They're Leaving in Droves!

Yesterday at least one couple I know of left for the cold north. This morning another 3 pulled out.... tomorrow two more. We can nearly see clear to the clubhouse from our spot in the corner. Pretty soon it will be just us, Scott and the snakes! It was over 90 degrees today here in Apache Junction and not nearly so nice everywhere else. We will hang in here till the middle of May or until I see more snakes than people!


Rode to the mountain today. Mount Lemmon (9,157) and the little community of Summerhaven near it's summit can be a welcome relief from the desert heat it is typically 30 degrees cooler than the valley. The weather dictated that we move our normal ride from Wednesday to Tuesday to take advantage of the calm skies and high heat (90+). High winds and cooler temps are called for tomorrow.
One of the rides we've been putting off until it warmed up is the ride to Mount Lemmon, located just northeast of Tucson and home to the Mt. Lemon Ski Area. At 8,300 feet it isn't a terribly tall mountain to those of us used to the Cascades, Olympics and Rockies, but there was still patches of snow on the ground.

The worst part of the ride is the 105 miles of straight, flat, two-lane, 65 mph hiway between Apache Junction and Tucson. At least it isn't I-10.

The road up Mount Lemmon is maintained by the U.S. Forrest Service and as such, the posted speed limit is 35 mph and there is no passing all the way up. There are, however, plenty of pull-outs and look-outs and rest areas. The speed limit frustrates a lot of people, but if they'd just take a deep breath and enjoy the view instead of hurrying to the top so they can turn around and hurry down, the trip would be better for everyone.
There were only three of us today - Scott, Jerry and myself - and next week it will be just Scott and I.

Cheese Crackers

One of my first efforts with my new mixer. The recipe is from Maida Heatter's Cookie Book (I think it's the second one, they are both great!) I made them to take to a cocktail party this afternoon and they were a big hit. The taste is similar to when you make a grilled cheese sandwich and the cheese melts in the bottom of the pan and gets all crispy..... yum! I'm enjoying having the mixer to use, now I just need to find it a home somewhere in the coach. In the meantime, I'm getting my weightlifting in moving it from one counter to the other.

A New Toy

My first craigslist purchase!

It sounds funny to say out loud, but I miss my mixer. My Kitchenaid stand mixer. I put it in storage along with most of my other cooking 'toys'. It was too big, it was heavy, it would take up room we didn't have, I wasn't going to be baking cookies anyway. Seems like a long time ago. It wasn't so bad when we had the propane oven. I hate gas ovens and the ones they put in campers seem to be even worse... they have kind of a damp heat. Anyway, for the last year or so, since we got the new motorhome with the microwave convection oven, I have been attempting to get my baking 'mojo' back. Most of the time I can fight the urge to bake. Except in November and December when it's time for holiday baking. Then I struggle thru with my hand mixer. Even for fruitcake which has 2 pounds of flour, a dozen eggs, a whole jar of molasses... just for starters. So I cross my fingers that the little mixer won't burn out as I blend it all together in a dishpan.

A couple of days ago, I just went nuts. I looked on craigslist and found a mixer almost exactly like the one in storage. I talked to Dave about it and we both agreed it would be easier to go buy this one (for WAY less than the cost of a new one) than it would be to dig thru storage to find my original... so I did. In doing so I broke one of my rules... never buy anything like that until I figure out where I'm gonna store it.... still working on that part. I used it twice today and loved every minute of it!

And this? This is why my kids asked me not to take pictures while I was in Japan.

Lunch Out

Took a little motorcycle ride today over to West World in Scottsdale this morning to the event center for Arizona Bike Week. Scott and Jerry came too. Arrived a little early as it turned out. Gates didn't open until just after noon so we got in just in time for lunch. Walked all the rows of vendors and looked over all the Demo ride setups the manufactures had outside the vendor area. After the been there done that, got the tee shirt we saddled up and road back to the park in 80+ degree weather. This is the only picture and I can't explain it, it is just a John Deer thing.

Any Where, Any Time

When one of your kids lives on one coast and one lives on the opposite coast, the chance to visit with both of them is rare. Our daughter has been working in Japan since January. Our son and daughter in law generously offered me a ticket to go see her (with our son) and of course, I jumped at it. Japan was never on my list of places to see before I die, but I am so glad I went! We mostly saw Tokyo but it was enough.

I have to back up a little to say that about 2 weeks before the trip, I managed to screw up my knee. Not the knee that was screwed up last winter, the other one. I thought it would right itself (with the help of a cortisone shot) and I would be good to go. Not so much. At the last minute, my friend Jane offered me the use of a collapsible cane. My first reaction was 'no way, I don't need that!' but I took it anyway. Good thing, I never would have made it to the hotel, let alone out to sightsee, without it.

My kids both did a good job of masking their horror at the sight of me gimping along. They took good care of me and we saw alot of wonderful sights. When my knee wouldn't go any farther for the day, they put me in a cab (Tokyo cab drivers are amazing!! fearless, helpful, really nice people) and I went back to the hotel. They came back a bit later with vending machine treats (beer, sake, sandwiches, you name it, you can get it out of a vending machine there) and moral support. They called me 'House' and tried to find the easiest routes to places we wanted to go, including finding escalators and elevators.

The best part of the whole adventure of course was the time I spent with the two of them. They are such great, amazing people.

I hope to have a few more pictures for a future post. Between the cane and my being forbidden to take pictures.... I didn't end up with very many of my own, but I will get some from the kids and post them. Why, you ask, were you forbidden to take pictures? Well, at this point in my life, I need 'readers' for everything. I put them on just under my sunglasses so I can see while still being protected from glare...... apparently I look even dorkier than usual....

The Cat on the Mountain

Each year here in AZ as Spring arrives a mountain lion appears to creep down the Superstition Mountains just east of our southern hideout. It is the result of the setting sun and the terrain. It last for a week or so until the sun sets to far north.

If Only Remembering Was Enough

An 80% scale replica on the Vietnam War Memorial was set up here in Apache Junction this weekend. On the spur of the moment I and a couple of friends visited the display. I have visited the Memorial in Washington DC several times and three or four of the traveling replicas and each time I am struck by something which leaves me to ponder. This time as I paused to view each panel I began notice the "JR"s following some of the names. There are no names on this memorial that are more valuable than any other, but the "JR"s made me think of the loss to each family each and every name represents. There were other displays on the grounds with the names of others who have also lost their lives in subsequent conflicts. If remembering was enough there wouldn't be so many.