April 2021: Escape to Texas

We flew from Phoenix to Texas for a quick visit with Debby. The visit, as it alway is, was filled with lots of visiting, movies and TV, good food, and a trip to the country. There was much less shopping this time, and that has its own rewards.

Straight from the Airport to Hillstone for lunch

KBT and DSDG

Downtown Houston on a misty, drizzly day

Sunday dinner with Hilary et al. joined by Katherine Thom

Katherine's baby is due June 4th

DELICIOUS French toast at Snooz

Buc-ee's, Texas's best and biggest gas station convenience stores

Wild flowers at Chapel Hill

Blue bonnets in bloom

Iconic Texas

Not sure what these are, but they are nice

Indian paintbrush

DELICIOUS chicken-fried steak at The Republic Grille

Clever British sitcom in the movie room

Lunch at Jasper's in Market Street

Dinner with the Browns

Hilary's photo of Dickie and Krisy

View of Hobby Airport from 10,000 feet

After a pleasant week in Shenandoah, we took a Lyft to Hobby Airport and headed back to Arizona for a couple of busy weeks. More about that in the next post.

OXO

D.

Early April 2021: Easter and Mesa

Easter was a quiet affair this year. Because the pandemic was still a problem, we had easter dinner alone. HB and Kreg stopped in at the Taylor/Woodbury's for lunch and a visit. Anna, Rob, and Clara came to stay for an evaluation at Primary Children's for Clara. There was some good porch sitting, a mini reunion at P712, and, of course, take-away from Bombay House. Work on the water feature continued, and we headed to Arizona to be with Grandmother. She had really slipped, but was still communicative. 

Easter eggs courtesy of Katy's "girls"

Saturday night dinner with Opa and Annie

Easter Dinner: lamb and mint sauce, of course

And limoncello cake

The Calder boys

The porch sitting has begun

More of the same

Bombay take-away

P712

Madeline, Emily, Millie, and Anna

José and Arely Sotelo

It works!

Oleander in Mesa

Bonnie, Grandmother, and Kris Facetiming with Ray and Carol

Excellent Vietnamese dinner with the Marlpit-Hill Boyntons

Lunch at Jalapeño Buck's

Supper with the same folks at Tacos Chiwa in Mesa

Tres leches carrot cake and EXCELLENT flan

Chip drove us to PHX and Debby picked us up at Hobby in Houston for a few days in Texas. That will be the next post.

OXO

D.

March 2021

Okay, so here goes another month. They just fly by! Almost everyone in our orbit is now vaccinated, so we are feeling a bit less tense about life in the pandemic. The month started with a spur-of-the-moment trip to Mesa, AZ for Kris, whose mother has moved into a care facility. It has reached the point where we can't adequately care for her anymore. The facility is very nice and populated by a very good and kind staff. While the cat is away the mice will play, so I went to SLC with SKT and AW for an outing that, of course, including buying a lemon-blueberry pie at Pie Fight, and supper at Siegfried's Delicatessen. I also made some things that Kris doesn't enjoy with SKT. Lizzie's birthday celebration was the evening of Kris's return. Lucy Jane and her friends, Abi and Madeleine spent a few day with us in Provo on their way to Reno and, ultimately, the Oregon coast where they will do remote classes. Such a brilliant idea! Phillip and family followed right on their heels as part of a college familiarization tour for Ollie. I had a wonderful 75th birthday. The frosting on the cake was a a surprise visit from the Colvers, who brought me eggs and fudge! That evening we had dinner with SKT, Annie, and Mark who was in town for a wedding. The end of the month finally saw the large drilled stone for our future water feature delivered.

Kris is off to AZ from the Provo Airport

This is Emerald Grove: from one grove to another

Lemon-blueberry pie

Wienerschnitzel at Siegfried's

SKT and I made biscuits and gravy, 

not Kris's favorite

Lizzie turned 18

Grammy, Max, Erick, and Madi at the party

Tucker came down from the U to join us for supper

Lucy wanted Indian from Bombay House, and of

course we were game

The-George-Washington-University buddies: LJ, Abi, and Madeleine 

The Honolulu Taylors in Indiana where they visited Purdue

Corned beef and cabbage followed by a Guinness chocolate cake

for Saint Patrick's Day 

These folks can't visit Provo without a trip to La Casita

Annie made some delicious paella and invited us

These kids surprised the heck out of me with their visit

Mark was in town for a wedding AND my birthday

These people treated us to birthday dinner at Asado

Birthday cards, fudge, and a cool gizmo from Maren and family

The stone has arrived on site

Next up in April is a visit from a few of the Hastings, another trip to Mesa, and an ausflug to Texas to visit Debra Sue Darling Gibbs. So there will be more, even if this is all for now.

OXO

D.