Verde Valley, Cottonwood AZ 4/6/2010 - 4/22/2010

We are in Verde Valley now, which is just about 70 miles west of Payson, where Travis and Ryan live. We were only there for a couple of nights and then headed to Payson to babysit for eleven days.

Our first night in Payson was on Thursday. Then Friday evening we gathered up the four boys and headed back to Verde Valley for the weekend. Here are Nate, Spence, Nic, and Josh filling up our Condo floor.

The weather was so nice that we ate our meals outside. Nic and Josh are eating an early morning breakfast (this picture was actually taken on Sunday before early Church.)

Ryan and Lori and the kids came to spend Saturday with us at the campground. We all had fun playing miniature golf. I think that Terry came out the winner, but Ryan and Spencer were right next to him.

The boys tried out the shuffleboard.

We had fun playing Bocce Ball. The boys had never played it before. They all decided it would be a great family game to have. I think Nate came out the winner on it.

Chaz and Josh were more into bug watching than playing games.

The pool was great and at the time we went swimming, we had the pool all to ourselves. (Probably because it got pretty wild with Ryan flipping all of the boys over his head!)

Josh wasn't too happy about having to wear water wings when he went into the pool, so he opted to not go swimming. I decided a sad boy was better than a drowned boy!

Look at all of these handsome guys! They were all ready to go to Church in Cottonwood before heading back to Payson.

Easter in Wikieup AZ, 3/29/2010 - 4/6/2010

Jill is trying to keep up the tradition of going to Nettie's Place in Wikieup each spring break. This year Ryan and his family, my brother Bill, and our nephew Cameron also came, so we headed back to the Arizona house to open it up.

We had sprayed a sterilent around the rock pathways, which worked really good. And then the flowers all bloomed in the other areas. It was so pretty around the house and the desert was like a green lawn.

One of the first things the kids want to do is go lizard hunting. Jill used Clint's invention and made a couple of lizard catchers. Boe, with a little help, caught the first lizard.

It was a pretty big one, and after a bit, he was brave enough to hold it. He let it go that evening so it could find something to eat and a warm place to sleep for the night.

Here is a much scarier critter that we found, right outside the outhouse door! He was a little upset that we had disturbed his travels. I had just been in the outhouse and could have opened the door to face this character! Terry got his shotgun and took care of him. Boe was disappointed that his rattlers got shot away-- all Grandpa was thinking about was getting rid of him, not saving the rattlers.

We had been thinking that the house needed painting and decided that would be a good project while the kids were there. It had not been painted since it was finished in 1989! Here is everyone hard at work.
The Arizona sun does a job on the wood! It soaked up five gallons of paint!

Jill was the brave one (she also weighed the least) and we put her up on the metal roof to paint the high part. She did a good job!

Finally, after three mornings of solid painting by us and Jill's family, we got the job done.

It sure looks nice. We ran out of paint before we got the car port done. That is a project for another year.

We took a break one afternoon with Jill's family, before everyone else got there, and went to Burro Creek. This is the stairway going down to the water. It is a great place for family pictures.

The creek was really nice. Sometimes it is so full of algae that we can't get out in it. But this time it was pretty and clear, and warm enough to wade in.

Boe and Kamber did more than wade! They crossed the creek and got in water up to their chests! It was quite an accomplishment for them to get to the other side. Later, everyone had a rock skipping contest. Grandpa, Boe, and Dan were all great. Jill and I need a little practice, especially me! And for some reason, Jill did better if she sat down!?

On the way back up the trail, Terry found a horned toad. It was so cute and everyone got to hold it before he turned it loose.

Well, Ryan and his family got to Wickieup a couple of days later. We had saved the very last of the paint. They got two sides of the outhouse painted (at least you can't see the other two sides from the house.) It looks as if Ryan got a little painted himself, thanks to Lori!

Chaz wore his paint the rest of the day. But, he got a little tired of Grandpa continually asking him what happened to his face!

When Bill got there, he took on the project of cleaning off the solar panel. We thought it would help generate a little more electricity, but I am not sure it did.

Easter happened to be the Sunday we were at Wikieup, so the kids all colored Easter eggs on Friday to get ready for the big Easter egg hunt on Saturday. I told the kids that I had seen a little bunny (I am sure it was a helper to the Easter Bunny) who was checking to see if there would be anyone at home at the Arizona house, and to make sure all of the kids were being good.

These are typical activities at the Arizona during the evening. Kamber and Ryley are playing Mancala. They are really good at it.

Chaz found a coloring book and crayons that Grandma Fisher left in her china hutch for all of the kids to use when they visit.

Grandma Fisher also left a drawer full of games. I taught Boe and Wesley how to play Chinese Checkers. Here they are challenging Uncle Bill to a game.

I deleted a picture of the adults playing cards (it takes too long to insert it in this BLOG) so you will just have to imagine all of the card playing we did--pinochle being the game of choice, along with Skip-O and Wacky 6.

We got a note from the Easter Bunny asking for a bit of help with the Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning, so here we are getting ready for it the night before.

