Monday, November 1 through Tuesday, November 23, 2021: Playing, Walking, and Enjoying Life in Williams

Jamie has become a couch potato. When I met him over two years ago, the Las Vegas rescue people said that he enjoyed sleeping on their couch. Jamie is back to enjoying the couch, so I bought a red cover from Amazon to protect the couch. It arrived today and he really likes it.

In the afternoon, I had an appointment to give blood at the Williams High School. The blood drive is always in the gymnasium.

On Tuesday, a group of us played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. We had two courts going.

For lunch, I met up with the Highland Meadows Ladies at The Little Chicken Spot next to the World Famous Sultana Bar.

Rick Gonzales, the proprietor, always has good food and he gives locals a 25% discount. Not bad! I had a 2:00 p.m. follow-up appointment for Jamie at the Williams Veterinary Clinic. I took Kelsey with me. Jamie's infection has cleared up, so I walked the two of them to the Santa Fe Dam.

It was a beautiful fall afternoon.

My home is fenced in and the wooden posts begin to rot with the wear and tear of winter. Last year, we found a PostUp fence product that shores up the posts. Last month, Tom and I fixed two posts. This time, Jon came over and helped Tom with the project.

Thank-you, Tom and Jon! We have now stabilized five posts before winter sets in. Another project in the front yard was covering up an area that at one time had a fountain. Jon came over to the house with buckets of dirt. Tom vacuumed out the water that had accumulated there. Tom and Jon filled the hole with the dirt. Yes!

Wednesday, we decided to move the pickleball play to the outdoor courts. The fall weather has been wonderful.

We played on the outdoor courts the next three days too. The wind has been behaving, so that it good.

On Sunday, I went to church. That afternoon, Tom and I rode our e-bikes for ten miles --- in and around our Highland Meadows community.

That evening, Tom barbecued a tri-tip steak from Safeway.

We also enjoyed a beautiful sunset!

The next morning, Tom noticed a pink colored brightness coming through front door glass. I went outside and caught a gorgeous sunrise.

In the afternoon, I took the water feature pumps out of the water. It is getting cooler, so I won't be turning on the water feature on until Spring. I also caught some deer wondering on the adjacent lot.

On Tuesday, Jon volunteered to conduct drills in the Rodeo Barn at 9:00 am. Tom and I both participated.

I had a 1:00 am appointment in Flagstaff to get my hair done. I had a chance to run some errands before my appointment.  Even though I am no longer a member of OWE (Organization of Women Executives), I was included in a 6:00 pm ZOOM call coordinated by Kathy Sage who lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California. There were nine of us on the call --- some of my favorite OWE ladies 😀

Wednesday morning, Tom and I had breakfast at Miss Kitty's. It was very good. Gas prices are rising. I had nine Safeway points, so I filled up my truck using the points --- a nice $2.69 per gallon perk! We also dropped by Bearizona Wild Life Park to renew my annual pass. Since we were there, Tom and I drove my truck through the drive-thru part of the park. A Rocky Mountain goat came up to say hello.

We also caught glimpses of black bears.

Thursday was Veteran's Day. I texted Bill and Pat Wheeler a happy anniversary. It was anniversary #54.  That morning, Kelsey and Jamie shared the same dog bed. Cute! 💕

Tom and I played 10:00 am pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. That afternoon, we then joined Jon on the outdoor courts for more drilling with the ball machine.

Friday, I played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. Neighbor Gus Beatty's brother and sister-in-law are visiting from Southern California. I volunteered to use my annual pass and take them them to Bearizona. We got to Bearizona at about 12:45 pm. We had lunch at the Canyonlands Restaurant. Then, we walked through the part of Bearizona not requiring a car. We saw the two jaguars, a bull elk, Reindeer, the three grizzly bears, javelinas, a beaver, and badgers.

And of course, the signature photo shot.

We then drove through the rest of the park. We saw bears, bison, donkeys, Rocky Mountain goats, Big Horn sheep, and wolves.

That evening, Gus treated us to dinner at Western View Steakhouse. They had a prime rib special that we all enjoyed.

Saturday, we played pickleball on the outdoor courts.

It is that time of year for the Grand Canyon Hotel and Railway to sponsor The Polar Express train. One of our pickleball players is Joyce Coakley from Florida. She is working for several months at the hotel as Mrs. Claus. She shared a photo of her and Santa Claus.

