen when ten would have been much better. The truth is I really have no idea how to go about organizing my garden other than getting the things I regards as weeds out. Otherwise I am just happy stepping over and among the lilly and dying snapdragons.

Retirement for me is a lot like that. We leave when we want, come home when we are tired. Our vacations, even in foreign countries, not scheduled and agenda-ed. If we want to walk we walk. On our arrival we look at postcards (thank you for the idea Norah) and see what every tourist is visiting. Then we pick what appeals to us.

I can count the "guided tours" we have taken in museums or around town on one hand.

The question is probably "Aren't you missing stuff?" Yes, I think we are but I wouldn't change anything at all. We find more than we miss by far. Even in our daily life I know people are doing things I should do or even would like to do and I am a little envious. But not enough to prompt me to change.

Retirement for us is about the people both old and young. It is about good books, learning to put down ceramic tile and trying cold brewed coffee. I certainly don't feel the need to change the world so I don't think anyone is impressed with the ease with which my husband and I approach every day.

I, on the other hand, am impressed with the things that other's do. Bob is making retirement a huge success and I love that. He started blogging long after I had taken the pursuit up. He surpassed me within a few months. The fact that he asked me a few things about our retirement lifestyle and included an article by me in his book made me happy.

So, now you have retired, what do you do with all that time? Are you a Bob or a Barbara? You tell me. I still have days when I feel lost but I have learned to adapt and have a plan for when that happens. I suppose Bob feels a little frustrated when his plans for the day don't work out. I would follow that he too has a plan.

So, if you are retired, how do you spend your day? I am interested.

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Read other post about the retirement lifestyle here on this blog:

12 Posts about A Day in the Life of a Retiree.

2017 Version of Retirement Lifestyle

An Interview with me by Bob Lowery

Living the Future (I think this was is very good.)

Living on the View

My new hat...a
nice change!

My husband and I rented a little house when we were first married and the view from every window was absolutely spectacular. My husband was still in college and I was working in a tiny town teaching 4th grade.

The old farm house had an oil stove and walls so thin that the slightest touch would put a hole in the wall paper. There were pine wood floors throughout and the kitchen was designed for a table large enough to feed a big family. It sat on a country gravel road. The river was a short walk away. We lived in the middle of an orchard.

In all ways it was the perfect "house". My mother absolutely loved it. She was sitting with us in the front yard under the giant tree drinking coffee one morning when she began talking about all those things that made the old house perfect...the view, the orchard, the river and of course, that big kitchen with room for lots of children.

That was when my quiet father said "But, Agnes, they cannot live on the view."

See the thing was, the place was perfect but I thought it was in the wrong place! I agreed with my father. I didn't think we could make a living so we could support our family. Yet, my husband who is not connected with places nearly as much as I am was willing to stay and make it work for us somehow. He could hunt and fish, coach football and teach. It was perfect for him.

I often wonder if my ambition was actually his too. Or were we so connected that what I wanted and what he wanted were somehow the same. Oh, and we did move to a bigger town and my husband worked in that school system for a majority of his working career.

I often wonder what our life would have been like if I had been more content with what we had and had not always been looking over the fence at the adventure around the corner.

The view from my back patio here in the RV Resort.

So life goes on. We are getting ready to move to a new location here in Tucson, Arizona. We have always lived the six months we spend here in a very temporary way. Our park model is very nice and I love it but our needs and wants have changed as we age.

We have found a different place in a town house located near walking trails and just across from the pool of the townhouse complex. It is just down-at-the-ears enough to suit us. What keeps us going is the projects and change.

We will keep our friends here in the park because we are not going that far. We will keep our golfing world because the new location is closer to that place. We will keep so many things.

But the view...well that will not be the same. Our beautiful mountains that we see from two sides will not be there. As we grow older, I keep remembering what my father said. He was so right...living on the view is not enough.

Have a wonderful day.

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The Tiny House Movement Arizona Style

You know that tiny house in the woods, at the lake or even near the beach that you dreamed about when you were young? It was the one you wanted to share with your growing children on the weekend or even just in the summer or the winter. You didn't spend much on it if you actually bought it and eventually you sold it or turned it over to someone else in the family.

Now you have retired and you dream of spending the winter in a warmer climate but when you go online and begin to look at renting you know that the expense will be just too much for your budget. Where is that tiny house, the easy to own not permanent but just what you want for the next few years?  Believe it or not, in the southwest USA there is an equivalent that may be just what you are looking for.

 
My husband and I spend our winters in Tucson Arizona. Here in the desert where the temperature are very mild in winter, a group of seniors gather in park models we call "doll houses".  They are tiny houses that have been around for a very long time. They are called park models.

We play golf, swim in the pool, dance several times a month, play cards, create in workshops that meet our needs and live inexpensively.  For many of us this is our tiny house in the woods!

