Wednesday, November 24 through Wednesday, December 15, 2021: Thanksgiving in Bend, Getting Ready for Christmas, and First Snow

Wednesday morning, I played pickleball until 11:30 am. I then headed to Las Vegas to catch a 5:30 p.m. flight to Redmond, Oregon. The Redmond airport is only twenty minutes from Bend. This was my first time flying Allegiant Airlines. Tom has used this airline numerous times, as it flew into Knoxville.

The flight was on-time and Carrie and Brent picked me up at the Redmond Airport. It is a small airport, so I just walked outside and found Carrie and Brent in their white Mercedes SUV.

 

Thanksgiving morning, Carrie and I walked down to the Old Mill District. It is about a half-mile walk from their home. The Old Mill District was very busy, as the city sponsored a Turkey Trot walk for charity. The entrance fee came with a blue knit hat. Carrie hopes to participate in this activity next year.

There is a 1 1/2 mile route and a 2 1/2 mile route. Participants had their dogs and one young lady had a hen!

It was a beautiful morning.

After our walk, we returned to Carrie's home and collected Brent. We wanted to take a walk/hike up toward Mt. Bachelor. The walk/hike was to Swampy Lakes Sno Park Hut. It was about 1 1/2 miles in.

The hut has firewood, kindling, and matches for the wood stove. It is a really neat idea!

Since it was Thanksgiving day, we saw no one on the trail. Fun! 

Carrie is an excellent cook. She pre-made a lot of the turkey fixings. So, the turkey went into the oven when we got back from our walk/hike --- about 2:00 p.m.  My sister Wendy and her husband Kai arrived around 5:00 p.m.

This day, November 25, is also my deceased brother John's birthday. So, after our Thanksgiving feast, we put candles on a Marionberry pie and sang happy birthday to John. John died January 17, 2018. This was John's 59th birthday in heaven.

Friday, my sister Wendy joined Carrie, Brent, and me for pickleball at Pine Nursery Park. Carrie reserved a court in the early afternoon. We played for several hours.

After pickleball, we stopped for an adult beverage at Crux Fermentation Project. Bend is loaded with microbreweries! This one had a very nice lawn area.

That evening, we went to dinner at Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails. We started with their Barbecue Shrimp appetizer.  I had a delicious Red Fish entree. Carrie and Brent had one of their daily dinner specials. Once again, the food was excellent! And, it was my treat!

Saturday morning, after Brent made delicious Dutch pancakes, we loaded up the car with English Labrador Retriever, Sadie, and headed west to find a Christmas tree. Carrie bought a $5 permit to cut down your very own live Christmas tree in the Deschutes National Forest.

We stopped at one location and looked for the perfect tree.

No luck there. So we stopped at two other locations. The third stop, we hit jackpot!

Brent sawed it down and carried it to the car.

Instead of tying it on the car's roof, we placed it inside. Sadie guarded the top of the tree!

That evening, Carrie and Brent put white lights on the tree.

For dinner, Carrie prepared a marinated flank steak and Brent barbecued it perfectly. We then went for Italian Ice Cream at Bonta. Yummy!

Early Sunday morning, I went for a walk around the Old Mill District.

My flight back to Las Vegas is at 12:55 p.m. Carrie and Brent want to get some boots for snowshoeing. So, we went to REI before it was time to head to the Redmond airport. Success!

My Allegiant flight was on-time. The passengers have to walk to the plane.

My flight was non-eventful. I was heading back to Williams by 3:30 p.m. I arrived home by 7:30 pm. (Arizona is on Mountain Standard time, so I lost an hour.)

 

While I was in Bend, neighbor Phil Whisnant pressure washed the Rodeo Barn courts. He also re-taped the courts in yellow. Very nice!

On Wednesday, I went to Flagstaff to get my hair cut and colored by Shawna. The salon had done away with mandatory mask wearing. Yeah!

Thursday, Stephanie and Joe Hap came to Williams for lunch at the Red Raven. It was a nice visit. I haven't seen them in several years.

Then, I took them to Bearizona.

Stephanie and Joe live in Prescott, so they are not used to 45 degree weather. Can you say bundled up???

On Friday, Tom took the white Christmas lights off of the Ponderosa pine. The lights were put on the tree six years ago. Many of the strings were not working, so they were ready to come off.

Last year, I purchased some Christmas strobe lights for the tree. So, I set up the lights to dance from dusk to dawn.

On Saturday, I decorated the house for Christmas. I put an artificial tree on the front porch. The tree skirt was made by Donna and my two granddaughters in 1997!

Carrie had to put her dear dog Sadie to sleep. She had been having health issues and was no longer eating and drinking. The veterinarian thought it best to let her go. Brent was already back in Southern California. So, the vet came to the house. Fortunately, my sister Wendy was there to help. So sad. During the week, Carrie busied herself with pickleball and a hike with girlfriends to Swampy Lakes Sno Park.

I finished decorating the house. All looks festive.

Sunday morning, I went to church. It was all decorated for Christmas too.

 

Monday, I went for a walk in town. I enjoy the highlights of living in a Route 66 town.

Tuesday, Jamie and Kelsey had appointments at Williams Veterinary Clinic. Dr. Dan Jacoby and his wife Traci Fulkerson sold the veterinary business and are heading to St. Petersburg, Florida.

A veterinarian from Flagstaff bought the business and will reopen January 3.

Some of my backyard solar lights are not working anymore. So, I went on Amazon and purchased eight colorful lily lights. These lights are plastic, not metal, but the reviews seemed promising.

Wednesday morning, Tom and I had breakfast at Pine Country Restaurant. I had the egg machaca and Tom had the Cowboy special. Both were delicious and leftovers would prove another meal.

Friday morning, we woke up to our first snow. It was just 2 1/2 inches.

On Facebook, someone posted a photo from the Grand Canyon.

Fortunately, the roads were clear to Flagstaff. I had a 90 minute massage in Flagstaff at 2:00 p.m. Emily Johnson does a nice job on my body!

Saturday morning was brisk. The temperature was in the teens. So, the dogs and I adorned red for our first walk.

Later in the day, I walked around Highland Meadows and Elephant Rocks Golf Course. There were some nice photos of Mt. Humphreys.

Sunday morning, I went to church. My pickleball friend Chris Peterson sat near me. After the service, I asked another pickleball friend to snap a festive photo of the two of us by the Christmas tree.

On Monday, we had more snow. It was another 2 1/2 inches. A group of us met for pickleball in the Rodeo Barn at 10:00 a.m.

The couple on the left --- Darcy and Gray Nansen are from Minnesota. They actually winter in Williams! The middle couple are Karen and Phil Whisnant. They recently bought a second home in Anthem near Phoenix.

Tom has been fighting a cold for several weeks. Now, it is my turn. On Tuesday, I just took it easy. The wind was blowing fiercely, so it was nice to not have to go out. We got a few more inches of snow Wednesday morning.

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.