Tom and I then drove the three hours to Mesa. Tom had a noon appointment with Dr. Christine Funke at the East Valley Peaks Surgical Center on Higley Boulevard. In order to reduce the glaucoma eye pressure in Tom's left eye, Dt. Funke will be placing a medical implant in that eye. Tom had this same procedure performed on his right eye in January.
The good news was the surgery went well and we were heading back to Williams by 3:00 p.m.
A big news topic was flooding at Zion National Park and beyond. The Virgin River was gorging and the muddy waterfalls of the canyon walls fed it even more.
Wednesday morning, Colleen Hatton came too service our home. It continues too be wonderful having her back from California!
That same day, Tom had a 1:00 p.m. appointment with Dr. Matthew Bills in Flagstaff. This was his one-day checkup after the procedure yesterday in Mesa. Is is really wonderful that Barnet Delaney Perkins Eye Center has the full range of vision and technical expertise.
Northern Arizona is approaching the Fall season. It is a beautiful sight!
It is so very nice to have a Monsoon season this year. The rainbows are exquisite!
Later in the evening, there was also a magnificent sunset.
Friday morning, a neighborhood cat named Dutch came by our backyard to tease Preston. Dutch happens to be a white cat with large black spots. He positioned himself on a nearby fence.
I had a 2:00 p.m. appointment for a gel pedicure with Alie Rico. Alie gave birth to a daughter in May and is back to servicing her beauty clients.
Later in the day --- just before sunset --- the clouds and the sky showed its glory!
The Grand Canyon Railway sends a steam engine to the canyon the first Saturday of every month from April to October. I love steam engines! So, Preston and I went over to Rodeo Road to see the train. It was glorious!
CanyonDen placed a new cache off of Pronghorn Road. Preston and I drove to the area and walked .2 miles to the container. This was find #381, "Nature's Way."
In the early afternoon, Tom and I went to Rod's Steakhouse for a drink. We sat in the bar.
Labor Day weekend is usually a busy time in Williams. The bar was no exception. But, Tom and I enjoyed our adult beverages.
Sunday afternoon, Preston and I went for a walk in town. As we passed Rod's Steakhouse, I snapped this photo.
Monday morning was the Mountain Man 5k Run. Preston and I participated in the 5k Run, but we walked.
Here is Preston and I crossing the finish line.
I even posed with one of the Mountain Men.
It was fun getting a medal for just being a participant!
In the afternoon, Tom and I went to find a cache that was in our local neighborhood forest. It is a new hide from unicorn4cher.
Francesco and Thomas are on vacation in Ibiza, Spain. Those two certainly enjoy their holidays!
In the late afternoon, Preston and I drove to Devil Dog Road and found several caches.
The area where we found one cache was new to me. I had never been west of Forest Service Road 108.
That evening was a magnificent sunset.
On Tuesday, September 8, I went up the road to Bill Williams Mountain. There were two newly hidden caches that I wanted to claim. One was "Under the Board Walk." Yes! Another First to Find!
The other First to Find cache was "And they call it puppy love." Both of these caches were hidden by CanyonDen.
There are some wonderful views along this Forest Service Road.
Wednesday, I had an appointment in Flagstaff for a mouth graft performed Dr. Jeremiah Whetman, a Periodontic Dentist. Last month, Dr. Whetman opened an office in Flagstaff. His other office is in Cottonwood. I have been scheduled for this procedure for over three months.
Tom and I had lunch at Hiro's Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant before the surgery. We both had the sashimi luncheon special. Yummy, yummy!!!
At this time of year, the wild flowers are blooming in all of their glory. Beautiful!
My brother-in-law Brent celebrated birthday #68 in Bend, Oregon. His daughter Lauren is visiting from Georgia. She brought her son, Colter, and her daughter, Callie. What cuties!
Tom had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Matthew Bills in Flagstaff. Tom's left eye --- that had the recent procedure --- has a broken blood vessel. This is causing him loss of vision. Dr. Bills is monitoring the situation closely. We were told that it would heal --- it may take some time.
A friend, Mike Manley, decided to tackle a Brighten Williams Project. Mike selected painting the sidewalks along Route 66. The city provided the paint and rollers. The high school honor students and some residents provided the manpower. I volunteered several hours on Thursday, September 10.
On Saturday, September 12, Williams hosted its 7th Annual Patriot Day Parade down Route 66. I took Preston with me. We viewed the parade from Cruisers 66 Restaurant.
The sirens from the emergency vehicles is the parade were overwhelming for Preston. He has such keen hearing and the noise was too loud. I will have to remember that for future parade viewing. Two of my favorite floats were captured by some of my friends.
Tom and I went geocaching on Monday, September 14. There were two caches of unicorn4cher that were near Bellemont. Both of these caches were "park and grab."
Preston and I walked to Cataract Lake. The clouds and mountains were so inviting!
My girlfriend, Cathy Kelly, posted an adorable photo of herself on social media. What a cutie pie!
On Tuesday, I played "Cut Throat" pickleball with Jeana and a new member of our group, Cole. Cole is 20 years old from Las Vegas. He has been playing pickleball for several years. Welcome, Cole!
In the afternoon, Preston and I went out Perkinsville Road to find another cache hidden by uniccorn4cher. It was a pink bison tube.
The weather felt like rain, but no rain arrived.
I now have nicknamed Preston as my GeoDalmation.
I thought that today --- this late afternoon --- would be a good time to drive up Bill Williams Road even further than before. I had my eye on two more caches. The first one I found was named Will Bill.
The final one I found was named Couch with a View.
The view was majestic from this location, for sure!
At the conclusion of this day, my geocache finds totals 390. I want to break 400 by year end --- maybe even 500 😊😊😊
My sister Carrie has two daughters. Lauren lives in Georgia and Devon lives in Southern California. Carrie is thrilled to have both of them visit her and Brent in their Bend, Oregon, home.
On Wednesday, Tom had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Matthew Bills at Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center in Flagstaff. Before this, Tom and I had lunch at Culver's.
Thursday, September 17, was Francesco and Thomas' 4th Wedding Anniversary. Francesco posted a nice photo on Facebook.
I have been thinking about a propane grill for a month or so. I want something to cook with if our power is ever out. I was on Facebook Marketplace and saw a new Kenmore BBQ still in its original box. The Seller, Calvin, resides in Chino Valley. I reached out to Calvin. The BBQ was still available. So, I drove to Chino Valley and met Calvin in the Safeway parking lot.
So, I now have a new project --- assembling the three burner grill. I started the project in our garage.
With the help of Tom, I was able to complete some of the work Saturday afternoon. I still need to put on the two side trays and work on the grill inside pieces.
That evening, Tom and I had a casual date. We went to Spenser's Bar at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel for cocktails. Tom had an Old Fashion and I had a colorful Margarita.
We concluded the evening with dinner at Rodeo Restaurant. We shared their Saturday night special ---
a 14 ounce RARE prime rib dinner.
Sunday morning, I saw that CanyonDen had a new hide. The location was nearby. Preston and I hopped in my truck to find it. I made a wrong calculation as to what dirt road to take. So, Preston and I walked .3 miles to the cache. Meeting us there was another geocacher, ydnaza. I call him AZ Andy. We decided to share in the First To Find --- making us co-FTF. I took a selfie of the two of us.
It was fun to finally meet Andy. The cache, named Halloween, had a container full of Halloween goodies. I left a geocache bottle cap: Not All Who Wander Are Lost.
