Earlier in the week, I went online and purchased a Sam's Club membership. The Planet Dodge Dealership said that I will need new tires at some point. My neighbor Gus Beatty got a good deal on tires there for his Ram truck. Tom had a 10:30 a.m. appointment in Flagstaff with Audiologist Kerry Beasley. So, we went to the Sam's Club afterwards and got our cards.
This is the first time I have been to a Sam's Club. I have been a Costco member for many, many years. The building set-up was almost identical to a Costco. Unfortunately, the nearest Costco is in Prescott --- 68 miles away. So, I may drop the Costco membership in May. We purchased a few items at Sam's Club and went to lunch at the Little America Hotel. The lobby was beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Friday morning, six of us played pickleball.
Unfortunately, the City of Williams maintenance crew brought in a generator trailer to park in the Rodeo Barn over the weekend. So, we only had access to one court.
That evening, neighbor Gus Beatty invited five of us over for a chili dinner and a card games.
Darcy and Gary Nansen winter in Williams. Their full-time home is in Minnesota.
I touched base with my sister Carrie in Bend. Her husband, Brent, and their son Blake and his wife Nicole arrived for Christmas. Blake and Nicole live in Atlanta. Carrie planned several snowshoe outings in the Deschutes National Forest.
My oldest grandchild, Meghan, recently got a Sheepadoodle puppy. She and her sister, Emily, drove to Las Vegas to pick up Carl. What a cutie!
On Monday morning, I walked over to Cataract Lake. It was a beautiful winter day.
At about noon, I dropped off Kelsey and Jamie at the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel.
Tom and I then headed down to Prescott for a two-night mini vacation. We stopped at the Prescott Regional Airport to have lunch at Susie's Skyway Restaurant. It is a throwback restaurant located in the old terminal building.
I had an egg salad sandwich and Tom had a corn beef and swiss cheese sandwich. It was not remarkable, but a different experience.
Our hotel was SpringHill Suites by Marriott. It was located only two blocks away from the Courthouse Plaza. I love the Courthouse Plaza!
Prescott was the first territorial capital city of Arizona. In the evening, the courthouse is all lit up for Christmas.
Before our 6:30 p.m. dinner reservations, we had an adult beverage on Whiskey Row at the Bird Cage Saloon.
Our dinner reservation was at El Gato Azul. It was an excellent tapas restaurant. El Gato Azul has been in Prescott for nineteen years, but it was the first time I have been there.
Tuesday morning, Tom and I had breakfast at our hotel. They have a full selection of items including eggs and bacon. I like the fireplace!
After breakfast, Tom and I walked back up to Courthouse Plaza. There were two groups of Trump supporters waving flags and cheering for freedom.
One of my former Sanwa Bank associates is retired and lives in nearby Dewey. Chris Larson is now an artist. A new art gallery in Prescott was showcasing her work. We stopped by to see the exhibit.
Tom and I had lunch at Murphy's Restaurant. Richard and I used to dine there for lunch. This was Tom's first time. I had a glass of Chardonnay and a Wedge Salad. Tom had a Reuben with french fries. After lunch, we drove to Goldwater Lake --- just 15 minutes from downtown. We drove through the recreation area, but did not stop. Parking is free on Wednesdays. It would be fun to come back and do some exploring.
Later in the afternoon, I went for a walk to Granite Creek Park and walked along the watershed.
That evening, Tom and I had dinner reservations at Papa's Italian Restaurant --- a block from our hotel. Our Prescott friends, Stephanie and Joe Hap, highly recommended this restaurant. It was very good! I felt like we were in Sorrento, Italy 😊😊😊
I was very impressed once again with breakfast Wednesday morning at SpringHill Suites. They had a different selection --- biscuits and gravy with fried potatoes. So often, places have the same breakfast each day. We leisurely got ready to checked out of the hotel and left about 10:30 a.m. We made a quick stop at Costco. I wanted to cash a VISA dividend check that has a 12/31/2021 expiration date.
Tom and I arrived home around 1:00 p.m. We unloaded the truck and then went to the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel to pick up Kelsey and Jamie. The usual pick-up time is 11:00 a.m., But I pay a little extra to have a later pick-up time. Yes! Later in the afternoon, Tom's son Jon came to our house. He is going to work on his Jeep Rubicon in our garage for several days. He'll be our house guest as well. Nice!
Thursday, I had an appointment in Flagstaff with my podiatrist Dr. Anthony Rosales. Because of the bunions on my right foot, I get corn callouses between my toes. So, once or twice a year, I need to have the callouses shaved.
That evening, Jon made a Mediterranean dinner feast of tapas. In the last month, he purchased several specialty cookbooks and has enjoyed tasting new recipes.
Friday was Christmas Eve. Several of my family members posted photos of their day. My sister Carrie and her husband Brent, along with their son Blake and daughter-in-law Nicole, had snow on Christmas Eve in Bend, Oregon.
My brother Peter and his family staged a photo from their front lawn in San Gabriel, California.
At our home, Jon set up his Meta Quest 2 virtual reality game. Tom had fun slaying zombies!
I even tried the game. However, no slaying of zombies for me!
Christmas morning, Tom made his delicious biscuits and sausage gravy. Tom's gravy has large chunks of pork sausage. Yummy!
In the afternoon, I took Kelsey and Ramsey to town.
Route 66 was virtually empty, so it was an easy two mile walk for the dogs.
Jon and Tom worked some more on the Jeep Rubicon. One of the tasks is to replace the brake drums. I am very impressed with the O'Dell men's mechanical capabilities! Jon finished his four-day project Sunday afternoon.
Our town of Williams does like to celebrate the Christmas season. There are numerous trees along Route 66 with Christmas lights.
Monday morning, I woke up to find both Kelsey and Jamie fast asleep on the couch. Kelsey likes to knead her bedding, so the red sofa cover was very disheveled!
Mark Burson and his daughter Holly stopped in Williams for an overnight stay. They were on their trek from Oxford, Mississippi to Malibu. Mark and his wife Ellen have been living apart for six years. Ellen loves California and Malibu. Mark does not. They have mutually agreed to end the marriage. They will always be parents to their three children.
The weather channels were predicting several days of snow. I had an appointment in Flagstaff to get a facial with Amy Aranda at Junto Skin and Laser. She provides a real treat --- a ninety minute facial with feet, arms, and chest massage.
I got to Flagstaff early --- and fortunately, the weather was fine. I ran some errands and picked up sushi at Sam's Club. I was back in Williams at around 2:00 p.m. The snow started at about 5:00 p.m.
When in Flagstaff, I picked up some white Christmas lights that were half-priced at Fry's. I am returning some lights I bought through Amazon that had too small of light bulbs, were battery operated, and turned off every six hours.
Wednesday morning, Tom and I woke up to 6 inches of fresh snow. Tom put gasoline in the snowblower and we cleared the driveway.
I participated in the activity as well.
That afternoon, I asked Tom to take a photo of Jamie smiling. I'm not sure I have another photo from 2021.
Thursday morning, we had no new snow. But the skies cleared up and the sun came out.
My sister Carrie was still in Bend. She and her husband Brent were joined by Brent's brother Greg, his wife Fiona, and one of their sons. On Thursday, they had a fun day snowshoeing.
Later that evening, they also played indoor pickleball. Apparently, the outdoor temperature was only 8 degrees!
For New Year's Eve, we stayed at home and had pork chops with apricot and cranberry stuffing. We also had fun snacking on potato chips, dip, and pistachio nuts. Several of my Southern California friends got together to enter in the New Year.
