Wednesday, January 1 through Monday, January 20, 2020: A New Year, A New Decade

Wow! It is a new year and a new decade. How great is that!

When walking the dogs, I never get tired of seeing snow-capped Mt. Humphreys in the horizon. It is such a majestic mountain!

We continue to play pickleball in the Williams Rodeo Barn. We are working with Parks and Recreation to get a reliable schedule. It is not too hard during the winter months.

Winter is a time to plan monthly getaways. Sometimes it may involve taking the travel trailer. Other times, it might just be a night or two away. Last year, I originally booked eleven days at the Thousand Trails RV Park in Las Vegas. But, it is in a seedy area of the city. Tom suggested an Escapees park in Congress, Arizona. It is near Wickenburg and has one pickleball court. So, I got a reservation at the Escapees North Ranch RV Park, and I cancelled Las Vegas.

A week ago, I received a text that Gene Galloway and Penny Tidwell were going to be passing through Williams --- on their way to Santa Fe. I worked with Gene at Sanwa Bank 20+ years ago. Tom and I met his fiance, Penny, when they stayed in Williams in April, 2018. Gene and Penny have homes in Las Vegas and Winchester, Tennessee. We met Gene and Penny at the Western View Restaurant at the Best Western Plus.

Gene and Penny added a second couple --- Christine Larson and her husband Stan. They live in nearby Dewey. Chris and I also worked at Sanwa Bank with Gene. I had not seen her since 2000!

Tuesday was our usual pickleball play in the Williams Rodeo Barn.

I didn't go to the Highland Meadows ladies lunch. We are leaving Williams on Thursday for eleven days, and I need to get the trailer ready and begin the packing process. I made a path through the snow to the RV barn.

That evening, we had a beautiful crimson sunset. I tried to capture it on my phone's camera, but it didn't do it justice.

On Wednesday, Tom and I played pickleball in the morning. Then, we spent several hours putting our clothes, grocery items, and toiletry items into the trailer. The next morning, I walked the dogs and then backed my truck to the RV barn. The low 4W drive feature in my truck allowed me to glide across the 3 inches of snow.

The drive to Congress, Arizona, was only 112 miles. It took us 2 1/2 hours. We arrived at the Escapees North Ranch Park around 1:30 pm.

As an Escapees member, the weekly charge for an RV site is only $140. Wow, so reasonable!

This park has one pickleball court on the property. It is located in an old maintenance barn.

There are a number of outdoor pickleball courts in nearby Wickenburg. But, this venue is nice and cozy. It was here that we met Keith. He has played pickleball for over 20 years, and he has a little spiral notebook documenting that he has taught over 4,000 people to play pickleball!

After the first morning of pickleball, Tom and I went to the historic part of Wickenburg and had lunch and margaritas at Anita's Cocina.

After lunch, we walked to several historical sights. In the wild west days, Wickenburg had no jail. So, trees were used to constrain lawbreakers.

The next day after pickleball, Tom and I took the dogs to a desert area behind the North Ranch property. There are hiking trails and ATV roads. It was out there that we happened upon the Lonesome Saguaro --- with its own sign.

I'm not sure how long this old Saguaro will be around!

Our North Ranch RV site is #30. It is nicely situated near a Dog Walk and a Dog Park.

The weather is cool, but not cold. Congress, Arizona, is about 20 degrees warmer than our town of Williams. Williams got 3-4 inches of new snow the day we left.

On Monday, we decided to skip pickleball and do some more sightseeing. Pickleball Keith was conducting a skills clinic, so morning pickleball that day was only an hour of play. One of the highest rated TripAdvisor "Things to Do" was the Vulture Peak hiking trail.

It was only a 30 minute drive to the trailhead.

We hiked 1 1/2 miles up to the viewpoint.

The total round-trip hike was two hours. We then drove another 15 minutes to another Wickenburg attraction, Vulture City Ghost Town.

This 1866's mining town, in its heyday, rose to 5,000 residents. In 2017, a Canadian couple rescued the abandoned city and began restoring the dilapidated buildings. It was a $2 million labor of love.

We were able to take the dogs through the area and we saw all of the buildings in a 1/4 mile loop. The Vulture Mine is still an gold operating mine. The docent, Tina, was very informative. I'm glad we visited this attraction!

