Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The snowbird life...a taste of retirement

As I explained in my last post, I have been staying at my Mom's RV retirement park in Apache Junction, AZ, while she has been in the hospital. I have a good decade and a half before I hit retiring age but the last two weeks have given me a little taste of the lifestyle of an Arizona Snowbird. Here is a little photo tour.
The Happy Days sunshine logo beckons snowbirds to the park. Apache Junction is just one RV Park after another- on and on and on. The one my mom lives in is small and friendly, but there are big and fancy ones and everything in-between available.
Shuffleboard anyone?

Or a dip in the pool or hot tub?


Mountain views


Some snowbirds get pretty fancy with the yard ornaments.



Others like the Southwest theme with a burro and a sleeping Senor- or two!



RVs come in ALL sizes- great big fancy ones that are like home on wheels, and then some!


Itty bitty tiny ones that are not much more than a place to sleep.

My Mom's is a "park model" meaning it stays here year round, rather than being pulled or driven back and forth. She lives in it about 4 months a year and then returns to her home in South Dakota when it starts getting warm here.



Hope you enjoyed the tour- maybe someday you can live the "snowbird" lifestyle and enjoy the lovely Arizona winters.

12 comments:

david mcmahon said...

Mountain views? Sign me up!!

Diane AZ said...

Enjoyed the photo tour of the Happy Days RV park. I love the yard ornaments! My husband and I are retired, but we're year-round desert residents and rarely travel. At least through blogs I can visit greener cooler places in the summer.

Deb said...

I want to be a snowbird when I grow up, of course we don't get much snow in Texas, what a fun place to spend time

Raph G. Neckmann said...

What an amazing place - I have never seen anything like this! Lovely views too of the mountains.

Nancy in Sun Lakes AZ said...

The mountains in Dee's pictures are the famous Superstitions where so many people have searched (and some lost their lives in the tough terrain) looking for gold and the Lost Dutchman Mine!
We are surrounded by mountain ranges in all four directions but the Superstitions are my favorites!

Appalachian Lady said...

When I drive by these parks when visiting Arizona, I think I could never live there. Your photos make them look more inviting, especially in the wintertime. Hope your mother gets better. Nice blog.

kesslerdee said...

Thanks all for your comments! I am thrilled to say I am going HOME today! Mom is out of the hospital and will soon be back in SD. This will be her last year as a snowbird so it is kind've bittersweet that I won't have her close after this winter.
Appalachian Lady- I agree with you 100%- it is not for me either- I am hoping my home/garden is my own sweet retirement spot when the time comes.

Bengbeng said...

i enjoyed this post very much. it is like reading a travel magazine except here it is brilliant colors without the expensive price tag of foreign magazines :)

Aiyana said...

I'd like to be a summer bird and take off about May 15 through October 15! We have some of these parks about 5 miles from my place, and it's fun watching them fill up about November 15 and then be emptied out by May 1. One park has even built some little permanent cabins now. A booming business--at least part of the year.
Aiyana

Valeriannah said...

I would love to spend my summers up in Alaska and my winters here. Yet I've grown so very fond of monsoon season, that it would be hard to pull myself away.

Carla said...

Could I ask if you could post inside pictures of the layout of this home?
We want to create a 'cabin' of similar size and I am very interested in small spaces floorplans.
I love the idea of snow'birding! I hope things are going well with your mother.

kesslerdee said...

Carla- I am sorry I am not able to post inside pictures. Part of my two weeks spent at the trailer were spent getting it sold. My Mom's health is not going to permit her to winter here as she has always done and the trailer is sold and in the hands of the new owner now and I am back home in Tucson. It was sad- but part of life I guess is to say goodbyes.