We had a good excuse to drive to Cottonwood last weekend. Liz needed a bed frame and we had one we didn't need.
But, in the Verde Valley there are a bijillion jeep trails, which is an excuse in itself.
This trip, Dave and Margie took their Dakota and Don and Peggie and I took our Ram on the Jerome/Chino narrow gauge railroad (the tracks are long gone). We went through Perkinsville and headed for Williams.
First, we saw mule deer, later we crossed two wet creeks, and neither vehicle suffered mechanical problems. So that is a perfect three-for-three outing. But, wait! There's more!
We passed through an abandoned flagstone quarry. Somehow, some of the stone landed in our respective trucks. So that makes four out of three criteria. Pretty good outcome. I now have stones of another color to add to the patio.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Merry Christmas Bill
We just got back from attending the B.B. King show, the tickets for which were one of my Christmas presents. We were in row H, on the aisle, left of center. Great seats.
It was a fabulous show. B.B. King is 88 years old, and it shows, but he can play that guitar. Each of the eight band members got to solo on "The Thrill is Gone." That one song lasted about 20 minutes.
The opening acts were excellent bluesmen who are locals. We will have to see if/ where they play regularly.
It was a fabulous show. B.B. King is 88 years old, and it shows, but he can play that guitar. Each of the eight band members got to solo on "The Thrill is Gone." That one song lasted about 20 minutes.
The opening acts were excellent bluesmen who are locals. We will have to see if/ where they play regularly.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Nothing to say
Well, nothing earth shattering.
Like....EARTHQUAKE....or VOLCANO....or METEOR!!!!!
Those things are happening someplace else.
Our upstairs remodel is underway. The demolition phase is complete. We have one of those Waste Management bags in our driveway. It is full of sinks and drywall and cabinetry and tile and pipes and a bathtub.
In the bathroom we can see into the attic over the garage. We found out there was no insulation in that wall. This week the electrician will come to rewire for new lights, outlets and switches. The drywall guy will come to patch the places where stuff was removed. Then the painter will come to paint (duh). Next week the tile guy will come to tile (duhble duh). And guess what the carpet guy will do. Go ahead, guess.
Eventually, we will move into our new master suite.
Today we went toilet shopping. Really. We don't often go toilet shopping. I really don't understand why there are so many different brands and styles of toilets. There are many funny lines that could go here, but I will let you supply your own.
While we were out, we went to the Tucson Old Time Fiddle Contest. I saw it advertised the other day. Until now, I didn't know there was a Tucson Old Time Fiddle Contest. It was held in the auditorium/cafeteria/gymnasium (which they call a multi-purpose room), at a private high school. Walking into the room was like walking into the 1950's. Or into the 2014 version of a small town in the south. Everyone was dressed in western wear. Not Scottsdale costume western wear, real, everyday western wear. Their skin was weathered from life in the outdoors (or smoking, hard to tell). The announcer had a Texas accent. The program was organized as well as any small town program ever is. The fiddlers were mostly competent. Volunteers manned the raffle table and the hot dog stand. You don't often get that small town feel in the middle of Tucson.
Speaking of earth shattering: the sinkholes we saw in Sedona did not have Corvettes in the bottom. Boy howdy, Kentucky really knows one-upmanship.
Like....EARTHQUAKE....or VOLCANO....or METEOR!!!!!
Those things are happening someplace else.
Our upstairs remodel is underway. The demolition phase is complete. We have one of those Waste Management bags in our driveway. It is full of sinks and drywall and cabinetry and tile and pipes and a bathtub.
In the bathroom we can see into the attic over the garage. We found out there was no insulation in that wall. This week the electrician will come to rewire for new lights, outlets and switches. The drywall guy will come to patch the places where stuff was removed. Then the painter will come to paint (duh). Next week the tile guy will come to tile (duhble duh). And guess what the carpet guy will do. Go ahead, guess.
Eventually, we will move into our new master suite.
Today we went toilet shopping. Really. We don't often go toilet shopping. I really don't understand why there are so many different brands and styles of toilets. There are many funny lines that could go here, but I will let you supply your own.
While we were out, we went to the Tucson Old Time Fiddle Contest. I saw it advertised the other day. Until now, I didn't know there was a Tucson Old Time Fiddle Contest. It was held in the auditorium/cafeteria/gymnasium (which they call a multi-purpose room), at a private high school. Walking into the room was like walking into the 1950's. Or into the 2014 version of a small town in the south. Everyone was dressed in western wear. Not Scottsdale costume western wear, real, everyday western wear. Their skin was weathered from life in the outdoors (or smoking, hard to tell). The announcer had a Texas accent. The program was organized as well as any small town program ever is. The fiddlers were mostly competent. Volunteers manned the raffle table and the hot dog stand. You don't often get that small town feel in the middle of Tucson.
Speaking of earth shattering: the sinkholes we saw in Sedona did not have Corvettes in the bottom. Boy howdy, Kentucky really knows one-upmanship.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Boy, are we having a good time.
Friday we drove to Cottonwood. The expressed purpose of the trip was to visit some sink holes in the Sedona area that Don and Margie had recently become aware of. They had visited some of them. There are seven. Margie is acquainted with a professional geologist who agreed to give us a narrated guided tour. The exact locations of some of the holes is a closely guarded secret due to the archeological value of rock art found within. Only one of the seven is widely known and visited because it is on one of the popular jeep tour trails. The inside is accessible only with rappelling gear, so few people go to the bottom.
