END-OF-THE-YEAR PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT AT TT PALM SPRINGS

March 15-17 - TT Palm Springs held its End-Of-The-Year Pickleball Tournament for three days on March 15-17. Ken and I were not there to play in the Thursday Tournament, but we did play in the Friday Men's and Women's Tournaments and in the Saturday Round Robin Tournament.

Saturday morning, before play began, Rick passed out ribbons to the winners in the Friday Men's and Women's Tournaments. Here are the winners who were available for pictures (Sorry, all winners are not in the picture).

Jim B, Faye, Jim P, Matt, Larry, Linda and Rick. Congratulations to all who participated!!

Here is some of the action in Saturday's Round Robin play.

Norby and Jerry.

Linda B and Richard.

Jim P and Ede.

Jim B and Matt. Nice backhand form!

Three handsome spectators! Larry, Brian and Ken.

Brian and Jim B.

Larry and Rick. Nice ballet move!!

Lem and Jerry.

Matt and Jim P.

That's how you stop their momentum!! Gotta rock in my shoe!! HA HA Way to go, Lem!!

Chris and Kim. I was surprised to learn that Kim is Rick's daughter!! Welcome, Kim!!

Allen and Gordy.

Clint and Neil.

Linda W and Chris.

Norby and Rick.

Clint and Allen.

Gordy and Kim.

We had to play FAST to try and finish before the rains came!! (It never did rain, thank Goodness!)

Phil and Faye.

Neil and Linda W.

Larry and Matt.

Clint with Kim.

Ken and Phil.

Ken has the camera now!! There will be some artsy pictures!!

Faye and Linda W.

Against a stacked deck!! Allen (Linda's husband) and Neil.

The foursome leave the court!


We never scored a point, BUT GIRLS RULE!!! Good job with the camera, Ken!! HA HA



Linda B and Rick B.

Jim P and Lem.

Matt and Brian.

The tournament was great and a lot of fun!! A BIG Thank You to Linda, Shirley, and Rick for a tournament well done!! A great time was had by all!!

When the tournament was over, we all gathered at the Family Lodge for a Pot Luck get-together!! Rick had prepared Corned Beef and Mulligan Stew, since it was St. Patrick's Day! Others brought the cabbage, hors d'oeuvres, potato salad, breads, desserts, etc. I'm not quite sure how we managed to have so much delicious food when we had only just gotten off the Pickleball courts!! We are an amazing group, are we not!! We'll do anything to eat and have FUN!

After dinner Rick and Linda passed out medals and ribbons for tournament winners and some nice door prizes. Sorry, I was not able to get pictures of the presentations. I was still eating!!

I did get a picture of my medal for winning Third Place in Friday's Women's Doubles!! I think I had a really good win when you consider there were five women and one Bye in our bracket, and two of the women were beginners!!! HA HA Beautiful medal!! Thank you.

Ede was a medal winner but was not at the dinner on Saturday afternoon. Rick gave her the medal on Sunday morning. Some of us ladies who were at the courts gathered around Ede for the presentation!!!

Barb, Gloria, Faye, Ede, Jeannette, and Kim.

Thanks again Rick, Shirley, Linda and all the participants!! It was a great way to end the year!!

PULLED PORK WITH KEN'S FAMILY

March 10 - Ken's Granddaughter, Niki, lives in Culver City in southern LA. She has lived out here for a couple of years, working for a movie studio. Ken's daughter, Vickie and her husband, Steve came out to California to visit Niki for a few days. They traded a timeshare week for a week at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido. During the same time period, we stayed at Ramona Canyon RV Park (ROD) in Ramona. Actually, our campground was not as close to the Welk Resort as I had thought; actually only 32 miles, but it was mostly all twisting, turning, mountain roads! Nevertheless, we managed to get together with the family on several occasions!

This was one of the occasions. Ken's son, Rich who lives in Chula Vista, invited all of us over for pulled pork bar-b-q, using Ken's famous recipe! Well, almost!! The only difference was Rich cooked the Picnic in a crock pot, rather than on the stove top, so when we arrived for dinner, the pork was only about half done! What to do??? We decided to transfer the pork to a pressure cooker that they had only used a couple of times. The next ten minutes were spent trying to figure out how to put the top on. While we were wrestling with the top, Niki used her iPhone to see how to prepare a pork roast in a pressure cooker! That done, we put the cooker on high for about 45 minutes. After that, the guys drained the liquid and pulled the pork apart. It turned out great -- it was delicious!!!

