Highway Runner

ASIA SEAFOOD BUFFET, MURRIETA, CA

2012-01-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

Jan 24 - Tuesday afternoon at TT Wilderness Lakes, what do you do? Why, you go to the 50% Senior Special at The Asia Seafood Buffet in Murrieta, about 10 miles south of the campground. Diane had suggested the Pickleball players meet there for the buffet. We all quickly agreed and I made the reservations for sixteen!

Lois, Diane, Jim and Jenny in the first booth.

Around the big table: Phyllis, Ranger Al, Brownie, Jessie, Dick, and Bev. Ken and I are at the other end of the table but you can't see us!

In the second booth: Carol, Clint, Jenny, and Dale. Dale really knows how to work those chop stix!!

And here we are at last: Ken and Faye. Jessie and Brownie across the table from us. Brownie almost NEVER poses for pictures. This time he posed but made an exaggerated point of licking his fingers after eating fried chicken!! That's why I'm laughing so big!! I have on my sunglasses to hide the fashionable bandage mentioned in another article.

It was another delicious buffet at the Asia Seafood Buffet!! Thanks for suggesting it, Diane!

ANOTHER VISIT TO DOCTOR LESLIE, THE DERMATOLOGIST

2012-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

Mon, Jan 23 - I had become concerned about a small place on the left side of my face, beside my nose very close to my eye. And, Ken had a place on his arm that worried him, so we had set up another appointment with Dr. Leslie Radentz our Dermatologist in Murrieta, CA (We had seen her in October). On Wednesday afternoon the 18th, after we moved to TT Wilderness Lakes, we kept our appointment with Dr. Radentz.

Dr. Leslie found several places on Ken's arm and back that she treated with liquid nitrogen (Cryotherapy). There was one place on his back on which she did a biopsy.

When the doctor examined me, she found several places on my right hand and on my face, in addition to the one I mentioned above. She also treated these places on me with liquid nitrogen. Finally, she then performed a biopsy on the skin lesion next to my nose.

I was surprised on Monday, January 23, to receive a call from Dr. Radentz's office telling me that my biopsy was positive, and could I come to the office that day for surgery. We had planned to drive over to Lake Elsinore for the afternoon but quickly changed our plans.

We had been told on Wednesday that we could expect the treatment sites to blister and scab in the next few days. Ken had no reaction to his treatment. I experienced the some blistering which I showed Dr. Leslie on Monday when I went in for surgery!!

Blistering on the left side of my face -- nothing to that!

and blistering on the right side of my face!! That's OK, too.

But, when Dr. Leslie saw this Cryotherapy blister on my right knuckle, she could not contain herself! "Wow!!" she exclaimed. "This is the biggest blister I have ever made!!" She immediately called her husband Dr. William to come and see the blister. He teased and said, "Blister! What blister? I don't see a blister!" They thought I should win a prize for having the largest intact Cryotherapy blister ever!!!

She told me to ignore all the suggestions that I prick the blister to let it drain. Leave it alone. It will heal itself.

When the excitement about the blister died down, Dr. Leslie excised the lesion beside my nose and processed the tissue for Microscopic evaluation. When this had been done, she declared the evaluation show that the margins were clear and all of the Invasive Cancer had been removed. She patched me up with this very fashionable bandage!!

I will go back on Friday to have the stitches removed.

By the way, Ken's biopsy results were negative.

Thank you, Dr. Leslie. So glad our friend, Jim P. told us about you!!

CHILI HAPPY HOUR AT TT WILDER!NESS LAKES, CA

2012-01-19T19:54:00.001-08:00

Jan 19 - Diane provided the hot Chili and Lois provided the site and fire pit; the rest of us pitched in with our own contributions and we were ready for another Pickleball happy hour!! We all had a great time sitting around the campfire eating Chili, Chicken Wings, Lemon Squares, etc.

Here are our hostesses and host Diane, Lois and Jack. Thanks guys for putting this together for us. What a perfect evening!

Linda and Roger.

A happy group - Jennie, Linda and Jim.

Mark and Lorrie.

Ken and Faye.

One of many uninvited guests!! The local fowl worried us to death. This one is on the RV roof but others kept landing on the food table and buzzin' us around the campfire!! Get out of here!!

Lois with Phil and John. Welcome John to your first Pickleball happy hour!!

Linda cutting up with Ken!! Ken seems to be enjoying it way too much!!

So I had to cut up with Phil! He's not enjoying it so much!! HA HA

Thanks gang. It was a fun evening! See you on the courts!!

BURGERS WITH DEL AND JERRY AT DESERT POOLS

2012-01-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

Sat. Jan 14 - We moved from TT Palm Springs to Desert Pools in Desert Hot Springs, CA on Wednesday. Del and Jerry were already there, a few sites down from us. We cross paths with them a couple of time a year when we are out West. They invited us over for hamburgers on Saturday afternoon. Del's brother Jerry and his wife Sue were also at Desert Pools so they joined us, too.

The picture looks as if we were at our site -- an Allegro Bus similar to ours, our Suzuki in the parking lot!! And, if I had taken a picture of the grill, it's the same as our, too. But, we are actually at Del and Jerry's place!!

Faye, Ken, Sue, brother Jerry, husband Jerry, Del.

Thanks Del and Jerry for a fun afternoon and delicious burgers!! We'll see you again when we see you!!

SO LONG TO PAT AT BURGERS AND BEER, PALM DESERT, CA

2012-01-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Jan 14 - Pat will be returning to Michigan on Friday to attend to her father for an extended time. We wanted to say Good Bye to her and wish her well; and to assure her that Bill will be well taken care of!! HA HA

We met at Burgers and Beer late Monday afternoon for the occasion because they have Happy Hour every weekday afternoon and Sliders are the Monday special -- four Sliders with all the trimmings for $5.99. YUMMY!

Hayden (aka Bill), Pat, Bill, Faye, Ken and Gloria.

Don't worry about Bill, Pat!! You've left him in good hands!!!

TO OUR SENIOR FRIENDS!!

2012-01-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

POLO MATCHES AT EMPIRE POLO CLUB, INDIO, CA

2012-01-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday Jan. 08 - During Pickleball this morning, Gloria's friends Mary and Keith rode their bikes pass the courts and chatted with Gloria. When they were gone, Gloria said Mary and Keith had said they were going over to the Polo matches at the Empire Club in Indio. Matches started about 1 p.m. We all said Hey! Let's go!! We can take something for tailgating along side the polo field during the match. So we did!!

During a time break in the match, a gentleman tailgating near us gave Ken a polo ball. He said if the ball goes out of bounds, spectators may pick them up.

Here is Ken with the polo ball. Note the Big E imprinted on the ball; proof that it belongs to Ken!! But, Ken returned it. FYI polo balls are made of high-impact plastic and are about 3.5" in diameter.

Gloria, Bill and Faye after stumping divots following the first match.

The Opening Ceremony prior to the match. During the Ceremony the National Anthem was sung to the simple strands of a single guitar. It was so inspiring, and in this beautiful setting, it was just perfect!

Some of the exciting match action!!

After the match, trophies were awarded to the winners. The young man standing next to the official is actually a kid eleven years old!! He was given Sparkling Apple Cider in stead of the normal champagne!

Here's the group at the Indio Empire Polo Club!! Hayden, Gloria, Mary and Keith (we ran into them at the matches), Bill, Pat, Ken and Faye!!

That was a lot of fun on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in a beautiful setting!! And, it was all FREE!!

TT PLAYERS COMPETE IN MISSION HILLS PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT

2012-01-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Jan. 06 - A number of Thousand Trails Pickleball players had registered to play in the Second Annual Pickleball Tournament at Mission Hills Country Club community about five miles away. They were all excited about playing!

We missed the women's doubles tournament on the first day but went the second day for the men's doubles. Here is some of the action we saw:

Jack and Roger were playing when we arrived. These two ended up winning Gold in their level. Congratulations guys!!

Rick and Jim P. were in their first match.

Paul makes a great volley. Don't know his partner.

Spectators enjoying the tournament. Ken, Bill, Hayden, Pat, Gloria.

Dean and Rich in their first round.

Frank was not competing today but he made a great referee!

Following the men's doubles, there were the women's singles matches.

An acquaintance Rosie. She is amazing!

Rosie's opponent Sue. She's great too.

Here we are enjoying the matches. Note the preppy shirts with collars appropriate for the Country Club venue! HA HA

Chuck and Jessie rode with us. Jessie participated in the tournament but today she is enjoying the men's doubles!

On Saturday, the third day of the tournament, they featured the mixed doubles matches.

Jack and Diane participated but we missed pictures of them in action.

Rick and Linda in a close match. They ended up winning Silver! Congratulations guys!!

Rich and Dee won this match.

My special, special Pickleball student; my claim to fame!! Ken and I taught Judy to play and enjoy Pickleball. Now, she is a great player and competes in lots of tournaments!! You go Judy!!

We had a great time at the Mission Hills Pickleball Tournament!! Congratulations to all the participants and winners!! Loved it!!

TOM AND MARION TOM COME FOR MARGARITAS AND TACOS

2012-01-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Jan 05 - We have been special friends with Tom and Marion for years; ever since the fall of 2002 at TT Verde Valley on the Pickleball courts! We have had so many good times with them in the past. We don't see Tom and Marion at Thousand Trails very often any more since they have a place at Quail Valley in Desert Hot Springs. And we miss them!!

Today we invited them to our place for margaritas and tacos! Brought back good old times!!

It was such fun having dinner with you guys again!! Thanks for coming.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT TT PALM SPRINGS!!

2012-01-02T21:58:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve - TT Palm Springs actually had two New Year's Eve parties. One was in the Family Lodge for everyone who was not able to purchase tickets to the real New Year's Eve party! Tickets were only $5 with everyone bringing appetisers for the food table to share with everyone.

A group of Pickleball players decided to go and bought our tickets early. It's a good thing because tickets were gone in a couple of days! That evening we had two tables together, 13 people. Diane sort of spearheaded the gathering. She suggested in addition to bringing food to share with everyone, we could have a few snacks to have at our table. You know, nuts, pretzels, little nibbles like that.

Well, here is a look at our table!!

The party got started early. Ken and Jack already acting silly. Ken has a "sweet" tiara; Jack has one tiara on his hat and made a beard with a second one!

Rich was not to be outdone. The table center piece makes a good hat!! Diane is beautiful with her tiara.

Here is a picture of one table. Diane's mother Mickey, Margie, Dean, Bill, Delores, Dee, Rich. That's Matt with his Biker shirt to the far right!

Close up of the Biker shirt!! Matt really knows how to dress for New Year's Eve!! The shirt made us immediately think of our friend, Bee Jay back home!! He'd love that shirt!!

Later in the evening, the crazy guys had a Wasabi challenge with the Wasabi from the Sushi platter!! Matt started by eating a dab of Wasabi off his finger. "Do that!" he challenged Dean and Rich. They kept the table in an uproar trying to determine who could handle the largest dab of Wasabi!! I don't know who won the challenge! They were all crazy as far as I'm concerned!!

We missed out on the big table picture, so here are Faye and Diane with Jack.

Friends of ours, Bob and Muriel, to the right, and another friend of theirs at the far left. They said later that they did not make it until midnight!! Party Poopers!!

This is the band. Not real good dancing music, but at least they were lively.

Well, most of our group did make it until midnight and danced the last song!! The party was a lot of fun!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!

NEW YEAR'S EVE PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT AT TT PALM SPRINGS, CA

2011-12-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

Dec. 31, New Year's Eve - At TT Palm Springs we had our usual Saturday Pickleball tournament even though it was New Year's Eve. It was a lot of fun for all!! Here is just some of the action.

The fearsome foursome!! Rich, Will, Bob and Dean.

Faye with Dick.

Dean and Jack.

Matt and Rick.

David and Bob.

Linda and Dee. Dee ended up with Second Place.

Rich, First Place Winner, and Dick.

Congratulations to the winners and to all participants!

Thanks again, Rich, for another great tournament!!

MY HEART ACHES FOR TT PIO PICO!

