North-Westward Bound

Roll on Columbia, Roll on

Homeward Bound

      After a delayed departure--- 8:30 AM  instead of 5:45 AM --- and 1 stop in Denver rather than stops in LA and Portland--- re-routing was a real plus, we flew into Seatac about 1:30 PM.  Views of the Columbia River, Mt. Baker, Elliot Bay, Seattle downtown, and the major sports arenas.  Hmmmm... we were flying in an Airbus, not a Boeing jet.   

Christmas Dinner

      Ann & Robert had the family over to their house in Sammamish.   Good to have everyone together from all parts of the U.S.... many are local but Beth (Hunter's gf) came out from New Jersey, Hunter & his cousin Daniel (Ann & Robert's son) flew in from L.A., and Eric and I came back from sunny Arizona.

Pete in spy glasses (You can see in back of you) & hot T-shirt

Mary Lee, Bob, Donna, & Pete

      The dinner was delicious:  baked ham, Ann's killer mash potatoes, Loren's orange salad, and then the yummy desserts... Pavlova (by Hilary & Pete), lemon chiffon pie (by Donna or  Robert?), and other irresistible sweets.

Acacia

      For my birthday, Eric treated me to dinner at Acacia.  I'd like to know how to prepare beets like this... just the right texture and thickness.  Hazel nut and baby greens go well with them, too.

Gingerbread Evening at WWL

Annie & Glenda in full-on creative mode.

My decorating partner, Adrienne.

      Our tennis captain, Annie, invited us to decorate gingerbread houses at Westward Look (our ladies' & mixed doubles' home base).  It had been nearly half a century since I'd last done this.  I forgot how much fun it can be!  My partner, Adrienne, did a swell job of squeezing out the icing in a scalloped fashion for the shingles on the roof.  I probably spent an equal amount of time taking photos (Annie called me "the paparazzi") as I did sticking candy on our little house.

New TUCSON Mural

I've been teaching an ESL computer class for the last few months at Pima Community College's Downtown Campus.  Generally, I drive through the intersection of Stone and Speedway fairly early in the morning.  Little by little, on the NE corner, this fantastical mural has been emerging before my eyes, and last week after class let out, I took some pictures of it to share with you.

The prettiest, least scary letter is C, don't you agree?  Well, maybe not for arachnophobes.

Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, & Jerome

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Tuzigoot

Last week we traveled north of Phoenix to visit the archeological sites of Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot, and historical Jerome.  Pictured above is the impressive cliff dwelling just outside of Camp Verde.  Enjoyed two interesting story telling park rangers who filled us in on the native culture, the flora and the fauna of the area. Next, we drove on to Tuzigoot, which housed a larger group of Indians in rock walled dwellings atop a high mound overlooking an expansive valley.

Our trails then led up a windy mountain road to the charming town of Jerome.  At one time, in the mining boom days, the population hit 15,000, but now is at a steady 400+ year-round residents.

Eric at the Douglas Mansion/ State Park & Mining Museum

Surgeons House B & B on Hill Street

Not so dormant B & B koi coming out to take in the sunrays

Ana on one of the balconies of Surgeons House with view to east

Indian Canyon, Palm Springs, California

Stopped off in Palm Springs for a beautiful hike in Indian Canyon on a recent trip to LA

1st Sunday Tanque Verde Antique Market

Since I first moved to Tucson, I've been going to the monthly Antique Market off of Tanque Verde Road, east of Agua Caliente Park.  It's gotten to be that I recognize and am recognized by various vendors.
There's a gal who always sets up to the left of the interior space (It's at an elementary school), and whose wares are often of the retro kind.  And then to the right of the door is a nice family that lived in Turkey for a few years and usually has a nice array of Turkish rugs, purses, and decorations.  Out on the playfield are the vendors who display huge bull skulls, saddles, Indian rugs and the like.  Some of my purchases have been:  a cool pair of retro Acme cowboy boots (with pretty embossed flowers), a Zapotec rug, several Pyrex bowls, and an iron cornbread muffin pan (to form the bread as corncobs).

On December 1, the vendors were out in droves, as were the lookie-lous.  Prices were a bit inflated for the occasion, too!