10-7-12

Me: Yay, Pat and Bob are here! They drove out, leaving Los Altos Hills yesterday and arriving at our home this afternoon. We've been indulging in the home made goodies Pat brought out. Mmmm; fudge, cookies and dried peaches. Looking forward to enjoying the next few days with them!

10-6-12

Martin: The detectionist ready for another stint after having lunch.

 

 Me: Last night we started to create the "Wheel Wall"!

 James came over to help us.

 I sat in a chair and directed. "A little to the left, James." :-)

 Bob and James figured out the details.

 And they braved the tall ladder. "One more wheel, right at the top, please."

 "Aw, I like it!" All three of us liked it, so we declared it finished.

 Free damaged wheels from our friends helped to create art.

Well, we call it art. Fun!

10-5-12

Martin: Daniel cleaning out the cracks in the bedrock of a dry creek. We had to take the dirt around the bend in the creek to pan it in a puddle.

Me: Charlie and Karen flew back to Ohio this morning. So glad they made the trip to Arizona to visit us! We had a wonderful 4 days touring Jerome, Sedona and Flagstaff plus the time we spent hanging out here visiting was very special. They are generous, thoughtful friends whose support over the past few years has been invaluable! Thank you, Karen & Charlie!

These are the two wonderful paintings from Charlie. Left one is of Bob and I at Maroon Bells, Aspen, CO. The right one is titled; Out of the Darkness, Into the Light. They are so detailed and are meaningful gifts. Thank you, Charlie!

10-4-12

Martin: Creek was low as you can see. No good for a sluice.

Me: Today we took it easy around here. We got in a shopping trip to IKEA and then had a fun little art class here with Charlie! By the way, Charlie is an accomplished painter and tomorrow I'll post photos of the two wonderful paintings he did and brought out from Ohio for Bob and I.

3 artists with today's masterpieces (in our defense, we did these paintings in 40 minutes). :-)

Tonight we ate a nice dinner outside at Hillside Cafe in Ahwatukee. Ken joined us and treated. Thanks, Ken! We finished our day with Orange Leaf frozen yogurt. Mmm!

10-3-12

Martin: Daffodils were out as well.

Me: Karen, Charlie and I woke up, had breakfast at the hotel and then toured more of Sedona. Above is coffee pot rock (can ya see it?).

We visited Chapel of the Holy Cross. Spectacular!

Built amongst the rocks it was an amazing sight.

The chapel is a peaceful place to have quiet time & prayer. I lit a candle for my dad.

The 3 of us having fun!

Bell rock in the distance.

We went shopping in Tlaquepaque. So quaint.

Ducks swimming in Oak Creek.

Drove from Sedona up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. We did not hesitate to stop at Mama Burger (originally recommended by Martin) to get yummy chocolate milk shakes.

Clear view of Mt. Humphreys and the San Francisco Peaks.

Painted mountain lion statue in the downtown square. Ate lunch at Diablo Burger. Had to have Karen and Charlie experience those awesome burgers and fries!

Topped off the day with chocolate from our favorite Flagstaff shoppe.

Cute dog outside his owner's shop. Made me think of Harley.

Despite being completely stuffed we still stopped on our drive home at the famous Rock Springs pie cafe. I had Lemon Meringue, Charlie had the rhubarb and Karen the peach. We brought mixed berry pie home for Bob. We also brought him home some Flagstaff chocolate.

Spent the evening watching the presidential debate and then hit the hay. Thank you, Karen and Charlie for all you did on our adventure to Jerome, Sedona and Flag! Had a great time!

10-2-12

Martin: Most of the fruit trees were in blossom and looked spectacular.

Me: Driving up Mingus mountain to Jerome; an old copper mining town perched high on the hill. In 1929 it was a booming town of 15,000, today the population is 480. Jerome is a popular tourist stop with art galleries, shops and great restaurants. We had a delicious lunch at Grapes.

After picking up a few souviners in Jerome we headed for Sedona; red rock paradise!

Charlie, Karen and I walked through some downtown shops, enjoyed fudge and ice cream and then took a beautiful sunset drive along Dry Creek Road.

Karen and Charlie taking in the amazing views.

Red dirt and a prickley pear cactus.

I wish my legs were this long. :-)

My lovely friend, Karen!

We had a wonderful day visiting and seeing the sights!

Our view from the patio at the Enchantment Resort restaurant. We stopped here for dinner and the weather was just perfect! 

It was a great day! The only thing missing was Bob who had to stay in Phoenix for work. Wish you were here, honey!

10-1-12

Martin: Ice that had formed in a bucket of water that we had left inside the car.

Me: Karen and Charlie are here! It was so great to pick them up at the airport last night. Big smiles, warm hugs and lots to talk about!

This morning we walked in the desert and along the golf course. I think it got to a 107 today. Kind of hot for our Ohio guests and us too (10 degrees over our normal temps). We still had a great time.

 Ate lunch in Scottsdale at Arcadia Farms and then walked through some of the art galleries in Old Town. Oh yeah, we stopped at See's chocolate shoppe. :-)

This afternoon Kavan came over to play for a couple hours. And tonight Bob made us all a delicious salmon dinner. Ken came over for dinner and he brought fruit pie for dessert. We're tired from a full day and full from a big meal.