Arizona Travels

Beautiful sunsets!

We recently returned from a two-week trip to Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding areas with our friends and traveling companions, Vicki and Fred. I considered it a trial run to see if we would like to spend time in Arizona in the winter. In March we head to Florida, but we would love to be in a warmer climate in January or February too. Minnesota has been cold! 

Selfie at the Grand Canyon!

Florida and Arizona in the winter have their advantages and disadvantages: 

Florida has the ocean (and the Gulf of Mexico) and a variety of beautiful beaches which we love. It is green and has lovely parks, as well as sea life and seafood. However, it does have bugs and humidity. I became acquainted with sand mites last year resulting in annoying red itchy spots on my ankles. 

Arizona has mountains with great national and state parks and recreation areas. It is mostly a desert so a lot of brown in the landscape, but the many types of cactus and desert plants add variety. It has javelinas (pig-looking animals that are related to the hippopotamus) and snakes (which we didn’t see) but not many bugs! And it’s dry which is good and bad. It dries out your skin, but you don’t have to deal with humidity. 

Next year we may consider going to Arizona a couple weeks in January or February to add variety to our winter travels. After all, we are in the go-go years! 

Friends at breakfast at Butters Pancake & Cafe

We spent five days in Scottsdale in a time share condo which was a good location to see the sites in the Phoenix area. On our travels we enjoyed meeting up with friends and family in the area. Steve and I had lunch with my cousin Terry and his wife Kaye, while Vicki and Fred lunched with a cousin Vicki hadn’t seen in 43 years! Close friends from Iowa, Paul and Leslie, were also in Phoenix and we were able to get together with them and their friends. 

Hiking in Lost Dutchman State Park

A Prickly Pear Margarita at Tortilla Flats

Our first desert hike was in Lost Dutchman State Park by Superstition Mountain. We had lunch at Tortilla Flats, a rustic row of buildings with a couple general stores and a fun restaurant. On the way back we strolled through Goldfield, a ghost town with old mining buildings, shops and a church. Later in the week we hiked Tom’s Thumb Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve. We stopped at Camelback Mountain and did a very short hike, no scrambling up rocks to the top. 

Vicki, Leslie and me in Old Town Scottsdale

Old Town Scottsdale is a fun area of town with many funky stores, restaurants and bars. We had drinks at Porters Western Saloon recommended by Vicki’s sister and as a result met a fellow Iowan who lives there in the winter. We went back a couple days later for shopping and lunch with Leslie when she opted to NOT go on a razor ride in the desert with her husband Paul and friend Steve. 

We visited the Heard Museum with Native American art and exhibits. We also enjoyed the Celebration of Fine Arts which is held for three months in a huge white tent that displays a variety of art including paintings, sculpture and jewelry. 

The cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle National Monument

Travel schedules meshed, and Leslie and Paul joined us for a couple days in Sedona and the Grand Canyon. The Ford Expedition we rented had plenty of room for six adults and our luggage. We headed north from Phoenix and stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument for a short hike to see the five-story cliff dwelling that was occupied between 1100 and 1300. Next, we headed to Jerome, a mining town that became a ghost town when the mines closed in 1953. It is now home to many artists, shops, and tourists. It is built on a mountain (Cleopatra Hill) with steep and narrow streets. We visited the historic haunted Grand Hotel and had delicious drinks and lunch at the Haunted Hamburger. Our waitress was from Ohio and very entertaining! 

The beautiful red rocks of Sedona

Our traveling group by the Cornville house

We stayed at an adobe-style VRBO house in Cornville in the country, about 20 miles southwest of Sedona. The caretaker and his large black lab, Athena, lived next door. It was peaceful with a small stream running through the property, chickens and an animal sanctuary with horses down the road. We hiked at Bell Rock and the Airport Mesa and visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross which is built into the red rock south of Sedona. After finally finding parking, we had lunch in Sedona at the Open Range Restaurant and did some shopping. One night we ate at the Colt Grill in Cottonwood which was a town near the house. We enjoyed drinks and great BBQ on the patio. And we had to have doughnuts at Sedonuts on the way out of town as we headed to the Grand Canyon. 

One of the pueblos at Wupatki National Monument

We enjoyed the scenic, winding mountain drive along Hwy 89A from Sedona to Flagstaff - at least most of us enjoyed the drive! We stopped at Wupatki National Monument which featured the remains of five multi-level, pueblos which were occupied in the early 1100’s. A few miles away is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. The volcano last erupted around 1085, and you can walk on trails by lava flows and tubes. 

