March 28 - 31, 2011
Monday, March 28. Pat & I started the day with a nice workout at the pool. Back home, we started looking for flights to MN and found the had increased to over $1,000 each. We are driving the 1700 miles instead, will leave bright and early in the morning for 2 long driving days and arrive on Thursday around noon.
Mike offered our Cubs spring training tickets to Chris & Norm and the joined us for a *bleep*tail so they could meet Pat & Roger. No problem there, we had lots of laughs and a great time. Chris even offered them a ride to the airport on Thursday. Thanks so much, Chris.
Our drive was uneventful and the weather was nice, although much colder than what we are used to. The scenery was beautiful until the Rockies were behind us and we traveled through Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. The remains of the heavy snow is evident in large piles scattered here and there.
Thursday, March 31.. After 2 and a half long days of driving, we stopped at the Quinn's house for a short visit and some much needed hugs. Such a sad, sad, reunion after all they have gone through since we saw them all after Christmas. We did get to see the ultrasound of our grandbaby and heard the very strong and healthy sounding heartbeat. It is also so fortunate that Casey got to hear that cheerful sound before he died.
At our hotel, we met up with Pat, Tracey, and Savana another happy emotion that was overcome by all of the sad ones we are experiencing.
Casey's visitation was a crowded room and a line of friends and family that continued on for the entire 3 hours. Many beautiful flowers and photos to remind us of the happy and full (although way too short) life he lived. He touched the lives of all of us there in good ways, and was such a positive influence on so many. Throughout the evening, we met his many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
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March 21 - 27, 2011
Monday, March 21. A cold front breezed through here this morning and the temps dropped from the mid 60s down to about 52 degrees in a matter of a couple of hours. Brrrr! It also brought some much needed rain and pleasant humidity.
I took a card making class this afternoon and it was fun. We punched holes along the edges of a paper tulip pattern, then stitched the pattern with brightly colored embroidery thread. It was then mounted on a colored background. It was a fun project for a rainy afternoon.
Wednesday, March 23. Happy 43rd Anniversary to us. The day definitely brought back lots of memories and reminiscing of our wonderful life together. We have shared so many great times together, raised 2 wonderful sons, have great families, and we're just glad that we found each other back at Rusty's.
Our community newsletter lists birthdays and anniversaries. We had 3 of our new friends drop off anniversary cards to us. How nice is that?
We spent the day getting the house ready for guests again, will be picking Pat and Rog up at the airport tomorrow afternoon - Yeah! Can't wait to hang out with them again.
We went to noca in Phoenix for dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks to Ben and Jill for the Christmas gift - we've been waiting for this special occasion to use it. The place is nestled in a strip mall next to Great Cuts, but once we got inside - what a classy, swanky place it is! We started with a glass of wine and both decided to have the Chef's Tasting Menu so that we could sample some of the specialties. Our meal was spectacular, starting with a complimentary aperitif of a tiny square of pickled beet with almonds, their Wednesday special starter of lobster roll, the main course of scallops served on a bed of couscous with spinach and surrounded by the prettiest pitty pat squash and baby zucchini. Then came a surprise - raspberry cotton candy - it didn't even resemble that stuff we used to get at the fair - this actually tasted like the berries themselves. Following that was a pot of delicious French Press coffee and Mike had a Reverse Cherry Chocolate Tart and I had the Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding. The sign on the door said "No Calories Here", but we sure felt like we were stuffed with them when we left the place. What a way to celebrate!
Thursday, March 24. The food is all ready and the office has been converted to a spare bedroom, we are ready for Pat & Roger's arrival. Their flight got in almost an hour late, but they are here and we are happy that they are.
It was happy hour when we got home and we had lots of catching up to do. No problem, one of the things that we do best together is yakking. Mike cooked some chicken on the grill and we had a tasty dinner, then a little walk with Frisco. It was a good day!
