Want to make a bag using Kool-Aid packages?

Yep, if you were here at Friendly Acres RV Park in Yuma, Arizona, you could do that. You'd also have an opportunity to make a square-stitch bracelet and decorate sweatshirts with jeans parts. Oh, yes, another announcement says, "Zipper art is pending!" Other park activities promoted in the January newsletter are: pool, shuffleboard, golf, water aerobics, and play Bingo.

Once a week there is a "concert" or other special event. This week "Larry Wayne Jones will sing his heartfelt songs and show clips from his videos." Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. residents will dance to music from The Kennedys.

Tomorrow evening (Wednesday) will be a Hamburger Potluck at 5. Yes, this is a large senior RV park. I estimate that at least 80 percent of the RVs have been "planted." They feature all sorts of add-ons: patios, carports, porches, etc.

People are friendly, the laundry facilities seem to be a buzz of activity, and the usual mode of transportation within this large park is either by bicycle or golf cart. I'll be here until Sunday morning.

My drive from Benson to Yuma was good. It was all Interstate driving - first on I-10 and then on I-8. I was pleasantly surprised that there is hardly any traffic on I-8 - at least on a weekday. Jeremiah cruised right along while I had plenty of time to enjoy the desert surroundings and recall events from the years I spent growing up in the Phoenix area. Driving I took the I-8 business route through Gila Bend. This town seems more spread out than I remember, but there didn't seem to be an obvious "down town." The café that is shaped like a spacecraft is still there.

It's been years since I drove through Yuma - it sure has grown. About 15 miles east of town new RV Resorts have sprung up, stretching several miles along I-8. It looked to be wall-to-wall rigs, and because the parks are so new, there are no trees to speak of.

Once I settled into space 283, I bicycled into Old Yuma where the Lettuce Days events take place. For several blocks, Main Street has been turned into a pedestrian mall; many buildings have been renovated and now house antique shops, boutiques, cafes and coffee shops. I'm looking forward to exploring this area tomorrow.

I located the main library, and was happy to find out that they have free wireless Internet. So, I'll be able to take my laptop there to post to my blog.

WEAR YOUR BIKE HELMET! On my way back to the RV park, a sidewalk curb jumped out and caused me to take a spill. (Well, actually, I misjudged a turn and that caused the accident.) Fortunately I was wearing my helmet. The bike pedal and handlebars kept me from totally hitting the cement sidewalk, but my helmet (with head inside) did hit pretty hard. I picked myself up and continued riding - shuddering to think of the consequences if I hadn't had my helmet on. My elbow/forearm and my knee were hurting.

I'm very chicken when it comes to looking at injuries. Once back at my motorhome, they continued to hurt, but there was no blood on my denim shirt or my jeans. I didn't want to look. After a while, I gave myself a stern talking-to: "Carol, if you choose to be single, you must be able to take care of things such as this!" "But I take care of a lot of things, I just don't want to look!" "Well, get over it!" "OK! But I really don't want to!"

I got out my first-aid kit, found some antiseptic wipes, laid out gauze pads, tapes and band-aids and hoped for the best. Whew! I only had superficial scrapes; wiped them and put band-aids on. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" I had some wine, read a while and then tucked into bed feeling proud of myself. Today reminded me of something I read that was attributed to Foster C. McClellan: (I don't have a clue who he is/was.)

"Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."


I also saw this old Winnebago parked next to the library.