A Piece of Paradise For Sale

Our friend Kathe is selling her piece of Mexican paradise on Chetumal Bay. We have visited Kathe on her beautiful property several times and many of our RVing friends have taken advantage of Kathe's hospitality and standing offer to boondock on her property. It is simply a beautiful setting right on the waters of Chetumal Bay. Here is Kathe's ad from her website and a link to details and photos:

Tropical escape in peaceful, southern Quintana Roo, Mexico 

Turnkey home with rental potential; just 15 minutes to a major urban center. 

Secluded jungle oasis situated on extensive grounds where birds and tropical animals abound in a manatee reserve. The region is known for its Mayan heritage sites. Enjoy it as your retirement home or create a business.

Great waterfront location for water sports. Perfect for kite boarding, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing or SUP and a short boat ride to Belize.

Leave it as a family vacation home or make it into a destination resort or RV park. Opportunities are only limited by your imagination. www.maricasa.com

Dinner Out

A few days ago Lyle and Liz, a couple from Vancouver Island who we met in Mexico a few years ago rode over on their bikes from their nearby park. They have been following the Blog and knew we were here. We had a nice short visit over a couple of beers and they invited us over to their park model for dinner last night.

It was a very fun, diverse group of their friends and neighbors which included a Republican ex-pat Canadian, a retired (Conservative) Canadian Navy and BC Ferry worker who seems to supplement his pensions with gambling, a retired couple from Calgary, their friend, a financial consultant from Alberta and Lyle, Liz, Norma and I who are all unabashed Socialists. Everyone behaved themselves and we had a very enjoyable time. Lyle cooked up some wonderful crab and spinach stuffed salmon on the BBQ.

One of the women was contemplating dental work in Mexico and I was able to give her a few tips. This morning I emailed her links to mine, Ricks and Don's blog pages where we detail our experiences. I hope this helps her come to the decision to take advantage of the savings in Mexico.

We got home at about 9:00 "Arizona Midnight", had a coffee and turned in. A great evening with great people!

Internet Woes

I called Virgin Broadband last night looking for some answers concerning the slow service that just started here. I didn't get much satisfaction but the guy started a fresh month for me as I had money in my account but still had 12 days to go on the old plan. I was way over the soft limit of 3 GB. It didn't help but he reset something and I was back to goog service!

I thanked him and asked him if he could add three days to get to the end of April when we leave the country. He said he would ask management so we left it at that.

Well, an hour later we were back at incredibly slow service but I see on my account that they added two more MONTHS to my account! No more GB, just more time.

I can see the list of mail in my gmail account but it will not load individual messages. My tablet seems to be working but we will see if this posts...

More Details

There are older park models here in the park for sale starting from $1,000. Past sales have shown that no one pays full asking price. We looked at one, a 1971 model, 12 X 64, central heat pump / air conditioning, natural gas oven and stove, newish fridge and it comes completely furnished. It has a new roof and a very recent paint job outside. Inside, it is very dark due to dark paneling and a lack of reasonably sized windows. The floor is recently installed carpet and linoleum but we would change it to wood. It is in really good condition and the only thing 1971 about it is the title and the inside of the walls.

The asking price is $4995 but a call to the owner, at least the owner's son, told us that it is his parent's and they can no longer come down here and are being worn down by the relentless $435 USA monthly pad rental. Their next step is to basically "give" the unit to the park. It is currently rented out for $800 per month, $100 - $120 of this goes for electricity and gas. These people rented it for three months but they have never had much luck renting it out

Immediate requirements are a couple of big screen TV's, five or six larger aluminum windows that will slide or lift open, some screens and inside light colored paint. Longer term it needs laminate floors and tile in the bathrooms. It could also use a raised deck along one side that allows for storage of outside furniture underneath as well as a seven foot wood privacy fence at the back where it looks directly into the trailer park next door. There is presently a chain link fence.

He broadly hinted that he would take almost any offer and we thought of offering $1,500 and coming up to $2000. The only thing holding us back was the $435 USA pad rental which right now amounts to about $6,600 Canadian per year. Our total costs for gas and RV park rentals last year when we drove to FL was just under $6,000 CAN.

When we got home from Rod and Sylvia's last night we asked ourselves if we were really finished with exploring and were ready to come back to the same place every year. The answer was "NO". Maybe one year we will and it is good to know there are reasonably priced options.

Quick Post

This will be very quick. I am in the park's computer room as my Internet is not working today for some reason.

We had a really nice visit with Rod and Sylvia in their park in Gold Canyon yesterday. Sylvia made a great lunch and then we walked around their park looking at the $100,000 plus park models that are selling there. We had been considering buying a place here as they are almost giving them away but the $435 per month pad rental turned us off as that is about the amount it costs us for gas and RV parks each winter and allows us to roam around. Maybe one day after a lot more considering... It was actually Sylvia (the accountant) talking about emotional purchases yesterday that got us second thinking. Thanks Sylvia.

