Saturday, February 26 through Saturday, March 12, 2022: Pickleball, Tom's Novice Clinic, Friends and Birthday Celebration in Cottonwood

On Saturday, I phoned my daughter Donna. She and David sold their home in Park City, Utah for $1.850 million dollars. They lived in Park City for fifteen years and took advantage of the current real estate boom. Their next move is to rent a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, while looking to purchase there. Sunday afternoon was some good pickleball play.

On Monday, I had a nail fill appointment with Tori at Lush Beauty Bar.

That afternoon, I dropped in on Tom's Novice Pickleball Clinic.

Tom had twelve players attending his workshop.

Also in attendance was Gus Beatty's new girlfriend, Julie. They make a cute couple!

Gus has known Julie for 40 years. He used to work for her father at Cal State Bakersfield.

Tuesday, Jamie and Kelsey had appointments at Williams Veterinary Wellness with Dr. Ryan.

Wednesday, our new refrigerator was to be delivered. Tom and I moved the old refrigerator and cleaned the alcove for the new one.

Unfortunately, we got a telephone call that the truck carrying the refrigerator broke down. So, the new delivery date was pushed back two weeks. While dealing with the old refrigerator, we learned that the water line for the ice maker was defective. It would not shut off. So, I called Sutton Plumbing and two of their representatives came to the house and fixed the problem.

It involved a soldering iron and then replacing the valve.

Thursday morning, Tom and I had an appointment to meet with City Manager, Tim Pettit. The Williams Pickleball Group has been having some challenges with the city. It was a productive meeting.

After the meeting, Tom and I had breakfast at Goldies Route 66 Diner.

One of my Facebook friends posted an adorable photo of a deer in the snow. We had a few inches of snow on Friday, March 4.

It is always nice when the sun comes out.

My nephew Blake and his wife Nicole have enjoyed quick trips to various countries. They live in Atlanta and there are many direct flights to Europe. There most recent trip was to Iceland. Fun!

Friends Joyce and Don Wells planned to stay several nights at our home. They are doing a three week trip in their RV. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her way. Too much snow. So instead, we met them in Chino Valley for lunch at Bonn-Fire Chillin' and Grillin' Restaurant.

My sister Carrie went to Atlanta to visit her daughter, Lauren. Lauren is pregnant with Carrie's first grandchild. Carrie also was able to meet Cody --- the father of Lauren's baby. It was a very nice time.

I played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn Monday morning. A 4.0 player from So. California joined us. It was fun playing with Todd (in the yellow shirt.)

That afternoon, I had several appointments in Flagstaff. My dermatologist checked my head wound. I also picked up my new prescription glasses.

Tuesday was the beginning of Tom's 75th birthday celebration. I dropped the dogs off at the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel for a three-night stay.

For Tom's birthday, we originally booked a cruise from San Francisco through the Panama Canal and ending up in Ft Lauderdale. We cancelled the reservation when Princess required vaccinations, masks, and multiple Covid-19 tests. Instead, Tom got to celebrate in Cottonwood, Arizona. 😆😆😆

On our way, Tom had an appointment with Alliance. He has been trying to get a better face seal on his Bipap machine. After this appointment, we had a very tasty lunch at nearby Cork & Catch Restaurant.

At about 3:00 pm, we arrived at the Tavern Inn, an upscale boutique hotel in Old Town Cottonwood. After having cocktails by the pool, we went to Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room and Osteria for dinner. The wine was so-so, but the food was excellent.

Wednesday was Tom's birthday. We had breakfast across the street at Crema Craft Kitchen. They have a nice covered patio.

This restaurant and our hotel are part of the Haunted Group. They have seven properties in this area. Afterwards, we decided to wander down to Camp Verde and go to the "Out of Africa" Wildlife Park. This park has been around since 2005, but I have never been.

To get acquainted with the park, there is a 30 minute bus tour through the Serengeti.

I was impressed with the number of animals in this drive-through section.

The next part of the park is a walk-thru. Again, the variety of animals was impressive.

Later in the afternoon, I introduced Tom to Alcantara Vineyards and Winery. It is just down the road to Verde Valley Thousand Trails.

The wine is so-so, but the property is very nice.

Afterwards, we went back to our hotel and took advantage of our two free drink coupons at the Tavern Restaurant. It was nice enough to enjoy a table on the outside patio.

That evening, we had dinner at Nic's Italian Steak & Crab Restaurant. It was across the street and down from our hotel. I had a filet mignon skewer with king crab legs. Yummy!

On Thursday, we had reservations to take the Verde Canyon Railroad. It is a nice four hour round-trip ride along the Verde River.

Our first class car was named Flagstaff.

There are a lot of eagles in and around the Verde Canyon. So, the engine was painted as an eagle.

A Thousand Trails friend, Becky Poremba, lives in Cottonwood. She noticed a Facebook post that we were having dinner in Old Town Cottonwood. She immediately called me and said that she would love to see us. So, we made arrangements to meet her at Tumbleweed Winery after the train ride. Around 5 p.m., we met Becky and her friends. Tumbleweed Winery is Becky's favorite and their red wines are excellent.

Becky has a boyfriend who lives nearby. So, we stopped by Jim's home for a wine night cap.

Friday morning, it was time to get ready and check out of the hotel. I asked Tom to take a photo of me on the large Adirondack chair near the hotel's pool.

We decided to take a different route home --- enjoying the beauty of Oak Creek Canyon. We picked the dogs up at the kennel before 2:00 p.m.

On Saturday, there was no pickleball. So I walked to town on Cataract Lake Road. Mt. Humphreys was so majestic.