2011-12-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Dec. 26 - We arrived at TT Pio Pico about the middle of the day on Wednesday, 22nd. We were lucky again!! Went straight to the south side and found an open 50 AMP site!! Pulled right in! The weather was very nice during the day, but down into the twenties during the night! Burrr

We spent most of our time away from the campground. It was not until Tuesday, 26th that we took a drive around the campground. We could not believe how things have changed!!

Almost all of the sites in "E" and "L" sections (down near the Adult Pool and a favorite area for a lot of transit RVers) have been turned to Leased Sites, virtually eliminating those sections from use by travelling RVers. "!

But we were astounded when we drove over to the North side. Many of the sites on that side have also been turned to long-term sites. Many of the sites looked like the occupants have been there for years!! In other words, they look like "Squatters"! At the end of December when you think Pio Pico would be filled to capacity, the North side was nearly empty, except for the long-term campers! It was really sad!!

The pictures don't show the full impact. There's a lot of "stuff" behind the shrubbery.

A nice gazebo but lots of stuff accumulated along the fence.

This site wins the prize!!!

One thing that has not changed since we were last there in February 2011 is the Pickleball courts!! They are exactly as we left them!! The surface has not been cleaned; the nets are down; cracks are forming in the middle of the court. It is a real shame to let nice courts go unattended to deteriorate.

PS. No Pickleball court has been painted under the shelter at the family lodge!!

CHRISTMAS AT RICHARD'S, CHULA VISTA, CA

2011-12-24T21:01:00.000-08:00

Dec. 24 - We moved to TT Pio Pico this week, down near Chula Vista, so that we could spend some time with Ken's son Richard during Christmas. The schedule in Richard's household was a bit hectic this year. We arrived at Pio Pico on Wednesday, 22nd, and discovered that plans had changed and Christmas dinner would be late that afternoon! We quickly put a Costco ham in the over, backed a pumpkin pie, and made sweet potatoes to carry over for dinner. Richard prepared the turkey, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings. Everything was delicious!!

Ken carving the ham; Richard in the background.

Richard has to boys, Russell and Jacob. His fiance Marlo has two children as well, Andrew and Emily. We were all together for dinner that evening, as well as Marlo's family who were visiting. I should have taken pictures during dinner because we were never all together again for Christmas pictures!

We visited again on Friday. I had promised Emily that I would show her how to make the wonderful Almond Rocha.

Emily stirring and stirring and stirring! (Sun shinning in my eye through the window.)

Spreading toffee in the cookie tin.

Sprinkling chopped nuts on top.

The project was finished the next day. We were not around for the eating!!

Merry Christmas Richard and family. It was good seeing you again, although all too briefly!

MAKING ALMOND ROCHA WITH PAM AND GLORIA!! YUMMMMM!!

2011-12-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Dec. 21 - This afternoon, Gloria and I went over to Pam's Kitchen to learn to make Almond Rocha! Pam had us stirring a pound of butter and sugar until it became just the right consistency and color. Then we added slivered almonds to the mix. After a few more stirs, we poured the mixture into cookie tins and spread it evenly to all edges. While it was still very hot, we put chocolate chips on top. As the chips melted, we spread the chocolate all over. Next, sprinkles of minced walnuts.

Next, we had to wait overnight until the chocolate hardened. Then we would flip the entire candy over, spread more melted chocolate chips and minced nuts. Wait overnight for that to harden.

Next, I broke it into bite-size pieces and enjoyed!!! Tastes like Heath Bars!!

Thank you so much, Pam!! That was a fun experience!

WINE AND CHEESE - INTRODUCING NOUVEAU WINE!

2011-12-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Mon. Dec. 21 - We have been at TT Palm Springs for two weeks. Our site is quite large and the site next to ours is vacant. The weather has been perfect! It was time for a party!!

Last November I read an article about Beaujolais Nouveau wines, released only in November and is best if drunk within six months. As I mentioned at Thanksgiving, an acquaintance Alice told us that we could get the Nouveau wine at Trader Joe's during November. Not the from Beaujolais, France, but from the Napa Valley!! I bought about six bottles of "Two Buck Chuck" Nouveau and wanted to introduce it to the Pickleball players! Besides, we had to drink it within six months! Thus, a Wine and Cheese party at Ken and Faye's!!

Here we are ready to receive our guests!!

It was a great turnout! Everyone brought cheeses and snacks and a bottle of wine to go with the Nouveau! Here is the table spread. Diane checks out the food spread while Walt studies the wines!

Ken is opening the wine.

Here are the guests:

New Pickleball players this season Pam and Walt.

And Gloria and Bill. Pam (above) is going to show Gloria and me how she makes that wonderful Almond Rocha. Looking forward to that.

Jack and Diane just came back into the park. They are joined by her mother Mickey. What a cutie!!

Roger and Linda are currently at another campground but come over to TT Palm Springs to play.

Becky and Dick. Dick has a very interesting Blog - Becky & Richard's Journal. Their Blog is included in my list of Blogs in the right margin of our Blog.

Tom, Margie and Bob.

Bill and Pat. Bill is always a cut-up!!

Jim L. and his wife.

Friends Joe and Pam leased a site here for several years. Now they have bought a beautiful home in LaQuinta.

Our Pickleball coordinator Rick with Tom and Bob.

Margit and Ron.

We are enjoying the Nouveau!!! YUUMMMMMMY!! (Friend Brian's bike in the background.)

Surprise of surprises, our dear friends and our Pickleball mentors showed up unannounced. They totally surprised us!! Wayne and Nancy taught us Pickleball at Rancho Oso in April 2002, told us where to go to find other players, and took us under their huge Pickleball wings!! That literally changed our lives!!! So great to see you guys!! Welcome to the party!!!

As I mentioned earlier, Bill is always cutting up. He and I had been acting silly all week long. As they were leaving, Pat grabbed Ken and the two of them got back at us!! Good One guys!!

The Wine and Cheese Party was soooo much fun!! Thanks everyone for coming!!!

KEN'S BIRTHDAY AT ELEPHANT BAR

2011-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Wed. Dec. 14 - Ken's birthday today!! We started the day with me baking a coffee cake for Ken's breakfast!! When I measured the ingredients I prayed there was enough Bisquick for the cake AND the strudel topping! Just enough, with a Tablespoon to spare. Happy Birthday, Ken!!

Later, a few friends to joined us for Happy Hour at the Elephant Bar, a favorite haunt of ours. It was a fun time celebrating Ken's birthday.

Around the table: Bill, Pat, Tom, Hayden, Gloria, Ken, Faye, and Marion. Thanks, guys, for sharing this occasion with us.

We were surprised when our waiter, Alex, brought Ken an ice cream dessert with a candle on top!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEN!! Love you!!

HAVING MEXICAN AT RICK AND LINDA'S!

2011-12-11T19:22:00.001-08:00

Dec. 11 - Rick and Linda had another cook-out this afternoon -- tacos, burritos, and all the trimmings! Because of Linda's schedule as a park Ranger, we started at about 2 o'clock. It's a good thing, too, because it really gets toooo cooooool later in the afternoon!!

Paulette and Larry.

Jim and Shirley.

Bill was complaining to me that his picture is never in our Blog! Well, here you are, Bill -- twice!! First, Gloria had to put up with his antics!!!

And then Bill is cutting up with Gloria's Bill (we call him Hayden because there is that other Bill!!)

Here is Ken giving Paul our best wishes for his scheduled jaunt to the hospital for heart surgery on Wednesday! Good Luck, Paul!!

Larry was standing up so I asked him to take my picture with Ken. He got the camera backwards!!! A self portrait!

But here is our picture at last!

Our hosts Linda and Rick.

Today is Linda's birthday! I wanted a full picture of her in her pretty new "Birthday Suit". Happy Birthday, Linda!!

Thanks Guys for another great gathering!! YUUUUMMMMM!

WELCOME BACK PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT AT CATALINA SPA

2011-12-11T18:51:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Dec 10 - Today we drove over to watch some of the Welcome Back Pickleball Tournament at Catalina Spa. There were a lot of our friends and acquaintances playing in the various events.

The first people we ran into (pre-arranged) were our long-time friends Marion and Tom! Today Tom was cooking the sirloin burgers and brots!! Marion has consumed all of hers!! Good burgers, Tom!

Because of the way the courts are situated at Catalina, it was next to impossible to take pictures of the action, but I was really negligent because I didn't even take pictures of the teams off the court! We'll have to just send our congratulations to all the participants!!

CHRISTMAS HOUSE IN MENIFEE, CA

2011-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

December 05 - One day while at TT Wilderness Lakes, our neighbor told us about a Christmas House in Menifee, only about a half mile from the campground. He said the decorations were spectacular. Not only that, but beginning on Saturday, the owners, Chris and Mary, were having Open House and inviting visitors to come inside their home.

Ken and I drove over on Monday evening. The outside decorations were beautiful!! Not only the lights on the house -

but in front of the closed-off garage, they had created this beautiful village using miniature lighted houses that Mary had collected over the years. The Blog pictures appear to be paintings, but these are all individual houses! Amazing!!

And even more decorations inside!! (Note: Each venue has a small electric train running around the village, not always visible in the pictures.)

Our hosts invited us to enjoy a seafood chowder, cocktail wieners and mauled wine as we viewed the decorations.

This experience has put us in the Christmas spirit!! MERRY CHRISTMAS Mary and Chris! Thank you!!

PAM BREAKS HER WRIST ON TT PALM SPRINGS COURTS!

2011-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

At the end of November, a couple of days after we had moved from TT Palm Springs to Wilderness Lakes, our friend Pam stepped off the edge of the Pickleball court at TT Palm Springs, took a tumble, and broke her wrist!! Bob took her to Pam and Joe's Orthopedic Surgeon who X-rayed Pam's wrist. It was broken but would not require surgery. He put her right wrist in a cast.

It's a good thing Pam is another lefty!! Here she is ready to play a game of Pickleball!! (Just pretending!!)

Good luck, Pam, for a speedy recovery!

LADDER DAY AT TT PALM SPRINGS

2011-11-25T20:47:00.001-08:00

Nov. 25 - Because of Thursday being Thanksgiving Day, the weekly Ladder Day was played on Friday. The point of Ladder Day is to give players an opportunity to play matches with three other players of similar level to make games more competitive. Players are assigned to a foursome at the beginning of the day based on points scored in previous Ladder Day matches. Each foursome plays three round robin matches during the day, competing with and against each of the other three players. Scores are reported at the end of each match; those scores are added to previous scores; after that, I don't know what happens!!!

We had six pairings today -- twenty-four players!! I didn't take action pictures today (it's hard work!), but here are the six groups!

Rick, Mark, Jan, David.

Paul, Bill, Faye, Lee.

Pam, Bob, Laurie, Neal

Ken, Diane, Bob, Linda

Roger, Nancy, Jack, Ray

Bill, Larry, Dennis, Tom

It was a long, long morning, but it was a fun one!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011

2011-11-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day - Friends Pam and Joe had invited us to Thanksgiving Dinner at their new home, along with several other couples. We had a great time and more than plenty to eat!! We started with drinks, wines and appetisers.

New acquaintance, Alice, brought bottles of Nouveau wine. which she said is available only in November.

I told her I had read an article about the "Day of the Wine" celebrating the release of Beaujolais nouveau wine on the third Thursday of November in Beaujolais, France, and because of the fermentation process should be drunk within six months. I had tried to find the wine but had no success. Alice knew Trader Joe's had "Two Buck Chuck" Nouveau wine released in November and bottled in Napa Valley, CA. We all enjoyed the wine and never noticed is was not from Beaujolais!!

The turkey is ready for carving!!

The guys slaved over the stove preparing the dinner!! Joe, Jeff, Bob, Ken, Pete (real name Anthony)

The ladies enjoyed pie and campaign! Clyde, Alice, Pam, Pam, Faye. (Note the new short, short hairdo!!)

Thank you Pam and Joe for a great Thanksgiving Dinner.

STICKY BUNS WITH CLYDE AND JEFF!

While enjoying the evening at Pam and Joe's, Clyde mentioned she would like to have us all over for her famous Sticky Buns. We decided Sunday morning would be ideal! And again there was more than plenty to eat.

The star of the morning, Clyde's Stick Buns, along with fruit bowls, fried apples, sweet cakes and quiche.

Jeff, Chuck, Joe, Helen, Clyde, Julie.

