February-March 2018 (04-11-18)

As I sat down to finally put this blog post together, several issues got in my way.  Paul and I recently bought a new computer, and we don’t plan on continuing to use the old one, so we moved “everything” to the new one. But, being busy having so much fun, the process took a very long time and got messed up along the way.  Some pictures are on the old PC, some on the new-some got plain lost. Plus, the software I use to create the blog doesn’t seem to play nice on my new computer so for this post I am using the old one. Ugh.  Add to that the fact that I have my first cold in 10 years, and I am really not in the mood.  But, it has to get written, so here:




February brought another flurry of activities, including several trips to the Desert Bar. We took the Teryx most times, but when there were too many people, we also took the Jeep.












Liz and Randy and I finally got around to hiking SARA’s Crack..













The view of the lake at the end always makes it worth the 5 mile trip!

The weekend of the annual fireworks show brought brand new visitors to the PPP.  Al and Debbie are friends who we know from Michigan. Paul worked with Al at Ford, and I worked, coincidently, with one of Debbie’s best friends. The Rockers recently retired, and towed their trailer to the southwest to avoid some of the Michigan winter.

We loved showing Al and Debbie around town, and Debbie’s cousin also came to Havasu that week- so much fun!

With my cousin Linda in town for the fireworks, we had quite the blast at the “Winter Blast”. Paul and I had decided to park our truck camper at the show arena so we could all eat a leisurely dinner and then sit back and wait for the show. It worked out very well!

It’s usually pretty decent, and this year was no exception.

After that flurry of activity, things settled down a little and Paul continued his work on the fence/solar project.

Once the fence was moved, he installed solar collectors for the pool water. I think he would say the hardest part was digging the trench for the pipe to go through.  He can now partially bypass the electric heat pump and use solar energy to heat the pool water.  In fact, for the last few days we have shut the electric off and have been successful at maintaining the pool temp with strictly solar.

In Mid March our son Stephen came to visit from Boston! This is his first time seeing the house. The last time he was here was just after we bought the lot.

The weather was too cool to swim but we were able to show him around the desert on the Teryx.






On one of the warmer days we rented a boat for all of us and took the Jet ski and boat out on the lake for the day.












We have all owned boats in the past, so the guys enjoyed taking turns driving.

Stephen’s thrill, however, was the jet ski…we rounded a corner on the boat, looking behind us for him on the jet ski….and about 5 seconds later he rounded the corner and blew by us at 67 mph!

I had so much fun just watching him- because personally I have no desire to go 67 mph on a jet ski!

Way, way too soon, it was time for Stephen to leave.












And a very short time later, we were having our last dinner as a group, before everyone left for their summer destinations.













Boy, did it get quiet fast!  Dozer missed all the attention so much he started finding new ways to get some!

You know what happens when people get bored?

P.P.P.P (11-05-17)

Life has been busy at the Porters’ Project and Party Place (more commonly referred to as The PPP because we don’t like projects nearly as much as we like partying!).

A game of music vehicles was first up on the Project side of the equation. Once the trailer was thoroughly cleaned, we wanted to put it in the garage.  Lest you think this would be a simple task, take into consideration this: In addition to pulling out the Teryx trailer, Jet boat, and Jet ski, the truck camper had to come out too. That meant removing everything, including the toolbox and the 160 lb hitch, from the bed of the truck.

Once the camper was outside, the hitch had to be put back in the truck, in order to move the trailer.  Once everything that would fit was in the garage, then we (as in, the royal We) had to take the hitch back out (we left it on the trailer) so we could put the camper back on the truck. And that’s where it will remain, for now. We don’t really need the truck, and sadly, neither the truck nor the camper will fit in our 2000 sq ft garage.




Our next major project was easy-ish. When we built the house, we surrounded the pool with travertine stone, but we have decided to add to 3 sections. The area on the far side of the pool is now large enough for the lounge chairs….

We can also get to the garage now without walking through gravel, and, our dance floor has grown. Speaking of which, our receiver died, so it has been replaced with one we can control with our phones.

