Creating our own environment......

 8:01 am - Saturday - May 31st - LPG&RVR - 69° F, humidity 20%, Wind 15 mph out of the west by southwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 92° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were taking a break at the Flaming Gorge Dam Visitor Center on US-191......

.....on our way north to Rock Springs, WY where we spent the night in the Walmart Supercenter.

We were expecting our first 90+ temp day Friday, and we were not disappointed.  The nice thing about the summers here at LGP&RVR is that the 'heat of the day' (high temp) doesn't arrive until around 3 pm, and then it quickly begins to cool.  We began our 2nd day of our 4 day  weekend deploying the two new 5' x 7' artificial turf pieces we purchased at Home Depot on Thursday.  I had this idea of how it would look.....

Before the addition.....

.....and after

.....and I was not disappointed.  Now I can walk anywhere in our site without the need for flip flops, or shoes, and since the new dining tent/canopy we will be purchasing soon has no floor the artificial turf will fill that need, also.

We also got our first wild flower blossom of the season Friday......

.....next up we wanted to install our newly purchased shower curtain.  We've been using the same brown shower curtain which came with the Newell since we bought her back in March of 2008.  I'm not sure why we stuck with that one for so long, but once we replaced the window curtain in the shower we knew we had to, finally, replace the shower curtain...

.....TLE also fashioned a new tie to hold the curtain open when not in use to which I added the necessary snaps.....

.....once that was done it was time to take our positions on the 'lido deck' in our anti gravity lounge chairs to watch the Memorial Golf Tournament being held near Columbus, OH at Muirfield Village (a Jack Nicklaus development)......

.....of course there were a couple of naps thrown in for good measure.  By 1 pm it began to get uncomfortably warm on the 'lido deck', so we headed inside for the balance of the afternoon to continue watching the tournament.  Our 43 year old AC's continue to blow ice cubes, and kept us quite comfortable all afternoon.  I might add that we only run one AC at a time, otherwise it gets too cold....a nice 'problem' to have.

It is so nice to have our site finally setup the way we like it....at least for now.  We love just spending time in our site on our four day weekends, which feels so isolated from everything else going on around us.  Having such a large 'lido deck' makes our home feel much larger than it really is.  We've been able to create our own environment out of a site that most people would not want, but with all the stuff we carry with us we are able to create an inviting, comfortable living space outside of the Newell interior.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lovely cortisone....

 7:10 am - Friday - May 30th - LPG&RVR  - 58° F, humidity 28%, wind 8 mph out of the southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 92° F.  On this date in 2020 we visited Dinosaur National Monument.....

.....with Glenn and Laureen.  We were on our way north from Meeker, CO enjoying life in rural America during the Wuhan Flu.  As I've written previously, life was pretty normal in rural America during the early months of  the flu.  We spent two nights near Vernal, UT.

We were up around 6 am Thursday morning, so we could be on US-395 southbound to Reno, NV by 7:30 am for my scheduled 11 am orthopedics appointment with Dr. Fyda.  When I visited Great Basin Orthopedics back in late July of 2024 he gave me my first cortisone shot in my right knee.  As you may recall he had diagnosed me at that time with Osteoarthritis, and some bone on bone (lack of cushioning cartilage in the joint), but said a knee replacement is still in the distant future.  Well, nothing has changed....it it still there, just getting slowly worse.  We will know when that time arrives when the cortisone shots stop working.

We covered the 163 miles in just under 2.5 hours, arriving in Reno at 10 am.  Before heading to my appointment we did a small shopping at the Smith's Grocery Store (Kroger), which is about 3 minutes from GBO.  We were out of the store in the VW heading to GBO by 10:25 am.  I always like to show up early for doctor appointments as there is about a 50/50 chance we'll be taken into the small room early, and that was the case on Thursday.  By 10:40 am I was getting a fresh new set of X-rays on my right knee, and by 11:15 am I had been given my second lovely cortisone shot.  Within 10 minutes the stiffness and soreness disappeared from my knee, just like last July.  That first shot worked for about 9 months, until early April of 2025.

Since we were in Reno where we have access to Home Depot, COSTCO and Trader Joe's we headed to Home Depot right after topping off our fuel tank.  We bought a couple of extra pieces of artificial turf (5' x 7') for the 'dining/gaming deck, and a tension rod for a new shower curtain we're installing in the Newell shower.  Next we visited Trader Joe's, then it was over to COSTCO.

