Another month almost over!

We can't believe February is almost over! Time flies when you're having fun. We had our friends Maureen and Len come over from Hemet California and visit for 5 days. They brought their motor home and stayed in our park. The weather wasn't the greatest when they were here but we still had fun. We all went to the Mesa Market, they went house hunting with us, we visited with Maureen's relatives one afternoon and went out for lunch with them and it seemed we did a  lot of eating!

 Sharon & Maureen in the Dixon's motor home researching houses online

 Maureen, Len & Doug relaxing after dinner

 Len & Maureen, Doug & Sharon posing before the Creed's get on the road after their visit

 Maureen & Len

After the Creed's left us, we returned to our pursuit of trying to find a winter home to buy. We have decided to buy a manufactured home in a 55+ park as it is more economical and also provides security for your home when you are absent for 6 months of the year. There are so many 55+ parks in the Mesa/Apache Junction area and so many homes for sale, it is almost a full time job just trying to determine the park you want to live in! We have seen so many homes we have the reached the point of over load so we decided to take the day off and go to the Lost Dutchman Days parade. It is in Apache Junction and an excellent parade and a good time. We have a weather system coming from California and the weatherman thought it might rain but it held off and was actually quite nice. This parade is the best - total entertainment for about 2 hours. They started the parade with a fly over from a World War II B52 bomber. It was so cool. It flew low right over the parade route at least 3 times.

 This is the bomber flying right overhead of us

 I thought it was cool when it was turning to return to the parade route and the flags in the fore ground

 You have to like horses when you go this parade as it is Lost Dutchman Days and Rodeo and everyone and anyone who owns a horse is in the parade

 All the High School drill teams and bands were in the parade

 Antique Police Car

 Beautiful Clydesdales pulling wagon

 All the rodeo queens from every community were in the parade on their horses

 Goofy bikes and one fellow riding with his dogs in a trailer behind him

 Len you will like this: AJ Senior's Harley Davidson group!

 Another bunch of beautiful Clydesdale horses

 Vintage Stage Coach

 Another group of rodeo queens

 Pat: here's a job for you when you finally retire!! A retired RCMP Officer from Ontario who lives here in the winter. The crowd loved it

 Catherine I thought of you: I knew you'd like the glasses. A young dance group. They were so cute

 More horses and buggies

 A vintage stage coach with cowboys and guns to protect it

 Now come the vintage cars

 More rodeo queens and princesses

 I figure if you own a horse, you ride in the parade!

 Another high school band and cheer leaders

 Now come the Shriners in every imaginable vehicle going

 One of many of their funny modes of transport

 I figure these are the modern Shriners!

 I loved this Shriner clown: he was selling invisible balloons for $5.00 a piece

 Shriners on horse back

 Now this was funny: Shriners on 3 wheeled scooters!

 They even did synchronized moves with them - what a hoot

 Now this is what I think of when I think "Shriners!"

 These fellows looked so funny in their miniature vehicles!

 I think our grandsons Cole and Luke would love to have one of these to drive around

 I warned you there were a lot of different vehicles

 I think every Shriner group from the State were in the parade

 Another group of senior Apache Junction Harley riders but these ones did precision drill driving and they were terrific 

 It was amazing what they could do in a small space

 A beautiful mule 

 I had to put this picture in - only in a small town parade would a plumbing truck go in a parade!

 Now comes the vintage was vehicles

 Doug loved this one

 Now we have a senior precision drill team of Honda motorcycle riders.

 Now come the tractors

 I loved these gunslingers for hire

 The 2 fellows with the guns were about 7 feet tall! I don't think you would challenge them to a dual

 More horses pulling a cart

 The horses and carts kept coming

 The horses and carts just got a bit smaller - they were so cute

 The Shriners are still coming - this was a Shriner tow truck pulling a Shriner vehilce in distress

 Christopher: I thought you might like this one

 More vintage tractors coming down the street. Doug loved them

 I thought this was a cool tractor

After the parade, we stopped in at an estate sale and Doug had to help himself to a few oranges from the neighbour's orange tree

 We decided to visit a couple more  55+ parks after the parade so spend the whole afternoon looking at homes. We think we may have found what we are looking for so are returning to the park tomorrow to put an offer in on the house. SAtay tuned for more mews.....