After spending an hour around the pools we met Ed and Monika for beers at the Mine Shaft Pub. A bunch of other people from Comox/Courtenay joined us. Ian and Donna, whom we’d met before and who returned with us to Ed and Monika’s for Tacos, as well as a half dozen older retired military guys who all come down every winter and stay at the Travel Lodge Motel. Funny old guys.
We’d been hanging around with Ed and Monika since we’ve been here. It finally came up in conversation, on the day before they left, that that Ed had won $487,000.00 in The 6/49 a few years ago. He had split the grand prize of almost five million with nine other co-workers. I mentioned that Ed and I had attended St. Edmunds School together so many years ago. It gets mentioned again because it ties into the Six Degrees Theme this week.
Pictured below are: Ed and Monika inside their new fifth wheel and, us with Ed, Monika, Donna and Ian.
Friday was hotter yet - in the low 90‘s. It was a pretty lazy day. We scrounged around for some firewood, went to Wal-Mart for a few things and then, on the advice of one of our adopted daughters, Michelle (Collins) Blatchford, visited with Brian and Shirley at the Foothills RV Resort.
Michelle knew Brian because they had both been SeaSpan employees. Brian has since retired and spends the winters here in Yuma. We played Nickels with them and some of their friends for an hour or two. It turned out that Brian knew a very good friend of ours, Terry Jordan, from North Van. Also, one of their friends at the table turned out to be a woman named Glenda, whom had gone to nursing school with an acquaintance of ours from Barriere, Betty Uppenborn. Small world.
We ‘adopted’ Michelle, at her request, twelve, or so, years ago when she was about twenty-four. Michelle liked to party with us, but because of our age differences, Janice and I were just that much more responsible than she was. For that reason she ended up calling us Mom and Dad.
Soon after Michelle’s adoption came our second daughter, Crystal (Patton) Makill. Hanging around the pool the other day we got talking to an older gent who turned out to be Crystal’s husband, Jim’s, Grandfather. Smaller world.
On Saturday morning we went to the annual Lettuce Festival in Old Yuma, a celebration of the first crops of the year. There are celebrity chefs, cooking contests and music as well as agriculture and food displays. We shopped around a little, got our share of free lettuce, and watched a young Mexican kid who couldn’t speak English beat an older woman in the Dinner Date Contest - basically a cook-off between two people, using Dates. His was Shrimp wrapped in Bacon with a Date and Red Chile Dipping Sauce.
Janice bought some fresh Dates when we were in Dateland. She stuffs each Date with Boursin Cheese and a sprig of Basil. Very good.
Pictured at the Lettuce Festival are: One of the booths with food for sale. Chef Ray Duey demonstrating the art of vegetable and fruit carving and, Amy Finley, the Third Season Winner of The Next Food Network Star.
We went for lunch at Lute’s Saloon in Old Yuma. It’s famed for good food, as well as being the oldest billiards room in Arizona. The business was begun in 1901 and is still operated by the same family. Next door is an historic theatre which accounts for a lot of movie memorabilia adorning Lute's. The overall theme is very eclectic. There's a foot crashing through the ceiling next to where a monster fish hangs with a big old doll’s head sticking out of it's mouth. A signed Marilyn Munroe poster dominates one wall while Superman crashes through another. There are some very good oil paintings of nudes, by different artists, mixed among the clutter, as well as pretty well anything else that’s either old or eye catching.
Pictured are a couple of shots inside Lute’s Saloon.
It was really hot in the afternoon so we hung around the pools and then dodged the heat by watching the fourth episode of Survivor on the internet, that we’d missed on TV last Wednesday.
Sunday was sunny and hot again. We headed for Algadonez one last time.
Monday, we pulled up stakes, Palm Springs bound.
Bill Lyle isn’t going to be able to make our tentative hiking arrangement because instead, he claims, he has too much prowess in the bedroom that still needs exercising.
Last night all you West Coasters sprang ahead. Arizona and Saskatchewan are the only state/province that don't change so, we're on the same time as y'all now...
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