Almost another year has flown by. Thanksgiving dinner has just passed by us here in Arizona and the rush for the next big day is on. Decorations are up, carols are being played everywhere and Black Friday sales are full on.
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| Photo courtesy of Target |
"Grey Friday" (the stores open anytime from 4 - 8 pm and remain open all night on Thanksgiving Thursday).
Our Thanksgiving Dinner was great - barbecued burgers after some pickleball with Harold and Judy (staying at Sun City Grande; from Comox).
Got in a visit with Steven & Sandy (Marc's relatives in Mesa). We're further away (45 min each way) now that we've hanging out in the Phoenix area. Got in a bike ride around their neighborhood, out towards Queen Creek then over to the Mesa Gateway Airport. Gorgeous day with clear bright blue skies and temperatures in the 80s.
Posse Protection Programs
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| Photo courtesy of Arizona Daily Independent News |
In 1992 a series of carjacking at Phoenix area malls prompted Sheriff Joe Arpaio in 1993 to mobilize his volunteer posse to join his mall patrol. Now, law enforcement protection is provided around all major shopping malls during the Christmas Season. The program helps locate lost children and stolen vehicles to traffic accident assists and shoplifting arrests. And yes, they do ride horses - a real posse.
A school posse program began in early 2013, following the Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. In Feb of 2013 announced a controversial plan involved an exercise at a closed school site in Fountain Hills (outside Phoenix) involving SWAT members as shooters and 25 teenagers paling the part of students during mock scenarios involved up to three gunmen. Actor Steven Seagal will lead training on hand-to-hand tactics and techniques drawn from his expertise in martial arts.
The school protection program has not come without protest. The volunteers (upwards of 3,000 in training) will dress in uniforms and drive patrol vehicles, some authorized to carry guns after training but won't go onto school grounds unless danger is eminent.
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| A typical wash area |
We had one evening with tremendous lightning and thunder. Kylie is terrified of thunder but Tazz - boldly struts out in the storm and just prior to getting back to the motorhome we got hit with a major downpour.
The dogs have a great time playing in these wash areas - all residential areas have them and those without playground are very quiet with the houses separated by seven foot brick fencing.
Water build up makes for a great time playing frisbee. Amazing how quickly the water builds up in the wash areas. We have not yet experienced a flash flood but can see how it would happen very quickly.
A perfect day for a canal ride - we drove past the 101 to start a ride on the Grande Canal.
Along the way are massive agricultural acreages and farms with horses and llamas.
A water canal on one side of the path and on the other is this 30-40 ft deep canal meant to hold overflow city water.
Along the way and just prior to cycling through the underground tunnel we spotted what looked like a coyote at first . It was a dog with a shock collar and wasn't looking very afraid or active for that matter. Two water district workers with stopped in their vehicle along the canal. We assumed they were keeping an eye on the situation and carried on, but concerned as no owners seemed to be around and also, no homes but a busy traffic area and fenced off from any yards or people.
Orange and grapefruit groves.
Gorgeous Palo Verde Trees
Came back the same way and got to the same spot with the husky cross dog, seen lying on the cement at the fence to the 40 foot dry canal. Marc went towards her, she slowly got up and did a kind of howl/bark - but not at all vicious - obviously very weak. Looks like she escaped and possibly wandering for a couple of weeks.
Long story but I stayed, just around the corner was a shopping centre, Marc had the florest shop woman call the Animal Rescue.
A young girl did come with the van. She was great - very, very patient and she softly spoke to the dog who stood just inches away from her and did a little bark but very interested in the food she offered. She eventually and gentle got a leash on the dog, then made a halite type head collar over the dog and she was able to coax it eventually over to the truck. She then made a sling that went around the mid drift and she lifted the dog in to the van. The dog instantly looked at us and sniffed around, then ate ... she had an immediate look of relief and safety on her face - incredible how she looked so immediately relieved.
Breaks out heart to see this but her outcome hopefully will be so much better than her other option. She is a gorgeous dog and the rescuer didn't feel there would be a problem in finding another home. She scanned the dog for a chip but found none.
HAVE GOLF CART . . . WILL TRAVEL
Our first experience seeing the golf cart utilized on other than golf courses. We haven't seen this before as we have stayed out of the large RV Parks and larger centers.
