Something good........is about to happen........pool!

Cliff going for a winning shot.

After last year we added a few people to the Thursday Pool Club. The regulars are: Cliff, Maynard, Nancy, Debbie, me with Harry, Karen, Ken coming intermittently.  This year we added: Sue, Darrel, Sharon and Dennis.  A good time......and all that!

Dennis clean the table man!!

Karen and Nancy cheering them on.

Sharon patiently waiting her turn.

Debbie going for more liquid.

Here we sit all broken..........never mind.

Debbie and Sharon cleaned their clocks.

Mayno and Harry waitin' their turn.

As always we give Mayno a hard time.

Ken came this day to cheer us on and keep an eye on me.  Heh, heh, heh

Now isn't that a trio to draw to??

Nancy using the helper

Mayno about ready to do his dance.  He LOVES pool

And the stories are getting deeper. No wait Nancy is teaching a song

Terry and Bob join us.  Hopefully they'll be our workcampers next season.

Good luck

We love you CLIIFFFFIIIEEE!

Gambling in Arizona

Linda, Terry, Sharon, Debbie and I went to Globe Arizona gambling.  Here we are at dinner.  About 2 seconds later and nice young man came and told me I couldn't take pictures ANYWHERE inside.

That afternoon the weather started turning REAL crummy and THEN it began to snow.  Globe is about 2 hours north of Tucson. and usually warm and sunny.  This time there was a flood alert and a dam nearby was in danger of breeching.  We kept gambling. That night  when we got to the room we found it leaking down the windows.  Since our beds were dry, we shoved everything over and went to sleep. 

When we woke in the morning there was about 6" of snow and they we wondered if we would be able to get home because of the roads.  We finally left after 3.

Terry and Debbie taking a walk outside on Friday afternoon.

Poor palm trees.

Lemon Pie and Mayno's Daughter Lisa

Maynard's daughter Lisa came to visit for about 6 days.  They hadn't been seeing each other for several years and for many reasons.  She ended up staying a few days longer in order to see us when we returned from Tucson. 

Father and Daughter

Maynard looks sad as he prepares to return her to the airport in Albuquerque.

So we brought back LOTS of lemons.  Sharon took a bag and made 6 (count'em 6) fresh lemon pies for Happy Hour.  Thanks Sharon.  We love you!!

Lemon Pie and Foo-foo Beer! Yum!

Sharon, Mayno and Linda - Post Pie

Dave and Newell - Wine and Pie Yummy!

Visiting the West...........Tucson that is!

 Cliff and Karen were going to see their grandson so we rode along with them.  This picture is of Texas Canyon on I-10.  Big, round rocks - weird, round just like Texas?!?!

 This is the driveway at Hal and Leslie's place in Tucson.

 Out the back of their home.  It has a great view of the mountain and is a peaceful place to sit.

 Picking fresh lemons - Ken was enthralled.

Thanks for sharing.  We ALL loved the fresh lemons.

Leslie took us up to Saguaro Forest.  This picture is at the front entrance to the visitor center.  We were told that about 1 in 100,000 Saguaro grow weird like that.  That can't be far off.  WE only saw the two  (and we are SUCH cactus experts).

I got a kick out of other weird saguaros with arms going every which direction.  The one to the left in the background is cool also.

At the Visitor Center at Saguaro NP

These two saguaros were too far away for Ken to walk.  Quite beautiful.  Hal was with us this day and he took the cousins in front of them.  They are about 24+ feet tall.

A closer look at them.

Hal joined us and we went to another forest up a canyon.  Of course I have no memory of a name I just know it was north and a little east of their home.
The layers of these rocks intrigued me.

We're at the top Ken hop on outa there.

When we got back down to the visitor center it was time for another lesson.  Hal is showing them how the cactus spine have a sheath on them.  I, of course, poked myself when I tried to see a sheath.  Figures.

They walk the desert every day and create trails through the cactus. This is up behind their house.  Leslie said just a few months ago there wasn't this many at the particular spot.

Now THIS is weird, but delicious.    El Charro's restaurant is in Tucson. 

Get ready to savor el Charro’s celebrated carne seca – juicy strips of beef marinated in lime juice and garlic and air-dried in wire cages on the restaurant’s roof – in just about everything but the dessert.

The best story from El Charro:

No one really knows who invented, or named, the Arizona-Sonora specialy known as the chimichange – a deepfried burrito – but El Charro does it up proud and crips and tell the best story.  In 1928, founder Monica Flin accidentally dropped a stuffed burrito in hot oil and began to cuss, but, with children present, caught herself and said “chimichanga” – Spanish for “thingamajig”.

On Sunday we took our bags and went to the farmer's market. It was wonderful.  We got some fresh roasted green chile and I made my version of a baked Chile Rellano

I wish we were closer to these - but then we'd have to put up with a city full of people. 

Hap put his camera on timer and we got a group shot.

Once in a while they have to cut it back so they can get through.  It was a great visit.  Hope we get to do it again another season.

Hal is making the path wide enough to walk through without "spinal" harm.