Biking

We took the bikes out for a big ride along The Loop.  Since we were a bit out of practice, I forgot to set my biking speedometer before we started.  This meant I had no idea how far we biked.  Normally we do about 20 miles, turns out we did over 32 miles, which explains how tired we were.  We didn't see any bobcats, but along the route there are just tons of Pocket Gophers.  We love seeing them and I got this one's quick photo.  He's to the left of the orange pole.

After we got back and took a rest we had a BIG pickleball meeting.  Looks like construction on eight additional courts may begin on April 1st.  If that happens it will be a nice addition for next year when we return.  A few hundred people showed up for this meeting.

Then we went home to rest a bit more before heading out for our Unit 32 Baked Potato party.  About 50 people showed up and we got to know two more neighbors on our street so it was worthwhile.

Things are getting back to normal

We've had a great few days of above average weather.  This weekend we finally tested out the pools and it wasn't too cold at all.  Next week looks pretty nice too, around 68 each day.

Here are a batch of "alphabet" mugs ready to go in for their final firing.  I'll upload a finished photo in a few days, if they are blog worthy.

Our first backyard Cardinal, I think.  This could possibly be a Pyrrhuloxia, which look really similar to Cardinals.  But I put out black sunflower seeds, which are apparently what Cardinals like.

New lighting

Here is the before and after of our kitchen table light.  I much prefer the black chandelier.

Dave was able to change it out within an hour.  One of the easiest updates we've done.  Now we have to do the same in the dining room once I find a fixture.

Laughlin, NV

It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to get to Laughlin which is basically a poor man's Las Vegas.  We stayed at Harrah's and it wasn't so cheap.  If we wanted wifi in our room we had to pay for it - so we opted out.

Gone are the days of free drinks while you gamble.  Everything had a price tag.  If you are interested in the glitz of gambling I would do Las Vegas any day instead of Laughlin.

It is on the Colorado River which is the one redeeming fact.  We went down to the Harrah's "beach" and enjoyed the water in the morning.

As we walked through the casino at 7 in the morning we heard one gambling man tell another, " his kids are all growed now, and they want to get an education and shit.  Be doctors and stuff".  This alone tells you what kind of people frequent the casinos in Laughlin.

Valley of Fire State Park

We headed out early and drove about 14 miles to the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  It was a gorgeous morning and there was no one else around.  Lots of different hikes that were easy and beautiful.  This area was a sea millions of years ago and now it's a beautiful landscape.  Lots of commercials and a few movies have been filmed here.

Ancient petroglyphs.

There were supposed to be desert tortoise here but we didn't see any.  In fact, we didn't see any animals at all.  But we still enjoyed the day.

Arizona/Nevada Roadtrip

We are at the Mesa Arts Center which is a really nice complex and holds great performances.  Mandy Patinkin and his piano accompanist performed for almost two hours.  Wasn't nearly as great as the show I saw 20 years ago as his voice has really changed.  A few unusual songs too.

The next morning we headed out from Mesa to the old cowboy town of Wickenburg which is about 90 miles west.  Kind of a nice town, with a few historic buildings from the gold mining days.

The old schoolhouse.

A "teacher" coming to town to teach.

This Mesquite tree in the rear is where they used to tie up prisoners because they didn't have a jail!

Another "statue" in the town, this one representing the gold miners.

This is a plastic Gila Monster.  The town had these all over, plus a lot of fake Arizona Diamondback snakes and even a tarantula.

We stopped in the town of Chloride, population 325, and found one of the oldest post offices in Arizona.

We ate at Sugar's restaurant in Overton, NV.  One of three restaurants in town if you consider McDonald's a restaurant.  I like the soup they are serving!

Fellow diners in this high class establishment.

Finally made it to Ethel M Chocolate factory.  Just a very brief self guided tour, then a nice walk around their well planned cactus garden.  Two free samples.  We didn't stay for the chocolate tasting because it was too late in the day for our plans.

Action Packed Evening

Last night was the first Bingo of 2020.  There were over 190 people who played.  Since it's so popular I have to arrive early and hold seats for my Bingo friends.  Luckily, two people at our table won which are pretty good odds considering how many played.  We only play 10 games.

The most exciting part of the evening for me was driving home at 8pm, in the very dark, and having to stop for a herd of Javelina.  There were at least nine and they were crossing the street and running along the side walls, heading into a neighborhood.

It was difficult to hold my camera steady, while being in the car, and try and get good shots in the dark of these moving animals.  But at least I got some proof.

Sons of the Pioneers

Dave's sister and her husband are visiting Tucson.  We had them over before we went to the Gaslight Theater and saw the Sons of the Pioneers.  This is a musical group that has been around for 80 years, with different members.  They were excellent musicians and we learned all about Cowboy Music not Country Western.  Lots of yodeling and fiddling.  

And the lead singer is the son of Roy Rogers (a deceased, famous western actor who was in almost 100 films).  We learned a lot at this show and it was really enjoyable.

Typical Saddlebrooke

Unfortunately, this auto accident happened yesterday, about a half mile from our house.  I don't know why this happened of if there were injuries.  Some SB driver made a turn right into this person's side yard and onto a rock and into their wall.  The car has been moved and the wall is waiting to be repaired.

I have made an elderly friend due to volunteering with the Senior Village group.  Now she calls me once a week and I go over and help her out.  Yesterday she needed help opening her pill bottles, hanging her shower curtain rod, instruction on her cell phone, and instruction on using the features of her car.  I am finding more and more widows around here who have no one to help them with their daily living.  Good reason to have a lot of children!

Another Milestone Birthday

We had a beautiful weekend of about 70 degree weather.  It was nice to actually be too warm for a bit.  The only blight on the Sunday was that my car battery has been acting up and then I realized it was six years old.  Since we only have one vehicle I had to replace the battery pronto.  The manager at O'Reilly Auto Parts kindly installed the new battery.  I never could have done it as it was a big mess and needed special tools.

Then we went to Pat's for grandpa Van's 98th birthday party.  His California relatives are staying with  them and they helped get her house clean and made a dinner.  Van has been trying out different hearing aids but none of them are really tackling his hearing issues.  Plus, he is a bit delusional, but in a happy way.  It's all that "government work" he did in secret.

This is what a 98th birthday looks like.

Street life

The weather has turned nice and sunny.  Still about 40 in the morning, but beautiful days.

We haven't seen too many interesting animals yet, but still quite a few deer.  Here was a small group crossing the street.  The older ones actually seemed to stand and wait for the little ones to cross over.