IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS – PALM DESERT, CA

Just before we left Sacramento, a string in one of our day/night shades broke – arghhhh! Yesterday, when we picked up Scoopy, the 12 v. socket we use for our Brake Buddy braking system in the Jeep was dead, so we drove on (illegally) without it. Once we arrived at our destination and I raised the over-the-air TV antenna, the handle and its various component pieces fell off, the spring ricocheting into the wall and disappearing temporarily. Suddenly, we had a surprisingly lengthy repair list.

Working through the repairs and other errands constituted most of our activities today. Odel replaced a fuse in the Jeep so the socket works again. We dug out a teeny, tiny little tool and reattached and tightened the antenna handle, then tackled the shade repair and – for the first time ever – restrung and rehung the shade without bloodshed. Woo-hoo!

Before we tackled our tasks, we took a walk through this large RV park to see what they offer. First, and most obvious: a very green, 9-hole golf course. At the clubhouse, the clear, blue swimming pool seems a bit on the small side for a park this size – but the weather forecast for the next week is not conducive got a dip in the pool, anyway. Two nicely sized hot tubs appealed to me, and one amenity thrilled us: a shuffleboard table!

Soon as we saw that, we challenged each other. Wow, that table was FAST. I took the first game but then, as always, Odel whipped me… still, lots of fun and such an unusual find at an RV park! The next room of the clubhouse held a half-completed jigsaw puzzle, another of my favorite activities. Looks like it will be easy to spend 9 nights here.

It is VERY unusual for us to stay at an RV park of this size (500+sites), but we like this area (let’s call it Greater Palm Springs, which includes Desert Hot Springs, Indio, Palm Desert, La Quinta) this time of year AND the Sands RV Park is offering a great deal: pay for a week (at the discounted weekly rate) and get 2 more nights for free – nine nights for $215. We usually stay at the Elks Lodge in Indio, paying $20/night for water and electricity (no sewer). Using the special offer at the Sands RV Park, we have full hookups and a nicer site for just a few dollars more per night. Good deal.

This afternoon, inspired by the Christmas lights on our street, we dug into our basement and hauled out the Christmas decorations, indoors and out. Our hula-hoop “wreath” is lit, and flameless candles are flickering on our patio. Yes, it looks like Christmas here now… but PLEASE, no snow!