Pam, Joe, Alice and Pete.

Pam, Bob, Ken, Faye.

Again, everything was wonderful!! When's the next event???

MORE FRIENDS COME TO TT PALM SPRINGS

2011-11-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

Nov. 21 - This morning some new players came over to the Pickleball courts. Unfortunately, they were a few days too late to be in the Saturday tournament!

Pat and Bill. Roger and Linda with whom we had spent the better part of the summer at TT Verde Valley in Arizona.

Welcome guys! Glad you're back.

After pickleball this morning, plans were made to meet for dinner at Del Taco's just down the street. They have a Tuesday special of 3 Tacos and Senior Drink for $1.00!! What a deal!!

Here's the group around the table! Roger, Bill, Matt, Faye, Matt's wife Connie, Bill's wife Dorothy, Roger's wife Linda, Jack's wife Diane, Jack and Ken.

We had just met Matt and Connie and Bill and Dorothy. They are friends of Diane and Jack whom we knew from the East coast!

PALM SPRINGS TOURNAMENT AND HAPPY HOUR!

2011-11-20T20:45:00.001-08:00

Nov. 19 - Today was another day of Pickleball because we had another Saturday Pickleball Tournament at TT Palm Springs. Rick and Shirley divided participants into two divisions -- A and B flights. The format was Round Robin, Luck-Of-The-Draw. A good time was had by everyone who played.

Here is some of the action (names are below the pictures):

Linda sprints to the back court as Ken reaches for an overhead!

Paul and Bob.

Susan and Barb.

Rick and Diane.

Tom and Linda.

Barb and Pam.

Faye with Bob.

Bryan and Jim P.

Ken and Jessie.

Tom and Jack.

Bob P. and Clint.

Jim M. and Tom.

Ken and Rick.

And the winners were!! For the B Flight: Bob P. First Place; Susan Second Place; and Bob S. Third Place.

Winners for A Flight: Tom First Place, Jim P. and Linda tied for Second Place; and Jim M. won Third Place!

Congratulations to the Winners and all participants!!!

A little later in the afternoon, Rick and Linda hosted another Happy Hour at their pad. Rick prepared a turkey and ham for sandwiches and everyone brought a side or dessert. It was delicious and a lot of fun!!

Here is the turkey!! UUMMMMM!

Chef Rick carving the ham and turkey.

Here's Marge and Tom. Later when awards were presented for Tournament play, Tom took the opportunity to thank Dennis and Judy for not playing so he was able to win First Place!!

Carol and Clint.

This is Judy and Bryan.

Shirley and Jim P.

Rick and Linda, our hosts.

Diane and Jack.

Then Diane gets with Paul!!

Anne and Bob P.

Bob S. and Pam.

Barb and Dennis.

Ken and Faye!

During the evening, Jim P. was cutting up with some of the boys!! Ken was snuggling with him behind the hat.

Rick grabbing his leg!!

Thanks Rick and Linda for a great day and even greater Happy Hour!!!

Addendum: Barb had taken a few pictures at the party. Later, when I opened up my e-mail, I had a message from Barb which included this JiberJaber production staring Faye and Ken,Tom and Marge and Dennis.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/MynjIo8jfdGmhUKyHh4C

So funny!!

GRANDSONS MAKE FAMILY PROUD

2011-11-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

We recently got some really neat pictures of our Grandsons!!

My Grandson Thomas (Raleigh, NC) all dressed up for a big formal affair! Sooooo Handsome!!

With hat and shades!! Soooo Cool!!!

Thomas on his horse Domino!! "Tall in the Saddle!" Notice the ribbons on Domino's bridle!! Soooo Neat!!

Ken's Grandson Russell (Chula Vista, CA). First String Varsity on his High School Football Team -- Go Lancers!! Soooo Powerful!!

We love you guys!!!

LAST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE CHUGS THROUGH INDIO, CA

2011-11-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Nov 17 - We read on-line that about 500 people gathered in Indio at the site of the future transit center in anticipation of the arrival of Locomotive No. 844, the last steam engine built for Union Pacific. The "Living Legend" was recently renovated and this was her maiden tour from Wyoming, through New Mexico, Arizona, stops in California, up to Las Vegas and Utah before, heading back to Wyoming.

Pickleball friend Roy and his wife Sandy mentioned they were going to go to see the last steam locomotive as it passed by. We asked if we could join them. And we were off on an adventure to see a piece of history. It seemed like a good idea!

We stopped at a small shopping strip across the highway from the train track, and started waiting for Old No. 844 to pass by. And we waited; and we waited.

Ken and I finally crossed to the median of the highway to be a little closer to get better pictures when the engine passed. And we waited some more!

We crossed back over the highway and waited a little longer. Finally, Sandy got excited -- "Here it comes!!" I jumped up, grabbed the camera and took my pictures!

The first one between the trees and the traffic, but you can see the steam rising!

The second behind a car and SUV, but you can see the Engineer at the window and another RR worker standing at the stairwell!!

My third picture - No. 844 had passed and Roy was in the foreground!!

Fortunately, Roy got a really good one!!

It was really nostalgic to see that old Steam Locomotive go by! Just took a little longer than we anticipated. We learned later that the train was an hour late getting to Indio, causing our long wait!

Thanks Roy and Sandy for including us!

TWO WEEKS OF FUN AT TT WILDERNESS LAKES!!

2011-11-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

Nov. 16 - We have been a TT Wilderness Lakes for two weeks. It has been fun playing Pickleball every morning. The other day, we only had eight players, four couples!

Here are the girls: Pam, Pam, Julie and Faye.

And here are the guys: Chuck, Ken, Walt and Bob.

Walt and Pam are relatively new Pickleball players; just started at TT Palm Springs a couple of weeks ago. One day Walt mentioned that he and Pam enjoyed preparing Jambalaya. Did we ever have pot-lucks?? Do we ever??!! That is all we needed. A pot-luck dinner was planned immediately with everybody bringing something to serve with the Jambalaya.

Here we are enjoying dinner: Around the table: Pam, Bob, Ken, Nancy, Julie, Chuck, Mike, Faye, Pam, and Walt.

Looking the other direction.

The Jambalaya dinner was so successful, this is all that was left!!

Pam and Walt will fit right in with the Pickleball crowd!! Play Pickleball and eat!!!

Thanks guys!!

MORE VISITS TO THE DERMATOLOGIST!!

2011-11-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

Our Dermatologist, Dr. Leslie Radentz had this warning in her Comment on our Blog in October:

Skin cancer is the most dangerous Cancer under the sun! You can still have fun and practice Safe Sun! Wear sun protection and avoid the mid-day sun.

It was very hard to include these unflattering pictures on our Blog (don't we look ancient), but I decided that the message from Dr. Leslie was important enough to share.

Actually, we were both very fortunate; our skin pre-cancer cells and Squamous Cell cancer

were found early and easily treated by our Dermatologist.

I, myself, had a skin examination and several pre-cancer cells treated by Dr. Radentz back on October 12, and then I had a Squamous Cell cancer removed on October 17 (previously reported on this Blog.)

After my experience, we decided that it would be a good idea for Ken to have a skin examination as a precaution too, and on November 8 he visited Dr. Radentz. She treated some pre-cancer cells and in one instance she did a biopsy. Fortunately, the result of the biopsy was benign.

On November 14, I had two more Squamous Cells removed -- one from my right thumb and the other from my temple!! Tissue evaluations showed the margins were clear. All evidence of the cancer had been removed. Thank God for that!

We hope you learn from our experience: Practice Safe Sun, Wear Strong Sun Protection, and have periodic skin examinations!

HONORING OUR VETERANS

2011-11-11T20:46:00.001-08:00

Veteran's Day is this Friday!! A day to pay tribute to our Veterans past and present. Many of the restaurants in the area honor the Veterans by offering a free appetizer, dessert, or even a free meal.

All week Outback Steakhouse was offering Free Blooming Onions to Veterans. On Tuesday afternoon we sinned again by having the Blooming Onion but instead of ordering dinners, we decided to have the Seared Ahi Tuna appetizer. It was divine!! Thank you Outback for that treat!

On Veteran's Day, 11/11/11, Ken decided to go to TGI Friday's again this year to enjoy the buy-one-get-one-free dinner -- a repeat of Veterans Day 2010. Again we chose the Iron Steak, prepared to perfection!! Thank you TGIF for this honor!

Here I am saluting my Veteran!!

MEETING UP WITH PICKLEBALL PLAYERS AGAIN AT TT WILDERNESS LAKES

2011-11-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

We are back at TT Wilderness Lakes for a couple of weeks. On the Pickleball courts we ran into some new friends we had met in the spring at TT Verde Valley -- members of the 10-Pack, or 8-Pack, or 6-Pack, depending on how many of the group are present at that particular stop! They have been playing a lot during the summer and it shows in their game!

Some other good friends were at Wilderness Lakes, too, as well as a couple of new players. We have so much fun playing every morning.

We got together for "Drinks and Nibbles" one afternoon. It was fun sitting around learning all the scuttlebutt about our fellow players!! HA HA.

Here's the group: Front row: Paul, Clyde, Sue, Jeannie, Pam, Bob.

Second Row: Faye and Ken; Sue's husband Jack; Clyde's husband Jeff; Jeannie's husband Don.

MARK AND CHRIS' PHAETON PLACE BLOG HAS MOVED

2011-11-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have followed Mark and Chris' Phaeton Place Blog from the blogs listed in the right margin of our Highway Runner Blog. If s0, you have noticed the list indicates that there have been no postings for months!! WHAT HAPPENED!

I recently contacted Mark and found out they have moved their blog to Wordpress: www.phaetonplace.ca.

I am going to delete their Blog from my list of Blogs so you may wish to Bookmark the above site for future use.

PICKLEBALL HAPPY HOUR AT RICK AND LINDA'S

2011-11-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

Sat. Oct. 29 - Rick and Linda invited us to Happy Hour at their patio on Saturday, following the Pickleball tournament. They had prepared Rick's hot and tasty Chili and the rest of us brought nibbles to share.

Rick and Linda.

I couldn't resist!! I caught Rick with his two "brothers"!!

Jim and Shirley.

Pam and Bob.

The odd couple -- Larry and Lynn.

Ken and Faye.

Another Pam and Walt. They had their first Pickleball lesson today.

A great time was had by all. Thanks Rick and Linda!!

ANOTHER PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT AT TT PALM SPRINGS!

2011-11-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sat, Oct. 29 - Every Saturday morning, Rick runs a Pickleball Tournament at TT Palm Springs. There were more participants for the tournament today, so two brackets were set up -- A Bracket for aggressive players and B Bracket for recreational players. Here is some of the action!!

Ken and Bob.

Dean and Linda.

Faye and Pam.

Dee and Larry.

Ken and I got to play together in one match. He made me a winner!!

Pam and Bob were partners for one match, too.

Rich and Rick. Rick ran the tournament and played as well.

Rich surprised me for this shot when he jumped from behind a palm tree!!

Ray and Val.

Bill (from our home town Richmond, VA) and Dean. The two of them are partners in Nationals in Buckeye, AZ in November!!

Jim and Bryan.

Lynn and Richard.

Bill and Jessie.

Judy and Rick.

Shirley helped Rick run the tournament and kept up with the scores.

Congratulations to the winners of the B Bracket!! Ken, Ray, Pam.

Congratulations to the winners of the A Bracket!! Rich, Jim, and Bill.

And Congratulations to all the participants!! Great fun was had by all!!!

TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS AGAIN: PAM AND JOE, PAM AND BOB

2011-11-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wed. Oct 26 - Back at TT Palm Springs again for a couple of weeks --the first time we have been here since last April. It was fun to meet up with our friends Pam and Bob again, down from Washington. Other friends, Pam and Joe, who bought a beautiful home in Indio last fall, came over, unexpectedly, on Wednesday afternoon and we all had an impromptu Happy Hour!! Our first get-together as a group! FUN!!

Pam, Bob, Pam, Joe, Faye and Ken.

At the first Happy Hour, another was planned!! Pam and Joe invited the group over to their home for margaritas with munchies on Friday afternoon!!

Here we are again in front of their home in Indio. Joe, Pam, Ken, Pam, Bob, Faye

This is their home!! In the spring they changed the grass lawn to desert landscaping.