Friday, March 25 A nice walk, a little bit of shopping, some time at the pool started off the day. This evening, we went to Don and Charlie's in Scottsdale to meet up with an old friend of Pat and Roger's, Paul and his wife Karen. We met Paul and his previous wife on several trips to Las Vegas back in the 90s and also when they came to visit Sheri's son in Madison now and then. We all figured it had been 12 years or so since we last connected. He and Karen now live in Prescott, AZ, and we will probably head up there later in the week. Dinner was nice, the place was crowded and the food was good, but pricey. It's a good thing that we were there for the early bird and had reservations. It was a great time!
Sunday, March 27. Yesterday, we learned in a tearful call from Ben that Casey (Jill's 33 year old brother) was losing his battle with Cancer. Both Ben and Jill are visiting her family in Mankato and Casey was sleeping more and more and they were unable to wake him. At the hospital, they learned that he would not recover and he passed away early this afternoon. We felt so helpless but also are relieved that Casey had the most important people in his life right there with him at his side. Dear, Sweet, Casey - rest in peace Casey's Website.
Yesterday morning, we met Diane and Craig (friends from Wisconsin that will be retiring to Mesa in the near future) for breakfast at Midwestern Meat Market and Restaurant for breakfast. I couldn't believe the size of the breakfast skillet that I ordered, the plate was mounded so high and filled every inch of the plate. Needless to say, we took over half of it home with us. It was nice to see Diane and Craig again, too bad we had such little time to spend with them.
We were going to take Pat and Roger to the Tempe Festival of the Arts yesterday, were on our way there when I got the call from Ben. After that, we really didn't feel like dealing with the crowds so we just came back to the house and spent the afternoon relaxing and reading and at the pool.
Today, we went to Prescott to see Paul and Karen's new retirement home. Prescott is a small historical town about a 2-hour drive north of us. We had a wonderful lunch and visit at their house and then headed to the downtown square. It was then that I got the call from Ben that Casey had passed. I feel so bad, but am glad that Ben and Jill could be there with them and also am glad that his long suffering had come to an end. I have never known anyone that had such an uplifting approach to life, in spite of having to battle cancer since he was 18-years of age. I will miss him.
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March 14 - 20, 2011
Wednesday, March 16. It's been a good week, the weather has warmed up to 90 degrees, the place is just hopping in the morning with folks out walking and riding bikes, golfing, and heading to the pool. The sweet smell of citrus blossoms is in the air, a smell that I adore.
I had my follow-up doctors appointment yesterday and learned that I now have high cholesterol and will be taking a low dose of Crestor - no natural or diet options are available. Dang! That seems to have come up overnight, but actually it is over a year or so and I have been taking Niacin to improve the good cholesterol which remains good but the bad numbers have increased. I also learned that my vitamin D levels are dangerously low and I will be taking a weekly supplement of 50,000 units - seems like an enormous amount. Other than that, my health is great and my doctor told me it is nice to have a healthy patient come in now and then.
We had a light dinner and then packed up wine, strawberries and wafer cookies and headed to the clubhouse for Guitars and Chocolates. They had 2 chocolate fountains setup so you put chocolate in a bowl, dip the goodies in and munch and drink wine while listening to the resident guitar players. They played a nice selection of country and 50s rock and roll songs, many that we could sing along to. Mike didn't participate this time, as he feels he needs more practice, but will be getting involved in the future. Had a really nice time.
Thursday, March 17. Happy St. Patrick's Day! I managed to make it to the pool yesterday morning for water exercises and I really enjoyed it - hanging out with a bunch of women and doing something that really feels good. I'll have to try to make it more often.
My project today was to repaint the wicker love seat. I couldn't believe how much white came off when I took the brush to it. Three and half cans of spray paint later, it was looking pretty darn good and will now match the rest of the patio furniture a little better. I feel good, another project out of the way.
Saturday, March 19. After my walk yesterday morning, I ran a few errands and went to a few garage sales. Later in the afternoon we went to the pool and had it all to ourselves. There were a few people sun bathing (visitors from Minnesota soaking in as much warmth and sunshine as they could) but we were the only ones enjoying the pool.
In the evening, we went to TGIF at the clubhouse and enjoyed a wonderful dinner of corned beef and cabbage and had lots of laughs and good conversation with our group of regulars that we sit with.
