Retired and Loving It

We Moved

2012-02-09T04:44:00.000-08:00

Only a few doors down but it's in a more permanent structure in the same park. We like the amenities offered by the park, such as the swimming pool and the great people who live here. We like the proximity to family, Phoenix, mountains, ASU and the desert. So we notified the post office and changed our address. Our new home has a deck with a view as you can see from the beautiful sunrise we witnessed our first morning. Last night we celebrated with our first cocktail party. It's going to be a great gathering place.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of reading 'the best of' reviews of the past year. After all I've already read it but here I am, thinking about what a great year this has been and wanting to think about it all over again. There were the emotional ups and downs in dealing with ridding ourselves of a home of 22 years and making the move to be permanent residents of Arizona.

The highlight was the celebration of 50 years of marriage with all our kids present. We invited both John's and my family to attend. My sisters and cousin came along with some of their children and we had a wonderful in Colorado.

Another highlight was my trip to Indy for Sam's birthday. It was an incredible trip. Amy and her husband John were wonderful hosts. I fit nicely into their household (it seemed) and we shared many laughs, meals and conversations. Carson and I were able to spend time together each day as we made our daily trip to Starbucks then to take her to school. An hour of wonderful conversation and music.She has matured a great deal in the past year. Sam made time for me to go to lunch several times. She is a delightful young woman and we are all so proud of her. We checked out some new places to eat. Jake also gave me the pleasure of his company as I drove him to work several times. It's been a tough year for him but life is on an upswing now and I'm proud of him for how hard he is working at it. It was fun as well to spend some time with son John and Sandy. They let me bring over a couple of meals and share some conversation. John even ate my vegetarian entree. I definitely want to make this trip again.

The 3 year old twins have definitely been an important part of our life this year. Margaret and Erick are most generous about sharing them with us. They are old enough to have overnighters at our house. A queen size air mattress fits perfectly in the living room of our trailer. They like to go 'camping' at Mimi and Papaws. We are fortunate to be living close to them.

We ended up the year buying a more permanent structure in the RV park. It has a real kitchen, a large bedroom and a deck with a unobstructed view of the mountains. We can't wait until we move in there. Guess that makes us official Arizonians. But our hearts are spread around the country with our friends and family. We are truly blessed.

Sam's 21st Birthday

2011-12-20T05:41:00.000-08:00

The reason I decided to go to Indy in December was to celebrate our oldest granddaughter's 21st birthday. Unfortunately her birthday always coincides with final week. Given that she would have little time for me, I extended my visit through November. It was one of the nicest visits I have ever had. Sam and I got together several times for lunch and a couple of times for dinner. She is such a joy to be with and I enjoy her company. Her folks did a good job (or is it the good genes John and I passed along).

Here she is blowing out the cake at the family celebration.

But any 21 year old wants to dress up as a princess, ride around town in a limo with 13 of her closest friends and check out Indy night life. (Sans family)

And it's all downhill from here.

Indy Book Club (Bpokies)

2011-12-08T06:20:00.001-08:00

Since I was in Indy, I got to attend the Christmas dinner of the book club. Fantastic meal - beef tenderloin with blue cheese sauce, brussel sprouts, homemade bread, beet salad, potatoes, and cake for dessert. And as usual the numerous bottles of wine. Everyone brought a poem to read and we also participated in a little Christmas sing-a-long. We are not going to be going public with that!
I failed to get a picture of myself or Amy but here is the rest of the crew.

Kathy

Mary Beth and Linda

Suzannah and Karen

Sue

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T16:38:00.001-08:00

It's been a wonderful day. Lots of good food and time with family. It's been fun cooking with my daughter, Amy. The only problem being that John is in Arizona and I'm in Indiana. We both were well taken care of but miss being together. I'm posting a picture of our daughter-in-law Sandy, our granddaughter Sam and me. While I've been here I've enjoyed spending time with all my Indiana grandchildren, lunch with friends and a fun trip with my friend Shari to hear Bill Clinton speak (she reported on it for the Star). I've also worked on cleaning out our house and shop.

Halloween Preparations

2011-10-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

The ballerina and spiderman came to collect their costumes on Sunday. We had a lovely brunch cooked by John and enjoyed watching them. At one point Lily found a paint brush in the shed and wanted to paint. Papaw got them each a bowl of magical paint which looked amazingly like water to the adult eyes. They happily painted away. Spiderman spilled lemonade on his shorts so while they were drying he donned his cape and fought off all the bad guys. Fun day.

Fall Festival

2011-10-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

It's a wonderful time of year in Arizona. The weather has cooled down but is still comfortable. The snowbirds start arriving from the north. So the planned activities increase dramatically. We took the twins to a farm festival geared for the little ones this weekend. They loved it. Lily rode in a pedal driven (by grandpa) racecar. They petted a donkey, admired the geese and pigs, jumped on a huge bounce slide and milked a fake cow. The only disappointment was the lack of live ponies to ride. There were only the blow up ones. But the twins were happy.

I bought a few things from the farmer's market including some roasted chilies which were marvelous on a hamburger the next day.

Ballet

2011-09-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

What could be better! Sitting under the stars on a beautiful evening with a picnic and watching the Arizona Ballet perform. It was a wonderful evening and we all enjoyed. This picture was taken before the performance began. I arrived at 4:30 for a 7 pm performance. A little early, you say? Maybe but I saved the best seats in the house (lawn) as I was the only person there at that time. A chair, a book..........I was content.

Lily demonstrated her dance moves for us and Callum showed his ability to direct the music. A wonderful evening.

50 Years

2011-09-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

I used to think those people who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary were really old. We recently had such a celebration and somehow don't feel so old. Of course we just kids when we got married! I find myself reflecting on all the good things about being together that long and pushing the bad to the back of my mind. We have 3 great children, 5 grandchildren and 2 step-grandchildren. It has become an effort to remember all the pets, friends, or cars that we have known.

We had one celebration in Colorado this summer with our extended family. It was combined with a family reunion and I couldn't have asked for a better location. Weather was perfect, scenery outstanding and we felt surrounded by warmth and love. My sisters were there as well as my cousin Sue with a number of their families. All three of my children arrived although all the grandchildren couldn't make the trip. The twins were thrilled that 'we have cousins'. It was a long, boring drive to get there from Indiana and Arizona so John and I are grateful that they all made the effort.

Top Notch Entertainment

2011-08-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

We were treated to a performance by the twins. Reminded us of Jake and Sam and Carson putting on shows when they were young. Lily danced and then did a deep bow but always with her back to us.

She is finally wearing the princess dress I made for her last Thanksgiving. She loves dancing is willing to show anyone and everyone her dance moves.

Callum plays the triangle for Lily's dance. "Mimi, say yea". He's Lily's biggest fan and supporter.

When you get tired it's always good to crawl up in Papaw's lap. Then play games on the iPhone.

Sea Life

2011-08-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

We accompanied Margaret and Erick and the twins to Sea Life. Fun day. Callum was fascinated. It's a great place to take young ones. Lots of interaction including the ability to touch a starfish. Loved watching their reactions.

Overnighters

2011-08-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Now that we're back in AJ, the twins were eager to spend the night. Or at least that's what their parents claimed.So, good parents that they are, they loaded up the car with toys, clothes and the twins and drove them out to spend the night. They even brought the fixings for martinis (hmmm was that a bribe?). A delightful time was had by all. The bags of toys they brought. Untouched. Hamburgers for supper and then a late night swim (8 pm). They loved the pool and kept us busy showing how they can swim. Thank goodness we had help from Steve and Gail.

Then we watched The Fairy Princess on DVD before going to sleep. Somehow Papaw and I managed to stay awake until the kids fell asleep. I'm thinking it won't always be that way! We went out to breakfast. The place we went didn't have a kids menu. Silly me for worrying about it. They each ate a full size pancake. Callum ate his egg and then polished off Lily's.

Lily loves looking at all our stuff. Doggy poop bags, magnifying glass, pencils all hold her interest. Each item is examined, talked about, and then put back (somewhere). I'm still missing a shoe she was wearing but know it will turn up eventually. So much fun when I got out my box of jewelry. Then Papaw had fun things to do in the shed (annex). They all tried out the electric guitar and watched the toy train run along the workbench.

The joy of being retired is that no matter how tired we were, it didn't matter because we have all week to sleep until we can persuade the parents to loan them out again.

Man Booker Prize Winner 1970

2011-08-02T06:10:00.000-07:00

I've been carrying this book around for quite a while. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubins. According to a review I read it was no longer relevant and not that interesting. But I'm determined to continue with my project of reading all the Booker prize winners in order. So the day finally came and I forced myself to read it. Why or why did I pay any attention to this one reviewer. This was an excellent book, well-written about drug addiction. It was an intense story about a complex family and the causes of Norman's addiction. I felt it read as well now as it did in 1970. The book was not a feel-good book and the ending left a number of unanswered questions. But it was one I couldn't put down.

I'm toying with the idea of reading some of the books on the short list for each year as I read the prize winner. I wonder if I'll agree with the judges.

Reunion

2011-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Colorado was fun. We had a nice visit on the way in Sedelia Missouri with friends from the park. John and I stopped in Ellis a few days while he worked in the museum adding more to the train display. I sat by the tent with the dogs reading and moving my chair to find shade. It got up to 109' one day. He would come home at lunch and take me for a drive in an air-conditioned car so we could all cool off. The nights were quite cool and breezy so we did sleep well. Amy, John and Carson plus John and Sandy and Sam all arrived on Wednesday in Ellis. They were staying at the KOA Kabins and the local motel. John loved showing them around his old stomping grounds and, of course, the layout at the museum. We all had dinner together at a local restaurant then went to the motel and sat around the pool and visited. Love being with my kids. We went back to the campgrounds and it began to lightening and thunder. So the thought of having to take down a wet tent the next morning was more than we could stand. At 10 pm, in the dark, we broke camp, loaded the car and checked into the motel. The storm passed by without rain but better safe than sorry.

The lodge in Colorado was perfect for family gatherings. They had a big deck off the pool room with tables and chairs. All the rooms had little decks on back that had chairs. So if you were outside, you could see who else was outside and join them. We had all except 3 rooms for our family. My cousin, and her daughter and my sister all dressed up like my infamous grandmother. They then told us the family history. Along the way one of our relation was a grandmother to Anne Boelyn who was married to Henry VIII. Lots of nobility but we had to laugh at how ordinary we all are now. It was fun sharing family stories and seeing how differently we remember things. I was amazed at how the kids all sat and listened to the story. Lily loved it that some people were playing dress up and she wanted to as well.