ABOUT TUCSON, AZ
We have chosen to settle down in a RV resort for the winters. Rincon Country East RV Resort is located on the the eastern edge of Tucson along the Pantano Wash. We are very near to Davis Monthan Air Force Base and the Saguaro National Park East. Views of mountains to the East and North remain largely unobstructed.  But the view to the west is the most important.  Anyone who has lived or visited Tucson will tell you the sunsets are the most spectacular you will ever see. 
 

Tucson is so beautiful. Even though it has a population nearing 1 million in the metro area, "The Old Pueblos" has managed to retain a very small town feel. Outdoor activities are abundant.

People in this resort hike and bicycle into the Saguaro National Park. Golfing is so close by that one is tempted to walk to the course and art galleries either at the base of the Catalina Mountain or in the art community located in Tubac provide some great opportunities to find just that perfect piece for your collection.

Fresh vegetables from nearby Mexico and California are abundant and relatively inexpensive. In fact, we find the cost of living to be very affordable.

There are two types of living arrangements in this resort.  You can come with your RV and rent a space or you can buy/rent a park model.  These very tiny houses are a little over 350 square feet and the wheel are stored underneath so they can be moved. That square footage does not include an Arizona room that can be a simple glassed in porch or an additional living space.  A large percentage of the spaces here are filled with these "park models" and many are for sale or rent.

Arizona Room Addition

If you are looking for the perfect location to spend your winters, the ones you have been dreaming about, come on down and join us. You will find the retirement lifestyle you have been dreaming about. 

We'll keep the cactus lit for you!

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Snowbirds: Heads Up! Winter IS Just Around the Corner!

January-March in Arizona

My mother would say about this time of year every year, "Winter is just around the corner!" and we would laugh. But, if you want to be a snowbird, the truth is winter is a lot nearer than you think. The time to plan for that experience is NOW.

Here on the blog stats I am seeing that the traveling people are beginning to think about this winter or even some winter in the future. They are visiting blog posts about the snowbird lifestyle. 

How To Be a 12 Month Snowbird is being visited this morning. As more and more people are changing their lifestyle later in life, they are wondering what the possibilities are. This article explains how people have figured out a way to move from one location to another for 12 months out of the year. I met someone that actually is doing that. 

I have found that HOW TO BE A SNOWBIRD...answers and lists! is always popular. It could be that what stops most people in their tracks is not where to go but how to actually make that dream come true. This article is helpful I think.

Then there is that anxiety about what it is going to feel like to leave children and grandchildren behind for an extended period of time. How Does it FEEL to be a Snowbird? takes you inside my world. Everyone is different but I suppose that my husband and I are pretty average when it comes to the "seasonal life". 

If you click on the tags that include travel, snowbird lifestyle or anything related to that subject you will find a lot of articles about how it all works.  On the left top corner of the blog you will find a small box with a search function. Type in what you are looking for and see what comes up. Don't forget to check the link under the header SNOWBIRD LIFE. (This list is not a complete as I would like but still it can be a help.)

If you are planning on going south next winter, this is the time to make the decisions about that journey. It is not hard. You can do it on the cheap or fly high. That is up to you. In an article titled Patterns Snowbirds Follow you can learn from other snowbirds decisions.

If you have questions, be sure to make a comment and then check back. I will give you information or look for a place where that information is available.

Have a great day!

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Patterns Snow Birds Follow...rent then buy!

RV parked in Mexico.

A friend that lives in Florida wrote me a note on my Facebook account today.  His comment was that people come to Florida for two or three month and repeat this pattern for a couple of years.  In the end they usually buy a park model or condo and come back to the same place every year. 

We see this same pattern in Arizona.  It would appear that snow birds are at home where ever they land! Here in Arizona those people that rent for two a three month and find they like the lifestyle will come back a second year, rent again and buy a park model during the second year.  Economics talk...it is simply cheaper to buy a park model in a RV resort and rent the lot than it is to rent a park model year after year.  If they are relatively wealthy they will buy a home or condo. Either way they can make themselves at home. There appears to be something for everyone.

It is very easy to make friends...activities in the resorts are so diverse that is you will find something that interests you.  Regional parties for those from the mid west or Canada, for example, give new comers an opportunity to find like minded people.  Pickle ball and bocci is very "age" friendly and a huge group of people participate.  These activities are great ice breakers.   And I believe that the pattern is repeated in every snow bird landing spot in America.  As my friend pointed out, geographical location does not change the course people will take during retirement. 

In our case we had traveled for nearly 9 years before we were ready to settle into one place.  But, in the end, we did what most snow birds do...we stayed in one place for two years, bought a park model, sold our RV and are spending 6 month of the year in Arizona.  We love it.

We are located in Rincon Country East RV Resort in Tucson, AZ.

It is all very interesting...the study of human nature.

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Do you act dumb so you will fit in? Retirement!

We live among a group of well read, highly educated people...but I often get the feeling that they are hiding their light under a bussel just so they will fit in.  Have you found that to be true with your friends?