What the geologist told us, briefly, is that the red sandstone of the Sedona area is on top of a layer of limestone. The limestone is eroded by water coming down from the Flagstaff area through the basalt layer. When the limestone is gone, the sandstone caves in. The cave-in prevents access to the caverns, so nobody knows the extent of them. But they are active. Meaning they are still forming. In fact, the most recent rock fall was in the 1990's. That is so recent, that it doesn't even register on the geologic time scale.
If we had known of these sink holes as kids, we would most certainly, have found a way to get into them.
When we arrived back at Don's house, I heard air escaping from my rear tire. There was a screw in it. So we (Don and I) got to change a tire. But since it was on his driveway, it doesn't count as an "adventure".
On Saturday, Don and I went jeeping while Peggie, Karin, and Margie went to a presentation on the history of Verde Valley quilts. Naturally, we discovered many roads, and many places we haven't been to, so we will have to go back. We had lunch in Bagdad. Not much there. Only one diner, one convenience store, one dinner only restaurant, one Basha's. Really. No dollar store! No Walgreen's! No fast food joint.
When we go into the hinterlands, we measure success in three ways.
1. Beautiful views: yes
2. Wildlife sighting: yes (antelope, deer, coyote)
3. Wet tires: no There was water in some of the stream beds, but not at the road crossings.
Two out of three ain't bad.
What the geologist told us, briefly, is that the red sandstone of the Sedona area is on top of a layer of limestone. The limestone is eroded by water coming down from the Flagstaff area through the basalt layer. When the limestone is gone, the sandstone caves in. The cave-in prevents access to the caverns, so nobody knows the extent of them. But they are active. Meaning they are still forming. In fact, the most recent rock fall was in the 1990's. That is so recent, that it doesn't even register on the geologic time scale.
If we had known of these sink holes as kids, we would most certainly, have found a way to get into them.
When we arrived back at Don's house, I heard air escaping from my rear tire. There was a screw in it. So we (Don and I) got to change a tire. But since it was on his driveway, it doesn't count as an "adventure".
On Saturday, Don and I went jeeping while Peggie, Karin, and Margie went to a presentation on the history of Verde Valley quilts. Naturally, we discovered many roads, and many places we haven't been to, so we will have to go back. We had lunch in Bagdad. Not much there. Only one diner, one convenience store, one dinner only restaurant, one Basha's. Really. No dollar store! No Walgreen's! No fast food joint.
When we go into the hinterlands, we measure success in three ways.
1. Beautiful views: yes
2. Wildlife sighting: yes (antelope, deer, coyote)
3. Wet tires: no There was water in some of the stream beds, but not at the road crossings.
Two out of three ain't bad.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Lake Patagonia
Lake Patagonia is on Sonoita Creek about 15 miles north of Mexico. The hills around it are grass covered with the occasional mesquite and ocotillo. It is a state park. The campsites are well spaced and there is water and electricity at most of them. Good bathrooms with showers are provided for free. Lake Patagonia is a fishing lake. That is, most of the campers and day visitors are there to fish.
We were there at the invitation of a former colleague of mine. She is a newly retired Kindergarten teacher. She and her partner, a high school counselor, had the site next to us. Also in the group was another colleague retired from second grade, and her husband, retired from the mine at Ray. The fourth rig was another couple we had not met before. The husband is a retired pilot and the wife is a permanent substitute teacher. Also joining the group was another former colleague and our daughter, Casey.
During the day, we all did our own things. Reading, hiking, sitting by the lake, birdwatching, visiting.
Each evening we all gathered for dinner and a fire. Dinners were communal.
The weather could not have been better. Mild and sunny. The only bad thing was that one of the couples had a pair of Sea Eagle inflatable boats. So now we want one.
We were there at the invitation of a former colleague of mine. She is a newly retired Kindergarten teacher. She and her partner, a high school counselor, had the site next to us. Also in the group was another colleague retired from second grade, and her husband, retired from the mine at Ray. The fourth rig was another couple we had not met before. The husband is a retired pilot and the wife is a permanent substitute teacher. Also joining the group was another former colleague and our daughter, Casey.
During the day, we all did our own things. Reading, hiking, sitting by the lake, birdwatching, visiting.
Each evening we all gathered for dinner and a fire. Dinners were communal.
The weather could not have been better. Mild and sunny. The only bad thing was that one of the couples had a pair of Sea Eagle inflatable boats. So now we want one.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Why we live here.
We are going camping for the weekend.
Yes. We can go camping in January. Highs will be in the 70's. There will be no snow. Not even clouds. There will be no ice on the water.
We have selected our bathroom cabinets and the drawer pulls and cabinet handles. We have selected the tile for shower and floor. We have selected the counter top. That leaves only half a gazillion decisions still to make.
So we can take a break and go camping.
Yes. We can go camping in January. Highs will be in the 70's. There will be no snow. Not even clouds. There will be no ice on the water.
We have selected our bathroom cabinets and the drawer pulls and cabinet handles. We have selected the tile for shower and floor. We have selected the counter top. That leaves only half a gazillion decisions still to make.
So we can take a break and go camping.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
More changes
Just as we were breathing easy, the phone rang Monday. Our remodel contractor had two other jobs go on indeterminate delay, so could we start ours right away. Sure. We met on Tuesday to go over everything. So now, all those decisions that we had two months to ponder have to be made now. And there are a gazillion things. If you have ever done a construction or remodel, you know. If you haven't, there is no way to explain it. Tomorrow we meet at the lighting store. Monday we meet with several subcontractors. But we are under way. Yay!
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