Our time in Arizona has come to an end for this season and tomorrow we head east.
Josie and her friends Gloria and Terry have been taking day trips almost every week. They drove across the valley to the Superstition Mountains and took a ride on Canyon Lake aboard the Dolly Steamboat. The bathroom stalls in the Saloon made for a great photo op. One week they went to the Mesa Market, a huge flea market across the valley. On another day they visited the Wrigley Mansion (The gum owner) and then had tea at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.
Josie and her friends Gloria and Terry have been taking day trips almost every week. They drove across the valley to the Superstition Mountains and took a ride on Canyon Lake aboard the Dolly Steamboat. The bathroom stalls in the Saloon made for a great photo op. One week they went to the Mesa Market, a huge flea market across the valley. On another day they visited the Wrigley Mansion (The gum owner) and then had tea at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.
I try to play golf at least two times a week and the courses are in peak condition. We have had a lot of rain this winter, more in this one year than in all the three years we have been coming to the valley combined. The desert is green and wild flowers are in full bloom. With the warmer spring weather we now have to be on the alert for Rattlesnakes. My Canadian friends have a golfing custom called "Birdie Shots". If someone in the group gets a birdie everyone has a shot of schnapps or Crown Royal. Thank goodness we only get one or two a round. I worked the scoreboards at the LPGA Founders Cup Golf Tournament and enjoyed seeing every one of the 144 players. A few weeks later I was able to play the course and I found just a few of the 110 sand traps. On our final day in town I was able to play The Verado Club , a very nice course with our friend Lee.
Again this year we bought half season Spring Training tickets for the Royals, so we can go to the games with all of our friends. One of the best food items at the Surprise stadium is the Pork Tenderloin sandwich from Chuckie's food truck, who comes all the way from Iowa every year. I have also been able to get in a few races this year with BJ and my race friend Gene who lives here in the Surprise area. We also saw the Professional Bull Riders one afternoon over at Glendale arena.
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We took a trip over to Old Town Scottsdale one day with our friends BJ and Karin. On the way we stopped at Penzey's Spices and stocked up for another year. About twice a month our friends Lee and Carol host a karaoke night at their site. Always a fun night even though we do not sing as we don't want to call the coyotes in. On another night they hosted a drive in movie night and those with carts pulled in and sat in their carts while the rest of us brought over chairs. We had a great time watching the movie "Keeping Up With The Jones."
We had a great goodbye cookout over at Larry and Debbie's. Everyone brought a dish and BJ cooked up a ton of delicious brats, steaks and smoked pork shanks. I believe I have elaborated on pork shanks before, but they are the lower leg of the pig and they taste just like short ribs but with a lot more meat on them. We finished the evening with chocolate cake shots. After you lick a lemon that has been coated with sugar you drink a shot of Frangelico and Vanilla Vodka, and then bite the lemon. The combination tastes just like a slice of chocolate cake. The evening ended rather dramatically when a desert wind storm came through and we all were running around taking down awnings and umbrellas and trying to keep all the food from flying off the table. As our friend Diane said "It would have been great to have a movie of all of us running around trying to keep things from blowing away".
We took a trip over to Old Town Scottsdale one day with our friends BJ and Karin. On the way we stopped at Penzey's Spices and stocked up for another year. About twice a month our friends Lee and Carol host a karaoke night at their site. Always a fun night even though we do not sing as we don't want to call the coyotes in. On another night they hosted a drive in movie night and those with carts pulled in and sat in their carts while the rest of us brought over chairs. We had a great time watching the movie "Keeping Up With The Jones."
We had a great goodbye cookout over at Larry and Debbie's. Everyone brought a dish and BJ cooked up a ton of delicious brats, steaks and smoked pork shanks. I believe I have elaborated on pork shanks before, but they are the lower leg of the pig and they taste just like short ribs but with a lot more meat on them. We finished the evening with chocolate cake shots. After you lick a lemon that has been coated with sugar you drink a shot of Frangelico and Vanilla Vodka, and then bite the lemon. The combination tastes just like a slice of chocolate cake. The evening ended rather dramatically when a desert wind storm came through and we all were running around taking down awnings and umbrellas and trying to keep all the food from flying off the table. As our friend Diane said "It would have been great to have a movie of all of us running around trying to keep things from blowing away".
Now that we are on the road again we will be posting on the blog more often. You may notice the blog is now ours and that weebly is no longer in the address. Our first extended stop as we head east is Big Bend National Park on the Texas Mexico border. We look forward to visiting with friends this summer. Hope to see many of you.
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