The Snowbird Season Is Behind Us

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.

It was such a beautiful day in SW Washington on Saturday.  Temperatures were pushing the upper 70’s.  We’re thinking we were responsible for bringing some of that Arizona heat up with us since those temperatures are definitely not the norm for this area.  We know not to expect similar weather for the next month or so but we sure will enjoy it while it lasts.

We love the view of Mt. St. Helens … just down the road.

When we were in the area over Christmas we weren’t able to go check out our little “cabin”.  It sits at an elevation of about 1400’.  Now Phoenix sits at an elevation of a little over 1200’ but Phoenix doesn’t get snowed in.  Our cabin gets snow.  It had been about five months since anyone had visited it.  We were hoping the three little dehumidifiers we had purchased had done their job and kept it dry enough to keep out any mold from building up.  We had also hoped that the weight of the snow hadn’t brought down any branches or trees.  Saturday was the day we were going to get the answers to those questions.

Fantastic dehumidifiers

The little “cabin” is in a gated recreational community.  Last year when we visited after the long winter we discovered our gate key didn’t work.  Oops …. evidently there had been an extra $50 assessment given to everyone.  We didn’t get the notice, didn’t pay the bill and got locked out.  This year we made sure we left a $59 credit …. just in case.  Our gate key worked perfectly.  They allowed us back in …. just in time to pay dues for another year.

Terry already at work!

However, we don’t complain about the dues for all the amenities we get.  The dues not only cover security but also covers the annual cost of electricity, water, garbage and sewer.  In addition to an abundance of wildlife, the property is on a huge lake, has a gigantic indoor pool and spa, workout room, tennis courts, mini golf and the list goes on. 

I guess we’re not the only ones who love it because our daughter and her husband just bought a piece of property there  too. 

Lots of work to do on Tammi and Robert’s new property.

How did our “cabin” fare?  Beautifully!  There was no mold and no winter damage.  First of all out came the chairs, the gazebo and  the barbecue.  Even though we did so much work to the little place last year, we didn’t finish it.  We have our project list ready and have already made an appointment on Monday to start getting bids for a new deck, new door and less windows.

 

We also saw our first two deer of the season.  Actually, it’s kind of early for that but a mother and last year’s baby were out and about. 

Last year’s fawn still with a winter coat.

One thing we do know … we have lots of work to do just cleaning out our motorhome and all the junk we have accumulated over the last snowbird season. 

For us there are two seasons of the year.  One is during the winter farther south.  The other is back up north where we belong the rest of the time.  It’s good to be back ….   for now but you know as well as I do that hitch itch is just around the corner.

‘Tis life on the road.