Hunter-Gatherer Brewery, Columbia SC (May, 2021)

We visited our kids favorite brewery for dinner.  Their outside dining was the perfect place for a toddler, and the wait staff was amazing. 

Of course the best place to play is always in front of the door.

They had a wonderful grassy area and lots of picnic tables.  We all got to take turns playing and eating and everyone was happy!

River Walk, Columbia, SC (May 2021)

There is an incredible river walk just minutes from our kids house.  For that matter, everything is just minutes from their house.

When our grandson got tired of the stroller, they let him walk for a few minutes, but he was interested in everything but walking, so he had to have a little help.

We saw some wonderful wildlife on our walk.

And some that wasn't so wonderful, but he kept moving, and so did we!

What a gorgeous walk!

This Little Man Melts My Heart (May, 2021)

We flew for the first time this week since getting our Covid-19 vaccines.  Masks on from the time you enter the airport until you reach your final destination.  That's a long time in a mask, but it certainly helped to easy my anxiety about flying.  And the flight was definitely worth it, because we got to see our grandson for the first time in six months.  

He loves being outside more than anything!

We heard from our kids that he has a fetish for trash trucks, and on our first walk, we got to see it first hand.  In our kids town, they do a large item clean up once a week, and he couldn't bear it when they would finish and move on.

He was completely mesmerized by the whole process.

And of course, they were kind enough to always honk and wave at him.  What great guys!

Chicken Littles (May, 2021)

Our youngest daughter got four new chicks this spring, and they are the friendliest little birds.  

They love their human parents!

Kayaking the Salt River

We booked an excursion with Sam and Sharyn for kayaking at the Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch.  Whether you have kayaked before or not, this is a great way to go.  They provide the kayaks, life jackets and the transportation back to the ranch at the end of the trip. All you have to do is show up!

We started out with the life jacket fitting and kayak orientation.

Then we had a little test before we could take off down river.

Once we passed our test, we were free to head down the Salt River, below the beautiful cliffs.

We paddled for awhile in complete peace and serenity.

Then we caught up with all of the tubers and the river got a little more crowded.  Tubing is also a really fun activity on the Salt River!

Toward the end of our trip, we all had to move over for the Sheriff boat.  They almost ran over Sam.

They rescued a little girl that had been separated from her family.  She was a super brave little thing, and it was so nice to see a happy ending!  

What a great time with great friends!  It is so nice to be getting back out into the world, or at least our little corner of Arizona.

Golf at Wigwam (May, 2020)

We met Sam and Sharyn at Wigwam Golf Club in Goodyear, AZ this morning for a round of golf.  It is in an older neighborhood that is extremely well kept, and has three 18 hole courses.  We played the Red course, which is quite a ways away from the pro shop and restaurant, so we felt like we got a little bit of an adventure just getting to our first hole.  The blue and gold courses both start right near the pro shop.

The course was what we call "old style", meaning that it was pretty much all grass, and nice wide fairways,  no desert or canyon shots.

We really liked the neighborhood, and the golf course.  Too bad it's so far away from our house.  Steve got three pars today, and I got four.  I actually beat him today for the first time ever...only by one point, but I'll take it!  It was great to see Sam and Sharyn again!

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (May, 2021)

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument isn't far from where we live, and we have driven by it several times, wondering what it is.  Steve did some research and discovered that it is only partially open because of the pandemic, but because of that, it is currently free to visitors.  So we decided to check it out today.

Most native American ruins reside high in the cliffs of canyons, but these are right out on the plains of the Sonoran Desert.  They are not big, but they are different from those of the cliff dwellers.

These ruins reside pretty close the Gila River, and therefore allowed their inhabitants to build canals and have successful farms.  The farms started out with just corn, but eventually they learned to grow beans, squash, gourds and other crops.

The Casa Grande, or large house stands in the middle of the village with the mud wall houses all around it.

In the late 1800's, the Casa Grande was reinforced with wood and steel to keep it from collapsing.  At some point, a large shade structure was also built over the top.  I'm not sure if the shade is for the comfort of the visitors, or to help preserve the structure.

The horizontal lines in the mud show the layers that the monument was built in.  

Casa Grande Ruins is not something that I would go out of my way to see, but if you are in the area, it is worth a quick look.  I wasn't aware that there were prehistoric ruins on the plains of the desert, so this visit was a learning experience for both of us.

Time With Steve's Parents (May 2021)

We have Steve's parents here for a whole week, and we can't wait to enjoy every minute of it!

Our first big outing was a run down memory lane for them.  Steve's dad is an ASU Alumni (he got his Masters of Science degree when Steve was about five years old), so we took them to the ASU campus to see if they could remember any of it after all of these years.

Both of Steve's parents remembered the Grady Gammage Performing Arts building.

And they both remembered Old Main.

Steve's dad was able to pick out the old biology and physics buildings, but the rest of it had changed too much for them to recognize. We even went on a hunt for their old apartment building, but we don't think it's there any more.  We followed the streets, but couldn't find it.

There are several places we would love to take them but couldn't, either because of Covid, or the heat, so we spent the rest of our week spoiling them with food...

Showing them some of the natural beauty that is in our backyard.  Ok maybe a couple miles away! 

Going on walks, when it was cool enough...

And just enjoying the tranquility and beauty of our evening sunsets.

It was such a treat to have them here!  We hope they come back often!