WE'RE INTO DECEMBER

This morning I had an e-mail from granddaughter
ZOE
It said......
16 days
14 hours
24 minutes
21 seconds
until
CHRISTMAS

WHOOP WHOOP

Over the past two weeks ..........

 Saturday, November 24th we picked up Stephanie and Zoe

Headed to the Phoenix market

I guess we do live in the west!

 

Downtown Phoenix

 

If there were red candy apples I would have bought one

Even maybe two!!!!

 

My sweet girl Zoe

 

My sweet girl Gwendolyn

 

Early morning on the desert

Mr. Moon is going down

 

Wednesday, hiking day

We went to White Canyon

We went off the main highway and took a

 'four wheeler' road

We were in the first vehicle and much to our surprise we encounted this bull as we came up the hill and around a corner

You can see the little calf lying on the road

He was not moving

We were not moving

 

Momma was off to the side

 

We sat patiently to see who was going to move

Finally the bull sauntered to the right

Baby got up and just stood on the road

Then

Baby decided she wanted to be in the lead

Slowly she strolled down the road

and

We followed

Finally she left the road and went down a path

 Hopefully she found her Mamma

 

Everyone gathered to start the hike

 

There is a spring

Jim said the water was warm

 

A Chain Fruit Cholla

 

As you can see this part of the Cholla is dead

 

The trail was hard to follow at times

We watched for cairnes

 

 

We were getting into boulder country!

 

Checking something out?????

 

HEY...........

Check out the duds

Matching shirts and pants

Gads...what are we coming to??????

ha ha ha

The hiking club have ordered new T-shirts

Burnt orange

 

 

Lots of laughing

 

Marita and Brian

(Manitoba)

 

Curt doing a hop skip and a jump!

 

I can see Liz and Karol there

 

Imagine this little cactus surviving

 

 

 

Lots of fluff from a flowering bush

 

We're back on the main road

 

When we came down the hill I looked over and this is what I saw

The trees and bushes were full of beautiful fall colours

 

Each Thursday Stephanie and I go out for the day

We have lunch at the same restaurant

We eat the same thing

Bowl of potato soup

We then head to Sees candy store

We buy the same thing

CANDY!!!!!!!

 

While out we visited the Good Will store

What a find!!!!!!!!!!!

A wicker wing back chair and round stool

The lid lifts off and there is plenty of storage in the stool

 

Good eye Stephanie

 

I found a Charlie Brown Christmas tree while we were at the Good Will

It is hard to believe we have been in Arizona for 8 seasons

This is the first 'big' tree we've had

So....that means

This is the first tree in 7 years that I have decorated

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO US!

Next year I will have to bring down my favourite decorations from home

 

Last Sunday evening a para-glider was flying out over the desert

 

Joe was out back moving some wood and found this scorpion

 

Late Thursday afternoon I was at Stephanie's and looked out at the sky

WOW

I called Joe and asked him to take some pictures of the sunset

What a sight!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

When I got home I had a nice surprise

Jennifer had made us a Christmas wreath out of coloured paper

Thanks Jen!!!!

Ha....a British Columbia wreath

 

Last evening Joe and I hosted a steak/chicken BBQ for the hiking club

Last year there were over 40 people attending

This year there were over 70

Thanks to Coleen, Anne and Carole for the baked potatoes

Thanks to Coleen and Carole for baked beans

and

to all those who brought salads

Many thanks to Costco for the pies!!!!!

Ha...a big thanks to the fellows who stood at the BBQ

 

We had 3 fire pits going

Once the sun goes down it gets quite chilly

 

A GREAT TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

 

On to next week..........