Thank Goodness for a 30 day warranty

I had every intention of updating this blog on a regular basis depending on where we stopped, traveled through, etc. Due to the lack of WiFi that has not been possible. So let me catch you up.

We left Blanchard on Saturday, November 12th packed to the gills; stuffing shoes, blankets and other small items into any tiny hole available and with just enough room for Maggie we headed out of town.

We made a couple of stops along the way to visit with friends, but finally got a chance to see the motorhome for the first time on Nov. 15th. At first glance it doesn't look too bad considering it's 17 years old. We dealer that sold us the coach let us stay in it for a couple of nights and that's when we started to notice the laundry list of items that needed fixing the worst of which was a leak in the fuel lines. We were very happy that we thought to ask for a 30 day warrantee.

We left Mesa on Friday the 18th at 2pm with the hope that we could make Flagstaff before dark. Our next round of issues reared their ugly heads almost immediately. In the heat of the afternoon we found out that the air conditioner didn't work, we thought we didn't have a radio, and that night as the temperatures dipped below freezing, we found out that the heater didn't work in the cab and neither did the furnace. Can you say Brrrrr!

Our second day on the road started off with a pit stop at Horseshoe Bend, a great recommendation, we got a spectacular view and a nice walk all in one.

  


We arrive at the Trailer Ranch RV park on Saturday the 19th and get set up, where we now find that the hydraulics have a leak, Yikes! Even with all of our issues, Newmar pros Jim & Patty said they thought the rig looked pretty good. So we just continue to write down the things that need to be repaired. (Because they couldn't fix everything before we had to leave Mesa they agreed to extend the warranty beyond the 30 days. We'll be dropping the coach back with them after our tour of duty in Santa Fe). In the meantime, we have gotten settled in our new home on wheels. The park where we are staying is pretty nice 2 locations for laundry, a dog park, and centrally located. With Thanksgiving looming the resort was pretty full which must have been why the wifi was so weak I couldn't use my computer and we're lucky if we get 2 bars of cell service, hence the lack of communication on social media sites.

We started work on the 21st at the See's Candy holiday store.

We've been here now for a 10 days and we are starting to get he swing of things. We found a local community center where we can play pickleball 3 days a week and Maggie has her new routine for play time and walks. She is now completely spoiled as she sleeps in our bed every night.

We got our first snowfall yesterday and it has since melted off, but the low temps will continue for a few more days. Steve's uncle Tom was a resident here in Santa Fe for many years so we will be making an attempt to hit the restaurants he has recommended. We have already experienced the chilli here, which is extremely hot so we order our meals with it on the side.

Now that we don't have as many neighbors the wifi has improved which is why you are reading this now. Not to be selfish but I hope it stays this way until after Christmas when we be returning to Mesa to drop off the RV for what we hope will be final repairs.

Counting Down the Days!

I'm not counting down to Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas or the opening of Trolls. In less than 2 weeks we will begin our trip to pick up our motor home in Mesa Arizona.

Thinks are piling up in preparation. We purchased a rooftop cargo box in which our golf clubs and vacuum cleaner will fit.

Unfortunately, we won't know how much we can fit until we can actually start loading up the car. Right now we are contemplating leaving as early as the 12th or 13th. You'll know when we do!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

It's been a long time since I've posted and since then a lot has happened. 

First, in March the passing of my Dad. Fortunately, I was able to be there to say my good-byes. 

Second, Steve and I did some real estate juggling. We sold a duplex, purchased in 2007, in Coeur d'Alene and bought a 1.2 acre lot adjacent to StoneRidge. One of four lots as part of Blanchard Creek Acres where we plan to eventually build and live.

Blazing a trail on the lot

We decided to have a cocktail on the new lot to celebrate.

Third, we purchased a 1999 Newmar Dutch Star 38' motorhome and for the first time EVER will be taking a 4 month trip away from home. We plan to leave StoneRidge on November 15th for Mesa, AZ where we will pick up the coach. 

Fourth, we will be adding a new job to our resumes. We will be working in Santa Fe, New Mexico for See's Candy from Thanksgiving to Christmas with our friends Patty & Jim Mosier. See's has a program where they hire retired RV'rs to manage their holiday stores. Patty & Jim have been doing it for quite a while now and we hope to be managing our own store next year. That is assuming we like it... time will tell.

StoneRidge Gets Blown Away

As many of you have heard, the Pacfic Northwest was hit with a record setting windstorm on November 17, 2015. The following slideshow will let you see how we fared here at StoneRidge.

A Hole That Can't Be Filled

It's been ages since I've posted anything on my blog and it's a shame that it had to take something like this to compel me to do so again. For some reason today I just had to write about my Mom.

My Mom & Dad in the early 50's. 

I had never seen this photograph until it was posted 

on my cousin's Facebook page after my Mother's death.

I always thought that I was so independent growing up. I moved away from home when I was 19, but moved back home a couple of times. But when my son was born in 1990 my mother once again became a critical cog in my daily routine. She was my mother, but more importantly she was my son's babysitter.
I saw her every Monday - Friday and sometimes on weekends. Then when I met Steve and moved down to San Pedro, in 2000, I thought "How great not to be under my parent's scrutiny every day!" Funny, I guess I still wanted to be "independent". Selfishly, I hadn't considered the impact on my parent's lives. Not that it would have made any difference in my moving. Then we made a bigger move up to Idaho. I no longer had the ability to just jump in the car to visit my parents & siblings. But life goes on. Our new busy lives make days fly by as thoughts of "I need to give Mom a call" buzz in and out of my head. Looking back now after 10 years, maybe I should have called more often, or made an effort to drive down to visit, when I had the opportunity. Again the thoughts of calling Mom were there but never acted upon. 

