In the Kitchen ...

March, 12, 2017

Ella helping Alana prepare food ...

for their lunches the next week ...

Looks like they were having fun working together ...

 

 

Fun & Games ...

March 12, 2017

After the parade ...

we headed back to the house for lunch ...

Then it was time to play and go swimming ...

The boys found a Frisbee in the bushes ...

They were excited to have Grandpa give them some tips ...

on how to toss it around ...

It was a little scary ... we were not sure what direction ...

it would be going when they were throwing it ...

It was a night out for Ian & Kendall ...

with the 3 senior adults here to watch the grandchildren ...

Ian & Kendall were going out on the town in the 32 Ford ...

that Ian restored for Kendall ...

The were hanging out with Grandpa ...

watching a movie ...

It was a little cozy ...!!!

Just before going to bed ...

Daigen was looking at a video ...

All of a sudden he broke out in laughter ...

Nixon came running to see what was so funny ...

Both the boys were watching a man ...

flying off a treadmill video ...

and laughing hysterically ...

It wasn't long before we were all laughing ...

watching the boys ...

 

 

 

Going to the Parade ...

March 12, 2017

Today we were going to the St. Patrick's Day parade ...

Oma and I were able to get ahold of Daigen ...

to get a picture to show how big he was getting ...

We also brought mittens from Canada for the boys ...

and we were going to need them today ...

It was a chilly day in Houston ...

Kendall drove us to the parade ... her friends were waiting for us ...

A spot was saved for the boys ...

to enjoy the parade and catch the goodies ...

Lots of candy and beads were being tossed towards them ...

Thank goodness we were dressed warm enough ...

to watch this parade ...

Nixon loved the horses ...

 

 

There were some interesting floats ... cars ... 

and trucks in the parade ...

The boys loved seeing the balloon procession ...

We were all laughing and clapping when they walked by us ...

It wasn't long before the Firetruck came along ...

to end the parade ...

The sun had appeared and it was starting to warm up outside ...

just perfect to go back to the house for the boys to go swimming ...

 

More Games ...

March 11, 2017

While we were busy playing games in Texas ...

the gang in Canada ...

went to play games at Chuck E Cheese's ... 

Looks like they had a successful day ...

of winning their games ...

All the tickets won were cashed in at the end of the day ...

for the kids to pick their prizes ...

 

   

A New Game ...

March 11, 2017

We were in for an exciting evening ...

Kendall was taking us to the neighbours ... for a potluck ...

and to play a game ... it was a new game for Oma and I ...

They were having a Bunco party ... !!!

Ian and Grandpa were staying home to chill out ...

with Daigen and Nixon ...

We walked down to the neighbours ... and met the gang ...

the theme for tonight's party was St Patrick's Day ...

The house was decorated ... everyone wearing something green ...

Everyone meeting ... munching on some goodies ...

and wine was being served ...

We were ready to play ...

 

There were five tables set up ... to play this game ...

we paired up ... and sat four to a table ...

This is a dice game ... we started to play ... 

At the end of the round ... the losers would move to the next table ...

and switch partners ... and began to play the next round ...

The object of the game is to roll the numbers correlating to the number round we were playing ...

First round you needed to get as many "1's" as possible ... 

if you rolled 3 - "1's" ... that's a Bunco ...

The round ended if the head table reached a score "21" or ...

if someone rolled a Bunco ...

Anytime a Bunco was called ... the person would where a hat ...

and if a person rolled 3 - 2's" at any time ...

that is called a Traveller and they would get the little green Froggy ...

The person with the most Buncos ... at the end of 6 rounds ... wins ...!!! 

 

We continued to play ... moving from table to table ...

taking a break after the first game ...

to fuel up on goodies and beverages of choice ...

We were ready for round 2 ...

we were having so much fun ...

 It was a great way to meet Kendall's friends ... an awesome social game ...

