Monday, July 4 through Friday, July 22, 2022: 4th of July, Neighborhood Potluck, E-Biking at the Canyon, Appointments

Happy 4th of July!

Our little town of Williams has an annual 4th of July Parade. Tom and I headed to Route 66 at about 5:30 p.m. The parade started at 6:00 p.m.

The parade had an assortment of automobiles, trucks, dogs, and horses.

One young lady even captured a picture of me and Tom.

After the parade, Tom barbecued some Filet Mignon steaks. Delicious!

It now was time for the 4th of July fireworks. Tom and I drove back to town and parked near Pastor Joe Kelley's parsonage home.

My brother Peter shared a photo of him in Scottsdale at the home of Bruce Mallory --- the "boys" weekend.

My sister Carrie forwarded a photo of her and her husband Brent at the 4th of July Pet Parade in Bend.

On Tuesday July 5, the house being built across the street had the roof trusses assembled.

We even played some pickleball.

There were some amazing cloud formations, too.

Later in the afternoon, Highland Meadows held a neighborhood potluck at the home of Jill and Larry Leslie.

There were games, good food, and great company.

The next day, I took a neighborhood walk through the Kaibab National Forest.

On the way home, I took a nice photo of the golf course.

On Thursday, Jon and Roland went fishing at Kaibab Lake. Jon was fishing with his fishing pole for fish and Roland was fishing with his high-power magnet to find some metal treasures.

Neither were successful. While they were fishing, I walked around the lake.

By the time I got back to my parked truck, Jon had already taken the boat out of the water.

Later in the afternoon, I helped Tom mount the new flag to the flagpole holder.

On Friday, Tom dropped me off at the dry Holden Lake and I walked the 2 1/2 miles home.

Saturday was a very nice day. I walked over to Cataract Lake and hiked several miles.

July 9 was my grand-niece Sophie Kumar's second birthday. What a cutie!

July 9 was also my sister Wendy's 50th high school reunion. She is in the middle.

I made arrangements with Flagstaff friends, Sandra and Ed Smith, to meet them at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for some e-biking. Sandra and Ed enjoy riding their e-bikes along Hermits Rest Road. So, I joined them! We met at Maswik Lodge and started our eight-mile journey to Hermits Rest.

The road is nice because it is closed to private vehicles. There are the occasional tour buses. Sandra, Ed, and I stopped at several sights along the way.

 When we arrived at Hermits Rest, we asked a tourist to take a photo of the three of us.

On the way back to the village, we found a nice setting for our picnic lunch.

It was a fun e-bike outing and I look forward to taking Tom there!

Tuesday morning, a group of us played pickleball on the Manley Racquet Courts.

This time of year, many players from Phoenix, Lake Havasu, and Bullhead City come to Williams to get out of the heat. We enjoyed playing with Kelly and Sivert Fogerlie from Scottsdale and Suzanne Ford from Lake Havasu City.

Thursday, I had a video conference with Dr. El-Harakeh. He is the pulmonary doctor who is supervising my sleep apnea therapy.

Dr. El-Harakeh wants me to get my C-PAP mask fitted by one of his professionals in Prescott Valley. He also wants to see me in person in August at his Prescott location.

President Trump was going to hold a Save America Rally in Prescott Valley on Saturday, July 17. I signed up to attend the rally, but it was cancelled with the unexpected death of Ivana Trump. The rally was rescheduled for the following week, but I had a conflict.

On Friday, Tom and I had an early lunch at Elephant Rocks Golf Course. The club house was built in the 1930s --- as a golf club for the Santa Fe Railroad executives. It is now owned and run by the town of Williams.

Over the weekend, a group of us played outdoor pickleball. Great weather, for sure!

Monday, my pickleball friend, Chris Peterson, was in town. She sold her Williams home in May and is now working as a wrangler at a Colorado dude ranch. Kim, Jordana, and I enjoyed seeing Chris again.

That afternoon, the Highland Meadows ladies met for lunch at Dara Thai Twisters.

Tuesday, Tom and I had separate appointments with dermatologist Dr. Sara Risner. She performs full body scans for skin cancer. We were lucky! Nothing noted. So, we won't be seeing Dr. Risner for another year.

On Wednesday, I had a hair appointment with Shawna Ritter in Flagstaff. I get my cut and color every three weeks.

Thursday, Jamie and Kelsey had physical exams with Dr. Patrick Ryan, the new veterinarian in Williams.

Both are doing well --- considering their advanced ages of ten and eleven. I finished the week in Flagstaff with a 90 minute facial with Amy Aranda at Junto Spa & Laser.