By the time we left Vulture City, it was time for lunch. So, we stopped at the Grille at Los Caballeros Resort & Golf Club. I had a patty melt and Tom had a pastrami Reuben. The view from our table was the golf course driving range.

Tuesday morning, I played some more pickleball at the North Ranch Barn. Tom took a day off, as his feet were a little sore from our hike on Vulture Peak. I asked some of the players for a photo opportunity.

Each evening, we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets. Our trailer's back window faces west.

One afternoon, we went to Wickenburg for groceries. Safeway is a familiar store, as it is the only grocery store in Williams. We decided to look at the nearby Sunset Park where some of the competitive North Ranch pickleball players hang out. The Parks & Recreation Department of Wickenburg created a very nice six-court venue!

After pickleball on Thursday, Tom and I went to the Hassayampa River Preserve on the southeast side of Wickenburg. It was another top attraction on TripAdvisor. We walked some of the trails near Palm Lake.

Then, we headed to Lykes Lookout, where we crossed a little bridge over a small portion of the Hassayampa River.

After Lykes Lookout, we took the River Ramble trail back to the visitor center.

Before leaving the preserve, Mr. Badger greeted us for a photo opportunity. This was the first time either of us have seen a badger "in the wild."

While here in this area, Tom and I decided that we should hike Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. As this would be a full day hike, I made arrangements to board Kelsey and Jamie for a day at K-9 Kennel in Wickenburg.

Friday morning, I took the dogs to the kennel.

The Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was was less than ten miles away from our RV park.

The Hotshots Trail takes you through the Weaver Mountains to an Observation Deck --- a one-way 2.5 mile trail --- where you can look down 400 feet to the Fatality Site where 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives on June 30, 2013. The hike includes a 1,250 feet in elevation gain. We arrived at the state park at 9:30 am. It took us 2 1/2 hours to reach the Observation Deck and Tribute Wall.

From the Observation Deck, you were able to see the towns of Yarnell and Peeples Valley.

The Granite Mountain Hotshots were trying to protect these two towns from a lightning-started fire that began the afternoon of June 28, 2013. These 19 fire fighters lost their lives when the fire switched direction and they were trapped in a canyon. The Fatality Site was where they made their last stand. Encircling the site are 19 gabions with chains representing their eternal bond.

Along the hike, separated by 600 feet or so, are 19 plaques with photos of each hotshot member and a nice commentary on their life.

The trail also had interesting signs along the route explaining the role of hotshot crews, fire management policies and practices, etc.

Richard and I were staying in Williams, at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park, when this catastrophic event happened. I decided to take some of Richard's remaining ashes and leave them under the Tribute Board.

Today, also marks the one year anniversary of the death of my brother, John. I brought one of John's shells and placed it under a cross on the Tribute Board.

The six Shelton siblings were raised on Afton Road in San Marino, California. John's shell was placed above the Afton Fire Department sign. A coincidence that there was a perfect cross above the sign to hold a perfect shell???

Saturday, I suggested to Tom that I would like to take a drive to Aqua Fria National Monument. Google Maps indicated that it was a eighty mile trip to the entrance. Both of us have never been there --- but we have seen signs off Interstate 17 --- when driving between Flagstaff and Phoenix. So, we loaded the dogs in the truck. First stop was breakfast a Burger King in Wickenburg 😊😊😊

It was about an hour and one-half hour drive to the entrance sign.

We were surprised to find out that all the roads inside the national monument were dirt. They even allow ATVs on the land. Fortunately, we did not come across any --- as we drove eight miles to Pueblo La Plata.

This was a site of a large ancient pueblo that had been active 1,000 years ago.

Tom, the dogs, and I walked 3/10ths of a mile to see the ruins.

It was hard to imagine that this once housed a pueblo with 80-100 rooms!

After this exploration, we drove back to North Ranch. We got back to the trailer at about 3:30 pm.

Nine days ago, in our first trip to Wickenburg, I noticed a flyer advertising concerts at the Del Webb Performing Arts Center.

The Sunday, January 19th concert was Frankie Moreno. Apparently Frankie used to headline in Las Vegas. I went online and saw that tickets were still available. Tom is not a big concert goer, but he kindly agreed that it might be a fun venue. So, I purchased tickets.

