Monday, January 20 was the inauguration of Donald John Trump as the 47 President. Tom and I watched all of the activities. Because of security concerns and the freezing temperatures, the inauguration took place in the rotunda of the Capitol Building.
What a wonderful day of celebration! My friends, Ellen and Mark Burson, were in Washington DC for the\is historic event. They watched all of the pomp and circumstance at the Watergate Hotel.
The three evening Inauguration Balls were beautiful as well.
On Tuesday, my sister-in-law, Elise Ebbert, returned my call. She confirmed that she lost her home in the Pacific Palisades wild fire. She has had that home for 54 years. How tragic! Fortunately, she has a second home in Palm Desert. That is where she is now --- with her 20 year old cat and documents she took from the Pacific Palisades home. Elise is 88 years old. This was a huge set-back.
Later in the afternoon, I filled out a 3"x5" FOR SALE card to sell my Joola Hyperion Pickleball Paddle. I put the listing on the bulletin board next to the Palm Creek Post Office.
Strong winds cancelled several Pickleball Round Robins that I was scheduled to play this week. I did go to a tour of Paw Ranch on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Kelsey and Jamie have several appointments to stay there the end of this month, the middle of February, and the beginning of March. I met Fernando who works there.
The facility was very impressive. Fernando suggested that Kelsey and Jamie share a kennel similar to this one.
Friday morning, Tim from Norris RV came to look at one of our door locks. The deadbolt no longer works. Unfortunately, Tim did not have the black replacement lock that we requested. He will have to come back with the correct part to install.
In the meantime, Tom had Tim look at two trailer leaks. Tim was able to determine where the leaks were coming from, but he did not have the right tool with him. So, these will be fixed when Norris RV returns again to service our trailer.
Friday evening, there was a Pig Roast at the Pinal County Cowboy Church. The church purchased four pigs and roasted them for twenty-four hours. This fellow was responsible for cooking the Hawaiian kalua pigs.
Several of us went to see where the pigs were being stripped of their meat.
This was the fourth year that the church provided a pig roast the night before the day long Grande Fiddle Championship. All of the attendees brought pot luck side dishes and desserts. I made the delicious 24 hour Layered Salad.
Tom and I enjoyed the company of Sue and Scott Svejar and Becka and Rick Simpson. It was estimated that 500-600 people were fed.
Before the meal, Pastor Tim Pruit said a few words. After the meal, three Fiddling groups played music for the audience.
Saturday morning, there was a beautiful sunrise. I walked across the road to the golf course for a photo.
Later in the day, I put a front basket and a mirror on my new cruiser bike.
On Sunday, I went to church with Sue and Scott. During the service, the pastor talked about baptism. Jesus was fully immersed when he was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. The church has a saying that was illustrated on the service board "Not Sprinkled, Splashed or Poured."
It was at that moment that I decided that I wanted to be baptized at the Pinal County Cowboy Church.
Sunday afternoon, Tom
and I met our neighbors --- John Whitcomb and Anne Belec --- from Wisconsin. They have
a motorhome kitty corner from us. After feeding the dogs, we took our
adult beverages to their site.
Tuesday
morning, Kelsey and Jamie had appointments at Casa Grande Animal
Hospital. The veterinary technician administered their monthly Librela
shots and Kelsey had her anal glands expressed.
My
massage therapist and friend, Cathy Kelly, suggested that I start
taking Kelsey and Jamie to Dr. Brian Renegar. Dr. Renegar has a mobile
veterinary practice. Brian used to live in Palm Creek, but moved to
Robson Ranch in nearby Eloy.
I
was finally able to connect with Dr. Renegar. Tom and I took Kelsey and
Jamie to his current location in Robson Ranch. Dr. Renegar gave Jamie a
cold laser treatment for his arthritic spine. He seemed to think that I
might want to purchase this multi-unit for use at home.
Wednesday night, our town of Williams finally got snow. One of my outdoor cameras caught the snow in the back of the house.
Thursday
morning, Tom's son, Jon, came by our trailer to visit with us. He knew
that we were heading up to Phoenix later in the day.
At
noon, I dropped Kelsey and Jamie off at Paw Ranch. The owner Lou and
the worker Fernando made sure that they understood the regimen for
administering the medication for both dogs.
Tom and I headed to Gilbert at about 2:00 pm. We had overnight reservations at Woodsprings Suite Hotel. It was an easy commute.
That
evening, we made dinner reservations at High Tide Seafood Restaurant.
Tom and I went early to enjoy some cocktails in the bar. We ordered a
"Krabby Hour" appetizer --- one dozen oysters.
The entire evening was spectacular. Tom and I both loved the food, the drinks, and the atmosphere. What a delight!
Friday
morning, we drove to Queen Creek for Tom's hernia surgery. The hospital
was Banner Ironwood. I visited with Tom before his surgery.
Dr. Andri Olafsson contacted me after the surgery. All went very well. Yes!
Sunday
was a big day. I was scheduled to be baptized after the 10:45 am
service. Tom, bless his heart, agreed to go to church with me and
witness my baptism. My friend Cathy Kelly wanted to go with us too. My friends, Sue and Scott Svejcar, surprised me and came to also witness my baptism.
The event took place in a heated horse trough. Tom took some great photos.
After the baptism, Cathy ran into a fellow who knows her Paso Robles "cowboy" son. Small world!
Tom, Cathy, and I went to lunch at Cafe de Manual on Pinal Avenue. The food was delicious!
Late Sunday
afternoon, I went online and purchased a Vetrolaser unit to use on Jamie. I
might even use it on Kelsey too. This is a photo of the one used by Dr. Renegar.
Monday, I
contacted K9 Carts in Florida. I decided that the wheelchair I bought for Jamie
was not appropriate. I was not going to use it. The company was kind enough to
make an exception. Usually the return policy is for 15 days. I was asked to
package up the cart and mail it back to them. I had to pay the return shipping
which was $75.00. K9 Carts will issue me a refund totaling 70% of the purchase
price.
Tuesday
morning, Zach from Norris RV came to install a new door lock and to fix several
water hose leaks.
My
girlfriend, Barbara Coad, is on a Princess Cruise in Asia. It is a round trip
cruise from Sydney to New Zealand and back again. This is Barbara's first
time in New Zealand.
