Friday, February 28, 2003
SKP Saguaro Co-op, Benson, AZ - Jan 29-Feb 28
We arrived to find the co-op quite full, with space available only in boondocking (no hookups). After a wait of two days, we were able to move to a nice full hookup site right across the street from the clubhouse for the rest of our stay. Boondocking was fine for a few days, but it was much colder here than the other places we had been recently, so we really needed the electric heater & blanket.
Most of the activities we did were at the clubhouse -- playing bridge, line dancing, other games, morning social hours, working on jigsaw puzzles, crafts and several dance parties. Plus we got to see a couple of one-act plays by the Saguaro Players, people from the park who are brave (or foolish) enough to get up and help put on a play. The plays were locally written (we suspect), and quite enjoyable -- one was a retelling of a "Brer Rabbit" tale, the other set in a crowded Post Office where "Man in a Hurry" tried to talk his way to the front of the line.
We went up to Tucson to visit Doug's dad several times during the month. At the beginning of the month, the weather cooperated enough for a couple of trips to the golf course; however, it cooled off and became rainy later in the month, so golf games were out. We enjoyed all of our visits and will miss them as we travel farther away.
We went on several birding walks with the Friends of the San Pedro River, held at the San Pedro Riparian Natl Conservation Area. With the cool temperatures, there were not many interesting birds to be found. We went to Patagonia for a day trip and visited "Mrs Paton's back yard" (a famous local birding spot). Mrs Paton & her husband, now deceased, set up their yard to attract many birds, especially hummingbirds. Anyone is welcome to sit for a while in the chairs they provide under a canopy and view whatever is around at that moment. We were lucky enough to see two new birds -- Lazuli Bunting and Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Unfortunately, the best hummingbird viewing is supposed to happen in about a month.
We were able to meet friends Diane & David West, who were staying in Casa Grande, in Tucson twice during the early part of Feb. Since they will be heading west and we east, it was our only chance to get together for a while. We continued our "tradition" of consuming lots of food while we chatted!!
The appeal of the park is not so much what we do but the wonderful people we meet here. Each time we come we make more friends and look forward to when we will spend more time here. We are now number 104 on the "hot list" (list to get a lease lot), which means it will be still a couple of years before we get in.
Most of the activities we did were at the clubhouse -- playing bridge, line dancing, other games, morning social hours, working on jigsaw puzzles, crafts and several dance parties. Plus we got to see a couple of one-act plays by the Saguaro Players, people from the park who are brave (or foolish) enough to get up and help put on a play. The plays were locally written (we suspect), and quite enjoyable -- one was a retelling of a "Brer Rabbit" tale, the other set in a crowded Post Office where "Man in a Hurry" tried to talk his way to the front of the line.
We went up to Tucson to visit Doug's dad several times during the month. At the beginning of the month, the weather cooperated enough for a couple of trips to the golf course; however, it cooled off and became rainy later in the month, so golf games were out. We enjoyed all of our visits and will miss them as we travel farther away.
We went on several birding walks with the Friends of the San Pedro River, held at the San Pedro Riparian Natl Conservation Area. With the cool temperatures, there were not many interesting birds to be found. We went to Patagonia for a day trip and visited "Mrs Paton's back yard" (a famous local birding spot). Mrs Paton & her husband, now deceased, set up their yard to attract many birds, especially hummingbirds. Anyone is welcome to sit for a while in the chairs they provide under a canopy and view whatever is around at that moment. We were lucky enough to see two new birds -- Lazuli Bunting and Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Unfortunately, the best hummingbird viewing is supposed to happen in about a month.
We were able to meet friends Diane & David West, who were staying in Casa Grande, in Tucson twice during the early part of Feb. Since they will be heading west and we east, it was our only chance to get together for a while. We continued our "tradition" of consuming lots of food while we chatted!!
The appeal of the park is not so much what we do but the wonderful people we meet here. Each time we come we make more friends and look forward to when we will spend more time here. We are now number 104 on the "hot list" (list to get a lease lot), which means it will be still a couple of years before we get in.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 4:55 PM 