Sunday morning, we played several hours of pickleball. Then, we got ready for the Frankie Moreno concert at 3:00 pm. The venue was only about ten minutes from our park. We picked up our tickets at Will Call. The concert began on time. How refreshing! Frankie had two back-up singers, two gentlemen in the horns section, two folks playing an acoustical guitar and a bass guitar, and one percussionist.

The concert was excellent. Frankie is a great entertainer, musician, and songwriter. We were very pleased that we went. The next morning, we packed up the trailer and headed back to Williams. It was an easy 2 hours and 20 minute drive. We unloaded the trailer in front of the house. The trailer was back in the RV barn by 3:00 pm.

Tuesday, December 10 through Tuesday, December 31, 2019: Holiday Time, Friends, and Closing of a Year

Eight of the Highland Meadows Ladies group --- including me --- decided to go to the El Tovar for lunch. The El Tovar Hotel, at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, is only an hour away. It is always decorated beautifully for Christmas.

It was amazing how few people were at the South Rim. We walked right into the dining room and were seated at a large table.

After lunch, we visited the El Tovar gift shop and then had our photo taken by the tree.

We then walked along the rim to the Bright Angel Lodge.

We had a fun time dining, shopping, and enjoying the views.

On Wednesday, I had my annual appointment in Flagstaff with my podiatrist, Dr. Rosales. He did a good job shaving some of my corns. 😛😛😛

Thursday night, we attended the Williams City Council meeting.

There is a fairly large grant that is available for our town next year. Several of the pickleball group wanted to find out if we were eligible to apply for it. It seems we are! But of course, there is alot of competition.

Friday night, Tom and I went to Bearizona for their holiday Wild Wonderland event. During the month of December --- on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights --- the gate re-opens at 6:00 pm. We wanted to be early, so we queued up at 5:25 pm.

During this event, there is a schedule of wildlife animals opening edible presents. I am fascinated by the two jaguar brothers.

Tom and I ordered some adult beverages at Canyonlands Restaurant and we went to the Jaguar exhibit for the 6:30 pm present opening.

Another fun event at Wild Wonderland are all of the lights and the music. The lights are choreographed to the music --- dancing lights!

After about an hour at Bearizona, Tom and I decided to go to the Williams Best Western Plus Inn, have something to eat and drink, and listen to Omar and his music.

In the newspaper, I clipped an article about a Christmas Cookie Corral on Saturday morning. The Williams Alliance for the Arts was having a fund raiser --- selling homemade cookies for $8 a pound. Tom and I went to the event and scored some great sweets.

Later in the day, Mark Burson and his daughter Kelly arrived with their two Australian shepherds, Rosie and Rebel. Unfortunately their male dog, Sky, died several months ago. He was 14 years old. So, we introduced Jamie to Rosie and Rebel.

For dinner, we cooked some Kingsford ribs in the oven, stir-fried some quinoa with brown rice, and made a large salad.

Kelly and Mark were on their way to Malibu from Oxford, Mississippi. Mark is a professor at Ole Miss. Mark and his wife Ellen have two homes --- one in Malibu and one in Oxford. Mark spends most of his time in Mississippi. But, twice a year, he makes the round-trip drive to Malibu and back.

Early Sunday morning, the Bursons left for California. A few hours later, I took Jamie and Kelsey to the Grand Canyon Railway Pet Resort.

Tom and I had planned a one-night getaway to Prescott --- a little over an hour drive. We had reservations to stay at the Hassayampa Inn, a very nice historic hotel. Our friends, Priscilla and Roger Lasch, met us for lunch at Augie's. Priscilla and Roger live in nearby Dewey. All four of us worked at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2006.

After a nice leisurely lunch, we said good-bye to Priscilla and Roger. Then, Tom and I drove out to Lynx Lake, a local recreation area.

At about 3:00 pm, we checked into our room, a cozy suite, at the Hassayampa Inn.

Prescott deems itself to be Arizona's Christmas City. The historic city center is comprised of a large County courthouse and a square. The design reminds me of towns and cities in the Midwest, South, and East. The Christmas lights and displays were very nice, indeed!

Tom and I had adult beverages at the Palace Saloon --- part of Whiskey Row on the square.

We walked around the square and returned to our hotel. There, in the bar area, we listened to a guitarist and singer.

We had dinner at the hotel's Peacock Room. I had sea scallops and Tom had lamb shank. Both meals were delicious!  The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and we walked around the historic area before having a late breakfast/early lunch at The Local Restaurant. Before leaving Prescott for home, we went to Costco for some liquor supplies. 😁😁😁

Monday, December 16, is my sister Kimberly's birthday. There was a small birthday celebration in Pasadena.

