Happy Day After....

 Happy Thanksgiving, still happy to have such a good life, happy to have such good, loyal friends and family, happy to live where we want to and to do what we like, when we like.   Still Thankful for sharing this life with the absolute perfect man.    Thankful for our son, who has grown from a funny and interesting curly haired little boy into a wonderul man, and thankful that he's brought such a sweet woman into our family as well.    At the same time, I'm very conscious of just how very fortunate I am, and never take these things for granted, not for one minute.

Dave is continuing with little projects around the house.    No, we have not tackled the "log wallpaper" in the guestroom yet, give us time.   

getting rid of the yucky blue/green trim

We had a quiet day yesterday.    The parade, the dog show, the Bills game, the shrimp cocktails, the wine and a good Turkey dinner, if I don't say so myself (at the risk of sounding like my dearly departed mother-in-law).

Unfortunately the Bills game and the Dog Show were on tv at the same time and neither of us really wanted to watch our thing, after the fact so we went to our separate rooms.

Lew wouldn't watch the dog show this year -
The Standard Poodle was WHITE!

yes, we did share the shrimp with Lew

the breast carving, the rutabaga bubbling.....

do you see the can marks?   That's how he likes it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Time flies......

 It's been almost a month since I last did a post.    We're all settled in and comfy.   The weather has settled down and we're enjoying mostly sunny, blue sky days and cool clear nights. 

We've moved from our early fall, shady happy hour spot to our late fall/early winter sunny happy hour spot.    Lewis approves of course, especically when he gets his stuffed Kong to schlutz on while we enjoy our wine and conversation.

nom nom nom

Our days don't hold much excitement, but excitement is often overrated.....

As in when I was making a chocolate cake and the cocoa box exploaded all over me!   You know how hard cocoa is to wipe up....Excitement!     The cake turned out very well, but the shirt (and underlying underwear didn't clean up all that well).  

Dave has been busy "working around" as he says.    New door latches, rearranging his work space in the garage and in Beluga's building, ordering and receiving things to make his work easier, convincing a 100 + year old piece of oak from one of the farm's barns to become a table leaf....rematting a couple of pictures brought with us from the lake, laying in front of the fireplace.....

oh baby baby he says!

 

But the month hasn't been all working around and finding places to drink wine outside comfortably.....We've been social!

One Friday we picked up Steve and MonaLiza and made the long, twisty, beautiful drive up through the mountains to Prescott, Arizona.     Our destination was lunch at Farm Provisions, a great restaurant just down the street from historic Whiskey Row and the picturesque Courthouse Plaza.      We ate and drank well there.     I can't recomment it enough......

Dave's Walleye tacos

my wild mushroom bisque

The food was so delicious and the preparation so interesting, MonaLiza even ate the orchid garni!

As we walked back to the Jeep, after a lucious meal and shared dessert,  we may or may not have made a slight detour to Grama's Bakery.

The next week, Pam and John drove down from Boulder City for a shared adventure.    The night they arrived MonaLiza and Steve came over and we had our first adventure - a fondue party!    We've been married long enough to have received fondue pots as wedding presents (it was a "thing" in the 70's you know).      MonaLiza and Steve have never had fondue so it was a fun evening recreating a meal from our youth and guiding newbies through the ins and outs of how to safely dip bits of raw meat into boiling oil.    And, how to retrieve your meat/bread when  it escapes into the pot as a result of incorrect spearing techniques......

Needless to say it was a "hands on" meal so very few pictures were taken.     We had an Italian cheese pot with Italian bread dippers, filet mignon, pork tenderloin, shrimp and ahi tuna to be dipped in HOT oil with 6 or seven sauce choices, and a huge vegetable tray. Chocolate fondue with bananas, cheesecake bites, strawberries, pretzels and pound cake dippers for dessert.    burp   

The "boys" were enthusiastic about the chocolate fondue....

The next morning Pam and John piled into Rocky with us and we set off in search of two crested Saguaros.    Finding them in the desert is Pam's "thing" and friend Janna had given me What3Words coordinates to find these two.    

Off highway 60, off paved Gates Road, over the dry (ish)  Hassayampa Riverbed, up through the gate (carefully closing it behind us - thanks John) and into the desert on some decent and some very not decent tracks up and down and around.

After some "discussion" about whether we should go "up there!!!!", we can't go up there, let's turn around, let me get out, we're going to slide back down!   This is far enough, we're happy with this, we don't need to find those saguaros, oh look, there's a cave up there!  (mostly heard coming from the female voices in backseat),    Pam finally realized we WERE going up there so she made a very timely and knowledgable suggestion that the driver took and up we went, easy peasy! (thanks Dave)

We parked Rocky and made our way up to the cave we had seen.   It turned out to be an arch also!

After scrambling around a bit we scanned the distance in all directions.    A forest of Saguaros below us, which way were the two crested?    None of us had a clue.    Did we call it quits, say we had a great adventure and head home?      Not Pam!    She saw she had cell service so she called Janna (in Montana) to ask for more help!     Thanks Pam, Thanks Janna!

TA DA!

  Success!    A few feet beyond the first, was the second.    They were both huge and magnificent and complicated. 

 After we ate our lunch, we walked around the area a bit, you never can tell when you'll run into another crested, right?      The desert was healthy and vibrant.    Careful where you walk!