The dining area has been enlarged….it now fits the new grill that replaced our 27 year old Weber. The travertine project, although professionally done, still required work from Paul.  He had to move the gravel,  the drip irrigation lines, and the electrical for the planters. While he was at it, he added a couple of electrical outlets on the far side of the pool. He is in the process of burying a pipe so that the water from the two days of rain we get each year will end up far from the house.

I love autumn in Havasu…the weather is still warm enough to eat most meals outside, and the pool gets a lot of use.

There has been no shortage of fun in the last few weeks, that’s for sure.  In addition to car shows and lake fun, our daughter Jess came to visit as soon as we were settled in.

The weather was perfect for a day on the water.  After lunch at a waterfront restaurant,  there was plenty of opportunity for Jess to take the Jet ski out on her own while Paul and I relaxed on the beach.

She and I had a mother-daughter day, and hiked the slot canyon known as Sara’s Crack.  I was very proud of her…this is a 4 mile hike, and it was pretty darn warm outside!

We made it all the way to the lake, and on the way back we shared the trail with a bighorn sheep!

Back at the house it was time for a swim, and some goofing around with my waterproof camera.

After an awesome 3 day visit, it was time for her to head back to L.A., and for us to get back into somewhat of a routine. My daily agenda usually includes a trip to the gym. My timing, one day, was impeccable.  While on the elliptical, I overheard 3 guys talking about taking their Teryx side by sides out for a ride.  That’s the same brand we have, so I promptly interjected myself into their conversation.
After comparing notes about rigs etc., they invited me to join them on their ride. Heck Yeah!

We all met at the edge of the desert, brought lunch, and had a great 4 hour adventure.  Paul and I learned a lot. Like, we need scarves. And, don’t bring anything that you don’t want caked in dust.

We have never been with a group before, so we’ve never had a dust issue. Lesson learned, trust me.

These guys are all newbies, like us, so it was fun comparing notes after ascending or descending a particularly interesting hill.

They are going to try and go out once a week, and we are now on their texting list.  Excellent!

This past weekend Paul and I attended the first annual Hangar 24 Airfest.  There were a decent amount of planes and the show was pretty good for a small town, but since we didn’t want to eat or drink what was offered, next time maybe we’ll sit outside the entrance, and avoid the fee!

Dozer is enjoying autumn too….and is looking forward to all the visitors who will start arriving soon!

Finished House Pictures (02-19-2016)

Well, it's hard to believe, but we've been in Havasu for over a year now, and the punch list for the  house is completely finished.  We sure have come a long way.....

The garage has gone from one massive empty cavern...

 To a garage that barely holds our 5th wheel!

It was hard for us to imagine, as the house was being built, exactly what it would look like once it was finished and our personal items "moved in".  Overall, I think we made good choices and everything seems to work well together!

The kitchen is very functional, and with the cooktop on the island, it makes a great place to hang out with friends while concocting dinner:

The Master Suite opens out onto the back patio, near the spa.

It's bigger than we thought it would be, and has plenty of room for a sitting area.

The master bath seems huge:

...and the walk in shower is one of our favorite features of the house!!

The main guest room has already gotten a lot of use:

and having an office that doubles as a second guest room has come in very handy as well:

and finally, the guest bath:

The yard has gone through a ton of changes, and has been a lot of work, but we couldn't ask for a  more usable space.  

The pool is finished, heated, and ready to use.  

 The finished product is a pretty accurate representation of my dream!

Just last week, Paul, with some help from friends,  finished building the permanent fence. There are now 16' gates on either side of the house. Paul made the gates himself, welding together fence pieces and posts.  He has also started (but not finished yet) the wall surrounding the pool equipment.

The temporary fence is now gone and has been replaced with the permanent one, changing the entire look of the yard.

Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done- the fire pit will sit outside the fence so the fencing won't interfere with sunset watching, and we haven't really started any major landscaping, but we've made great progress, so far!