Traveling Square Dancers: December in Cactus Gardens

Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Monday, January 2, 2012

December in Cactus Gardens

Note: there are many photos in this posting. To see one enlarged, click on the photo.

We didn’t get to dance much this season due to Ron’s foot problems. This photo is from one of the few dances we attended.

Ron turned 70 the first week of December. He insisted on not having a big celebration, so we gathered with a few friends for lunch at Golden Corral.

Our Christmas Employee Party at Cactus Gardens is always a blast, and this year was no exception.

We don’t often get rain in Yuma, but this December was an exception. A record rainfall on December 12 left water standing near our site. It doesn’t take much rain to create standing water on the rock hard sand/stone ground here. The 1.12 inches broke a record for the date set in

Ron taught a class in solving Sudoku puzzles for several weeks.

We started a cards night this season with fellow square dance friends, Bunny and Wes, Jim and Myra and Hoyt and Bernice. Each time we met, Jim taught us a new card game for an evening of fun.

A highlight of the month occurred when Bernice and I were invited to give a tatting demonstration at the Quartermaster Depot’s Annual Christmas Village.

A write up of this event can be viewed on my craft blog “Spare Moment Stitching”.

Part of the December ritual each year is to see the lights on 55th Street. The residents on 55th Street in the Foothills probably have more Christmas lights than most whole communities. It’s always a treat to make the trip down to view the lights, and of course, it has to be followed with treats from Dairy Queen.

This year, we happened to go on the starting night of the annual Foothills Parade. The first 3 pictures are from it.

This was our favorite entry in the parade with a working model train.

55th Street:

We have our own Christmas Parade in the park. Lois, Kathy and I rode in one of the golf carts. I had lots of comments on my “Rudolph” look.

We do a little Christmas Decorating of our own. This is what we did for this year:

and our Christmas tree inside.

Christmas without family is pretty low key for us. We attended Worship Service and then shared dinner at a local restaurant with friends, Jim and Myra Kemper, Don and Pat Wheeler, Rudy Myhedyn and Hoyt and Bernice Odom.