Spring Trip to Phoenix

Friday! - The date finally arrived.  It seemed a long time off when I booked this trip but it's here now and we are ready for some heat!!  We left cold and miserable weather and it was worth getting up at 3:30am to catch our flight.

On Friday morning we were all set for a day of errands when we noticed the house was getting warm and the air conditioning was coming on and clicking but no cool air.  oh oh...call the repair guy (where's Bob when we need him?) and he was here in an hour and a half.  He was very professional and did a great job.  We needed a new motor, coil, contact and refrigerant.  Ka-ching! It had not been serviced in a long time and we totally forgot to get it looked at.   We are now going to have it serviced every spring.  The house is now keeping temperature and feels great.

With the early flight you arrive early morning here and with the time change, you have the full day ahead of you.  We were very tired but did some groceries and had dinner out and managed to stay awake until about 8pm when I hit a wall and had to crash.  Craig only lasted about 20 minutes more and he crashed too. 

Road Trip
Saturday was tour day.  We had a day ticket for the Overland Expo 2014 held outside of Flagstaff.   It was something to see.  I have never seen so many expensive toys in one place!!   It was very interesting to see all these huge vehicles and motorcyles and listen to some of the people.  Some people just travel and don't work and they have seen most of the world.   This little orange baby below (note how the upper part of it lifts up) is worth a few hundred thousand dollars.  They are called Unimog - Global Expedition vehicles. 

 Here's some other neat applications for tenting on your travels.

 Everthing packed away for hauling - it's the tent on top and a pull out kitchen at the back.  All storage and cupboards.

 Here's one open and you can see the cooking and storage.

 Spot Craig in the blue?  He's enjoying wandering around and checking it all out. 

 On our way we stopped for a coffee and I spotted this bug - check out the tires!!  That is so cute on the car!!  Guessing it belongs to a lady!!

Heat Wave
It's been over 100F so far.  Right now it's 6pm here and it's 98F - it was 106F/42C today.  Very hot and everyone is hiding indoors.  Did some more groceries and a bit of retail therapy and then it was time for a swim.  Just heading out to see a movie - there's a lot of great movies out now and the theatre is just up the road.  * saw Captain America, special effects were awesome!!

cheers!  I hope you enjoyed my rambling.

Lynn

Here's the last blog I forgot to post....


Just finishing off the blog for this wonderful trip.  We only did one big day out to Flagstaff and spent the rest of our time enjoying the sunshine laying by the pool, having nice meals out, BBQ at the condo, going to movies and relaxing. It was just what we needed.  We also went to a house party and it was nice to go to someone's home and meet more people.

We discovered that we really enjoy mornings by the pool and going out for the afternoons when the heat of the day is the highest. (106F/41C one day)  We had some nice outings.  We went to our favorite crepe place in Cave Creek and had a great lunch.  It's called The Village Coffee Shop and they have gluten free options and the best coffee around.  While we were in Cave Creek, we found something we both liked for the wall in the living room - we've been looking but nothing caught our eye until this.  It's a metalwork sun and I think it looks great.   We also went to a sushi bar restaurant with the conveyor belt where you select what you want off it.  So much fun and the food is very good.

We saw four movies while we were there - yes, that sounds like a lot but the movie theater is up the street and is so nice (it's a Harkins) so we always try and catch up on new and old movies.  We saw the following:
Chef - go see this.  Love the cast and the story was cute and of course, the food will make you hungry!!
Captain America - the Winter Soldier - we enjoyed this second movie.  I would watch it again.
The Love Punch - love Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan, just not together.  This movie was barely a rental in my opinion.  Rotton Tomatoes agrees with me - 27% liked it.
The Grand Budapest Hotel - a light farce that had a lot of name actors in it.  And yes, it was George Clooney in a cameo!!  Apparently Cheech Marin was also in it but I missed that.

Now that my movie critique is done....I'll let you know that we had a wonderful time and just enjoyed being at the condo and relaxing.  It was nice not to do a lot around the condo other than repair the air conditioner. Of course we did some shopping too but we still only had carry-on baggage coming home! Ok, Craig had to carry some excess shoes in his bag!!

Many thanks to my Mom and neice Cassie who helped Grandma pick up the fur-kids from the kennel.  We usually arrive home within an hour of the kennel/vet closing so we have to wait until the next day to pick them up.  We missed them both so much and just loved having them waiting for us when we got in the door.  There was a lot of excitement for sure!!  At the vets kennel, Yuki was in a run with Kira and they did really well together.  (In the past, Suji and Kira had to be in separate runs as he was not always good with her.)  The vet staff commented that Kira is more confident and coming out of her shell a bit with having such a wonderful new buddy around.  He is so very sweet, he is affecting her positively and she is doing well.

That's it for this trip and posting!  The desert is so unique and in the spring it's alive.  All the cactus were blooming.   I hope all my friends get to see this beautiful part of the world some time!

Lynn

Do we hafta go home?

It's been such a great vacation.  We don't want to go home!!

We've been relaxing and enjoying the weather and having a great time.  Here's some hot air balloons that were flying by the condo the other morning.  Pretty cool.

We enjoyed our ride over Phoenix a couple of years ago and we hope to take another one the next time we stay overnight in Sedona. 

Food, Food, Food!! 
Oh my, what fun we had the other night at Sushi Station.  I've never been to a place that has the revolving sushi bar before.  It was so interesting to watch all the unique dishes go by and just pick off the one that interested you to try out.  The food was super and we thought cheap!!  For a great dinner with about 10 plates, including jello for Craig, it was $22!!  That's cheap for delicious!  Check out the pics on the restaurant's site since this is not the best one. After dinner we saw the movie Rush with Chris Hemsworth.  We already saw him in Thor, the Dark Side this week as well.  Rush was the better movie in our books.   

Dogs and more dogs
I thought it may be of interest to share what we see with dogs here.  They are accepted in to stores and at outdoor tables at restaurants.  I was shopping in DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) and there were three dogs in there - a white maltese, a grey small poodle with pink bows in her hair to match her pink harness, and a man with lovely Weimaraner.  Not all the dogs you see in stores are small.  One evening a few trips back there were four dogs in Home Depot with their owners.  With the heat here you cannot, and absolutely should not, leave your dog in the car.  We have even seen volunteer workers checking cars for dogs left in them in parking lots.  It's serious stuff, as it should be.   With all that said, it makes us miss our fur-kids a lot!  It's nice not to have to walk, feed etc but it is so much a part of our daily routine we miss it.  

The other interesting thing we see here for dogs is most are left outside 24/7 with a pail of water and some shade.  People are less limited to time away from their homes here with pets with the weather.  We don't like to see them out in the extreme heat but most seem to care enough to bring them indoors to cool off on those days.  

Wrap up
Today is our last day here.  We have done all the sights we wanted and visited with new friends here.  A couple of odd jobs around the condo were done so all that is left is to do the final laundry and clean the house.  We are already talking about things we want to do on our next visit.  We don't feel so pressed to do a whole lot when we visit now since we know we will be back.  

Here's a short video from Sedona and the Pink Jeep Tour - as you can see, you go out in the middle of nowhere and could only get there by Jeep.   Craig and the tour guide hit it off and talked non stop.  I think he had a great day!!  I know I did too. 

 

And another of us coming out of the tour and heading back to town.  

See you all soon!!  I hope you enjoyed the blog.

Lynn

We're Official!

After two trips to the DMV, a vehicle inspection, phone calls, emails to get a letter  from Mazda USA and an emission test, our little car now has an Arizona licence plate!  horray!  What a process but so glad that's done.

We were off to Cave Creek for some gluten free crepes and great coffee for lunch. Nothing like a quiet view of the mountains with some great food.  I had a savory chicken crepe and Craig went for a chocolate raspberry one.  It was so cute and had a happy face on it in chocolate - but Craig downed it before  I could get out the camera!  It always seems like such a quiet place but they must be doing well since they are expanding in the new year into a larger location.  We will definitely continue to be regular customers.  Cave Creek and the Village Coffee Shoppe is usually one of our first stops after we get in but this time it took us six days before we got there!!  Here's some neat shops - I'd bring a lot of things home if they would only fit in the suitcase!  The lamps made with cactus skeletons are amazing, especially the floor ones that are full size.

Love the outdoor cactus pans below....in the right spot, they would look great!

Before I forget, it may be hot here during the day it's cool at night - about 60F or so or even less.  They don't heat swimming pools here so they lose the heat and are not very warm for swimming.  The pool is probably 65F.  Craig was hot from working around the condo so he went for a swim.  He told me he went in twice.  Once to cool off and once to find his testicles!! LOL!!  What a guy....

Well, even on vacation there are things to do and maintain.  The windows are all washed now and there is a nice new back door light that will be great when we BBQ.  The outside is low maintenance and our automatic sprinkler seems to be on enough to keep our cactus and aloe plants going.  We didn't even have to rake our faux grass this time but it looks like friends may have done that recently. 

Enjoy your day - we will!!

Sedona and Pink Jeep Tour

Yay! It's Pink Jeep Tour day!  We had a lovely drive to Sedona and lunch at our favorite restaurant, The Wildflower Bread Company.   They have the best soup and sandwiches.  We were in time to take the noon Diamondback Gulch tour - and it was just the two of us and our guide.  Perfect!!  It was  a fairly long ride to get to the start of the trail but it was just beautiful.  It's rare to have any clouds in the sky so the blue with white wisps added a wonderful aspect to the views. 

 Here's a view of our road.  We only saw two other jeeps in the couple of hours we were out there.

There has been no rain so it was a very dusty ride and when we stopped we would get a cloud of red dust following us.  Everything we had on will have to go into the washer.

And I got to play driver!!

This was a great tour but our favorite is still the Broken Arrow Tour.   There's still another two or three tours we still have to check out.  After sampling some ice cream and having a browse along the main street we went for an early dinner at Picazzo's Organic Italian restaurant.  It was wonderful and we found out there are a couple of more locations in Phoenix.

On our way out of town we stopped at an incredible shop - they dry and make the pepper arrangements.  You could feel a bit of the spice in your eyes and nose but what a sight!!  The place was huge and they had a couple of chiminea's  lit throughout the huge grounds of the store - learned that the hard way after  I touched one!!

 

We are tired after such a great day in the sun and wind so we are watching a movie and heading for some shut eye.  Tomorrow is another day!!

g'nite all!  I hope you enjoyed the photos.

We're baack!! Fall Trip 2013

We left the dreary grey weather behind on Thursday and are now enjoying the sunshine!!  It's been 80's and 90's here and in the sun over 100 - just perfect.  Cool in the morning and evening but daytime temperatures are lovely.

The little Mazda that Craig's Mom gave us is here permanently so we did some running around on Friday and it's now insured here and had an emissions test.  Yay! it pased!!




One more piece to the puzzle and we will get an Arizona licence plate!!  It's not a bad little car  and gets great mileage.  Taking the shuttle from the airport is actually faster than getting the rental car so it's all good.

We have already had company for dinner and have done groceries a few times.  I love the selections at the grocery stores here and the suitcase is already getting some gluten free treats packed in it.  We also have some food set aside for the plane ride home.  Nothing worse than being hungry on a plane.  

Craig had to go to a motorcycle shop so I took the opportunity to be dropped off at The Container Store.  Such neat things and fantastic organizers.   Fell in love with these waste baskets - too cute!!

I bought exciting things like more hangers and some cedar blocks for the closets.  I did get a really cool lunch bag where the bag itself is the cooler pack.  It says it lasts for up to 10 hours but I give it maybe 5 hours in a car in the Arizona heat! 

