After being out all day on Saturday, Donna wanted to catch up on some work on Sunday. She went for a 25-mile bike ride up to Usery Park in the morning, then buckled down at her computer for a few hours before finally taking a break to read. She’s now well into reading North to the Night, the book I just finished.

I took the rental car and drove to the Pavilions in Scottsdale where I met up with Ed and Martha King. Ed is an old friend, former colleague and fellow Volkswagen of America retiree. We worked together for 15 years in the Pacific Northwest. They were visiting a friend in Scottsdale. Ed, Martha and I had lunch together at YC’s Mongolian Grill – thanks again Ed for treating me to lunch!

At the Mongolian Grill, you fill a bowl with various sliced meats, vegetables and noodles. Then you add seasonings to make a sauce – they have recipes on a board for mixing a variety of sauces. The bowl is given to a cook who stir fries each individual order. I made sure I had my bowl packed full. The lunch also included soup and rice. I guess I packed my bowl too full – I could barely finish my meal. It was more than I usually eat for lunch. We spent a couple of hours together, talking about life in retirement.  Ed and Martha have a home on Camano Island, north of Everett, Washington. Next time we’re up there, we’ll have to pay them a visit.

I drove over to the Venture Out RV Resort yesterday morning. It’s about two miles from Orangewood Shadows RV Resort. We were told that we could buy pickleball supplies at Venture Out. I got a day pass from the security guy there and he told me where to find the pickleball stuff. They’re pretty serious about pickleball at Venture Out. They have six courts and an area where you can buy paddles, balls and clothing. The courts were full and there were about a dozen people sitting in a covered breezeway either waiting to play or visiting together after their match.

Donna and I have decided to pursue pickleball as a sport we can enjoy together. It’s a fun game and great exercise. I had already read reviews on various pickleball paddles. I wanted to buy paddles instead of using the wood loaner (beginner) paddles at the Orangewood Shadows courts. Venture Out has the best prices on pickleball gear, better than anything I found online. I bought a Pro Lite Magnum composite paddle for Donna. This paddle is lightweight at 7.4 ounces and well-balanced for easy manueverability. I bought a Pro Lite Rocket XL for myself. It’s slightly heavier than the Magnum and built for power.

We took our new paddles down to the pickleball courts and worked on drills. Then we played full-court games without keeping score. We just wanted to work on our technique. Donna loves her new paddle. I like mine as well, but I need to adjust to the power of this paddle. I hit the ball long several times.

Paddle pictures from the Pro Lite site – ours are yellow, not green

We spent a full hour on the court with one five-minute break after the first 25 minutes. We had fun and it was a great workout. We plan to play at least three times a week.

Later, I returned the rental car to Enterprise. They gave me a ride down the street to Red, White and Brew where I enjoyed a couple of cold ones. I sat with Pat and shot the breeze with the guys. For a change of pace, Pamela, the bartender suggested a black and tan with 8th Street Pale Ale and Guinness Stout.

Guinness floating on 8th Street pale ale

Pat dropped me off at the RV park on his way home.

Donna prepared pan-seared salmon – just like she made last week with a ginger-scallion topping. But this time, she served it over creamy avocado cauliflower mash. Delicious!

Pan-seared salmon with creamy avocado cauliflower mash

We have another warm day ahead with the high temperature expected to reach 83 degrees. I have a few errands to run, but no big projects planned.