Friday, June 18 to Tuesday, June 30, 2021: A Los Angeles Gathering, Tom's Sister's Visit, and Friends

Friday morning, I drove to Los Angeles. It was the first time that I drove to California in eighteen months. The drive to San Gabriel took me 6 1/2 hours. I was spending two nights at my brother Peter's home. His wife, Terry, was home when I arrived. We had a nice reunion. Also spending two nights at Casa Shelton was my niece Molly and her daughter Sophie. Molly and Sophie live in Bakersfield with Molly's husband, Matt. Terry has several tomato plants. Since she was making a vegetable pasta dish for dinner, off Terry went to pick ripe tomatoes.

Molly and Sophie arrived at about 7 p.m. It was fun meeting my grand niece and seeing her with Mom and Grandma.

For dinner that night, my brother Peter arrived and also Terry's mother, Dudley.

Molly's birthday was June 10. So we belatedly celebrated her birthday with lemon pound cakes for dessert.

Saturday morning, I snapped a photo of Peter and Terry. It is always easy to be with them.

Today, June 19, was their 39th wedding anniversary. But, the main reason I was in Los Angeles was to attend a 10:30 a.m. bridal shower for my niece Katelyn. Conveniently, the shower venue was just down the street --- at the San Gabriel Country Club.

Three of my sister Wendy's friends hosted the "Brunch with the Bride" shower. My sister Carrie came to the shower too. It was a surprise, as she has been up in Bend, Oregon, for several months.

In this photo, Katelyn is wearing a light pink linen dress. Her wedding will be the first weekend in October. Halfway through the shower --- when opening presents --- Katelyn's fiance, Dan Wallace, arrived. He brought her a bouquet of flowers.

It was a very nice shower.  Later in the afternoon, Molly went to have a pedicure and Terry took care of Sophie.

Peter came home from work and doted on his granddaughter as well.

Tom texted me a photo. He found his first Elk shed. Quite a beauty!

Sunday morning, after breakfast, I drove back to Williams. It was an easy 6 hour drive. But, it was 118 degrees when I stopped for gasoline at the Flying J Gas Station at Arizona mile marker 9.

Monday morning, I walked to Cataract Lake. It was a hot day, so I tried to stay under trees.

Arizona has some severe forest fires. The Kaibab, Coconino, and Prescott National Forests are going to close on Wednesday, June 23. It is estimated that they will be closed until at least September 1.

Monday afternoon,  I drove to Flagstaff. My prescription sunglasses frame broke while I was in Los Angeles. Fortunately, the frames are under warranty. So I dropped them off at Northland Eye Care.

In the evening, Tom and I drove to Prescott Regional Airport. Tom's sister was coming for a four-day visit. She lives in Fort Myers, Florida. Welcome, Pat Warner!

Pat was so sweet and brought us some delicious chocolates. Pat knows her brother's sweet tooth!

Tuesday morning, I played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. We let Pat sleep in and Tom had a barber appointment at noon. That afternoon, we went to Bearizona.  It was a hot afternoon, so the junior bears were enjoying some water play.

After completing the drive-through section, we parked the car and walked into the walk-through section. On our way to see the three grizzly bears, there was a new bear in an overflow exhibit. His name is Roscoe. He was found in the White Mountains without a mother. It is estimated that he is just five or six months old.

Roscoe was very active and playful. We found out later that this day was his second day in the outdoor exhibit.

Unfortunately, the three grizzly bears were asleep. There was no activity in their large exhibit. For Pat, darn!

We had adult beverages in the Canyonlands Restaurant. Thank you, Pat!

Before leaving Bearizona, we of course had to take the obligatory photo 😃😃😃

Wednesday morning, all of the national forests were closed. This is due to the extreme fire conditions.

Wednesday was our day to take Pat to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. She has already been to the North Rim --- in 2006 --- when Tom and I worked there. We were a little late heading to the canyon. We were met a 45 minute delay in getting to the entrance booth. Maybe the lines were long as the National Forests are now closed. Anyway, we parked in the usual place and walked to the El Tovar for lunch.

After lunch, we drove out to Shoshone Point. The skies were somewhat cloudy, but it is such a beautiful place! All four of us poised in front of Indian Head.

I copied my friend Connie Young --- taking a photo with my painted toenails and the canyon beyond.

I really like this photo of Pat with the canyon and north rim backdrop.

Since we are not able to formally hunt shed in the national forest, Jon decided to take us on a forest walk back to the car.

On our way back to our Highland Meadows home, we stopped at Jon's house to show Pat his property and to show her all of the shed Jon has collected. Pat adorned one of the dead heads.

Thursday morning, I took Pat to town.  We walked a mile along Route 66.

We also said hello to Smokey the Bear.

In the afternoon, we went to the Grand Canyon Deer Farm. I won four tickets to the Deer Farm at a silent auction two years ago.

You are able to buy some deer food and feed the deer. The Deer farm had other animals on display --- a camel, a buffalo, four reindeer, several elk, a llama, several mini-horses and an alpaca.