By comparison, here is the landscaping last April shortly after they moved in!!

At the Margarita party, Bob happened to ask where to get a really good hamburger in the area. Joe said the Elephant Bar had great hamburgers at their Happy Hour!! Thus, the next Happy Hour was planned. We chose Tuesday at 4:30 because Ken and I were leaving on Wednesday morning to go back to Wilderness Lakes and Pam and Bob were joining us there on Thursday morning. But, most important, Joe was having knee replacement surgery on Wednesday morning!! And so, our first Happy Hour this season at the Elephant Bar!!!

Joe, Pam, Pam, Bob, Faye and Ken.

GOOD LUCK WITH THE SURGERY, JOE!!

HOW FAST IS YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION?

2011-11-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

An easy way to check the speed of your internet connection!!

Go to www.2wire.com, click on Speed Test. The following screen will appear, showing a speed graph of Mpbs. The speed of your internet connection will be highlighted and shown in the top left box (i.e. My Verizon Mobile Hotspot was 1.6 Mpbs -- not very fast!!)

WATER VOLLEYBALL IS A FUN TIME IN THE POOLS

2011-10-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people playing Water Volleyball at TT Palm Springs these days!! And, it is getting to be quite competitive!! November 10 - 12, 2011, Catalina Spa, a neighboring RV Campground, is hosting their 5th Annual Water Volleyball Tournament.

The event will be for Competitive Teams, with 8 players each, as well as Recreational Teams of 12 players. Teams will be organized in advance of the tournament. VB players at TT Palm Springs are getting ready for the big event!!

Ken and I do not participate in the Water Volleyball but it looks like so much fun!! Here is a group that played on Sunday. There are a number of Pickleball players who play Water Volleyball as well. I'll try to point them out. (Names are listed below the picture.)

(The Pickleball Players in the group, from far Left to Right): Linda; Nancy in white tee with up-stretched arms; Rob with back to the camera, reaching high for the ball; (don't know the next two men); Lee with outstretched arms; Richard near the rope with navy and red hat, and Mike with white tee and hat.

Lee has been instrumental in recruiting VB players at both TT Palm Springs and TT Wilderness Lakes. She said she already has her Competitive Team ready to enter the Catalina Spa Tournament. Good Luck, Friend!

More pictures of the fun:

SATURDAY PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT AT TT PALM SPRINGS

2011-10-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sat Oct. 22 - As reported in a previous article, we checked into TT Palm Springs on Wednesday, October 19. We have not been here since early Spring!! We were delighted to discover that Rick is having the Saturday morning Pickleball tournaments again this season. The tournament today was Round Robin Luck-Of-The-Draw, in which everyone draws a card and is assigned the number of the card drawn. Then according to a set format, players' numbers are put with other players, changing for each match. We still enjoy participating in the Saturday Tournaments!!

Pictures of some of the action. Hope I included everyone.

Linda and Rob.

Judy and Mike.

Bob and Ken.

Nancy and Brian.

Richard and Larry.

Judy and Brian.

Linda and Pam.

Lynn and Faye.

And, the Winners! First Place, Judy. Third Place, Brian. Rick who ran the tournament. Second Place, Linda.

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who participated. Thank you,Rick. It was a lot of fun!! Look forward to next Saturday!!

PICKLEBALL AT TT WILDERNESS LAKES AND TT PALM SPRINGS!!

2011-10-20T18:34:00.000-07:00

Oct. 20 - We have spent two weeks at TT Wilderness Lakes, located off I-215 between Los Angeles and San Diego. We left there on Wednesday morning for two weeks at TT Palm Springs. The picture below is the group of Pickleball players who were there in the morning as we were leaving!! A whole group of great players came in yesterday!! Just as we were leaving!! Oh, Great!!

From left to right: Rich, Dee, Dean, Val, Bill, Bob, Phyllis, Ron, Ede, Jessie, Ray.

Have a lot of fun you guys!!!

Now we are at TT Palm Springs, off I-10 east of Los Angeles, about 65 miles from TT Wilderness Lakes. We arrived Wednesday afternoon, got set up, went to Costco and Home Depot, got our flu shots and pneumonia shots at Walgreens, then went to the $2 movie (saw "The Devil's Double"), picked up a pizza on our way home, and collapsed!!

It's early in the season here, nevertheless they have a number of Pickleball players here already!! Captured these guys on the courts this morning!

Left to right: Ranger Linda, Rick who runs the Pickleball program, two new players Nancy and Mike, Roy, Ken, Ranger Larry, Richard, Lee who inspires the Water Volleyball program, and long-time friend Cowboy Paul!

Later this afternoon friends Pam and Bob arrived at the park. We had not seen them since last spring so decided to have an impromptu get-together with them and a few others!!

Seated: Faye, Ken, Pam, Bob. Standing: Brian, Judy, and John. Great fun!!

It's great to be back!!

IN REMEMBRANCE OF OUR FRIEND JOHN DAVIS

2011-10-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

October 18 - Many of you know our good friends Carolyn, an excellent Pickleball Player, and her always supportive husband John.

This morning we received the very sad news that John died suddenly last night while sitting in his favorite chair, after talking on the cell phone to their daughter.

John and Carolyn had just been here with us at Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes. We had enjoyed Pickleball with Carolyn in the mornings and John drove over to the courts every day to say Hello to the group.

They had just left Wilderness Lakes a few days ago and were camping in their motor home in the middle of the desert at Quartzite, AZ, an area of the West that John loved, when he died. We were very relieved to learn that Carolyn is currently staying with their friends Rich and Lynn in Yuma, just south of Quartzite.

For your information, Carolyn's address is 154 Bandit Lane, Bailey, CO 80421.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Carolyn at this very sad time. We will miss you, John.

SKIN CANCER DOCTORS RADENTZ TIMES TWO!!

2011-10-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Oct. 17 - If this were not so serious, it could be pretty funny!!

Before leaving Arizona, I had seen a dermatologist and had three biopsies performed on areas on my face and on my right thumb. The result of the biopsies showed I did indeed have some skin cancer and needed additional procedures. By the time we got the biopsy results, we had left Arizona and were in California at TT Wilderness Lake. Our Pickleball friend, Jim who had lived in this area for years, recommended his dermatologist in nearby Murrieta. He said it was a husband and wife team. Jim's wife Shirley went to Doctor Leslie, and Jim went to Doctor Bill. I called and was able to get an appointment with Doctor Leslie the following week!

I told Jim I was going in on Wednesday afternoon to determine how the doctor would proceed. Jim said he had an appointment that same afternoon. Later, I told Jim I was going in on Monday afternoon for a procedure Doctor Leslie said was called Mohs Micrographic Surgery. Jim said he was going to see Doctor William that same afternoon!!!

On Monday afternoon, my surgery was complete and I was having the dressing applied when I heard, "Hey, Faye!!" from the hallway. Jim had just arrived for his surgery across the hall. "Hey, Jim. Good luck!"

I asked Doctor Leslie if it would be possible to get a picture of this most unusual happening! Two friends visiting two doctors at the same time. The doctors were wonderful and agreed to my request!

Picture: Doctor Bill, Jim showing the area on his hand pending surgery, Doctor Leslie, and me showing my nasal surgery.

Doctor Leslie told me she had excised sections of skin surrounding my skin cancer and tissue evaluation showed the margins were clear. All evidence of the cancer had been removed. I have two more surgeries to go.

May I take this opportunity to encourage everyone to have a skin check-up with their dermatologist!! Skin Cancer is Serious!!

TWO BIG CELEBRATIONS IN OCTOBER!

2011-10-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I crawled and clawed my way up that huge hill for years and I just rolled over the other side on Sunday, October 2nd!! Yes. I am officially OVER THE HILL!! 75 years old!!

We were staying up in the San Bernardino Mountains, miles away from anything, so we decided to celebrate my big day later in the week. But, we did spend the day eating!!!

First, Ken treated me to a really nice birthday breakfast omelet! Ummmm!

For lunch we had one of our favorites - chopped tomatoes and mixed olives with basil and Feta cheese grilled on tortilla (or pita bread)! Ummmm!

And, for dinner it was Ken's special Shrimp and Crab Fettuccine!! Ummmm! A very tasty birthday!!

Later in the week we moved to the Elk's Lodge in Buena Park, Ca, because we needed to have our Hughes Autoformer repaired. Hughes Autoformer is located in Anaheim, CA, about 15 miles from the Elk's Lodge.

While we were waiting for the repairs, we decided to go to Marie Callender's to celebrate my birthday!

We noticed the cake and pie display as we entered the restaurant!! It looked so sinful!!

Ken ordered a Pecan Pie to go!!

We stopped back by Hughes Autoformer and picked up our repaired unit! Only $175!! What a deal!!

The Elk's Lodge is also located only 30 miles south of Culver City where Ken's Granddaughter Niki lives and works. Fortunately, Niki was able to meet us for dinner at Rush's Cafe on Tuesday evening. Niki has been working 12-16 hours a day at a Zoic Studios that creates movies and TV programs. Currently, she is working on the new TV series, Pan Am. Later, she will be involved with True Blood coming on Showtime. Way to go, Niki!!

Our October celebrations are not over!! Tuesday, October 11, was our Anniversary!! Our 32nd Anniversary!! We decided to go to Outback Steakhouse in Temecula. We both knew it was too much, but we started with their famous Blooming Onion!! Only about 2000 calories!! But oh so good!!!

After our Steak dinner, our waiter Branden surprised us when he brought a complimentary Anniversary dessert!! It looked like a volcano! Ice cream topped with whipped cream with hot fudge sauce and Oreo cookie crumbles! Ummmm!! Delicious!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us!!

BACK AT TT WILDERNESS LAKES, CALIFORNIA

2011-10-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

We arrived at TT Wilderness Lakes, California, on October 5th. Soon after that we were on the Pickleball Courts ready to play. It's a little early in the season, so there are only a few of us, but we had enough for a foursome with one or two sitting out.

Here are Ken, Jessie, Jim and Ede who lives nearby.

And another foursome: Al who is a Ranger here, Carolyn, Faye and Jim.

It is great to play with these players again!

The courts have been redone and now we have four courts, painted across the tennis court. Al was instrumental in getting that work done. Thanks, Al!!

I have been getting up about 5:40 AM to exercise a little before Ken gets up. If I don't do it early, I just don't get it done. At this time of year it's a little too cold and dark to walk outside that early in the morning, especially since they have a great Fitness Center here at Wilderness. I have been walking on the treadmill and a little light weights every morning while Ken snoozes!

Our plants have been growing all Summer. We all know that Ken has a "green thumb" but this is ridiculous!!

(Left to right) Periwinkle, Mint (almost hidden from view behind the Periwinkle), Basil, and Purple Shamrock!!

GRANDSON RUSSELL'S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME

2011-10-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

Friday, Oct. 7 - Ken's Grandson Russell attends Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, CA. And, he plays defense on the Varsity Football Team!! We wanted to watch him play; so we drove down on Friday afternoon to go to the game!!

Russell was great!! He played the entire game -- every time the defense was on the field!! His number 67 and name were announced a number of times as being the defensive player involved in the tackle!! We were so proud!!

On one particular play, on Fourth Down for the opposing team, as the punter kicked the ball, Number 67 was there and blocked the kick; then Russell charged down the field and fell on the loose ball, less than 10 yards from the Lancer's goal line!! Yeah Russell!! What a play!!

Here Russell receiving instructions from his Godfather!!

A family picture with the hero!! Jacob, Emily, Faye, Russell, Rich, and Ken.

Congratulations Russell on a great game!! That was a lot of fun!!!

DETOUR THROUGH OATMAN, AZ

2011-09-27T21:01:00.002-07:00

When we left the Hoover Dam, we decided to take a different route back, so we took Route 93 south to Kingman, AZ. From there we took Historic Route 66 through Oatman, an old mining town.

Route 66 was a narrow winding road, with many hair-pin turns so several times it seemed we met ourselves on some of the turns! Scenery along the way.

A sign about the mines seen just outside of Oatman. The sign reads: There are five active Federal Mining Claims in this area on both sides of the road. Due to changes in the mining laws everyone needs to get a permit to be on the claims. To get a permit see Don at 9044 Oatman Road.