Amy and John

John, Sandy and Samantha

IThere were 12 kids there although 6 were teenagers. During the day on Saturday we went to the sand dunes. It was a long hike up to the dunes. And then the sledding wasn't what we'd been told it would be. The lack of snow in the mountains this winter affected a lot of things including the drying up of the geothermal pool. Some of the party hiked the mile and a half to Zapata Falls. I stayed home and took a nap with the babies and Carson.

We loved having all our children together. Missed Jake but he started a new job and couldn't get the time off. We left on Sunday and camped outside of Santa Fe. We were tired but happy when we arrived in Apache Junction. The unpacking continues as we try to find a place for all the stuff we brought back with us.

Colorado Here We Come

2011-07-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. Seeing old friends before we go, cleaning the house so we can show it, packing and repacking stuff. Amy and I hosted our book club and had a great time. We discussed Song of Solomon and had a dinner of red beans and rice. It was a new recipe and much spicier than my prior one but everyone cleaned their plates and said it was delicious.

I met a friend for lunch on Wednesday, had another friend over for dinner on Monday, taking Samantha out for dinner tonight and having our son and family over tomorrow night. Then we leave on Saturday with the house still on the market. It's possible the house could sell and we would have to return to plan for an estate sale. Hopefully John and Amy will have their offer on a house accepted so they will have some place to move to.

We leave Saturday for the reunion in Colorado. We're stopping the first night in Sedalia, MO and will see our friends Gail and Steve. Then a few days stop in Ellis, Kansas where John will add to the model train layout in the museum there. Our son will join us next Wednesday in Ellis to see his Dad's hometown. Our oldest daughter will be there on Thursday. We'll meet our youngest daughter in Colorado. Can't wait to have them all together.

Selling a House

2011-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Selling a house is no big deal. Giving up our dream home of the last 20 years is extremely difficult. People are coming back for a second look tonight. I want to say this has been a place of joy and love. Ignore the chip in the paint, the floors not yet refinished, the uneven cabinet in the kitchen. Feel the fun that has occurred here. The 40 guests for Thanksgiving dinner the year we moved in (and the drains that backed up that day). The Wampus frolic where we had a fortune teller on the second floor landing and dancing in the dining room. The new years eves with the grandchildren when spraying grandpa with silly string was so much fun. There is still a bit of silly string on the chandelier. Many dinners with family and friends took place in the dining room. The guest bedroom had a rollaway single bed for one grandchild so that the other grandchildren wouldn't feel her as she tossed and turned when they all spent the night. This dining room is where our 3 year old granddaughter said (when asked to say what she was thankful for on Thanksgiving) "I'm thankful for Grammie". And the bed where another granddaughter turned to me and said "I love you Grammie". The foyer was where my 3 year old grandson loved to dance as I played the piano and then "You dance Grammie and I'll play the piano". The image of Max sleeping on the futon on his last evening on this earth. The Christmas celebrations - the treasure hunt for a fish, the dining room filled with furniture made by John, stocking presents, our silly houseshoes, a gift from our son and daughter-in-law.

I could go on and on. The memories I'll carry with me but I want to say to potential buyers - "This house is loaded with good karma". Enjoy it and ignore all the small imprefections.

And on

Friend Matrix

2011-06-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

New thing on facebook. A picture of all your friends based on how they respond to you on facebook. It was interesting. I'm not sure who the dog is and the flower is Anna who always responds to my posts. It was a fun thing to do. I'm a big fan of facebook as it allows me to stay in touch with people whom I might not have contact with otherwise. Our friends are spread all over the US now so it means even more to us.

Canyon Woods Lake

2011-05-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Having fun in the woods

Campfire felt good

Lots of rocks to climb on

A visit to Tonto Natural Bridge

Marg and me on Mother's Day

Daddy knows how to make a little girl feel snuggly

The 'Shed'

2011-04-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

It's more than just a shed. It's a bar and here's our bartender mixing drinks.

It's a laundry room.

It's a library.

It's a closet

A sewing room.

A workshop for building miniatures.

And at times a kitchen. Now it has also become a music room as John goes there to practice his guitar. The shed is insulated, air-conditioned, has a beautiful wood floor. We may have to begin calling it by a different name than 'shed'.

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

We camped at Catalina State Park. While the park wasn't a great choice for camping with toddlers (fine powder dirt everywhere, ants everywhere, and no playground) we still had fun. A trip into Tucson on Saturday to eat lunch at El Charro in old town Tucson and a visit to the children's museum provided a break from the dirt. Easter baskets arrived and we also colored eggs.

Fun filled weekend

2011-04-11T02:51:00.000-07:00

Playing in the pool

The new bouncy house

Cocktails on the patio - martinis with blue cheese filled olives

Dinner on the patio - spring risotto, fruit salad and steak

Overnight guests - camping on Mimi and Papaw's floor

A relaxing morning watching two busy, active toddlers

Picnic and swim at Canyon lake with the Orrs

Tired but happy grandparents turn in early

New baby

2011-03-31T22:04:00.001-07:00

How exciting to watch the new baby dove peek out from the security of the nest. The nest is in a palm tree right next to our patio with lots of people walking by. But it doesn't seem to bother mother and baby.

Last Hurrah

2011-03-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when snowbirds begin a mass exodus for the north. It's warming up in Apache Junction and they all forget that it's still COLD up north. A number of our friends here in Doggie Row are leaving the end of the week leaving only the sane ones behind. We had our last ladies lunch of the season at Rancho de Tia Rosa. It was fun and the food was delicious.

From l to r: Cathy, Pat, Sheila, Anna, Paige, Mary, Harriet, Gail, me, Susie, Karen, Shirley

Irish Festival

2011-03-13T04:11:00.000-07:00

With our new green shirts, we rode with the Orrs to the Irish festival at a park in Phoenix. The big hit with the kids was the petting zoo. They got to pet goats, rabbits, hold a chicken, pet a donkey, watch a duck swim in a 2 foot wide plastic pool and get up close and personal with a lot of animals. Lily also rode a horse, twice. She looked quite at ease up there all by herself. That child is fearless. The grownups also drank beer (isn't that what an Irish fest is all about) and the listened to some music. I resisted the urge to buy kilts for everyone.

The world through the eyes of a 2 year old

2011-02-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

Amazing to me. The new dresses I made for Lily and her baby are ballerina dresses. She told me so. Then we watched the movie Angelina the ballerina. Angelina's dress was pink but they all had full skirts and could twirl. Oh to view the world through the rose colored eyes of a 2 year old.

McCormick's Railroad Park

2011-02-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

Lily's Happy Face

Callum is riding with Mommy

Lily on a horse with Grandpa

It was a fun day. Margaret had the day off so we accompanied her and the twins to the railroad park in Scottsdale. Lily wanted to ride the 'round and round'. On a horse. Callum was willing to ride but had to be seated in the wagon. We also rode the little train and did Callum's favorite - the playground. That boy loves the slides and they have a large number of different ones just his size.

Carson turns 15

2011-02-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe isn't it. We were delighted that she was here with us this year so we could help celebrate her birthday. The twins favorite song now even though she has left is 'Happy Birthday, Carson'. She won them over as she does everyone. She had her favorite meal - sushi and we got this beautiful cake from AJ's bakery. Yummy.

Schnepf Farms

2011-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

A fun day exploring the farm. We rode the hay wagon, played on the playground, visited some animals and Lily and Papaw rode the train. It was interesting to hear the lengths they had to go to to save the peach trees which are in blossom now. Flooded the fields with geothermal water, ran propane heaters and hired a helicopter to fly back and forth to keep the heat lowered. Will be eager to see how the peaches do this year.

Surprise!!!

2011-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

I

I knew Amy and John were coming for a visit but had NO IDEA that they were bringing Carson. I have never been so surprised. There were a lot of tears involved as I was so happy. I've been missing her (and Jake and Sam) ever since we left Indiana. We have had fun being with her. The twins love Carson and are fascinated with her. They also love their Aunt Mimi and Uncle John. We started off on Thursday with breakfast at IHOP. Then shopping in Tempe. By that time the old folks and the young were ready for a nap. Margaret, Amy and John made the trip to Arizona Mills and managed to come home loaded with packages.

Yesterday we made the drive to Benson, AZ to visit Kartchner Caverns then on to Tombstone. A long day but fun just being together. They were wowed by the caverns and enjoyed seeing an old west town.

Man Booker Prize Winner 1969

2011-01-31T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have started on my project to read all the Booker prize winners in order. Thanks to my daughter Amy, I have them all in my possession. It is awarded each year to the best fiction of the year and began in 1969.

I don't know what the competition was in 1969 but P. H. Newby's book Something to Answer For is an excellent book. While the main character is not someone you would want to emulate, he is interesting. After fleeing England to escape the fact that he has embezzled money from the foundation where he works, he then tries to persuade a widow in Egypt to turn over all her money to him. He gets hit over the head when arriving in Egypt and after that has trouble knowing what is fact and what is fantasy. This reader also got confused at times. I did enjoy Newby's wit and writing style.

I thought it interesting that the book was written against the backdrop of the Suez canal crisis with the unrest and fighting going on and as I finished it there is again unrest and fighting going on in Egypt.

Shed Warming Party

2011-01-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

These are the super heroes who helped build our shed. It was a great party and we are so grateful to all of them for all the hard work.

Bill Foster's Birthday

2011-01-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

Bill is really celebrating because he can now draw social security. Bill is a retired firefighter from Kansas City and a super neighbor. He has a great sense of humor as you can see by his willingness to wear the birthday hat. We all had a good time.

