Grab your beverage of choice and have a seat. This is a long one.

Bear with us, here.  This is long and rambling and not necessarily in chronological order. I'm just jotting my thoughts as they occur.  I think I finally have a connection  this afternoon that I can use and I hope to upload some photos.  We've been taking them every day but have been unable to share.  We have still been having issues uploading photos so the long photo essay on the park is still on stand-by. Sorry. We do hope to get our act together soon.   

We are learning to speak Canadian, Eh!!  We have met more Canadians here - and in the stores - than we have US citizens.  They are here I’m sure, but don’t seem to be as outgoing and friendly as our northern visitors.  There’s a guy from Carson City three spaces down and we’ve seen license plates from northern climates, but mostly it’s the Canadians who will approach and say hello when we are walking or in the dog park or even in the Wal-Mart!  So, what is this an indication of?  We haven’t figured that part out yet. 

We had to go “make groceries” on Sunday.  Nearest place we found was about 9 miles away - a Super Wal-Mart.  Between here and there we drove through very poor neighborhoods once we got out of the farm land (about five miles) and into town.  Run down homes, dirt  yards, junk cars, etc.  Very depressing.  On this part of the Cocopah reservation there are no dwellings other than this RV park. The reservation has three distinct areas that are spread out over many miles.  There’s this place at the northwest part of Yuma and then there is the casino due south and the museum near there.  Not sure yet where the homes are if there are any. Nor are we sure if there is a nice part of Yuma.  We haven’t seen it yet if there is.  All we know is that this is not a place we would stay again unless it’s an over night on our way to Florida, let alone stay for the winter.  We've been here a week now and have a week to go.  We do have a couple of places we want to see before we leave as we probably won't ever be back! 

When we went out on Sunday we also tried to find a place for lunch before we went grocery shopping.  With our vegetarian and calorie restricted lifestyle that is not an easy task in any town, but here……  almost impossible.  (We know - it's self imposed but we do splurge once in a while on the calorie side! Honest!) We ended up at a Coco’s where we split a veggie burger and fries.  (I’m not sure I’m a fan of listing the calorie content on the menu as it takes the fun out of eating out when you see those huge numbers.” ) 

Monday we went looking for a place with WIFI so I could do a backup to my phone.  I keep getting the “you haven’t backed up your phone” nag.  Well, we found a Starbucks near the Wal-Mart and tried, but it was going to take way too long (12 hours!) to sit there so my phone is not backed up.   

I have decided that I would rather be at a place where there is no WIFI instead of a place that is supposed to have it but is intermittent and dial-up speed when it does connect.  That seems to be more frustrating to me than not having any. (Kinda like a maintenance diet - don’t tell me I can have only two cookies.  It’s either none or all, thank you.) Anyway, I digress. I get my shorts in a knot when I start out doing something on the computer or phone (like paying bills or doing my journal) and right in the middle the signal drops.  OK, enough whining.   

Last night (Wed) Roger finally convinced me to change our cell plan so we could enable our phones as hot spots.  I had to give up my unlimited data plan, but with any luck this will work for us when we can't get WIFI from the RV parks.  

Full

Earlier today I tried sitting at a table in the dog park near the WIFI antenna while Roger and Maggie played ball.  The park WIFI seems to be running fairly fast but it is mid day and probably there is no one else using it - or at least just a few people. 

We are now letting the Maggster off the leash at the dog park.  She is having such a good time playing with other dogs and chasing her ball.   Yesterday a big black boxer stole her ball and wouldn't give it back.  Her owner told me that I'd be lucky if I ever got it back because his dog wasn't going to give it up and he didn't even attempt to get it away from the dog. Maggs and I couldn't believe it.  We just stood there and stared them down but to no avail.  Finally a big chocolate lab came and stole the ball from the boxer and his owner retrieved it for me.  I wasn't about to go try and do it myself.  What a rude guy! Maggie has met and played with some big dogs here - something she wouldn't do before.  Maybe she is getting over her fear of big dogs.  

Monday she chased a bird named George around. He is the resident curlew and has a gimpy leg.  He would fly away when she got near and she would run like crazy after it.  She got quite a workout. The bird played with her for a long time before he took off for the golf course.  Maggie has not tried leaving and going home again when she is off leash.  She has, however, started deciding when it is time to go home from a walk or from the park.  She turns around toward the way we came, gets to the end of the leash, and then sits down and turns and looks at us.  “Ok, I’m done.  Let’s go home,” is the look we get.  

Rub a dub dub, a dog in a tub!

There is a “Pet Wash” with a big galvanized tub at waist height next to the shower building near the dog park.  It has warm water and a hand held shower head.  After three months of taking her naps in the Santee dirt under the RV Miss Maggie needed a bath desperately!  She did well once she got settled into the tub and didn’t try to climb out. We have a clean dog for a change!!!  Her hair is curlier, too.  She could use some anti-frizz dog hair product!!!  

Please brush my hair - it's sticking up all over!!

Yesterday we drove into Old Town Yuma.  Oh, my.  Again, how sad.  There were a couple art galleries, a pottery gallery, several antique stores, and a few bars and restaurants along with lots of empty store fronts.  We did discover, however, tucked back behind a store, a garden restaurant which was a bit more upscale and inviting  and was doing a good business for lunch.  We checked the menu and there are a couple of things we could eat so we are planning a nice lunch out there one day before we leave.  It was really a pleasant setting with outdoor seating.  

Today has been spent writing this journal entry, uploading photos, and messing about trying to figure out how to use the phones as WIFI hotspots!!  We think we are tech literate until we try to do something new.  That, and change, always gets us flummoxed!!  

Tomorrow our outing will be a trip to see the Territorial Prison made famous by the movies “3:10 to Yuma.”   

We have been thinking about a friend for Maggie to keep her company and finally settled on Barney!

Barney gets a kiss!

I want to play with Maggie's toys
but she's not good at sharing yet.