Driving into Oatman.

Below: A sign on the outskirts of town: Oatman was founded about 1906, By 1931, the area’s mines had produced over 1.8 Million ounces of gold. By the mid-1930s, the boom was over and in 1942 the last remaining mines were closed as nonessential to the war effort.

Burros first came to Oatman with early day prospectors. The animals were used for hauling water and supplies. As the mines closed and people moved away, the burros were released into the surrounding hills.

Wild burros are protected by Federal Law from capture, injury or harassment. Help protect these living symbols of the Old West.

We drove past the Historic Oatman Hotel (below). The Oatman Hotel is said to be haunted with the ghosts of Clark Gable and Carol Lombard who were married in nearby Kingman in March 1939 and spent their wedding night at the Hotel. They enjoyed their stay so much they returned several times. It is said they have so many fine memories of the old hotel that they refuse to leave.

Wild burros roam the town, going in and out of the shops at will!

Or welcoming drivers as they drive through town!

REPEAT VISIT TO THE HOOVER DAM, BOULDER CITY, NV

2011-09-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Sept 26 - We drove from Verde Valley to Bullhead City, AZ/Laughlin, NV yesterday. We will stay here for four nights.

Today we decided to drive up to see the Hoover Dam again. We had been there in April 2001, but we heard there was a huge new bridge across the Colorado River and we thought that would be worth a 85 mile drive.

This is funny. When I told my daughter Stasia that we were going to the Hoover Dam she said she had just found a picture of us taken at the Hoover Dam! I wonder if her picture was anything like this one!! HA HA!

Close up!!

View of the new bridge that we came to see!! Picture taken from top of the Dam.

This is a picture of the Dam. No water flows over The Hoover Dam.

Water flows through releases at the bottom of the dam, allowing the Colorado River to continue its southwesterly journey through Arizona, Nevada and California. They have a saying: Food Grows Where Water Flows!

We didn't take the tour this time so I don't remember what these two towers contain. Water backed up by the dam forms Lake Meade.

The Hoover Dam was built in two states. The Eastern end of the dam is in Arizona!

The Western end of the dam is in Nevada!

When we left the Hoover Dam, we drove across the new Hoover Memorial Bridge. Unfortunately, the walls were so high we could not see anything below.

On our drive south on SR 93, heading toward Kingman, I told Ken that Arizona has so many beautiful places -- The Painted Desert, The Grand Canyon, Sedona, etc. -- but God must have forgotten this whole area when he made Arizona! This is the ugliest place we have ever seen!!

On our way south we passed the cut-off to the Sky Walk, the Indian tourist attraction where you walk out over the Grand Canyon on glass flooring! I would have loved to detour, but it would have added 80 miles to our trip. Maybe next time!!

SIDE TRIP TO PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ

2011-09-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sept. 23 - Today is our last day in Verde Valley and we decided to take a side trip to Prescott Valley, about 40 miles South, just over Mingus Mountain. Ken wanted to get a few things at Costco and I wanted to check on having a prescription filled there. (Note: I am just about to go into my GAP under my Humana M/C Drug Plan so did not want to have the prescription filled under the Plan!!) We planned that after doing our chores, we could have early dinner at the China Buffet!! Yeah!!

It was a beautiful drive. Here's a view from the first pull-out, looking down into the Valley!!

We remembered that years ago when we took this route to Prescott, we would always see the wild Pronghorns in the meadows. They did not disappoint us this time either!! They were here to greet us!!

We had a successful trip and finished up at China Buffet at about 3:15 PM -- not a minute too soon since their prices change to dinner price at 3:30 PM!!! It was as delicious, as we remembered from five years ago!!

Here are my appetizers!!! We love Sushi!! One thing I like about this establishment -- they don't place a Tip Jar at the Sushi Bar!!! I have to say, while the Hot and Sour was very good, I like Ming Garden's soup better.

Ken has enjoyed his appetizers and has moved on to the entree!!!

We both ate too much, of course, but this was a great way to end our extended on stay in the Verde Valley!! We highly recommend the China Buffet, above the Costco parking lot in Prescott Valley.

Tomorrow we will head to Bullhead City, AZ for a few days and then on to Southern California!! While we love this area, we will be glad to get the wheels rolling again!!

LIFE AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, VERDE VALLEY

2011-09-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Another two weeks had passed at TT Verde Valley and we had to leave the park on September 20 for a week. We were ready to leave the area at last, but I still had a couple of follow-up appointments and could not leave. Just outside the Thousand Trails gate there is an area of BLM land where free dry camping is allowed. So, we decided to stay at the top of the hill for a few days.

It really is beautiful up there, and so quiet. This is where we chose to camp. In the picture it looks like we are in the middle of a dirt road but we're not. It's a cleared area for camping.

The view from the passenger side.

From the Driver's side.

And the view out of our front window!

The first day we took a drive from our campground down a dirt road to the Verde River. Some of the scenery!

This ranch belongs to Ken's first heart doctor out here, Dr. Futral. Ken had his first heart attack out here in Jerome in 1999. Dr. Futral was on call in the Emergency Room. He was a graduate of UVA and he was great. Ken saw him for years after that. He has now retired. Too bad.

This is the only glimps of the River that we saw during our drive.

A closer view!

Every morning, the hot-air balloons would pass over our site!!

This is a different balloon on a different day!

The same balloon on another day in the process of lifting off!

But in a few minutes, it was clear it was not going anywhere!!

And now, deflated!! Ken said he saw it lift off again a little later!

Our time at the top of the hill was very enjoyable. Tomorrow morning we will leave Verde Valley for awhile. It has been a great visit!

On Friday we decided to drive over Mingus Mountain to Prescott Valley

IT'S OKTOBERFEST AT TT VERDE VALLEY (FOR A WHILE)

2011-09-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Sept. 21 - While Ken and I were having Gyros with Anja and Ken (earlier posting), I happened to mention that I loved Oktoberfest and wanted to celebrate every year!! Wished we could celebrate with them (she a real German), but, unfortunately, we would not be at Verde Valley in October. It was then I learned that Oktoberfest actually begins in mid-September, sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. OK!! Let's do it!! Let's have an Oktoberfest!

Plans were made! I contacted the other Pickleball players and set up Wednesday afternoon as the date for our Oktoberfest!!

Since we had moved to the BLM land outside the gate, and Ken and Anja had such a nice big, grassy site, we decided to have the party at their site. We brought the Johnsonville Brats and Kaiser Rolls, plates and utensils.

Ken took over and grilled the Brats! They were perfect!!

Here are Anja and Ken. Anja prepared Cheese Spaetzle and Apple Crumb Cake. Anja said she would have put raisins in with the apples, but she remembered my Ken had said he did not like raisins! After that, everyone teased Ken unmercifully that he had ruined the cake because it did not have raisins!! That was funny!! Thank you so much, Guys, for providing a place and your expertise for our Oktoberfest!!

Tom and Marge, brought the Bavarian Chocolate Cake! UMMM

Cheryl and Bruce came over from Camp Verde to join us. They brought German Cole Slaw that was delicious on the Brats or off!!

Oland gets Hi-Five from Ken's dog Crash before a reward of peanuts (for Crash, that is - HA HA)! Oland brought the Fried Cabbage. The plan was to mix it with Anja's Spaetzle in a casserole topped with cheese, but her Ken said he didn't like it that way! Both were delicious even though they were not mixed together!

Ken gets his Hi-Five from Crash, too! Papa Ken looks on.

Ken and I celebrating Oktoberfest 2011 with our German beer!!

My plate piled with the eats -- Brats on Kaiser roll, German Cole Slaw, Fried Cabbage, Cheese Spaetzle -- German Beer on the side. UUMMMMM!!

Then the gang crowded around the desserts!

Bavarian Chocolate Cake, Ken's thumb stuck in the Bavarian Chocolate, Whipped Cream, Apple Crumb Cake (without the raisins)!!

Thanks to all of you for helping us celebrate Oktoberfest!! Everything was Wunderbar!!

MORE PICKLEBALL (CONTINUED)

2011-09-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

One afternoon after Pickleball, Ken and Anja (who had the site across from us), invited us over for an impromptu German dinner. She had prepared specially seasoned chopped chicken breast that we stuffed into wheat Pita Bread with sliced tomatoes, shredded cabbage and garnished with seasoned soar cream. Rice was served on the side. It was delicious. I asked Anja what the dish was called and she told me but I could not understand her German accent. I asked her to spell it. "GYRO". Oh, I pronounced it JI-Row!! (Which may be what she had said - HA HA)

Thank you so much Anja and Ken!! That was great!!

At last, Pickleball players have started arriving!! Just as we are about to finally leave the area!! One morning we were surprised to find our friend Tom at the courts. And the next day Oland arrived!! This is so much fun!!! We now have enough players to play again!!

Ken and Oland playing against -

Ken and Tom!! They had so much fun!!

An then, later on, three new players arrived!! Gary and Carl had met up in Washington.

And this little guy met us at the courts one morning!! Welcome, Mr. Tarantula!

Life is grand at Verde Valley!!

MORE PICKLEBALL AT TT VERDE VALLEY, AZ

2011-09-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sept 12 - We are still having fun playing Pickleball in the mornings. Players come and players go, but there are a few of us here!

Here Ken has been playing with Ray, Lynda, and Bruce. After Pickleball, Lynda and Ray have been joining me at the pool for some water aerobics.

Keith and Ken.

Bruce and Ken.

On Sunday afternoon the Pickleball players got together for Happy Hour at our site.

Anja and Ken.

Roberta and Keith.

Bruce and Cheryl.

Ray and Lynda.

Ken and Faye.

Lots of goodies! Lots of conversation! Lots of fun!

BON VOYAGE MARY AND KEN

2011-09-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Friday - Sept. 02 - We have been playing Pickleball with Mary and Ken (from England) every morning for a couple of weeks. Sadly, they are leaving TT Verde Valley tomorrow to go to a campground in Mesa for a few nights. They will leave their motor home in storage and will fly out of Phoenix on Tuesday morning to go back home to England for a few months. We suggested that they could see Jim and Jane who live in the same area of England. But, alas, they will be out of town for an extended time.

Bruce and Cheryl came into the campground a few days ago and Bruce has been joining us for Pickleball in the mornings.

We all decided to fet together for a farewell dinner for Mary and Ken at George's Cafe in Cottonwood. Have a great trip, Mary and Ken!! See you at Palm Springs!

Couples from front to back across from each other: Ken, Mary, Bruce, Cheryl, Ken and Faye.

Most of us ordered the All You Can Eat Beer Battered Fish, but Ken had the Liver and Onions -- two thin cuts of liver about the size of two paper plates covered with loads of onions. It looked so good. And it must have been excellent because Ken and I noticed that Ken had cleaned every bite off his plate.

In fact, it looked so good that Ken and I went back to George's over the weekend and had their Liver and Onions!! UUmmmmmmmm!!

OUR SUMMER CONTINUES AT TT VERDE VALLEY

2011-08-26T16:49:00.001-07:00

Well, as you know we have spent the entire summer (since mid-April) in and out of TT Verde Valley. We have been tied up with medical appointments and RV repairs of various kinds. Our friends, Roger and Linda, were here long term as well while they waited for repairs to their motor home. The four of us played Pickleball almost every morning, went out to dinner a few times, took the drive to Schnebly Hill to watch the sunset, etc. They helped make our summer here at Verde Valley a lot more fun!!

Another couple of friends from England, Mary and her husband Ken, arrived about a week ago and have joined our Pickleball foursome! It's been a lot of fun!! Mary and Ken will be here a while longer. We are really glad about that!!

Roger and Linda's motor home is now repaired and they left this morning, heading for Las Vegas and points West!! We will surely miss them!! Last night (Thursday) we all decided to go out to Murphy's Grill for a farewell dinner for them! Here's our group around the table. Mary, Ken, Roger, Ken, Faye, and Linda.

We all agreed the food was great. You may wonder what I have in front of me. Tonight's Appetizer Special was $1 Sliders, so I ordered four for dinner. Never had a Slider before. They were delicious however I only ate two!! Center front is Linda's plate of Fish Tacos and sweet potato fries. My Ken and Mary each had the Reuben Sandwich. Roger got the Fettucini Alfredo. But we all decided the best buy of the night was the other Ken's Top Sirloin with all the trimmings!!

