(Show Low, AZ)
We weren’t supposed to start work until tomorrow but the high temp is only going to be 53 degrees and its going to be…..wait For it…..WINDY!
So, today we started. Our job today was to put out the lounge chairs around the pool…..
…..and to put the tables and chairs that were stacked up out in the patio.
It took the four of us an hour.
That’s it for the day!
(Show Low, AZ)
The wind is relentless here! We can’t get outside to do
anything, if you bring something out, it blows away. If you walk somewhere you
walk with your head down into the wind. Its ridiculous! We talked with some
permanent residents in the park and we’re told it will be like this all month.
You hardly ever see anyone outside.
Bob is going stir crazy because while we have the very basics
set up there is still much to do and he just can’t get out to do it.
On Monday morning we went to Monday Morning Coffee
which is held in the Grand Lodge. Coffee and donuts are served and this is
where the residents find out what is going on for the week. Activities tells
what’s going on, the Administration office makes any announcements they have and
then residents are asked to come up and give details on activities or clubs that
they are heading up. One resident gives a rundown on festival and events which
are happening outside of the resort. Very informative to say the least. This
is also the time that new residents, workampers, and those renting spaces for
the season are introduced. Imagine our surprise when one couple got up, gave
their name and said they were renting a space for the season and were from
Delaware! As soon as the meeting was closed I went over to them and
introduced myself. As it turns out, they lived about 3 miles from us back
home. What a small world it is.
I did venture down to the card room later that day to play a
game called Ponytail Canasta. Its very much like Hand, Knee and Foot which is
played in Quail Run as far as scoring is concerned but very much like regular
Hand and Foot at the same time. I guess you’d have to play it to understand
that.
Later in the week, just to get out of the house, we took a ride
into town to get the lay of the land and get a better look at what the town has
to offer. I can’t imagine anything we may need that we won’t be able to get
here.
We are pretty much out in the boonies here in this resort.
We’re about 10 miles from town. Here are some pictures I took of the
surrounding area as we returned.
Juniper trees everywhere! This is also a great area for elk.
There are signs warning you to be on the watch as you travel the road to get to
Juniper Ridge.
That’s the main complex as seen from the road.
(Show Low, AZ)
We took notice right away of the name of the main street in Show
Low when we were in town yesterday. Kind of an odd name for a main
thoroughfare. We figured it was associated with Hon-dah Casino which isn’t too
far from here.
When I was getting the link for the Cattlemen’s Restaurant for other day's post I noticed the story of how this town was named. Here it
is:
Named by the Turn of a Card. Marion Clark and Corydon Cooley
are believed to have been the earliest non-Indian settlers in Show Low. In 1869, Cooley, a military veteran and Army Scout, arrived in
search of the fabled “Doc Thorn” mine, rumored to lie somewhere in the wilds of
the White Mountains. He was accompanied by A.F. Banta and Henry Wood Dodd. They
never located the missing mine, but Cooley found the environment so inviting
that he decided to put down roots. By 1873, Cooley and Clark became partners. The two men decided to part ways and dissolve their partnership
by playing a game of “Seven-Up” to see which of them would keep the ranch.
It is told that as the night wore on, Clark said, “If you can
show low, you take the ranch.”
Then as Cooley turned over the lowest card of that game, he
cried, “Show Low it is!” Thus a legend began.
A century later the main street in town would be called the
“Deuce of Clubs” in honor of the legend.
(Show Low, AZ)
Well, it was windy today. Again. Nothing was getting done outside, that’s for sure.
So what does one do when you can’t get outside? One, or two, go shopping of course. So off to town we went. Bob had written down the directions on how to get where we wanted to go and of course we walked out the door without them. In hindsight we should have turned around and gotten them because we went to town by the loonnngggg way!
We finally had to stop and ask directions because we just didn’t know where we were and the GPS was in the truck, not the car. Luckily, the person we saw outside their home was on her way to town and told us to just follow her.
Town found we decided to head to Walmart for, you guessed it, beer and Pepsi’s. By the way, long time readers know I’m a Pepsiholic and I have something to tell you. I’m limiting myself to one Pepsi a day and sometimes I go two or three days without one at all. The Pepsi-Cola company will surely be wondering why sales went down.
We were shocked when we got to the Walmart. We spent several passes up and down the parking lot aisles looking for a parking place. We both remarked about how crowded it was. Why(?) we wondered. You would have thought it was the day before Christmas.
Inside the store it was a zoo! So many people and the shelves were emptying fast. What was going on? Curiosity got the best of me and I asked a produce man why this store was so busy. His reply? “Today is Saturday and yesterday was the 1st of the month. Welfare checks hit and the Indian reservations paid yesterday also. And let’s not forget social security checks and pension checks for those that get them. THAT is why this store is so busy.” We made a mental note to stay away on the first weekend of the month.
I forgot to tell you about our arrival here in Show Low. When I went into the main office to sign in and get our mailbox key etc., the young lady behind the desk welcomed us warmly, gave us a thick folder on all kinds info about the park, our mailbox key, the code for the gate and proceeded to check her list and tell us we were in Lot #230 on Boogie Loop, Boogie Loop? I thanked her and we returned to our vehicles. Once outside I looked at Bob and said, “Boogie Loop? I don’t want to live on Boogie Loop.” On the way to our site we passed Clubhouse Drive, Fairway Lane and turned left on Par Circle. Golf terms all. We came to our street….. BOGEY LOOP! Bogey in golf is one over par. We’re glad we’re living on Bogey Loop!
Since we took the long way to town and Walmart was so slow going because of the of crowd we decided to eat in town. Our first restaurant meal in Show Low was at the Cattlemen's Steakhouse. What a good meal. Besides the delicious dinner we had we noticed something we had never seen in any other restaurant before. When the busboy cleared the table he not only wiped off the tabletop but the chair seat, the chair back and the chair legs. Every single table got the same treatment. Have you ever seen this before?
When we got home we went right in because the wind was whipping around pretty good.
(Show Low, AZ)
Today we started making this place home. The rubber shelf material came out from between our plates and serving dishes with lids,,, think Corning Ware. Knickknacks came out and some wall hangings that come down during travel were put back up.
Bob didn’t get too much done outside because it’s a very windy day. Mike, our Quail Run neighbor said it was windy but we didn’t expect this. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. We don’t even start work until the 15th so we have plenty of time to get situated.
Our fellow workampers arrived today, one couple that is, the other won’t arrive until the 19th. It’s such a small world, this couple, Bill and Johanna workamped at Quail Run the year before we did for the first time. They remembered a few people from there but not many.