That evening, Tom and I met friends David and Carolyn Cole at dj's Wild West Junction for dinner. I worked with David and Carolyn Cole at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2007-2009. They live in the Phoenix area, but were visiting other friends at the Grand Canyon. Fortunately for us, they spent one night at a motel in Williams.

Sunday morning, I went to church. In the afternoon, we played outdoor pickleball. It was a beautiful fall day.

The next day, I decided to walk the dogs from dry Holden Lake to home. Tom dropped us off and we walked about 2 1/2 miles. Once again, a very pretty fall day.

On Tuesday, November 16, I had an appointment in Flagstaff to get my truck's oil changed at Planet Dodge.

I also had coupons for free tire rotation and a free multi-point inspection. My truck would not be ready for several hours. So, I took a long walk along Route 66.

This day is also my friend Stephanie Hap's birthday. She and her husband, Joe, live in Prescott and they had an early dinner at Papa's Italian Restaurant.

One of our pickleball friends, Karen Whisnant, just received a new vanity plate for her Subaru.

Her license plate says "JSTDNK" --- just dink --- which an important strategy when playing pickleball.

Jesse, the Atomic Pest Control man, came to the house to perform his every other month spraying.  My landscaping helpers, Troy and his son Payce, came to the house to talk to me about revamping my front yard with a variation of rocks and getting rid of the cement rings around several trees.

Troy may get to this project before year-end. It depends on the weather.  On Thursday, my e-bike part arrived. The piece was damaged when the bike arrived in October. So, Tom installed the replacement and put on my rear bike rack

On Friday, I texted my niece Molly. I am preparing to create a photo Christmas card and wanted to know her current address. It turns out that she is staying with my brother (her father) and my sister-in-law (her mother) through the holidays. Molly was sweet to send me an updated photo of my adorable grand niece, Sophie.

There was no pickleball Saturday morning. So, Tom and I went to Anna's for breakfast.

Later in the day, I took a walk on Route 66. Our town recently had this painted on the street.

On Sunday, I went to church and a group of us played pickleball in the afternoon in the Rodeo Barn.

On Tuesday, I designed a photo Christmas card on the Costco Photo website. The order should arrive in about five days. I also packed for my Wednesday trip to Bend, Oregon.

Saturday, October 10 through Sunday, October 31, 2021: Welcoming Fall, Biking, Appointments, and Life

Saturday morning, on my first walk with the dogs, I admired the beautiful fall colors on a neighbor's property.

I played some pickleball in the Rodeo Barn, but left early to drive to Flagstaff. I had a 90 minute massage appointment with Emily Johnson at Northern Arizona Massage Therapy. It was my first visit to this facility. Emily was excellent! I booked another appointment in four weeks.

There was no pickleball on Sunday, so Tom and I went for a thirteen mile ride on our E-bikes. We started up National Forest Road 9112A where they are doing logging during the week.

We then rode to Buckskinner Park. There were two kayaks on the lake and several afternoon fishermen.

We then stopped at Safeway. Tom stayed by the bikes and I picked up a few items for dinner.

 

Tuesday morning, we woke up to a dusting of snow.

 I later played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. We had two courts going.

In the afternoon, I had an appointment at the Verizon Store in Flagstaff. My cell phone storage is maxed out and I need a new SD drive. So, Verizon was helpful in selling me a new SD card --- an additional 64 GB.

Wednesday morning, there was no pickleball play. Colleen Hatton arrived at 9:00 a.m. to clean our house.

She is quite the find --- very thorough indeed! Tom and I then went to Pine Country Restaurant for breakfast. Later in the afternoon, we rode our E-bikes around the neighborhood. Tom barbecued a T-bone for dinner.

Thursday, I played pickleball for an hour on the outdoor courts. Tom and I had appointments in Flagstaff with Audiologist Kerry Beasley. I had my annual hearing test. Tom was fitted with a trial set of hearing devices.

Friday morning, we played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. Ted Bradwell, a fellow from south central Washington was passing through Williams. He joined us for morning pickleball.

In the evening, Tom and I had a date night at the Best Western's Western View Steakhouse Restaurant. They have prime rib as a Friday night special. Yummy! We enjoyed listening to music by our friend Omar Mondragon.

Saturday, I played pickleball in the Rodeo Barn. Later in the afternoon, I suggested to Tom that we take our E-bikes out for a ride in the Kaibab National Forest outside of Highland Meadows. We took a dirt road that parallels Interstate 40. What was thought to be an easy ride turned into a very difficult ride. Some of the road was muddy. All of it was very rocky. We had gone beyond the time to turn around.