At the end of the second game ...

the cards were tallied up ... to see who won ...

there were prizes for Bunco ... Traveller ... Wins and Losses ...

Oma and Kendall were tied for one of the prizes ...

so they had to roll off to see who the winner was ...

AND ... Kendall won ...

 she did say that she would share her winnings ...

We stayed and continue to party ...

What a wonderful way to spend an evening ...

This group of friends try to get together at least every month ...

or couple of months ...

to have a Bunco Party ... !!! 

 

 

Surprise Treats ...

March 11, 2017

Morning arrived ... and the boys were so excited ...

We had brought the boys some little gifts ...

They were so excited to have gotten a few boxes of Smarties ...

the boys love their Smarties from Canada ...

as they are not available in the USA ...

They also received sticker books ...

Ian & Kendall love anything to do with ...

Betty Page and old cars ...

We found this poster in Williams, Az ...

on Route 66 ... to be hung in Ian's garage ...

Kendall was given a package with ...

garden butterfly ornaments ... calender and a shirt ...

The boys gifts ... Daigen making his way to the bar ...

to play on his iPad and nibble on a few Smarties ...

before breakfast ...

Grandpa helping Nixon with his sticker book ...

and Oma watching the activites around her ...

 

After breakfast ... it was play time ... 

Nixon taking Oma upstairs to show her his creation ...

Later Daigen joined Oma on the couch ... 

He was intrigued with Oma's puzzle on the iPad ... 

and procceeded to help her find some of the pieces ...

We spent the day ... outside by the pool ... 

relaxing ... and playing ...

 

 

 

Off to Houston ...

March 10, 2017

We had a lovely morning with Dave & Linda ...

we were grateful that they were driving us to the airport ...

 

 

We said our goodbyes ... lots of hugs and kisses ...

and making plans as to when we can see each other again ...

We had a wonderful time in Mesa ...

Soon we were airbourne ... leaving Phoenix behind ...

heading to our next destination ...

Houston, Texas 

We were delayed in landing in Houston ...

 we had gone thru a severe thunderstorm ...

we actually were circling the wagons ... and we were told we may have to land in Austin, Texas to fuel up ...

but the weather cleared up and we did land in Houston ...

Ian and Nixon had been waiting for us outside ...

as Ian's truck was too big to park underground ...

 

It was good to see Ian and Nixon ...

after collecting our luggage ...

Ian drove us to the house ...

 

We were excited to see Kendall & Daigen ... when they got home ...

they were at Daigen's piano recital ...

Nixon was so happy to snuggle up with Oma ...

he was fighting going to sleep ...

but Oma had the touch ...

and it was long before he drifted off to la la land ...

It looks like Oma was ready to call it a night ...

after our long day of travelling ...

 

   

Last Day in Mesa ...

March 9, 2017

Our last day in Mesa was going to be ...

a day of packing and relaxing ...

We attended the line dancing class ... and hanging out at the pool ...

in the afternoon ... then met the guys for happy hour ...

There was a band playing at centre court ...

Mike and I danced a few dances ... 

and when the band began to play a Polka ...

Mike asked Oma to dance ... they had a great time ...

All our friends joined in throughout the happy hour ...

We were having so much fun ... that the band played for an extra hour ...

We decided that we were going to have an easy dinner ...

Oma was springing for pizza ... 

All of us went to go pick up a few things at the grocery store ...

and of course ... the Pizza ... !!! 

 We returned to the trailer ... and enjoyed our delicious dinner ...

 

After dinner we walked over to Bob & Carols' trailer ...

to spend our last evening together with our family and friends ...

We had such a wonderful time ...

You never know we may all get together again next year ...!!!

 

 

 

 

 

   

Grand Canyon ...

March 8, 2017

Here we are at Pima Point ...

Oma and Mike checking out some of the plants ...

along the path to the lookout point ...

We could see the Colorado River down below ...

the water is quite dirty due to the run off ...