For example, a lady I have lived close to for 5 years was the head of the Home Extension Service in her state working at her state university.  She seldom talks about her former life so I found this out by pure accident.  Last night we were talking about how she began pursuing her doctorate after she retired.  Are you impressed by that?  I know I am.

Jan and her Husband Hugh!

So tonight when a few friends had a wine tasting party, I began to think about how those of us that actually love a really good bottle of wine were put to the test.  I cannot help that I have tasted and judged whether I like or don't like a lot of wines. Tasting wine is a hobby. It is a part of my life experience.  The ridicule resonated in the group of people and the first prize was given to a bottle of blueberry wine. It was a lot of fun, we laughed a lot and the woman that won the prize with a $1.95 bottle of wine from Safeway was delighted.  You see, she said, you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a really good bottle of wine!  I just smiled.  I don't agree but I did care.

The connection between good wine and an accomplished person is evident.  You can smirk at the best and discount the value of work, quality education and aging. The person or the maker of the wine knows. And there will always be people that recognize the quality of the work and the bottle of wine.  That is all that matters.

Being discrete is okay but please, when you meet me, let me know who you are and what you have done. As Popeye would say "I yam what I yam".  Don't hide it.  And I love a good bottle of wine and an accomplished person.

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Games...a few choices for you.

HOW MANY DIFFERENT GAMES DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY?  Why?  Well retirement is all about playing...life becomes a game. 

I, for example, I play with words.  The blog is my game board and words are the game tiles.  Still other love a game of golf or a game of bocce.  Card games, including Texas Hold em, are great favorites around here.  My friend played in a bocce tournament with us this morning and left immediately to play Bridge.

I am just pointing this out to you because I believe that games and puzzles are a wonderful way to keep our minds alive and allow us to socialize with others. 

Here in Rincon East RV Resort you will need to be fearless...this is your opportunity to learn new things in the company of people just like you. You can take that first yoga class with other people that are taking their first class.  You can play your first bocce game with beginners like you.  Age is not a factor...the leaders in our bocce ball tournament include people in their eighties and people much, much younger! 

So if you are an expert, here is your chance to teach.  If you are beginner, here is your chance to learn.  

Texas Hold Em Rules On Monday night a group of people gather in the card room to play poker...the longer a player stays in the game the more he/she wins.  I hear it is a great lot of fun and, if you are lucky, you may even win a little petty change.

Euchre  (rules here) is played in the afternoon almost everyday.  For those of you from the mid west this is good news.  There are even a hardy few that play every day.  I don't know how to play this game but it does sound fun.  

Cribbage (rules here)  I learned this game as a child. Although the rules look complicated, it is really very easy and lots of fun. 

Bocce (rules here) is that game you see being played in parks using concrete balls along with a smaller ball called a Pallino.  According to Life Script, healthy living for women! bocce has been around for thousands of years and is still a favorite of the young and the old.

Throwing balls toward a target has always been a favorite sport of the common man. The Egyptians were the first to play bocce around 5000 B.C., using polished rocks. The Egyptians passed the game to the Greeks around 800 B.C., who then taught the Romans to play it using coconuts! Emperor Augustus was supposedly a great bocce sportsman. The Roman influence in the game is seen clearly in its name; the word bocce derives from the Latin bottia, meaning boss.

Horse Shoes is a favorite here in this resort.  Men show up in the morning and games go on all day.  Alph Horse (rules here) says "Horseshoes is a game that is extremely easy to learn, yet difficult to master. While no article can hope to help your mastery of the game (sorry – it takes time and practice to get the knack for pitching a horseshoe), by the time you are finished with this article you will have a full understanding of how horseshoes is played and scored.

Pickle Ball  We have just added a Pickle Ball (rules here) court here in our resort within the last year.  This court is used hard everyday that it does not rain or blow.  Players often practice on the court for competition at the city parks and recreation facilities.  It is a fast game with rules that are similar to volley but played with a paddle and a light weight ball. 

Bridge is a great favorite with players both in this park but in parks near by.  If  you  love a challenging game you will find wonderful playing partners and couples to spend time with.

Golfers with out partners will find a list of people looking for a game in the recreation director's office.  I noticed recently that they was a very long list of people that had signed up.

Bingo players have one evening a week to play and win.  If you love this game of chance, you will have lots of competition.  Our auditorium fills on this evening for a game.  You can win prizes at this event.

We also have a tennis court, pool tables and, for the card players, several rooms with the appropriate tables.

The choice is yours.  There is no reason for anyone to be bored here.


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How to carry the joy from your job into retirement?

I know...retirees all say they are so glad to be shut of that job.  When asked "What do you do all day?"  they answer, "What ever I want?"  It all sounds so free of obligation and stress.  

Then one day it occurs to them the no-stress is kind of stressful too.  Lack of purpose or long days stretching out before them with nothing they want to do can be boring.  This is when a retiree begins to ask themselves if retirement was such a good idea after all.  Many return to work at jobs they don't really like because they don't know what else to do. That is when they need to fall back on the things that actually had them choosing their career in the first place.  They need to ask themselves what it was that they liked about the job they left.

