Claire sent us a gift... an apple peeler corer slicer. It is a bright red Rube Goldberg device that is fun and quick to use, yielding a perfectly peeled apple or pear, cored, and evenly sliced. Love it!
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
Kings Canyon Hike
We took friends, Rachel and Bill with us yesterday, to hike up Kings Canyon to see the petroglyphs. The hike was a bit over 2 miles, up and back, with petroglyphs on both sides of the canyon about a mile in. It was a beautiful day!
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
1917
We went an afternoon showing of the movie 1917, with our friends Carlou and Scott. 1917 is an extraordinary war film, based on an account told to the writer/director/producer, Sam Mendes, by his grandfather. The film chronicles the story of two young British soldiers during WWI, who are given a mission to deliver a message. 1917 won the 2020 Golden Globe for Best Picture and has been nominated for a 2020 Oscar in the Best Picture category. We thought it was exceptional!
Monday, January 13, 2020
Ironwood Forest National Monument
After lunch on Sunday, we drove an hour west of Tucson, through Saguaro National Park West, and then on rutted dirt roads to Ironwood Forest National Monument. We passed through several ranch gates and arrived at a trailhead, with one other vehicle parked there. A second vehicle arrived soon after we did, and we were the only visitors for the afternoon.
Ironwood Forest National Monument was created in 2000, covering 188,619 acres. There is a significant concentration of ironwood trees in the monument. The desert ironwood is a long-lived tree, with some specimens living more than 800 years. Within the monument site, there are more than 200 Hohokam and Paleo-Indian archaeological sites, dating between 600 and 1450 AD.
I read about Hohokam petroglyphs on the site before we went. We found the greatest concentration on Cocoraque Butte, on top, in piles of boulders. There were more on the butte directly west, also etched on boulders. We talked to one of the other six visitors and he told us of hiking through hundreds of scattered pottery shards, just before he saw us. We had a terrific time, under clear skies, and 60's temperature. It was a perfect day to hike!
Ironwood Forest National Monument was created in 2000, covering 188,619 acres. There is a significant concentration of ironwood trees in the monument. The desert ironwood is a long-lived tree, with some specimens living more than 800 years. Within the monument site, there are more than 200 Hohokam and Paleo-Indian archaeological sites, dating between 600 and 1450 AD.
I read about Hohokam petroglyphs on the site before we went. We found the greatest concentration on Cocoraque Butte, on top, in piles of boulders. There were more on the butte directly west, also etched on boulders. We talked to one of the other six visitors and he told us of hiking through hundreds of scattered pottery shards, just before he saw us. We had a terrific time, under clear skies, and 60's temperature. It was a perfect day to hike!
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Busy Week!
Immediately after our return home from Tanque Verde Ranch on Sunday, Mary arrived just in time for lunch. We enjoyed a few more hours of gleeful laughter, with the kids playing in our yard, and a picnic on the back patio. Claire left with Emerson and Colby by mid afternoon. Mary helped me put together a salad to take to our Supper Club dinner. We walked to Supper Club while Audrey and Mary went out for dinner at La Encantada.
Mary left early Monday morning. Audrey and her girls spent Monday morning with us, and we dropped them at the airport by 11:30. Papa began surgery prep on Monday afternoon. He had cataract and glaucoma surgery on Tuesday at noon. His surgery went as planned and he is slowly recovering. He had a follow up appointment on Wednesday morning. I've been running around to pick up various things he needs, along with grocery runs.
Papa has also been preparing for a board meeting on Friday in Phoenix. We're leaving early Friday morning, to arrive in Phoenix for a 9:30 meeting. He'll have more meetings in the afternoon. The real reason for our trip to Phoenix is to see Emerson perform in the play, Frozen, on Saturday afternoon.
Through this busy week, we have been grateful for the many calls and texts, from friends and family concerned about Papa. “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” Thank you!
Mary left early Monday morning. Audrey and her girls spent Monday morning with us, and we dropped them at the airport by 11:30. Papa began surgery prep on Monday afternoon. He had cataract and glaucoma surgery on Tuesday at noon. His surgery went as planned and he is slowly recovering. He had a follow up appointment on Wednesday morning. I've been running around to pick up various things he needs, along with grocery runs.
Papa has also been preparing for a board meeting on Friday in Phoenix. We're leaving early Friday morning, to arrive in Phoenix for a 9:30 meeting. He'll have more meetings in the afternoon. The real reason for our trip to Phoenix is to see Emerson perform in the play, Frozen, on Saturday afternoon.
Through this busy week, we have been grateful for the many calls and texts, from friends and family concerned about Papa. “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.” Thank you!
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Tanque Verde Ranch
We celebrated our 39th anniversary on Friday, January 3, with Audrey, Lauren, and Taylor visiting us, and Claire, Emerson, and Colby arriving in the afternoon. The kids played until dinner time. We played family games, then they had baths and watched an episode of Bonanza with Papa. Watching Westerns with Papa has become a nighttime ritual.
We went to a nearby playground on Saturday morning, had a picnic there, then went home and got packed for an overnight at Tanque Verde Ranch. We arrived by 2, checked in, then hiked until 4:30, went to the indoor pool and the outdoor hot tub, and got ready for dinner. We went to the Cowboy Cookout in the Cottonwood Grove, complete with live entertainment (he never took a break!), s’mores, dancing, roping and games of horseshoes. We had a terrific time!
We went to a nearby playground on Saturday morning, had a picnic there, then went home and got packed for an overnight at Tanque Verde Ranch. We arrived by 2, checked in, then hiked until 4:30, went to the indoor pool and the outdoor hot tub, and got ready for dinner. We went to the Cowboy Cookout in the Cottonwood Grove, complete with live entertainment (he never took a break!), s’mores, dancing, roping and games of horseshoes. We had a terrific time!
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Happy 2020!
Audrey and her girls arrived in Arizona on New Year’s Day to spend a few days with us. Lauren and Taylor had a great time today, collecting sticks to build a fire in the fire pit. We went to Desert Museum in the afternoon, then back home for dinner, and fire building to roast marshmallows. It’s a happy 2020 for Lulu and Papa!
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