Home for a Minute

We are home again this evening, but will be on the road again Friday morning. The day started in Mesa with a lovely walk along the Eastern  Canal. I left the house just after 5:00 A.M. in the cool dark of the morning. By the time I reached home, the sun was up and it was getting warm. I think we left Arizona just in the nick of time: summer is a comin'. We washed, packed, cleaned and were ready to go by noon and Grandmother treated us all to lunch. We returned to the Blue Lemon because we enjoyed it so much yesterday. We were chaufeured and joined by Bonnie. As I had never seen it completed, we swung by the Gilbert Temple on the way to the Mesa Gateway Airport. The flight to Provo was just over an hour and we were picked up by Katy and Daniel.

 The canal looks lovely in the early light

It is pleasant to be out while it is still cool

 Some type of herons at lake's edge

 Greenfield park looking wonderful

 Back to the Blue Lemon

 The new temple in Gilbert

 The airport drop-off

Our ride home

This was a fun trip. It was good to be with the kids and Grandmother. We are now looking forward to a trip west for Clara's baptism. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

The Last Leg

Arizona put her best foot forward on my arroyo/canal walk this morning: a beautiful sunrise and a lovely day. We bid goodbye to Harry, Finn, and Gavin before Maren and Beck drove us back to Grandmothers where we will spend the night before our return flight to Provo tomorrow. We went to lunch at the Blue Lemmon, a Utah restaurant that has found a home here in Gilbert. Kim and Brigham spent the afternoon and this evening we all went to Backyard Taco for supper. Chip and Sandy and some of their kids were there too.

 A spectacular sunrise over the Arizona Canal

 Intriguing eucalyptus bark

 I have fallen in love with palo verde: they can live 400 years

and their bark is capable of photosynthesis

 A bit of fun at breakfast

 Bye Harry

 The Blue Lemmon

 Marigold and her baby

 Bye kids

Young lad from England with a cricket ball

 Backyard Tacos

 Another Boynton mini reunion

 We had all the sun we needed

 Kim, Sandy, and Chip

 Megan, Charlie, and Ryan

Bonnie, Grandmother, and Kris

 Two values of the same green: twinners
photo credit: Kim

This has been a great adventure and loads fun. We have more adventures coming up, so we will be back. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

The Parents are Home

Early this morning I walked the arroyo and canal. We got the boys launched and spent the day getting things slicked up for Maren and Gavin's return. Harry, who has been suffering with a bad cough and sore throat, was kept at home by his Grammy. I ran the school bus to Beckham's preschool and made the pick-up at Finn's school. We had fish and chips for supper at Oscar's. Maren and Gavin's plane had no headwind and arrived almost an hour early and I arrived at Sky Harbor at just the perfect time. Everyone is safe and sound and headed to bed.

 Up early in the arroyo

 A beautiful morning along the Arizona Canal

 Ole Ole Ander

 This fine lad spent the day at home

 The pick-up line

 School's out for the day

 Oscar's for fish and chips

 This seems to be a favorite destination for people our age

 Ready to eat

 Not England, but good

A heartfelt reunion

We are headed to Mesa tomorrow. This has been a fun time with the boys and I am glad we could help out. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Sahuaro Ranch Park

There was hard rain in the night and when I went walking before sunrise, the spillway in the arroyo was running full and water was flowing in on every side. The clearing storm created a beautiful morning for a walk.

After lunch we piled in the car and headed for Glendale to the Sahuaro Ranch Park. Sahuaro Ranch was established in 1886 when a wealthy grain broker from Peoria, IL (Ah ha! That's where the name of this town comes from!) acquired 640 acres of dessert and began raising livestock, fruit, nuts, and dates using water from the new Arizona Canal. The ranch changed hands a couple of time over the years, adding citrus and dairy to the production. Ultimately the City of Glendale acquired what was left of the ranch and made it into a museum to show what most of this part of the Valley of the Sun once was like. The boys ran around the grounds and through the citrus orchards. We saw the barns and outbuildings and toured the farm house and adjoining guest house. There were lots of reminders of Grandma Hansen's house and stuff from my youth. Beck said that it was nothing like a proper park, so we swung over to Hidden Meadow Park for his sake.

 The remainder of the afternoon was spent chilling here at home. For supper I made chicken penne pesto, salad, and garlic toast, with berries and yogurt for dessert.

 Water, water, everywhere

 There are still a few small farms in Peoria

 First morning light in the arroyo

 I love walking the arroyo and back home along the canal

 If this is a park, where is the playground equipment?

 No swings, but a fine old tractor

 The men who worked the ranch lived here

 Our crew with the dairy in the rear

 A steam tractor with the milking barn (left) and

blacksmith (right)

 Same crew with the well house and windmill on the left

 The guest house (left) and main house (behind palms),
both built during the early 20th century

 Finn and Harry on the connecting verandah

 Main house

 Guest house

One of many bedrooms

 For me, kitchens are often the most interesting

part of historic houses

 This one had a complete set of Club Aluminum of the same

type as our pancake griddle

 This sconce took me right back to Grandma Hansen's house

 A variety of poses

 Headed back to the car

 Veni, vidi, vici

 Harry hanging at Hidden Meadows Park

 Now this is a real park

 Dinner is served

Love that Noosa Aussie-style yoghurt with berries

It's almost shower time and thence to bed; tomorrow is a school day. Maren and Gavin will be home tomorrow night, so the adventure is winding down. That's all for now.

OXO

D.