Open the window to retirement joy!

All I can tell you about is what I know.  I have been retired for 14 years now.  I was a teacher of kindergartners for the last five years of my career.  An opportunity fell into my lap when I was not looking.  A curriculum director invited me to participate with all the other kindergarten teachers in our district in a program that was designed for 5 year old's.  We used what was called "developmentally appropriate practices" gearing everything we did around the social, emotional and intellectual level of the children we taught.

I fell in love with this job and learned much more than I taught.  Oh, there were challenges.  Children that were hyper active and those that did not speak english filled the room.  Each day was full of surprises.  Still, when I talk about it I always smile.  I had a wonderful teaching partner that also acted as a mentor.  I always knew what I loved about that job. 

• I loved the research and learning.  
• I loved writing curriculum.  
• I loved seeing the patterns and making connections between what I learned and what I could apply in the classroom.
• I loved the creative part of the program
• I love helping parents find their way in the rearing of their children.

I did not realize how natural those skills fit into the writing life I started with this blog.  The research, sharing of idea, connecting research with the needs of retirees and the creativity that goes hand in hand with the process all fill my days.  I feel like I am teaching every day but I am doing it because I want to, when I want to and at my own pace.

So this is what I think...if you are having a hard time adjusting to all that leisure, remember what you have always loved to do and do that even if it was part of your old job.  A purposeful life is a happy life. 

Happy retirement.

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Related articles

•  How to Replace the Job Related Rewards (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Just a Few Good Reasons to Retire by Erik Braunitzer (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Congratulations Retirees! (randolphrea.com)
• Stressful Retirement? (fitnesstipsforlife.com)

Books for Grandchildren...surprise!

Image via Wikipedia

My two grandsons were visiting the other day. All play dates involve toys, outdoor play and books. The routine is pretty predictable. They come in the door hungry...I fix "maccy cheese" and they eat. We drag out the big box of toys and they play with every item in the box and then we move on to the books. They have the drill down and so do I.
But it always surprises me which book they will find interesting. Sometimes it is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and another time it will be Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  The Chicka book is a favorite just because they love to say the title.

The Secret Garden

This visit turned out to be a little different.  The smallest boy picked up my Country Gardens book put out by Country Living magazine.  This grandson is only 20 month old.  We went through the book page by page exclaiming over all the beautiful flowers.  His big brother aged 3 1/2 joined in the fun as we flipped through the book.  When reading time was over we headed for the backyard.

About half way through the kitchen my oldest grandson stopped dead and pointed at our secret garden in the back...look at all the beautiful flowers he exclaimed and rushed back to get the book we had just finished reading.  He went through every page checking the small flower garden as he went along.  He was sure that he had found the pictures of the flowers in my backyard.

I should know this by now...3 children and 11 grandchildren later...you never know what a child is going to want to learn about on any given day.  On that day they just wanted to look and learn about the flowers.  Who knew!

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Busy Boys

How to Afford a Winter Season "Home"

What do you think?  Leave a comment! (see more Park Model Information)


Do I want a vacation home in the warm sun? Yes but how can I afford that???

We are always in such a rush to get on with our retirement life that we will make decisions about it long before we have even giving the choices a try. Really, there are a lot of choices. I want to talk today about the choices you will make concerning those cold winter month you endure in the north part of the USA. Should you travel, buy a second home, a prefab park model/trailer or just stay in the north and tough it out? That is what I know about.

Living at the end of the rainbow!

I have known people that saved for that beautiful RV or fifth wheel, bought it as soon as they retired, traveled south to stay in an RV Resort and wonder if they have made the right choice.  An RV or fifth wheel can be very, very expensive.  When they arrive here in our RV resort and see the charming little prefab park models, they realize that they could have a park model home for much less that they paid for their last car...a lot less. When they compare the cost to what they paid for their RV they are shocked.  They would not need to drive a park model through snow drifts to get here every winter.  They would not need to store it in the summer. They would not need to buy gas (yikes!) or maintain a pickup if they are towing a fifth wheel.

Others come for one month to stay in a vacation rental. Maybe they will rent a condo for a lot $$$ or an apartment in a run down complex for less $. Then one day they will be out exploring and discover the RV resorts. After an inquiry they realize that they can live in a very nice place and not be afraid or spend a fortune on a condo rental!

Our Park Model on the End of the Street

I bet that not one new person that has come to our RV Resort has avoided running this through their minds. Our resort is so appealing that almost everyone that stays here is drawn to it's small resort charm and big resort amenities.  Those of us living here would keep it a secret if we could.  We have a great life.

