OLA: Getting to Viewpoint, Our Home for the Season

our neck of the woods, with a little orange tree

the big scissors

From Santa Monica, we moved on to my sister Cherry and her husband Rick’s new home in San Diego. Rick had accepted a job offer there and the couple was eagerly awaiting our arrival. The two men quickly sat down to watch the Chargers (the couple’s team) football game with the Raiders while Cherry ordered Round Table Pizza for us to devour during the expected riotous game…not (it was a disappointing loss for the Chargers!

The following day, while Rick was at work, Bill, Cherry and I shopped for the meals for our three other dinners: chili relleno, chicken afritada, and chicken tikka masala. Actually, they had only transferred to San Diego last Sept. 14 and many more boxes are therefore still unpacked. In fact Rick’s right foot was inadvertently hit by a heavy box while bringing them out of the trucks and is still suffering from the hairline fracturest. But the two girls had lots of fun taking turns cooking.

Cherry also had her much desired pixie cut retouched but not before we took pictures of the biggest pair of scissors in the world. Meanwhile I had my hives quickly eradicated by a great doctor in an exceptional urgent care facility. But we had to cut our stay short because my Silhouette glasses had to be repaired in Palm Springs where I bought them last April. Friday was our last bet for I had doctors’ appointments on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the following week in Phoenix.

So it was a hurried departure and fortunately, Cherry, a very good cook, did very well, with lots of compliments from Rick, with the chicken tikka masala recipe I left her. But we were not able to make the banana cream pie, a favorite of both Bill and Rick. Our pictures, of Cherry hugging her two dogs, Kea and Charger (what else!) and me hugging Cherry, was our sweet goodbye.

The two vacations were not as grand as we expected them to be. The 21- year olds Krishna and Tracy had definitely different notions of party than 50-year olds Rick and Cherry. But we had our chance to relive both our 20’s and 50’s and now we are back in Phoenix, back to reality and back to our 60s! On the way, the bright Arizona sky was host to a very interesting find in our travels, Cloud Lab, the largest air ship in the world. It is in the air searching for life in the clouds, on an expedition across the US funded by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Unfortunately the work on our home was not yet finished when we arrived, so we had to stay in a motel for 4 days. But now we are ensconced in our very own semi-annual campsite #5520, just a short walk from one of the clubhouses and the ball diamond, at Viewpoint RV Golf and Tennis Resort. We even have a little orange tree in front, semblance of a home!

Viewpoint Layout

Here is the layout of the campground, with all of 1,900 sites, close to half of which are park model and manufactured homes. There are 2 golf courses, 10 tennis courts, a ball court, three swimming pools and hot tubs, 2 clubhouses, a bar/grill, a country store, etc. It is already buzzing with activity even if only a third of those expected for this snow birding season have arrived.

There are also a ton of concerts, dinner/dances, shows, and other events:

·         7 Concerts (tributes to Celine Dion, Bob Seger, Rolling Stones, Chicago, Nashville Road Show, and Journey),

·         8 performances, 3 each of Concert Band and Classic Chorale, 1 each of Choraliers and Goodtime Singers,

·         11 Tuesday Night Dinner Shows (from solo artists, quartets, magicians, comedians, and hypnotists to Mariachi Band, Vocal Ensemble, Orchestra, Saddle Strings, Swing Sisters, and Jerry Breeden),

·         8 Friday Night Dances with different themes (Halloween, Welcome Back, Christmas, New Year, Sadie Hawkins, Valentines, Sock Hop, and Going Away),

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 and a host of Special Events like the Fall and Spring Yard Sales, the Winterfest, a Super Bowl Party, 50^th Anniversary Celebration, annual photography exhibit, arts and crafts festival, and St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, and an Annual Cookie Bake, Veterans, Day, etc. 

at the Resort entrance

And with 50 clubs to choose from (I have chosen painting, photography, yoga, tai chi, dancing, bridge, mahjong, poker, scrabble, and karaoke) I will have my hands full! It will be a very different half year for us:  no long road tips, just staying put, making new friends, partying and chillaxin’. So from the next post on, I will be writing WOWs, Wonderings on Wanderings. Because chillaxin’ will give us time to reflect.