Unfortunately, the street was so popular that we couldn't stop and had to drive slowly by. Had we known, we would have parked and walked the street like many people did. My pictures turned out blurry; some worse than others; but I'm keeping them anyway.
Most of the motor homes in The Palms (where Roger and Deborah built their home) had Santa hats on their rear view mirrors and wreaths hung on the front of the vehicle. The Fifth Wheel Trailers used the front hitch to create a Christmas tree with lights. Even my night pictures of Roger and Deborah's new home are blurry... they had a lit nativity scene in the front yard, a poinsettia in the fountain garden, a light-covered deer and three Christmas trees in the side yard.
They built their home such that it blocked the wind and the side yard was wonderfully warm to sit on the patio. The garage (see the palm trees on the stucco'd wall) part of the patio was the hottest area in the afternoon - where we had Happy Hour most days.
Araby Acres, where Deb's park model is located is just a street away. They have a great Christmas Eve tradition that the entire park does - midmorning on the 24th a crew with a truck slowly drives around the Park and places paper lunch bags 3 to 4 feet apart down both sides of the streets. Another person puts sand in the bags and another person places a tea light in the sand. Around 5 p.m. all residents light the tea lights nearest their homes. It looks amazing at night (Roger's Santa hat played Christmas music and the lights blinked - not sure why it looks like he has a red antennae coming out of his forehead). Deborah is walking Max, a 13 year old Papillon:
We enjoyed the Stogre family's traditional Christmas Eve dinner of escargot, garlic toast, shrimp & scallops in garlic butter and lobster with Deb's double stuffed potatos:
And Christmas morning we had huevos rancheros, leftsa with Champagne and orange juice. I love their home - beautifully finished with tile floors, granite counter tops with tile back splash; self-closing cupboard drawers. Behind those closet doors to the right are a stacking washer and dryer and a utility closet.
We met their friends and had Christmas dinner with Bert and Maxine (from Okotoks, AB) and Lawrence and Trudy (from Brooks, AB). Bert, Maxine, Roxie and Sam have been living in their (big beautiful) motor home for 9 years. They sold their home in Calgary and spend half the year on their lot in the Foothills area of Yuma and the other half in Okotoks where they also have an RV lot.
Through the left window (above) you can see the back of a very long trailer with Bert's motorbike inside. Below - Lawrence and Trudy:
Bert and Maxine are making Cherries Flambe' here. It was delicious!
This is a large tent that they have erected on their very large lot, butted up to a storage shed Bert built which doubles as an outdoor kitchen. The floor is Mexican brick; and, yes, they have a flat screen t.v. in the tent, a tall propane heater, and a patio table with a propane fire place (not shown here). The motor home you can see through the tent window is Lawrence and Trudy's; who were parked there for Christmas.
Afraid I didn't take a picture of Sam (the cat). Here is Roxie, the 8-year old German Rottweiler, peeling her own mandarin orange... she loves them!
She is the sweetest, most lovable dog. Poor thing had to have plates put in her knees when she was young and has trouble getting around. The largest Rottweiler I've ever seen! In the top right corner is a portion of the patio table that has the propane fireplace (Bert removed some rings of the metal table so the firepit would fit in the centre).
We met more friends who lived in their Park at a Happy Hour party Roger and Deborah had on Boxing Day. One couple was from Oregon; another from Ft. Saskatchewan, another from Saskatchewan, etc. The mid-40's couple from Ft. Saskatchewan were building a home on a golf course in a town nearby. They both worked at Ft. McMurray. Not sure whether they are retired now or not(!?)
We arrived in Yuma at noon on December 22nd. We went to Los Algodones, BC (Baja California), Mexico, the next day. Its a 20 minute drive through Yuma and California. There is a huge parking lot managed by the Indian Reserve. Most people park and walk across the border; which is what we did. This little town is so cool. There are dozens of dental offices there and some even have staff standing in the doorways trying to drum up business. Below is the first plaza as you walk across the border into Los Algodones. Across from where these two men were playing music were craft stalls with the pungent spray-painted pictures and various other works of art.
This band was playing in a large plaza area which was actually El Paraiso Restaurant's outdoor seating area. The musicians kept telling us how cold they were. I was wearing a short sleeved top and had to take my jacket off (but they were in the shade):
This girl is an exchange student from Thailand. She is living with an American family until next June. A very talented artist is sketching her picture here. He is using only charcoal and a table napkin. Wish I had taken a picture of the finished product - it was awesome!
Larry has just told me that at 10:00 a.m. today it is 13 degrees in Yuma and next week it is supposed to be 23 to 24 degrees! It was the coldest Christmas they have had for a long time (so they tell me) and was approximately 8 to 10 degrees during the daytime while we were there.
A pharmacy's front window:
The community complex in The Palms is very large. There is a gym, a room for making pottery; a room for making jewellery; a large room with tables to do puzzles and several heavy-duty card tables; another with large tables for sewing, quilting, etc. We watched three woman making no-sew fringed blankets using southwestern designed fabric that looked and felt like polar fleece. The fabric was actually made out of recycled plastic bottles. They told us that the solid colour fabric was only $3 a yard and the patterned was $5 a yard. Unbelievably easy to make!
I watched Deborah's Zumba class on Tuesday - its a cardio exercise class that is much like dance class and done to upbeat Mexican music - I hope Medicine Hat has one! That room is huge and used for banquets and church services also.
I thought this bench might make me look smaller:
Deborah and I shopped after her Zumba class was over. We went to Kohls and Marshalls, who both had great sales on. I spotted an Olive Garden in the same complex so that is where we went for supper.
Last, but not least, here are some of the gorgeous blooms:
