Unpacking/Billowing Smoke...37º

Suitcases unpacked, Herb doing laundry, me, alternately putting stuff away and wandering outside to see what might be poking through the ground...It is hard to believe that before the 1st of April the daffodils are blooming along with the apricot trees...The day was moving right along when my iPhone signaled a text message...Bobi, enticed by fresh lemons from Arizona and "quality time with parents,"  was on the road to Joseph...Hmmm, maybe I should put the laptop away, thaw something for dinner and keep cleaning up my scattered messes.

Herb fixed breakfast and was washing the car when Pam stopped by to catch up on our adventures...After a visit with her we kept moving and Herb decided to do a little burning along the fence line where debris from the mustard field out back had piled up...He drug out the hoses, but didn't think to call the City Office and get a burn permit...He finished a small stretch along the fence and decided since it was still quite wet that that was enough for now...A half hour later, freshly showered and ready to settle in his chair, he decided he would make sure the fire was not going anywhere, just smoking a bit...I back at my laptop, the time zipped by and I heard Bobi's car come in the driveway...When I went out to greet her, smoke was really billowing up and after a second look, the fire with a little help from the wind was now burning all the debris along Williams' fence line...Hmmm that wasn't in the plan...Bobi and I started dragging out more hoses, hooked it to the neighbors water faucet and helped Herb get the fire "contained." We were all expecting fire sirens and flashing lights at any time, luckily no one called in a fire...Whew.

Our dinner and evening passed uneventful, just non stop talk about relatives and friends, as we "replayed" our last three weeks for Bob...Bedtime was early but the night was disturbed by leg cramps for Herb and coughing fits for me...Wonder what adventures today will bring....Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Home Sweet Home...38º

After two days of driving, we made it home safe and sound...Happy to be here...Daffodils blooming, sunshining for a few days...More later...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Lemons...64º--93º

I've been denying for several days now that this head/chest cold is kicking my Butt...But finally yesterday I said to Herb, "I really don't feel like driving across town, going to a museum, I just want to check out a few yardsales and maybe find some lemons to take home."..(Deep down I just want to be home.)..It is not unusual for me to feel this way, I always have such mixed emotions before leaving on a trip, not really wanting to leave home in the first place, I soon find myself longing to be back on familar ground...After I'm back home for awhile, I will remember the fun of the trip, the people and sights we have seen and in retrospect, "Yes, we had a great time, warm, sunny days, sparkling pools, ball games, musical, shopping, eating out, nice comfortable condos."..Will I do it again?...I don't know.

Yesterday we did find a few yardsales, friendly people willing to share their crop of lemons with us...The man led us to the back yard and the lemon tree, where he helped up pick, quickly filling a bag and leaving him a few..."Said he might use 5 or 6 in a season...These lemons are huge and amazing compared to what we buy at home or even in Arizona, in the supermarket...It is anothe hot day here today our last day before we start the trip home...We will check out a few more yardsales, mostly looking for another lemon tree, maybe we can fill another bag...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Compare one large egg to one lemon.

Take Me Out...61º--90º

We arrived at the ballpark for a game between the Mariners and Padres...Peoria Stadium is home to both ball clubs and for a Tuesday the stands were quite full...We had seats in the second row, just behind 1st base...The seats were so hot when we arrived that we couldn't sit on them in comfort, so stood with the seats folded up until they cooled off a bit...After three innings and a rather "rude" man sitting next to me, he continued leaning forward blocking my view of the ballpark, we quietly moved up many rows to sit in the shade and found friendly fans, who acted like they had saved the seats just for us!..With the Padres winning and the smell of hot dogs & sauerkraut, Chinese Rice Bowl and an enticing cold beer we made our way to the food court and another shady spot...Decided we had, had enough, left before the crowd and sped back to the cool of our condo and view of the pool.

Waiting for the game to start

View of home plate

Relaxing at the pool is on tap today, and maybe venture out for a bit looking for lemon trees...Seems there is a group "Prides" that now gleans the fruit for food banks throughout the valley...None of the free boxes that we found before...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Interesting Day...72º 10am

Sunday morning we found our way to the Winco store to buy groceries for the rest of the week...There are grocery stores closer to the condo but the traffic was light and we wanted to familiarize ourselves with phoenix...After two years it has changed a lot, with more shopping malls, housing developments and improved roads...Herb can always get us where we want to go even when the Garmin doesn't find the right way.

