How can it possibly be a year, since I did a blog post???

March 2023

Oh my.... I haven't written for a year?  Where has the time gone?  I know SO many of you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, but I try to write the blog for those of you who don't "see" me.

I don't know where to begin.  So much has happened since last April.  We spent last Summer in Buena Vista, and we saw kids and grandkids in Buena Vista, Frederick, Westminster, and Sandpoint, ID.  Our big trip last September was our month in Italy with Rebecca and Antonio.  That was truly a trip of a lifetime.  We met Antonio's parents and many of his friends and family. Rebecca planned an amazing month and we saw some incredible parts of Italy. 

We returned to our "new" Winter home in Gold Canyon, AZ in October.  We love our new park model with an Arizona room and a rooftop deck.  We are so glad we found this wonderful place to spend Winter.  We call it a "resort".  Many of us call it "Senior Camp for Adults".  There are so many activities and things to do here.  There are pickleball courts, tennis courts, bocce ball, shuffleboard,  two pools, and live music at least three times a week.  Steve & I have found that we both love all the water classes.  We go to class every morning at 8 am.  We have also learned how to line dance and we love the couple's pattern dancing.  Now we are trying to figure out how to do all these "resort" activities AND still have time to hike and bike.  We have made many new friends here and have loved getting reacquainted with "old" friends who have visited or have decided to make this place "home".  We have a few of those.  

Steve's stepmom, Lois, fell in November.  After spending two weeks in the hospital and three weeks in rehab, she moved to assisted living.  She had to move from her one-bedroom independent apartment and is in a studio apartment.  The good news is that she is still at Fellowship Square in Mesa.  She has adjusted well to assisted living.  She can now dress herself and transfer from her bed to her wheelchair.  These are big steps and we are so glad that she is doing so well.  Steve & I are so glad that we live so close to Lois.  It is only about a 20-minute drive to her apartment. 

We have had short trips back to Colorado and Idaho to visit our kids and grandkids.  Amanda, Josh, and Linden are visiting us here this month.  Stefan, Rachael, and Louisa will be here for a long weekend in April.  The kids have all figured out that this is a pretty nice place to be in the Winter and the Spring.  We will see all of the families when we go back to Colorado.  We plan to leave here and head for Colorado around the end of April. 

I know there is much more news to share, but I think I will just add photos.  If any of you haven't figured this out, "I love taking pictures!"  The kids and a few others (Steve) would say that is an understatement.  Oh, well. 

     

Spring in Arizona

We love Spring in the desert.  The last few weeks we have been hiking a lot in and around Gold Canyon.  When we hike nearby, we usually hike in the the Superstition Mountains.  This past weekend we drove up to near Payson and hiked in the Mazatzal Wilderness.  The flowers are really starting to bloom.  The cactus are just beginning to bloom.  We plan to be down here until the end of April, so I am excited to see more cactus blooms this year.  

Work is continuing (slowly) on our new park model/Arizona room addition.  We had hoped it would be done by this month, but now are thinking g it might not be finished until June.  We will go home to BV in May and then will be coming back down in June or July when we can move (down the street) to our new place.  We plan to be back down here for the Winter/Spring.  We will come down in October.  We are so happy that we were able yo have two families come down this year to visit.  Hopefully, they will all come down next year.  💚🌵

 

We are still so lucky to be so close to Lois.  We try to see her once or twice a week.  It is only a 25 minute drive to her home in Mesa.  It was so neat that she was able to meet two of her great grandchildren when they came to visit.  

Spring in Arizona