Lunch in Jerome, AZ

Jerome, AZ is an old mining town, high in the hills above Cottonwood, AZ, where we are staying.  We have been here before, but only by trails on our RZR, covered in dust and very wind blown.  Today’s visit was by car, so much more civilized.  We could walk around town without feeling like dusty spectacles.

The view from Jerome, overlooking Cottonwood and the hills of Sedona.

The town of Jerome has character. You never know what you might see.

We tried to go to our favorite little restaurant called ‘Grapes’, but unfortunately it was closed for remodeling, so we went to a place down the block called ‘Clinkscale’.  Super cute place, but the food just didn’t replace Grapes.  

This little shop kind of shows you the feel of Jerome.  Quaint, hilly, and all about the views!

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After a little shopping in Jerome, we headed back to Cottonwood for more exploring.

Overnight in Cottonwood, AZ

We met our friends Sam and Sharyn in Cottonwood, AZ for a couple of days of wine tasting and golf.  It was a package deal from our hotel, which encouraged us to get out and enjoy the town, because so many things were included with our stay.  The Tavern hotel really did it right, with beautiful rooms, a nice heated outdoor pool, and a great fire pit!  They also included a wine tasting (which could be upgraded, or not), a complimentary drink at their grill, coffee and a pastry for breakfast at La Crema Cafe across the street, and 18 holes of golf at a nearby course.  What a way to get to know a little town.

We wandered around in the pool area while we were waiting for Sam and Sharyn to arrive.  Super cute! In fact, so cute we had to take Sam and Sharyn to see it too!

The rooms at this hotel were great, and the town is also super cute. It’s only about a half hour from Sedona, which is gorgeous, but much to crowded for our liking. 

The Tavern Hotel also has a very nice grill, with happy hour in designated sections, and a great menu.  For lunch on our final day, I ordered a seared ahi tuna salad with Asian vegetables and grilled pineapple that was to die for!  The tuna was cooked to perfection, and the salad was only $16.  I’ll take that over bar food any day!

We loved the charm of this hotel and this little town.  More to come on our Cottonwood journey.

Palm Valley, Day 11, Summer of Golf

 We're back in Arizona, and so are our friends Sam and Sharyn!  Today we are playing golf with them at Palm Valley in Goodyear, AZ.  It's so nice to have all of us back together!

Palm Valley is a typical, fairly open course that winds through neighborhoods.  They have three 9-hole courses, and they tell you which ones you will be playing when you make your tee time.  Only the North and South courses were open today.  The West course was closed, so we played North for our front nine and South for our back nine.  The grass at Palm Valley is in great shape right now, which made playing so much fun.  They didn't have a beverage cart out today, but they did have ice in the cart for us.  

Steve had his golf watch along, but it couldn't pick up any of their courses.  No matter what he tried, he couldn't get anything to pull in.  He even looked under other names and tried courses in reverse order, but nothing worked.  Sam had his view finder along, so if we were really unsure about distance, he would help us out.

It was a nice open course, so we felt like it was very forgiving.

It was a hot one today, with no breeze at all.  When we came off the course, it was 104 degrees.  We headed over to Red's at Wig Wam with them where we all enjoyed a beer and a lot of great conversation.  It is so nice to have them back after a long summer without them!

Our Final Harvest in Wyoming

 Unfortunately, our time with our daughter is about over, we have had so much fun working in the garden, helping out around the house and farm, learning how to can, hiking, exploring and the list goes on and on.  Today was our final harvest, which makes me so sad.  She will continue to harvest for a few weeks after we are gone, until Mother Nature decides that it's time for the garden to rest for the winter.  

We said goodbye to the chickens, the goats, the dog and the garden.

And the sun said goodbye to us as we headed to bed preparing for our early flight in the morning.

There is no place that we would rather be than with our kids.  They bring us joy beyond belief.  But we are also so thankful that they have fulfilling lives that they love, living life on their own and enjoying every day.  We will return to Arizona knowing that our daughter is in a good place, living a life that she loves!

Alcova Reservoir, WY

 Our daughter and her boyfriend love to come to Alcova Reservoir, but they have never been to the Sandy Beach, so we decided it would be a fun stop to make today.  The reservoir is beautiful, and such a nice get away.  It's great for fishing, boating, swimming and camping.

While we were sitting on the shore, we thought Steve was going to have to make a rescue.  I guy swam out to the buoys and was struggling to get back in.  It's always risky to make a rescue if you don't have to, so we kept a close eye on him and let him keep working at it.  He eventually made it on his own, but that's always a scary situation when someone thinks their abilities are more than they really are.  Thank goodness, all is well that ends well.

Buck'in Bails in Wyoming

We never know what type of work will need to be done while we are visiting, but we always have fun helping and usually learn something along the way.  Today we got to buck about 100 bails of hay.

I drove the truck, our daughter carried the bails, and Steve stacked them on the truck.  

When we got back to the barn, Steve unloaded the stack on the truck, and our daughter and I stacked the bails in the barn.

What a fun project, and great exercise too!  We were so glad we got to help her with this and get the experience of doing it.

Playing in the North Platte River, WY

When our daughter got off work tonight, we drove over to one of her favorite spots on the North Platte River for a little bit of rest and relaxation.  This spot has a nice parking area, and very clean restrooms.  Their dog Arrow loves water, and loves to fetch, so when you put those two things together, he is in heaven.

Wow!  That's a little muddy, but he doesn't care.

Now this is good discipline.  He won't go after the ball until he is told he can.