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..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



THE BOY...............

As you know from my August 25th blog
'Grass Water and Ice'
Beau attended the Port Huron
Fighting Falcons
Junior A hockey main camp
in
Mount Clemens MI

He made the team!

 

When he arrived back home in Phoenix

he had a check-up and was diagnosed with

MONO

His parents felt he contacted mono in July

 

Beau and his Dad packed up his truck with

his belongings

his hockey bag

his TV

his x-box

and

headed to Sarnia, Ontario where he would

be billeted with his grandparents

Tom and Elaine

 

Now on to training camp

On the 8th day of the second week

Beau had a relapse

He was sent to hospital to be checked out

 

The decision was made by the Doctor that Beau would not play hockey and would be monitored by the Doctor

 

Beau continued to go over to the rink and would sit on the sidelines as the team practiced

 

At some point in time he was referred to an Infectious Disease Doctor

 

During the first week of October Beau was given the OK to start practicing with the team

Over the next five weeks Beau conditioned himself

All his hard work paid off and it was time to play

 

The coach made a request for Beau to be added to the roster

 

This is when the USA Hockey Association came into play

They took away his

NON IMPORT STATUS

 

Do to the fact that Beau is Canadian and he played in British Columbia last year slated him as an

IMPORT

 

 With the exception of his season with the Osoyoos Coyotes Beau has played hockey in the US for the past 11 years

 

 

 

 

 

2011

Phoenix Coyotes

Triple A Midget

 

Osoyoos Coyotes

2011/2012

 

You've heard the statement before

'Houston We have a problem'

Well

Beau has a big problem

 

 

Since the Falcons already had 2 imports Beau did not have a 'spot' on the team

 

DEVASTATION FOR THE FAMILY

 

Rod and Beau appealed their case to the USA Hockey Association

however

on Wednesday November 14th the final decision came down

He was not allowed to play

  

Things go into motion

 

  Rod speaks to the Falcon's coach with Beau sitting in the office

  Rod checks out other teams who may have a opening for Beau

 Rod is in touch with the coach of the Osoyoos Coyotes.....

The coach has always said he would have a spot for Beau on his team

 It was now a 90% chance Beau would go back to British Columbia

Thursday morning 9 a.m.

  Rod decides he needs to go to Sarnia

He catches the 10:30 a.m. flight

 12:30 p.m.

Beau calls his Mom looking for his Dad

  Mom tells Beau Dad is 'in the air' and that he will most likely be flying out the next morning

 Beau...does that mean I am going to BC?

Yes you are

  Friday 6:30 a.m.

Beau is on a plane flying out of London, stop over in Toronto and Vancouver

 Beau reaches his destination

Kelowna

  Beau changes into his suit at the airport and waits for the Osoyoos hockey bus to pick him up

He is heading to Armstrong to play his first hockey game in 8 months!

 

Meanwhile his Dad has packed the truck once more and is driving the truck to Penticton

What a Dad!!!!!!!!!!

 

Beau would wake up the next morning to this view

Beau is very fortunate to be billeted with his Uncle Graham Aunt Lyndsay

and

the boys once again

 

The 'crazy' guys are back together again

and

Ethan is pretty happy

He is playing x-box with his cousin!!

 

Kuddos to Beau

This has been quite the journey for the boy

All through this Beau has remained

Optimistic

Patient

Not to worry about Beau......he always bounces back

and

Most of all

Beau is resilient

 

God's speed grandson

 

To be continuted............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY TO SATURDAY

 

A week has passed since my last blog

I am happy to report that Don is doing very well

Would you believe he was at the Monday morning hiking meeting

Everyone was so happy to see him

We clapped for him

but

We were not allowed to hug him!!!

 

Going back to Thursday, November 15th
Higley High School
presents
GOT DANCE?

 

 

'The girl'

Zoe danced beautifully and gracefully

 

Saturday November 17th

and

Sunday November 18th

 

Lacrosse tournament

 

 

 

Check out those socks

and

Shoes

Her favourite #

14

'ZOER'

Pet name given to her by her Dad

 

The girls won 3 out of 4 games

 

The weekend is over........

 

Wednesday, November 21st

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE

 

Joe puttered during the day

Painted the ceiling in the breezeway

 

Zoe and Stephanie came out later in the day

We all went to the pool and hot tub

Came back to the house

Made homemade pizza

 

Madeline checking out dessert

The birthday boy had Keylime cheesecake

Zoe had chocolate oreo

Stephanie had chocolate

Granny had plain!

(So boring)

Thanks to the Cheesecake Factory

Yum Yum

 

Happy 72nd Joe!!!!!!!!

Don't you just love his smile

 

Papa trying to share whipping cream!!

 

Thursday, November 22

HAPPY AMERICAN THANKSGIVING

 

We arrived at Lisa and Shawn's home

 

The Canadians are welcomed!!!!!!!!

 

Carley Joe Carson and Zoe had a game of pool

 

I thought this picture was really funny

It looks like Zoe is holding Carson up!

 

The kids had a lot of fun flying through the air

 

Here we have the Canadian and the American

Such good friends

 

 

Lisa made homemade cranberry sauce

Stephanie was 'put to work' making curley orange peels for a garnish

 

Interesting

Lisa cooked the turkey in a 'bag'

It was so moist the meat fell off the bone

It was sooooooooo good

Do you see how clean the pan is????

Utterly amazing

 

Before grace

We all held hands and took turns saying what we were thankful for..........

We missed Rod Beau and Cody not being with us on this

Thanksgiving Day

 

It's Rod

 

Friday November 23rd

San Tan hike

 

Just got a glimpse of a trailer full of

horses coming in to the parking lot

 

A gathering of hiking boots poles and hats

 

Some of us hang back as we like to walk

at our own pace

We take in the view

We sit for a bit

and

We take lots of photographs!!!!!!

 

Joe Kathy and Pastor Wayne are ready to go again

 

 

See what I mean

Now....this is fun!

Notice: hands are not touching the cactus

 

Here come the horses

 

 

Dan checking the map

He was the 'leader' of the day

 

Here we have a colony of Saguaro cactus

 

The life of this Saguaro is over

 

This Paloverde tree is wrapped around the Saguaro

It is referred to as a

Mother tree

Ha.......

That's what Mothers do

PROTECT THE YOUNG