We got together for pictures after dinner.

Daddy Steve, Mother Vickie, Niki, and boy friend Max.

The whole group: Niki, Max, Vickie, Steve, Faye, Ken, Marlo and Rich.

They finished up the evening making Some Mores! Ken and I went home!!

Thanks, Rich and Marlo, for a fun evening and great Bar-B-Q with the family!



A STOP BY THE FARMER'S MARKET!

Earlier in the day, before going for Bar-B-Q at Rich's, we stopped by the local Farmer's Market in Ramona. I wanted to buy a scarf to tie around my straw hat that feels so "naked" without anything on it. I stopped by a booth where this nice lady showed me all the things she could do with this one scarf!! She could tie it around her neck, tie it around her hips, wear it as a shawl, etc. Here she is showing me how to tie two ends together and make -


A VEST!!!

This is funny!! While I was learning all the scarf tricks, this attractive, very friendly lady came up to Ken, and patted him on both cheeks. "You're so Cute!", she said. "You really are!" She would not leave him alone. I told her I was going to take her picture flirting with MY husband!! She was the most friendly stranger we have ever come across. It turns out she was working the Senior booth at the Market. Guess she was recruiting Ken! HA HA

Then she wanted to take our picture. So, Ken pretended he was buying some flowers for me from this other vendor.

Crazy morning at the Market!

A DAY AT THE CALIFORNIA WOLF CENTER, JULIAN, CA

Sunday, March 11 - Last year, our friends Bob and Julie told us about their visit to the California Wolf Center in Julian, CA. They were so impressed with the facility and their experience that they recommended we try to visit the Center sometime.

Since we were camping in Ramona, only 17 miles from Julian, we made reservations to go on the tour. In fact, Ken's daughter Vickie and her group wanted to go as well. It was amazing that there was space available in the tour group for all of us. So we made a plan. We would meet at the facility, take the tour, and finish up with Apple Pie in Julian! (Julian is well known for its Apple Pies).

When we first arrived, the tour guide made a slide presentation about the plight of wolves in the US and how the Wolf Center is attempting to increase awareness and understanding through educational programs and exhibits, focusing on the Gray Wolf. After the lecture we went to view the wild wolves.

First we stopped to watch the Alaskan Gray Wolf.

They were behind chain-link fencing so it was very difficult to take pictures what with the fencing, gates and people!!! I did manage to get this picture that I think looks more like a friendly dog than a Big Bad Wolf!!

Look closely and you'll see THREE wolves in the same picture. One is lying down (left side).

Here our tour guide is answering questions from our family. He was very knowledgeable and thorough in his commentary. (From Right to Left: Steve, Vickie, Ken, two strangers, then Niki on the far left.)

The following pictures are of Mexican Gray Wolves kept separate from the Alaskan Gray Wolves.



The nice guide took time to take a picture with us! Max, Niki, Steve, Vickie, Ken, Faye, and the guide.

Everyone agreed that our trip to the California Wolf Center was ASSUME!!!

This is the view from a Vista Point near the California Wolf Center. Beautiful!!


We decided to go to the Julian Pie Company for our Apple Pie. We were disappointed to find they only had various kinds of pie and were not set up to serve lunch. So we went next door to the Restaurant for lunch topped off with a slice of Apple Pie. Actually, I was disappointed in the pie -- $3.50 for a $1.50 slice of pie, no better than one Ken and I would have made ourselves!


What a beautiful day and a wonderful time spent with family among the wolves!!!

WINING AND DINING IN ESCONDIDO, CA

WINE TASTING AT ORFILA VINEYARDS AND WINERY

March 12 - Ken's daughter, Vickie and husband Steve from Florida, are staying at the Lawrence Welk timeshare resort in Escondido, CA. We are camping at Ramona Canyon RV ROD campground about 32 miles away.

