Rainy days in Phoenix - continued

We have spent a lot of time going North or East or West in the Phoenix area this year. A couple times in each direction more than once. Due to various 11yo RV problems, we spent more time West then East in our (and everybody's) favorite park: Usery Mountain County Park. Of our 7 days at Usery, 4 were sunny and mid-70's and we were in "overflow" aka a parking lot as the park was so busy. We got into a real campsite for 3 days - 3 rainy stormy days. We did enjoy the birds and squirrels.

And got thru one hike almost before the next rain came. There was a pretty spectacular rainbow between showers, tho

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Most exciting was the 7 hummingbirds who were hitting our feeders often. Made us wonder if they needed to hide out in the worst of the rain. We ended up putting another feeder out and then watched these selfish critters actually share. Unusual.

Just before we decamped as we were putting the bird feeders away, we were still being bombed by the hungry hummers. So we let them slurp the final bit from the feeder being held in Dean's hand.

Then off we went to West Phoenix again for another 3 (successful) repairs!

A Luxury Stay in Phoenix

Hurry! Be the first person on your block to sign up for this exclusive offer! Two weeks in (sometimes) sunny Phoenix.

Stay in luxurious parking lots while your RV gets it's 100,000 mile service and your generator rebuilt. Sit in sunny overflow lots (dirt) waiting for your three (rainy) days in a regular campsite.

Enjoy free wi-fi while $150/hour mechanics skillfully drain your pocketbook.

And the cost, you say? This month only, you can get all the above for only $$,$$$. Hurry! This offer cannot be repeated, and ends soon. Act now!

My Mi Fi Wi Fi

Egads, we have gotten tired of accessing the internet via our cell phone using Verizon's freebie 14.4k baud Quick To Net. And Windows 7 was giving us a hard time when trying to use the Quick To Net software. Wifi is a great way to go but sometimes we had a hard time finding an "open" wifi signal.
Had heard about a new Verizon product, the MiFi, which is described as an Intelligent Mobile Hotspot. Headed to a Verizon store and found a fellow who could tell us all about it. It's about the size of 6 credit cards stacked atop each other. It sets up a secure LAN that can provide internet access to 5 users. But wait, if I sign up for the Mobile Broadband service today, the MiFi is thrown in! So there I went and I signed up with the service.

It runs untethered on battery for about 4 hours. And will charge and run via a 110v cord. By plugging the unit into my computer's USB it will charge and run as a wifi card (not a LAN - just one user). Also included in the plan is internet access anywhere Verizon provides wifi (Starbucks, for example.)

Out the door we went with the MiFi box. Went home, tried it with 4 users and it worked as good as advertised! Wow!

Now we need to see how far we can go on our 5 gig throughput allocation for the month. Also need to see just how good the Verizon 3G network is in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. May be in for surprises then. Stay tuned.

Green Deserts

Remember the rain we were griping about a few weeks ago? Down here so many seeds lie dormant on the desert floor just waiting for a bit of moisture and then they take off. We are a little too early to see the flowers but the greening is spectacular. Imagine this land all being "desert" tan just a couple weeks ago.

And she cried Wolf!

Back to the RV and getting things settled, luggage put away, laundry done, catching up with mail, etc. Miss Lily is tethered and enjoying the sun lying on her mat in the campsite.

I look out every so often and then one time I look up and there coming through our campsite is a 4 legged non-dog. I cried "WOLF!" and ran out the RV door. "Scram Scram!" "Shoo Shoo!".
And Mr. Coyote ambled back into the wash.

Miss Lily never figured out what I was yelling about!

Whew! Keeping closer tabs now, for sure.

The Villages - you gotta see 'em

The Villages, Florida (aka "The Bubble" by residents) is located between Ocala and Orlando. It is a 55+ active living community. My sister and brother-in-law just recently moved there and I had to go and see what they were raving about!

The developers started building in the early 1970's. Today there are 45,000 homes and that number just keeps growing.

The recession has hit here too: instead of building 40 new houses a month they are only building 30!! What a number! My sister and brother-in-law were the 2nd family to move in on their street in October. By January, all houses on the street were built, completed, sold, and occupied.


Everywhere is golf cart accessible with special golf cart/multi purpose paved trails throughout the development and along busier roads. On the outer margins of The Villages are the big box stores but the two Town Centers have shops, restaurants, theaters, and a town square where a band plays nightly.


In just the "southern" part of The Villages, there are 29 neighborhoods and 27 golf courses. My sister's neighborhood has 500 homes. They live within 2 miles of the town center and a grocery and within a half mile of a neighborhood pool and a neighborhood recreation center.

The Villages daily newspaper is the largest daily newspaper in Florida. And every week a 50+ page activity guide comes out listing classes and sports and performances in the whole community. Don't think you can get bored here!

What I love the most is that all The Villages buildings and their Town Centers start with a theme and stick to it. They have hired a theme set designer from Disney. Even their utility buildings are built to fit into the theme!

My sis's recreation center is based on Africa. The building looks like a African safari station house. Inside the carpets are leopard skin patterned, the upholstery on the folding chairs has elephants, there are several tall free-standing giraffes, pictures of zebras, and a display of blow guns. We went into other rec centers. One was decorated nautically and another with automobilie memorabilia.

Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs are the two town centers. Spanish Springs looks a lot like Santa Barbara with the Spanish influence. I liked Lake Sumter Landing (pix below) best. A manmade lake with sunken boats, piers, boardwalk, and even a block long canal with a lock! As I walked through the town, I faithfully read historical markers describing the history of each of the buildings dating from 1898. Never mind that this center is sited on a 5 year-old man-made lake and the whole complex was built on the site of an old watermelon field! All fake! I just love it!

I came home with 210 pictures taken on my tour and, of course, I can't put them all here.
This first picture is the boardwalk along Lake Sumter. The second picture is a bait shack - really the radio station.

The only complaint I have about The Villages is that it is so complete, has everything you need close at hand, that I'd never leave the "Bubble" to explore the rest of Florida.

He Did - She Did

For a week we were living across the continent.
He in Arizona; She in Florida.

He did:
Ate out with friends.
Walked Miss Lily.
Watched birds and bunnies.
Missed her.
Vacuumed! Dumped!
Shopped.
Explored flood damage in a wash.
Avoided the rain, lived with the clouds.

She did:
Flew across country.
Visited with sis and husband and friends.
Shopped.
Missed him.
Sampled restaurants.
Explored "The Villages" and life in "The Bubble".
Admired my sis's new house.
Missed him.
Ran around in the rain, lived with the clouds.
Did see the sun.

Miss Lily:
slept
ate pig's ears
did tricks
rode in the car
pee'd & pooped
walked around the campground
worked on her tan