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Excerpt from "The Guardian" - Jan 13, 2013
A woman rides in a golf cart with her dog in Sun City, Arizona. Sun City was built in 1959 as America's first active retirement community. Today's residents keep their minds and bodies active by socializing at over 120 clubs with activities such as square dancing, ceramics, roller skating and yoga. There are 38,500 residents in the community with an average age of 72.4 years. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
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Golf carts are allowed on roadways in Arizona with speed limits 35 mph and under. We were shopping at a Fry's Grocery store in Sun City (about fifteen minutes from El Mirage) and noticed several golf carts flying down the road - looking to us like they were traveling at least 50 mph.
It's very strange in the Pueblo El Mirage park where we are currently staying . . . . all the streets at night are nicely lit up with moon ray lighting and the pool, jacuzzi and rec centre is just a block away. Flying (or what seems like it) around the corner comes two narrow-eyed headlights. . . golf carts. They are the mode of transportation and most of them are equipped with head lights and signal lights.
This area you do not see carts cruising down the roadways as the speed limits vary constantly between 45 and 25 mph. But Sun City is a huge retirement area and people utilize their carts all the time for various things.
So - accidents do happen. Just last June a Sun City woman died in a collision with a truck. We saw a woman on Bell Road (BUSY and 40 mph limits) turning into a parking lot - or attempting to but the battery must have been crashing - - - she barely made the corner and ended up on the curb as traffic started to back up behind her in the right hand turn lane.
2010 there were seven accidents in Sun City West, up from four in 2009. The problem, according to a Deputy Fire Chief is usually due to the fact people can not see them because they're smaller.
Hmmmm . . . whatever happened to the segway? Haven't seen them except for on the canals in Scottsdale. Saw a young guy on a gas powered scooter buzzing down the sidewalk yesterday. Feeling like I'm living with the Jetsons!!!! Especially with all the buzz around utilizing drones. Will we have our In-N-Out burgers delivered to our doorsteps by drones one day????
Another of the dogs favorite washes to play in. Most areas I can drive to within ten minutes. The difficult part is, finding them. The residential areas are like driving in a maze - - - you enter them usually with a themed sign (i.e. Litchfield Manor, Roseview Manor) at the entrance but once inside the community (they are individual communities) you can not make your way back by turning right three times - - the streets are circular and only about three will take you back to the main roads surrounding the community.
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| Kylie is in her element! |
These individual community grounds are all maintained and paid for by the community taxes. Workers (usually Mexican) keep the grounds immaculate.
Bougainvilleas are gorgeous this time of year! I never realized until this year that they have thorns that are tipped with a black, waxy substance. Interestingly, they are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year (originally native to South America) or deciduous if there is a dry season.
An invite to a neighbourhood potluck (NO firewood or fires in this park). Gas fire rings are becoming the thing - especially in the dessert.
A fabulous idea - this is a fifth wheel stand (a three pronged tripod the stabilize the front end of the fifth wheel when not hooked up to the truck and hitch) wrapped with greenery and lights.
El Mirage Registration Office and Library (which is two stories - downstairs with computer lab and upstairs DVDs and books and lounging chairs).
Another entrance to the office with gift shop and activities room.
A park model with the "pineapple" trimmed palm.
Pueblo El Mirage RV & Golf Resort is a gorgeous facility with a mix of houses, double-wide homes, park models and RV's. A super friendly resort - almost everyone waves or says hi.
The odd thing for us and our opinion (which a few people have voiced the same opinion) is that it is TOOOO quiet. Things happen early (like 7 am) and during the day there is lawn bowling and some exercise group classes, quilting, sewing, crafts, but come 6 pm --- you do not see anyone out and around. We say there is nothing to do but . . . we don't go to dances and cards. Those are the two main activities.
The pool has been closed at times during the day and every evening after five. Marc frequents the jacuzzi (on left) and once in awhile at 7:30-8:00 pm he meets up with two or three people. This picture was taken at 9:30 (pool area closes at 10 pm).
Some nights the fireplace is going, sometimes the lights are on in the jacuzzi ... its a hit and miss.
We have often said, we walk around (even during the day) and it has felt like the world has ended, buildings are intact .... and we are waiting for survivors to come in through a door. Very strange. 16 pickleball courts were built this fall ... the most people we have seen are about 8 on the courts at one given time and never seen anyone in the afternoon. We go to the older courts (two with night lights) and around 6 pm do some drills - haven't seen anyone.
Its a gorgeous facility and apparently gets extremely full and busy Jan/Feb.
Well, will see how things unfold - if people leave to go away for Christmas or if it starts to fill up. More in a couple of weeks.
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