After dinner, Lois told a hilarious story when the subject changed to the beauty of the Pacific coastline of the northwestern states. As she and her family were strolling along the beach in northern California, she noticed a pair of dentures wash in on a wave. She couldn't resist collecting them. Later on, they stopped at a tiny little bar with only 3 bar stools, they were chatting with the bartender and told him how they had come across this strange item on the beach. He started laughing and told them about a friend of his from the east coast that was visiting recently. They were fishing from a boat not too far from the shoreline when his friend got seasick and started to vomit, losing his dentures in the process. These were the very dentures that rolled up on the beach and landed in Lois's bag - the fellow from the east coast was happy to have them returned by mail. How strange is that?
This morning we went to Nan and Dale's house because Dale was having a garage sale (Nan is out of town) and Mike agreed to help him out. I went to a few garage sales and found 11 beautiful hand blown glass fruit and vegetable pieces plus a ball to add to my collection - all for a $5 bill - now that was a good find. I also went to Monica's to check on her cat, Al Pacino, who was very happy to have a visitor and get some attention. Poor Dale did not have a good turnout (it was supposed to be a neighborhood sale but few sales were going on) and by 1:00 he decided to close up shop. We helped him put stuff back and then went for a bite to eat at Mac's.
I had a nice conversation with Ben this morning and finally got the OK to let folks know that Jill is pregnant and we are expecting our 2nd grandchild in early September. We have been sworn to secrecy for a long time and it has been so hard to keep the secret. She is in the 2nd trimester and they are being very cautious this time around and naturally, are quite concerned and worried every day. All is good so far and the baby appears to be in good health and Jill is feeling good too. We are so happy and pray every day that all goes well and this baby makes it.
Sunday, March 20. It was another gorgeous day here in Arizona. I got my plants all watered good. I now am thinking that I will have to put in a simple irrigation line - it will certainly save me some time, as I have been spending at least an hour twice a week getting everything watered good. Once they are fully established, they won't be needing supplemental water, but I am concerned about being gone over the summer - I wouldn't want to lose those nice Palo Verde trees that are coming along so well.
We had another fun evening of food, drinks, music and dancing here at Brentwood tonight. Dinner was a chili dump (attendees each dropped off a can of chili for the pot) and it was doctored up by Mary. A few people baked corn bread and we had onions, peppers, shredded cheese, and crackers to add to it. It made for a good bowl of chili. After dinner, the Roadrunner band (a husband and wife band) played familiar tunes from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, a great selection of music, excellent vocals, and lots of good jokes.
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March 7 - 13, 2011
Monday, March 7. Bright and early this morning, we headed to Allan and Sharon's house for a delicious breakfast of coffee, croissants with assorted jellies, and fresh fruit and lots of great conversation. After breakfast, they helped us to frame a couple of souvenir prints that we got on a vacation to Charleston, SC back in 2001. The prints were an odd size and I had never found frames that fit, so when I found them in the stuff we had in storage, I decided it was about time that they got framed. Allan and Sharon do a beautiful job of framing, as they have lots of experience with all of their beautiful pastels, the necessary tools, and they offered to help us out. I ordered the frames online, got glass cut at Lowe's, and they helped with the rest - the prints were already nicely matted. One of them took 3 attempts, as small white particles happened to get between the print and the glass - twice. Thanks so much, friends, we love how they turned out!
We had a whole list of items to get at Costco, so I left Mike and Frisco at home so Mike could get some guitar practice in before his class tonight and I headed to Costco to stock up on necessaries.
When I got back home, I got busy with laundry, as I want to have that out of the way before our guests, my cousin Dawn and her husband, Rich, arrive tomorrow evening. They are our 1st visitors to Arizona and we are really looking forward to spending time with them.
Tuesday, March 8. Busy, busy, busy, putting the finishing touches on the house, getting ready for visitors. We're excited to show folks around the area. I ended up back at Costco this morning to return a swimsuit that didn't fit. I also stopped at the Optical department to have my glasses adjusted - I was having some blurry vision on both the distance and closeup prescription. It was explained to me that it could be because of the curve of the lenses and frame. She made some adjustments and voila! no more blurry vision.
