Rain, Rain, Go Away......

OK, I'm not serious about the rain going away.  Rain in this desert is a good thing.  

Although earlier forecast to receive up to 2" of rain, the weather prognosticators have now revised the rain fall total to about 1/2" for our area.  I guess we won't see the wash (photo below) fill up with water and go gushing down into the Palm Springs/Palm Desert valley.

Long concrete wash that borders our RV park - looking west towards Mount San Jacinto.

One does not often see clouds build up in this valley.  The mountains tend to keep them at bay, to the west.  But....that theory was usurped when the clouds rolled in yesterday afternoon (Thursday) and then rain started in earnest this very early morning.  The patter on the roof was pleasant and reminded me of home; on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.

The clouds, over Mt. San Jacinto, are trying hard to push eastward

With the California drought a huge concern, this rain is most welcome; although it could cause some severe flooding and mud slides in the greater Los Angeles area.  Many families have now been evacuated from their homes.

Nice views with the mountains and clouds.

I had planned to golf yesterday but when the winds reared up, following a night of harsh blows, I put that game on the back burner.  There will be plenty of nice weather for golf; starting early next week.  The high temperatures are set to return.

For the better part of Thursday, the sun did shine on us.

Mid-afternoon Thursday had me escaping the wind by lazying around the pool/spa area.  I found a spot where the sun beat down nicely and the wind couldn't harass me while reading.  Two fellow BC RVers came over to chat.  It was a nice exchange of thoughts.  One fella, in particular, had just retired and was on his first winter journey.  About one hour later, both guys left to find their wives and I returned to my novel.

Yes, this photo - looking north toward the mountains - showed no sign of ominous clouds.  Not the case looking west, however.

On my way back to our RV site, I heard a 'beep, beep' and, looking behind me - and to my surprise - was a Suzuki sport ute. It was good friends, Hector and Diane, driving around to locate a spot to roll into with their Class 'A' motorhome.  A quick drive, and a brief walk, helped them determine the best spot to park. After a couple of hours, they were set up and found their way across the road to our site where I had some steaks readied for the barbecue. A salad and some fries topped of our dinner; held inside our 5th wheel.  The winds were howling pretty good and the air had cooled off.

Hector and Diane's rig backed into a site across the road from our site.

Between rains today (Friday) Hector has been in and out of their coach completing numerous tasks; including setting up their satellite dish.

I, on the other hand, thought it to be a perfect day to manage the laundry situation.  So, while writing this blog, I put one load into our on board washer and followed that with running the dryer.  The other loads will follow in the hours ahead.

New Grand daughter, Brie @ the ripe age of 7 days. Good baby.....so far!

Jeanette, who is still home in Langley, BC - lending support to Ginette, Trevor and Easton - sends me daily photos.  She will return to the desert in about one week.  So, not only is she busy, she's enjoying the precious time spent with the little family.

Easton (23 months) with his baby sister, Brie (7 days old)

Jeanette has been busy keeping Easton occupied too.  With the recent (and rare) late February snow back home, Easton was keen to be outdoors.  Jeanette - who does not mind snow - was happy to oblige.  Many hours were spent playing in the snow.

This quad toy is a great way for Easton to burn off energy with his foot powered boots.  He's clearly having fun.

Owen....back in Edmonton, Alberta

We have not had any recent news from Owen and his folks but he must be thriving.  I'll post some new photos once I receive some from the frozen north.  It has been cold in Edmonton and that likely keeps most Edmontonians house bound.  I'm sure Courtney, Deni and Owen (whether Owen realizes it or not) will enjoy a good week of sun when they descend to Palm Springs this March 19th. 

That concludes this blog.  We're settled into a couple of days with intermittent sun between clouds and rain.

Laundry chores are calling......!

Thanks for dropping by.