By the time we finished at COSTCO and merged back onto US-395 northbound it was exactly 1 pm; we got a lot accomplished in just 3 hours.  The drive back to Likely from Reno always seems to take about 20 minutes less, even with a rest stop at the Honey Lake Rest Area, as there is usually way less northbound traffic....why I don't know.

We were gone just under 8 hours, and the entire trip was without incident.  We're just glad its over, and now we can relax for the final three more days of our 'weekend' before beginning our next 4 day work week on Monday....thanks for stopping by!

Mowing and trimming.....

 6:23 am - Thursday - May 29th - LPG&RVR - 48° F, humidity 39%, wind 10 mph out of the north by northwest.....clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 83° F.  On this date in 2017 my son, Tim, and his fiancé, Laila, came to visit TLE and I in South Lake Tahoe....

....I wrote about that here.

Wednesday, the final day of our four day work week, was another busy mowing day for me, but not before I staged 14 golf carts to begin the day.  Once that was done I made the first of three rounds the golf course checking on the goose/duck leavings at tee box #3, and the four sand traps.  Upon my return I fixed the hinged lid for our 'Key Drop' box where returning golfers deposit the keys to their carts.  The lid split a few years ago, and at the time I chose to glue it, but time, and weather undid that repair, so this time I retrieved three very long wood screws, some drill bits, my Porter Cable drill, then drilled holes into the front of the lid, then inserted the screws.  I think this repair will last....I'll take a picture later and add it to the blog.

By the time I finished it was 10 am, and time to begin mowing.  You will recall I mowed the tee boxes at #10 on Tuesday, so I only had the ones at 3, 15, 16, 17 and 18 remaining.  The mowing went smoothly, and I returned around 11:15 am; thinking I had enough time to mow the grass around the 'Night Office' I headed directly there.  I finished with that large grass piece around 11:50 am, and headed for the Clubhouse.  As I was passing pull through sites 21, 22 and 23 I noticed they had been vacated, so I made a right turn and mowed them quickly.  By the time I parked the 2 bag Husqvarna it was exactly 12 pm, and time to give TLE her lunch break.

I took a few phone calls, and checked in one arrival, but that was the extent of what happed from 12 pm to 1 pm.  Once TLE was back I headed out to the 'Cart Return' to begin washing the four golf carts which had been returned while I was in the Clubhouse office.  Once done with that I retrieved a Stihl string trimmer and trimmed around the small gazebo which I had mowed Tuesday, then down to the 'Night Office' to trim what I couldn't mow, then back to the Clubhouse to trim along the wooden deck.  

I had some time on my hands before the final influx of golf carts arrived, so I made my final round of the course to see where the remaining carts were.  There were only five, and I found one on the 7th hole, two on the 17th hole, one on the 16th hole, and one on the 15th hole....

The 17th fairway

Another spectacular day at Likely Place Golf and RV Resort

.....by the time I returned all but one of those five carts had been returned, so I washed them and stowed them in the cart shed.  It was just after 3:30 pm, so I headed for home to take a shower, and a nap before returning at 5 pm to give TLE a ride home.  Time for our four day weekend!

We're off (Thursday morning) to make the drive down to Reno for my orthopedist appointment in just a few minutes.  We'll make stops at COSTCO and Trader Joe's while we're there, and hope to be back mid afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by!

One month.....

 5:53 am - Wednesday - May 28th - LPG&RVR - 47° F, humidity 34%, wind 13 mph out of the west by southwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 87° F.  On this date in 2011 TLE and I were having a late breakfast at Simple Simon's in Riverside, CA.....

....located in the 'walking mall' on the west side of the world famous Mission Inn.

Our third of four work days, Tuesday, was way busier than either of us expected.  I initially staged 10 golf carts thinking that would be more than enough based on the number of people signed up for tee times, but we had a lot of 'walk in' business Tuesday ballooning the total number of carts rented to 17.   

I made my usual first round of the golf course around 8:30 am, and was back by 9 am.  It was still too early to do any mowing so I took care of some weeding down in the ten gravel sites, and turned on the sprinklers at the grass area which surrounds the 'Night Office'.  By the time I was done with that it was after 10 am, so I grabbed the two bag Husqvarna and began to mow.  TLE wanted to take her lunch at 1 pm so I was able to get all the mowing I had scheduled for Tuesday done by then.  When I finally put away the Husqvarna at 1 pm I had mowed the grass at the small gazebo, the large grass area by site #30, all 5 of the water/electric sites, four of the ten pull through, full hookup sites, the grass at the group fire pit, the grass between the putting green and the Clubhouse deck, the grass around the #10 tee boxes, the three large grass areas in the residential area, and some tall weeds at the back of the driving range that the large, real type rough lawnmower cannot cut.