Live and Learn
With the heat in the condo over the summer we have found that it affected some things like food and candles.  Food can go "off" even in the package and it smells and tastes like the packing..ugh!  Not good.  Candles become the leaning candles and kinda go in a puddle.  Guess we either don't have them or put them in the fridge for the summer!!  A good dusting of the outdoor furniture and the outside is fine - at least that is easy care.

Plans for this trip
Our plans are we have no plans!  The condo is "done" except for some renovations we would like to do and that probably won't happen for a few years so we can just enjoy now.  We do plan to go to Sedona one of our days to do another Pink Jeep Tour.  We will pick another one we have not done yet.  It's probably going to be the Gulch tour.  We also hope to go to Jerome at some point and I am hoping the glass blower's will be doing their thing this time.  We will find a nice place for lunch with a view of the valley - it's such a neat spot. 

Enjoying today!
Well the Mr. is off to meet some friends and then off for a day motorcycle ride so I am on my own today to do some retail therapy.  First up is what appears to be a nice wool shop in Scottsdale.  Hopefully they will have some nice selections that we don't see at home and some different patterns.   The biggest dilemma I had, since I don't need to pack clothes for here, was which knitting project(s) to bring along.  Of course I wish I had brought the "other" one but I did get a hat started on the plane ride which I will finish here.  Weird to be knitting for the cold when you are in the heat! 

Well, I have had a very busy day of retail therapy so I think that's it for now.   Leftovers for dinner and then a movie tonight.

ahhh....love it!! 

Hot Time, summer in the city!!

We are back in Phoenix.  We arrived Thursday evening to the sunshine and heat.  We had a rocky start to the vacation with the closure of the QEW on our way to the Buffalo airport due to an accident and construction.  It took us 3 hours to get there but we did with not a moment to spare!!

The condo is great and we are enjoying it very much.  Our day's are falling in to a pattern of sleeping in, having breakfast and going to the pool.  Then lunch and more pool or a bit of wandering around town.  We have been out on the bike to Cave Creek for our favorite crepes and coffee but that was as far as I could make it with the heat.  It's ranging from 70F in the morning to over 100F in the afteroon's.  Right now at about 8pm it's 98F still so we are off to Culvers for some frozen custard.  mmm...delicious!!  I have been diligent with sunscreen and hats and staying cool and hydrated because I know how fast the heat can hit you.   Craig has been out riding a few times on his own and has met up with some friends.  We are developing a social life here now and have an invitation to dinner on the weekend.  Looking forward to that since I have not met the couple yet. 

Unfortuately I forgot the camera cord so I won't be able to post any pictures from the camera but if I take one with my phone I will post it.  We will be out to Bike Night on Thursday and that's always a great photo op for the people and the bikes!! 

That's all for now folks, probably won't post much this trip since we are trying to rest and relax...take care.

Lynn

Getting Settled

It has been very busy!!

After returning to Phoenix from Sedona we were back at getting settled into the condo - it always takes a lot of work to find things and get things set up.  Thankfully Craig is so handy we have been able to replace all the towel bars etc and even some lighting.  There are new window coverings mounted and the place is feeling very cozy. 

We had a treat day and went for Pedicures.  It was the shops's Christmas party and all the staff were in their red attire and they were cooking out the back of the store and brought all the customers fresh made spring rolls.  They are starting to remember us now and even asked where our friends were (Faye and Bob) that we brought there in October.  Too funny!!

Spent Christmas day baking and watching movies.  That night we had the most wonderful Christmas dinner with Mom at the Hilton hotel restaurant called  Different Pointe of View.  You get a view of the whole city lit up at night. 

The weather has been cool but in the sun with no wind, 63F can feel just lovely!  Craig was on the bike today and got a bit chilled because when the sun goes, so does the warmth.  I was able to go do some errands and am very proud of being able to find my way around now.  One sure way to learn your way around is to forget your GPS at home when you go on holiday!!  It is such an easy city to find your way that even directionally challenged people like me can manage. 