Lawrence Welk Timeshare Resort


Vickie had mentioned that they would like to do some wine tasting while they were in California. I went on line to see what sounded good, at a good price. Were there any two-for-one coupons available?? Reading some of the reviews of the vineyards and wineries in the area, the first thing I learned was that wine tasting in Escondido could not compare with wine tasting in Napa Valley or in Temecula.

One winery that caught my attention was Orfila Vineyards and Winery. Reviews were good, even suggesting that you bring your own picnic or cheeses to enjoy while tasting the wines. The cost was $10 for six tastings -- and there was a coupon!! We told Vickie we thought Orfila would be the place to try. When I mentioned the coupon, Vickie said their resort had given them two coupons for Orfila, each one offering two FREE tastings!! That settled that!!

But, before leaving, we decided to browse the Farmer's Market that was going on in the Lawrence Welk resort parking lot. Maybe we could find some bread and cheese to take with us to the winery.

First Steve bought a hat because his head had gotten sunburned at the Wolf Center on Sunday.

We recognized some of the vendors from the Ramona Farmer's Market on Saturday, but Ken's lady friend from the Senior Center was not there!

There were several vendors selling baked goods but no one was selling cheeses! We decided to buy a loaf of Artisan bread with rosemary and cheese from this local bakery. We asked the owner if he would slice the loaf for us. "Of course. That will be a $5 charge!"

Then we asked if he would pose for a picture. "Of course. That will be $5!! We thought we should charge him for getting his picture in the Blog! HA HA

And then we went to the winery for our wine tasting!!

Steve and Vickie stomped the grapes!!

Ken and I entering the Tasting Room.

We presented our server with our FREE coupons. I still thought we would have to buy one tasting to get the free one. But, no! The server was pleased to serve us all at no charge!!


We took our wine and went out to the patio to enjoy the wine with our Artisan bread! It was a beautiful setting!!

Here we are enjoying our wine. Notice I'm wearing my new scarf!! I felt like it was choking me!! Strangling me!! Consuming me!! But, in the picture it does not look too bad!! HA HA


Ours was a delightful experience at the Orfila Vineyards. Not only were the tastings FREE, but they presented us with new Orfila wine glasses as mementos!

I have to say, wine tasting in Escondido does not compare with Napa Valley or Temecula. No. At Orfila it is even better!!



FREE LOBSTER BUFFET AT VALLEY VIEW CASINO

Ken's son Rich who lives in Chula Vista, CA, has been after us to go to the Valley View Casino for the FREE Lobster Buffet! We all decided to go later on Monday, after the wine tasting!! Rich and Marlo came over to meet us at the Lawrence Welk resort and after a bit of relaxing, we were off to the Casino!

When we arrived, we signed up for the Player's Card and were presented with tickets for the Free Lobster Buffet!

In the restaurant. Our picture thanks to a very helpful waitress: Vickie, Steve, Faye, Rich, Ken and Marlo seated.

The buffet was WONDERFUL!!! All the lobster, crab legs, shrimp, etc. etc. etc. we could eat!! And the lobster and crab legs were sliced down the middle and very easy to remove from the shell!

Ken's lobster!

My lobster!!

You know us!! We did eat All We Could Eat!!

Thanks Rich for insisting that we go to this Casino Buffet. It's one of the BEST we have enjoyed!!

ALERT! WE HAVE CHANGED OUR SCHEDULE!

We have had to change our travel plans so we can be at TT Palm Springs in time for the End-Of-The-Year Pickleball Tournament! Please check out the new schedule in the right-hand column.

END-OF-THE-YEAR PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT PLANNED AT TT PALM SPRINGS

We were thrilled to receive an EMail from Rick telling us about the End-Of-The-Year Pickleball Tournament that has been planned at TT Palm Springs, beginning on Thursday, March 15, through Saturday, March 17.

IF they follow the format of the 2011 Tournament the schedule may be:

Thursday: Men's Doubles and Women's Doubles Round Robin.

Friday: Round Robin Play

Saturday: Flighted Round Robin (A and B Flights) based on tallied scores from Friday's matches.

Pot-Luck: Saturday afternoon.

Hope this notice will give you plenty of time to make plans to be there!!