TLE needed to drive into Alturas during her lunch break to pickup her new trifocal prescription glasses at the optometrist, which is why she took a late lunch break.  She was back right at 2 pm, and I only had 90 minutes left in my work day.  By then there were a number of golf carts in the 'Cart Return' area, so I began washing them, and as I did that more began to return.  By the time I left to go home all but 3 of the carts had been returned, so I'll have them to wash first thing Wednesday....not bad.

We're heading into a warming trend where we will have temps for the first time this season in the low 90's Friday and Sunday, but then they will drop back into the 60's and 70's for the next week. As of Tuesday we've been back at LPG&RVR for one month; time is moving much to quickly, and  TLE and I are now closer to 76, than we are to 75.  Thursday we'll head down to Reno for my orthopedist appointment, and hopefully another cortisone shot.  My knee is mostly stiff, and only gets sore at the end of work days, but I would like it not to be stiff, and/or sore all the time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, Monday.....

 5:49 am - Tuesday - May 27th - LPG&RVR - 41° F, humidity 39%, wind 8 mph out of trhe east......partially cloudy skies today with a forecast high of 84° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I were in Coeur d'Alene, ID at 'The Lake Resort' riding our bicycles.....

.....can't believe that was 13 years ago!

Monday was the typical Monday at the end of a long weekend....there were many departures of folks headed back to their workday lives, and about one half as much demand for golf carts.  In all we put out 16 golf carts Monday....a nice day to be sure, but way less hectic that the almost 40 per day we were putting out Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I made my usual round of the golf course (Claude is off Monday - Wednesday) clearing goose/ducking leavings from the tee boxes at the 3rd hole, and raking the four sand traps.  I also, finally, added the blue dye to the two ponds which border the tee boxes at #3.  The blue dye in the water helps retard plant growth in those two shallow ponds.  In all I was gone around 40 minutes from the Clubhouse, and when I returned there were still 6 of the original 10 golf carts I staged remaining.  

Monday is also one of the days we mow the driving range, and with the park completely full over the weekend there were a lot of golf balls out there to shag.  I began clearing the range around 10 am, and finished around 11:30 am.  While I was out there I took time to fish about 25 golf balls out of the creek that subdivides the driving range.  I was wearing my rubber boots I've had since we worked 'Smuggler's Den' in Maine back in 2018.  I was close to finishing with the creek when I stepped into a deep spot in the creek and completely filled both of my boots with water....doh!  I was wearing pants as I always do when clearing the range so my socks and pants got wet.  I didn't want to go home to change right then, so I finished clearing the final few balls out of the creek, then took off my socks, and rubber boots, then put back on my Keen boots without socks to finish clearing the driving range.

After hauling the range balls (I filled five 5 gallon buckets with range balls) up to the 'Cart Return' area I filled them with soap and water to let them soak for a few hours, then headed home to get some dry socks and change from my pants into shorts for the rest of the work day.  I was back in time to give TLE her lunch break, during which time I answered one phone call, and sold two golf shirts to a lady....that was it for my time in the office Monday.

After TLE's lunch break golf carts began to return, and I began to clean them, while also cleaning the range balls.  By 4 pm all the range balls had been cleaned, and all but 2 of the 16 golf carts had returned, so I headed home to take a shower, and returned to the office around 5 pm to retrieve TLE, and flip the sign down at the 'Night Office'.  Just another routine Monday at the end of a holiday weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday weekend life in an RV park......

 5:45 am - Monday - May 26th - Memorial Day - LPG&RVR - 50° F, humidity 43%, wind 9 mph out of the north by northwest......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 73° F.  On this date in 2014 TLE and I were working at Tahoe Valley Campground....

....the first picture shows campground first thing in the morning Memorial Day, and the second later that afternoon....from a bustling mini city to a ghost town in hours!

Going back to work in the middle of a any holiday weekend is always disorienting for me, and Memorial Day weekend is no different.  You go from the quiet solitude of your site, where we spent most of the previous 4 days, to the hectic, fast paced life of a holiday weekend at the Clubhouse.  We rented close to 40 golf carts on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday was no different.  By 2:30 pm we had rented out 38 golf carts....since we only have 31 golf carts that meant 7 went out twice.  I only left the 'Cart Return' area a few times all day, and not for long durations, because just as quickly as I would stage 10 golf carts, they would be gone, and then I would stage another 10, and so on, and so forth.