Mimi and Papaw's Big Adventure

2011-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

The big question: Can two old people, two toddlers and two dogs survive an overnight stay in a 28 foot trailer?
We put it to the test this weekend. Lily and Callum came to spend the night on a spur of the moment decision.
3:00 Arrive at the trailer, set up the kids table and dump out the toy box
3:10 Pass out doggie bones to neighboring dogs
3:30 Entertain old folks at cocktail hour
4:30 First change of poopie diapers
4:45 Begin watching Elmo DVD
5:30 Mimi realizes that kids are hungry so orders a healthy meal - pizza
5:35 Thinking an hour might be a little long to wait, shove other food at kids - bananas, leftover meat loaf and fix a boxed mac and cheese (tomatoes in meat loaf serve as a veggie)
5:45 Open sofa, put on jammies and begin process of getting Mimi settled down for bed
6:00 Colts game begins so switch DVD to laptop
7:00 Callum falls asleep

8:30 Lily falls asleep
9:00 Grandpa falls asleep after putting Lily in bed
11:30 Lily wakes up and wants milk, Papaw gets up and retrieves sippy cup from fridge.
2:00 am Lily wakes up and wants water, Papaw get up and retrieves sippy cup containing water
4:00 am Lily wakes up and wants water, Papaw fills her sippy cup
5:30 am Lily wakes up and wants Mimi who gets up and rocks Lily who falls asleep about 6:30
7:00 am Callum wakes up
8:00 am Papaw wakes up
8:30 am Lily wakes up
We survived the night with no cries for Mommy and Daddy. Then Lily asked where they were. I explained that we would see them later. Okay, no problem. After breakfast, thanks Papaw, we took them to the play ground at the Apache Junction library.
Mom and Dad arrived, took us to lunch and then Mimi took a long nap.

Fun time was had by all.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T17:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be recapping the year. Well why not. Highlights would have to include our daughter Amy getting married. We adore her husband and are happy to welcome him into the family. Our lives revolve around family and friends and we are fortunate to have a multitude of friends. So life is continually interesting.

Year in review : (short version)

Jane travels to Indiana to watch Carson star in play

Amy and John visit Arizona for the annual VSTA book sale

Lots of babysitting with twins

Carson's spring break with a trip to Grand Canyon

Sam joins Alpha Phi

Tuscon festival of books

Easter Sunday with the twins

Camping (sorta) trip to Indiana

Amy's wedding

Visit to Minnesota and trip to Birch Bark Books

Camping with twins

Building a shed

We also regret the loss of our nephew Jim and our friend Gil. We have good memories of them both.

Hope you all have a wonderful new year.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a magical time when you have grandchildren. This year we were fortunate. Amy's marriage to John brought us two more grandchildren. They are grown but as we love John Hunter, we love his children as well. It was fun to try to think of something special to send to these new additions to our extended family.

The twins are two this year and a fun age to watch as they learn about Christmas. Callum told our friends that Santa is on the roof. He was referring to the lit up decoration near their house on a business building. We went over on Christmas Eve and helped the elves put together toys. It was a test of how well various people could work together. After fits and starts, we did get everything assembled. Then a tired set of grandparents all went to bed, leaving the parents to finish up. It was pure pleasure to get up and watch them wake up to see the gifts from Santa. They had fun playing with each toy as it was unwrapped. Fun, fun, fun.

One delight for me was a gift from Amy. After mentioning that I wanted to read all the Man Booker Prize winners, she purchased them all and had Margaret wrap them up for me. I don't think anything could have thrilled me more. Any reader can understand what a thrill it is to have 48 books all at once that you want to read. She didn't buy the ones I already have such as Midnight's Children (which I've read 3 times).I also have a couple of other ones.This will be my project to read these during the next year or so.

Other special moments during the day - talking to Jake on the phone, texting with Carson, skyping with Amy & Carson and talking to John D, Sandy and Sam. Life seems to be going well for Jake and I'm glad about that. He's working two jobs now and is putting his life together. I'm proud of you Jake. Carson texted us several times. Always close to my heart is Carson and I miss her as well as the rest of my Indiana family. John and Sandy and Sam called this evening and we enjoyed a long conversation. Sam ended up with all A's and a B for the semester. College life agrees with her. It was pure heaven talking to them all. They sent us a cookbook that has recipes from restaurants in Indiana. A touch of home and some delicious options to try. I look forward to seeing all of them this spring.

Christmas Eve we enjoyed hosting a neighborhood get-together. We are fortunate to live amongst a group of friendly, nice people. It was fun and we are fortunate.

To all our friends and family both near and far. Have a special holiday season. We are grateful to each and every one of you that you have been a part of our lives.

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

They had fun rolling out the dough, cutting the shapes and sprinkling with sugars. Callum enjoyed the finished product but Lily didn't like them.

Christmas in Indiana

2010-12-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

We couldn't be there but the family got together on Sunday to celebrate Christmas. Amy and John hosted the occasion at our house. They took a picture for me of our grandkids. Jake was missing as he had another party to go to. So Carson is holding his picture. If I were adept with photoshop, I'd add Jake and the twins to the picture and make it look like they were all together.

From left to right - Carson, Samantha, Mallory and John Jr

From all I hear, they had a great time.

Here is also a picture of Jake with the gift we sent him. No, it's not a silk scarf. It's a banner to hang on his wall.

The Twins are Two

2010-12-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

We joined the other grandparents, parents and friends and celebrated Callum and Lily's second birthday. They are so used to birthdays (Papaw's, Mimi's, Lauren's and Mommy's) all this fall that they didn't quite get that this was for them. They love having everyone around and balloons are always a treat.

The Elmo cake that Mommy made was a huge success. The presents were almost overwhelming as they really wanted to stop and play with each one. But they enjoyed each gift. It was a fun day and as usual we loved watching them enjoy themselves.

New robes and a special birthday

2010-12-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

I decided to make robes for the twins. For Lily the only possible color was purple. Callum isn't so particular. After the fiasco with the Halloween costumes, I wasn't sure they would even put them on. But they met us at the car with Lily demanding "Lily's purple". They put them on immediately right over their clothes and wore them for a good part of the day. After playing outside we came in to watch Elmo's Christmas and I snapped this picture. They eventually allowed me to take them off before naptime.

Today is Samantha's Birthday. I never will forget how excited we were when we received the news. Or the incredible moment when I first held her in my arms. We love her totally. She is having a wonderful time during her second year at the university and living in the sorority house.

Christmas Decorations

2010-12-07T03:16:00.000-08:00

We went all out this year and got a tree. A live tree? No, one of those cheap little artificial trees that come already lit. Now to find some cheap artificial snow to go around it.

Random Thoughts

2010-12-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

I changed my desktop background lately to this one of Carson. It was taken in 2008 when we were making a mad dash to Washington, D.C. to try to rush through our passport applications in order to fly to France.

Our car broke down in West Virginia and fortunately for us, my nephew Stan and his wife drove from Middletown, MD to pick us up and drive us to DC. We shall forever be in their debt.

I feel when looking at this picture that Carson is grinning just for me and we are sharing a secret.

Our neighbor, Gary Morency recently celebrated his 60th birthday. While we teased him about his advanced age, 60 feels awfully young to John and I. Gary regularly hikes up to the top of Superstition Mountain so is in good shape. His daughter, Heather, flew in from Canada to surprise him. She did surprise him in spite of the fact that almost everyone in the park knew about it. For a place where news travels faster than the wind, that was quite an accomplishment.

We regretted the cooler weather but it was still comfortable sitting out in the sun for both Thanksgiving dinner and for Gary's party.

We started a fire in the firepit for later in the evening. Most of the women went to go bowling on Gail's Wii while the men sat around and told lies.

We had a fun evening having dinner with the twins (and their parents) this week. Lily thought up a new game and Callum and I enthusiastically joined in. We sat at the dinner table waiting for Erick to finish cooking and threw cloth napkins at each other. Their mother seemed to think I was encouraging them in bad behavior. But if you could have heard them laughing you would have done it as well.

Diet progress: John has lost a total of 24 pounds and I have lost 23 pounds. We're feeling good and enjoying our daily walks. We don't feel at all deprived and think we're making progress towards changing our life style. Every other week I get an order of fresh fruits and veggies delivered to our door. So there is always fruit on hand for a snack and we are increasing the amount of veggies we eat and reducing the amount of meat. We still enjoy a cocktail or 2 every evening with friends.

Lily at Work

2010-11-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

For those of you who remember Halloween and Lily not wearing her costume, she finally found a use for it. It makes a perfect dress to wear while cleaning your bedroom. In this picture she is sweeping behind the bed. Good job, Lily!

I should probably make something beautiful for her to wear when she scrubs the floor.

Happy Birthday John and Margaret

2010-11-21T04:19:00.000-08:00

We celebrated John and Margaret's birthdays yesterday. John is 2000 miles away and we couldn't reach him by phone. So we don't know how he celebrated but hope he had a good time. I'm sure Sandy and Samantha made sure of that. He was in our thoughts all day. He is a wonderful young man and we are proud of him.

The twins are really getting into the birthday spirit. They helped me make a cake for Margaret (dark chocolate only). Lily got a little cake batter on her fingers and asked me to wipe it off (dirty). So I suggested she lick it off. She stuck a little in her mouth and smiled a huge smile saying 'I like it, it's good'. Her vocabulary is huge and she chatters all the time. Callum is less verbal but more skilled with hand usage. They stirred the cake batter 'carefully'. Then Lily helped decorate it. Callum was busy playing with the balloons and couldn't be bothered. I bought a little jar of sprinkles that were different colored stars. Lily wanted to pick out the purple stars and put them on the cake. I finally persuaded her that it was more fun

to put all of them on the cake. That girl does love purple. Lily put the candles on the cake all by herself. They were grouped most artistically.

Gilbert Parade

2010-11-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

The town of Gilbert celebrated their 100th birthday today. It was the perfect occasion to take the twins to see their first parade. Lily and Callum were awestruck. We encouraged them to wave at the people in the parade. They gave tiny little waves. Callum showed the most enthusiasm when two large pickups came by "trucks". Lily warmed up to the parade scene and began dancing along with a leader of a boy scout troop. He broke ranks and came over to dance with her. Lots of candy was passed out. The twins had no idea what that was all about and accepted the candy along with the balloon, and little unicorn. They have not yet learned that candy is something to be craved. I have no idea what their parents will do with all that candy but know the twins won't see any of it.