The decorating is coming along and I have taken a few photo's of the condo so check the Condo Photo's tab to see what is there.  I will add more in the next few days of the pool and the buildings and the complex. 

That's it for now - it's movie time. 

Lynn

The condo is great!!
Arrived safely at the new condo - it's just lovely!!  What a great job Craig and Frank did setting us up.  I have been busy (re)arranging the kitchen cupboards and closets and settling in.  I have not taken any photo's yet but I will get some up before we leave.  We have a few pictures hung up now and the small table Christmas tree is out.  Very cozy!!

And we are off!!
We left Friday morning and drove to Sedona.  We took the Pink Jeep Mogollon Rim Tour and it was so beautiful!!  The road was not too bumpy and the ascent was so gradual you hardly noticed you had climbed so high.  Our guide Mike was wonderful, as every guide we have had is.  They seem to hire engaging and interesting staff and they all are interested in sharing their knowledge. 

It was also such a different experience to see this terrain with scattered snow on it. It makes the shapes and colors so defined.  Here we are all bundled up.

Here's some other neat photo's - so hard to take a bad one here. 

Here's a view of the snowy road.  Very cool in the shady areas and we were glad there were some nice warm Mexican blankets for us to use to keep warm. 

We had a great dinner at the Heartline Cafe in Sedona.  It was just up the street from our hotel.   They had an accoustic guitar player entertaining us during our wonderful meal.  Worth stopping in there.  We were so pleased with our hotel too - first time we have stayed here and we will stay here again.  It was the Best Western Plus and the location was amazing.  The room we had had a front and back door and out the back was a large patio area with table and chairs.  There is a nice hot tub and pool, both heated.   If you are there at sunset you could watch it set from your room.   Here's a view from the room patio.

Of course the view all around is stunning!!  This is from this morning before we left.We are home now and settling in to watch a movie so that's all for now. 

Two More Sleeps

What's New? 
Well folks...for those of you following my blog, a lot has changed since we were there in October and I was blogging for the first time.  We have moved to a new condo!! And I have not even seen it yet!!  

We closed on a new condo last month and this Wednesday, I get to see it for the first time.  That feels quite strange.  Craig has been a busy boy and went to see it before we finalized our offer and then he had a long weekend and Craig and our friend Frank physically moved us from the old condo to the new condo.  The other condo is now up for sale and we hope that in the new year it will sell quickly.  

Why the move? 
Well, we certainly were not unhappy where we were but we wanted more outdoor space since that is the main reason to spend time in Arizona.  Our new home has a nice yard and we even have our very own palm tree and a cactus!!  There is a grassy (fake grass) area and a covered back porch.  We have moved down in bedrooms from three to two bedrooms.  This condo is a split-master with two master bedrooms upstairs both with walk in closets and ensuites.  The main floor is very bright with lots of windows in the living/dining and kitchen.  We are also fortunate to have met some wonderful people who helped us get the new condo ready, even long distance.  It has been freshly painted from top to bottom and the carpets cleaned.  All I need to do is decorate and hang pictures from what I hear.  

Christmas Holidays
We will have the pleasure of having my Mom, Liz, with us for the first week during the holidays.  We have a number of things planned to do and we will be going to Sedona for a Pink Jeep Tour.  We are taking the Scenic Rim Tour since we are told that is not as "exciting" as the Broken Arrow tour we have already taken twice.  That's part of Mom's Christmas gift so we hope she enjoys it.  There are a ton of things to do and see so I will post what we get up to. People have asked me to keep blogging...  

The second week we are there on our own and we hope to get out on the motorcyle a bit but who knows?  I may even get Craig to lay by the pool and read a book.  Strange things do happen in Phoenix.  

We wish our friends a happy and safe holiday and we look forward to seeing everyone in the new year.

