It is Easy to move when your house has wheels!

And moving is just what we did on Saturday.

When we bought in as new members of the Escapee RV Club park Jojoba Hills, we came in on site 719.

Site 719 had both good and not-so-good aspects. We could have solved some of the negatives, but decided to look at other sites as they became available.

The best aspect of 719 was the large west exposure which made seeing and appreciating the beautiful sunsets easy. 

Our last sunset at Site #719 Mourning Dove Way, Jojoba Hills

But the same Western exposure was a problem, in that we had full sun on the side of the Alfa every afternoon. We were concerned about the stress this put on our refrigerator, and the cost of running the air conditioner to keep the rig at a livable temperature. Also, the sun made our patio area uncomfortable.

We were told we could move to another site when one became available. This is where it gets tricky. The park is 100% occupied, and as of March 2018 there are more than 60 on the waiting list. I have heard the average number of people leaving each year is  25 - 30. Most leave because it is time for them to move into assisted living, in with their children, or back into their houses elsewhere, year round. 

There are a couple of ways to get a different site. I call the first "openly available".  When someone releases their membership, their site is listed as available for seven days. Interested members are put on a list, and the interested member with the most seniority gets the site. Their old site goes through the same process until there is no member interested. Then it is offered to #1 on the waiting list. All sites are not equal. With this system it is unlikely a new member will get the most coveted locations.

During  our two winters here, I looked at all of the sites that became openly available, and did not like any of them better than #719.

But, there is another way to get a different site.  That being a member-to-member site trade, which often happens before a site is released. The system allows any two members to trade sites. So, what happens is when someone is planning to leave, they can trade with another member. Then that member gets their site, and the
leaving member releases from their site. I have seen several trades made before the final site becomes openly available. Sometimes it is "who you know" or being in the right place at the right time!

This is what happened for us. Several months ago I learned that an acquaintance of ours was planning on leaving at the end of the season. She shared a membership with her elderly mother, who was tired of traveling back and forth from Alaska. They had a trailer with an attached deck on the site, and their hope was to sell it to someone from the park. But as it turned out, no one wanted the trailer, including us, and so they sold it to someone who came in and removed it. We agreed that if that happened, we would trade sites.  It happened, and as of Saturday we have a new home, site #603.

As the saying goes: "What's not to love?" 
 603 is larger than 719. Let me show you around:

On the West side, this tree gives us some privacy on our bedroom window. We can see through it from our dining table, and see the  hummingbird feeder I hung there. The tree will block the full view of the sunset from inside, but it also provides some afternoon shade. 

The east side has two grapefruit trees, and overlooks the valley at the edge of the park. Our cement patio slab is in full shade in the afternoon.

I know this tree is dead, but it has so much character! I told Craig we have to look for some fun Mexican yard art when we go down to Los Algodones next week. 

As I walked around the site on our first afternoon, I saw this guy in the dead tree. Not the best picture, but the first hummer I have ever caught in focus. It is a Ruby Throat, but I did not capture the bright red of its neck.  It fluffed up to keep warm.

Back to the site tour: 

The neighbors across the street have a beautifully maintained site. In the past I noticed their well-cared-for roses booming prolifically.

The view from our windshield is of the tree-lined edge of one of the Jojoba ponds.

It is one of my favorite places in the park.

Another view of the front of our lot. Yes, we are on the edge of the road, but the speed limit is 9 1/2 MPH, a lot of the traffic is golf carts, and everything closes down by 9 PM! We are old people.

I am really looking forward to our times here on our new site.

I'm ending this post now so I can walk up to Friendship Hall for the Sunday Zumba class.

But first:

Another shot of the Hummer.

and Craig with his St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Life is good!