Start of 2009 Winter trip

Welcome!

We headed out January 12th this year to beat the freeze. As we were driving along in Texas, our dear friends Max and Kathy W called to invite us to drop down to visit them at their new winter home in Fredericksburg, Texas. So Mike turned south and we shared three days exploring the Hill Country as they call it. Mike tried skeet shooting and got humbled a bit. It appears to be a different technique than ducks and geese! There home is beautiful and we had a great three days.

What a great backyard!

This is a beautiful place and we had a wonderful three days.

Next we headed to my cousins Jim L and Pat and Marvin O's home in Alamogordo, NM. We stayed a couple of days with highlights being the neat hike checking out petroglyphs and the Mary Jo birthday celebration dinner in a historic lodge up in the mountains. Many family stories and laughs were shared.

Why the cameras, Marv and Jim?

Cousin Jim is one very special guy.

Jim and Mary Jo like the dessert colors and plants.

That rock deserves a picture!

Cave Creek Regional Park near Scottsdale became our next stop. Jane and Ron F of Scottsdale, whom we met in Montana fly fishing, told us about this spot. It is the best! We have been privileged to share it with friends. Mary Jo made crock pot veggie soup and we had dinner for six one night. The F's, Sandy and Dave H from MN who fulltime it in thier motorhome and stay in our park joined us. Dave is helping Mike learn to set up this blog. Thanks Dave! We have been to both of their homes for dinner also this week. Sharing on the road is such a treat.

Todd and 11 year old Taylor M (Carbondale friends) came to share a horseback ride and Taco Soup one evening...FUN. Taylor was a great help baking cookies and taught Mary Jo a card trick. (The horses are around the corner from our site and trails in our backyard.)

Mike's sister Dee and husband Earl from Phoenix came for the afternoon and evening recently.

Last night Janine and Doug F from Montana, who also live in Scottsdale, came to share a bite at our table. We cherish time to catch up with special people in our lives and share this glorious AZ spot we cherish. Believe it or not: Janine and Mary Jo met in the laundry room at Yellowstone's Edge RV Park in Montana and have been blessed with friendship ever since. Our husbands are the great outdoorsmen and fun too!

In addition, our winter travel mates Jerry and Edie S from North Dakota who stay near Superstition Mountain for the month of January came for dinner on Monday. Mike and Jerry took a three hour horseback ride over the mountain and report sheer beauty over there. Edie and I shopped at Carefree Marketplace for the afternoon and marvel at the artistic talents evident in the galleries.

We should have a picture of Mike at the computer because he enjoys time working on the Schaefer's server for our son Mark's company doing software development. I yet marvel that Mike can be in AZ and do Missouri work. Daily walks and bike rides are routine also. We soak up this warm sunshine in January!

We are appreciating the beauty and fun of Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club not far down the road. We hit some good ones and some not so good ones. Does that sound like golf? Mike made a "birdie" today. However the mountains, cactus and warm sun are really good all the time. Thanks Doug F for the golf passes; great course!