The Twins Visit

2010-11-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Margaret brought the twins to visit this weekend. You probably wouldn't think that there is much to interest a pair of two year olds in a 55+ RV park. Wrong! We got out the same old toy box full of toys they've seen before. That occupied them for a while. Then a walk in the desert. There are quail and rabbits running around along with lots of other birds. Margaret was nervous about seeing a rattlesnake but it didn't happen. Then we got out the little shop vac. Callum is an expert a sweeping and went to work on the steps. He also took the broom and cleaned up the patio. After all that work John took them for a ride in the car. If you look closely you can see the little hands waving. The seat is so low you can't tell there are little people in the front seat. John drove about 5 miles an hr around the block inside the park. I'm sure the neighbors wonder what that idiot was doing out in his convertible creeping around the park.

Then we went to IHOP for breakfast. Pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage are always a hit with 2 year olds.

I attended a debate at ASU in the evening with my friend Linda who enjoys these as much as I. We listened to a group of top scientists and philosophers debate the issue 'Can Science Tell Us Right From Wrong'. I don't think the question was answered but they gave us a lot to think about. I'm going to have to read some of their books to get more information. I had read Lawrence Krauss before and Sam Harris has been in the news lately with his books. The other speakers were Simon Blackburn, Steven Pinker, Peter Singer and moderator was Roger Bingham who is director of The Science Network. Put my brain to work.

Birthday 2010

2010-11-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

Now with facebook, everyone knows when my birthday is. Unless you aren't on fb and then one friend even sent an e-mail to my Indy bookclub friends telling them it was my birthday. Since we are three hours behind, I woke up to a large number of Happy Birthday wishes. Really quite a pleasant feeling. Also received e-mails and phone calls from friends and family. What a way to start the day. Then we went for a walk in the beautiful Arizona sunshine.

After water aerobics in the morning and book club in the afternoon, I went to dinner with a group of friends from the park where we live. I indulged my self with some raspberry stuffed mushrooms, a plate of jalapeno and cilantro flavored humus (shared with the rest of the group) followed by a grilled chicken sandwich with a dirty martini. Paige made me a new bracelet, my children sent money for a new iPhone, the cards were hilarious that I received (do your boobs hang low.......well yes). A most wonderful day. Think I'll stay 69 forever.

Halloween/Birthday 2010

2010-11-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans............ For weeks now I've been busy sewing on a beautiful princess costume for Lily and a pirate's cape for Callum. At 2 years old, they didn't ask to have these costumes but their mother (and grandmother) had a vision of taking these cute little ones trick-or-treating and hearing all the ooh's and aah's. The joke is on us. Lily loved her dress the first night she put it on. Margaret also bought a tiara, necklace and earrings which were a big hit. She pranced around the house swinging her head and admiring herself in the mirror.

The next night I brought Callum's cape. He took one look at it and said 'no like' and refused to try it on or have anything to do with it. So tonight both babies refused to dress up. Lily did wear her tiara for a bit and later tried on Callum's cape.

What they loved was having the kids come to the door. When the doorbell rang, they would go running to the door all excited. Later Lily began saying 'more guys' wanting more kids to come to the door. After a while she would stand outside yelling 'more guys' at the top of her lungs. When someone would go across the street, she was beside herself with excitement yelling at them and beckoning them to come to her house. We must have had several hundred little ones and Lily and Callum thought it was more fun than they had ever had. Margaret did let them have one piece of candy and they loved it. No surprise there.

We also celebrated my birthday. Bill Orr joined us and Erick fixed a delicious meal of steak, salmon and asparagus on the grill. I am a very fortunate woman who will soon have a new iPhone. Thank you to my amazing children.

Chili Supper

2010-10-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Bill Foster arrived today without Sue. While we are sorry Sue couldn't come with Bill, we were glad to see him. So to make him feel at home we had a neighborhood chili supper. John fixed a big pot of chili and the neighbors contributed a number of delicious dishes. We all ate too much and laughed a lot. It was good to catch up with Bob and Marge as well.

The weather cooperated and was delightful.

The Twins First Camping Experience

2010-10-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Margaret and Erick decided it was time to try camping with the twins. Although the weather stays pleasant during the day, we know that it won't be long before the nights are too cold for little ones to be sleeping outside. Maricopa county has a number of parks which are close to Phoenix. So for our first trip we chose McDowell Mountain Regional Park. They had recently opened up a few sites in a primitive campground. We went up on Friday to make sure we had a spot. It ended up that our spot was large enough to hold both our tent and the kids tent.

Only one problem that we discovered. There are 51 miles of trails in the park of varying degrees of difficulty. But after one walk to the bathroom, we realized that the dogs could not go on any trails with us. The desert area is covered with all kinds of stickers. By the time we got back to the campsite the dogs were fearful of venturing beyond it having had their fill of pain. No leashes needed the rest of the weekend. In fact they spent most of Saturday inside the tent sleeping.

The family arrived on Saturday in time to visit the nature center and see the assorted snakes. The rattlesnake even cooperated by rattling his rattlers for the twins. Then we headed to the campground. Margaret decorated the site with a ghost and Lily brought along her new sparkley purple spider (the only spider that wasn't scary at Michaels). We had fun watching the twins. After Margaret sprayed around the perimeter of the site with bug spray, Callum walked around pretending to do the same with a mustard bottle (lid closed) for several passes. We were well protected from the flies that seem to be thick this year.

They helped Grandpa cook the hot dogs over the fire, sang 'Home, home on the range' and enjoyed a s'more. One of their favorite books right now is a reissue of Lois Linski's Cowboy Small. It was originally published in 1949 but still enchants children. In it Cowboy Small sings Home on the Range so this is their favorite. Then they had fun playing in our tent and getting out all our stuff.

We're not sure how much sleep everyone got but it was a fun camping trip. Margaret cooked us a delicious gourmet breakfast. We made a trip to the playground and then it was time to break camp.

Babysitting with Twins

2010-10-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

We got the call and we responded. Callum was sick. Our immediate response was leave Lily home as well. They are so much fun now to watch as they play together. If Callum has something, Lily wants it. He began looking for his shovel so Lily ran and got it first. Then he cried as he tried to take it away from her. That didn't work and she just watched him and hung on tightly. So then he got another shovel and tried a trade. She wasn't buying that. He pretended to lose interest by grabbing a ball and throwing it to Grandpa. That looked like so much fun Lily couldn't resist. She dropped the shovel and ran to grab the ball. Callum quickly dropped that game, grabbed his shovel and began the process of transferring dirt from one point in the yard to a little toy sink.

Later when we gave Lily a cracker, she stood there wanting one for Callum and took it to him. Callum had fun wearing his sunglasses while Lily tried on her Mom's new hat.

The Mercedes Arrived

2010-10-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Amy and John (her husband, not her father or her brother) drove our Mercedes convertible from Indianapolis to Arizona. They were also loaded down with items we had forgotten and thought we needed. John did the work to make sure the car was in tip top shape before they made the trip. Most of the trip was done with the top down. But when they started getting into the high country, they had to put the top up. They did make it to the Grand Canyon and felt as we all did about the view - Spectacular.

We had a fun day today. First we located a branch of John's bank. There are only 3 branches in the US. One in Indy, one in Milwaukee, and one in Scottsdale, AZ. Very handy for them as John needed to deposit a pay check. Then we took the twins to Oregano's for lunch. This is one of my favorite pizza places. Both twins liked the pizza and you can see in the picture that Lily stuffed her mouth. She also spent a great deal of time on Uncle John's lap. After lunch we spent some time walking around Old Town Scottsdale. Grandpa tried to get Lily and Callum interested in a cowboy hat but it didn't work. Lily tried on every pair of shoes she could but we resisted spending $40 for a pair of kids shoes. Although it was hard for Grandpa to say no.

After dropping the babies and Grandpa home so they could all nap, Margaret, Amy, John and I drove to Changing Hands book store. Amy and John had never been there so it was quite a treat. I resisted purchasing any books as I know I'll get a coupon for my birthday next month. Plus Amy brought me a bunch of books to read. Margaret bought a toy and book for the twins.

We enjoyed a taco dinner then drove our cars home. The little Mercedes 450 SL looks so tiny next to the Suburban. We will enjoy driving it while the weather is nice (which is a good deal of the time in Arizona).

Shoes

2010-09-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Worn out after walking around in shoes

Lily loves shoes. Her major occupation in life is to try on different shoes and walk around in them. She watches how her feet look in shoes. She has also gotten in trouble at day care because she takes her shoes off constantly. So Margaret and Erick were told that she has to wear shoes that she can't take off easily. Do you realize how many kids shoes are held with velcro? Finally they found a pair of Mary Jane's that buckle.

Lily has red cowboy boots, red sparkly shoes like Dorothy's in The Wizard of Oz, sandels with pink fur, tennis shoes that sparkle, regular tennis shoes, numerous pairs of sandels. Margaret had to buy a shoe tree to hang over the door to keep all of Lily's shoes and there still enough room. And this child is under 2 years old!

Callum and his phones

Callum, on the other hand, only cares about electronic equipment. He came to visit yesterday and was in heaven as we let him have 3 phones to play with. (Sometime if you get a call from me and no one is talking, it's probably Callum). He spent over an hour 'talking' on the phones, often one on each ear, and looking at them, arranging them, putting them in my pocket and taking them out, etc. He managed to call his Mom once using speed dial. She was aware of what probably happened and talked to him while he sat there smiling and nodding his head. One phone is 'broke' but he doesn't care.

Haircut

2010-09-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

Before

The twins came to visit today. Callum had his first major hair cut since the last time he was here. He looks older. He was in heaven. We had two telephones for him to play with. He loves his electronics.

After

Pine-Strawberry Festival

2010-09-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

It was expected to hit 108' today in Phoenix. So Margaret & Erick and the twins thought it would be good to head north. We stopped at an arts and crafts festival in Pine, Arizona. It was hot but only 98' so was manageable. The highlight of the trip was a new pair of flip flops for Lily. She loves her shoes and I think she must have at least 40 pairs. (Maybe a slight exaggeration) Her big problem is that she only has one pair that she can wear to school. She also likes to remove her shoes and they don't like her to do that at school. Are you aware of how many shoes for toddlers are held together with velcro. Margaret finally found a pair that actually buckle. So those are her school shoes. Her mother also loved shoes and would go to bed clutching new shoes. Lily does the same.

We came back to the travel trailer and the kids enjoyed our toy box which was created when they were much younger. Lily also had to try on Grandpas' hat. Grandpa enjoys indulging her as he always has done with his grandchildren.