It was really interesting ... reading the information boards ...

We boarded the bus and made our way ...

to the last point on this journey ...

We reached Hermits Nest ...

where we could have a break ... the little building was amazing ...

inside there were souveniers and a snack bar ... 

The building was constructed out of rocks ...

The tour bus took us back to the starting point ...

We then located the car and drove thru the park area on our way ...

to Sedona and back to Mesa ...

The scenery was spectacular ... so different the whole way ...

We saw a pink Jeep ... this company will take you touring thru the area ...

four wheeling around the canyon rim ...

The terrain continued to change ... driving thru Tuba City ...

and down into Sedona ...

The sun was starting to set ... the colour on the red rock ...

was breath taking ...

We stopped to enjoy the setting sun ... 

it didn't take long before we were in dark ...

We continues on our way back to Mesa ...

What an amazing day we had at the Grand Canyon ... !!!

 

 

Oh My ... How Grand ...

March 8, 2017 

We were up early this morning ...

excited for this journey to the Grand Canyon ...

It took us just over an hour to reach our destination ... 

It was going to be a once in a lifetime adventure ...

One that Oma could strike off her bucket list ...

A map showing the area ...

We decided to take the bus tour ... taking us to all the stops ... 

What a magnificent view ... on our first stop of the Inner Canyon ...

We were able to see the snow on the mountain top ...

in the distance ...

Loved seeing this bluebird at one of the stops ...

It was difficult to watch some of the tourists ... taking chances just to get a picture ...

Two people losts theirs lives the week we were there  ... so sad ...

Oma taking in the view ... a perfect photo opportunity as well ...

at Hopi Point ...

Everywhere you looked ... the view was breathtaking ...

There was always someone to take a family picture of us ... 

and in turn we would take pictures of families as well ...

A beautiful keepsake of our time together ...

When we first arrived at the park ... there was snow on the ground ... apparently it had been cold and windy here ... We were fortunate to see the sunshine ...  blue sky ... and by noon time ... it was already quite warm ... We were waiting for the bus ...  to take us to the next point of interest ...

 

On Route 66 ...

March 7, 2017

Well ... we were back on the road again ...

heading to Williams, Arizona ... 

It was a beautiful drive ... we couldn't believe the amount of snow ...

on the mountains ...

We were getting closer to our destination ... driving thru Flagstaff ...

We arrived in Williams ... got settled into our rooms ...

then went for a walk thru the downtown ...

on Route 66 ...

There were signs of "Route 66" ... everywhere ...

We stopped by the Barrel & Bottle Historic Brewing Company ...

It was a uninque place ... a quick visit and a beer ... 

we decided to come back later to have dinner here ...

Once we had toured the townsite ...

we made our way back to the Inn ...

We relaxed out at the outdoor common area ... having a few drinks ...

and staying warm by the fire ...

It was a little breezy and cool ...

It was time for dinner ... so we ventured back to the brewing company ...

the gang tried a few of different kinds of beer ...

before having a board dinner ...

with a variety of meats ... pickles ... cheese ... and breads ...

Topping off the meal with a caramel/chocolat homemade ice cream Sundae ...

mmmmmmm 

After dinner ... Dave and Linda went to their room ...

it was too chilly for them to sit outside ...

Mike & I had the place to ourselves ... the Hostess came out ... to start up the fire in the fireplace ...

We enjoyed chatting with her while she was on a break ...

Mike decided to get a big cigar and sip on a can of Chelada  ... that's Clamto juice and beer ...

Eventually we turned in ... for a good night's sleep ... as we were on the road again ... to our next destination ... the Grande Canyon ...!!!

May 29, 2017

 Dad's Birthday today ... May 29, 1926 

Remembering my dad on his Birthday ...

he loved his family, music ... 

and spending time outdoors ...

 in our hearts ... always ...

and in our thoughts ...

Miss you Dad ...!