New Year's Eve... with Christmas memories

Christmas in Southern California

Mike with Chuck and Betty on the top of their hill in Valley Center

Jacko, Mary, Mike... we had a nice warm round of golf at Castle Creek .The wind must have really blown in our absence... the yard was packed with tumble weeds when we got home!

Bet you don't have one of these...

This is my Christmas present from Mike. I saw it in a local junk store and told him about it ~ and he had it sitting in front of the fireplace with some Christmas wrap draped over it when I got home from work on Tuesday :) I had only seen it briefly and liked the height for sitting in front of the fireplace. Upon further inspection, we find it is from Morocco and it is a saddle for a camel!

A Few of Our Favorite Things......

...desert sunsets,

....sahuaros in shadow,

....campfires and rocks,

...golden retrievers,

...family...Did I mention U of A won their basketball game and we got to go?

Happy Holidays, indeed :)

Tim Graduates U of A ...

The Bennett Family at Hacienda del Sol. There were 16 of us for a relaxed dinner in a beautiful setting. It is so wonderful and fun for me to be here in the southwest and included in family functions that I have missed out on for 16 years!

Tim and Sam playing a tie game.Mike and I....

December morning in SE Arizona

The Cochise Stronghold as seen via a zoom on my camera, from the front yard. What you can't see is that the rest of the sky is dark gray and just the Stronghold is illuminated. This was taken at 7 am :)

This is the extent of my Christmas decorating. I made a wreath from grapevines in the yard and decorated with pine and berries, also right out of our yard.

A Dog's Life...

Zoe and Zander love to hang out in the front yard and watch the occasional golfer & car go by. Zoe was so relaxed we had to laugh, as she was on display to all... upside down...

Thanksgiving Memory

Emerald Canyon Golf Course was our Thanksgiving Day treat. We golfed with our buddies Jack and Mary. Then on Saturday Lyndee and Sam joined us for a day on the sandbar :)

This seems like old news but I like to post it because it is fun to go back and see the old photos.

49er Golf :)

I played 49er Country Club this afternoon, the course I grew up on but have only played twice... I had such a nice time, just felt so thankful for not only being on the course on such a beautiful day but for the abundant memories that awaited me of old friends, horses, swimming lessons, grilled cheese sandwiches at the club, Jeri Rice, Sheryl Barski, Nick Papanikolas, the golden retriever "Wyay", fishing golf balls out of the ponds, forts made in the mesquite trees, driving golf carts to feed our horses. It was a safe and wonderful childhood!

Funky find

I bought two of these tables ($10 each) at a garage sale... they are aparently carved from a log and the shelves from the same tree added... They are heavy and sturdy and just wierd enough for me to like them.

My sunroom flower boxes have plants again... just love it when the morning sun hits them.

Sucker for Sunsets (& warm evenings and golf courses)

It was a wonderful, peaceful evening... this photo taken about 50 yards from my front door... the 17th green ~ with the Cochise Stronghold in the background.

Naco, AZ...."Copper Classic" Golf Touney

This is Marsha Christensen and I... we played in a best ball tourney with 106 players and 5 flights! We were in 2nd flight, and not in the money :) However, the weather was perfect and the course in excellent shape and our playing partners from Sierra Vista, were very nice ladies. I am not sure how I fit into this wearing matching shirts thing... they lent me a "team" shirt but I opted for my shirt in the same color. Naco is south of Bisbee, AZ right on the Mexican border. It was a little over an hour drive and I got to ride along and chit chat with fellow lady golfers who have ended up in Sunsites, via Alaska, Colorado and Indiana...

Karen and Shirley

Marsha and "the other" Denise

Moving In

I had so much fun unpacking my pottery yesterday. There was only one broken piece. I have everything unpacked. Now to start tackling the abundant weeds. The weather here is beautiful and I am so thankful.

Mexico.. was calling our name... so we went...

I am having trouble getting my photos to upload, so this may be it for tonight...
We bought ceramic lizards and frogs from this vendor on the beach in Puerto Penasco last weekend.

I am now home in Sunsites and the UHaul is unloaded and returned, and Lyndee will fly home to SLC tomorrow. I am having a great time putting my house together, we sure worked hard ~ my sweet hija and I...
Below is a photo of Lyndee and Zander.. it was an interesting evolution of events that lead our travels from Oregon, to Utah, to Arizona, to Mexico...

Beautiful Morning and a Buck to Boot...

This buck and five doe were looking down on our house this morning. It rained all night and the sky is blue and beautiful, feels so clean. By the time I got the camera, they had moved but I got a bit of 'em!

The leaves are just beginning to turn, see the weeping birch tree? We had a busy weekend at the Inn, business should start slowing down now. I plan on leaving for Arizona next week and Mike will head down next month. It's been an amazing season.

First Snow...

A sprinkle of snow fell in the local hills today, it was a wake up call to dig out warm layers of clothes and to start preparing to head south.

Here is that awesome full moon again...

Did you count your blessings as the moon rose last night?
We did in Dayville :)

We never get tired of our evening view... so I am sharing it again...

Lyndee gets a job!

Lyndee is just about done with her school in SLC and has been hired by a company that does a technique called "Quantum Massage". She will be taught their method and work in Park City for the winter season. It's wonderful to hear the excitement in her voice and know she is passionate about her life!

