Arizona 2021

 The 6 weeks we spent in Fountain Hills this year has been the best so far.  We chose to change condos so we could be closer to Fountain Park.  The location was a huge hit, but the condo was not. Two people in a one bedroom, one bath does not work.  Add a house guest for one week and it gets tight.  There were a few logistics adjustments, but it worked fine.  Next year we will give up the location for a 2 bed, 2 bath.  

Let’s begin on Nov. 1, 2021 at Midway airport.  Thanks to one of my nurses we had the best mask possible for our flight.  

Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the Enterprise car rental office in Tempe to pick up our car, and this was all they had on the lot!  Dodge Challenger, VROOMMMM!!  John was a very happy guy.

We couldn’t wait to see that our condo directly across the street from Fountain Park.  

Our view from the patio.

 

We tried every morning to begin our day hiking a trail before it got too hot.  Lather on the sunscreen and off we go.  This years goal was to finally reach the top of the Western Trail at Adero Canyon. Twice last year we failed,  so here we go again.  Our first attempt this year and we quit after the sun got too hot. It dawned on us that we were not in shape for this hard climb, YET!! So we continued to train on the overlook trail hoping to build up our stamina.  We were planning a hike with our friend Doris next week and were hoping to impress her with this hard trail.  

This is us after our failure to get to the top of that extreme trail.  Doris was a bit surprised we chose such a challenging hike.  Oops, we all missed the trail marker (talking too much) and went the wrong direction.  We added about half a mile in each direction.  We did go back and continue on, but by then the sun was getting hot and we were all willing to turn around.  Failure one more time.  As we passed others on this trail, we found that most of them had given up before getting to the top, which made us feel better.  Maybe next time!!

We continued to train on the overlook trail for another week with the hope of completing it while Justin was visiting.  Here are some pictures.

The Fountain from our hike.  

View from the top of the overlook.

We always stop for a moment of thanks.

For the first time ever, we saw a family of javelinas on our walk.  Weird little animal, looks like a pig.  

 

Every year Justin comes for a visit.  This year we were a bit challenged with three people in a one bedroom, one bathroom condo.  He arrived on Tuesday, November 9th, staying till the 16th.

We eat!

We drink.

We hike

On Wednesday we headed North to Sedona for some classic hikes.  We found a very fun place along the way, and took a few photos.

Wednesday night we snagged a rare reservation at Elote, a high end Mexican restaurant.  In the past, they didn’t take reservations, so getting there early and waiting in line was the only way to get in.  However,  since Covid has changed everything, a reservation was the only way to get in now. (We had to make it months in advance) A new location was a definite plus to this experience.  We all gave it a five star rating and will return.

We enjoyed the Sedona trails while there.

After returning to Fountain Hills it was time to take Justin to Adero Canyon and try one more time to complete the Western Trail.  We felt like we were ready.  The smiles are on the way up in hopes of completing this challenge.  

We happily made it this time.  I guess 5 is the charm!  It was time to sit up there to enjoy the accomplishment.  Going down the other side was easy in comparison.

Besides hiking, and eating, we do our share of shopping.  Justin always finds some great duds to take home.  I think he arrives with a half empty suitcase.  Our shopping always exceeds the room we have so a box sent home by UPS is our common practice.  The first time we mailed a box home we went to Walmart and bought the cheapest one we could find.  Lesson learned, it arrived in Orland Park broken, torn, and taped to keep everything inside.  Now we purchase a box at UPS that holds up in shipment.

One of our favorite activities is weekly visits to the local casino, We-Ko-Pa.  Several jackpots kept us in gambling money for the entire trip.  Plus it always ends with a nice dinner at Embers.  This year we were joined by our awesome property manager Dawn and her husband Rick.  

Animals everywhere, dogs, horses, lizards, ducks, birds goats, etc.

They stop traffic!

They hang out on your porch when it’s hot!

This little guy was soooo cute, but very shy.  I couldn’t get a good picture.

Of course we flew to Las Vegas again this year to meet our great friends for Thanksgiving.  Best friends for nearly 50 years makes this a reunion we look forward to.   Kathy Castro, myself, and Kathy Morales.

THREE AMIGOS 

Here is the whole group adding Eric, John, and John.  

Kathy and John Castro come from Santa Rosa, CA

Kathy Morales, and Eric Julson come from Birchwood, WI.

I fell in love with Fountain Hills for many reasons, but every year I realize this Park, this fountain, is one of the things that keeps me coming back.  I’ve probably taken hundreds of photos over the years, yet there are no two exactly alike.  I never get tired of looking at it.

One of my hobbies is painting kindness rocks.  I drop them along the trails where we hike, to be found by someone else out on a hike.  It seems to bring some fun to a hike. 

  

Occasionally we find a memorial to remember a lost loved one along the Fountain Park path.  

Staying for an extra 2 weeks this year, we experience the joy of the Christmas season.  Right after returning from Las Vegas we attended the Fountain Hills “Stroll In The Glow”  It’s the lighting of the trees and stores downtown.  It was a beautiful evening, and thank you Dawn for sharing some wine with us.  Wonderful party atmosphere and since we rented so close, we just walked over for the fun.

The pictures of the lit up Avenue just don’t do it justice.

It’s with mixed emotions we head home after 6 weeks.  I wish we could convince our kids and grandkids to move to this beautiful place, but until that happens (never) we will just get our AZ fix and then return to IL.  So until 2022, we say goodbye once again.

THE END