Nevertheless, after for days of loafing around I was ready to return to work.  Not having to make rounds of the golf course to rake the sand traps, or Marshal made Sunday easier than it would have been in the past, and I was able to take my time cleaning each cart instead of racing through the returned carts each time I made a pass around the golf course.  By 3:30 pm, my normal quitting time, only half of the carts had returned, so I worked another hour to make sure I didn't start Monday with s0 many golf carts left to wash.  When I left at 4:30 pm there were only 8 carts still outstanding.

Of course, being a holiday weekend, the Clubhouse office was very busy, and when I gave TLE her lunch break I never really had a chance to sit down and relax.  I even had to leave the office twice to stage more golf carts during that hour.  Since I left work so late I barely had time to take a shower before returning to the Clubhouse to give TLE a ride home.  As it turned out it was going to take her longer than normal to close out the register, so I headed down to flip the sign, and then home to await her arrival.  She didn't get home until after 6 pm.  Hopefully, Monday will be a little less hectic as people begin returning to their workaday lives, and the RV park turns into a comparative ghost town for a few days.

Thanks for stopping by!

The other 40 didn't make it.....

 6:01 am - Sunday - May 25th - LPG&RVR - 45° F, humidity 39%, wind mph out of the southwest.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 78° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were in Meeker, CO (on western slope of the Rockies, and largely untouched by the Wuhan Flu hysteria) staying for a few days at Meeker Town Park....50 amps, and a view of the White River.....

....one of the nicer town parks at which we've stayed over the years!

Saturday was a lazy day, and also the final day of our four day weekend.  It was lazy once I took care of two things needing my attention.....dump the black tank, and wash the VW.  It had been 10 days since I last dumped the black tank, and a few months since  I washed the VW. I never have to check the level of the black tank.  TLE and I can both tell by the sound the effluent makes as it hits the black tank after a flush when it needs attention, and we've never been wrong....even once.  The great thing about dumping the black tank here at LPG&RVR is the water pressure.  I can flush the tank three times in less than 15 minutes.

Once the black tank was empty once again I turned my attention to vacuuming and washing our 2001 VW Beetle.  You know, we've owned that car since March of 2014, which makes it our longest owned car in our married lives.  When we purchased it the mileage was 124,000.  Eleven years later is sits at 198,000, and still going strong.  Before washing her I took about 20 minutes to vacuum several months of dirt, dust and gravel from her interior, then another 20 minutes to remove the bug build up from her front, and wash the rest of her.  Her exterior is showing her age after 11 years of sitting outside exposed to the elements, but her interior, and her mechanicals are still going strong.

By the time I finished washing the VW and putting away everything it was only 10 am....perfect.  I spent the balance of the day ensconced in my anti gravity chair watching golf, and napping.  Finally 3:30 pm came around and it was time to get ready for the weekly putting contest which is held at 4 pm each Saturday.  This is the first Saturday I have not had to work, and the first week I've taken the time to practice putting more than once.....

.....we had a total of 42 putters this week, which is a record for this year, and only two less than our all time record since we've been coming to LPG&RVR each summer.  This day was my day.  For the first 3 rounds I didn't miss a second putt, and barely missed holes in one 3 times.  On the fourth round I missed one second putt, but still prevailed to make it to the final for the first time this year.  90% of my putts ended up within 12 inches of the hole.....I was on fire.  In the final I missed one second putt, but came back two holes later with an ace (hole in one) to tie the match. It was tied going into the 5th hole.  My first putt finished just 8 inches from the hole, but my opponent's ball was just 4 inches from the hole, and between my ball and the hole.  I attempted to knock his ball away from the hole (legal), and did....it went off the green.  Sadly my ball rolled about 10 feet from the hole.  All my opponent had to do was get his second shot closer to the hole than I was and he succeeded.  Nevertheless, I came in second, finishing "in the money", and guaranteed me a place in the championship match this Fall.

We didn't get home until 6 pm, and we had planned to grill steaks with Claude, so I lit the Sea-B-Que, and within 10 minutes we were grilling steaks....

.....since we (Claude, TLE and I) all work Sunday we called it an evening around 7 pm, and by 9 pm we were in bed getting our beauty rest.

Thanks for stopping by!