Friday, December 17, 2010

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

Site 163, Sands RV and Golf ResortJust 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!

ShuffleboardSoon 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!

6 comments:

  1. We love shuffle board too! What a fun game! Looks like a great deal on the Park (not bad even if you didn't get the two nights free. Enjoy the hot tub and Merry Christmas!

    Paul
    wheresweaver.blogspot.com

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  2. Congratulations on fixing the day/night shade! I hate it when those things break. :)

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  3. Repairing the day/night shades can be cause for many long chains of profanities...and yes, bloodshed. I have to tell ya, I laughed outloud at the EV antennae spring flying across the room...been there..done that...LOL!
    Sounds like a shuffleboard tournament is in the works!!

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  4. Good to have you back on the airwaves.

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  5. Have you checked if the pool is hot? Here at Catalina, the large pool is about 93 degrees! I swam and hot tubbed last night under the moon with all those crazy clouds flying by. Now lets hope for a clear night on tuesday when we get a full eclipse! See you soon!

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  6. CoolJudy and Luke RinehimerDecember 19, 2010 at 9:35 PM

    We have friends, Jeff and Merrieanne Martin, that have a seasonal park model in space #43 at the Sands. If you see them, tell them hello from us. We've stayed there a few times and that is where I got my hole-in-one last year!!! Jeff is an avid golfer so maybe Odel has already met him on the links. Looks like we won't be on the road south until after New Year's. We'll catch you along the way.

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