I personally look at our park model like a clunker car.  Old, or new the manufactured home as really very nice. We will ride ours hard and put it away wet for as long as we live.  Then like that old clunker car, we will give it away for almost nothing. I do not see it as an investment anymore that I see a vacation as an investment.  It is just pleasure money down the drain. That is why we saved when we were younger. I don't worry about the rent on the space...it really is cheaper than renting a park model. We are so comfortable and surrounded by our own stuff.

If we were to invest in a new prefab park model we would leave it to our children. Then they could use it hard for many years. Many of the people living here are second generation.

It is a luxury we can afford and that is the best kind!

I live in Rincon Country East RV Resort but there are so many here in Tucson you really should check around.  Voyager Resort used to be a 10-10-10 in Camper Life and even has a small golf course restaurant and motel.  They also have a lot of Park Models.

If you have any questions fell free to leave a comment and I will reply.

Be well.

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A Day in a Retirement Community or What do you do all day?

What do you do? people have often asked.  Soon after we retired our friends began to think about retirement themselves. They had lots of questions.

What do you do? was the most frequently asked question.To begin with we answered simply We would always answer, Well we do whatever we want! But then it became very clear that on most days we were too busy to do what we wanted...at least not all the time!

The big cactus is gone!!!

We just arrived here in Arizona on Friday. We have a small park model in Tucson...the Doll House! We live in a Rincon Country West RV Resort (retirement community).   It is just perfect for the two of us and we love it.  But, when we get back, there are things that must be done to make it home again. This year we lost a HUGE Saguaro in the front of our park model.  It destroyed most of the plants in that flower bed and left a very large hole behind. We love our flowers. We have a corner lot so we can sit out in the morning sun each day all winter and everyone that passes inspects the flower bed. It is a great conversation piece.

So today we removed rocks and debris. My husband dug out a half dozen agave plants and we threw them away. He spaded the bed. I cleaned a small bed under the palm tree where we have finally gotten Jasmine to grow. Then I made the hummingbirds some syrup.  We finished up around 1:00 pm. I needed a shower and a nap!!!!

After the nap I ate some licorice and we went to Lowes for plants, steer manure and potting soil. We spent a lot of money and came back home. Thank heavens it was almost time for a margarita because I needed to be done for the day. Oh but I am not done yet...there were the dishes and dinner!!!  Good golly miss molly...what do we do all day???  I'm going golfing sometime soon...because that is what I REALLY want to do.

Be well.

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Retired Snow Bird Migration: Planning a Vacation ...on the way to another vacation!

MIGRATION, MIGRATION, MIGRATION
The Snow Birds (retired boomers) are beginning to be restless.  A few fly south early, wanting to get in that extra bit of sun.  Many have been stuck in the snow in early October and learned the lessons taught by Mother Nature.  The cautious travelers along with those that love the second home as much as the first leave early. Migration and talk of migration fills the hearts and minds of America's retired population.

Down Town Palm Spring

Every year I marvel at the similarity of the migration of those beautiful snow geese that fly in lovely V's over head and humans following their example.  I have learned that many people are RUT followers and travel down the same road and stay in the same motel each and every year.  I think birds must do this very thing.  Restlessness drives their flight and the shortest distance between two points is their goal.  Then there are Snow Birds that take a vacation on their way to their vacation both going and coming.  I smile at the thought....that is what we do.  Those straggling birds that leave with the flock for Mexico and end up in Florida must  love a vacation too!

I cannot explain to those that don't see the wonder of the road.  They just disdain more vacation.  Too costly, no enough time, my wife's back hurts...and the list goes on and on!  All I can think is what a shame.

DREAM VACATION...USING TIME SHARES

We have a timeshare and can get bonus time (i.e. overnight lodging in a condo at about $40 per night) during the shoulder of the season.  Because we invested in this type of ownership, we have been able to travel and stay in beautiful accommodations owned by our timeshare company. We travel with a laptop computer so we can take advantage of those online coupons and golf deal.  We have learned to travel in luxury but do it on our terms.

This year I am dreaming of a short visit to the wine country of the Napa Valley and maybe a trip down the coast of California.  

Sedona, Arizona...another dream location on the way!

I would like to stay in Windsor, California for a couple of days and then go south through San Francisco and stay in one of our timeshare locations just outside of China Town.  We could then travel south to Pismo Beach north of Los Angeles and spend a day or two in that part of California.  We have never been there.  Our next stop would be in the Palm Springs area where we can choose from two locations...or just take the one that is open.

We might play golf while we are there...why not if we can get a good price on golf.  Fall is perfect for people that love to play luxury courses but don't want to pay the inflated price courses charge during high season.   This is the time of year when golf courses in Southern California and Arizona over seed their courses.  Putting greens are not wonderful but the beauty of the green courses make up for that.

Friends in the RV Resor

The Ocean calls our name....

So what do you think?  Don't you think this sounds like fun?  I have always wondered if those geese stirring about practicing for the journey south when they go from one corn field to the next, dream of warm swamp land in the south.  Do they dream of the stopping points like the one outside Burns, Oregon where birds numbering in the thousands linger every year resting and feeding?  Is that their idea of a stop in wine country?  I somehow think it is.

