13 Years Ago Today

Thirteen years ago this month I got my first ideas about what living in Jackson Wyoming would be like. I loved that town. I loved living with all the seasons. I loved seeing and having animals being part of the environment. I loved the way snow could decorate the town and make everything look so special. That is why I took this picture of the stairs outside the place we were staying at the time.

I do like my life in Arizona now but Jackson was special. At this time of year, you may think I am crazy but I miss snow.

What about you? Love life with four seasons or sunshine all the time?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

A Day of Travel

I spent part of today driving and part riding. I have ended up in Northern Arizona with my sisters. While chatting on the porch where we are staying several of the animals you see below wandered by. I think these are some of the first deer I have seen since leaving Wyoming.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

A Sister's Birthday

My Mom had 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys. I am the oldest. The sister next to me in age is having a birthday today. I hope today is full of fun and laughter for her. I will send her a text later and maybe a call to let her know I am thinking of her.

She is a very creative person. Where I love hand work when I create, she is more mechanical although she does know how to knit and crochet. She has created with cameras, sewing machines, embroidery machines, sandblasting, and lately laser engraving. She has all the toys and knows how to use them. Sometimes I envy those skills she has but then I remind myself how content I am to sit quietly and knit for a couple hours in an afternoon. I remind myself how boring it would be if we were all the same.

We are also great readers and spend part of every day with a book. When we were taking care of Mom and her house earlier this year, we found out that we share an appreciation for the offerings that Prime Reading has. We didn't know it before but found out we both had read several books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and liked them very much. All 5 of us are readers and in a busy, chaotic world I am glad that we have that in common, even if there is little else. 

Somehow all 3 of us girls have ended up in Arizona a few hours from each other in retirement. This is the closest we 3 have lived to each other in many years. So far it has been a great comfort to have my sisters closer and I think they feel the same. 

So, after a bit of babbling, I wish you a happy birthday Sis, and many more!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

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Verde Canyon Railroad

Since her husbands retirement one of my sisters is living in the Cottonwood area of Arizona. This is the closest we have lived to each other since we were kids. Our visits are frequent and filled with fun and laughter.

On one such visit during the spring of this year we spent an afternoon on the Verde Canyon Railroad. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. On the train you are greeted with drinks and snacks. The ride is filled with views of the river and the canyon. During the ride you can stay in enclosed cars with comfy seats or go outside to open air cars where someone will explain all about the area and the history of what you are looking at.

Would I do this again? Sure! I want to be able to go on some of the special themed rides. If you are interested and in the area, this link is (Link)for the train schedule calendar. Use it to find out when you can go on a Wine Tasting or Beer Tasting ride. Sometimes Eagles or other raptors are part of the trip. You can take a morning, afternoon or evening ride while celebrating holidays like Halloween, Christmas or New Years Eve. 

If you find yourself in the Sedona area of Arizona consider this for one of the activities for you, your family or your travel companions during the time spent here.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Out Back

In our backyard in Arizona we have planted a bush known as Mexican Bird Of Paradise. They are starting to bloom now. Looking out the patio door to see the bright flowers and lacey green leaves makes me smile. I do hope you found something to smile about today too.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Weekends

One of the favorite things for our family on weekends is the Sunday drive. We would load the kids in the car and just follow a road or county highway to see where it ends. This is something Jim and I still do here in Arizona. We have made some great discoveries and seen some beautiful places.



Following Highway 88 out of Apache Junction you end up on a dirt road past Canyon, Apache and Rossevelt Lakes ending up at Rosevelt Dam.

Canyon Lake where you can see the level lowered for work on the dam.

Taking US 60 to the east to Globe and then continuing on US 70 takes you through a few very small towns and the San Carlos Reservation. I don't remember what town it was but on that route we found a great local ice cream and burger place. It had 21 flavors of ice cream and a quilt shop next door.

You can also head south of US 60 before you get to Globe to end up in Kearny. There is a nice little pizza place there right on the main street.

Can you tell our little road trips almost always include a stop for a snack or meal?

If you go east on US 60 if starts to head north and you can end up in the pine trees of the Show Low-Pinetop area. We went up there for a blue grass festival once. We had a granddaughter along with us that time. That road wanders down in switchbacks to a river and back up again. Silly me recommended that road to a sister who get motion sickness. Let's just say she didn't like the trip as much as I did.

