Sunday, December 31, 2017 (High Chaparral RV Park, Casa Grande, AZ)

The last day of 2017...wow! So I'm finishing off the year with a final blog post for the year. We had a pretty relaxing day...resting for the "big event" tonight, I guess...LOL!

When we arrived here, almost two weeks ago, we had lunch with Dave and Diane (and Red and Pam, too)...and figured we'd have lots of time to see them again before we left. Well, here we are...two weeks is up on Wednesday and we haven't gotten together again.. Whatever happened to those two weeks? Anyway, yesterday Dave suggested we meet for lunch today...perfect!

We met at the Thirsty Donkey Tap House and Sports Grill...and what a cool place! They have 40 self-serve beers on tap including a few ciders. They take your drivers license and then give you a wrist-band that unlocks the taps when you place it against the donkey symbol. There is a touch screen above each tap that lists the beer, alcohol % and IBU. Touch the screen and it opens to pouring instructions and a description of the beer. You can try as much and as many as you want...only paying for the ounces you have taken.  You can use small glasses to make a flight, room temperature glasses so the beer doesn't foam up as much, or a frosted glass. We've never seen a pub set up this way...an amazing idea! They also a have a full service bar with regular beer.

We enjoyed a great lunch and a couple of hours catching up with Dave and Diane...so glad we were able to connect one last time before we leave! Going to miss you at Q this year!

After lunch, we went to Fry's to fuel up the truck...diesel was $2.49/gallon...and after a stop a bank ATM for some cash, we headed home.

We basically chilled the rest of the afternoon. We did managed to get a blog for the previous 3 days done and posted...and that's about it.

Just after 6:30 we headed down to the Club House and joined 90 other party'ers gathering to bring in the New Year. Karen and Wayne had saved spots at their table for us...and we met lots of new folks also sitting at the long table. It was pretty packed with 92 people, a dance floor and band (they also had snacks set up in the kitchen)...

Not the best picture of everyone, but left to right around the table...Mike, John, Wayne, Audrey, Karen, Bruce, Bill, me (obviously in a deep conversation), Karen, Sandy and Lynette (okay, I might have gotten a couple wrong...but I think I'm pretty close)...

I'm "modelling" the Happy New Year head band...

John, Wayne and Steve...

Wayne and Karen were often the first (and sometimes the only ones) on the dance floor...

Karen and Wayne...

Sawmill Grinders Band...playing mostly country western. It seemed the dance floor was the busiest when a waltz was played... 

The girls up dancing (me, Gail, Suzie and Audrey)...who needs men to dance with? LOL

John being silly...and Sandy trying to not be in the picture..

Getting close to count down to 2018...

Everyone is up for the countdown...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

After the strike of midnight...and wishing everyone Happy New Year, the evening was over. Time to gather our things and head home. It's been a few years...probably one of our trips home for the holidays...that we actually stayed up to usher in the New Year. Last year we were in a Walmart parking lot in Anderson, California trying to outrun a snowstorm...this was much better!