Inside at the top of the Desert View Watchtower

The amazing Grand Canyon in the morning light.

Vicki and I walking back up the Bright Angel trail

It was my first time at the Grand Canyon, and it is magnificent! We entered at the East entrance, climbed up the Desert View Watchtower, and drove to Grand Canyon Village along the canyon’s rim road. We stayed at the Kachina Lodge, right along the rim. It was a great location, allowing us to walk to the restaurants and shops in the village. Winter is the time to visit, with fewer visitors. Daytime temps were in the 50’s with a warm sun, and down into the teens at night. We drove the rim road both directions stopping at overlooks to enjoy the beautiful views of the canyon. We walked along the rim and did a short hike down the Bright Angel trail to get a feel for being in the canyon. We ate many of our meals at the Harvey House Café located in the Bright Angel Lodge. 

Vicki, Karen, Jan and me at the Desert Museum

The saguaro catus on the left is crested with an interesting growth pattern.

Saguaro National Park scenery

Two nights at the Grand Canyon, then we headed south to Marana, which is north of Tucson. There we spent time with friends from Minnesota. The guys golfed while the ladies went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It is a really interesting outdoor museum with desert plants and animals in a desert setting. The next day we went to Sabino Canyon Recreational Area. No private vehicles can drive through the park, so we took an hour shuttle tour up the canyon and back. We then headed to Saguaro National Park East and drove the loop road around the park, as well as hiking the Freeman Homestead Nature Trail. 

Our Arizona trip was a good mix of outings with friends and family, as well as hiking and seeing other sites. There was so much more to see. Maybe a visit to Arizona next winter? It was a fun trip with friends in the warmer Arizona weather!

As 2024 Winds Down. . .

It is exactly one week until Christmas as I finish writing this. I imagine you are all in the midst of preparing for the holidays – shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, cleaning, making celebratory plans with family and friends! Our tree is up, my shopping is done, wrapping gifts is underway, and one batch of cookies has been baked.

This year has been busy with traveling and activities with family and friends. We spent several weeks in February and March with our friends, Vicki and Fred Behr, in Florida. We were based in Clearwater with trips to Naples and Marco Island, a cruise to the Bahamas, the drive to Key West and exploring the Everglades. We enjoyed the warmer weather (although a bit colder than normal for Florida) and meeting up with friends along the way.

In Key West at the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA

Vicki & Fred's daughter Lauren & family joined us for a week at the beach!

One of the many alligators we saw in the Everglades 

In one of Buffalo Trace Distillery warehouses - barrels of bourbon.

In April Steve and I flew to Denver for our nephew Jay’s wedding. It was great to catch up with all my brothers and sisters and spend a couple days in Colorado Springs and Denver.

Summer in Minnesota was full of golf, deck building, gatherings with family and friends and a few trips out of town. Father's Day weekend we went camping with my brother, Bruce, and his family at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area in Iowa. Luckily my nephew Jonathan has a large camper so when a storm went through and flattened our tent, we had a place to sleep for the night. . . as well as my brother Brian who joined us for the night! It was great to hang out together, with lots to eat and drink, games and kayaking. Timing was perfect and the next couple days I spent with high school friends at Lake Panorama. 

We enjoyed outings with our family – Alyssa, Jaime, Mike and Xander, who turned two in August. We spent a long weekend up north in Baxter, Minnesota. We hiked at Crow Wing State Park, went to a beach with the added bonus of watching a waterskiing show, played mini golf, went to a brewery and enjoyed the large house we rented along the Mississippi River.

The family at Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter MN

Regarding house projects – Steve with the help of Fred, finished the shed, and got most of the deck built. A big thanks to Steve Hauser and Paul Goldsmith who also helped with those projects. The stairs are yet to be finished, but the deck is beautiful and we look forward to using it a lot next year.

We live in the small town of Dundas which is basically an extension of Northfield, a picturesque town with a beautiful main street and a population of around 21,000. In August I volunteered along with a group of friends to help with the Northfield Shares Community Dinner. 1,200 people plus 250 volunteers were served a family style dinner at tables up and down main street. Click here to see a video of the event which was amazing!

Northfield Shares Community dinner in downtown Northfield

In early September Annika Kay joined the world, little sister to Xander and our second grandchild! We enjoyed staying with Xander when Annika was born and meeting her when they arrived home. She is now over 3 months old and such a sweetie!

