Organ Stop Pizza

We have gone through a cold snap that has lasted almost a week.

The night time lows have been a few degrees below zero.  In fact, we heard that this is the longest stretch of freezing weather that this area has experienced in the last 30 years.

You can blame it on us, because we often hear "Shoot, it isn't usually this cold", wherever we go !!

The plus side to all this is that the sun is out in it's full glory, even if it is cold outside.  Somehow, that seems to help a lot.

Our friend's park had an outing planned today, and we were invited as distinguished guests.

They had booked the Organ Stop Pizza restaurant.

Bob and Janet accompanied us, and Henry and Pam rode along with Ed and Marilyn.

What a great deal they were offering.  For only $7.75 each, we were entitled to a salad, and all the pizza we could eat.

Heck, we would have payed the entrance fee just for the entertainment alone.

Our friend Marilyn knew all the tunes, and had us smiling as she sang along with the classics.  

This was our second time here, and judging by the comments of our friends, this was a place that warrants a yearly visit.

Because today was a little warmer, when we got home, Teresa and I grabbed our favorite books, and headed outside with a glass of wine to enjoy the last hour or so of sunshine.

It sure felt good to get back into the sunshine.  

The next few days are supposed to be even better yet, and we can hardly wait.

Crafty Friends

Teresa and I have a couple of crafty friends.

The guilty party, Bob and Janet

No, they are not sneaky, nor are they tricksters.

Rather, they are awesome at making craft items.

Bob makes baskets out of antlers, and Janet makes decorative lanterns.  Today I want to showcase Janet's handiwork.



Lantern during the day

Janet assembles and sells these beautiful hanging lights, that can be hung under an awning, used on a patio, or as a decorative hanging light indoors.

With the CFL bulb at night

These lights are constructed of a light weight, high-quality polypropylene material which is heat resistant, flexible, and easy to clean.

Photo gives perspective to size

The lights are about 13 inches in diameter, and the cord is about 12 feet long, with a built in on/off switch.

The remote control for the
color changing LED bulb

Janet also makes the exact same lantern, with a color changing LED bulb that is fun to watch.



Lantern with the color changing LED bulb
set to red

You can use the remote to turn the light on or off, adjust the brightness, and choose different colors.

Green

You can keep the light at any selected color, or you can choose to have the remote automatically change to any of the 16 colors at various speeds.

Blue

Janet sells the lantern with the spiral energy efficient CFL bulb for $38 including shipping.

The lantern with the color-changing LED bulb plus remote sells for $50 including shipping.

Our friends can be reached at bjlehenbauer@hotmail.com or at
(719) 651-7468 or (719) 651-7488.

Be sure to tell 'em TnT sent ya !!

Enjoying the Warm Sunshine

Today was one of the warmest days we have since we returned here after Christmas.  Another cold front is forecast for the next several days.

With that in mind, Teresa and I decided to go for a long walk and soak up some vitamin D.

We were gone for over an hour, and the sun sure felt great !!

Ed and Marilyn were hosting Happy Hour today, so showers were in order.

Always great food when RV'ers are involved

Because it gets chilly quite early, we are having these get togethers in the afternoon, to take full advantage of the warm sunshine.

Bob, Teresa, and Marilyn

As usual, we had a great time talking about travel and our families.

Marilyn, Janet, Betty, and Lee

Teresa and I sure learn a lot from these experienced folks.  Mostly, we learn what not to do ... lol.

Me, Ed and Bob

After munching for the afternoon, we really don't have to have supper, so we usually just snack on whatever is on hand.

For now, we have to find where we have our sweaters put away, so we can brave this cold front.

Old Tucson

We were overdue for a road trip, and today was the day.

We all jumped into Bob and Janet's truck and headed off to Old Tucson. 

Old Tucson is the home of a movie set, where the Old West comes alive.

We had a great tour guide, dressed in costume, who told us the history of this amazing place.

This land was acquired in 1939, where production began, and the first movie was produced in 1940.

Since those humble beginnings, over 300 movies and TV shows were filmed on these famous streets.

John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, and Kurt Russell are just a few of the famous legends who worked their craft here.

Teresa really enjoyed the costumes and sets for her favorite childhood show "Little House on the Prairie".

After strolling through the streets, we decided to take in an entertainment show at the Grand Palace Saloon.

Oh, oh, the entertainers were looking for "volunteers" from the crowd.  Sheesh, I hate when they do that, and I was very relieved when they walked past me for the first part of the show.

However, I was not quite so lucky for the second show, when the lovely hostess came marching up to me, and we danced while she was singing.  I was a little out of my comfort zone ... lol.

We had a delicious BBQ lunch on the premises, then made the short trip to the Saguaro National Park.

These saguaros are amazing.  Did you know that at one year old, they are only 1/4 inch high ?   At 15 years old, they are not even a foot tall.  

They usually produce their first arm at 75 years old, and by the time they are 150 years old, they average 50 feet tall, and weigh a whopping 16,000 pounds !!

Who says learning can't be fun ??

It was soon time to head back home, and once back at our rig, Teresa and I toasted our wonderful day with such wonderful friends. 

Nice Day with Friends

After two days of sleeping and moping around, we decided to join the land of the living today.

We figured it would take a couple of days to recover from our "all-nighter" a couple of days ago.

And what better way to stimulate the senses than inviting friends over for a belated birthday party.

We were away when Ed had a birthday, and Teresa and I felt bad for missing his big day.

That was the only motivation we needed to get the gang together at our place, while Teresa made a cherry cheesecake.

Ed is smiling here, because he thought this was his piece !!

Everyone enjoyed the sweet treat, and we sat soaking up the warm Arizona sun while sipping on our drinks.

Lots of laughs when we get together

As the sun was getting lower in the sky, we started bringing out sweaters and jackets, and finally we gave up and headed for the warmth of our own homes.

When we came inside, it was a toasty 80 degrees in our rig, so we grabbed our favorite books and a glass of wine, and relaxed for an hour or so.  Pure heaven.

We have a road trip planned for tomorrow, and I can already guarantee we will have a blast. 

Back to the Sunshine

Whomever decided that a 6:00 am flight was a good idea, needs to re-examine their thinking !!

In order to be at the airport two hours early, and considering the airport is at the extreme opposite side of the city from our condo, well you get the idea ... we were denied any sleep.

Thankfully, we had a wonderful flight, and were witness to an amazing sunrise at 30,000 feet.

Our wonderful friends, Ed and Marilyn, offered to pick us up, and true to form, they were there early and patiently waited for us to announce our arrival.

Our sleepy eyes soon widened as we saw our friends and after hugs and greetings, we felt renewed.

As soon as we were on the road, a quick call was made to Bob and Janet, and a few miles later we were meeting for breakfast.

After more hugs, we all took turns describing our Christmas fun with family.

Funny how the best moments always seem to surround grandchildren and their cute little antics.

Once we were back at our motorhome, I hooked up the utilities, and collapsed on the bed, napping for nearly three hours !!

Teresa was as quiet as a mouse, and though she wanted to unpack and get organized, she grabbed a book and headed outside so as not to awaken her sleeping beauty.

It seems so unreal that you can leave freezing cold temperatures, and after only three hours of flying, be reading in the sunshine with only short sleeves.

We headed over to the local grocery store, to grab our essentials, and now that supper is over, we are yawning ourselves inside out.

Good night for now !!

Last Day in Regina

We LOVE our daughter in law !!

Even though we just had our son's family stay with us for two days at Christmas, they quickly agreed to our request of just "one more visit" to see our grandchildren ... lol.

Ali is a great Mom and our family
is blessed to be able to include her

They live two and a half hours away, and though the temperatures were a little warmer, the wind was blowing across the highway, making driving very treacherous.

The passing lane is covered in snow
and our lane was very icy

After seeing yet another car in the ditch, we seriously considered turning around.

We decided to slow right down, and drive cautiously.  Although the trip was considerably longer, we arrived safe and sound.

Now, give us those kids ... lol.

Reading with Mya

After play time and visiting, Ali prepared us an amazing meal of chicken cordon bleu, which she makes herself.

Our daughter and Tristan in a staring contest

It was so delicious, and was followed up by a caramel apple pie that Teresa brought along.

With one eye on the clock, we knew the time had come to say goodbye for the next three months.

This is always hard on us, and we know that all our travelling friends agree that this is the worst part of being away.

Safely back in Regina, we dropped our daughter off with kisses and hugs and more goodbyes.

Today we are running around in circles doing all the last minute chores that need to be done.

We fly back to Phoenix tomorrow morning, and are very excited to see our friends.

Do you think they will notice the extra 10 pounds we put on over the holiday season ??