Algodones, Mexico

We took a day to go across the border to shop for glasses for me, at Algodones Optical the closest to the border.  Such a deal!!!! They had a buy one get one free special going on. Cost $160 for two pairs of trifocals using the

poly plastic lenses to make my strong prescription lighter weight - one pair clear and one made into sunglasses.  They look pretty much like my purple pair in design, but they are metal in a bronze tone.  I like having a sunglass pair so I don’t have to use those big “over the glasses” style sunglasses.  As we had two hours to kill before the glasses would be ready, we walked around the town.

First we stopped for lunch at the shrimp taco place in the next block on the left.  They’ve added fish tacos to the menu so we had one of those too.  Jim didn’t like it as well as the shrimp one, but I liked it even better.

Waiting in line. They also have tamales, etc. with Coke in glass bottles made with real cane sugar bottled in Mexico…so good!

Round fryer over large burner underneath. Finished shrimp on top

They we wondered around some.

Vendors line both sides of the sidewalks	Teenager hand weaving a name bracelet-flipping the threads back and forth to create a name.
Bracelets ready for sale	Cigars for sale
Lots of leather purses-most you can get for $10 or less	Bottles of pure vanilla extract 8 oz. for $2 and it’s double strength also ~ I bought several for gifts
Booze sampling stand	Salesman passing out samples-you can get looped just sampling.

 

Didn’t buy much this trip, but did get myself a purse.  I really like the colorful loom woven purses…nice to have something NOT made in China for a change.

 

Picked up my glasses and was very happy with the fit.  Next came getting out through U.S. Customs…ugh…the line was the longest we have ever seen.  Had to go down to the second block, but it only took us 40 minutes to get through as they had all four stations opened and running.

Got home in time for happy hour out here in Mittry.  Good group of folks. 

Remember, you are loved.

Mittry Lake

We moved over here to Mittry Lake in Yuma last Monday.  There are about a dozen Boomers out here to celebrate New Years.

The area is very pretty with a lake on one side and a canal on the other.

Mittry Lake view	Canal with hikers on the ridge
Happy hour gathering	Food and chatting
Ben,Darlene,Laurie,Odel, Jan and Chuck before their hike.	View to the south as the sun rose.

We plan to have a Z-Circle New Year’s Eve~don’t know exactly what it is but will find out tomorrow at 8 p.m. Then we’ll have a bond fire at midnight to toast in the new year. New Years day we’re having a potluck in the afternoon.  Jim is going to fry some Colorado trout fillets we have in the freezer.

What are you doing for New Year’s Eve celebration?????

Remember, you are loved.

Stain Glass Window Insert

We went down to Algodones last week so Linda could get some glasses.  The local “shopper” weekly ad sheet had a coupon buy one get one free.  So Linda got an eye exam, a pair of trifocals and a pair of prescription sunglasses for $60…yes, for two pairs of glasses with frames and an exam for $60!!!!!  That’s why we come to Yuma every couple of years, glasses, dental and great shrimp tacos.

 

While we were there I also got a really good and cute haircut for $5; it was probably one of the best haircuts I’ve ever had, in fact.  All my perm is gone now, but I can wait till April to get another one in Alamosa.

 

 

Jim and I have wanted to put a stain-glass insert into our entrance door, but couldn’t find a theme we liked. We’re not into the hummingbird thing or the kokopelli thing.  I wanted a mountain scene with a bit of water and maybe a deer to remind us of home in Colorado, but they didn’t have any. But then we found this year they added beveled glass door inserts in some interesting colors, so we bought one in shades of burgundy.

Jim M. taking out screws	Out comes the old glass insert
After scraping off old putting and putting on new, they snipped off the hanging hardware	Jim C. positions new insert and puts in the screws
Here’s the look from inside the rig with the light shining in	This it the look from the outside the rig

I really like the look of the new insert. The vendor started the price at $75 and we got him down to $55 - I think it’s worth it.

Remember, you are loved.

Christmas 2011

We woke early and started to make our phone calls to friends and family. Then around noon we joined the Mossman’s as they drove across to El Centro, CA to the Naval Facility. 

Along the way west we passed the large Colorado River water supply cross the desert on it’s way to California.

