Silly Mountain Hike

Teresa and I wanted to get some exercise in today, and thought why not enjoy the beautiful outdoors with a hike, rather than inside the fitness centre.

Silly Mountain is only a couple of minutes from our resort, and is a popular hiking spot.  For some reason, we never took the time to check this one out.

We wondered how it got it's name, but nothing on the signage gave any clues.

Near the base is a botanical garden, with all the popular desert plants identified.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that we could get a good workout on these paths.

In fact, one of the paths is called "The Huff n Puff" trail.

After getting our hearts pumping, we took the short drive home, and got all cleaned up for a happy hour at an excellent Mexican restaurant called Los Gringos Loco.

They have great prices on drinks and meals, from 2pm until 5pm.

Bob and Janet, along with Ed and Marilyn were with us,  but unfortunately, Ginger was not feeling well, so Jesse stayed home to nurse her back to health.

We had a great time as always, and really enjoyed the offerings.  I am sure we will be back again.

We really did not need to eat supper, so Teresa headed off to do more laundry, leaving me alone to get into my usual mischief.

Sure hope Ginger is feeling better soon, so the gang can be reunited.

Queen Creek Olive Mill

Another beautiful day here, with temps near the 80 degree mark, and brilliant sunshine.

We had plans to tour an olive mill today, so we met at our friend's park before heading out.

Ed and Marilyn generously offered us a ride, while Bob and Janet rode with Jesse and Ginger.

We love going places with these three couples, and seem to have fun every time.

This farm was started as a hobby farm, but grew in size as more and more people said they should go into business.

We took a short tour which included sampling some products, and learned a lot about the industry.

After the tour, we were back in the store front, picking up some tasty products.

With all this talk about olives, and since it was lunchtime, we decided to head over to ... where else ... the Olive Garden !!

We have not been to one of their restaurants since last year in Texas, so we were looking forward to lunch.

We enjoyed the all you can eat, soup and salad with fresh bread sticks, and it was as good as we remembered.

Back at the resort, Ed and Marilyn invited Teresa and I in, to share a laugh about a book Ed is reading.  Well, that led to us asking about their Kindles, then listening to music, then talking about trips, then looking at photos, until the afternoon had turned into early evening.

You know how it is when you are with good friends, one minute you can be laughing, and the next sharing a tear or two. 

On the way home, we had to make a stop for our Power Ball Lottery tickets.

The jackpot is at $500,000,000.00 !!  That's right, half a billion dollars.

Not that we would change a thing if we won, mind you ... ;-)

First Hike of the Year

Whew, we have been busy little snowbirds the last few days.

Yesterday, after the Church service in our ballroom, we headed over to the Mesa Market Place Swap Meet.

We spent nearly four hours there, and Teresa bought some dresses and tops, while I found a t-shirt and some things for the motorhome.

When we got home, we were excited to see that our friends David and Lise had invited us to go on a hike with them today !!

We met these wonderful folks last year, and hit it off right away.

They are Canadian fulltimers, whom spend most of their time in Ontario, but make frequent trips across Canada to visit their family.

Excitedly, we met at the trail head, where hugs and handshakes were exchanged.

Beginning of our hike

Even though it was only a little after 9 am, the heat was on.

We started out on the path, and soon we were chatting and getting up to date on all our news.

We were laughing and talking, and when we met some hikers coming down the slopes, they said they could hear us long before they could see us ...

David, me and Lise

We really worked up a sweat, and there was a couple of times we were huffing and puffing.

It was a near perfect day for a hike, and we felt great getting some much needed exercise outdoors.

Hey, does anyone remember where we
parked the cars ??

After a rest including more water and snacks, we began the descent.

There are lots of loose rocks which required some concentration, but nothing too bad.

We made it back to the parking area after three and a half hours. 

We decided to go out for a coffee and lunch, but first, since we were going right past their resort, we popped in to see the upgrades they made to their motorhome.

Nice ... new flooring, and two very comfortable reclining chairs to replace a couch.  I really struggled to get out of those chairs after our long hike !!

Soon we were enjoying coffee, bagels, and muffins while sitting outside, where we spent more time catching up.

Reluctantly, we eventually said our good-byes, and promised to do something like this again.

This is where I kind of got in the dog-house with Teresa.  I told her I had brought a change of shoes for her, knowing we were going out for coffee and running into Walmart.

I tore the car apart looking for them, but they were not to be found.

She sure looked cute tromping through the store in her hiking boots ... LOL.

Hosting Happy Hour

Today was the third day in a row that we had to turn on the A/C.

It was in the 80's, but a lot hotter than that inside our little rig.

These small motorhomes heat up much like your car does in the sunshine, so we were too hot to handle inside.

We have been wanting to have our friends over to our place and today was the perfect day for that.

Veggies, shrimp, sausage, cheese and crackers

I must give Teresa full credit for all the hard work washing and cutting up the food.  Our kitchen is pretty darn small, so it was best that I stayed out of her way ... LOL.

Bob and Janet were very generous by dropping off a couple of tables and chairs for us, an hour before the get together so we could get set up.

Janet, Bob, and Ginger

As is often the case when RV'ers gather around, the talk turns to future travel plans.

Jesse and I

Destinations such as Yuma, the gulf coast of Florida, and Texas were all brought up.

Marilyn and Ed

In fact, Ed and Marilyn have done some research and presented to the crowd that we travel to Texas next year, and take a cruise departing from Galveston.

Sounds pretty good to us !!  That is still a year away, so nothing definite of course, but it sure is fun to think about !!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends south of the border !!

I think it is pretty safe to say that anyone reading this today has a lot to be thankful for.