Sam achieves Black Belt

2010-09-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

I remember going to see Sam when she first started her classes in Taekwonddo. She looked so tiny and was so intense. We never dreamed that she would eventually earn her black belt. It took a lot of determination and hard work but she stuck with it. Taekwondo is the Korean martal art and it means to strike or break with fist or foot.

Taekwondo is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques, which distinguishes it from martial arts such as karate or southern styles of kung fu. The rationale is that the leg is the longest and strongest weapon a martial artist has, and kicks thus have the greatest potential to execute powerful strikes without successful retaliation. Historically, the Koreans thought that the hands were too valuable to be used in combat.

It is amazing to watch Sam's long legs kicking and swinging around. Don't mess with that girl. She goes to the national competitions in the spring.

Terror on the Mountain

2010-08-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Growing up in western Kansas gave us no practice in driving in the mountains. So it was with a bit of trepidation on my part that we began our trip through the Rocky Mountains. Going up Pikes Peak was our only prior experience with driving up a mountain. That was a piece of cake compared to our experience today. We drove from Montrose, CO to Ouray, CO. Beautiful, beautiful country. We crossed Red Mountain pass which is higher than 11,000 feet. I could feel it as the air was much thiner. It is frightening to me to have the road drop straight down from the white line on the edge of the road. We made it to Ouray and I breathed a sigh of relief. Ha! As my cousin said, if the road bothered us that far, we shouldn't go any further south. Only I didn't get his message until we reached Silverton. Tighter curves (180'), narrow roads and steeper ascents and descents. I could hardly breathe. John drove slowly (most posted speed limits were 10 mph) and hugged the center stripe.

Silverton was a picturesque town and we enjoyed a breakfast buffet at Grumpy's. Lots of tourist shops which aren't our thing. The narrow guage railroad runs from Durango to Silverton. I would imagine it would be fun to ride it through the mountains. We then stopped in Durango where John happily explored the roundhouse and other buildings while I browsed in a used book store. The ride to Gallup, New Mexico was rather uneventful.

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In search of railroads

2010-08-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Arizona included a side trip back to Kansas. Not that we were homesick to see those flat prairie lands once more. John had promised a friend that he would take measurements and pictures of the remains of railroad buildings in Sharon Springs, Kansas. Bob draws blueprints of railroad buildings all over the US in HO scale. John has used those to recreate the buildings in Ellis, Kansas in HO scale.

After that was accomplished we headed back into Colorado. The scenery quickly changed as we got into the foothills of the Rockies. And it was a dramatic change. We spent our first night in Florence, Colorado. A delightful little town nestled down in a valley. The next day we were off to find the remains of a round house in Gunnison, CO. John had heard that someone was using it as a model to create kits in HO scale. Getting to Gunnison involved crossing the mountains. At one point we were over 11,000 feet high. I could feel it as I felt I was having trouble getting enough oxygen. There were ski resorts all along the way although most were closed. I'm not particularly comfortable in that situation but John kept his speed reduced enough that I was able to occasionally enjoy the scenery. It was one picture postcard view after another.

The roundhouse was non-existent in Gunnison having been torn out years ago. Even the tracks were removed. The city does have an enormous museum consisting of many acres of buildings. It reminded John of Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska. It had several train cars, automobiles, horse drawn vehicles and other memorabilia of prairie life. He spent a couple of hours happily puttering around while I stayed in the car with the dogs and my book.

We finally drove to Montrose, CO and decided we were too tired to go further. Driving those mountain roads is exhausting. I did manage to find a used book store in Montrose and found a few books to take along. I was almost finished with the one I was reading and the thought of being without a book to read was putting me into a greater panic than riding around those twisting, curving mountain roads. Amy will understand.

Black and Read

2010-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't leave Denver without checking out another bookstore. Becky sent me a link to their web site and I was hooked. On our last day, instead of cleaning house in anticipation of Sue's arrival, we drove to Black and Read. It was a bit of a drive but well worth it. It was one of those used book stores where you would do best with a list of authors. The amount of books was overwhelming. The cookbook section was huge as well as many of the other categories. It was crowded with unshelved books. They also sold music, DVD's, comics, etc. An experience just to walk around.

My only regret was that there wasn't a single place to sit for a moment and try to look up my want list on line. I do like used book stores that have a place to sit to look through some of the selections. But that was a small annoyance. I tried to restrain myself but as anyone who knows me, that's not easy when I'm with books. John also found a few books on Native Americans that he didn't have.

We also stopped by evoo Marketplace before leaving town. They have fantastic flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars. I became spoiled using them on salads at Sue's house. So I purchased a few to take to Arizona with me. Can't wait to start building salads with them.

Our stay in Denver is over. It was lots of fun and we enjoyed ourselves. We took a hint from the natives and walked and walked and walked. I can now walk almost an hour a day as opposed to the 10 min maximum when I arrived. It feels good. Now to keep it up as we enter the heat of Arizona.

The Twins Visit Denver

2010-08-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

We eagerly anticipated the weekend visit of Margaret and Erick and the twins. We have loved being in Denver and were looking forward to sharing the experience. It was with some trepidation though. While Sue is gracious about turning over her home to visitors, we also didn't want to cause any damage to her stuff. We worried about having toys for the babies (20 mon.) to play with as well. Our worries were for naught. Lily quickly learned that some things were not to be touched. She would walk by them and wag her little finger and say "don't touch", then walk on by.

Callum discovered that Sue had a small broom, about 3 feet long that was perfect size for him. He spent a lot of time sweeping the floor. Then his parents would give him a baby wipe and he wiped every surface in sight. The railings on the balcony sparkle. Lily loves shoes with a passion. She loves everyones shoes and spent her time trying on our shoes, even Papaws cowboy boots. What's even more amazing is that she can walk in those as well as her mother's flip flops. She is her mother's child. The other toy we weren't aware of were the silicon muffin cups I had. They can be stacked, nested, wipes stuffed in them, folded, etc. They were a big hit. Then there is always the app on Papaw's iPhone which never fails to entertain. I highly recommend the Duck, Duck Goose apps for toddlers.

While we made a quick stop at the Children's Museum and drove to Tiny Town (train wasn't running), the high lights for the twins were walks to the park, playing in the water in Stapleton town center, dipping their feet in a cold mountain stream and the many playgrounds we came across.

Our stop at Wynkoop Brewery was a fun experience for the adults. This is one of the older brewerys in Colorado. It was also kid friendly so the twins were fine. Another lunch was at a small place in Indian Hills called Sit and Bull. While a bit of a dive, the food was delicious with made from scratch french fries. It reminded us of the bar at Tortilla Flats. The owners own property in Arizona and often vacation there. They put us on the second floor where we had the room to ourselves. Great for letting toddlers wander around.

We got rid of M&E a couple of times so we could have the twins all to ourselves. Such fun. Whether reading to them or just watching them play, we had fun.

Now just a few days and we'll be in Arizona.

Atomic Clock

2010-08-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

The atomic clock

Tom showing what holds the atoms

My brain is reeling from all the information we received this morning. We were invited to the NIST today to see the atomic clock. This is the clock that the nation uses to get accurate times. Here is the scientific explanation of how it works. It keeps time by counting oscillations of a microwave signal generated by ultra-cold cesium atoms as they jump back and forth between different energy states. We were privileged to be given the tour by my cousins wives brother who built the current clock. He was delightful and explained it so well although a lot of what he said has already escaped my aged brain.

A prior version

I was also surprised to learn that the NIST won an Emmy for developing closed captioning for television. Tom showed us an older model of the clock which lay on it's side. The current one is called a fountain clock because the atoms are shot up and then fall down. And as you can tell from the pictures it doesn't look at all like a clock as we think of it.

An interesting side note, Boulder has more advanced degrees per capita than any other city in the United States. Our little brains were worn out by the time we left.

Red Rocks Amplitheatre

2010-08-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

The famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre is located about 15 miles west of Denver. John and I both had faint memories of seeing it when we were young. We decided it was time to take another look and see if it was as amazing as our memories of it were. You know how it is when you try to revisit childhood places. They are never quite as huge or fantastic. Well, this was just as wonderful as we remembered. I think they have improved the stage area. It opened in 1941 and has been the host of such famous groups as the Beatles and the Grateful Dead.

We took all three dogs with us and they seemed to enjoy the ride. AJ preferred the way back, Abby sat in the last set of seats and Chauncy rode in the seats behind us. They also enjoyed getting out and walking around the amphitheatre. As you can imagine, lots of people had to stop and say hello to the three dogs.

We decided to drive along Colfax avenue instead of driving on the interstate. Colfax has played host to legions of prostitutes and to the Pope. Home of iconic Denver building such as the Denver Mint, the capitol building, the Invesco stadium where the Broncos play, the state capitol and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It has appeared in popculture sources from Jack Kerouac's On The Road to an episode of Sout Park. At one point Playboy magazine called it the "longest, wickedest street in America". But a number of changes have happened on Colfax. We went from run down boarded up buildings to nice looking neighborhoods. Any type of food is available from fast food, african, irish, english, and diners. An interesting drive.

Colorado Railroad Museum

2010-08-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is the best railroad museum we have ever been to. Although to be fair, most of the ones we've seen have been in small towns. Train buffs love the large collection of all kinds of train cars scattered about on a 12-acre yard. There were such things as an engine built to remove snow from the tracks. The Galloping Goose #2 was built with various parts from a Buick, Pierce Arrow, Ford Truck and a railroad engine.

I loved the HO scale model of Colorado history. It was quite elaborate and detailed. Much of the scenery was built by one artist who died in 1998. I was impressed with how she designed the backdrop to look like it was a part of the layout.

John did enjoy looking at the roundhouse, turntable and the water tank. Since he is building these things in HO scale for his layout in Ellis, it helps to visit the real thing. They had a garden railroad but it lacked the detail and interest that we have become used to in garden railroads. Our friends in Apache Junction have one and it has become the standard by which we judge other garden railroads.

The dogs were happy to see us arrive home. We picked up AJ's tennis ball and headed for the park. We managed to wear them all out as they came home and crashed.

