Still here.....

It's been a great summer so far, filled with flowers and fun guests and medals in Pickleball tournaments and improved  golf handicaps......

........and glorious rain.!!

A season of flowers........

I keep debating the value of keeping up with the blog.    It has interest to us in that I refer to it more often than I should to jog our memory of where, when and who.     I don't mind that I don't reach the masses and gain peer admiration and comments.   I don't care that I don't have ads to generate income (I've always wondered how much they make...maybe I am missing lots of $$$).....but wait, you have to have readers to make $$$.   

 I don't need a following as then I would have to reciprocate with comments and use up my retirement time slogging thru countless stories of other's days.    I do enjoy the blogs that I subscribe to and follow and I admit, I'm not much good at commenting, but I am loyal and I look forward to their updates.     Several have become friends and I would miss the connections if I/they  were to fade away.   Fortunately, I don't have to make a decision.....someday, I will fade away but maybe I can get a few more under my belt before that happens.    Maybe I'll even get better at updating it....

 

 This is not a good picture but you get the idea.     The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is just 30+ min away.    A national park, it is noted for this extreme chasm carved by the Gunnison River.    It is breathtaking and on a still day, you can hear the rushing river far far down the steep walls.    The South rim is accessible from Montrose and has the trails, visitor center and camp grounds.    We opted to search out the North rim.   It is not a short ride and we meandered thru high desert, lots of cows and then just came across this deep rupture in the ground.   I always wonder what the first inhabitants of this land must have thought when, without warning, this fault just appears and there is no easy way across.       Only a few have managed to navigate the waters and lived to tell about it.

 A birthday came and went and the flowers appeared .    The rainbow tulips were stunning in their color and size.    It's hard to describe these huge parrot tulips.    Everyday, they were a different color, and shape.   They started out green, gradually opened up and added yellow and then, when fully opened, the red was revealed.    All the flowers lasted a full week !!

I didn't mind this birthday.    Turning 75 is an achievement not a diminishment.    We have many friends who are leading the way in age and remain vibrant and active and I intend to do the same.    One friend is building a large home here, spanish style....it will take at least a year before she is in it.   Meanwhile, she has bought a Bernese Mountain dog/poodle mix puppy (read LARGE).    She hauls him around in her Porsche SUV...... I consider her a wonderful optimist at 81  !!!

On that note, I have a new grip on my putter.     It is one of those large ones and today I will try it out along with my other new  grips.    Another friend, almost 81, just bought a full set of high end golf clubs.....I opted for grips and a used 5 wood from the  Second Swing online store.     My poor arthritic fingers are getting more and more painful and gnarly.   I don't have any other joint pain in the rest of this old body but these fingers are reminding me how miserable it would be if I did.   The mary jane cream, while very effective,  only lasts a couple of hours.    So I take Motrin before playing.   I'm hoping that the new grips, 

in a larger size, will help as well.  

And more flowers arrived late yesterday.    Gorgeous peonies in a beautiful vase.....minus the ants.    I've always encouraged the family to defer the gifts on Mother's Day and just tell me how wonderful  I am !!    But these flowers are very welcome.

Home !

We were one of the last of our 'group' to leave Palm Creek this year.     The place empties out dramatically the last week of March.     It is a very popular winter home for Canadians....mostly from Alberta and British Columbia.     Most of our friends and neighbors are from Oregon.....I think half the small town of Tillamook shows up.... minus their cows.       We hung around a bit longer to get some new tires.    Sorta like spending lots of $$$ on something that you can't show off but is great for the confidence of driving a bus down the road.   

 We ended up playing the most golf in the last 2 weeks.   It's an 18 hole Par 3 course.    Very pretty with an annoying creek meandering through it.   It was getting hot and we were ready for hydration after walking the 18 holes ( no carts allowed).   The game needs work, as usual.  

This year we went to the 'end of season' party .    Pretty good music and fun with friends.

 Travis came to town for Easter weekend.    Such a busy young man, traveling the world.   Interesting to hear of the safari in Africa and his impressions of South Africa.    I would like more time with him but his quick visit was special and we walked a bit in Scottsdale after dinner.


On the way back home, we stopped to wander Sedona.    Years and years ago we were there.....I had good memories of a beautiful and unique small place .    It certainly has changed.    It was overrun with spring visitors and traffic was usually at a standstill.    The flavor of it seems to have changed or maybe we just didn't see the uniqueness anymore.    We did drive Oak Creek Canyon.    It was busy busy and slow and the trees were still barren but the natural beauty could have easily persuaded us to stop and hike into the more natural areas.    I'd say that we'll do it next time but doubt we'll pass that way again.

It's just great to be home and back among the comfortable and the familiar.     I hurriedly put the feeder out as I saw reported sightings of hummingbirds in Durango.    It's still chilly and not much is blooming so I hope they stop by for a snack and stay awhile.  

QIX is not a word ......

The parents came home and then it snowed some more..... 9 more inches !   This time it was fluffier and easier to manage and we had power and I just sat with my tea and knit through it all. 

Mary Beth's office was closed and Jon was home and school was closed AGAIN ..... so, we played a boisterous game of Scrabble.    We had been playing it for several days on the XBOX but the boys requested the board game.    I went to Target and looked and looked for the familiar box.    Finally I found this skimpy red flimsy look alike.    Apparently they have done away with the nice tiles, the wooden holders and the substantial board.    I looked on Amazon and they had $199.00 !! ones but not the familiar.     Anyway, it still involves coming up with words from what you have and verbal 

sparring over ' That's not a word " !!       

Then the Ides of March came and Andy turned 15.... just how did that happen?  That's an ice cream cake with Oreo base....

Jon also celebrated many more years on the 13th.    I remember that Friday very well....it snowed and the other two boys had the chicken pox.  

Meanwhile, while we were battling Mother Nature in CT, Alex came to AZ.     We were sorry that we missed this special young man.
He played golf with Jeff and Jen .... he's very good.....

Not sure where the next generation is getting those tall genes.... Andy is taller than most of us and Alex is towering above everyone.  









We're back in the desert...  A bit jet- lagged as AZ doesn't do the DST thing so we are trying to adjust to the 3 hr time difference.  

We played our first round of golf yesterday afternoon.    Only 9 holes on the pretty Par 3 course.   It's a good warm up for when I rejoin my league at Cobble Creek.      We felt those muscles that haven't been used in awhile.  

I have really ugly hands.    I have my mother's arthritic knobby fingers.    She always said that they didn't hurt but mine do.    It's the only place in my body that I feel the burning and aching of swollen joints.    It was especially painful after my golf.    I have the MJ cream and that helps.    I'll have to remember to use it before I go out again.     We were in Costco the other day and I always check out the diamond rings as I pass by on my way to the more mundane products.     They had a $28,000 emerald cut and P offered to buy it for me ..... not !    We've reached the point where we could probably afford nice jewelry (not the $$$ kind)  but the hands are too scary to wear it....sigh....