Bye Bye till Xmas

Another wonderful visit to Phoenix is ending. We are now in the airport grabbing lunch and waiting for our delayed flight. It is going to be a late night but the time change is working for us going home. (Guelph is 3 hrs ahead)

Reflecting back on the last couple of weeks we realize how lucky we are to have had such great company to share our love of Arizona with. The condo felt empty when Faye and Bob left but we kept busy day tripping and going to the movies or watching movies at home and sitting by the pool. Yesterday we rode the bike to Cave Creek and went to a Coffee and Crepe shop we found. I think its Cave Creek's hidden gem - family owned by Russians who it seems have as much passion and history of crepe making as the French.

Although sad to leave we are looking forward to seeing the dogs who we miss so much when we are away. I also miss my Mom especially since she was in England for two weeks and a couple of days after she got home, we left for our trip.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the blog. It seems to be a nice way to share "Lynn and Craig's Excellent Adventures" with a few photos and updates.

Bye for now!!
Lynn
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Fun Day - again

Had a great day today.  Craig went off for a ride on the bike this morning to see if he could test ride some bikes at a motorcyle demo day in town but with the 3 hour wait, it did not work out.  I ran out to my new favorite store, The Container Store, here in town and bought a few things for the condo.  It feels great to get organized even though we don't have much here. 

Toured around later this afternoon and then met up with friends for a Desert Belle Cruise at sunset on Saguaro Lake. It was so lovely!!  Not a big lake but there were a number of boats and some people were camping around the area as well.

pulling out from the dock

getting dusk

coming back to the dock

After the cruise we found a Chinese restaurant and had a lovely dinner - food has been very good this whole visit.  I think it would even be "Mom approved"!!

Only a few days left here for this trip.  It has flown by so fast and we have managed to do and see so many things. We have been to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Williams, Jerome, Tortilla Flats, Canyon Lake, Cave Creek and more!!

Well, time for some shut-eye. 

g'nite all!!

Rainy Day

The weather has changed here, had heavy rain in the night.  Much cooler today so all the windows are open and it's lovely. 

Our fabulous guests, Faye and Bob, are back home safe and sound now and we are on our own.  Still keeping busy though.  Last night we went to Bike Night at the Westgate Mall which is always interesting to see.  Some people are such posers and I have never seen such a variety of motorcycle apparel.  From super short shorts with cowboy boots to flip flops on the ladies.  Some of the guys just had on sandals and shorts too.  Anything goes and helmets are not required.  A neat mix of sport and fancy bikes and some amazing paint jobs.  Ate dinner there and the food was great - nice places to eat since it is the Jobbing Center where hockey games and concerts are also held. 

The house is all clean, beds are all changed.  Now to figure out what to do for the rest of the day.  Oh, I know - EXPLORE some more!! 

Hope everyone is having a great Friday.

Lynn

Cave Creek etc

Had a lovely time yesterday and explored the Cave Creek shops and had a nice lunch.  The items for sale in this tiny town are so unique but unfortunately too big to bring much home unless you have a truck.  Here's some painted metal flowers and wrought iron things.

There is just so much.  Another store has beautiful woven rugs but those items don't fit in our northern climate very well and look out of place sometimes. 

Had an amazing dinner out at the Hilton resort (600+ rooms!) built on a mountain in town and the dining room (called A Different Pointe of View) overlooked the lights of the city.  This photo is a bit blurry but you get the idea.

We like it so much we made reservations for Christmas dinner.  The restaurant has won a lot of awards and the food was amazing and the service excellent. Definite A+ place!!

Now our wonderful guest are packing and we are sad to see them go.  It will be so quiet without them.   

Goldfield Ghost Mine, Canyon Lake & Tortilla Flats

Stopped in at Goldfield Mine. Bob's favorite place after the Grand Canyon. It is off season so no gun slinger or street shoot-outs today.

Next stop was Canyon Lake. Beautiful spot and on such a beautiful day there are a number of boats and water skiers out.

On two miles further to Tortilla Flats and lunch at the saloon. Note the walls behind Bob and Faye are papered with dollar bills.
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