That evening, Jon joined us for dinner at the Red Raven Restaurant. It was Pat's last night.

In the morning, I asked Pat to write in my red Williams Visitor book.

Pat asked to take a photo of Tom and me in front of our house.

We left Williams for the Prescott Municipal Airport at about 11:00 a.m. Pat's flight to California was at 1:30 p.m. She was headed to Palo Alto to visit her daughter and her daughter's family.

On Saturday, I admired my water feature and pond. I have to add water to it daily.

I also went to the gym to work-out.

Sunday, Tom and I met my friends Michael and Barbara Penna for brunch. Michael and Barbara live in Hollister, California --- but they bought a vacation home in Cleveland, Tennessee. They were en-route to Tennessee. We dined at Anna's Grand Canyon Cafe.

They had a short trip to Holbrook for the night --- about 2 1/2 hours --- so Tom and I invited them to see Bearizona. We were very lucky, as the grizzly bears were active.

And of course, we had to take the obligatory photo with the bear eating his honey.

Sunday, June 27th was also Richard's birthday in heaven. I added some more of his ashes around our newest Aspens.

Monday afternoon, we received some heavy smoke from the active forest fires. Fortunately it dissipated in an hour or so.

On Tuesday, I had my monthly Canyon Pet Hospital appointment for Kelsey. The acupuncture sessions seem to work well for her. The veterinarian technician gave Kelsey peanut butter to keep her calm and steady.

Wednesday morning, five of us played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. Annette and Warren have a summer place in Williams. This was there last day to play until early August.

In the early afternoon, I had a nail fill and pedicure at 66 Nails Spa. Thanks again, Will!

I sent an email to my friend, Bill Ukropina. It is his 65th birthday today. He sent me a photo of him and his wife Linan. They are celebrating his birthday in the Florida Keys.

Tuesday, June 1 to Thursday, June 17, 2021: Local Hiking, Jon's Return, Pampering Becky, and Anniversary at the Grand Canyon

Tuesday afternoon, Tom and I took a drive out to White Horse Lake. It is only 20 miles from home, but the roads are not paved. So, it took about 45 minutes to get there. We had not been to this lake in three years. How time flies!

We walked around the lake. It was a distance of about two miles. 

In the summer, there is a food truck that operates daily. When we were at White Horse Lake three years ago, the concession was on a trial run --- to see if it made sense. I guess it worked!

Tom's son, Jon, returned to Williams. He was gone several months --- long distance hiking in Alabama. Jon was going to be hiking longer, but the heat, humidity, and ripe poison ivy was not pleasant. So, Tom and I are glad he is back. The three of us went to the Wild West Junction for lunch.

Tom had a hamburger, I had a Reuben sandwich, and Jon had a Dr. Pepper and a Patty Melt.

On Thursday, I had a scheduled facial appointment in Flagstaff. Unfortunately, there was an hour delay on Interstate 40 due to road construction. Even though I left early for Flagstaff, I knew that it would be irritating sitting on the freeway with little or slow movement. So I called Sue and rescheduled for next week.

On Friday, June 4, Tom and I went to the 10:00 am opening ceremony of The Moving Wall. The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

The ceremony lasted about one hour. There was the presentation of the colors.

Our town Mayor, John Moore, spoke about the challenge of getting this Moving Wall to Williams. It took ten years.

Our little town of Williams will host this exhibit for three days. There were a number of Gold Star families in the audience.

The ceremony was very touching. The event included a local bag pipe group providing uplifting music.

Later in the day, Tom sat out on the front porch reading a book on his Kindle.

Saturday, we played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. The fellow in blue, Patrick, was just passing through Williams. He and his wife rented an Airbnb home in our Highland Meadows community for two nights.

In the afternoon, Tom and I went walking in the woods. We climbed to the top of a Kaibab National Forest hill.

On Sunday, I took a walk into town. There, I went into a new shop that sells Route 66 souvenirs and offers paid rides in old historic cars.

On my walk, I also saw a second exhibit being displayed this weekend. It was Remembering Our Fallen. This exhibit remembered our fallen Veterans from 9/11/2001 to present. 

Pat Wheeler texted me a photo of her and her kayak on the small Michigan lake where she and Bill live. I will be visiting them next month. Then, I will be enjoying a kayak along with her.

Monday, I did a cardio workout at Results Fitness.

Arizona is on high fire alert this summer. Our first nearby fire was off Highway 180 near Flagstaff.

Monday night, I got a text from Sue Kelly, my facial lady. I knew that her Flagstaff home had been sold recently. As part of the move, Sue sold all of her facial product and equipment to the owner of Junto Skin & Laser. So, she had to cancel my "next day" appointment. 

 

The next morning, I texted Amy Aranda, the owner of Junto Skin & Laser. I requested a facial appointment to replace the one Sue just cancelled. Amy was booked, but she made me an afternoon appointment with her associate, Kailey. Not knowing the traffic situation on Interstate 40 --- due to road construction --- I left for Flagstaff early. Kailey did a nice job.

