Friday night, Tom and I went to Bearizona for their holiday Wild Wonderland event. During the month of December --- on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights --- the gate re-opens at 6:00 pm. We wanted to be early, so we queued up at 5:25 pm.
Another fun event at Wild Wonderland are all of the lights and the music. The lights are choreographed to the music --- dancing lights!
After about an hour at Bearizona, Tom and I decided to go to the Williams Best Western Plus Inn, have something to eat and drink, and listen to Omar and his music.
In the newspaper, I clipped an article about a Christmas Cookie Corral on Saturday morning. The Williams Alliance for the Arts was having a fund raiser --- selling homemade cookies for $8 a pound. Tom and I went to the event and scored some great sweets.
Later in the day, Mark Burson and his daughter Kelly arrived with their two Australian shepherds, Rosie and Rebel. Unfortunately their male dog, Sky, died several months ago. He was 14 years old. So, we introduced Jamie to Rosie and Rebel.
For dinner, we cooked some Kingsford ribs in the oven, stir-fried some quinoa with brown rice, and made a large salad.
Kelly and Mark were on their way to Malibu from Oxford, Mississippi. Mark is a professor at Ole Miss. Mark and his wife Ellen have two homes --- one in Malibu and one in Oxford. Mark spends most of his time in Mississippi. But, twice a year, he makes the round-trip drive to Malibu and back.
Early Sunday morning, the Bursons left for California. A few hours later, I took Jamie and Kelsey to the Grand Canyon Railway Pet Resort.
Tom and I had planned a one-night getaway to Prescott --- a little over an hour drive. We had reservations to stay at the Hassayampa Inn, a very nice historic hotel. Our friends, Priscilla and Roger Lasch, met us for lunch at Augie's. Priscilla and Roger live in nearby Dewey. All four of us worked at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2006.
After a nice leisurely lunch, we said good-bye to Priscilla and Roger. Then, Tom and I drove out to Lynx Lake, a local recreation area.
At about 3:00 pm, we checked into our room, a cozy suite, at the Hassayampa Inn.
Prescott deems itself to be Arizona's Christmas City. The historic city center is comprised of a large County courthouse and a square. The design reminds me of towns and cities in the Midwest, South, and East. The Christmas lights and displays were very nice, indeed!
Tom and I had adult beverages at the Palace Saloon --- part of Whiskey Row on the square.
We walked around the square and returned to our hotel. There, in the bar area, we listened to a guitarist and singer.
We had dinner at the hotel's Peacock Room. I had sea scallops and Tom had lamb shank. Both meals were delicious! The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and we walked around the historic area before having a late breakfast/early lunch at The Local Restaurant. Before leaving Prescott for home, we went to Costco for some liquor supplies. 😁😁😁
Monday, December 16, is my sister Kimberly's birthday. There was a small birthday celebration in Pasadena.
On Tuesday, eight of us Highland Meadows ladies drove to Flagstaff for lunch at the Little America property. It was the first time I had been there. The food was good and the property was nicely decorated.
Tom received a very nice Christmas card from his nephew Nathaniel in Indiana. Inside the card was a photo of Tom's 93 year old mother, Mary. Nat was Santa Claus at her nursing home!
On Thursday, our friend, Chris, wore her Santa outfit to play pickleball. I brought my Santa hat for a photo opportunity.
Later that day, Chris was a Salvation Army Kettle girl at our local bank.
On Friday, Tom and I enjoyed some local flavor. At a Young Life Silent Auction, I purchased several rides on the Grand Canyon zip-line in our town. The voucher was expiring the next day. So, Tom and I rode the zip-line twice.
Then, we had a photo opportunity at our town's Christmas tree and sled.
Our finale was going to the Canyon Club --- a "throw-back" bar that is frequented by locals and several of our pickleball friends. Tom had a beer, and I had a glass of red wine.
This Christmas, I decided to prepare a prime rib dinner. We invited Jon and several neighbors to join us. Back in the day, Richard and I used to host Christmas in Los Angeles. Our main entree was prime rib. In my Joy of Cooking cookbook, I still had notes on how to prepare the meal --- the beef and the Yorkshire Pudding. It was 17 years since I last made a prime rib!
We ordered the meat --- a total of eleven pounds! And yes, we will have leftovers 😋😋😋
Christmas morning, we woke to over three inches of snow. What fun to have a white Christmas!
It has been over three years since I have been home in Williams for Christmas. It is nice to enjoy our home over the holidays.
For the first walk of the morning, I put matching jackets on Kelsey and Jamie. I donned my Santa hat.
While I was walking the dogs, Tom removed the snow from the driveway.
Even though it was only 3 inches, it was more work than Tom had imagined. So, he got out the trusty snowblower for the final section!
Our Christmas guests arrived around 3:30 p.m.
It was Jon, Joe and Jan Chumley, and Gus Beatty. After some appetizers and some adult beverages, Tom carved the Prime Rib.
The meat was pink, but could have been more rare. We'll make a note for next time!
I received two fun texts with photos. One was from my Italian "son" Francesco and his family.
Another was from my brother Peter and my family in Los Angeles.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
The day after Christmas, a fellow came to fix our one garage door. Loren Vickers, a Flagstaff Garage Door company, installed our Martin doors 18 or 19 years ago.
A recent garage door company, A1, wanted to sell us new doors --- instead of fixing them. Steve, from Loren Vickers, said that both doors were in great condition. He said that the larger door was installed properly, but that the smaller door needed to be adjusted and that he needed to replace the springs. The springs installed by A1, two years ago, were the wrong size for the weight of the door.
That evening, we received another 3-4 inches of snow. Tom, once again, used the snowblower to clear the driveway. On Friday, five of us showed up for pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. It was good exercise!
That afternoon, I walked the dogs in the sunshine. It was still below freezing and the trees were full of snow.
USPS delivered several human hair wigs that I ordered three weeks ago. The company was headquartered in Europe, but the wigs arrived via China. My friend Carla looked so cute in a wig she had. So, I wanted to try it out --- for fun. Wouldn't you know it, the wigs looked nothing like this advertised photo!
Instead, the unshaped wigs looked like dead beaver pelts. What a disappointment!
I sent an e-mail to the company, wigsbuy.com. I also initiated a dispute with my credit card company. There is no way that I would settle for anything less than a full refund. And, I was not going to pay for the return shipping to China! We'll see what happens.
UPS delivered a Christmas package from daughter Donna and her family. It was a gift package of delicious Harry & David edible products.
Thank-you so much, Bernstein Family!
The weather has been cold since our Christmas Day snow fall. So, the snow is not melting quickly. It does create beautiful walks with Jamie and Kelsey.
I had my last 90 minute massage for the year with Natanya. She does such a great job!
New Year's Eve was a quiet one. Tom and I had filet mignon steaks for dinner and lava cakes for dessert. And, of course, we enjoyed a bottle of the Prosecco! Happy New Year!
