This year is my 50th high school reunion. It is scheduled to take place in September. One of my San Marino High School classmates, Rich Townsend, sent me a photo of the two of us in December, 1971. We were not dating, but Rich asked me to be his escort for an USC fraternity party. We were so young!
Sunday, Tom and I decided to do more shed hunting in our local national forest. We parked at McClelland Lake and walked a little over two miles.
We found no antlers, but there were a great number of Alligator Junipers. The bark looks like the skin of an alligator.
While Tom and I have had no luck, Tom's son, Jon, is gifted!
That afternoon, I helped Tom fix one of our fence posts. We bought a metal post repair kit that attaches to an old post and secures it better in the ground.
Our neighbors, Connie and Jay, have moved to a new home in Cottonwood. But, they are still cleaning out their Williams home before it is listed for sale. It was nice to see them!
The dogs waited patiently at our front door.
On Sunday, April 5, we took the dogs on a local trail. It is a 2 1/2 miles round trip from the Bill Williams Mountain Trailhead to the town of Williams. It was a beautiful afternoon.
Both Kelsey and Jamie enjoyed the trail. Tom and I did too!
On Monday, April 6, we played pickleball on the tennis courts. It was sunny and fairly cold --- high 30s. We just played on one court. With the Covid-19 matter, we all play with gloves --- to not have to treat the balls after every play.
Our friend, Chris, was dressed warmly --- almost like she was heading for the ski slopes. She can be so silly.
After pickleball, Tom and I decided to go out in the forest and hunt for shed. We drove out Spring Valley Road and parked at Fay Lake. This time of year, the lake is dry.
No luck, so we got back in Tom's SUV and drove further up the road to a place Jon found shed last year. On the way, we drove by grazing cows and three calves.
We did spook a small group of elk, but they were too far away to know if they were elk cows or bulls. It was a very pretty walk, but no antlers.
With the Covid-19 guidelines in place, Tom and I have tried to get some solid exercise by playing pickleball and hunting for shed. So, after pickleball on Tuesday, we went to another area off Spring Valley Road. We parked where we saw two elk run across the road the day before. We walked up a small hill and saw a nice view of Mt. Humphreys.
We also found several remains.
After walking several miles, we went back to Tom's Subaru. There, we met up with Tom's son, Jon. He had been looking for shed further up the road.
It was nice seeing Jon. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, Jon has been avoiding people and places in town. He hasn't played pickleball in over three weeks.
The Facebook page for our town is suggesting that everyone post an Easter egg drawing of some sort in the front of their home. The school children are participating in a virtual Easter egg hunt --- taking photos on their cell phones of all the Easter eggs around town. I decided to draw my own version.
After pickleball on Thursday, my truck's diagnostic system showed that I had a passenger side rear tire that was below the 36 psi. Maybe I have a slow leak? Tom and I took my truck to Sandoval's Tire. JP found a small nail in the side of my tire.
JP said that he can patch the tire, but because of the location, the patch would not hold long. The tire was patched and a new replacement tire was ordered.
On Saturday, Tom and I repaired the two fence posts behind the back fence. We used the metal post repair kits we ordered from Amazon Prime.
Easter Sunday was different. All the churches are closed. My brother Peter texted a cute photo
My sister Wendy added another cute texted photo.
My tire was at Sandoval's and ready to be mounted. So, I took my truck there. JP doesn't work Sunday and Monday, so Chuckie handled my tire replacement.
There are signs that Spring is heading our way. On a walk in the neighborhood, many homes have daffodil flowers.
On Facebook, one of my friends asked what people do with the elk and mule deer shed. I told her many use them as table center pieces, like me! Others put them in their gardens.
Another aspect of Spring is watching how Cataract Lake is flourishing.
One of my friends loves astronomy. He shared with me an article about a three-day phenomena where the moon and three planets are clustered together. Tom and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14. We threw on our robes and went outside to the front yard. There were Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon.
Tom and I went back to bed for several more ours. In mid April, the weather in Williams is crisp and sunny. So, another day of 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, pickleball.
Later that afternoon, the dogs and I went to Kaibab Lake for a 2 1/2 mile walk. The campground is closed, but it is easy to walk on the campground roads.
A late afternoon email came to us from Princess Cruises. Yes, our May cruise to the British Isles has been officially cancelled. In fact, all their cruises have been cancelled through June.
Tom and I were not surprised. We knew it was just a matter of time.
On Thursday, April 16, I woke up early again --- to see day 3 of the moon and planet alignment. On this final morning, the Moon was now at the bottom position of the planets.
