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Showing posts from February, 2011
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Update for this week. Monday was the Aloe Vera Farm tour. It was very interesting but sad because the aloe vera plants were severely damaged or killed by the freezing temperatures this February. It will take the plants 8 to 9 months to come back for the leaves to be harvested again - if they survive. There was a 45 minute outdoor tour on a haywagon done by a retired teacher who owned a citrus farm next door. Then we had a 45 minute indoor tour by an 88 year old lady - with a wonderful dry sense of humour - a little like Betty Whyte. She and her 89 year old husband help one of their sons manage the place. These presentations were followed by a chicken dinner lunch in their diningroom which they turn into a dance hall on the weekends. Plus they have made a golf course inbetween the aloe vera fields. And they are selling house lots around the place too. So on to more of the week and it has been golf tournaments on our little Par 3 - 9 hole golf course on the property of this RV Park. Wedn
Been back in Texas for almost a week and can't say I have accomplished much? Been out on the golf course here a few times to get back in the swing of things (pun intended), taught my exercise class on Tuesday and Friday morning - suffered from that with those 2 weeks off routine in Arizona. Did get out of the park with Maureen (cousin Don's wife) and Gail (another Manitoba friend) to visit the nearby town of Pharr. There was a 45 minute Trolley ride to see its historic buildings, followed by a chicken dinner and then a "Senior Cinderella Play". This was put on by the Pharr Literacy Program - a grass roots organization that started several years ago to bring ESL classes to the hispanic population (97% of their population) and now they run a nursery, their classes in English, Spanish, sewing, computer, business are all free with the students having to do volunteer service for their classes. This county is one of the poorest in the USA so they are giving these people a c
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Last day in Arizona for this trip - to fly back tomorrow to Texas to rejoin Don in the Trophy Garden fun. Yesterday Lynn and I spent the morning on a Historical Tour of Florence - travelling around in a trolley and stopping to tour homes or public buildings in that town. For lunch we had enciladas and tacos at an old Inn and listened to a man talk about a gunfight that took place in Florence between the sheriff and his deputy for unknown reasons. After lunch we went to the Casa Grande Ruins for a Native American Music Festival - featuring flute music. The weather has been sunny and 80 degrees so it was a pleasure to be outside for these events. Tom, Lynn and I went to the movies to see the new "True Grit" movie with Jeff Bridges and then we had to rent the old "True Grit" with John Wayne. The new one is more sophisticated but the old one has its charms too. That is it for Arizona.
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Still in Arizona and what is happening now you ask? Well ..... 1) Sally and Barb very much enjoyed their 4 days at the Casa Grande Gourdfest. They learned new techniques, bought a few items and conversed with gourders from all over. 2) Sally, Russell, Barb and I did take in a movie one night - "The King's Speech" starring Colin Firth - good movie that should get some Oscar awards? 3) On Monday, with Gourdfest over, we had a day to do touristry things before our time together was over so we first visited the Casa Grande Ruins. Casa Grande means Great Hous e in Spanish. It is a structure built in the middle of the desert by the Hohokam Indians 700 years ago. It consists of 11 rooms and is 4 stories high (picture to follow when I return to Texas). It was situated in a community of thousands of Indians and they are not sure of the function the building had but it may have been an observatory because there are openings in the building that align specifically with the sun and m
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Well just a few days later again. Since arriving in Casa Grande todate, we have: 1) learned how to care for dotty - Tom and Lynn's dog - chihuahua and jack russell terrier mix - 1 1/2 years old, their 3 cats - who don't like the dog, 2 geckos, indoor and outdoor fish. We are staying in Tom and Lynn's house while they went from Thursday to Tuesday to Wisconsin to celebrate Lynn's mother's 90th birthday. 2) We visited exhibits of the Gem and Mineral Show in Tuscon 2 X - an amazing show with tents all over Tuscon for 2 weeks in February. 3) Spent 3 h ours at the Desert Museum in Museum - great place - not to be missed if you are in the area. 4) Picked up Barbara Bellchambers (from Lakefield) at Phoenix Airport when she arrived from Buffalo on Tuesday - just got out before the snowstorm hit - Chicago was closed for 2 days and a severe cold front claimed the USA - we had 3 nights below freezing in Casa Grande and Don had freezing rain in southern Texas. Sally, Russell an
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Sorry for so long to get this message posted. I am in Casa Grande, Arizona so I have a few days to fill in. First of all before leaving Alamo Texas, I should mention that a fluke thing happened last Thursday morning at Ladies Golf. This was the second morning that I played in the Ladies Golf Tournament at the park and I played lousy except for a "Hole In One" on the 6th hole - 80 yards with a 7 iron? The 4 other ladies and I that were on my team did not even know it went in until we got to the pin and one of the ladies golfi ng off the 7th tee witnessed it - we had thought it rolled behind. It was a big surprise considering I had never even parred that hole before. It was lucky to get the hole in one at the tournament because we pay $1 to play and getting a hole in one pays $20!!!! I will get a certificate, had to save the ball and will get my name on a plaque in the golf clubhouse - plus I was a celebrity for awhile. Also of note was that Don went to see a Killer Bee Hockey