Xander meeting his little sister

Aunt Alyssa with Annika

Luckily timing worked out and Annika was born before we left for a trip to Italy on September 21! We took a 14 day tour with Gate1 and it was fabulous! We flew into Milan and spent 2 to 3 days in Lake Como, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples. In each city we had local guides who gave us tours of the most popular sites. We also did wine tastings at local farms, saw glass blowing in Venice, toured Verona, Pisa, Assisi and Pompeii, and spent a day on the Isle of Capri. Our tour manager, Alice (pronounced a-lee-chay) was terrific and we had a great tour group, making many new friends.

A selfie at Lake Como

The canals & gondolas in Venice

One of the magnificent tapestries in the Vatican Museum

In Rome at the Baptistry of San Giovanni

Amazing ruins in Pompeii

Overlooking the beautiful town of Positano

Inside the Colosseum in Rome

After returning from Italy, we spent a weekend in Iowa and went to the Iowa State – Texas Tech football game. Unfortunately, Iowa State lost 22-23 but it’s always fun to get together with long time friends.

The group at the Iowa State football game

Steve’s mom, Dolores, turned 90 on October 23. Many of her family including grandchildren and great grandchildren attended a birthday party at her facility in Grafton, Wisconsin on Nov. 9. Although her health had been failing, she enjoyed the day having her family together and meeting two of her newest great grandkids. Two days later she passed away quietly in her sleep on Nov. 11. We were all so fortunate to see her that weekend. She felt the love of her family and knew she could move on. Her services were Nov. 23 in Gurnee and her entire family was able to attend to celebrate her wonderful life.

Dolores's high school picture

Dolores Ann Keller Wilt

Nana's many grandchildren and great grandchildren

Which brings us to the holiday season. My brother, Bruce and his wife Barb celebrated Thanksgiving with us. It was great to spend time with them and they got to meet Xander and Annika. Bruce helped Steve and Alyssa cut down our Christmas tree (in the cold weather!) while Barb and I shopped in downtown Northfield. Fred, Vicki, Steve and I went to White Christmas at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and enjoyed an early start to the season. We had a table right by the stage, which was a wonderful location, really close to the actors!

Barb and Bruce meeting Annika

We look forward to celebrating Christmas and New Years with our family and friends.

As 2024 winds down, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2025!

Updates and Travels 2024

 

In the warehouse at Buffalo Trace Distillery.

It has been several months since I published a blog. My time has been filled with travel, drawing and painting, family genealogy research, gardening, golf, etc! I’m not having a problem filling the days! High school friends recently reminded me that they enjoy reading my blog, so it’s time to work in writing too.

Steve and I along with our friends, Vicki and Fred, spent several weeks in February and March in Florida along with the road trips down and back. This year we were  based in Clearwater with a two-week trip that included a couple days in Naples and Marco Island, a cruise, a drive to Key West and exploring the Everglades.  Below are highlights from those travels.

The tasting after the tour at Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace Distillery – although I am not a Bourbon fan, my husband is. I do enjoy a good brewery or distillery tour. On the way to and from Florida we stopped at Buffalo Trace for tours and to purchase their specialty bourbons. Only one of those coveted brands is available each day, and you don’t know which one until that morning. You can only buy one bottle per person every 90 days. Steve and Fred were happy to scoop up 3 different bottles. Yes, we did go to the distillery 4 different days, to get those 3 specialty brands.

It was a cool winter in Florida (but still warmer than a warm Minnesota winter). We wore sweatshirts over our swimsuits the first couple beach days. The weather got progressively warmer, and we enjoyed beaches in Clearwater, Sand Key State Park, and Honeymoon Island.  

As always, the seafood was delicious! Grouper was a specialty on many menus, and we enjoyed fresh shrimp prepared at home.

Whimzyland House in Safety Harbor had a variety of funky decorations surrounding it

There are a lot of attractions and parks in and near Clearwater that we explored this year. Safety Harbor is east of Clearwater. It has a quaint main street just a couple blocks from the water. If you are in this area, don’t miss Whimzeyland, a house near downtown that has been converted into an art piece.

Johns Pass is south of Clearwater Beach along the coast. It has a fun boardwalk with restaurants and shops, along with an outdoor shopping area. We enjoyed lunches at restaurants along the docks, watching people, pelicans and dolphins.

Dunedin is north of Clearwater. It has a variety of restaurants and shops in the central area, as well as a Saturday farmers market.

We hiked and enjoyed parks in the Clearwater area including Cliff Stephens Park, Florida Botanical Gardens, and Moccasin Lake Nature Center.