Club Championship

Julie Woodbury, (in the striped shirt) won our club championship last weekend and I got second. It was a fun weekend. Mary Weaver, pretty in pink, got third. The three of us played together on Sunday. Weather was perfect! Afterward we teamed with the men for a calcutta and since there weren't enough men, Julie and I played together and got 2nd and won $65 each.

Flower Power

I picked this bouquet yesterday afternoon, just stuff growing in our yard. I have been craving roses after watching a PBS show on floral essential oils and their healing effects. It's interesting how much pleasure one gets from a simple bouquet of flowers! Look at the view from my kitchen window of the hills. Every evening as I look down on the campers below I feel like we have a secret, a view we see and they don't.

We survived another holiday weekend...

Zoe woke me up to go out this morning earlier than usual, and I took a quick photo of the morning sky. We don't have a bedroom window looking east so I don't catch as many pretty sunrises as I might.

The Inn & RV Park were full all Labor Day weekend, so we have been working hard. The Inn changed over every night, so we did lots of beds and lots of laundry. We had a full house again last night, except the main house... so here we go again...

We had a father - daughter duo come in on a motorcycle last evening. They are both so good looking, I felt like they were Robert Redford and Brook Shields.... she had on coral colored leather pants and is just stunning. I don't often do this, but after checking them in I told Mike to make a point to meet them just to see what I was going on and on about :)

How Do We Spell Relief?.....

I got my 'chores' done by 12:30 today and headed to the swimming hole ~ it was about 100'. My "Hidden Hole" was taken by campers so I went to the "Ashe Hole" and it was delightful.



Mike made a whirlwind visit... pulled up, jumped in, climbed to the top and jumped! Some things never change. I can't believe I caught him in action, he was still when I snapped it....



I took another photo with my feet in the forground while leaning back on a three wheeler on the beach in San Felipe... about 18 years ago. We were with Chuck and Betty and all our kids... 4 and under ... such a fun memory!!

Tonight's moonrise

I like knowing we are looking at the same moon,...

....whether you are in Arizona,

or Salt Lake City,

or Valley Center,

or Lopez Island....

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of it too.

Nigh, nigh from Oregon.

.... "Downsizing"....With Perfection....

We sold the RV today. An older couple from Idaho saw it as they passed through en route to Prineville. They had been looking and couldn't afford a new one, she said she had been praying for just the right one. We had it ready for them on their way back through. I like it when a transaction like that just feels good. I have been cleaning sheds and going through sixteen years of what seems like gluttenous living. I have a trailer full of thrift store items. I know once I am done (the barn and gift shop are still ahead of me) I will have a great sense of relief and this is a big step in the moving on process.

I know the Inn & RV Park will sell soon and we will be ready. I am always wanting everything to go according to my timeline ~ but this evening I feel a sense of it all coming along at just the perfect speed.... I am reminded of my mantra for so many months..."Rest quietly in your heart with the knowledge that all things are happening with perfection."

This Year's Best Tent Award

These four gentlemen are from Sacramento, CA and ride Honda Goldwing motorcycles with little trailers in tow. I watched from up above as they set up their camps. The dark blue tent in the background, and featured in the second photo, has a little front room where you can actually stand up and change clothes, it is especially cool and gets my favorite tent award! ..And these are just really nice guys ~ who felt really happy to have stumbled upon Dayville.

Golf Get-Away

We tied for first place in the couple's golf tournament in Echo Hills over the weekend. We played great on Saturday (one over par) when it was warm and sunny but it was a much bigger challenge on Sunday when it was rainy and COLD and we didn't have the proper clothing! (six over par) It is so much work and preparation to get away from the Inn, we wondered whether it was worth it. I guess it was... all I know at this moment is I can't wait for this business to sell, I want to be able to get away for a weekend and not feel guilt or worry.

I have had a couple emails from the golf course in Arizona and there is much controversy there and I wonder if I want to subject myself to it? Maybe it's because it is a gray Monday, but I am sure feeling like a fish out of water, wondering what pond I should land in!

The first photo is of Mike and our playing partners Saturday and the second one is the group watching the 'horse race' mini tourney that followed Saturday's play. My team went out on the first hole, and Mike's on the 2nd. So we just rode along and relaxed and watched which was fine with me, it had already been a long day of concentration on that silly white ball!

><>The Dog House <><

Dane and Charley and their 7 month old puppies, Reisen and Butters, came for a two day visit. We had a very nice time. The four of us played golf in John Day today, it was Charley's first time and she did really good. Tomorrow night Lyndee is due home to pick up Zink. This has been quite the dog house the last few days, guests must have thought we are golden crazy with a pack of five. It will be nice to just have our two.

What a Lovely RV Park !

Ahh to be 21 and embarking on new adventures!

Lyndee seems so happy and excited about her new apartment, new friends and the Masters program she is beginning in Salt Lake City. I had no idea that downtown SLC was actually an intersting and fun cultural place with neat restaurants and lots to do. I am excited for her!

Golf today and plans to get away..

This is hole #6, a par 3... I played nine holes this afternoon with the gentleman who is going to start working weekends in the pro shop for me, he just moved here from Eastern Colorado and is the new bank manager. His wife hasn't moved down yet, so weekends in the pro shop will be good for him and I can now proceed with returning to Oregon and my long lost hubby! I hope to be on the road by Thursday and home by Saturday, with a brief stop in Salt Lake City for a Lyndee hug. This 2nd photo is the long par 5 #9, and that's Ron getting ready to hit his 2nd shot.