Electrical Outlet and a Clean Awning

Another outstanding day in Mesa, Az. We reached 84 and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The wind was very light, and I sat under the awning for much of the afternoon.

Well that was after I washed the awning with a scrub brush and vinyl awning cleaner. The stuff is kind of caustic, and I had to wash it off of my skin. It did do a job on the awning however. Got the stuff at wal mart the other night when I wouldn't buy their sewer hose slinky.

This morning I found the necessary screws in the bottom of my tool kit to install the electrical outlet under the refrigerator. So with Loyce out on a walk, I started and finished this task while she was gone. That way she never had to see the mess. I was running the dirt devil vacuum when she got back.

The outlet is closer to the middle of the RV and will allow me to put the electric heater closer to us.

Perhaps that will mean I can turn it down and not have it run as much. The experiment continues. But last night, it was never below 50 degrees outside, so the heater only came on about 15 seconds at a time, and then turned itself off again. More than likely didn't need it at all.

I continue to repair things and get ready to close down the rig so we can leave to go back to KC. The thought of that is making me shiver. Lol. Or maybe cry out loud.

Retired Rod

Sewer Slinky and a Sunset

Last night when we were at Wal Mart, I looked at the sewer hose slinky that they carry. It was only 15 feet long and they wanted $27.96. It was wal mart flimsy, and I decided we could do better. So this afternoon we went to Camping World, and they had bunches of these things.


We settled on one that was advertised as 20 feet, but it will open up farther. It was quite a bit more sturdy, and cost $24.95. With the member discount of course. Sham Sham, another profit center for CW.

Hey, its getting dark, and the sunset looks like it is going to be a good one! Most of the time Az sunsets are full of color. The sun is down below the horizon, but has not begun to illuminate the bottom of the clouds yet.


This old guy has seen it all before, a million times. Lol


Oh yea, the sun is beginning to be on the bottom of the clouds.


While the camera makes the brightness be about the same, it is now dark enough that the street lights are beginning to come on.


The camera is really opened up here, as you can tell by the brightness of the street light. The sun looks like fire as it goes out of sight.


You stand there and take it all in, not knowing how to contain yourself from the beauty.

It was in the 80's today, and seemed like summer. We ran the air conditioner in the car, as it was too hot not to.

We went to the Mesa Trader Joe's, and bought a bunch of stuff, sourdough bread and two buck chuck. Low fat crackers and a bag of 50% fat pop corn. Which we promptly got into in the car, after we went to camping world. Damn kids anyway.

Back home, I started in on some of the projects that I had gotten parts for. I had some electrical stuff to add an outlet for 110 V under the fridge. I had purchased this from Home Depot. But then I decided I needed more screws and the project was tabled.

Tonight, we went to Pizza Hut for supper, and had personal pan supreme. Loyce got a big salad to go with hers. So as I write this I'm stuffed like the proverbial goose.

Loyce also went and got a flu shot early in the day. This was a program here at the park. Really convenient, but I didn't need one, since I had one at the Doctor's office before we left.

Not an important day, but man, sitting outside under the awning at 84 degrees is about as nice as it can get.

Retired Rod

Mesa Spirit RV Resort

Welcome to Mesa Spirit RV Resort. Our oldest son has requested pictures of the park, so after a little bicycle ride, we now have pictures.

The sign out on Main street.


Of course everything is gated, and surrounded with a concrete block wall. You need a car pass to get in, and we forgot ours one night. Had to prove what spot we were on and they took our license plate to verify before we could enter. We made sure not to leave without our pass again.


The main entry drive. These are the newest park models. Many are still for sale, the economy is down.


This is the main office and the large activity center. Has the pools and the auditorium at this location.


Way back in the back, we have our unit in the pet section. Thou shalt not walk thy pet in a non pet section, least the heaven open up and smite thee.


This is one of the main pools behind the office.


The auditorium from about the middle of the dance floor. there is as much room behind me as you can see from the picture.


Pool room


This is a second pool and hot tub area behind the first pool. In the month of February, I am told that both pools will be full of folks.


The computer room has more machines behind me as well.


The library has a librarian and another wall of books behind me.