A mama manatee and her baby at Crystal River 

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is one and a half hours north of Clearwater, but definitely worth the drive to see manatees! Manatees spend the winter in the Three Sisters Spring fed pond, as well as in the canal out to the bay. There are small beaches and towns along the way to stop for lunch or dinner. We stopped at Robert K. Rees Memorial Park in New Port Richey to enjoy a beverage and views of the bay.

This year we were lucky to spend time with family and friends during our time away. Fred and Vicki’s daughter and family joined us during their spring break. We also enjoyed visits with college and high school friends, Illinois neighbors, and Minnesota friends. It was such fun to reminisce and catch up with everyone as we enjoyed the Florida weather!

Fred, Vicki, Steve and I on the boat tour in Nassau

The beautiful white sand beaches and blue water on Norwegian's private island.

We scheduled a 5-day Bahama cruise out of Miami on Norwegian Cruise Lines in mid-March. Of course, there were a lot of young spring breakers on the ship. Once the initial first day frenzy to get alcoholic beverages calmed down, we discovered the bars that didn't have a long wait for drinks. We enjoyed a beautiful beach day on Norwegian’s private island, a land and sea tour of Nassau, and a jeep tour (with really old jeeps) on Grand Bahama Island. The key takeaways included gorgeous turquoise blue warm water, silky white sand beaches, the usual island trinkets sold by the locals, lots of choices on what to eat and drink, and relaxing as the ship cruised through the beautiful water.

In Key West at the Southernmost Point of the Continental USA

The swimming pool with Hemmingway's writing studio in the back

After the cruise we jumped in the car again and headed south on Highway 1 to Key West. The drive went smoothly with no traffic delays. We had lunch on a patio with a mother hen and her chicks running among diners’ feet, met up with friends Burdette and Maxine from Illinois, shopped, and watched the sunset at Mallory Square. We booked a cute condo just off Duval Street for the night. The next morning, we walked to the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA for a picture – when the line was much shorter. After breakfast at the Banana Café, we took a tour at the Hemmingway Museum, which was interesting and informative. Lunch was Kermits Key Lime pie which was delicious on a hot day. After a tour of the Key West First Legal Rum Distillery, we headed north to Marathon for the night. The next day we went to Crane Point Hammock Nature Center which featured interesting history, nature trails and animals including racoons and tortoises. We stopped at Robbie’s of Islamorada which is a good stop if you need a break on the drive, but basically a tourist trap.

One of the many boardwalks in the Everglades area

An alligator sunning in the water

Everglades National Park was next on the agenda. The first day we stopped at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and drove the Main Park Road to Flamingo. We stopped at several spots to take short hikes, many on boardwalks to see the everglades. “Robert is Here” Fruit Stand was a fun stop on the way to the hotel. It featured so many kinds of fruit and great milkshakes, as well as rescued animals including cows, goats, turtles, iguanas, emus and more.

Our second day in the Everglades included an airboat ride with Cooperstown tours, one of the companies recommended by the National Park Service. The ride through the river of grass was interesting and we did see a few alligators. After a long wait to enter the Shark Valley Visitor Center, we were able to get tickets to go on the Tram Tour. We saw birds, alligators and one elusive crocodile, and we took a climb up an observation tower to see the everglades for miles. We did quick stops at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center (in a trailer, not much to see) and Big Cypress Bend in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park on our drive to Naples for the night.

A beautiful sunset in the Keys

The sandcastle we created on our final day at the beach!

We spent another week in Clearwater and its beaches before heading home to Minnesota. Of course, we expected it to be spring in the Midwest in early April, but winter wasn't over and we drove through snow in Illinois and Iowa! The realities of living in the Midwest! As always, we enjoyed our time away in the winter, but were happy to be home.

We are enjoying our summer in Minnesota with a few trips to Wisconsin and Iowa to see family. Steve and friends are building a deck on the back of our house – in between rain showers! We golf a few times a week, spend time with friends and family, and are planning our next travel adventures.

I hope you are all enjoying the summer. As always it is speeding by too quickly!

One Year into Retirement

Hiking in Banff National Park

What? I’ve been retired a year? Yep, I retired a year ago on February 3 from a 38 year career at Johnson & Quin, a direct mail printing company. Time has moved along quickly, yet at times it seems longer than a year. There have been a few times when I felt at loose ends, uncertain about what to do with my day. But I now have plenty of projects to work on and my days are full. 