Well, I am off. Norma sent me over here to print out a recipe.

Sylvia, Croft and Norma. A rose between two thorns!

Organ Stop Pizza

Organ Stop Pizza is on everyone's "must go" list when they visit Mesa. I have known about it for years but have never gone. Thankfully Shadowmoss and Retired Rod suggested it for dinner last night. Phyllis, the friendly pie making neighbor right behind us came along as well.

The place is huge, two floors packed with tables with the top floor overlooking the huge organ, blowers and pipes. The place was packed at six o'clock on Tuesday night. There is a professional player doing oldies but goodies as well as taking requests. I had decided to stay until he played from Phantom Of The Opera and I was not disappointed. We stayed through two long sets before giving up our table to people who were waiting to sit.

Norma was not too hapy with the last photo. She was talking instead of being ready to be photographed. Oh well, this is the only one I got of the group and it is going in the Blog!

Miscommunications

Our neighbor here in the park emailed yesterday to say her and Retired Rod were going out for pizza at the Organ Stop Pizza and would we like to join them? We answered "yes" as I am having a pizza craving and we started getting ready. After quite a wait Norma walked over to her place to see what the holdup was. Well, it seems the invitation was for TOMORROW night, not tonight. Shadowmoss neglected to add this detail to her invitation. In her defense, she had just gotten out of bed when she wrote it.

Well, we were all ready to go out anyway so we decided to find the closest Cracker Barrel. We found it and went for Southern Trout for me and pork chops for Norma. Yes, that is two days in a row for trout. This one was better but the vegetables were cold. I did not complain.

This winter to date we have not been going out much to eat but we are making up for it in Mesa.

I am sending this from the park's computer room where I brought my old Windows 7 laptop to let Windows update. They have WIFI here and since Virgin "throttled back" my Internet stick I was afraid the update would not work. The Internet is slow here as well but is ticking along so maybe I will walk back and get my bathing suit. Norma is off with the car getting her nails done. Thankfully she let me stay behind.

Smart Kid, It Must Be His Mother!

Our son is working as an electrician in the Alberta Tar Sands. Things are in a bit of a turmoil up there because of the current financial crisis in the petroleum industry. He was looking at the work schedule and deduced that he was about to be laid off at the end of this schedule. He has been taking industrial safety courses on line recently because they are easily available and it gives him yet another option for a job as well as a tax deduction for a work related education expense.

When he saw his lay off date he went to the safety supervisor and asked if he could transfer into that department. He was short one classroom course for his qualification but the boss told him to drive to Fort McMurray (300 KM each way) and complete it on company time and that he would be working as a Safety Officer next week at a different site (if he passes which he is confident he will). The safety officers are always the last to leave the job so unless things shut down 100%, he will survive. It also means a raise in pay.

Like I say, smart kid!

Lunch With Brian and Sue

We met Brian and Sue in Mexico and have remained friends over the years. They live in Fountain Hills, not too far from our park in Mesa. Yesterday we agreed to meet at Phil's Filling Station, a restaurant in Fountain Hills that sponsors a car show behind their restaurant on Sundays. It was a beautiful, warm day so we grabbed an outside table. We were just a couple of minutes late for breakfast so we ordered from the lunch menu. I had trout with a butter sauce that was quite good while Norma had a hot turkey sandwich. After lunch we walked around the show cars. There were some nice ones!

Favorite City

Our friend Bill asked us a question when we were parked beside them. "Croft", he said, "Looking at the USA only, what is your favorite city of all you have visited?"

Well, we have two cities sharing top spot. In terms of subtle beauty, Savannah, GA is way out in front. It is one of the first planned cities in the US and it shows. A great River Walk, beautiful streets with oak trees dripping in Spanish Moss and parks every three blocks throughout the old city. Easy walking, friendly people and free "DOT" bus service that stops at all the interesting places. Add to this the $7 per night dry camping in the Tourist Center parking lot right in the midst of a great choice of restaurants and brew pubs and you have a really great place to spend a few days in the 'Old South'!

In terms of fun and food, I have to say Abbeville, LA! In the heart of Cajun Country, Abbeville is surrounded by the best places to eat that we have ever experienced! Real "down home" cooking in the unlikeliest of venues like old converted gas stations.  Abbeville is where we found the friendliest RV park in our travels as well. Betty's RV Park has no game rooms, pools or spa's but is 17 spaces crammed into Betty's yard with hardly the space to open your awning. What it gives up in perks it more than makes up for in atmosphere! There is a Happy Hour every night in a lean-to behind Betty's house where everyone brings a dish or snack. Betty, a real, live, registered Cajun is always there to talk about herself, her town and the best places to visit and most importantly - to eat!

So there you have it. Yes, there are hundreds of places we have yet to visit and these choices may one day be pushed out of first place but for now, there they are. Do a search on the blog and read all about our visits to these favorites or any other places.

What are your favorite cities?