We found a vacant area on a wall to hang the Charleston prints that we just framed yesterday. They look great - I'm so glad that I didn't toss them away years ago.
We headed to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport to pick Dawn and Rich up. It is so easy to get to and easy to get around. Their flight landed 15 minutes early, but it took over a half hour to get their luggage. It was great to see them again, naturally we had some *bleep*tails when we got to the house, then prepared a great steak dinner and talked, and talked, and talked some more. It's going to be a great few days.
Friday, March 11. What a whirlwind the last 3 days have been. Wednesday was the day to see the natural side of the area, starting with a trip to Boyce Thompson Arboretum where we strolled the pathways and took in the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, plants of the Mojave desert, and even Australia. We took lots of pictures and will be posting some of them soon.
After the arboretum, we headed north on the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flat so Dawn and Rich would get a good taste of the desert and the beauty of the Superstition Mountains. Needless to say, they were amazed at how green and colorful it really is. We had a good burger and a beer, then headed back home.
An evening walk to the pool and hot tub topped off the day.
On Thursday, we went to Maryvale Park to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play the Colorado Rockies. It was a really close game but they lost 9-8. That evening, we went to Organ Stop Pizza so they could see the incredible organs - another enjoyable day, but we were all tired and hit the sack as soon as we got back home.
Today was the day for a bit of culture and we took in the Musical Instrument Museum. Both Dawn and Rich are musicians (Dawn sings and plays guitar and Rich is a piano player) so they really enjoyed that. It took up most of the day and it was 4:30 when we got home.
We relaxed a bit, mixed up some Prickly Pear Margaritas, ate some snacks and then headed to downtown Mesa to see the Jade Buddha for World Peace, it is the world's largest Buddha carved from a 12 foot tall piece of jade that weighs 4 ton. It is a beautiful traveling piece that is on exhibit at the Mesa Amphitheater for about 2 weeks.
Downtown Mesa was having their 2nd Friday Art Walk, so we walked the streets, checked out the art, and stopped for dinner at a Mexican sidewalk cafe.
Saturday, March 12. The alarm went off at 5:00 this morning, so we could get Dawn and Rich to the airport for their 7:30 flight back to Wisconsin. After the beautiful weather here, they were kind of dreading their return to cold weather. Spring is just around the corner though. We had a wonderful time with them and look forward to seeing them again this summer.
I intended to take a nap when I got home from the airport, only rested for a little while. After my walk, a bike ride, watering the trees, and doing laundry, I also tried to take a nap - only succeeded for about 45 minutes - guess that is good enough.
Sunday, March 13. OMG! I slept for 12 hours straight - guess I caught up on my sleep. I definitely feel refreshed. When Mike got up, I learned that he went and set all of our clocks ahead an hour, he forgot that Arizona does not observe daylight savings time. Funny! I only slept 11 hours and still feel refreshed.
I went and purchased another hummingbird feeder after learning that finches like to drink nectar too - if they spend too much time at the feeder, the hummers avoid it. I also setup a source of drinking water for them. We will see how that goes.
While I was shopping for the feeder, I ran into Chris and 3 of her guests, fellow Navy friends. She invited us to join them this evening for a cruise on Saguaro Lake on the Desert Belle. I was able to get tickets, so we headed into the Tonto National Forest and the Saguaro Lake Marina. The tour was a 1.5 hour ride on this beautiful mountain lake at an elevation of about 1500 feet above sea level. We were surrounded by beautiful rock cliffs and formations and the very green Sonoran Desert. What a hidden gem. We are so fortunate to have this national forest so close to where we live (it was a 20 minute drive to get there).
After the cruise, they all stopped at our house for a yummy Prickly Pear Margarita and some snacks. MMMMMMM! It was another beautiful day in paradise.
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March 1 - 6, 2011
Friday, March 4. I don't know where to start since the week just flew by and I never updated the website. I have been managing to get some good walks in most days, riding my bike a little farther each day, and finding lots of ways to keep busy. We also made it to the pool a couple of times this week.