Mission completed, we headed home.    MonaLiza and Steve were waiting with dinner for us all!    I didn't take any pictues while we ate Steve's delicious Taco soup and home made bread.    I didn't even take a picture of MonaLiza's yummy Bibinka.    I guess I was just too tired and too busy eating.    Here's one of old Lew, using their fountain as his water dish.    

Phew!   This post is longer than I thought it would be.     Just one more story of food and friendship, I promise.

Saturday night we were guinea pigs, a role we always enjoy.    MonaLiza and Steve had been served Maqluba on their recent cruise and she was anxious to try and replicate it.    It was that good.    Basically it's a one pot meal of layers of protein (chicken), vegetables and rice cooked together with fragrant spices and then dumped, upside down, onto a serving platter - BANG!     Pot removed (with a flourish) to reveal a layered delicacy.

She cooks, she layers, she cooks again, he pours, he dons sequinned red pot holder gloves, he carries to the table, we confir and discuss process, BANG! he slams the pot onto a waiting dish.   BANG, she pounds the top (bottom) of the pot.  She, very carefully, very carefully, removes the pot,  et voila - Bob's your uncle -  Maqluba ala Lowe!    Mmmmmm

BANG

That's what happens here, while time is flying.....

  

Home in Arizona

 We've all been busy getting used to living in a larger house with no stairs or wheels and more than one bedroom and bathroom, and a toilet that flushes by hand, not foot.       Remembering where the paper towels are, remembering to put things in the recycle bin and not the garbage (yay!), remembering what temperature is comfortable to keep the house in the day....at night.      Where are the coffee filters?    Where are the scissors?     I didn't know we had those bushes?    Wow, look at those beautiful flowers!

Lewis is not immune to these "settling in" issues.    Where should I "get busy", where is my leash, can I just go out this door without Mom and Dave?   Why are these stones so sharp, where's the grass?   Where do I sleep in the day, at night?   Where is Dave, where is Mom?    Where is my favorite ball?     Do I have enough food - where is it?    Which rug is best to wipe my face on after I eat?   Will someone notice if I bring my ball to play  and they aren't in the same room?  Where do we have second cup and do I still have to find my treats under balls in that old cupcake tin?

is this a new rug?   do I like it?

Dave, Dave, what are you doing?   Dave where are you going?

will we have second cup here or at the table?

this rug will do

yep, living room rug works best

So.....I think we've all figured things out and now we're enjoying our static home in the desert.   Beluga is snoozing in her building next door until she's needed to go exploring!

  Monsoon season had just ended when we arrived home, but mother nature still had a few storms up her sleeve - just so we'd see what we missed.     Last Saturday morning, while Dave was at the Lowe's house helping Steve with some electrical work, I was awakened by something clicking against the house outside the window.   I got up because I knew what it was.     I needed to make sure the stained glass plant (that has been with us for many years) was safe from what sounded like the beginnings of a big blow.

consultation

I was right, the wind began to howl, rapid thunder and lightning and rain blowing sideways met me when I stepped outside.    I had to run around like a maniac - in my nightgown - chasing all the chair cushions as they headed for the desert.     I was soaked to the skin by the time I got back in but only one cushion escaped!      In the desert the storms blow up fast, and draw away just as fast, leaving an innocent blue sky behind......like nothing ever happened!

Enjoying those interesting skies, welcoming our old second cup and happy hour friends, a few quick trips into the Valley for things not available here in little Wickenburg, organizing the house and Beluga,  relaxing,  various Dr. appointments, and a little socializing and getting reacquainted with a slower pace of life.    That's what we've been up to.

ruh roh....

Our resident owl, we call it Hootie Sapperticker, watches over us while we enjoy a shady second cup unter his tree.     Sometimes he ejects a pellet or two as payment for his safe and quiet daytime sleeping perch  ( before he leaves for the night....it would be rude to cough up one while we were watching).     I can't wait to dissect them to see what he's been eating!

mr.

mrs.

During happy hour yesterday, this young lady marched past us on her way somewhere evidently very important,  judging by her pace and total disinterest in us.     She was about 4 inches long (about average for a Tarantula)  and moved along at a smart pace.     Dave "suggested" she make a detour back into the desert and she complied.    How cool she was and we're glad she stopped by but hope she finds a different route next time.

We met a new friend at MonaLiza and Steve's house shortly after we arrived home.    Even Lewis got a chance to introduce himself to LT!

Lucky for LT, Lewis doesn't really care for lettuce.    Now, if he was munching on aspragus, Lew would have asked to share!

Wednesday is often Sonoran Hot Dog Day at El Ranchero Restaurant in Wickenburg.   I say "often" because they usually only have them on Wednesdays after "roping season" which, here, is the fifth season of the year.    Many things revolve around this season in Wickenburg we've discovered.     At any rate, last week I noticed the Sonoran Hot Dog cart in front of the restaurant and stopped by to inquire whether they would now be making them year round (be still my heart).    Evidently not, just last week and this until after "roping"  he says.     So, we planned to ask Steve and MonaLiza to join us for this treat.     After clearing a ridiculously long list of already planned things so we could all be free to indulge, the food cart was NOT THERE!     After a quick pivit, we managed to enjoy the Bank household, last minute, somewhat abbreviated version, using some recently purchased Buffalo, NY Sahlen's hot dogs.    Later,  there may or may not have been a comparison wine tasting from our recent visit to the Rocks District in Walla Walla, Washington.