This was the scene early Saturday morning. The tradition is to hide everything in the cactus garden. This is helper Ryan!

Grandma Fisher put some peculiar "statues" in her garden, but they proved to be good hiding places for helper Dan!

Helper Cameron found some pretty "stickery" places to hide his treasures!

When we hinted to the kids that there may be some hidden treasures in the cactus garden, they came on the run!

My goodness! These must be very good kids to get so much from the Easter Bunny! We had an Easter egg hunt in this very place 22 years ago when these kids' mom and dad were about their ages. It sure brought back good memories.

One night we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmellows. It is amazing to be out there in our shorts and short-sleeved shirts the first of May.

The fire got pretty hot so Dan and Bill rigged up a looooong hotdogger. Kamber is trying it out.

Ryan was determined to find a rattlesnake and shoot it, so while he and Lori were off on the motorcycle looking for one, Dan and Boe found one just on the other side of the fence around the house. Cameron is a "snake man." He has owned several boa constrictors. So, he wanted to catch the snake alive. We all discouraged that, so he, Bill, and Dan gathered together and Cameron ended up hitting him behind the neck with a piece of PVC pipe and "kind of" paralyzed him.

Cameron got him behind the neck and he was still moving way too much for me!

When Ryan and Lori got back, Ryan wanted a picture he could tell a story about, so here it is. Although the snake is not too lively, it could still shake it's rattles a little.

Bill was even brave enough to hold it while it was still moving. . .

. . . along with Dan and Boe!

They ended up cutting its head off and skinning it. Boe took the dried skin home to mount on a board and Jill fried up some of the meat. Not everyone tried a piece, but those of us who did agreed that "it tasted like chicken!"

One of the last days, some of us took a walk in the desert. (The kids stayed home that time because of so many snakes out. After everyone left, we ended up finding two more rattlesnakes--one on the road halfway to the gate and one in the driveway) Here are more flowers in the desert!

We walked the property lines with Bill and he pointed out all of his corner markers. We thank him for letting us enjoy the Arizona house at Nettie's Place.

Desert Shadows, Casa Grande AZ, 3/16/2010 - 3/29/2010

We haven't been back to the Desert Shadows park in Casa Grande, AZ, for two years. It is a very popular park and you have to be on your toes to get into it. We go in under ROD because it is not a Thousand Trails park.

Our friends, Russ and Louise, were already there and some other friends, Jim and Sue, were there and left a few days before. They had signed us up for a seminar on ambulance insurance and we got a free chicken dinner the night we arrived. It is always nice not to have to worry about a meal the day we arrive at a new home!

Desert Shadows has organized hikes in the surrounding mountains. We went on one with Russ and Louise a couple of days after we got there. We hadn't hiked for a while, at least Terry hadn't hiked for a while. His knee was feeling pretty good so we off we went. The desert is just starting to get all bloomed out. Here is an occatillo that has its red flags just popping out.

We spotted these little pin cushion cactus that was almost fully bloomed. We had never seen the pin cushions in bloom before. They are really small little cactus and are the ones we always tried to find in Wikieup to take home to bus drivers and other friends when we would visit there each spring break. They would fit in a "decorated butter container."

We walked far enough back in the hills to find some petroglyphs. It also seemed to be a local "party place" from the looks of all of the debris around. So, we were not sure whether all of them were authentic or not.

There was a memorial for someone who had died. It had quite fresh flowers on it. Our guide said that it had been there for quite a few years, but usually had fresh flowers. There were even a couple of Christmas cards to the lady who was being memorialized.

We made a trip into Apache Junction, about 70 miles, to go to our favorite fruit and vegetable market. The strawberries were extra cheap, so I got enough to put up some strawberry freezer jam. (We have a small freezer in the Condo where a washing machine can go.)

The same day we went to Apache Junction, we were with Russ and Louise and went to Superior and hunted for Apache tears. They are black stones, usually covered with soft white stone, that are used in making jewelry. There is a legend about the Indians jumping off of the cliff in that area to avoid being shot and killed by the white men. Thus, they cried tears as they took their own lives in a brave way. I think Russ was finding some good ones and was defending his territory from Louise!

Terry found some really nice ones, in size.

I opted for quantity over size!

We found these caves along the trail where the Apache tears were.

They had the area all fenced off because of the possible danger of things caving in. Terry really wanted to get through that fence!

I found a small break in the fence against the mountain that I was able to squeeze through. So, I braved the danger and walked into the caves. It was quite something to see, and thank goodness, nothing fell while I was in there!

The whole desert seems to be coming alive with color. I think the colors are more vibrant when they are out in the middle of the rocks and cactus.

We made one more trip to the Gilbert/Mesa/Apache Junction area. Travis has started a new practice in Gilbert. He started on May 1, but Shannon and the kids won't move down until the end of May when school is out. They will close on their new home towards the end of the month. We met Travis at one of the hospitals that he will work at and he took us around and showed us his new home and his new office. After we left him, we went to the Arizona Temple that evening and watched the dress rehearsal of the Easter Pageant they perform each year. It was really awesome and we are so glad we got the chance to go.