Happy Holidays (01-04-18)

Yep, that’s just what we had, happy holidays!

Over the last 6 weeks, we have had lots of people come and go, here at the PPP.  Some came for a few days, some stayed the whole 6 weeks, and some came, left, and came back!  Some people brought their rigs and some chose the B&B option and stayed in the house.

Thanksgiving was the first holiday on the horizon…

…and apparently I didn’t get my camera out during the meal because I can’t find any pictures of it!

It was awesome that the weather was warm enough for us to laze by the pool !

We sure kept ourselves very busy. In addition to Teryx rides, swimming, eating, hot tubbing and shopping, we managed to fit in a few games of Farkle.

After Thanksgiving, Paul and I made a trip to Phoenix, in part to buy some necessities at Costco. I love the way the lake looks at sunrise, even though I am not happy being on the road when the sun rises!

Before we knew it, the Christmas crowd arrived- including our daughter Jessica.

Actually, we were lucky enough to have Jess with us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love it when Jess is here at the same time as my friend Carol, since I usually end up with some great pictures of her! Thanks, Carol Dwyer!

When people are staying for more than a day or so we don’t eat all of our meals together, but we are usually happier if we can laugh our way through a group dinner….whether it’s inside…

or out…

What’s that old saying- “many hands make light work”?

With our friends, everyone pitches in and no one is afraid to take over the kitchen, making it very easy to feed so many people!

After a group breakfast Christmas morning we all took some time to relax and to video chat with far away family members..

The day after Christmas is our annual “girls’ day out” which we spend shopping and eating at one of our favorite restaurants.

Lest you think the guys were bored, sitting around waiting for us to return, don’t worry. They took the Teryx out into the desert and spent the afternoon target shooting.

Not coincidently, Girl’s Day Out takes place on Julie’s birthday, and that night we were happy to toast the birthday girl with our margaritas (even though I didn’t quite get her in this picture, haha).

We do like to have a good time, and New Year’s Eve was no exception! Does it say something about our age that we are all happy the “midnight” takes place at 10 pm here in Mountain Standard Time?

Our last night together as a group coincided with the Super Moon, which you can see rising up over our house.

The following day there was a well orchestrated Porter Shuffle, as most of the rigs left, and the remaining ones repositioned themselves.

Being busy with the holidays, we weren’t working on too many projects, but we did manage to get one done.



Soon after Thanksgiving, the weather turned much colder and it wasn’t worth trying to keep the pool warm. Our “pool guy” has been telling us that we really need to drain it and put in fresh water.  The water is so hard here that over time, the minerals build up, and ours was off the charts.

So, sadly, we turned off the heater and freshened the water. We hope to start heating it again when we get back in February.

November-ish 2017

Now that winter was arriving, and the holidays were just around the corner, our friends started arriving as well.  The first to arrive were Mike and Julie, mid November.

We tested out a new restaurant for Taco Tuesday- Blondies- and all agreed if the weather was nice enough for sitting outside in the Tiki Bar, it might be worth a second trip.

Paul’s brother Tom and his wife Sue arrived soon thereafter,  for a short visit. They have joined the world of RVers and brought their “new to them” motorhome.  Of course there were a few projects for the guys to work on!

There’s usually something going on in Havasu, and the holiday season is no exception.  Once again this year,  we headed to the lake for the Parade of Lights.  We arrived early enough to cook dogs on the fire pit before the boat parade started.

The weather was perfect for the parade.














The English Village area near the London Bridge is always well lit for the holidays and was actually was voted one of the best displays in Arizona.

Paul and I have been to the Desert Bar in Parker many times. The bar is unique and fun. It’s in the middle of the desert and runs completely on solar energy. It’s only open on the weekends in the cooler winter ,and they also have live music.  Although the main road it is 5 miles of washboard dirt, which is challenging enough, there is also a back road that is not accessible by most vehicles, and that’s the one we wanted to try.

After downloading the maps to my phone (no cell service out there), we towed the Teryx down the highway to the trailhead.

The views were amazing and the trip was a total blast. There were several mines to explore on the way back, and we all would do the trip again.

The four of us took the Teryx out several times and one of the most memorable trips was to “the Cabin”. The cabin is just that, a cabin, and like the Desert Bar, its in the middle of the desert.

Unlike the Desert Bar, there is no solar power here. No electricity at all. And contrary to what you would think, looking at this picture, there is certainly no mail delivery.  Someone clearly has a great sense of humor.

After relaxing for a bit and having lunch, we headed back the way we came, with a couple of detours.

Any time there is a mine to explore, Paul is totally on board.  He and Mike checked out this one, near the cabin, while Julie and I chatted.

There is off-roading and then there is off-roading. On the way home we decided to take a side “trail” and give the Teryx a work out.

Actually, we all got a bit of a work out as well, and our road building abilities came in to play.













The trail got rougher and rougher, and we began to wonder whether we should turn back.

 


While the guys navigated an “interesting” section of the trail, Julie and I scouted ahead.










 


What we found had us whistling for the guys to come and look. After a very short discussion it was decided that we did indeed need to turn around.  Oh well, we had a great time.

On the project side of the equation, there was also plenty going on.  Mike and Julie helped us decorate the house, and of course, Christmas gifts were bought and needed to be wrapped…

We bought electric sunshades for the back patio,which will extend our use of the yard.
 Not only will it keep the hot sun from beating on us in the warm months, it will help keep in the heat from the propane heater, allowing us to use the deck in cooler weather.  Although they were professionally installed, Paul did the electrical himself.









And, with the holidays looming ever closer, we had to get to work on cookie making!  I say we, but I actually mean Julie and Paul, haha.









At the end of the day, whether we’ve been working, or playing, we like to take time to enjoy the incredible sunsets that Arizona has to offer….

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!