Denver from a dog's view

2010-08-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Chauncy and Abby are happy to be here. They love playing with AJ (not in picture) and exploring the very dog friendly park half a block away. This sculpture of dogs having a picnic is in the little neighborhood park. The homes and parks in this area are known as Stapleton and were built on the site of the old airport.

Sue leaves for Ethiopia tomorrow with her 6 suitcases loaded with items for 'her' orphans. She is taking a film student with her whom will be filming a documentary about the women there. There is a link to her blog on my blog page.

Denver will be our home for the next 3 weeks. The dogs like it and I'm sure we will too.

Leaving Indiana

2010-08-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

We attended a couple of parties during our last week. A friend whom I had worked with for almost 25 years had decided to quit work in order to spend more time helping her elderly father. A party was given in her honor and in the picture are those of us who had worked with Carole at Brulin.

My book group got together for one last time to share a glass of wine and good conversation. They are an interesting, well-read group of women whom I will miss. We've shared a lot of experiences in the downtown neighborhood where John and I have lived for the last 20 years. The group has added a few members and lost a few over the years. By being a part of this group, I have read books I would never have thought about reading and I have come to appreciate and enjoy the support and friendship of these women.

We got together with the family for one last dinner. Amy and her brother John delighted in telling old stories about their childhood. This time about babysitters they had known and tormented. Somehow I failed to get any pictures.

On Friday morning we got on I-70 and left town. The suburban was loaded to the max including using part of the back seat where the dogs ride. They settled in quickly and lay down to sleep as they always do on road trips. The ride was pretty uneventful the first day. On Saturday we started through Kansas and made our first side trip. We saw ads for the OZ winery. Ever since Carson played the role of Toto in YATS production of the Wizard of OZ we have had a fondness for anything associated with the story. While many places in Kansas have tried to cash in on the story, Wamego seems to have the most with a museum, winery and Toto's Tacos (which we didn't try). It was fun looking in the winery gift shop but the $28-30 bottles of wine were a little steep for our budget. I'll stick to my wine from Trader Joe's.
It really felt like Kansas when we saw the fields of sunflowers. We stopped for the night in Goodland, KS and will arrive in Denver sometime on Sunday.

A Newlywed test

2010-07-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Picture this: You fall in love with the woman of your dreams. You ask her to marry you. You are willing to take the 2 teenagers into your life as she agrees to also take your slightly older children into her life. So you make the plans for a romantic wedding on the beach in Florida. Plans move ahead. Then the shoe drops. She informs you that you will be coming home from that wedding to a home that includes your in-laws. Her parents are moving in!

That isn't exactly what happened. But Amy's new husband has passed the test with flying colors. She and I knew it would work but the men weren't so sure. I think (and hope I can speak for her John as well) that we have all enjoyed our summer together. We leave for Denver on Friday and it is with regret. I've enjoyed having a full kitchen to use in planning and cooking meals. Amy has enjoyed having someone to share the cooking responsibilities with. The two Johns are both mechanically minded and seem to work well on projects. We have liked those early morning chats over a cup of coffee or sitting on the patio after dinner with a glass of wine. It is similiar to when I moved in with Margaret and Erick when the twins were born. I have a new appreciation of both my sons-in-law after being around them on a daily basis.

The kids liked having another option when looking for a ride. We loved the opportunity to be close to our grandchildren. When they are teenagers you take what ever moments you can get.

But, as usual, we are looking forward to new experiences and I'm sure the newlyweds will enjoy having some space back.

Dinner With Friends

2010-07-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

We were invited to join some friends at Buca di Peppo for dinner tonight. Wonderful evening. We started out with promogranate margaritas. Delightful on such a hot evening. Our host, Kerry, had planned a suggested menu and printed it out. We thought his choices perfect so he handed it to our waitress. She was surprised and pleased. My daughter said she wishes all customers would do the same.

The courses were as follows:
Antipasti - Mozzerella garlic bread and the Buca Trio platter consisting of fried calamari, fried mozzerella and stuffed mushrooms with an amazing basil cream sauce.
Insalate - We had an apple gorgonzola salad as well as an antipasto salad. It was too hard to choose so we had a little of each.
Baked Pasta - Quattro al Forno which was a large platter containing cheese manicotti, chicken cannelloni, baked ravioli and stuffed shells.

Entree - We had our choice of three entrees - chianti braised short ribs, oven-roasted salmon and chicken saltimbocca along with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

Needless to say that by the time the dessert arrived, we were quite stuffed. I think in the following picture, Michael was thinking "how am I going to eat all of that". But we persisted and managed to taste each of the offerings. It was a wonderful evening. Good food and good company.

Orrlette Update

2010-07-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

We don't have regular contact with the twins now except through Skype. They seem to be growing so quickly. Margaret sent this picture of them having dinner at a friends house with their little girl. Seeing them at a table instead of high chairs makes them seem older to me. So thought I'd share.

Last night my cousin Sue's daughter and her husband stopped in on their way to Denver. I decided to try a dessert which I rarely do. I ended up making these miniature cupcakes. The recipe was in a new cookbook that Amy found during one of her book buying trips. There are a lot of other recipes we plan to try in the next few weeks before we leave town.

Under the Stars

2010-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time last night attending Symphony on the Prairie at Conner Prairie. The weather was absolutely perfect. The songs were John Denver songs sung by Jim Curry. He looks amazing like John Denver and his voice strongly resembles John's. I could close my eyes and swear that John Denver had descended from heaven and was on stage.

In listening to the music I became aware of how familiar the songs all were even though I had never thought of myself as a big John Denver fan. But I love his music. The crowd responded delightedly to the music and persuaded them to do 3 encores. It is always a pleasure to listen to the symphony whether at a pops concert like this or one of the classical presentations at Circle Theater.

The only downside was the group of giggling people next to us. The user came around once to ask them to be quiet. Some of their neighbors finally gave up and moved. They didn't seem interested in the music at all but just wanted to visit. A small annoyance during an otherwise perfect evening. In one of the pictures you can see that John had a rough day and is taking a small nap before the concert began.

Big Hat Books

2010-07-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Just because I'm in familiar territory it doesn't mean I won't visit an independent book store. This remains one of my favorite things to do. So it was time for Amy and I to take a look at Big Hat Books. I love the independent ones whether large or small as the choice of books is often different than those in a large chain. When I find a lot of books I like on the shelves of a store, I know the buyer shares similiar tastes and I then have more confidence that I'll find other books. I did purchase one which Amy has almost finished reading. She says it's a good purchase. It is A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. I look forward to reading it when I finish the book I'm currently reading.

Party to Celebrate Amy and John's Wedding

2010-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

One of our big reasons for traveling to Indiana this summer was to be here when our daughter Amy, got married. She and John flew to Florida by themselves to get married on the beach. They had a wonderful time and the wedding was exactly what they wanted. Then they had a party on Saturday night for both families to celebrate the wedding. It was the first time both of their families had gotten together.

I volunteered to prepare the food. Amy had decided on a menu consisting of the following: beef tenderloin with blue cheese sauce, seafood gratin (containing shrimp, lobster and cod), garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with shallots and tomatoes, summer strawberry salad and herb rolls.
We served it buffet style and had the tables set up in the yard for seating. When the guests arrived they were offered drinks and appetizers (mini quiches and dill cucumber toasties). While they were meeting and visiting, I was in the kitchen doing the last minute preperations with the help of my son John and his wife Sandy. We had also hired a woman to help. Do to a lot of planning and previous prep work, everything went very smoothly.

A friend loaned us a lot of beautiful silver serving pieces to use on the buffet table. Margaret and Amy did a wonderful job of creating a lovely setting for the food. They were also able to find enough flowers in the garden to decorate all the tables in the yard. I was impressed at their creativity.

The guests all had a great time and some of us stayed up until the wee hours of the morning enjoying the perfect weather. It was a thrill for Amy to have her brother and sister here as well as a long time friend from Chicago. We spent the next day relaxing and visiting. Then enjoyed sitting outside watching the fireworks display put on by the city of Indianapolis.

John's daughter Mallory was there with her boyfriend. I liked this picture of them with Amy and John. Hard to think that I've acquired a couple of step grandchildren. I spent some time visiting with them. Carson and her friend Evan were there as well. She was a great help with the toddler who visited. Plus running all kinds of errands.

The guests all had a great time and some of us stayed up until the wee hours of the morning enjoying the perfect weather. It was a thrill for Amy to have her brother and sister here as well as a long time friend from Chicago. We spent the next day relaxing and visiting. Then enjoyed sitting outside watching the fireworks display put on by the city of Indianapolis.

Visit to Birch Bark Books

2010-06-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Minnesota in early June to attend a wedding.It was a chance to visit with John's brother and his assorted relatives. Sam and Phillip went with us. The wedding was in Red Wing which is a delightful little town that we have visited before. One of John's favorite American Indian painters has a studio there. We have visited him before but were not able to see him this time.

On Sunday we drove to Minneapolis and dropped Sam and Phillip off at the University of Minnesota campus to visit with a friend. John and I then searched for a book store I've been wanting to visit for years. Birch Bark books is owned by Louise Erdrich who is an author whose books I enjoy. I'm also a big fan of Independent Book Stores. While this store is not as large as Tattered Cover in Denver or Changing Hands in Phoenix, they have an excellent selection of books. John was thrilled to find a large American Indian section. I was happy with the choices in fiction and poetry. While our pockets were empty when we left, we had huge smiles on our faces. As the saying goes "when I have money I buy books, if there's any left over, I buy food and clothes". Describes me to a 't'.

Not So Great Camping Adventure

2010-06-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

Since we were on the road and staying in a tent, Internet access was not as readily available. Or I was not in the mood to drag out a laptop and update our blog. So here's a quick summary of our trip to Indiana. Our second night was spent in Chama, New Mexico. This is right on the border of Colorado and is at a higher elevation. John was thrilled to have time to wander around the station and see the train. I was delighted to find a small used book store and had a great conversation with the owner. It's always fun to talk books and I'm still partial to used books. The not so good thing is that we learned the temperature that night was expected to be 18'. I don't mind sleeping at that temp in a tent but waking up in the morning is a whole other thing. So we took advantage of the local motel.

Following the narrow gauge railroad and watching the train heading through the mountains the next morning was quite delightful. We were quite glad we weren't pulling a trailer up those mountain roads. The scenery was amazing and we were surprised at the number of new log houses that were alongside the river. They looked like vacation getaways.