Next we came to the sand dune that get populated with ATVs during the weekends.

We arrived at the Naval Facility in El Centro, with a very pretty grouping of jets at the entrance.

Scott and Diane met us at the gate and as we drove to the RV Park on base, we noticed how deserted the base looked. No cars to be seen, no one outside, just empty streets.  Scott said this was a training base and there weren’t any squadrons on base at this time.  This is the base that the Blue Angels train at.  There are also some Canadian squads that come there to train. 

Scott pointed out the RV Parks club house and mentioned they had a nice lemon tree there.  Would we like to take some lemons home?  You betcha…. They were so huge.  Oh, how fragrant these lemons make the house.

We joined Scott and Diane, and Jim and Linda Mossman for dinner at the base’s mess hall. Oh, my, what a spread!!! You walked in and paid your $7 and for that you received prime rib, 8 oz. lobster tail, rice, baked potato, stalks of fresh broccoli, corn on the cob, dishes of large shrimp cocktail,then came a full salad bar including a lot of cut up fresh fruit.  Here is a photo of my plate….note the size of that lobster tail!

After you finished dinner and you had room there was a full array of pies and soft serve ice cream.  Oh, my goodness we were all stuffed!!!

Next we went to a neighbor of the Howey’s for after dinner drinks….Crown Royale Black Label on the rocks.  Perfect ending to a perfect dinner.  Take a look at the cute Christmas decorations they had.

Linda was our designated driver and it was about 7 p.m. when we got back to our rigs.

It was a wonderful holiday for us, a bit unusual being on a naval base and eating lobster tail, but every bit as enjoyable as ever. We were with people we loved and who loved us….what more can we asked for???

Remember, you are loved.

Linda Mossman’s Birthday

Today is Linda’s birthday and as is her tradition, we went out to an early movie and dinner.  We saw “Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol”.  It was very, very good! Lots of action scenes, of course, and a lot of neat technology stuff too.  Very enjoyable. Next we went to dinner at Olive Garden. Oh, wow, did we stuff ourselves. 

This morning I took a chance and baked a carrot cake…Linda’s favorite.  I’ve never made a cake from scratch before…I’m a box cake mix girl, but I wanted to try. I  went online and looked for a recipe for “best carrot cake” and found this recipe. It turned out pretty good. 

You can even see the grated carrots in there along with the pecans. Yeh, that’s cream cheese frosting.

This recipe is a keeper and will make another appearance for my Jim’s birthday next year.

Tomorrow we drive to the military base in El Centro and have Christmas dinner with our friends, Scott and Diane Howey, who are staying at the FamCamp.  There is prime rib and lobster on the menu…oh, yes I can break tradition and eat lobster for Christmas, you betcha!!!

Jim and I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope you are with someone you love for Christmas.

Remember, you are loved.

Chorizo

Our dog, Chorizo, wasn't feeling well. Last Saturday night he was listless, wouldn't walk down or up the rig steps, cried out when you went to picked him up. We called the Ironwood Vet Clinic in Yuma on Monday and made an appointment for Tuesday.

Blood tests on Chorizo showed nothing positive for upper respiratory infection and nothing positive for lower GI problems. That’s good.  Two x-rays didn't show any herniated disks in his back. But physical exam by the vet pressing down both sides of his spine with his thumbs sure brought out a yelp when he got down to the lower back. It was determined Chorizo has a backache, probably caused by hitting wrong when he jumped down from the bed or chair. Nothing serious, but we have to give him pain pills twice a day for 2 weeks and then return to the vet for blood tests to make sure the meds are not affecting Chorizo's liver/kidneys???

We have to keep him from jumping up or down from chairs and bed and of course we have to carry him up and down the stairs to go outside....like he isn't already spoiled to death! I have to feed him rice and boiled meat to have before his meds if he won't eat his kibble. So that was a $385 trip to town...think we will definitely have to do gate guarding next fall and winter to make up for all the expenses we've had this fall.

********************

Update-----------Chorizo is doing fine.  I cooked up some quinoa and mixed in some ground turkey, which he gobbled down like it was prime rib.  He loves the pain pills, as the vet tech said they taste like beef.  The first day he slept a lot and gave me “moon” eyes of pity.  But come Wednesday even before I gave him his “happy pill”, he jumped down off the recliner and started playing with his ball and even jumped back up on the recliner with it….hummmm…if we had waited a couple of days more would he had recovered all by himself?????  Who knows we didn’t want to wait and see….you know how our pets are like children to us.