Anyway. We wish Happy Travels to Roger and Linda! See you down the road!!

This morning, as Roger and Linda hit the road, Ken and Mary joined Ken and me for four vigorous games of Pickleball!!

In the mornings, after Pickleball, Ken, Mary and I go to the pool for water aerobics. The pool is really refreshing after such strenuous games!! Another couple, Mike and Donna, have been joining us for water aerobics each morning, too.

SUNSET AT SCHNEBLY HILL VISTA, SEDONA, AZ

2011-08-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Aug 06 - Saturday late afternoon during Happy Hour with Linda and Roger, Ken and I pointed out that it appeared to be one of the few evenings that the Monsoon rains were not coming in -- it looked like promise of a clear evening. Would they like to take a ride to Schnebly Hill to watch the sunset. So we all grabbed a bottle of wine, piled into Roger's Hummer and headed for the Hill. We directed them North on I-17 to Schnebly Road and took the winding dirt road over to the Vista.

There were a number of other people there to watch the sunset, too -- Yellow Jeep Tours, Pink Jeep Tours, etc. Here we are just before the sunset.

Beautiful! Breathtaking!!

The scenic Red Rocks on the drive down off the Hill.

A fun evening that ended at Denny's for Coffee and Pie!

A NEW INVERTER FOR HIGHWAY RUNNER

2011-08-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

Friday, Aug 05 - Today we took an impromptu drive to Phoenix. A couple of days ago we discovered our Inverter was out of whack! Ken was able to find a rebuilt one at Tekris in Phoenix (Gilbert), AZ. It was the only one they had so we had to make our move quickly. Jumped in the car and took off.

Turns out Tekris is a small company, named for the owner, Chris -- Tech and Chris -- TEKRIS. Every time we called the company Chris answered promptly. Sometime I would press 1 for Customer Service, sometimes 2 for Technical Service, sometimes 6 for Administration. Chris always answered. Turned out he was actually located in New Jersey and Robert was the representative in Phoenix.

Ken and Robert put the Inverter in the car.

A few days later Paul (Paul's RV) installed the Inverter. All is well -- with the Inverter, at least!

STILL FUN AT TT VERDE VALLEY, AZ

2011-08-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

With one thing and another -- medical appointments and RV repair appointments, we are still hanging around at TT Verde Valley. It's a good thing we love this area, since we have had to stay for so long -- since the middle of April.

Pickleball friends, Roger and Linda, are still here, too. Their RV blew a rod, or something like that, and it's taking a couple of months to complete the repairs. They are renting a trailer at TT. So glad they are here!! We have enjoyed the competition on the Pickleball courts every morning!

Roger, Faye, Linda and Ken!

After Pickleball, I would head to the pool for some Billie Jo water aerobics. One morning I met Tina who has now been joining me every morning! Tina just happens to be the Arizona State TOPS Queen 2010!! I was thrilled to meet such a celebrity!! Tina told me that in 2010 she had weighed over 300 pounds. With help from TOPS, and proper diet and life style changes, she was able to lose 135 pounds!! Thus winning the title of Queen!! Amazing!! Congratulations Tina!!

Tina (in front) and another water aerobics participant.

While talking with Tina, her husband Ron joined us at the pool. Turns out Ron plays Pickleball!! He has been joining us at the Pickleball courts in the mornings!!

Roger, Ken, Ron.

We are certainly glad there are still a few RVers still at TT Verde Valley that we can play around with!!

NATURE AT OUR SITE AT TT VERDE VALLEY

2011-07-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Jul 05-19 - We are back at TT Verde Valley for two more weeks. This time we chose site A39. We're at the end of the road, so there are no neighbors on our patio side. Sitting on our patio (which we don't do very often because it's too hot), or looking out of our window, there is beauty everywhere.

These beautiful flowering trees provide morning shade. There are four on the perimeter of our site -- three white and this one pink.

And the birds love to sit in the trees. Here is our finch feeder. We have seen as many as nine finch on this one feeder at the same time.

Hummingbirds love the hummingbird feeder; and we love the hummingbirds. They are fluttering around here all day long, just outside our window.

And our beautiful garden!! Ken planted some summer Vinca and other beautiful flowers. Of course, there is our Purple Shamrock, and a pot of basil for salads and cooking, and some mint for Mint Juleps whenever the horse races are on TV!!

A better view of the basil plant!! How it has grown!

It will really be hard to leave this site on Tuesday for our "week out"!!

JAVELINA REEK HAVOC AT TT VERDE VALLEY!!

2011-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

We NEVER get to see the Javelina here at TT Verde Valley. We know they are here, but do you think we'd ever see one?? NO!!!

Well, this poor guy, a Thousand Trails member, had his trailer parked out on the free BLM Land outside the TT Verde Valley gate. Seems his wife had been in the hospital in Cottonwood for about a month, suffering with cancer. He, himself, was not in the best of health either.

The other day when he returned to his trailer, there was a ticket on the windshield. He had gone over the 14-Day limit for free parking on government land.

That evening he was moving the trailer to the Thousand Trails park for storage. Driving down the dark curvy road, a herd of JAVELINA darted out right in front of his truck. He swerved to avoid hitting one of them. His trailer jack-knifed into the ditch and turned onto it's side, causing the axle on the truck to break!! What a disaster!!

The next morning, Ken was on his way to town and saw the truck and trailer still overturned in the ditch. He talked with the ranger and learned the above story of the gentleman's bad luck.

Later in the afternoon Ken took me up to see for myself. We happened to arrive as a large flatbed trailer was across the road; workers were attempting to raise the trailer with a large crane and load it onto the flatbed.

And we never see the Javelina!!

VCU RAMS WIN ESPY AWARD!!

2011-07-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is so Amazing!!!

On Wednesday this past week, the VCU Men's College Basketball Team won the ESPY Award for Best Upset due to their impressive run in the 2011 NCAA College Basketball Tournament!! VCU, seeded No. 11 capped a string of upsets by beating top seeded Kansas and went to the Final Four!

Back in March, I had posted several articles about the VCU Rams as our home-town team thrilled us as they upset one opponent after another all the way to the Final Four!! GO RAMS!!

TACO BELL AND THE DIAMONDBACKS HAVE A DEAL!

2011-07-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

July 10 - Harold and Marion invited us to go with them for FREE tacos at Taco Bell this afternoon. FREE tacos!!??!! Seems the Diamondbacks and Taco Bell have a deal for the public!! Whenever the Diamondbacks score six or more runs in a game, Taco Bell gives three free tacos to its customers. All we had to do was purchase a large drink! Harold offered to buy the drinks for all of us!! We laughed and thanked him for his generosity!! Even a complete stranger joined in the teasing and commented on what a Big Spender he was!!

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our FREE tacos. The price was right!!

SUMMER AT TT VERDE VALLEY, COTTONWOOD, AZ

2011-07-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

July 06 - 10 - Back at TT Verde Valley, after our "week out" in Prescott, AZ, we actually found some Pickleball players!! Harold and Marion (left) were still here. We had gotten together with them before we left (see article posted June 28). Another couple of players came in. Linda and Roger (middle) had blown a rod (or something really bad) in the engine of their motorhome, so they will be staying here for an extended period while repairs are made. We had met them at TT Chesapeake Bay and TT Forest Lakes in 2008. We invited the group over for Happy Hour on Friday. Here we are in front of one of the flowering trees on our site!!

Everyone was happy!!

A few days later, another Pickleball couple came in. We had met Mike and Ed at TT St. Clair, MI a year ago. Here some of the group gathers on the courts.

Later, Roger and Linda and Mike and Ed challenge each other to a match!

ADDENDUM TO: OUR "WEEK OUT" IN PRESCOTT, AZ

2011-07-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

4th of July - We were still in Prescott on the Fourth of July, so we celebrated with Ofe and Chuck and friends of theirs. We had Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Corn-On-The-Cob at Ofe's home followed by home-made Ice Cream and Red Silk Cake, brought by her friend.

After dinner we drove over to a hill top in a residential neighborhood close to the Fourth of July Fireworks. A good location to watch the Fireworks. A number of other locals had the same idea. That was fun!!

There was thunder, lightening and heavy dark clouds all around us, but we lucked out. No rain over the Fireworks!!

Here we are in our Fourth of July tees from Walmart - $3.50 each!! What a deal!!

Thanks, Ofe and Chuck, for entertaining us royally during our week in Prescott, plus a very nice Fourth of July celebration!!

OUR "WEEK OUT" IN PRESCOTT, AZ

2011-07-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

June 28 - July 05 - Time for another week out of TT Verde Valley. This time we went only about 45 miles to Prescott, AZ (the locals say "Pres'cutt"). It's a beautiful area up in the mountains. We are actually in the valley -- Prescott Valley. We are staying the week at the Elk's Lodge which has about 12 sites with full hook-up. It is quite a nice set-up. (We're the coach at the far end.)

Our Pickleball friends, Ofe and Chuck, live in Prescott in a 55 Plus mobile home community in the middle of a National Forest. The area is really nice and their home is beautiful!! Ofe and Chuck invited us for a morning of Pickleball, followed by Mexican lunch of tacos with Ice Cream for dessert. It was a lot of fun!!

In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we went for more Pickleball the next morning.

They have solved the problem of too many players and not enough courts!! They play with three on each side!! They have tweaked the rules a bit to accommodate six players. For instance, each team only gets one serve. The server serves until he looses serve, but always serves from the right court. When he looses serve, the other team rotates players and serves (the previous server moves to the center, the center player moves to the far left, and the left player moves to the service position). They usually play that the two outside players get to net while the center player stays back. It was different!! And fun!!

Ru and Pickleball players at TT Chesapeake Bay, notice the net pole stand above!! The wheels make it a lot easier to move for setting up and taking down!! They painted narrow red lines to mark off the Pickleball courts at each end of the tennis court.

It was great seeing Ofe and Chuck again. The plan is to tailgate with them for 4th of July Fireworks.

THE WORLD'S OLDEST RODEO, PRESCOTT, AZ

On Friday night we went to the World's Oldest Rodeo. We waited too late to buy our tickets and did not have much selection. We could have sat up high but at the extreme ends of the arena. We chose the Arena Section, more in the center and closer to the action. I asked if there was anything to block our view!! She said, No, nothing to block our view!!

Well, not if you don't count the chain-link fence, the white fence, the red fence, and all the advertisements!! HA HA!! Anyway, it was a beautiful evening and we were close to a lot of the action. All of the riders entered and departed through the gates to our left! And, the area behind the rider without a flag was the Roping Chutes for Calf Roping and Team Roping. That was exciting!! Unfortunately, all of the bucking events - Bareback Bronco, Saddle Bronco, and Bull Riding - were closer to the other end of the arena. But, thinks to the big screen across from us, we could see all the action up close!!

There were numerous participants in the Opening Ceremony!

The presentation of the Flag!

It was a most enjoyable evening at The World's Oldest Rodeo!! A very special event!!

CORRECTION: HAROLD AND MARION COME TO TT VERDE VALLEY

2011-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Mon, Jun 27 - We were on our way to our favorite Mexican restaurant in Old Town Cottonwood when Ken noticed an Overland motor home in one of the sites. He remembered that our friends Harold and Althea had an Overland just like that!! We knocked on their door to say "Hi".

Harold welcomed us with open arms, but when we went inside we saw an attractive lady who was not Althea. Harold told us the sad news that Althea had died from cancer a few months earlier. We were dumbfounded!! Althea and Harold had just come to Wilderness Lakes to see us in February! Then Harold introduced us to Marion who is his neighbor in Mesa and traveling companion. (Note: Her name is Marion, not Marilyn as I had stated earlier.)

She was so friendly and easy to talk to. They asked us to join them for a before-dinner drink and we invited them to come with us for Tacos at Conchos.

Here are Marion and Harold at Conchos, voted the Most Authentic Mexican Restaurant in Cottonwood. Nothing fancy but the Tacos are really great and the price is right! (Sorry the picture is so fuzzy!)

UTE AND GUENTER COME TO VERDE VALLEY!