Back at the condo we had just enough time to put stuff away, change clothes and get to the Arizona Broadway Theatre for the matinee performance of Les Miserables...Herb and I sort of knew the story line but neither had read the book or seen any version...It didn't take Herb long to remove his hearing aids as everything was very loud...What torture we go through in the name of culture...The acting and voices were superb and we kind of got the drift...We had opted out of dinner but split a decadent chocolate dessert with ice cream, then sat back to "enjoy" the rest of the performance.

Play Bill

Our plan was to eat dinner at the "Olive Garden" but it was full with a waiting line so we went back to the "Haymaker" for fish/chips, nachos and I had a margarita and Herb a beer...I used to enjoy margaritas but they have either changed them or my taste has changed... I got the deluxe $5.00 one, sure wonder what the $3.00 one would have tasted like.

Seemed like a long day when we got back to the condo, so again sat on the balcony and watched the pool activity...Not near as many people or as much noise as Saturday night...Can't help but think of Cienna as we watch the kids on the slide and in the pool having so much fun...They were still playing water games when we turned in for the night, at 9pm...Hugs To All....OWAV:)

Pool at night

Close up of the water slide.

Phoenix/Sunny/Hot...61º

View from room

An easy day travel wise, only 100 miles from Sedona to Phoenix...Spent sometime at an outlet mall on the way, arriving at Cibola Vista Resort about 2pm...Our room was ready and a delightful one at that...It is located in the newest phase of this resort, overlooking the big pool with a slide, huge hot tub and has a salt water pool instead of chlorine...We opted to people watch from our balcony, settling into this new space...4pm rolled around when we realized we hadn't eaten since an early breakfast...Comfort food was just what we needed at the "Haymaker Cafe," a new addition from two years ago...Our waiter aimed to please but ended up forgetting to place our order in the kitchen...After apologizing profusely, he brought us complementary clam chowder while we waited for our "country fried chicken for me and country fried steak for Herb...It was very good and enough leftover for breakfast...Along with our check he gave us a coupon for a free appetizer on our next visit.

Country fried chicken

Chicken fried steak

It is very quiet here this morning, after a noisy evening...A wedding and reception was in full swing when we arrived and continued until after 10pm...The pool was open til 10pm as well and spring break is this week...So lots of people and kids but they were having a great time and we mostly closed it all out and got a decent nights sleep...We are off to find the Winco and get a few groceries this morning, then will go to "Les Miserables" this afternoon and out to dinner...Must get moving now...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

On the road again...45º

9AM and we are packed and about ready to hit the road...Have been mapping out stops along the way to get a few groceries, etc...Looks like sunshine and blue skies for the week in Phoenix...Cold still with me but feeling better each day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Good Nights Sleep...45º...Sun/Warmer

Yesterday was cold and gloomy all day with rain showers...So it was a good day to have a miserable cold and stay inside...I got a good nights sleep last night and the sun is shining...Yea for today!

We did venture out for dinner yesterday, finding a Cafe called "lisa Pisa."...Sounded like the kind of pizza we sampled in Vernal and we were ready to give it a try...We arrived at about 1pm to a find a full cafe and a half hour wait...Must be good...We watched them hand throw the crust with ease, tossing and catching...Pizzas came in one size, medium, so we ordered one with Italian sausage and a creamy/cheesy red sauce...We didn't expect the heat from the sausage but the flavor was good and the side salad with marinated mushrooms, candied pecans, on a bed of spinach was the perfect accompaniment, with an IPA to wash it all down...To further cool our stomachs, we each ordered a small Gelato, mine was "salted caramel & Herbs was mocha."

For a little comparison to our Nephew, Jodys Pizza...We liked his better, both pizza and crust...The hand tossed crust seemed rather tough...The pizza was very flavorful, just a bit zesty for us...Gelato was creamy and rich, as was Jodys cheesecake.