Retirement started with a trip south, out of the Minnesota winter. With our friends Vicki and Fred, Steve and I spent 5 busy weeks starting in Texas, then heading east to Florida. We enjoyed the Texas Hill Country, New Orleans, Clearwater Florida, Nashville, and many sites and attractions along the way. 

New House Projects 

Over the spring and summer, I added a small garden in the backyard, planted perennials, and went overboard as usual with pots of annuals. Unfortunately Steve started to have back problems which hampered his ability to build a deck and get his work areas organized. He was finally able to maneuver the medical worlds between Illinois and Minnesota to find a doctor here that was able to solve his back pain. And with the mild December winter, he built a shed in the back yard to store yard tools. 

The shed which will be painted in the spring.

We organized closets and pantries, put up pictures and made our new house feel like our home. This spring a deck will be built on the back of the house, with finishing the basement on the project list next. We’ve had several family and friend gatherings in the past year, so our house has been broken in. 

Golf 

We joined the Northfield Golf Club. Little did we know what a good decision that was! Steve is a golfer, but I have golfed maybe a total of a dozen rounds in my life, and none for years! In addition to being outside on a beautiful golf course getting exercise, we have met many new friends. I golfed with 7 other lovely ladies on Wednesdays, Steve golfed in the men’s league on Tuesdays, and we golfed as a couple on Friday afternoons. Of course, after golfing there were drinks and dinner and great conversations. It was a good brain workout to remember everyone’s name, and then details on their familes and lives. Looking back on the year, I certainly didn’t predict that we would meet so many wonderful people in our first year! 

Fresh Fruit and Veggies 

Northfield has a great little farmers market where I bought fresh veggies every week. Silkey Farms is near our house where I picked strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples. Now that I had the time, I made a lot of freezer jam, as well as freezing the fruit for future smoothies and baking. My Mom and Aunt Joan froze sweet corn when I was growing up. I used their recipe (with cream and butter so it had to be delicious) and froze bi-color corn from a local farm. 

Raspberries and ingredients, ready to make jam.

Cutting corn for freezing. Delicious in the winter!

Girls Weekends and More

I was lucky to spend weekends with high school and college friends. I hosted three long-time high school friends this summer, and we explored the Northfield/Dundas area. In October six Iowa State roommates met in Galena, Illinois. It had been many years since we had seen some friends, so the weekends were such fun catching up and reconnecting. We enjoyed a family weekend up north in Crosby MN - biking, hiking, kayaking, games, and just hanging out with our children and our grandson, Xander! In addition, there were weekends to Wisconsin to see Steve's mom and Iowa to see family. 

More Traveling 

We plan to travel a lot these next few years. while we can. In August Steve, our daughter Alyssa, and I took a road trip to southwestern Colorado to see several national parks and historical sites. Along the way we avoided the interstate highways and stopped to see many local and state attractions. 

Alyssa and I at Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Alyssa and Steve at Scottsbluff National Monument in Nebraska.

In September we took another road trip with college friends, the Behrs and Goldsmiths, to Glacier and Banff National Parks. The scenery was amazing in both the U.S. and Canada, and we met so many interesting people along the journey. Hiking and driving through national parks reminds us of the beauty of this world. And spending time with friends was the best! 

Having lunch at Seeley Lake MT on our way to Glacier.

Creative Outlets 

In addition to writing a blog, I have recently started getting back into art. I took art classes in high school, and majored in Advertising Design and minored in Journalism at Iowa State. Alyssa nudged me back into painting by giving me a watercolor set over a year ago. Painting on my own wasn’t working when my Silver Sneakers membership started offering painting and drawing classes. Taking those basic and intro classes has made the difference, and I now have direction in my painting. I have also found artists and videos on YouTube that are providing further instruction. 

Online watercolor classes resulted in these paintings.

A class on Zentangle drawing, described as meditative doodling, introduced me to this type of drawing. I love it! Check out Zentangle.com for more information if you are interested. Examples of the drawings I have done are shown below. 

Examples of Zentangle drawings.

Future Projects 

I have discovered that I need a plan for the day. It can be a very loose plan, but I like to have a list in my head of things to do as I start the day. In the future, I would like to start quilting since I was an avid sewer until my babies arrived. Our families genealogy also interests me. We have bins of pictures and historical information from my mom, as well as Steve’s mom, so those need to be organized, scanned and shared with our families. 

The big travel destinations are planned for 2024, so look for information on those as we venture out this year. Until next time, enjoy whatever the remaining winter brings!