2011-06-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Mon, Jun 20 - We met Ute and Guenter on the Pickleball courts at TT LaConner in Washington years ago. They are from Germany and have told us so many interesting things about their country.

Ute was just starting a little business at that time -- well, she thought it was going to be a little business. Today, the focus of the business has changed and it has grown by leaps and bounds!! She started her business, Silk Painting Is Fun with dying silk scarves and silk strings for jewelry. She even taught some classes to Thousand Trails members at various campgrounds. I dyed a silk scarf myself!! Now they concentrates solely on dying the strings -- thousands of them in various colors -- which she sells to wholesale buyers. In fact, they now have a warehouse in Arizona that they keep stocked with plenty of dyed strings to fill all the orders.

I thought this was interesting. Ute said they had an order from Kelloggs for a quantity of strings dyed "K Red". Kelloggs was having a conference and they used the strings to make bracelets for all the attendees!

Ute and Guenter spend their time between Arizona and Germany. In fact, on their last trip to Germany they bought a beautiful home which they love. They are planning to return to Germany next month for a period of time.

We invited them over to dinner last Monday afternoon. It was great getting together with them again! We wish you guys continued success with Silk Painting Is Fun!!

STIEG LARSSON THRILLERS

2011-06-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are still at TT Verde Valley! Boy, is it HOT!! But, I found the perfect pastime -- reading thrillers!!

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the paperback The Girl Who Played With Fire at one of the Thousand Trails exchange libraries. I had heard about the books written by Stieg Larsson on TV, so I decided to give it a try.

Inside the jacket was a list of the complete trilogy: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest! Well, I couldn't read the second book with reading the first one! I'm a member of the Yavapai Library Network, so I went to the Cottonwood Library and borrowed The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Larsson was Swedish. The books were translated from Swedish to English. The books take place in Sweden. It was not easy for me at first -- reading English with a Swedish accent!! But I stuck with it and after about 100 pages, I really got into it!

Then I read my own book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo! It is great, from Page One! I can't take my nose out of the book! It has the same cast of characters and makes frequent reference to events in the first book. I am so glad I decided to read the trilogy in proper sequence!! Next is The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest!!

Sad news. It seems that Stieg Larsson died in 2004, shortly after turning in the manuscripts for all three books.

HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE A TICK!!

2011-06-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this hint on how to safely remove a tick. It sounded good to me. In fact, it sounds good enough to share. The next time we find a tick, let's remember how to remove it!! Let me know if it works!!

This method is great because it works in those hard to get to places: ex. between the toes.

Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20). The tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.

ARIZONA WILDFIRES

2011-06-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jun 08 - Jun 10 - Many of our family and friends have contacted us, asking if we are all right out here in Arizona with the massive wildfires. Thank you all for your concern. We are very fortunate that we are about 200 miles west of the fires. The winds seem to be taking the smoke and ash to the east, away from us. So far, we have not seen any evidence of the fires here in Cottonwood.

I read in The Arizona Republic Wednesday 8th that authorities believe the fire was started by an unattended campfire near the area of Bear Wallow Wilderness, thus it is known at the Wallow Fire.

The Wallow Fire is now the second largest in Arizona history, covering more than 380,000 acres. The blaze has cast smoke as far east as Iowa and forced some planes to divert from Albuquerque, about 200 miles away. Haze and smoke also were visible in Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas!

It has become the No. 1 firefighting priority in the nation due to the rate at which it has been spreading, the resources at risk, structures threatened, the evacuations in effect. And there is no end in sight.

Please keep Arizona in your thoughts and prayers.

Update Friday, Jun 10 - This afternoon we took a drive about four miles up the mountain side to the historic mining town of Jerome. Looking out to the East, the skies were hazy and there was the distinct smell of forest fire in the air!

VERDE CANYON RAILROAD WILDERNESS TRAIN

2011-06-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

Jun 08 - We spent a delightful afternoon as pampered passengers on the Verde Canyon Railroad Wilderness Train. This historic train travels slowly through the Verde Canyon, affording a unique view of its beauty accessible only by rail.

We left from the old Southwestern-style depot in Clarkdale, AZ, only a mile from the Clarkdale Elk's Lodge where we are staying for our "week out".

Our coach was known as the Scottsdale.

The train passes towering crimson pinnacles.

Ancient Indian ruins. Here, a cliff dwelling.

Below, a cave containing ancient artifacts.

The route follows the Upper Verde River as it meanders through the canyon.

Here is a rain gauge that measures the depth of the water in the river; thereby providing pertinent information to determine the amount of water available for irrigation.

This is known as the Table Bridge because it was built using an old railroad turntable.

When we left the station, the Scottsdale car was near the front of the train. We were able to get this picture of the Caboose as it crossed the Table Bridge behind us.

Here we are entering a tunnel. Pictures inside the tunnel were black!! Imagine that!

And the Verde River flows on.

It was such a beautiful day, we spent some travel time enjoying an open-air car.

Among the red rocks, this is known as the Lincoln Rock because they say you can see Lincoln's forehead and nose. Look near the bottom of the cliff, far left.

This formation is easier to find. This is Turtle Rock.

Wow! This is cutting it a little too close!!

The four hour rail journey travels from Clarkdale to the Perkinsville ghost ranch and back. At the ranch the train stops for a short time while the engine is taken from the front of the train and moved on a second track to the rear of the train for the return trip.

A picture of the depot at the Perkinsville Ranch, taken through the opposite window.

On the return trip, the Scottsdale car was near the rear of the train, so we were able to get this picture of the engine in front of us.

We had a great time on the Verde Canyon Railroad. Our only regret -- we did not see the Bald Eagles that reside in the canyon!

TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENT, CLARKDALE, AZ

2011-06-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Jun 09 - Tuzigoot Ruins are located on the summit of a long ridge that rises 120 feet above the Verde Valley. This National Monument is only about a mile from the Clarkdale Elk's Lodge -- a treasure right in our front yard.

This Sinagua Indian village was built between 1125 and 1400. The original pueblo was two stories high and had 77 ground floor rooms. Unlike the Shoofly Village Ruins in Payson, much of these ruins were stabilized during the excavation process and you can see the outlines of many rooms.

As we were leaving the Tuzigoot Ruins, we could see the historic mining town of Jerome perched on the side of the mountain in the distance. It is only about four miles from Clarkdale.

UUMMMM, GRILLED CORNISH HEN BY CHEFS KEN AND FAYE

2011-06-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sun. Jun 05 – This article is dedicated to Mitch and Barb, Keith and Marie, and Joe and Pam, the best RV Chefs we know!! It is also for everyone else who wants to prepare an elegant, delicious entrée on the grill– and it’s soooo easy!!!

I know our favorite RV Chefs mentioned above have probably prepared Cornish Hen many times, but Ken and I have never even thought about it, believing Cornish Hen was beyond our skill level! One day in WINCO, we saw frozen Cornish Hen, and we thought the price was right – we should give it a try! The plan was to have them for Easter Dinner, but something else came up.

We finally prepared the Hens this Sunday afternoon. This is the recipe we used. I got it from Cooks.com. It was wonderful!!!

Grilled Cornish Game Hens

Quote on the website: “I love grilled game hens. In fact, I won't cook them any other way. In this recipe you split the game hens in half which makes them easier and quicker to grill. Splitting the game hens is easy, just cut through the breast then flip it over the cut down one side of the backbone. It is really easy if you use a pair of kitchen shears.”

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 65 minutes

Yield: Serves 2

GRILLED CORNISH HEN RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 Cornish game hens (1 to 1 -1/2 pounds each)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Remove giblets and reserve. Split game hens in half lengthwise. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl combine lemon juice, pepper salt and olive oil. Place hens in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat grill and prepare for indirect grilling. Remove hens from marinade and place on grill, skin side up away from the direct heat. Baste with remaining marinade during while cooking. Hens should take about 45 minutes. Test for doneness before removing from grill.

Note: We used gallon Ziploc bags to marinade the hens, The recipe did not call for flipping on the grill but Ken flipped the hens for the last 15 minutes of grill time.

This is a picture after we had eaten our fill!! I didn’t think of taking a picture until too late.

We were quite impressed with our own success!! Give it a try – you’ll like it, too!!

FALLING SKIES – NEW TV SERIES BY SPEILBERG AND NIKI!!

2011-06-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

“Falling Skies” is a new TV Series by Steven Speilberg. The premier is on Sunday, June 19^th on TNT. Ken’s granddaughter, Niki, works with the Spielberg Studio and was involved in the creation of the series. Neat, Niki!!

“Falling Skies” appears to be a SciFi, Futuristic series. We will definitely watch the Premier on Sunday the 19^th but it may not be our “cup of tea”! Although, we do sometimes watch SciFi -- “The Event” and “V”, and Ken is waiting for the return of “The Walking Dead” – all SciFi.

Don't forget -- Sunday the 19th on TNT -- "Falling Skies"!!

BEAUTIFUL RED ROCKS IN SEDONA, AZ

2011-06-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Jun 03 – We’ve been at TT Verde Valley since the middle of April, and this is the first time we have driven into Sedona, a very popular tourist Mecca because of the beautiful Red Rocks and because Sedona is believed by many to be a vortex meditation site, places of power in the red rocks that enhance prayer, contemplation, and reflection.

We drove in for a few hours today and would like to share some of the beauty.

Here we are up on Airport Road Overlook. We've been to Sedona many times but never have been up here. We met a nice Hispanic family. We took their picture, and they took ours. Then they wanted to use their camera to take a picture of their kids with us!!! Amazing!!!

A NEW GROUP OF NEW PICKLEBALL FRIENDS, TT VERDE VALLEY

2011-06-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

May 27 - June 1 - We returned to TT Verde Valley on Wednesday, June 25, after our week out in Payson, AZ. On Thursday morning we had an appointment in Cottonwood, and did not get over to the Pickleball courts. On Friday the 27th, when we arrived at the courts, there was a whole new group of new Pickleball players. Five rigs are traveling the country together and had arrived at TT Verde Valley while were were away. They knew about the game of Pickleball but none of them had ever tried to play. They decided now was the time to try -- and they LOVE it!!

The group invited us, and other players we already knew, to join them at a Happy Hour later Friday afternoon. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

The Men:

Front Row, Left to Right: Ed, Paul, Alan, Ken Second Row: Greg, Carl, Jack, Big Ed standing Third Row: Don, Keith, Larry

The Women:

Front Row, Left to Right: Diane, Jeannie, Faye, Sue our hostess, Trudy Second Row: Linda, Roberta, Elaine, Leona Standing: Sandy

The group is very fortunate that Keith is at Verde Valley and gladly shared his Pickleball knowledge. On Saturday morning, he had lessons for some of the new players.

Larry, Linda, Keith, Elaine

Keith and Elaine. This time I'm not in the Kitchen!!!

Larry lunges for a ball while Linda watches.

Another foursome played on the other court. Here is Don and Jeannie.

And Jack and Sue.

Great game. That was fun!

Other action during the week. Carl and Leona.

Greg and Linda.

The guys had a foursome. Ken, Carl, Don and Ed.

And the girls had a game. Diane, Faye, Leona, and Don agreed to be a girlie girl.

You'll notice all the new players are using Spike's new ZZT Sports paddles. That is what they sell at the TT Verde Valley Store. The name ZZT stands for the first score called in every Pickleball match -- Zero, Zero, Two.

Carl and Leona are leaving on Thursday, so they decided to have a Happy Hour on Wednesday. In an earlier discussion, the group had decided to share "wacky" sandwiches. We had peanut butter with Miracle Whip and bananas; peanut butter with mustard and mayo; peanut butter and pickles, peanut butter and sugar; radish sandwiches, and I don't know what all. We brought "Flaming Hots" and Wasabi Peas to heat things up.

During the Happy Hour, Sue presented the group with Pickleball name paddles that she had gotten from Trudy and Alan.

After that we conducted a Pickle Penning Ceremony in recognition of the new players' enjoyment of Pickleball! They are facing the Pickleball courts and pledging to play, enjoy, and promote the game of Pickleball at every opportunity!

It's been great meeting you guys!! See you on the courts!!!

A REAL COWBOY!!!