Have a wonderful day.  I'll see you in the sun later.

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Links:

Palm Springs Golf
Park Model Living
Related Travel Blogs

Living with Seniors...the eating out fiasco!

Oh my goodness, how do we go about eating out with eight old people (including ourselves).  That would be four couples, all from a different part of the United States, California, Oregon, Wisconson, Ohio...how do we do that?

Last evening we went out to a brewpub here in Tucson, AZ.  The group that owns the restaurant has a real warehouse location and has now opened a restaurant in a trendy area here on the Eastside.  It is a very, very busy popular place. Reservation would be recommended...but we did not know that.  The restaurant, Nimbus Brewery Restaurant, serves your normal brewpub food along with grilled salmon, grilled tuna salad etc. Let me tell you right now the restaurant serve staff and the manager did everything they could to make us happy.  It is just very hard when you get a group of people like us.  Very, very difficult.  Here is how it went:

• There was an hour wait for a table inside. The only seating available was outside...my husband and I were the only two people wearing coats.
• We were told we had to be done in 1 1/2 hrs. because of reservations on the outside table they found for us. It was our problem because we came to eat with 8 people without reservations.  We promised to eat fast....we did not promise to decide what to eat fast!
• One woman did not drink beer.  We were at a brew pub.  She finally decided to ordered wine.
• Another woman was fearful that the beer would not taste good and needed a taster.  She did not like the one she tried.  It tasted like bitter beer! (She even made a face!)  It made me laugh.
• Two people ordered the tuna salad but would not eat the tuna...it was rare.
• The meal arrived before the $25 appetizer tray.
• The waiter told the man that was treating that his coupon from Restaurant.com was not valid (manager straightened this out).
• The coupon was only valid if we ordered $100 worth...most menu items were between $9-10. I did not bring my iphone so had to figure in my head what we needed to order.  It was hard.
• Older people do not want to spend $9-10 even if they are not paying for it.
• The heater kept turning off.
•  Husbands went to the car and brought back coats and blankets.
• We looked like campers huddled around the camp fire.
• The left overs from the appetizer tray were moved to a take home box...no one could see what was left on the tray because by that time it was very dark.
• My husband and I laughed all the way home.

Meantime a group of younger people...the ones that our table was reserved for...were seated at another table.  They were dress in sweatshirts and jeans.  They moved a couple of the heaters closer and were busy partying as we left.  The restaurant was still totally crammed and laughter could be heard when the waiters opened the doors.

I kept hearing the words of Gilda Radner in my ears.  She would have said, "It's always something!"  Obviously she spent a great deal of time around old people!  If I had not laughed I would have cried! Sigh!

Have a wonderful day!

b

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RV Resort Living...Expats/foreign Visitors and Motor Homes

VISITORS TO THE UNITED STATES AND MOTOR HOMES

In the motor home section of our RV park you can find liscense plates from all over the United States and Canada.  Huge rigs pull in here for the gem show and the spaces remain full until the snow birds head home.  The spaces are large and newly paved.  But there are some motor homes parked through out the park in spaces left empty by park models that  have been sold or the owner has removed for various reasons.  My friend has a motor home parked next to her now.  The owners are from Austria.  They have come to the United States to travel so they purchased a second hand motor home and a new car to tow behind it.  They will stay for two weeks, travel in the western United States and then return to the park to store their RV.  They have Arizona license plates and a Tucson, AZ address.  Friends in town are helping them.  The motor home is quite old so resale on it will be a lot easier than if they bought new. 

It will work for them just fine.  However, I would suggest you do this in a state like Oregon where the license fee for RV's is much less.  It would be very wise to check and see what states have cheaper fees and go there.  Arizona is very expensive.    Because we are residents of Oregon, we took delivery of our motor home in New Mexico and licensed it in Oregon.  When you are an expat or a visitor, the rules are probably a little different.  Just a thought.

HOW TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE!

I couldn't resist the temptation to take a picture of one of our neighbors helping her husband work the his motorcycle kick stand .  This is the only way I could  ride a motorcycle.  She told me about a bland man that rode his motorcycle on the back of a trailer like this.                                               

STARTING A NEW BUSINESS

A friend of mine has started a new business...she just celebrated her 70th birthday.  Isn't that amazing?  She discovered Scentsy Pots, a product that she loved and signed on to sell it from her home.  After receiving a Scentsy Pot for Christmas, she could only think of the advantage of using a product like this in our park models.  Small night lights with a dish on the top for melting a very small amount of scented wax can make our park models smell heavenly.  No fire, no soot, no expensive candles.  She has a little open house about once a month and her business has been very good here this winter.  I went to her coffee this morning and ordered a gift for my daughter who will be visiting soon.  Go to Mary Grace's website to see what she has to offer.  You can even order on-line if you wish. 