Tomorrow we leave here after 10am for about a 2 hour drive to Phoenix, where the temperatures are going to be in the high 80's and low 90's, for our last week...We have the musical "Les Miserables" and a baseball game to look forward to...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Salad

Pizza

Gelato

Cloudy/Cool...57º

Another cool day, with sun barely coming through...Not much to write about, just hope that last night and today will be the worst of my cold...Feeling like a nap and will go out for dinner today...Just hope Herb doesn't get the crud...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

BooHoo...59º

I don't know what came first...Was my hair driving me nuts before my throat got sore or was it the other way around?..I doctored the sore throat and called a local salon for a hair cut (I usually cut my own.)..The sore throat got worse and my hair looked like I fell in front of a lawn mower...The day turned cloudy but I still sat outside and finished the book "Boys in the Boat."A good read although a little dry in places, it was about the "Crew Team" from Washington State University, that won the Olympics in 1937 in Germany, while Hitler was in power.

We had a patty melt with salad and fruit for dinner and snacked on dried fruit and nuts before bedtime...Doctored my throat and actually got a good nights sleep...Herb has been waiting on me hand and foot, this morning, hoping I feel better soon...A filling breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and toast, along with a good hot shower and my own hand at blow drying my hair has helped immensely...The temp is a little cool, but we both have more books to read, my head is clear, chicken noodle soup is on for todays dinner...Our only wish is that they stocked condos with recliners!...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Oak Creek Canyon...54º

Before a new freeway was built between Sedona and Flagstaff, the only road was through a narrow, winding canyon, called Oak Creek...Locals and tourist alike used this road, navigating the hair pin turns, or "kiss your ass corners" my Dad would have called them...The road now has a few private homes built right into the rock walls above the river, or on small grassy spots along the river...Overnight cabins, camp grounds and day use areas line the river and tourists flock here in the summer for recreation...It was busy yesterday, a warm spring day...Herb and I braved the traffic and crowds, found a day use area, spread out our lunch of corned beef, swiss cheese, onion and tomatoes sandwiches, on fresh sourdough bread...I would hate to be here in the summer when the tourist season is in full swing, must be wall to wall people and vehicles!

We returned to the quiet of our condo for the afternoon...We took a turn around the resort, checking out the pool and other amenities and think today will be a good day for sun and leisure poolside...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Looking down at Oak Creek, the lighting 

makes it look like winter.

Ready for Lunch

Rock Walls

More rock with trees leafing out.

Relaxing...54º

Laundry done, settled into the condo, sat and read on the warm balcony, surrounded by the red rocks of Sedona...After all of the rich food of the last week, we were happy with a huge chicken salad decorated with fruit, olives, cheese and blue cheese dressing...Today is another warm perfect day, thinking we might venture out and about...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Happy to be in Sedona

One View

Breakfast

2nd View

3rd View

My salad

Herbs salad

Centerville/Porterville/Sedona...WARM

Back in Centerville, Mona/Jerry had the morning free to visit before their weekly volunteer session at the Bountiful LDS Temple...The afternoon found us back in Morgan/Porterville...Blanche had dinner in the crockpot but decided instead that we should drive for another hour to a small, hole in the wall, cafe for burgers/fries/milkshakes...It was well worth the drive...Many years ago we skied on spring breaks with Blanche and Chris and have always treasured our visits with them...Now they are semi retired and have numerous grandchildren nearby that keep them busy.

Yummy burgers and "real" fries

Chris and Blanche

One of Chris and Blanches grandsons

eating a whole tomato.

We returned to their Porterville home and were joined by another niece Vickie/Mac who had recently been to Europe for a two week trip in Italy, France and Switzerland with their daughter Jodi...It is so much fun to take a trip through the eyes of other people...We crawled into bed after 10pm...Friday morning I visited with a childhood friend of mine Penny Porter...Sixty years ago Penny and sister Peggy were my constant companions as we played Cowboys and Indians, riding stick horses, with our cap guns strapped around our waists...What memories!..Jodi stopped in for a visit and we heard her take on the Italy trip as she was the instigator and had arrived a week ahead of her parents, compliments of the "Olive Garden Restaurant" where she is a manager...Lynelle stopped by to help send us on our way...Our Morgan/Porterville visit ended after we stopped at the care center and a short visit with Loraine before driving back to Centerville...We did a little shopping at Costco, had dinner and packed the car for an early morning departure to Sedona.