2011-05-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

When we returned from Payson, we were chatting with Paul about Payson, the Rodeo, etc. Paul said he used to ride the Pony Express from Scottsdale to Strawberry where he handed

off the mail pack to the next rider!! He rode right through Payson!! He said he also rode with the Sheriff's posse! How about that!!!

Ever since we have been traveling, I have been looking for "Real Cowboys"!! I saw one in Texas when we drove through Big Bend. And I guess you could say they were Real Cowboys that we saw driving the sheep through TT Verde Valley years ago. And then there was the Real Cowboy who took us horseback riding at Historic Prude Ranch in For Davis, TX.

But here, I have been playing Pickleball for years with Paul -- He is a Real Cowboy!!!

OUR "WEEK OUT" IN PAYSON, AZ

2011-05-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 18 - Our contract with Thousand Trails allows us to stay at a TT Campground for two weeks and then we must be out of that campground for a week before returning. We could go to another TT Campground, but there are none in the area. I had read that a Rodeo was scheduled in Payton, AZ for the upcoming weekend. Payton was only 65 miles to the East so we decided to spend our "Week Out" at the Elk's Lodge in Payton.

Our trip across the mountains was miserable, cold and rainy. Ken said he even saw some snow on the windshield! When we arrived my car was covered with road dirt; and Ken had just washed it!!

I did not realize that Payton was in the Heart of Arizona; in the middle of Rim Country, home of the Mogollon Rim Country, Arizona's Backbone and General Crook's Trail; and a vital setting for many of Zane Grey's writings. We will have a busy time touring!!

After we were settled at the Elk's Lodge, we went to the Payson Visitor's Center. The lady there gave us several suggestions of things to do while in Payson. She mentioned that the Rim Country Museum and the Zane Grey Museum were straight down Main Street. The admission covered both museums. We decided that was the perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon.

The guided tour began in the Rim Country Museum with its exhibits on area logging, mining, ranching and ancient history plus Zane Grey memorabilia. A new display opened in June 2010 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1990 Dude Fire which destroyed over 28,000 acres of National Forest land. Notice the statue of the Fireman in front of the Museum.

The tour continued in the Zane Grey hunting cabin. The original cabin was destroyed in the Dude Fire and was meticulously reconstructed and opened in 2006. The guide told the story of how Zane Grey attended the lecture of an adventurer who spoke of lassoing mountain lions in Arizona. Zane Grey asked the speaker if he could join him on such an adventure. Later they came to Scottsdale and lassoed mountain lions. Zane Grey did go on to write a magazine article about the experience and decided to return to Arizona. Were it not for this coincidence, Zane Grey may never have visited Payson, and may never have changed his writing style to write his famous Western Romance novels set in the Rim Country.

Located in the same Green Valley Park is the Oldest Standing Forest Ranger Station. It no longer serves as a Range Station.

As we left the Museums, I saw this cowboy statue on Main Street.

Thursday, May 19 - Today we drove up to nearby villages of Pine and Strawberry. We wanted to see the Oldest Standing Schoolhouse in Arizona. The schoolhouse was hoisted into place during a one-day log-raising party in the autumn of 1884. We could not tour the schoolhouse because is is only open on Saturday or by appointment.

Later we went to Women's Night at the Payson Rodeo. When we arrived, we were told the Rodeo was not going to happen that night. I presume it was because of the weather. We were disappointed but I imagine the participants and workers were even more disappointed.

SHOOFLY VILLAGE

Friday, May 20 - Today was a busy day!! I wanted to see Shoofly Village, an archaeological site.

The site was partially excavated by Arizona State University. The flyer stated the Village contained 87 rooms and many courtyards, surrounded by a compound wall enclosing four acres. We could not tell that from the ruins we saw.

Not as well preserved at Montezuma Castle or Tuzigoot ruins back in Verde Valley.

We were heading home when we passed the small village of Mesa del Caballo. We talked with a couple planting their garden. They said we MUST continue out Houston Mesa Road to Whispering Pines and take the Control Road back to AZ 260.

We back tracked and headed further out Houston Mesa Road. This is a beautiful creek we saw along the way.

At the next parking area we encountered this worker from the Arizona Game and Fish Department stocking the creek with trout from the Tonto Creek Hatchery. Each creek in the area gets 400 to 600 fish a week.

The couple in Mesa del Caballo said we would have to cross several creeks. This is one of them.

We continued to Whispering Pines and turned right onto the Control Road to AZ 260 in Payson. That portion of the drive was not too interesting. All we saw was trees, trees, trees. Not one single wild animal!!

DINING AT THE CROSSWINDS RESTAURANT!

I had read that the Crosswinds Restaurant at the Payson Airport was one of the best places to eat in the area. The Elk's Lodge is located on Airport Road and the Airport was only a mile away. They were reported to have great Reuben sandwiches, so we decided to eat there before going to the Friday night Rodeo.

They did not have Reubens on Friday night but they did have all-you-can-eat Fish Fry. The fish was delicious but the fries were just fries.

This is our "Million Dollar View" from our table next to the window!

PAYSON SPRING RODEO!!

Next, the Rodeo!

Waiting for the Rodeo to begin.

This is the announcer.

Opening Ceremony. A local high school girl sang the National Anthem. Ken and I agreed she was "a little pitchie."

Sorry the following pictures are so blurred. I have not found the action button on my Sony.

The first event - bareback riding.

You can barely see the rider in this picture (black horse in the center), but you can see all the action around the Chutes. Cowboys hustling over the fence; cowboy on horseback ready to help the rider if necessary; cowboy on the ground ready to lend a hand.

;

Bronco Busting. I snapped this rider as he was thrown over the horse's head.

Calf Roping! A timed event. The cowboy has to lasso the calf, tie it's legs together, walk back and mount his horse, ride forward to get slack in the rope, and with slack in the rope the calf must remain flat on the ground for eight seconds. The cowboy with the best time is the winner.

I did not get pictures of the women Barrel Racing. I had gone to buy Raffle Tickets to support a local charity.

The final event was Bull Riding! Another cowboy is tossed in the air!!

Before the Rodeo was over, we had won a pair of Wrangler Jeans with one of the Raffle Tickets we bought. That made this a very, very good Rodeo!!

The next day we went to pick out a pair of Jeans!

Found the perfect pair!! I have never worn my Jeans so tight!!

On our last day in Payson we went to the Beeline Cafe, a very popular restaurant in Payson. We ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. The serving sizes were so huge and we ate so much, I will probably never get into those tight Wrangler Jeans again!!!

PAYSON AERO FAIR

Saturday, May 20 - There was an Aero Fair at the Airport this Saturday morning. Ken did not want to go, so I went alone. I thought it was an Air Show, but the main things they had were some vendors, antique cars (which I did not see), and airplane rides.

I was the only person there with my own chair so I had a front row seat, right at the rope stretched across to keep people out of the fly zone. I thought it was funny -- Several people asked me if they could take pictures, or if they could lower the rope to drive through. I had to tell them I was not guarding the gate. I was just a spectator.

There were 13 pilots continuously taking the public on airplane rides at $25 a 25-minute ride. These are some of the planes.

The passenger pick-up area was beside the hanger to my left. The planes would pick up their passengers there and when they returned, they would land and taxi to the pick-up area for the passengers to disembark.

When this Cirrus landed, it did not go to the pick-up area! It taxied straight toward me. I thought it was going to run over me before it veered to the left. I did not know why he was special and did not have to go to the pick-up area.

After the passengers had disembarked, the pilot went to the nearby fuel tanker and asked for a fill-up. Now I understood why he did not go to the pick-up area.

It was an entertaining way to spend some time in the Arizona sun.

A DRIVE ON THE MOGOLLON RIM, FOREST ROAD 300

2011-05-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 23 - Today we took the drive on The Mogollon Rim!! The Mogollon Rim , Forest Road 300, is a dirt road that is about 100 miles long. The drive we took was only about 40 miles -- West on Forest Road 300, from AZ 260 Southeast of Payson, to AZ 87 North of Strawberry.

This is the Visitor Center across AZ 260 from Forest Road 300. The Visitor Center was closed down because it had been broken into and vandalized; many of its irreplaceable items were stolen!

Ken standing on the porch.

These were our first views of the Mogollon Rim -- the vista from the deck of the Visitor Center!

The first vista on Forest Road 300 was the Military Sinkhole vista!

The next vista was over-looking some lake. I can't remember the name. I was walking out on a ledge looking for the lake to take a picture. Suddenly, I tripped over a rock!! Rather than trying to catch my balance and taking a chance of falling over a two-foot drop to the next ledge, I decided it was safer to drop to my hands and knees!! OUCH!!!

Fortunately, I had some tissues and band-aids in the car and was able to cover the cuts on both knees and the big gash on my right chin!

The worse thing was Ken would not let me get out of the car after my fall!! He took the rest of the pictures from the car! I made several mistakes on this drive. My first mistake was the fall!!

I soon discovered my next major mistake on our drive! I thought since it was a Rim Drive, the vistas would be on both sides of the road. We were heading from East to West. There was not a single vista on the passenger side -- the East side of the Rim!! Every vista was on the West side!! We frequently had to crane our necks to see the vista behind us!! We still managed to get some beautiful views!!

(I highly recommend driving from West to East on the Mogollon Rim.)

Forest Fires scared thousands of acres of the National Forests along FR 300.

The Mogollon Rim, Forest Road 300, is also known as Arizona's Backbone and General Crook Trail.

Our final vista!!

The drive along The Mogollon Rim was fantastic!!

A COLONOSCOPY FOR FAYE

2011-05-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Tuesday - May 17 - On Wednesday, April 27, I

set up an appointment with Dr. Wilkinson at Cottonwood Internal Medicine. The purpose of that appointment was to try to determine the cause of my fatigue and shortness of breath. I was so impressed with her that she became my Primary Care Physician for our time in Cottonwood.

I have already had a mammogram and heart Echo arranged by Dr. Wilkinson. Reports from both exams are good. I also had a bone density test but have not heard the results of that exam.

Dr. Wilkinson referred me to Dr. Hansso also of Cottonwood Internal Medicine to have a Colonoscopy procedure. I spent the three days prior to the procedure in preparation!! UGH!! I had the procedure this morning. I was asleep the entire time so, except for the preparation, it was not a problem.

The result of the exam is that I'm clean as a whistle!! And, since I'm now so OLD, I never have to do this again!! Hurrah!!

I see Dr. Wilkinson on Thursday, May 26, to get the results of my remaining tests!! Hope she can figure out the rest of my problems!!!

MORE PICKLEBALL AT TT VERDE VALLEY, AZ

2011-05-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

May 04 - May 14 - Two more weeks at TT Verde Valley. We are still having a great time at the Pickleball courts. Some players have moved on to other adventures and new players have taken their places. Some of them we already knew and some are brand new friends. All of them are a lot of fun to play with and socialize with.

Karen and Will.

Mary and Alan.

My Ken and Mary's Ken.

Ed and Alan.

Ken, Susan, Ken and Ella after their match.

Friends Nancy and Wayne stopped by TT Verde Valley on their way home to Montana! Here is Nancy with Cathy, Mary, and Cathy's husband

Bob is observing while Wayne teaches some beginners basic Pickleball techniques.

Students on the other side of the net: Cathy and Bob's wife, Colene.

We have all certainly enjoyed our time at TT Verde Valley Pickleball courts.

BUSY DAY AT TT VERDE VALLEY

2011-05-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Apr 13 - After a few fun games on the Pickleball courts, the day's activities are not over. Some of us "Gals" have established the routine of going over to the Activity Center at 10 AM to doing some Line Dancing.

Here we are in the middle of a dance. Faye, Nancy, Ella our leader, and Colene.

At 11:30 AM, we go over to the pool for Water Aerobics with "Billie Jo's Wet and Wonderful Celebration!!"

Here's Cathy, I'm the leader of this activity, Mary, and Colene.

Today, at the pool, we decided to go out for a fish fry dinner. Everyone said Randell's was great but it turned out they are only open for breakfast and lunch. So we ended up at Sizzler's.

Around the table: Wayne, Nancy, Ken, Mike, Cathy, Mary, Faye and Ken.

The company was great. Judging from the quantity of food I consumed, you would not believe this, but we don't recommend the Cottonwood Sizzler's Friday night Fish and Seafood. Next time we'll go to Randell's for lunch!!