It was a windy day, so pickleball was cut short. I needed a break from Williams and took Kelsey and Jamie to Prescott. It was an hour drive to the Constellation Trail. Most of the trails meandered through the granite boulders.
The weather was in the low 70s. It was a nice getaway.
My daily walks with the dogs provide variety. I have different places to take them. One favorite walk is around the golf course where we live.
In Arizona, Covid-19 did not shut down the golf courses. Elephant Rocks is owned and managed by the town of Williams. In the 1930s, it was owned and managed by the Santa Fe Railroad --- a perk for their executives.
Tom takes good care of Kelsey and Jamie. He likes to give them "human food" bits and pieces. Whenever Tom is in the kitchen, his spotted fan club is there!
On a weekly basis, there is a fellow from Flagstaff who parks in a Williams lot to buy elk and deer antlers. Tom's son Jon has sold some of his findings to him. Many of the antlers are sold to make exotic dog treats.
Some of the walks with the dogs are just around our neighborhood. We are fortunate to be surrounded by the Kaibab National Forest. This photo of Kelsey and Jamie is just across the street from our house.
Since buying this house six years ago, I have maintained the American Home Shield policy. My sister-in-law, Terry, who is a real estate broker, said that I should think about cancelling the policy. But, I haven't. Our built-in microwave is no longer heating. So, American Home Shield sent an appliance man to evaluate the situation.
Russ will write-up an order to have the microwave repaired. It may take a week or two. Until you don't have a working microwave, you never realize how handy an appliance it is!
Later that afternoon, Tom and I went south of town to wander in the woods and perhaps find some shed. We both have decided that the hiking/wandering is more important than the discovery of antlers.
It was a beautiful day --- a little over 70 degrees!
On our way home, we found a forest campsite with a barbecue just hanging out there!
I guess whoever uses this site would rather not have to lug the barbecue back and forth.
On Friday the 24th, Tom and decided to take a day off from pickleball. It was very windy. The golf course in our community was very active.
Who wouldn't want to play golf here --- with the backdrop of Mt. Humphreys!
Saturday was less wind for pickleball. So, five of us played with our hearts delight!
After pickleball, I decided to tackle the "every six month" project of changing the spa water. I got up at 7:15 a.m. to start draining the old water. At about 2:15 p.m., the water was almost out of the spa. I used the RIDGID vacuum to suck out the remaining water.
There was a large spa light that had not been working for years. I decided to use this cleaning to see what the problem was. It turned out that the lighting mechanism was no longer in the right position. I placed it back in the hole.
Voila! I tested it, and it worked 😁😁😁 While I was doing this project, Tom was cleaning the large barbecue grill. He also was very helpful when I needed assistance in opening the spa panel.
Sunday was another morning of pickleball. Our usual playing time is 10:00 a.m. to noon. Again, we just had five folks. But, it worked.
Several weeks ago, I phoned three painting companies to bid on painting my house and RV barn. One came in at $10,750, one came in at $7,500, and one came in at $6,500. All three painting companies are active in my Highland Meadows community. Gustavo, whose bid came in at $6,500, is the most respected. So, he was selected. Lucky me!
Later Sunday afternoon, Tom and I went for a walk in the woods. We went south of town. The weather was in the low 70s --- very nice!
Spring is definitely in the air.
GBM Painting was supposed to start my home painting project on Monday. However, they needed to change the start date to Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, the pressure washing of the house and RV barn was completed.
That afternoon, I had an appointment with Dr. Rosales in Flagstaff. As a podiatrist, he takes care of the corns that build up on one toe of my right foot.
Ah, relief once again!
Later in the afternoon, Jon dropped by with his pickup truck lined with elk antlers that he has collected this season. It is an impressive collection!
Neighbor Jim drove by and stopped to admire the shed. I told Tom and Jon that they need to see an amazing chandelier that Jim owns. So, we walked over to his home to see it.
Jim's chandelier was made by a Colorado man. It contains 18 elk antlers and one centerpiece moose antler.
On Wednesday, after pickleball, I took Kelsey and Jamie back to Kaibab Lake. I was amazed with the amount of day users --- fishing, kayaking, enjoying the scenery.
Thursday, the GBM painters prepared our home and RV barn. They sanded uneven areas, took down the rain gutter drains, and applied putty to even out the surfaces. I was very impressed with the level of detail.
In the afternoon, Tom and I headed back out to the woods. This time, we went north of our Highland Meadows community.
The walk included flowering cactus.
The walk also included an Arizona King snake.
The snake scurried away as quickly as he or she could! That evening, Tom and I had our 5 o'clock cocktails in the backyard. It is now getting warm enough to sit outside. And, we always enjoy visiting mule deer.
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