I took more photos, but it took almost an hour to up load these. Tengo Internet is not too fast and there is no one here yet. I can only imagine how bad it will get in February. Perhaps I will need to break down and get a Verizon card. Remember I am tight and that will cost a bunch of money.

We again hung around the rig today, and washed the outside area. Mostly the driveway and the little car. I set up a ham radio antenna on the satellite dish tripod in the morning and had to spend some time playing with that radio, since I hadn't used it in a while.

We aired the bike tires, and then had to go ride it for a while to see if they were up hard enough.

Then I went and bought a gate card, for the back University Avenue gate. I say bought, but it is a deposit of $25. The card is one with embedded electronic chip in it like an ID card. They then have a record of each time you come and go. Since there are 1500 sites in here, and it is a half mile to the front gate, the card to get out the back will come in handy.

Lets see, we grilled steaks on the gas grill for supper, and then went to Wal Mart for our seemingly daily visit.

We are now discussing if we really want to go back for thanksgiving, since it will be in the 80's tomorrow. Oh and for the rest of the week as well. We might stay a while longer, but will be back for Christmas for sure.

All plans are cast in Jello, of course.

Retired Rod

Veterans Day in Mesa, Az

It seems quiet here in the park, as there are so many vacancies in all the spots. When I inquired about the number of spots available for the winter, there were not too many, but folks will not arrive until later in the season. There were two pet spots left as of yesterday, and we took one. Today the second spot was filled as well.

We otherwise would not be accepted here with our dog. So we lucked out arriving here in November, when there was a spot available in the pet section. Now the pet section is only about 20 percent of this park. And the literature they hand out says that you should keep in mind that not everyone loves your pet. Not when it barks, and poos on the neighbors space, for sure.

I can't wait to see the rest of the rules here, but the books for this year have not been printed yet. So we only hope that we will not be in trouble with things not being as they should be, to match our lifestyle. You know, with the drunken beer parties and all! Lol.

I can't remember the last time I had a beer. Oh well.

Since we came off the road and set up the trailer on a permanent site, Loyce declared that today was cleaning day. Everything has been scrubbed from top to bottom. Floors, walls, cupboards, all emptied and washed out. She is relentless.

I mostly did a few lifting jobs and tried to stay out of the way. Mid afternoon we went to the Wal Mart two miles North of the Park, and suddenly realized how close we are to the Park that my parents had a park model in years ago.

Our park's East wall is the West wall of Orange Wood Shadows. We are no more than a 1,000 yards from their old trailer. We enter this park from the South on Main street, and the entry for Orangewood is on the North from University, and that had me thinking we were much farther away.

We drove thru the Orangewood park and found it to have many much older park models, and be tighter crammed together. My folks old rig, we guessed is about a 1982, and is still there. Actively owned by a snow bird, who isn't here yet.

Mesa Spirit is just as old as Orangewood, but has built new common facilities, and remodled the old buildings along the way. So we seem newer and nicer here. Also the sites here are at least ten feet wider, which doesn't seem like much, but gives the whole place a more wide open feeling as you drive thru. To be sure, we have many park models as well, but they are not as dense, and do not overpower the RV's and Motorhomes.

Once all the RV pads get rigs parked on them, I'm sure this will become very crowded as well. But then we didn't buy the place or a park model or anything long term, we only rented a site thru February.

We did drive over in the original part of this park, and it is just like the old Orangewood park. Just as tight together as well. So we are in the newest part and lucky to be here.

With that said, this is a city camping experience, and it does not have the outdoors "it factor" that comes with a state park or a Core of Engineers park. After we spend the two months of Jan and Feb here I'm sure we will be itching to get the "Heck Outa Here. "

On Veteran's Day. As a Veteran from the Viet Nam war myself, I hold our men and women in uniform in the highest honor. The sacrifice they make in their family life and personal aspirations can never be replaced by any honors that they may receive. It is because of their dedication, that you and I are able to live in this country, and not have our thoughts and these blogs censured, or worse.

Please help these folks repatriate, as they come back from their duties in foreign lands. As a veteran from Viet Nam, I know the feeling of not being acceptable, because you fought in an unpopular war. May that never happen again.

Retired Rod