Sunday, March 1 to Sunday, March 15, 2020: Home Activities, Tom's Birthday, and Sedona

Sunday morning, I suggested that we go out to breakfast. We have tried Anna's Grand Canyon Cafe several times, but it was too crowded. This attempt, we were successful!

I had pancakes, eggs, and crispy bacon. Tom had chicken fried steak. It was very good! That afternoon, we played pickleball in the Williams Rodeo Barn. Our newer friends, Darcy and Gary Nansen, will be leaving soon. They live in Williams for the Winter, and they have a home in Minnesota for the Spring, Summer, and Fall.

That evening, I made Beef Sukiyaki. I made it once before. The recipe is so flavorful! Tom and I also enjoyed some hot Saki.

About a week ago, I ordered some Trump 2020 yard signs. It was the same sign that I have seen in the "north 40" neighborhood --- God, Guns, and Community. The signs arrived on Monday. And, I promptly put one of them in our front yard.

I also gave a sign to my next door neighbor and my neighbor around the corner.

Tuesday was our usual pickleball morning. I also joined the Highland Meadows ladies at the Red Raven Restaurant for lunch.

Later that afternoon, Jon came by to show us his most recent find. It was an elk with a large set of antlers. The elk had been half eaten and had probably been dead for several months.

Some weather was coming into town. When I walked the dogs, I once again marveled at the beautiful setting where we live.

Friday night, I thought that it would be fun to have a "date night" at the Best Western Plus and listen to Omar. Omar just returned from a two-month break for January and February. He was down at Rocky Point and had a bit of a beard. Tom and I had adult beverages and shared a quesadilla platter.

On Saturday, I had a nail appointment at Spa 66. Jennifer and her husband Will take great care of me there.

That evening, Jon stopped by again. He found another shed. He has quite the talent!

On Sunday, our town mayor, John Moore, was canvassing our neighborhood. He is running for a US Congressional District position and needs signatures to get on the November ballot. It was fun having a local celebrity in our home!

Tom's 73rd birthday is Monday, March 9. Months ago, I booked two nights in Sedona at the Sky Ranch Lodge. Early on Monday, I dropped the dogs off at the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel.

We decided to take a longer route to Sedona. We took the rugged County Road 73 to Jerome. It was a three hour trek. In Jerome, we stopped at an old ghost town mining site, the Gold King Mine.

We later had lunch at the Haunted Hamburger Restaurant in Jerome.

No adult beverages until later.

We checked into the Sky Ranch Lodge at 3:00 pm. We reserved a wonderful deluxe room for two nights. This was the view of the Sedona rocks from our porch.

At about 5:00 pm, we walked to the nearby Mesa Grill Restaurant at the Sedona Airport. We had cocktails and watched private planes take-off and land.

That evening, we just made snacks as our meal. The next morning, we had breakfast at the Creekside Restaurant. And yes, some champagne for me and a delicious Bloody Mary for Tom.

It was a rainy day all day Tuesday. The weather forecast predicted it. But, there are some great shots that can be taken with the rain and clouds.

That evening, we had cocktails at the Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. It was near our lodge and where we had reservations to dine. More clouds and rocks.

We had dinner reservations at the Golden Goose American Grill. We had a quiet table, and there was a guitarist playing nice melodies. One wall of the restaurant was decorated with Venetian glass artwork.

I had delicious sea scallops on a bed of cauliflower puree and Tom had a Delmonico rib-eye. Both were excellent!

The next morning, after coffee, we checked out of the Sky Ranch Lodge.

We decided to have breakfast home --- in Oak Creek Canyon. Our selection was Indian Gardens Cafe. I had a delicious brie, bacon, and fig jelly wrap. Tom had their local special --- eggs and hash browns. The patio was very picturesque, but too wet to sit outside.

After arriving home, I went to pick up the dogs. Jamie was excellent at riding shotgun.

Both Kelsey and Jamie were happy to be home. Later that afternoon, we walked to the "North 40" neighborhood and caught glimpses of some deer.

Friday morning, we woke up to almost three inches of fresh snow.

I think that Jamie had hoped that winter was behind us. Not! On Saturday, one of our neighbors hosted a Celebration of Life for her husband, Jim "Doc" Wurgler. Dr. Wurgler was a doctor at Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon National Park. He was also a member of the Williams City Council. Jim Wurgler lived a good 86 years. It was a very nice celebration at the Best Western Plus.

