February, 2003

February already!!!    Where does the time go?  We seem to keep busy most of the time...not much sitting around here!  After having golf lessons for several months, Mary finally ventured out for a "real" game on the "Palm" course here in the park.  That has turned into a regular Sunday morning game with three friends.  Still lots of room for improvement, but its much more fun that the practice range.  Lessons still continue!!!

On Friday, Feb. 6 Reid and his friend Kim flew into Phoenix from Denver.  They returned to Colorado on Tuesday, and in between there was lots of golf for the guys and a little sun time for the gals.  Unfortunately the weather had turned a little cool and cloudy by Arizona standards.  But, it was a lot warmer and dryer than Colorado.  We taught Kim how to play dominoes and she won on her first try.  We enjoyed their company and think they enjoyed the escape from winter and work.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 was Mary's mother's 80th birthday.  Mary flew from Phoenix to Harlingen, TX where she met her brother, Bill, who flew in from Toledo and they surprised their Mom by arriving at her house in Holiday Village in Pharr around 10pm.  Thursday and Friday were spent mostly just catching up on things.  There was a trip to Progresso on Thursday to gather a little Mexican culture.  Bill even managed to win at Bingo on Thursday evening at Mother's park event.  Friday night was the Valentine Party and there were many energetic dancers enjoying the evening.  It was a great celebration for Mother's birthday and we had a great opportunity to see Mother and Fran's friends.  On Saturday we flew back to our own reality (with Mary's luggage not arriving till Sunday).
Kim and Reid visiting in the Bounder.
Bill, Mom and Fran enjoying a stop in Progresso, Mexico.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tom played bridge, but missed playing golf because the area had more rain in 48 hours than they'd had in all of 2002, there was an Anthrax scare at the hospital across the street from the resort, and income tax for various family members have been completed.
For the next couple of weeks we continued on our "regular schedule."  Tom plays in the mixed golf scrambles twice a week and plays duplicate bridge in the park and also at the Elk's Club in town.  Mary plays tennis in a ladies league and mixed round robins five days a week with golf lessons and a round on Sundays.  Tom joins the tennis once or twice a week as well.  In between we gather with various new friends for "happy hour" and lunches and try to work off the calories with long walks and bike rides.  Park events included some evening entertainment and the annual Quilt Show.  There are quite a few dedicated and talented quilters here in the park.  Mary counted over 25 sewing machines set up and operating with about 50 ladies attending a work session recently.  There was also a street fair in downtown Casa Grande, but it fell a little short of our expectations.
The weather has had its "ups and downs."  We've had a string of gorgeous sunny days.  Then we've had some with plenty of rain and wind.  One day at happy hour, the host used up his and his neighbor's supply of blankets and jackets and was down to bedspreads.  By then, it was time to "give up and go home."  You'd have thought it was November in Ohio and we had no campfire to gather 'round.  We took advantage of the bad weather days to do inside chores and run errands in town.  And we kept in touch with family and friends in Ohio who have had "more than their fair share" of snow and cold weather.
The Quilt Show at the Palm Creek Ballroom...there were over 125 quilt projects on display.
Mary's golf buddy, Cathy, on the "Creek Course."  Note the sign on the bridge. (and don't ask how many balls Mary lost on her first round on this course.)
On Friday the 28th, Tom's cousin Joanne and her husband, Don, came for a visit.  The guys played 9 holes of golf on the "Creek Course" here in the park while Joanne and Mary took a tour of the rest of the park and compared it to the Voyager Park where Done and Joanne live in Tucson.  We had a great visit and enjoyed dinner together.  We're all hoping that March brings some warmer weather to Arizona.  The last week of February brought lots of rain and even snow to the state - which will help somewhat with the drought conditions - but is not the most pleasant for us "snowbirds."
Don and Joanne and their PTCruiser visiting at "our place."