Chorizo continues to display no ill affects of his backache.  He jumps on the recliner and couch and does well walking down and up the RV steps to go outside.  He’s eating well and playing with his pink stuffed bone and plastic ball.

We are going to continue with the “happy pills” for this week and then take him off of them and see how he does.  If there is no decline in his behavior we’ll just cancel the next vet appointment and call it good.

Thanks for all the kind comments and concern shown on my Facebook page when I wrote about Chorizo earlier this week.  Chorizo is such a ham and all who meet him fall in love with him…he sure knows how to charm you.

Here’s a photo of Chorizo when he was twelve weeks old back in July 2002.

He was so small when you compare him to Jim’s shoes.

Remember, you are loved.

Last Days at Sidewinder Road

A month ago we got to Sidewinder Road 10 miles west of Yuma (Winterhaven, California proper).  That’s a looong time for us to sit in one place…I usually need to move every two weeks.  But with the truck expenses we’ve had the last few months, we needed to “stay put” to stop the outpouring of money. However, a month in one spot is enough already, so we will move into Yuma the day after Christmas and stay at Mittry Lake for 7-10 days.  That way we will be with fellow Boomers (sub-group of Escapees RV Club) for New Years and have a change of scenery.  We will drive to El Centro and have Christmas with Scott and Diane at the military base where they are staying. There’s a prime rib and lobster dinner being offered at one of the clubs on base.

We’ve enjoyed our time at Sidewinder Road though.  It is spacious with the other 8-10 rigs parked around, but with space in between us.  Here is our spot with the Mossman’s beside us and Marty behind us. We usually enjoy our daily happy hour in the middle.

We like it out here because of the quiet and the spectacular sunrises.

	Sunrise reflected in Mossman’s window.

But the sunsets….oh, the sunsets are, are, well decide what word you would use for these sights!

Remember, you are loved.

Somerton Tamale Festival

Back in 2007 this small town south of Yuma started a tamale festival. Currently limited to 40 booths, the vendors are making homemade tamales from family recipes. Each tamale cost $1.50 and are paid for with prepaid tickets.  We arrived at starting time at 11 a.m. and surprisingly there wasn’t much of a line for tickets.

There was a whole section of tables set up, with bands playing on two stages in opposite ends of the street. 
 

There were tamales from traditional pork and beef to the more adventuresome of shrimp tamales (Marty’s favorite) and tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Several booths also offered a variety of sweet tamales with pineapple, strawberry, or apple with raisins.

Jim and pork/beef tamale	My favorite corn, cheese and stripe of green chile with two salsas
Beef tamale wrapped in banana leaf..enough said. Thought it gave a bitter taste to the masa.	Combo plates were $6 with two tamales, beans and surprisingly, mac salad.
This booth offered tasty salsas	Fresh churros cart was very popular.

Some of the booths offered combo plates with traditional beans and rice, but most came with beans and macaroni salad. Huh??? Mac salad?  It looked like the family’s booths maintained the same booth number as the menus looked well used. I wish they used family or booth names to make it easier to remember which ones you liked.

 

Got to look up “champurrado” because it was on most of the menus and none of us knew what it was.

It was interesting to see that the young people served the public at the front of the booth, while the mamas and grandmas were in the back steaming up more tamales, so they were real fresh. Every kind and type of pots were used and also many types of heat sources. Other booths had all their tamales already cooked and stored in coolers

We didn’t use all our ten tickets, so we took three tamales home to eat later.  Next time we’re here I’ll  try the shrimp tamale and the fruit ones.  But I’ll definitely look for the booths with the stoves steaming the tamales in the back as they are fresher than the ones in the coolers that have been made ahead of time and frozen.

We left about an hour later and the crowds were getting large and very busy.  Navigating down the street with booths on both sides didn’t give you much room to walk around, especially with everyone walking while eating their tamales.  Maybe it is time for Somerton to consider making this a two day affair. But we certainly did enjoy the event and will definitely come back.

Remember, you are loved.