South and east of Tuscon are the very touristy Tombstone and the mining town of Bisbee. The way is is built in a canyon Bisbee reminded me of Park City in Utah minus the skiing.

Going north on the Beeline Highway (87) you go through Payson. You can get on Highway 280 there and drive through some very pretty scenery and tie in to US 40. If you head west on this towards Flagstaff you can see the Impact Crater.

View from the Mogollon Rim in the Payson area.

North on Highway 17 can take you to Prescott. Prescott has a beautiful town square with a courthouse. Antique stores and restaurants in the block surrounding the courthouse are fun to check out.

The Yavapi Courthouse in Prescott.

These are just a few of our little trips since we have moved here.

Where have you been lately?

That Time

It is that time of year when it is time to start over. That is if you are connected to the education system. The beginnings of a new school year with all its new challenges. I looked forward to this time for many years as a parent and a paraeducator. I ran the computer lab in an elementary school before I moved down to Arizona three years ago. This time of year was a busy one. Whe my kids were young it meant shopping for clothes, supplies and all those little things that make being a good student easier. For me it meant a very busy time of registering students, building data bases for student work, scheduling with teachers. I would have loved to have a bag as pretty as this one when I was working through those years. I almost always brought my lunch. I also carried a small project of knitting or crocheting or maybe a book to read. Lunch time although short was all mine. I closed the door and had most days 15 to no more than 30 minutes to myself to recharge. I found this lovely bag in the shop momo trees.

A Personal Favorite

Bless his little heart. Jim decided that is was too hot to cook dinner at home last night. I doubt he will think so every night but who was I to argue? Any way we went to one of our favorite places to eat and I wanted to share it with you. We went to Filly's Roadhouse in Apache Junction.

Being quite honest here this is no fancy dinin' place. As you come in you enter the bar and the stage and dance floor. Keep walking towards the back and you are in the restaurant. The decor is simple, the parking lot is dirt, the music can be fun but not always the best and count on it being country of course, the hitching post for your horse or burro is in the back and sometimes it is really used.

Use the link here to see the menu because that is the best part of this place. The specialty of the house is chicken and they do it really well. This place will serve you the best and I mean the best wings you have ever had! If you have any room after dinner, and you would need plenty, one of the cobblers for dessert is fantastic. The serving is big enough to share with at least two people and maybe more.

For more info about restaurants I ran across a cool place called Urban Spoon. You can post about your favorite eatin', drinkin' and dancin' places or fine dining if you insist and connect your post to them. They give you a graphic for your blog and link to your post on their site.

Now Ready

The daffodils are blooming beside the walk to the front door. It was so nice to see them there. It means that spring is on the way to Utah. Along with the daffodils the house is now already for the next family. We have turned the home over to a property manager now to find renters. With a lot of work it has been freshly painted, all the bathrooms and kitchen are clean and shiny and the carpets have been cleaned.
I am still waiting for the car to be fixed. It should be ready for me to pick up on Thursday. By this weekend I should be back home in my little desert house once again.

Guess What?

Jim let me know the last night that we will be going to Country Thunder 2009 in Florence, Arizona on Saturday the 4th of April! That is the last day of the event and will end with Alan Jackson that night. I have never been to anything like this before. I expect it to be very crowded and lots of fun.

I love all kinds of music but country, folk and bluegrass have always topped my list of favorites. I am really looking forward to this!

Fun Days Ahead!

Posie gets to ride the airplane home with Grandpa for a nice long visit soon. I don't know who is more excited Grandpa or Posie or the Mom who gets a bit of a break from two year old drama and will spend some special time with Posie's big brother. I know that not seeing the grandkids often is one of the pains of living here in Arizona when they are all in Utah. I guess I had better start gathering favorite foods and some toys to keep us both busy and happy.

See That?

I keep a weather chart on my desktop courtesy of Google. On that chart I track the weather for where I live and the towns that my three married children live in. They are in Utah and I am in Arizona. It is a whole other story about how I spent all my time preparing myself for my kids to move away from me and I ended up moving away from them.Do you see that on Friday all of their towns have snow predicted and where I am will be 90? That is one of the reasons we are down here.