Desert Center to Mesa, Arizona – 20 December 2022
Mesa Spirit RV resort, a Thousand Island resort and our first 55+ resort, was our first stop in Arizona. I was a little disappointed as I had expected to be really close to the mountains and have some spectacular views. We ended up being tucked away amongst many other RVs and Park homes with no views whatsoever. I felt very depressed at the thought of being here for 2 weeks but then Derek reminded me that when we first got to Palm Desert we were also disappointed because it was so fricking hot that we could not even step outside but after a few days we adjusted and worked out how to make the most of it and ended up loving it.
We had not been feeling in the Christmas mood being so far away from family and friends. Luckily Lucy was able to join us and this motivated me to get off my bum, and do some Christmas shopping. We decorated the RV with the tiniest Christmas tree with tiny ornaments and lights – the star was a wooden ornament off the top of our whiskey bottle. Derek and I decided to choose something small as a Christmas present, so I chose a new, medium sized backpack and Derek some Whiskey. Victoria was experiencing snow storms and it was touch and go as to whether Lucy would make it here or not. Thankfully after a tremendous effort on her part, she arrived the day before Christmas eve.
The resort was fairly large and had several pools and hot tubs as well as many other amenities. All of the sites had their own Orange tree which was quite unique and the Oranges were quite delicious.We got into a morning routine of coffee, breakfast, swim and hot tub. A wonderful way to start the day and when Lucy arrived she had no problem fitting in. The people in the resort were very friendly and at least Jax had a few dog parks to play in. Only thing was there were “pet boundary” signs all over the resort and dogs were not allowed to pee there. That meant a huge rush down to the dog park every time Jax needed to go.
On Christmas Eve we treated ourselves to a pre-Christmas dinner at Bobby-Q. Derek had steak, I chose pulled pork and Lucy had ribs. The restaurant had quite the cocktail selection. I had a delicious A Lada strawberry cocktail which was served in a tall glass, while Lucy had a Pineapple Passion served in a pineapple with a lit orange rind on the top. After a delicious dinner they gave us extra cornbread and also some hot, small doughnuts to take with us. Our next stop was the Pratt Christmas event which promised a light show and lots of fun for the family. They had a number of buildings made to look like a small town and an enormous Christmas tree. All were completely covered with lights which changed colours in time to the Christmas music. It looked very festive. We walked around a bit, browsing Christmas gifts in the market before taking a ride on the Sweet Train to see more lights.
Christmas day was very low-key. In the morning we went for a swim and then after breakfast took a drive to Scottsdale. We walked around the canal admiring all the Christmas decorations and then window shopped in the historic area. In the evening I made a traditional Christmas dinner and we played online Christmas games. On boxing day, we drove to one of the nearby malls and did a bit of clothes shopping, making use of the sales.
The two weeks Lucy was here went quickly. We all went on a really nice hike in the Usery Mountain Regional Park and then Lucy and I took Jax for a walk along one of the Mesa canals near the resort, which Derek and I had walked a week earlier. There were many Orange trees both along the canal and also along the street by the resort.
The highlight of our time in Mesa was a trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens. Lucy and I took a tour with one of their Docents and learned a lot about Desert plants. There were hundreds of different species of cacti. So interesting. While we were walking around there was a big curfuffle as a photographer ran passed and told us to stand to one side. He was trying to get the perfect shot of a surprise proposal. So much fun to watch the action.
Lucy and I also visited the Museum of Art in Phoenix while Derek visited the Science Museum. There were many old paintings in the museum and even a miniature section filled with separate furnished, tiny rooms. One very impactful art piece was a hanging of different sized pieces of charcoal. They also several sections including one on Amine and modern art.
We also tried some Andy’s custard ice cream. I was expecting it to taste a little more custardy but by the time they added all the chocolate I guess it masked the taste a bit. Nevertheless it was very pleasant.
A lovely end to the year was a new year’s party held at a neighbouring RV Resort. We were a little late in arriving, only to discover that while they had a table of desserts, they did not serve alcohol. Derek promptly left to find a liquor store while Lucy and I found a place in the back of the hall where there were some couches and chairs. There was a live Country/Rock band Mogollon who were pumping it out and it was fun to join in the dancing. Every so often the line dancing team would take to the floor and do their thing. Lucy and Derek joined in a couple of times to learn the moves. At midnight, bottles of champagne were handed out and after some toasts, and a few more dances we went home.