This is the last picture taken of my Mom, 5 days before she passed.

Pictured here with my sister Karen who she was visiting in Las Vegas.

My worst nightmare became reality on July 2nd when I got the call from my niece that Mom had a massive heart attack and was on life support. The next day I few to Las Vegas to be with my Dad, brothers and sisters to say good bye to the person who made the biggest impact on my life.

She's been gone 12 days now and most days are okay, then out of the blue it hits. To see me crying for no apparent reason would be quite common lately except I hide out when it overcomes me. Right now I have to be sure that my tears don't short out my keyboard as I type this and hope that Steve doesn't notice. He would just try would console me and there isn't anything anyone can do to help. It just needs to be done, and in a few minutes I'll be okay again.

Even though I hadn't spoken with her for a couple of weeks, I know that my Mom knew that I loved her. And it makes me feel glad knowing she "went out" doing what she loved best. She had a great week with Karen and her grand & great grand kids. They went shopping, got a hair cut & pedicure. She won on the slots and on her last waking day on this earth she went to the movies and had a hot dog and ice cream.

And when she takes a break from playing that big slot machine in the sky, she'll hear me as I tell her that I love her and miss her every day.

Happy Halloween

A Halloween Treat from the Suarez-Bradford Clan.

 Be sure to pause MyTunes before viewing the video.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

The Stoneridge Ladies, all 16 of us, traveled down to Lewiston this past weekend to participate in the 2010 Northern Region Golf Association Tournament South. It's a 2-day event, which we willingly turn into 3. Stoneridge Pal and team captain Debbie organized the group, making sure everyone had a ride and a room.
Last year my Stoneridge Bunch was 4 to a room, this year we all decided we needed more space so decided to just double up.
I joined Stoneridge Pals Patty, Terry & Carol for the 3 hour drive down. Patty drove, I navigated and Terry & Carol made sure both of us did our jobs properly. It was a quick trip made eventful with a stop at A&W for happy hour. Who can pass up 1/2 price root beer floats?
Within our group we had two Mother-Daughter Teams with us. Diane and Rachea with Linda and her 80 year old Mom Lucy. 
After we checked in we needed to make a stop at a local grocery store for appetizers needed for the get together with the rest of our team after volunteering Betty & Sherry's room to be party central.
By 6pm drinks have been poured and plates are piled with a variety of tasty treats. Having only a dresser and desk in the room along with 2 queen beds and being the ingenious gals we are the ironing board was set up to hold the platters. We all learned one very important fact... Howard Johnson's has very sturdy beds.

Wait! Where's Betty?

Following our little party, the few gals that arrived early to play a practice round gave the rest of us an update on the course. It seemed there was one central theme to everyone's advice: "Stay on the fairways!". The roughs were thick and very hard to get out of. There isn't a flat lie ANYWHERE! The greens all slope and are incredibly hard to read. After this update some of the gals were ready to pack up and head home, but were all good and didn't party to hard. Some left to grab a bite to eat, and we were all in our own rooms and settling in by 9pm. 

Monday was our first tournament day at Lewiston Golf Club. Tee time was 8:30am and luckily the weather couldn't have been better. It's been so rainy here at Stoneridge lately it was such a pleasure to be in the sun. All but 2 of us played in threesomes or foursomes with ladies from the 7 other clubs. The game is individual best ball with a team best ball to create comradeship within each foursome. 

 Mother/Daughter Team Lucy & Linda

 Our Captain, Debbie collecting the score cards

After my 3rd hole I understood what the gals were trying to explain to us the night before. Unfortunately my attempt to "Stay in the fairways" didn't hold up. As I hacked my way through the rough, out of bunkers, from under trees and attempting to navigate my ball into the cup I came to the realization that I would probably NOT be helping my team out in the scoring. To my surprise, it seems that the field was sharing my fate.After golf we all headed to town for an early dinner at Anthony's where we celebrated our best finish ever.

These were the winners from our group after the round in Lewiston:

Individual Winners

Rachea - Tied 2nd Place Net, 2nd Flight (75) $20.25

Kathy - 2nd Place Net, 3rd Flight (78) $23.00

Stoneridge Gal - Tied 2nd Place Gross, 4th Flight (107) $17.50

Patty - Tied 2nd Place Net, 4th Flight (79) $20.25

Carol - 2nd Place Net, 5th Flight (80) $23.00

Terry - Tied 4th Place Net, 5th Flight (84) $6.00

Team Best Ball - $15.00 Each

Kathy, Rachea, Stoneridge Gal

After the 1st day...Stoneridge's Overall

Team Standing - 4th Place!

Clarkston Country Club was the site for our 2nd day of the tournament. We died and went to heaven! It was flat. Now don't get me wrong, the course's slope/rating was higher than Lewiston. It is flat, but it was longer, tree lined and had water. Overall, the entire field improved.

Even though we wore our red, we weren't able to move up in the overall standings. We did have winners!

Individual Winners
Sherry - 1st Place Gross, 1st Flight (92) $35.00

Rachea - 1st Place Net, 2nd Flight (69) $35.00

Kathy - 2nd Place Net, 2nd Flight (70) $23.00

Patty - Tied 2nd Place Gross, 4th Flight (104) $20.25

Carol - 1st Place Net, 4th Flight (71) $35.00

Betty - 2nd Place Net, 4th Flight (74) $23.00

Julie - 3rd Place Net, 4th Flight (75) $17.50

Kathy - Tied 4th Place Net, 4th Flight (76) $2.50

Team Best Ball - $15 each

Kathy, Rachea

We all had a great time,  the Stoneridge team did great and I can't wait to see what happens when the NRGA moves up to our neck of the woods.