That is the way my day has gone.  Beautiful and sunny today.

b

Retirement...a day in the life! Free steak, recipes and a good rant!

Image via Wikipedia

FREE BEEF CONTEST!!

Chefdruck Musings....I love beef...especially if it is free.  Do you love beef, especially if it is free?  Go to the link I have provided, follow the instructions, and wait to see if you might win a gift certificate for Omaha steaks.  I did.  


Chefdruck Musings also features a Foodie Blogroll in the sidebar with lists of giveaway contests for food, books, etc.  I have applied for this list for this blog but I am not sure I will be allowed to post it.  In the mean time go to the chef's blog to enter other contests.  


Free beef...nummanum!


THINGS THAT BOTHER ME...A LOT!!


I am home in Portland (Hillsboro, Oregon).  I live in a neighborhood designed for living without a car.  I can walk to a grocery store, Starbucks, a kitchen store (Kitchen Kaboodle) and several restaurants.  They are very social places, not quiet nor boring!  They are like our home away from home...living rooms of sorts.   I love that!


So why do people (women in particular) think that places that we consider to be our living rooms are a good location for an interview?  Interviewing a prospective employee within earshot of everyone in the neighborhood is not an acceptable thing to do.  Go to an office or even a private room in the library, which incidentally also has a coffee shop.  We don't want to listen to a prospective employee bare their soul.  PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!  DON'T DO THAT!

FOOD CHOICES...fresh salmon!

I walked to our New Season's grocery store yesterday and picked up a couple of salmon fillets for dinner for my son's family.  The fillets cost me around $8.00 a pound.  The fillets were frozen but they were also wild caught...in Alaska I suppose.  I thought it was a very good price for the best salmon around.  (New Season's is a gourmet grocery chain comparable to Whole Foods but smaller and owned locally.)    For my son I placed the salmon in foil pouches, seasoned with the Montreal Seasoning and topped with sliced lemon.  They will bake the salmon at 350 degrees about 20 minutes or until the salmon is done.The lemon is even wonderful when I create this simple, simple recipe.  

I like to cook my salmon in a small toaster oven. Remember I am retired and I only cook for my husband and myself.  I squeeze lemon over the top, season with Montreal Seasoning (excellent stuff) and bake on a rack for about 20 minutes...until the fish flakes.

We are spoiled here in the northwest...the fish is always so fresh.

Incidentally, if you are retired and there are only two or one of you, BUY A GOOD TOASTER OVEN!  It well be the best purchase you ever make.  Cooking small is no reason to give up wonderful recipes!  

COME BACK AND SEE ME SOMETIME!

If you are interested in something you don't see on the blog, let me know.  There is nothing like hearing the information from the "horses mouth".  I live in Oregon and have all my life.  I am retired and live in an award winning neighborhood with condos, cottages and brownstone/work-live homes.  I also am a snowbird that spends 6 mo. in Tucson AZ. in a RV resort.  I live very "small" in the desert.  Maybe I know something that might help you make retirement decisions.  I would like to write without guessing what you want to know.

Have a wonderful day!

b

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Decorating a Tiny House/Apartment...Link to Links!

photo from Land Choices http://www.landchoices.org/media/index.htm

Apartment Therapy...At both ends of our lives we seem to live in cramped spaces.  When we are starting out, we live in a space that barely lets you change you mind let alone rearrange the furniture.  I am one of those people at the other end of that life...the retired, downsized mature person living in small spaces once again.  And you know what....I LOVE IT!!!  I rearrange my furniture and change my mind...maybe I  have less of both at this time in my life.

My husband and I fill our spaces with our being and living.  We are not big people so we don't require much space.  The kitchen dance has gotten to be a kind of ritual with us...if we are cranky, one person just goes away and waits their turn. This works when we live with one small bathroom too.

If you are like me, you probably are interested in seeing how other people live.  If you live in 650 square feet or less, you won't find much information to help you make some useful changes.  I guess that is why I was so excited when I found the Apartment Therapy website today.  Resources and Sites for Small Spaces was one of the articles they listed as a top blog. This link led me to another article in Mindful Metropolis called Small Solutions, Finding Peace in a Pint Sized Home.  Discardia is a lean and mean little website that has suggestions for simplifying our life plus you can sign up to get twitter tips on de-cluttering every day.   

Discardia is the time to get rid of things that no longer add value to your life, shed bad habits, let go of emotional baggage and generally lighten your load. (Discardia website) 

 These are just samples of what you will find.

If you are interested in looking what the younger designers are doing, you can start with Pure Style Home. 
Have fun.

b

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Retirement Bliss...a little work and a little sun!!!

I swore when I retired I would never get up in the dark again.  Boy was I wwwwrrrronnng!!!  