We couldn't ask for better weather on this trip and our 10/12 hour drive yesterday was on the verge of turning on the car air conditioner...We arrived in Sedona and Herb skillfully navigated the many round-abouts with the "Garmin" taking us directly to the "Pinion Hyatt" where we will stay for a week...Our condo is at the edge of the complex, so we have views off of 3 balconies, where we can take advantage of the morning and evening sun...Temp this morning was 50º and will get up to 75º...We did some grocery shopping for the week, dined on roasted deli chicken, salad, fresh fruit and wine...In bed by 9pm and slept til 6am, it had been a very long day.

Herb has laundry going this morning, leaving me to write about our adventures...This resort is built on a hill so with the 20 stairs we have to climbed to the car, I don't think we will be visiting the "workout room." We will find the trail this morning that takes us to the pool and hot tub or maybe we will just sit on one of the balconies and rest for the day!...Hugs to All...OWAV:)

Crazy/Vacation...50º

We have, so far, been blessed with beautiful weather, while on our trip to Utah...That has made it possible to see more relatives and friends but it means that we have had to juggle our time and they have had to break their routine to accommodate us...So far we have slept in three different beds, eaten scrumptious meals in four different places, also gone out to eat, never missing a meal...(You know me, "Never late for dinner."...It has been 4 days since my last blog post, so will try to catch up this morning.

We ended our first stay in Morgan having dinner with Loraine, Lynelle/Steve and Blanche/Chris...Below is a brief glimpse into another whirwind trip.

Lynelle, Loraine, Blanche

From there we drove to Centerville to stay with Mona/Jerry and Jolene/Greg...A warm/sunny day found us eating dinner inside, then spending the afternoon on their deck basking in the sun, catching up on family news and renewing acquaintances with nieces/nephews who are now married and have children of their own...Our last visit here, two years ago, we had a foot of new snow to contend with, warm, sunny days are rare in March.

Jerry/Mona home from Church

Herb and Greg having a visit

Suri and Papa posing 

Monday, Herb and I had a rest and regroup day before leaving early Tuesday morning for Duchesne/Vernal and another leg of our journey...Nephew Jody and wife Jannine have opened a new restaurant in Vernal and invited us to lunch...Jody has found since opening his new venture that family will drive many miles for a free meal!..Many, many years have passed since our last visit, so for 4 hours we tried to make up for lost time...Jody's son and daughter in law joined us along with another of my nephews, Joel...Jody ordered our lunch family style and we dined on specialty pizzas, salads and cheese cake...What a treat!...The food was wonderful and the hosts, more than charming!

Jody and Jannine

Pizza appetizer

Artichoke salad

Salad

Meaty pizza

Nephew Joel

Lemon cheesecake

Sorry the names escape me but this is 

one of Jody/Jannines sons and his wife.

Leaving Vernal we backtracked to Duchesne, the town where we lived over 40 years ago...Our friends Brenda and Beverly hosted a dinner for us, where we spent the afternoon/evening catching up on their lives since our last visit some 16 years ago...Wednesday morning we returned to Centerville to rest before our return to Morgan and another visit with more nieces...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Brenda, Herb, Beverly, Della

Bathroom decorated with hats at Brenda's house.

Whirwind...46º

We arrived in Porterville about 4pm on Friday...Uneventful trip and really not a bad drive...Herb drove the first and last leg while I filled in the middle...Freeway speed in Idaho is 80mph and if you don't keep up there is a danger of being run over...So peddle to the metal we left home at 5am and drove over 600 miles, stopping 3 times for food, bathroom or fuel.