Wednesday, February 19 to February 29, 2020: Winter Break Week, Friends, and Leap Year

Back in December, I decided to plan a little "winter getaway" in February. I booked an Airbnb in Sun City West for a week. It was an independent Casita located on the property of a home owner. The location was perfect for visiting friends in Sun City West and in Surprise. It was also a good location to see a spring training game. So, on Wednesday, we dropped the dogs off at Cinder Hills Kennel and headed to Sun City West. We arrived at the Casita.

There, we were greeted by property owner David Fudge. The Casita had a separate entrance, was a comfy size, and had nice amenities and conveniences.

That evening, we went for dinner at Saigon Kitchen. I had a delicious dinner of one of their specialties, Firecracker Shrimp. Tom had a more disappointing Pho Meat Noodle Soup.

The next day, we went to the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium about 30 minutes away. Our friends, Roger and Priscilla Lasch, highly recommended it. The entrance fee was $81.00 per person, but the property was vast and the animals numerous. We saw lions, hyenas, giraffes, tigers, hippopotamus, zebras, and flamingos. We were there over five hours. Lots of walking and lots to see!

Later that day, our friends Jack and Sue Hadley, picked us up at our Casita. Jack and Sue have a winter home in Sun City West and a summer home in Sherwood Forest, just outside of Williams.

We went to dinner at a local Chinese restaurant, Nan Jing. Catering to the huge retiree market, they have an early bird menu for diners arriving before 5:00 p.m. Done!

The next morning, I went to Happy Trails RV Resort. Three years ago, friends Linda and Mark Ostiguy bought a winter home there --- a little Casita and a place for their motorhome.

I met Linda and Mark through Thousand Trails and pickleball. Tom and I had dinner with them in Phoenix two years ago --- and we played pickleball with them last year. Linda is a very good pickleball player, but she is always trying to improve her game. So, I spent several hours watching her take a pickleball clinic with Wayne.

That afternoon, we met Jack and Sue for some pickleball at the Sun City West courts. It was fun playing with them!

Friday evening, we played some Rummikub at our Casita. Then, we decided to go dinner at a restaurant in Sun City Grand called Angela's.

This restaurant does not take reservations, so we had some adult beverages in the bar before our table was ready. The food served is "comfort food." I had a wedge salad and a some crispy pork ribs. Tom had the wiener schnitzel. Both were excellent!

Saturday morning, we decided to drive to Wickenburg to attend the Cowgirl Cadillac Horse Sale at Rancho de los Caballeros. It was a rainy day. We stopped at El Ranchero Restaurant for breakfast. We then drove to the muddy sight. Our neighbor, Gus Beatty, had already there. He used to own horses, but was just in attendance for the amusement factor.

There were about fifty horses on display.

With the weather conditions, we did not stay for the 2:00 p.m. auction. But, I did find a link to watch the auction on a streaming site. The most expensive horse was sold for $225,000!!! Another sold for $117,000. The least expensive horse was a pony named Al Capony. It sold for $5,000.

That evening, we dined at the Texas Roadhouse. It was a busy Saturday night, but the wait seemed reasonable. Tom had a rib eye steak cooked Pittsburgh rare. My filet was just cooked rare. Tom had the winner this time. It was still blue in the middle!

Sunday morning, we had arranged to attend Linda Ostiguy's pickleball clinic at Happy Trails. There were just six of us. Last year, Linda bought a ball machine. The pickleballs are placed in the belly of the machine and are thrown out at different distances.

After practicing with the ball machine, called the Lobster, we practiced drills and played some games. Linda's husband, Mark, came out at the conclusion of the clinic and we played pickleball for several more hours. It was a fun morning of good friends and good exercise.

After pickleball, we drove across town to Scottsdale. It took us almost an hour to get to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. One of our Highland Meadows friends is a huge railroad buff. He is a member of Railroad Club there in Scottsdale. This Sunday, his club had a special event from 1:00-5:00 p.m.. Our neighbor, Mike Guinn, met us at the east end of the park. He has two miniature trains housed at this Railroad Park. One of them was available for riding.

Mike took us for a ride around the park. Then, Tom and I were each allowed to take the engineer's seat and controls.

Can you say hi! to Engineer Tom 😁😁😁

At the Railroad Park, there were also owners of actual steam engines. Mike explained that steam engines require lots of patience, lots of maintenance, and lots of dedication.

That evening, we went back to our Casita. After freshening up, we went to an Italian Restaurant, Carrabba's Italian Grill. I had never been to this restaurant chain. There are about 250 restaurants, but none in California.

Tom and I shared a delicious pink vodka penne dish and a nice bottle of red wine.

Through Facebook, I checked in on the dogs. Cinder Hills Kennel does a nice job posting photos of their visitors. Jamie and Kelsey looked happy on one of their hikes.