Our next stop was at cousin Sue's house in Denver. Chauncy and Abby were thrilled to see A.J. again and they all were on their best behavior. Sue knew how to entertain. She took us to a huge book store called The Tattered Cover. The Tattered Cover is one of the countries largest independent bookstore (not as big as Powells) with lots of nooks and crannies still offering the intimacy and comfort of smaller bookshops; an ample supply of sofas, overstuffed chairs, and antique tables for lounging and study. They sell both new and used books.

Then we went to EVOO Marketplace. They sell, you guessed it, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All different flavors in large containers that you can taste. I bought some but since I left them at Sue's house, I can't remember the flavors I chose.

The camping part of the trip was next. Let me give you some advice. Tent camping is not recommended for Western Kansas. The wind never stops blowing. Our plan was to spend a few days in Ellis while John spent some time visiting friends and his brother while I would relax at the campsite and read. Sitting out in the hot sun in the wind left a lot to be desired. Chauncy hated the wind blowing the tent flaps at night and twice managed to unzip the bottom and escape. I woke up wondering who had let their dog roam around barking. I finally had to put the leash on him to keep him in the tent. The blow-up mattress was wonderful and we slept quite well when we were not dealing with an errant pooch!

From Ellis we drove to Lawrence, Kansas and had a lovely visit with old friends. Once again our dogs behaved perfectly. They didn't even try to jump on furniture or wrestle in the house. John and Bill took them to a dog park. The guys sat on a bench and the dogs sat at their feet. Okay, a little too good. But we did manage to wrangle an invitation to stop there on our return trip. The rock formations occur in Eastern Kansas. Quite a bit different than the Western part of the state.

We met my sister and her husband at La Peep's in St. Joe, Missouri for breakfast the next day and then drove on into Indianapolis. We have decided that we like going camping at a destination but it isn't the best way to travel go when you are planning long travel days each day. We returned John's tent but plan to purchase one soon.

The Great Camping Adventure - Day 1

2010-05-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we said our goodbyes to the twins and their parents.
This morning we closed up the trailer and headed down the road. Or should I say up the road as we were traveling north on AZ 87 towards Winslow. Interesting ride as the scenery changed from a landscape filled with saguaros to massive ponderosa pines. Then again scrubs and finally desert like conditions all within a couple of hours.

While we were one of a few cars going north, the southbound lane of the two-lane highway was bumper to bumper. As we suspected, I 40 going west out of Winslow to Flagstaff was closed due to blowing dust. Fortunately we were headed East. Only one problem, the wind kept blowing. By the time we pulled into the KOA at Holbrook which was our first stop, I could barely walk in the wind. The thought of trying to put up a tent, much less sleep in one, was definitely out of the question. Fortunately this KOA has cabins so we upgraded our camping spot for a cabin.

Pluses include electricity, heating and air-conditioning. So much for roughing it on our first night on the road. We'll try out the tent tomorrow night.......... maybe. They say that they haven't had this much wind here in years. Since the owners provide a nice little supper (for a small price) with seating in an outdoor area, they are quite concerned about the wind.

We were eager to try out our new air mattress so have blown it up and put it on top of their tiny mattress. We will sleep about 3 feet off the ground. Was marvelous for an afternoon nap. However it may be a bit tricky for that middle of the night trip to the bathroom (which is located in another building).

Relaxing with the twins

2010-05-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

As we prepare for our trip to Indy, we've had some opportunities to spend time with the twins. Callum was sick one day so we received the early morning call to babysit. Don't tell Margaret and Erick but we feel they are doing us a favor when they allow us to spend time with either or both of the children. Callum spent most of the time sleeping in one or the other of our arms. Nothing quite as relaxing as holding a sleeping baby.

Then Lily, who is never sick, woke up with a fever. We are getting quite good at awaking up from a dead sleep and being out of the house in 15 minutes. Lily loves her blankie and likes to curl up with it.

Yesterday Lily found her coat and decided to go by-by. John helped her put the coat on and button it up. Temp outside was in the 90's but the air conditioner was on inside. Callum wanted to play too so he ran in the bedroom and found one of Lily's sweaters to put on. Then they both found shopping bags and walked around the house saying bye-bye every time they passed us.

They love to play outside with their toys and slide and wading pool. Bill Orr and John and I spent all afternoon on Saturday watching them play. Such fun.

Lily chatters constantly speaking in 2 and 3 word sentences. Callum is starting to talk more. They are also good at conveying what they want in sign language. The sign for thank you is an automatic response now when you do something for them.

It's been a fun winter watching them grow. We're now looking forward to our camping trip as we wind our way to Indiana and our other grandchildren.

Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-10T03:45:00.000-07:00

A relaxed pleasant weekend. Saturday was spent getting a pedicure with my daughter and then watching the twins play followed by a good supper at Margaret and Erick's house. Erick's Dad brought me flowers.

Sunday morning John fixed me breakfast. It brings back memories of children bringing me breakfast in bed and snuggling around me while I ate. Those were good times. Then hearing from my family - Carson via facebook, Sam texting, the twins and Margaret and Erick via Skype, and John and Amy via moble phones. It's quite amazing how technology has enabled us to stay closer in touch.

After lunch with friends we had a quiet evening including several Skype sessions with the twins. They are fascinated with computers and would laugh and wave at the images of Mimi and Papaw.

I feel loved and appreciated.

Lily Has a Bad Hair Day

2010-05-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's the cottage cheese or the little pony tails but Lily had quite a hair do when we were there this weekend. It doesn't bother her so had to capture this moment for posterity (and to show her during her teen years).

She's a regular little charmer. Gil Turpin came over yesterday and she smiled, waved and even toddled over hoping he would pick her up. She can't imagine anyone resisting her blue eyes and sweet smile.

New Residents

2010-04-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Our park is looking like a ghost town. Only a few of us are left. But we did discover a new resident in our palm tree last week. I don't know how long she's been there. Her coloring causes her to blend into the background quite well. We first noticed the nest with the eggs while she was on one of her rare trips out of the nest. I was able to get a picture using the zoom lens on the camera. She ignores us as we walk past and we try not to do anything to disturb her. Her patience is amazing.

Jake's Senior Prom

2010-04-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Aren't they good looking kids! The yard looks pretty good as well. Hard to believe that Jake is a senior.

The Countdown

2010-04-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

Less than 2 months to go before shutting our winter home down and heading back to Indiana. The problem becomes what to do with all that stuff in our freezer and refrigerator. We are leaving the travel trailer in Arizona so will be just taking a car and tent camping (with an occasional motel or friends guest room thrown in). After reading The Guinea Pig Diaries by A. J. Jacobs I've decided that I, too, can write about my quest to try something new. So will update this blog on my efforts to use all the condiments in the refrigerator. Margaret and Erick have indicated that they don't want to be stuck with another bottle of mustard (how much can I throw in some barbeque sauce without creating more leftovers). Today I think we'll take the chicken breasts from the freezer and create a marinade from an assortment of items and then grill them. Love grilled chicken sliced and put on top of a green salad.

Easter Sunday 2010

2010-04-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

We hid the eggs, filled the pool, loaded the baskets, baked the ham and were ready for Easter fun.

Meanwhile, Lily and Callum got dressed in their new clothes and came to find eggs and go swimming.

Life with Carson

2010-04-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

She's gone home now and already we're trying to figure out how to fill our time.
To summerize the week:

Music - Non-stop teen music which was sometimes unpleasant (rap) and sometimes suprisingly enjoyable (kid cudi, lady gaga, beyonce). It was silent in the car last night.

Shopping - twice to the fashion mall, and once to Tempe. I was in stores I've never heard of like Betsy Johnson, Forever 21 (no surprise there) and Juicy Couture. She much preferred shopping with Margaret but was happy when I stepped up to the cash register to help with the purchases from Victoria's Secret (sweats).

Entertainment - The big event was our trip to the Grand Canyon. We all agreed it was the highlight of the trip. The weather was beautiful - upper 60's and sunny. The Phoenix Zoo is also a great place to visit and we spent our morning there in the little people section with the petting zoo. Next year we'll try the camel ride and feeding the giraffe. There was also time just watching the twins. I'm not sure what was funnier, watching them play or watching the adults trying to catch them as they run in opposite directions. Callum, in particular, is fast for a little guy who just learned to walk a few months ago.

Movies - Thanks to Blockbusters and Red Box, we were able to see 500 Days of Summer, The Blind Side, Up in the Air, a full season of Glee, a full season of 30Rock, and a movie about Coco Channel. I think it will be cheaper next year to join NetFlix.

Food - Starbucks for Chai Tea Latte (she's a junkie and I indulge her as no one else will) almost every day, food court at the fashion mall, Olive Garden, Mining Camp Restaurant, Arcadia Tavern, some excellent pizza and lots of fast food which we all got sick of.

It's fascinating to be around a techie teen who is constantly in touch with her friends through facebook, iming and texting. Only a couple of times did I hear her actually talk to one of them on the phone.

Yesterday was a good karma day. When we arrived at the window in Starbucks to pick up her chai, we discovered that the woman in front of us had paid for her drink. So Margaret did the same later that afternoon for the person behind her at the Starbucks in Scottsdale. Then Carson's plane was delayed 2 hours. The good thing was that when we called Margaret to come back and pick us up, we discovered that Carson had left her phone in the car. It would have been a true disaster had she had to leave without it. Grandpa would have been paying an overnight express charge for that.

Our trailer is empty but our hearts and heads are full of good memories.

Carson's Spring Break - Day 3 -Grand Canyon

2010-03-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

The weather was perfect for a change. Usually it's cold and snowy at the Grand Canyon when we have visitors in the winter. But this year was sunny and in the high 60's. So we loaded up, dropped the dogs off at Margs and headed north.

We had never been and it was worth the drive. I've heard about it and have seen pictures but it's not the same as seeing it in person. We were blown away. We drove along the south rim and stopped at a number of trailheads. Now I can't imagine those people who take rides down to the bottom of the canyon on mules.

Carson's Spring Break - Day 2

2010-03-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Margaret and Erick and the twins took us with them to the Phoenix Zoo. Carson isn't crazy about animals but she enjoyed watching the twins reactions. The 'quack, quack, quack' when we saw the ducks was a clear result of Mimi reading the animal book to them and teaching them the appropriate sounds.