Today, Bob and Janet were hosting this special occasion.

Jesse and Ginger supplied the decorations.
After dinner, Ginger gave each couple a plant to take home

Everyone brought a few dishes, and Bob and Janet supplied the juiciest turkey we have ever had, plus a lot of other goodies, such as homemade cherry pie, homemade buns, gravy, iced tea, and the crowd pleasing homemade noodles.

This should be enough for four couples !!

Jesse and Ginger brought a dish we are new to called Candied Yams, and were they ever good !!  Plus, they brought green bean casserole, Waldorf salad, cranberries, apple-cranberry pie, and pumpkin pie.

Toasting to another amazing Thanksgiving with friends

Ed and Marilyn supplied the wine, plus they brought the mashed potatoes, dressing and apple sauce.

We brought two kinds of perogies, with fried onions and sour cream, sweet corn, and olives.

After Ed gave a prayer of thanks, we did our best to empty the containers of food, but alas, we could eat no more.

Of course, even though you are full, there is always room for dessert, and was it ever good.

We could not thank the ladies enough for all the effort they put into today's meal.  It was truly delicious and appreciated.

After we finished eating and shared a few laughs together, we headed over to Ed and Marilyn's to play some more Wii bowling.

Teresa showing us a few pointers

Only this time, we came up with the bright idea of the guys vs the gals ... BIG mistake !!

Ginger getting another strike !!

The ladies cleaned up on us poor fellas !!  In fact, they won by such a large margin in the first game, Teresa had to take a picture of the score.

Ladies 184
Men 104

The ladies then went on to win the next two games, and I think they could tell we were feeling pretty bad about ourselves, because I think they gave the fourth game away to us on purpose !!

By now it was getting dark, so we had one more treat in store for us.

A couple in this park decorate for Christmas every year, and tonight was the unveiling for the season.

It was so well done, that you had to just keep looking to catch all the little details that went into this labor of love.

He even has some kind of a machine that sprays something to resemble snow before it dissolves away.

All of these decorations have movement of some kind

Soon it was time to depart and head for home, for a little rest and reflection.

We sure hope that everyone had a wonderful day today, and that you were able to celebrate with friends and family.

Fun in the Sun

The amazing weather continues !!

Hot and sunny.  We sure are blessed.

Today, my gal and I decided to go for a long walk rather than exercise indoors. 

We headed out around 10 this morning, and didn't get back until nearly noon.

We walked through a couple of nearby resorts, and found all the residents to be friendly.  A common theme among RV'ers.

Ed and Marilyn were hosting happy hour today, and we were only too glad to attend.

Bob and Jesse

Teresa and I want to host a happy hour too, so our friends can see our resort, but with the six of them at their one park, it seems a little easier having it there.

Ginger, Marilyn and Janet

Ed has a Wii system hooked up to his outside storage bay, and we divided into two teams to play a little bowling.

Marilyn and Janet

It was a lot of fun, and we were cheering for each other, whether they were on our team or not.

Ed and Bob

Can you believe we are so fortunate to have such great friends and to be having such fun in the sun.  We sometimes wonder why we are so blessed to be living this life.

Bob and Janet are hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday at their site, and we needed to pick up a few items for this event.

There is a grocery store right across the highway from our resorts, so we picked up our supplies and headed for home.

We sat outside and enjoyed the coolness of the evening as we prepared for supper.

Wine and cheese makes for a happy girl

What more can we ask for !!

Enjoying our Park

We have had great weather this week, and today was no exception.

Blue skies, very slight breeze, and sunshine !!

Bocce ball courts

I almost complained it was a little too hot, but caught myself in the nick of time.

Teresa and I enjoyed our usual coffee in bed, then decided today would be a wonderful day to play a little tennis.

These courts are seldom used

The company that owns our RV park, started a new subdivision last year called Superstition Views.

The water is warm and inviting

Instead of an RV park, however, they are building houses.

The really neat thing though, is that we can use the brand new bocce ball courts, tennis courts, and the amazing pool.

Teresa and I really aren't very good tennis players, but we sure had fun just enjoying the sunshine, mountains, and the good feeling that exercise brings.

We went back home for lunch, and were inspired enough to head over to the fitness centre.

We did a variety of cardio machines, then Teresa went ahead and worked out on the weight machines.

We were the only ones in the fitness centre, however, come January that will change as the park is fully booked for the new year.

We ended our day with a few glasses of wine, sitting on our patio, and making plans for tomorrow.

The Historic Mining Camp Restaurant

We were very happy to have our friends return on Friday from a road trip they took to the Grand Canyon.

Although they were a little tuckered out, we had plans to go out for  supper and entertainment to celebrate Ginger's Birthday.

Teresa and I got cleaned up, and headed over to their park for the short drive to the restaurant.

Unfortunately, it was dark already so no photos of the outside exhibits, but, the restaurant is themed like Old Arizona, and is very rustic.

It is decorated with antiques used during the old mining days, and in fact our plates and cups were like the tin ones miners ate from years ago.

The food was very good, with each table receiving fresh warm buns and bread, baked beans, ham, chicken, and mouth watering ribs !!

After supper, a band consisting of four colorful characters, entertained us with songs and comedy routines.

It was a lot of fun, and we would recommend this place anytime.

After supper we headed back to Jesse and Ginger's place to admire their new rig, and more importantly to have birthday cake in Ginger's honor.

They recently purchased this beautiful Mobile Suites fifth wheel, and we just know that they are going to love it.

Once again, the evening was filled with fun and laughter, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

However, all good things must come to an end, and soon we were all heading home to get a good night sleep.

We really are fortunate to have found such wonderful people to call our friends !!