It was a pipe dream, sleeping in every morning.  I did not count on my three children having 11 grandchildren.  The youngest will be 39 and his wife just had the latest grandchild.  I am getting up in the dark again and hanging out with the baby's big brother as his mom and dad tend to doctor appointments.  My alarm went off  at 6:00 a.m this morning.  I drank a cup of coffee sitting up in my bed snoozing and waiting for the second alarm.  Then I dressed and headed down the road in the early morning light.

Retirement has taught me that those things I had come to think of as important after my children left home so I could live a carefree life...me-me-me-me, my sleep, how I look as I head down the road...aren't!  I have found I still love helping my family when I am needed.  The rest of the time I sleep in, sit in the Arizona sunshine, golf, write, read, cook beautiful meals and stake my claim on retirement bliss.

Have a wonderful day!

b

"Wild" Cats Spotted on Arizona National Golf Course in Tucson Arizona

I can honestly say that when I do "sporting" things, I am generally all about the beauty.  Ambiance is what I generally look for.  I would rather fish in a beautiful mountain lake on a sunny afternoon than at a brown reservoir in the hills of eastern Oregon.  I am funny that way.  Life style for me is not about money...it is about beauty.

When we are visiting the desert southwest in the winter months of the year, we golf quite a bit.  While I love those "goat track" courses here because of their history or native appeal, Arizona National  and course like it are my first choice.  The settings is so stunning it takes my breath away.

Last week we played Arizona National using our Wild Cat Card (take a look at this website) for a free round of golf.  When you buy the card you get several rounds at a reduced price and one round free plus a free round on the card owner's birthday.  The cards are good until the end of January and then again in late spring and next fall.  We can play either here in Tucson at Arizona National and Forty-niner  or in Green Valley at Canoa Hills and San Ignacio.  The beauty of the Arizona National course, the setting on the side of the Catalina Mountains and a generous helping of wild beauty all mixed together to make a spectacular day.

Speaking of "wild cats" we really did see two on the golf course.  A pair of bobcats were playing on the fairway as we walked came up one of the holes on the front side.  They are so tame that one is tempted to treat them as pets.  But when you get up close and personal with them, you realize how large even the kittens are.  The pictures I took were from about 10 yards away.  The cat had it's head turned so I whistled at it to make it turn it's head.  The perfect shot of a bobcat sitting on a rock with it's paws on the ground playing the part of a "cool cat" was mine!  I noticed quail, road runners, rabbits all under one little piece of rough.

How we even focus on our golf game is beyond me.  I scored 49 on the back side so I must have been paying a little attention.

Have a wonderful weekend!

b

SOLD Mid-Century Mobile Home, 55+ Resort Mesa, AZ P

I just visited with a mobile home park manager this morning. My husband and I took a mobile home in on a trade for our Motor Home. We will be selling it soon. The manager said that the company that operates the park will be moving new manufactured home in soon so we think the park will get a new look which will be good for the value .

Vintage Mobile home looks like
this inside. Stove, refrigerator, sleeper sofa,
small table, washer/dryer
and 1 double and one twin bed. 2 bedroom.
Sorry...no Lucy! 1964 Star Craft

Awing on both side offer shade and the mobile home faces south for warm summer sun.




The idea that we would be able to use the mobile home somehow had been incubating in our head for a few weeks. The mobile home is in wonderful condition...I am the one that is feeling very old!!Bedroom has two windows and two closets.















The mobile home is 10x54' and was built in 1964...can anyone say Lucille Ball??? It is very clean. The refrigerator is very nice...looks like new. The stove is the cutest shade of pink you ever saw and it too looks like it is almost new. And it matches the kitchen sink, bathroom wash basin and toilet. A dining room table of the 1964 vintage sits under ruffled curtains. When the curtains are open it is very light inside. The bedrooms are just the right size to house a double/queen bed and a twin. A new shower and hardware have been installed. All the walls are covered with real wood paneling stained naturally gold...something I had not seen in many years. There is even a darling transistor intercom/radio on the kitchen wall with speakers in every room. I just think it could be so much fun to own. If mid century is your interest then you have found a home...let you creativity run wild!!!!

The thing that really surprised me was the fact that it apparently has never been home to a smoker. It smells as fresh as if it were brand new! There are so many second hand stores in the area that I probably could even pick up mid-century furniture to furnish it. If I were younger I would lay new carpet (Lowes has installation specials going now...$139 for the whole house if you install what they have on the rolls or $39 if you buy an upgraded carpet.) and furnish it in keeping with the vintage structure. Then I could enjoy living in the solid structure for many many years. But I am not young and I like where I am now. (So does my husband...that is a good thing.)

I have listed it on Craig's List (listing here.) in Phoenix.

Note: For more information on owning this piece of Americana contact me at orencoopinions@gmail.com. My phone number is on the Craig's List ad. As the pitch man Billy Mays would have said "It is an opportunity to own this little baby for an incredibly low price and sit in the sun for part of each year! Rent on the space is less than $400 per month plus utilities. Or, since it has a large Carrier air conditioner and storm windows, so you can be comfortable living there year around."

Let me know if you need more information.

b