Many times we had to get off our bikes to maneuver the road. Tom fell several times. Not pleasant at all! Our goal was to get to dry Holden Lake. We passed the Sereno Tank and finally got on Forest Road 15. I walk the dogs in this area, so it was familiar. We got home at about 4:30p.m. It was the longest eight mile ride!

On Sunday, I walked the dogs to Cataract Lake.

It was cloudy, but no rain. Two full-time RVers, Linda and Ryan McAvoy, contacted me. They were going to be in Williams for a week and wanted to play pickleball. So, they joined us in the Rodeo Barn on Monday morning. They are originally from Maryland, retired from teaching, and have been RVing

for six years.

Monday afternoon, I had a hair appointment in Flagstaff. Shawna Ritter has been ill with a cold, so Lauren Ryan did my hair at Wildflower Salon. Tuesday, Tom and I played pickleball until 11:30 a.m. Then, we came home to pack for a one-night stay in Phoenix. I dropped the dogs off at the Grand Canyon Railway Kennel.

It took us almost four hours to reach the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Mesa. We got caught in some commuter traffic coming into the Phoenix area.

That evening, we had dinner at Seafood Market & Restaurant. We dined there earlier in the year on another trip to Phoenix. We had lightly battered calamari, oysters in the half shell, and Oysters Rockefeller. Delicious, indeed!

On Wednesday, Tom had a 9:30 a.m. appointment with Dr. David Kay, a glaucoma specialist. Tom had been going to Dr. Jeffery Kay --- the father who is retiring. I went to the hotel gym for a treadmill workout.

Tom was finished his appointments at around noon. The good news is the pressure in Tom's eyes has improved! So, Tom will follow-up with his ophthalmologist in Flagstaff in three months and go back to Phoenix in six months. We had a celebratory lunch at nearby P.F. Chang's. I had delicious chicken lettuce wraps.

Tom had a Mongolian Beef entree. Both were excellent! We left the Phoenix area at about 1:00 p.m. It was an easy drive home. We picked up the dogs at the kennel. They were happy to see us.

That evening, there was a beautiful sunset.

Friday, after pickleball on the newly refurbished outdoor courts, Tom and I went for a drive to see some of the nearby fall colors. We drove to the top of Summit Mountain and walked along a forest road.

We came upon some oak trees with fall colors.

Then, we went to Coleman Lake to catch some Aspens.

The timing was a little late in the season, but it was still very nice. The next day, Brian of Steam Master came to the house to clean our master bedroom carpets. It had been several years since we had this done. Thank you, Brian!

We also had a phone conference with Maria Gillespie of Crest Insurance. It is that time of year to review our Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plans and our prescription plans.

On Sunday, my pickleball friend Chris Peterson and I decided to go to church. A couple we played pickleball with in the spring --- Joe and Kim Kelley --- have returned to Williams. Joe is the new pastor at First Baptist Church. For me, this was a sign to return to First Baptist Church. I had not attended for almost two years.

On Monday, I enjoyed some fall foliage near Buckskinner Park.

Later in the afternoon, a doe and three fawns passed through the lot next to our home.

After pickleball on Tuesday, I met up with seven of the Highland Meadows Ladies at El Corral Restaurant. I had a la carte carnitas tacos. Yum!

Wednesday morning, I walked over to Cataract Lake. The lake is full and the birds are enjoying the reeds.

Thursday, I had an appointment for a manicure and pedicure with Will.

This will be my last appointment at 66 Nail Spa. Jennifer and Will are moving their salon to Flagstaff. I am not willing to drive to Flagstaff for manicures and pedicures. I will find another salon here in Williams. On Friday, I drove to Flagstaff for my facial with Amy at Junto Skin and Laser. Facials and massages are worth the 35 mile drive to Flagstaff.

Saturday morning, a group of us played pickleball on the outdoor courts. It was a beautiful day.

After lunch, I took the dogs to town. It was only the second time we walked Route 66 since the July 4th pit bull incident

At about 3:00 p.m., I helped Tom repair two of the fence posts. We bought several PostUp fence repair units.

Sunday, I went to the 10:45 a.m. church service. Going to church feels right again.

In the afternoon, six of us went to the Rodeo Barn to play pickleball. Pastor Joe and his wife Kelley came for some good games, too. It is Halloween. Our neighborhood has very few children. So, we do not buy candy for the trick and treat activity. But, my brother texted me a photo of my grandniece Sophie. What a cute lion, for sure!