On Tuesday, eight of us Highland Meadows ladies drove to Flagstaff for lunch at the Little America property. It was the first time I had been there. The food was good and the property was nicely decorated.

Tom received a very nice Christmas card from his nephew Nathaniel in Indiana. Inside the card was a photo of Tom's 93 year old mother, Mary. Nat was Santa Claus at her nursing home!

On Thursday, our friend, Chris, wore her Santa outfit to play pickleball. I brought my Santa hat for a photo opportunity.

Later that day, Chris was a Salvation Army Kettle girl at our local bank.

On Friday, Tom and I enjoyed some local flavor. At a Young Life Silent Auction, I purchased several rides on the Grand Canyon zip-line in our town. The voucher was expiring the next day. So, Tom and I rode the zip-line twice.

Then, we had a photo opportunity at our town's Christmas tree and sled.

Our finale was going to the Canyon Club --- a "throw-back" bar that is frequented by locals and several of our pickleball friends. Tom had a beer, and I had a glass of red wine.

This Christmas, I decided to prepare a prime rib dinner. We invited Jon and several neighbors to join us. Back in the day, Richard and I used to host Christmas in Los Angeles. Our main entree was prime rib. In my Joy of Cooking cookbook, I still had notes on how to prepare the meal --- the beef and the Yorkshire Pudding. It was 17 years since I last made a prime rib!

We ordered the meat --- a total of eleven pounds! And yes, we will have leftovers 😋😋😋 

Christmas morning, we woke to over three inches of snow. What fun to have a white Christmas!

It has been over three years since I have been home in Williams for Christmas. It is nice to enjoy our home over the holidays.

For the first walk of the morning, I put matching jackets on Kelsey and Jamie. I donned my Santa hat.

While I was walking the dogs, Tom removed the snow from the driveway.

Even though it was only 3 inches, it was more work than Tom had imagined. So, he got out the trusty snowblower for the final section!

Our Christmas guests arrived around 3:30 p.m.

It was Jon, Joe and Jan Chumley, and Gus Beatty. After some appetizers and some adult beverages, Tom carved the Prime Rib.

The meat was pink, but could have been more rare. We'll make a note for next time! 

I received two fun texts with photos. One was from my Italian "son" Francesco and his family.

Another was from my brother Peter and my family in Los Angeles.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

The day after Christmas, a fellow came to fix our one garage door. Loren Vickers, a Flagstaff Garage Door company, installed our Martin doors 18 or 19 years ago. 

A recent garage door company, A1, wanted to sell us new doors --- instead of fixing them. Steve, from Loren Vickers, said that both doors were in great condition. He said that the larger door was installed properly, but that the smaller door needed to be adjusted and that he needed to replace the springs. The springs installed by A1, two years ago, were the wrong size for the weight of the door.

That evening, we received another 3-4 inches of snow. Tom, once again, used the snowblower to clear the driveway. On Friday, five of us showed up for pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. It was good exercise!

That afternoon, I walked the dogs in the sunshine. It was still below freezing and the trees were full of snow.

USPS delivered several human hair wigs that I ordered three weeks ago. The company was headquartered in Europe, but the wigs arrived via China. My friend Carla looked so cute in a wig she had. So, I wanted to try it out --- for fun. Wouldn't you know it, the wigs looked nothing like this advertised photo!

Instead, the unshaped wigs looked like dead beaver pelts. What a disappointment!

I sent an e-mail to the company, wigsbuy.com. I also initiated a dispute with my credit card company. There is no way that I would settle for anything less than a full refund. And, I was not going to pay for the return shipping to China! We'll see what happens.

UPS delivered a Christmas package from daughter Donna and her family. It was a gift package of delicious Harry & David edible products.

Thank-you so much, Bernstein Family!

The weather has been cold since our Christmas Day snow fall. So, the snow is not melting quickly. It does create beautiful walks with Jamie and Kelsey.

I had my last 90 minute massage for the year with Natanya. She does such a great job!

New Year's Eve was a quiet one. Tom and I had filet mignon steaks for dinner and lava cakes for dessert. And, of course, we enjoyed a bottle of the Prosecco! Happy New Year!