Monday, we had tickets to a Spring Training game at Camelback Ranch. It was day three of Spring Training. We watched the LA Dodgers play the Chicago White Sox.

This was my first Spring Training game ever. Cross that off my bucket list!

We had terrific seats --- to the right of home plate.

It ended up being a tied game, but each team had at least one home run.
At the Seventh Inning Stretch, we shared a hot dog. Hot dogs just taste better at a baseball game.

In attendance at the game were two baseball celebrities --- Tommy Lasorda, age 92, and Maury Wills, age 87.

It was a fun afternoon for the two of us!

After the game, we drove back to Surprise. We had an adult beverage at State Forty Eight Brewery. I never realized that Arizona was the last "lower 48" state to achieve statehood, February 14 of 1912.

We then decided to have dinner back at Sun City Grand's Angela's. The restaurant has a nice view of the golf course.

On Tuesday morning, we once again went to play pickleball at Happy Trails Resort. We had breakfast beforehand at a local Denny's Restaurant. It was very windy that day, so we played for less than two hours. It was fun seeing some old Thousand Trails friends, Dean and Margie Loveland and their cute puppy Lola!

That evening, we had dinner with Sue and Jack Hadley at a Mexican Restaurant, Las Canzuelas. That night, they had their $1 margaritas special. Yummy!!!

The next morning, we packed up the truck and headed back to Williams. But, we first picked up Kelsey and Jamie at Cinder Hills Kennel. They were happy to see us. What good puppies! 💕 It was a lovely way to end our Leap Year day!

Tuesday, February 4 through Tuesday, February 18, 2020: A New Resident, Friends, and Bad Coughs

Tom decided that it was time to become a REAL resident of Arizona. He avoided it for quite awhile, as Arizona is a more expensive state to live in than Tennessee. But, since he bought his son's Subaru --- with Arizona plates --- it made sense to "close the loop." This also allowed Tom to vote in the November presidential election! Go Trump!

The Williams Parks & Recreation commission meeting was held at City Hall. Several pickleball members attended, including Tom and me. It was not very productive. The option of using the former skate park became a non-possibility, as we can only fit one pickleball court there --- and we would only be able to use it when the kids were not using it.

Thursday was reserved with a visit from our friends, Priscilla and Roger Lasch. They left their home in Dewey-Humboldt at around 8:30 am, and arrived in Williams at 10:00 am.

Tom made a special trip to Safeway to purchase some butter cookies to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Roger brought a Grand Canyon photo album from the North Rim's summer of 2006. The four of us, plus Richard, worked at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that summer. Roger took some great outdoor photos at the canyon. He even had a few people photos from the 4th of July. After about an hour or so, we decided to head over to Bearizona. You know that photo by now!

We did not take the Wild Ride Bus tour. Instead, Tom drove through the wildlife part of the park. Tom and I provided as much narrative as we knew. Unfortunately, many of the animals were in a sleepy mode --- the reindeer, deer, elk, big horn sheep, and big bears. The junior bears and the foxes were animated. We also walked through the gift shop to see the two jaguars. At about 1:00 pm, we left for lunch at the Red Raven. Jon had played pickleball in the morning and joined us for lunch. Jon had not seen Priscilla and Roger since 2010 --- when they were work camping in Alaska.

Once again, it was a fun reunion!

The weekend came in with a roar of a coughing lion! I caught a bad bug --- I think from a gentleman on the eastbound Southwest Chief. He sat in front of me and coughed all Sunday night. I nestled on our living room couch for two days. At night, the cough did not give me sleep relief. Monday afternoon, at a strong recommendation from Tom, I went to the Urgent Care Clinic at North Country Healthcare.

I was a sick puppy. Dr. Tom Myers was on duty. He evaluated my chest breathing and suggested that I get an x-ray of my chest. He prescribed a "Z pack" packet of pills and some heavy duty cough medicine.

It was lovely how quickly these remedies did their magic. By the end of day two, I was feeling a lot better. Unfortunately, it was now Tom's turn. Saturday morning, I drove Tom to the Urgent Care facility.

He was prescribed the similar dose of "Z pack" medicines and cough syrup.

I made an appointment for Kelsey and Jamie at the Williams Veterinary Clinic. Kelsey needs her usual anal gland treatment and Jamie was due an updated bordetella vaccine.

Tuesday morning, I was still not ready to play pickleball. But, I did feel like meeting the Highland Meadows ladies for lunch at Anna's Place.

Tom's cough is not really getting better, so he went back to the Urgent Care facility. The medical professionals there decided that perhaps he has bronchitis. So, they changed up his medicine to steroids and an inhaler. It seemed a better plan.