The visiting started non stop after two years of only occasional contact via FB or texting...We met Blanche and Cris's youngest son, wife and three little ones (5,3 &1) who are living at their house while building a new house...Drove back to Morgan, where we visited with Loraine (my oldest sister & B's mother) at the care center, where she has lived for 3 years...Loraine recognized us immediately, me her youngest sister, her first question was, "When did you get so old?  and I remember the day you were born." We had a good visit, then returned to B's for dinner, more talk and laughter/tears as we reminiced and caught up on family news...Spend Saturday fixing food for a small family dinner, niece Lynelle, husband Steve and Loraine joined us...Nieces are wonderful cooks, we dined on Sicilian lasagna, hot rolls, salads and a decadent rice crispy/carmel/chocolate/marshmallow--sticky/gooey dessert.

Then it was time for us to move on, 40 miles to Mona and Jerry's in Centerville...We visited until 9pm, then all crashed only to have daylight savings time make us get up an hour early...Breakfast was soon on the table so M and J could get to church on time...I have scrabble caught up, blogs read, Ci chimed in for a few short texts, Rusty FTimed, I missed Bobi so will catch her later...Must head for the shower and will peel potatoes and make salad to fill in the dinner of corned beef and cabbage that Mona already has in the crock pot...Looks like another sunny day and more family conversation...Photo's another day...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Tuna Casserole Supreme...23º

Sometimes it pays to clean out the refrigerator...Started with two cups of spiral multi colored pasta added, carrots, red pepper, celery, onion, mushrooms, cheese, seasonings and one can of mushroom soup (oops) and one jar of home canned tuna...It was delicious and we have enough for today...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

In the Pan

Sprinkled with cheese, ready for the oven.

Looking East...15º

Glanced out the East window last night and it took a minute to register what I was seeing...In the small field below our house, at first it looked like rocks, but I didn't remember that the field had any rocks...So I looked closer then snapped a couple of photos, then went outside and took a couple more...It's not unusual to see deer everywhere around us any time of the year...But they are not usually lined up in a row, "mooning" us....Must be desparate for things to write about!...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Deer far away

A little closer

Skiff of snow overnight...18º

Just enough to cover the ground and make it look more like winter...Just enough to get me motivated to pack that suitcase, look forward to the trip, in search of warmer weather...Write People and Water Therapy will keep me busy today, along with a few errands in Enterprise...Herb is doing laundry, making sure everything is clean...I'm thinking about easy meals for the next few days and coming up with chile over tamales for today and soup of some kind, maybe clam chowder tomorrow...Don't want any leftovers just enough to feed us for a few days...Ahh the sun is peaking through, lifts my mood immediately...Better get dressed and get moving...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Spring Get Away...21º

Leaving Joseph for warmer places during Feb/Mar/April has seemed like a good idea for many years...Gives us a break from the snow, ice and cold of winters here in Wallowa County...Sometimes we have gone for a week, other times for a month...We have traveled to Cancun, Hawaii, Oklahome, Arizona, Florida, Washington DC and many places in between...Traveling by car, plane, 5th wheel, with family or friends or just the two of us...This year is no different except the weather here in Wallowa County has been very mild and we have enjoyed spring-like weather all of February...This makes it more difficult to drive over 1000 miles to a warmer climate, where we can bask in the sun, poolside, take in a baseball game, go to a musical production, dine out and enjoy the desert air and sunshine...Now if we could just separate the traffic, freeways and hoards of people out of this equation, all would be well.

My suitcase sits ready to be packed, I have a few kitchen staples (pepper, garlic, baking powder, seasoning packets) packed to supplement the condo kitchens...Sustenance/snacks for the trip...I'm trying to use up leftovers that I've stored in the freezer, and clean out the fridge before we depart...Balancing the check book, paying bills, making sure the people at "Visa" know we are traveling and don't cancel our credit card mid trip!..All the little last minute details.

We will spend a week in Utah, visiting relatives, before driving further south to Sedona, AZ for a week, then on to Phoenix for another week, before we return home to Joseph and hope that all the spring weather was not used up in February...By that time the daffodils will be blooming, trees starting to leaf out and buds ready to burst and the fun will begin...Planting, weeding, home sweet home.

Last night we invited John, Becky and Pam for dinner, little did they know it was a ploy to clean out the fridge, use up more leftovers and give them the job of watering plants...It was a joyful evening...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

Rustic Apple Pie

Dinner roll dough

Potatoes are starting to sprout