On a trip to Lowe's this week, I found some great bargains on native shrubs for the yard, so I bought 2 nice size Cassias and a Texas Sage for $7.00. They are drought tolerant plants so should do well around here.
On Wednesday, Allan and Sharon invited us to join them on a drive to Cave Creek where they had to drop off some entries for the upcoming pastel show in Sedona. We went to El Encanto for a delicious lunch on the veranda next to the duck pond. It's funny but none of us have been able to find real good Mexican food around here and we all really liked El Encanto. After lunch, we stopped at the Desert Foothills Garden Nursery and found a couple more bargains. This time I bought a Penstemon and a perennial daisy. Now I just hope that the rabbits don't go crazy grazing on them.
We went to Nan and Dale's on Thursday evening to celebrate Dale's birthday with a delicious dinner of tenderloin, twice baked potato, broccoli salad, croissants, and Monica's German chocolate birthday cake. Dylan did a superb job of grilling the steaks. We had a great time and were out until 11:00 that night - a bit late for us Bridges.
I was awake at 5:15 this morning, thinking that it was 6:15 and time to get up to get ready for a day of exploring with Chris and Norm. Naturally, I was unable to get back to sleep either - I hate it when that happens.
We packed a picnic lunch, picked Chris and Norm up, and headed to Wickenburg to explore the Vulture Gold Mine
and ghost town. The tour is self guided and you can actually go into many of the buildings. It is rough and crude, some of the buildings have a lot of junk in them, but it is easy to picture what life must have been like back when it was in full operation.
After touring the ghost town, we headed into Wickenburg to the Old School House and jail tree (prisoners were tied to the tree to keep them from getting away) where we had a nice picnic lunch before heading back home.
Saturday, March 5. I went to some garage sales this morning and actually found something for a change. I bought a real nice picture frame and Mike touched up and printed a great picture of Frisco to put in it. I also got a good bargain on a giant piece of Prickly Pear cactus for $5.00. Naturally, I had to get that in the ground when I got back home. I did an inventory and counted 26 plants in the yard - there were 7 when we bought the house. Its coming around.
We went to the pool for a while this afternoon and practically had it to ourselves.
Back home, we stoked up the grill and roasted a whole chicken and baked potato for dinner. Also had some fresh beets as a side dish - yum!
Sunday, March 6. What a day - another one of those early morning awakenings - it was 4:15. I did go back to sleep for a little while but not long enough. Also woke up with a tight muscle in the side of my neck and it never let up all day, resulting in a nagging headache that I managed to dull with some Advil.
I had to get a few groceries in preparation for my cousin Dawn and her husband Rich's visit this week. Naturally, one store doesn't have everything I need, so had to make 2 stops and still didn't get propane for the grill.
I met up with a high school classmate, Nancy (from Atlanta) today at her parents house about a mile from where I live. We sat out on the patio and had a great visit. We talked and talked and before I knew it, I had to get back home for the Brentwood Days Fest at our park. So we talked some more and looked at some pictures and I made it home with about 5 minutes to spare.
Mike was ready to go, so we packed a few beers in a cooler and headed to happy hour. We joined up with Bob and Diane (our neighbors from Canada) and Mary and Hughie (from Seattle) for some good conversation. Tonight's dinner was a taco salad and cookies for dessert. Starting at 6:00, the Missouri Opry performed, playing a nice selection of old country and a few old 50's rock and roll songs. It was just a guitar player and his wife, the keyboard player, both retired from Osage Beach, MO. They are part of a 5-piece group but only 2 show up for the smaller venues. The music was excellent, the variety and jokes were great, and I managed to get out on the dance floor a few times. Its so nice here because there are a lot of singles or just women who like to dance, and you don't have to feel shy about getting out on the dance floor. It was a lot of fun. Funny thing, we were back home by 8:00.
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Created on 03/01/2011 08:53 AM by bridge
Updated on 04/05/2011 07:08 PM by bridge
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