Wednesday afternoon, I had a nail appointment at 66 Nails Spa. Jennifer was running errands with her two children, so Will took care of me. Thank you, Will!

On Thursday, I had a hair appointment in Flagstaff. I decided to play pickleball at Bushmaster Park before my 1:00 pm appointment. This was my first time playing there. A nice woman by the name of Janice helped introduce me to some of folks there. I played about five games.

I arrived at Wildflower Salon early. It was interesting seeing Shawna without a mask.

The salon owners are now allowing those who have been vaccinated to not wear a mask. They even require proof of vaccination. All those not vaccinated are required to wear masks.

June 10 is my niece Molly's birthday. I texted her birthday wishes and told her that I will be in Southern California next weekend for my niece Katelyn's Bridal Shower. I am staying at Molly's parents home. Molly will be there too, with her daughter Sophie. I can't wait to finally meet my grandniece Sophie!

On Friday, there was no pickleball play. So, I went to the gym. Five of my family members attended the first post "Covid-19 lock-down" event of Operation Amped. My brother John's tribute and memorial surfboard was being launched at Huntington Beach. Operation Amped holds surfing events for seriously ill, injured, or disabled U.S. military veterans. My brother loved to surf. So I worked with Operation Amped to make a memorial board in honor of John. My niece Kerry designed the board and Huntington Beach shaper, Rocky McKinnon, created it.

Off into the surf it went...

My family members were very impressed with the tribute and event.

On Saturday morning, I took the dogs to the Williams Historic Route 66 Car Show. It was going to be a hot day, so I showed up at 7:30 a.m. There were hundred of cars lining Route 66 and side streets.

The dogs always enjoy the attention they get when parading around Route 66.

On Sunday, I went hiking in the forest behind Highland Meadows. It was a hot day, but the wind made the walk pleasant.

Later in the day, Tom said that the outdoor facet that feeds the drip system was leaking. Tom tried to replace an inside piece, but was told by True Value Hardware that the whole unit needs to be replaced. I texted plumber Gabe for help. In the meantime, we ran a hose from the other outdoor facet to continue feeding the drip system.

June 14 is Flag Day and President Trump's birthday. We celebrated both.

In the afternoon, I took a walk in the forest between Highland Meadows and Cataract Lake. I found Elk scat and animal bones, but no shed.

That evening, FedEx delivered a package for Tom. Sons Josh and Jon sent him a delightful Father's Day package --- Omaha steaks! We placed the dry-ice box in the pantry and unloaded it the next morning.

June 15 is our 4-year anniversary. A year ago, I booked the Buckey O'Neill Suite at Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Today was our day to enjoy it for two nights. So, I dropped off the dogs at the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel.

We drove up to the canyon and arrived at about 2:30 p.m. The suite was ready for us!

The suite is a "one of a kind." It was built in 1895 by Buckey O'Neill --- who was a Sheriff, Mayor, Newspaperman, Rough Rider, and American Hero. The suite has two rooms --- a living room

and a bed room.

For adult beverages before our dinner reservation at the El Tovar Hotel, we put our camp chairs on the front area of our suite and watched folks walk by.

We had a nice view of the Grand Canyon.

And we had a nice view of the El Tovar Hotel.

We walked up to the El Tovar for our dinner reservations and caught a glimpse of a sunset.

Tom and I enjoyed a nice dinner in the historic old dining room.

Wednesday morning, I grabbed us two breakfast burritos at the Bright Angel Fountain. The concessionaire, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, is experiencing difficulty in hiring enough workers. So, some of the usual restaurants and food and beverage outlets are currently closed.

After breakfast, Tom and I took our bikes to Hermit's Rest Road. We were going to have the Hermit's Rest Shuttle carry our bikes the eight miles to the end --- and then ride back --- but Tom's recumbent bike does not fit the bike carrier. So, we headed up the road on our bikes. Recumbent bikes have difficulty with hills. So we walked some of the way to Hopi Point.

And, we rode a lot of the way.

For lunch, we had some cheese and crackers. We had early dinner reservations at the Tavern at Bright Angel Lodge. The Arizona Steak House is not open for the season, so the bar area was turned into a tavern serving food and drinks.

 

I suggested that we walk the Rim Trail to the Visitor Center. It was about 2 1/2 miles one-way.

There was an Express Shuttle that brought us back to the Hermit's Rest transfer point --- adjacent to our lodge.

Our early dinner reservations at the Bright Angel Tavern was at 5:15 p.m. We started with some drinks at a nice table.

For dinner, we had Grand Canyon hamburgers with salad and fries. The Tavern had televisions broadcasting the semi-finals of Stanley Cup Hockey.

The Buckey O'Neill Suite was renovated in 2019. A Williams resident is the owner of the construction company that did the work. Apparently, they won an award.

Thursday morning, I walked to Maswik Lodge and brought back some egg dishes for breakfast. Tom was impressed with the sausage gravy and biscuits. We checked out of the suite at about 10:30 a.m. Bye-bye!

I picked the dogs up at the kennel before noon and later I drove to Results Fitness for a workout.