Thursday, April 15 to Friday, April 30, 2021: Woods, Friends, and Renewal

Tom and I decided to go out in the woods to hike and to look for shed. There was a particular area Tom has always wanted to venture. It was up behind a tank off of Forest Road 122.

We walked several hours. We saw some Elk scat, but we found no antlers. It was a nice day and good exercise.

Friday morning, I tried to awaken my cell phone. It appeared to be dead. I called Verizon and spoke to several tech folks. They walked me through some steps to try to start up my phone. The last suggestions was to plug my phone into my computer for three hour. No luck. So, I called Verizon again --- using Tom's cell phone --- to try to buy a new phone immediately. The only way I was going to get a new phone today was to buy it online at Best Buy and pick it up in Flagstaff. Done!

This option was not a Samsung phone, but it did have the Verizon Android system. Tom's son Jon bought a phone like this. The price was reasonable, but I did have to learn some new techniques. I was pleased to find that I had a Verizon Cloud back-up that was active and up-to-date. So I was able to retrieve photos and contacts. Phew!

On Sunday, a group of us played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn.

One day soon, we will move our play to the tennis courts. But, it has been very windy and the nets are not up yet on the tennis courts.

Jon and Dana are hiking the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama. Jon posted a nice photo on his Facebook page.

On Monday, I walked from our house to Cooper Ranch --- passing by Cataract Lake. This ranch has some different view of Mt. Humphreys.

After the walk, I had a nice 90 minute massage with Natanya Nagy at Gods Gift of Healing Hands. Wonderful!

Tuesday morning, I played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. There was just five of us.

In the afternoon, I took the dogs to town. We parked at Safeway and walked up to the Santa Fe Dam. I have not been there for quite some time. Jamie has never been to this reservoir. We walked less than a mile along the western shore. We turned around before completing the trail.

On Wednesday, we were supposed to go to Cottonwood and attend a Happy Hour at the home of friends Becky and Tom Poremba. Unfortunately there was a severe wind advisory in effect and the event was cancelled. After I cancelled kennel arrangements for the dogs and the Best Western hotel reservations, some other friends decided to move the Happy Hour venue to Verde Valley Thousand Trails. I decided to pass on this change. They did get together and had a good time.

Our Wednesday plan was to stay in Williams. I suggested to Tom that we go back to the Santa Fe Dam. I wanted to see how much further the trail goes.  We parked at the dam parking lot and walked across the dam. The dam was built in 1892 to provide water for the Santa Fe Railroad locomotives passing through Williams.

Tom and I walked along the western shore of the lake.

The trail ended just over a mile. We then turned around and walked back to our car.

That evening, the deer wandered into our neighborhood and grazed on an empty lot across the street from us.

Thursday morning, Tom and I moved our old sofa and our old loveseat into the garage. This is in preparation for the arrival of our new furniture on Friday. I used Overstock.com to select a new sofa and loveseat.

Tom went on Facebook Marketplace to advertise our old furniture --- free if picked up. A twenty year old young man from Winslow, AZ, took us up on our offer. He and his father will come to pick up the sofa and loveseat on Friday or Saturday morning. Yeah!

The living room looks so empty without those large pieces.

That afternoon, Tom tackled the project of cleaning the BBQ. A little Spring cleaning indeed!

On Friday, Tom and I waited for the delivery of our new furniture. The truck driver called around 11:00 a.m. He was arriving in 20-30 minutes. I mentioned to him that we have a low bridge off Exit 161 and that he should use Exit 163. He was very appreciative!

The driver and his associate took the two boxes out of the large trailer and brought the boxes into our living room. The new furniture does require some assembly --- a project for the weekend!

Several weeks ago, one of the spa jets plastic fixture broke. I finally sent an email to Jeff at Summit Spa in Flagstaff. I sent him a photo of the 5 1/2 inch diameter jet that needs to be replaced.

Later in the afternoon, I walked the dogs around our Elephant Rocks Golf Course. There was a nice photo opportunity of Bill Williams Mountain.

Saturday, I drove to Flagstaff for a hair appointment with Shawna. Flagstaff is a very liberal city and mask mandates are still in full force.

I stopped by Safeway on the way home and picked up some sushi and Asian appetizers at the Safeway Sushi Counter.

On Sunday morning, I played pickleball. That afternoon, Tom and I went for a walk in the woods north of town.  We parked our car at a location near where Jon had previously found shed. So, we did a 2 1/2 mile loop. It was a very windy day and there was not much shelter.

Monday afternoon, after a nail appointment, I came home to a new loveseat. 

Tom unpacked all of the furniture pieces and cleared out the two boxes. He needed my help with the sofa, as the pieces are larger and heavier. Tom said that the assembly of the two units were easy --- probably the best experience he has ever had. 

Now, I have a new sofa! Thank-you, Tom!

We also rearranged the living room furniture to better accent the couch, loveseat, and two recliners.

Tom's oxygen concentrator machine needs to be replaced. It is making loud humming noise. The Prescott Rotech Medical Equipment company delivered the new machine on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Kelsey and I went to Flagstaff. I picked up the new spa jet. Kelsey had her acupuncture appointment at Canyon Pet Hospital. While she has that procedure, the Veterinary technician gives her peanut butter. She loves it!

My sister Carrie and her husband are significantly remodeling a second home they have in Bend, Oregon. The project is very complex, so Carrie and her two dogs are living in a Bend full-time. They rented a small house nearby.

Friday night, there was a concert on the Visitor Center stage. It is a build-up event for "The Moving Wall" exhibit coming to Williams June 5-7. The warm-up band was Black Elk. The headliner was Ryan Weaver.

Tom and I decided to have dinner at South Rims Wine & Beer Garage. Our friend, Kerry-Lynne was performing on the patio.

Kerry-Lynne has a beautiful voice. It was a nice way to finish up the month of April.