The Phoenix zoo is quite large and incredible. We only saw a small portion. I think there will be many more trips here with the twins. The twins started out in their stroller but soon discovered they could cover a lot more ground running. It was fun watching their parents chase them.

Carson's Visit - Day One

2010-03-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

First we had to have a pedicure. It's a requirement in Arizona, isn't it. Pictures of Carson's toes were sent off to friends and family to be admired. Then it was off to the mall. Not just any mall but the one with all the high-priced stores. After browsing through those stores with $1000 dresses, to Grammie's relief, we settled upon Forever 21 which is huge. With low prices. Margaret and I both owed Carson a birthday present. Fortunately she was able to find a few things that we were happy to buy.

Another stop at Victoria's Secret for sweats and we were finished for the day (at least Grammie was). There were some stores we missed so will have to return later in the week.

Our Beautiful Granddaughter

2010-03-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Alpha Phi dance and here is Sam with her date Phillip. You can see the city skyline in the background. They look like they are having fun.

A Visit to Superstition Museum

2010-03-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

It was a fun day taking the twins to walk around the museum. They particularly liked climbing in this replica of a stagecoach. We had to do it a couple of times. Later we ate lunch at Filly's and they got to see real live horses. There is a hitching post there and riders can tie up their horses and mosey on down to the outside dining area while keeping an eye on the horses. Not something you'd see in the city. Callum was interested but Lily clung tightly to her Mom and wouldn't go near.

Tucson Festival of Books

2010-03-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

They were expecting 450 authors and 80,000 people. But that didn't deter us from attending the festival. It was held on the U of A campus so things were spread out a bit. We first went to hear Luis Alberto Urrea (yes, I bought a book). I have read two of his books The Hummingbird's Daughter and The Devil's Highway. Both good reads. He is a charmer and was fun to listen to. The signing line took a while because he chatted with each person. Fun when you are the person he is talking to.The 350 seat room was filled as he has a great many followers.

We also listened to John Hemmingway talk about and read from his book about his grandfather (Ernest) and his father's relationship. I'm looking forward to reading that book as well. He says he missed getting the gene which caused so many members of his family to have bipolar disorder.

There were a number of activities and events for children as well and it was all free. Parking was free also. So the only expense we had were the books that I couldn't resist buying. Now to prepare for next year.

Carson is a Star

2010-02-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

My trip to Indy (courtesy of Amy and Margaret) was arranged so I could watch Carson in her first starring role as Alice in Go Ask Alice. The show was a part of a series about teen topics and this one dealt with drugs. I was amazed at how Carson has matured as an actress. This time instead of just watching her perform, I got caught up in the play and cried when she died at the end. This play should be seen at schools and other teen groups so they could discuss the subject matter in depth. I'm so proud of my granddaughter.

The other benefits of returning to Indy - seeing snow, visiting with friends and time with family. I plan to do this every year as it has been wonderful even though it's cold. Although it sounds like I'm not missing much as the weather in Arizona has been rainy and cool.

John and the dogs seem to be surviving without me.

Visit to Indy

2010-02-20T11:20:00.000-08:00

I arrived to the sight of snow. All my flower beds are covered. Fortunately the weather is sunny and in the mid-thirties. So, even thought I can't find my coat, it's not too bad outside. Am looking forward to Carson's play tonight and then a week of visiting with friends and family.

John stayed home in Apache Junction with the dogs. This way he can point out every day how warm it is where I"m not!

Marg took a vacation

2010-02-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Margaret spent the holiday weekend in Florida on Captiva Island with her college roommates. Erick spent the weekend playing with two adorable babies in warm Phoenix.

Planning a trip to Indy

2010-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

And the reason I'm leaving 75' weather is to see Carson play the lead this weekend in the play 'Go Ask Alice'. I urge everyone in the vicinity of Indy to check it out. The added benefit will be seeing Samantha and Jake. And I'm also looking forward to visiting with a few friends while in town. The only bad part is the weather. It's been a few years since I've experienced cold weather.

We've enjoyed having Amy and John here this week. Margaret is in Florida so we spent most evenings with Erick and the twins. Amy and I, accompanied by Paige, survived the annual VNSA book sale. For a bookie, it is a most incredible experience. We entered the building, began filling our carts and two hours or so later staggered through the checkout, and walked out dazed with a hundred books or so. The prices are so cheap our pocket books didn't even complain. Then we celebrated with a delicious lunch at Our Florist cafe.

Amy and John's Visit Day One

2010-02-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

We took John up to visit Tortilla Flats. It's a great way to experience both the mountains and the old west feeling of Arizona in a short amount of time. It is both hokey and touristy but seems we all have to do it at least once. We ate in the restaurant which has thousands of dollar bills stapeled to the walls and ceilings with people's names written on them.

It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the 70's.

Pictures from last week

2010-02-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

A busy week

2010-02-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

We had a couple of those 5 am calls this week. "Mom, Callum threw up. Can you come in?" And I would be an idiot to turn down an offer like that. So it's up and dressed and driving into Phoenix. It's a 40 minute drive but interstate most of the way so an easy drive. I hardly have to wake up! Thursday John roused himself and went with me. It was a good thing as we each held a baby and they slept for 3 hours on our chests.

Have read a couple of good books this week as well. The kind you stay up late reading because you don't want to put them down. Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls was a fascinating book about her grandmother. She wrote it in the form of a novel but the stories and facts are true. If you liked her writing in The Glass Castle, you'll like this book even better.

Then I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. A piece of fiction set the civil rights era telling what it was like to be a black domestic in a southern home. It was a time when black women were trusted to raise white children but not trusted with the family silver.

Thursday night I went with Margaret and Erick to hear Dinesh D'Souza speak on the topic "What's so Great About Christianity". I can't tell you what his point was as he spent a great deal of time with personal attacks on renowned aethiests such as Richard Dawkins. But it was interesting and I'm glad I went.

This weekend in Indy there is a memorial service for a dear friend. Margaret Turpin finally lost her 4 year long battle with cancer. She was at the Mayo clinic here in Phoenix so we got to spend some time with her and her family in the final days. I first met Margaret and Gil helping with flower sales in the Herron-Morton neighborhood. Then Margaret and I began playing canasta with JoEllen Rowe and Desma Prentakowski. We drank a lot of wine, shared a lot of stories and played a few cards.

Margaret and Gil and John and I began going out to eat every Friday night after work. We tried to discover 'new' restaurants. While most were good, we did stumble on one to avoid. We still were laughing last month at how Gil handled finding a cockroach in his burrito. Our adventures expanded to overnight trips to Chicago, St. Louis, and southern Indiana and then a week long trip to Mexico. One summer the four of us even built a garage. Margaret was always positive, easygoing and talkative. I can still hear her telling me a story in my head - about school, about her children or about her grandchildren. I'll miss her.

Shopping Trip

2010-02-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

It's a little different than shopping with my other grandchildren but was still fun. Margaret took Lily shopping for new shoes and I tagged along. Lily had had a short nap and was a little tired. But she perked up after getting the shoes. I didn't get a picture of her prancing around the mall squealing with delight while her mom tried to keep tabs of her. Then we made a trip to the Disney outlet to find a stuffed animal. She doesn't get the Disney connection but like the warm fuzzy Thumper.

Good Morning from Arizona

2010-01-31T07:45:00.000-08:00

We got up to a message from Lily and Callum on our phones saying good morning. What a way to start the day! It's going to be another beautiful, sunny day. Hopefully we can find a little time to sit on the patio and read for a while. But the big plan to day is to go with Margaret and Lily to buy shoes for Lily. It doesn't get much better than that.

Callum got his first hair cut last week. He looks so grownup to us. But still is my sweet baby. We plan to take dinner to his parents on Monday so we can visit with him. Today he'll be spending a fun day with his daddy.

Sue's Retirement Party

2010-01-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Sue's liberations from Weichert Reality (no relation) last night. She can begin to spend time on the important things in life like relaxing in the sun, playing with her soon-to-be grandchild, quilting, visiting with friends, and sleeping in. She's wearing the official retirement sunglasses. Bill made pina coladas and various neighbors showed up for our impromptu party.

Haus Murphy

2010-01-29T05:07:00.000-08:00

It has taken a while but we finally made it to Glendale (an hour away) to eat at Haus Murphy. It was featured on Diner, Dives and Drive-Ins. Plus Bill had been wanting to relive his trip to Germany when he was young. No one was disappointed. They put us in a back room by ourselves. A good thing! Our waiter told us he enjoyed having us come and hoped we'd come back as a group again. (I know, he was angling for a good tip). Although he was probably surprised to find a group of old people cutting up and laughing and not whining and complaining.

John and I had a dinner for two which had an assortment of sausages, a pork chop, sauerkraut, red cabbage, potatoes. Needless to say we brought home enough for 2 more meals. Bill and Sue and John and I had bread pudding for dessert. I would drive across town just for that. Bill got an additional order to take home. Smart man. Paige and Dave had cherry strudle which looked delicious as well.

Good meal, good friends. Perfect evening.

Trip to Queen Creek Olive Mill

2010-01-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day so we drove south to Queen Creek and visited the olive mill. They serve sandwiches at a little lunch counter with beer and wine. Then there are picnic tables scattered around outside as well as a patio set up with heaters and seating inside. Fun place to visit as they also have a variety of olive products to taste. The blood orange olive oil makes a great dressing and the tapenades are delicious.

It's a good place to take children and our twins enjoyed it. Although Lily didn't like the feel of grass when she fell down. Our little southwest babies aren't used to it.

Morning Glory Cafe

2010-01-26T05:01:00.000-08:00

Finally after a week of the worst weather in decades, we had some sun. So it seemed like a good idea to have brunch at the South Mountain Farms. My sister Alice from Missouri and cousin Sue from Denver flew in to see us. Sister Mary drove over from El Paso. While the weather wasn't as warm as we'd hoped (notice the coats), it wasn't unbearable. This was a good place to go with two restless toddlers. Their mom and dad spent most of their time walking around the farm with the little ones.

Other places on our weekend agenda - The Town Dump, Duck and Decanter and Pita Jungle. We spent some time just watching Callum and Lily show off for their company and also enjoyed a bottle of wine sitting on the patio (gravel drive) in the RV park.