Christmas Cookies

All of my Christmas cookies are made.... Mexican Wedding Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, Nanaimo Bars, Empire Biscuits, Cranberry Orange Pinwheels,
Lemon Sparkle Cookies and Salted Caramel Bars.
Yeah, let's enjoy!

Beautiful Fall Weather

After a summer of excessive heat, the weather has been beautiful here. Last winter, I showed the lakes with whitecaps.....now the air is clear and crisp and the water is calm. These pictures are from my morning walk along the bike path. Such a lovely place to live!

Bisbee

Bisbee is a city in southern Arizona just north of the Mexico border. It was founded as a copper, gold and silver mining town in 1880.
Today, the historic city of Bisbee is known as "Old Bisbee" and is home to a thriving downtown cultural scene. The town is very hilly and very quirky. We recently visited and stayed at the Copper Queen Hotel.
One morning we had breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club and came upon the town of Lowell, a mining town incorporated into Bisbee in the early 1900s. Visiting Erie Street is like walking along a movie set. The town looks like it could have been abandoned in a hurry and forgotten for half a century. Rusting cars and trucks sit deserted along the street. The population in the town is 3! It was great fun and talked to a gentleman who ran a motorcycle shop there.....he is one of the 3.

Kartchner Caverns State Park

In November 1974, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts were exploring the limestone hills at the eastern base of the Whetstone Mountains. They were looking for a cave no one had ever found and boy, did they find it. It was kept a secret until they told the property owners in 1978.
Late in 1984, they met with the Arizona State Parks office and it eventually became the Karchner Caverns State Park.
We toured the Big Room which is half of a mile long and takes an hour and 45 minutes to complete. It is an amazing place!

Fall

Friday was the autumn equinox which marked the end of summer. Equinox is a Latin term that means equality between day and night...... day and night are each 12 hours long.
We have such a long summer here in Arizona that the fall is greatly anticipated. We really look forward to some cooler temperatures.
I thought I would decorate outside with a few pumpkins. Won't be long now!

Knowlton, Quebec, home of Louise Penny

Knowlton is a picturesque village in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. This summer we traveled through the countryside to see this village, the hometown of Louise Penny. I have written previously about Louise Penny, my favorite mystery writer.
We had lunch at Buzz Bistro and the meal was amazing! In August, the Clintons visited Louise and they as well had a meal at this bistro.
Yesterday, I attended a book signing by Louise in Scottsdale as her new book, Glass Houses has been released. Enjoy the photos taken in Knowlton....

Excessive Heat Warning

The Phoenix area is under an excessive heat warning. Today the forecast is 117 degrees, tomorrow 118 - 120 degrees and more of the same all week. There may even be delays at the airport. In 1990, the temperature was 122 degrees and flights were grounded.

Last night we went out for some fried Ipswich clams. The handles on the front door of the restaurant were wrapped with napkins so that you did not burn your hands to get the door open.....now that's HOT!!!!

Flagstaff, Arizona

Golfing in the Ponderosa pines in Flagstaff was fantastic! The Continental Country Club is so nice....Beautiful scenery and cool weather!
In the evening after golfing, we went to dinner at The Cottage. The bistro is located in an old Flagstaff residence built in 1909. The Cottage cuisine reflects the regional country dishes of France.
I ordered the red wine braised Beef Bourguignon and my husband had the slow cooker Duck Confit Cassoulet. It was amazing!

Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden is a 140 acre botanical garden located in Phoenix. It offers the world's finest collection of arid-land plants from deserts around the world.
Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society in 1937, the garden now has more than 21,000 plants.
Spring is a wonderful time to visit as many cacti and other plants are in bloom. When I visited, many plants were just beginning to bloom. Enjoy....

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is a flowering plant in the mallow family. The blooms are quite large and beautiful. I recently bought a small plant which I put in a pot on my patio. There are many bushes in my neighborhood that are large and gorgeous. I'm hoping mine does okay.
Hibiscus flowers can be made into teas and herbal drinks. Historically different cultures have used the tea as a remedy for several conditions.
Mine is just to enjoy....

Smoked Salmon Tower

I recently ordered this for my lunch at S&V Urban Italian Restaurant. It has diced smoked salmon, lemon juice, seedless cucumber, sliced radishes, avocado, tomato relish and crushed black pepper oil. It was served with crostini.
Isn't it beautiful?.....

The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch

This resort is the most stunning I have ever seen. It is situated on 27 acres not too far from my home. There are 10 pools plus waterslides and a man-made beach.
"Live from Laurel Canyon", one of the "Concerts Under the Stars" was performed last night and we went with our friends.
We had previously seen this show at the Musical Instrument Museum. It features the stories and music of American Folk Rock from the 60's and 70's.
What a beautiful spot to see a concert! We had a fabulous time!

Coots

Coots are all water birds and abound on the lakes near my home. They have predominantly black plumage and eat mainly plant material....the grass all along the bike path. The oldest known coot lived to be 22 years old.
In the winter there are so many but where do they go in the summer? Apparently they just move north a bit to get out of our severe heat in the summer. A few more months and they will be leaving.

Miniature Horses

What a surprise today! I was on my walk along the lakes on the bike path when I came upon some horses......they were beautiful! I asked where they came from and the gentleman said "his backyard".
They just brought them for a nice walk on the paths. It sure was a sight to see!

Self Serve Dog Wash

I saw this sign yesterday and had to take a picture. Many gas stations have self serve car washes where you pull into a bay and wash your car yourself.....I have never seen one for dogs!

Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market

This market is located at the corner of Brown and 1st Street in Old Town. It features local growers and specialty food producers. McClendon's is the largest produce supplier at this market and has a wonderful selection of organic produce. There are also vendors of natural pork, beef, free range eggs, local cheeses, artisan breads, jams and  picadillies.

It is open on Saturdays from 8:00am - 1:00pm.
Makes for a great morning!

After the Storm

It rained for most of a day and night and I woke to a very windy, cold day. It was fun to go for a walk along the lakes. There were almost small whitecaps on the water and the clouds were getting blown away.
This is a winter day in Arizona!

Superstition Mountains

The Superstition Mountains are a range of mountains in Arizona to the east of Phoenix. They rise steeply above the flat desert to a high point of 5,024 feet and are characterized by sheer-sided, jagged, volcanic peaks and ridges separated by boulder-filled canyons.

Early settlers named the hills on account of the many myths and stories told by the local Pima/Apache Indians about the mountains and tales such as the fabled Lost Dutchman gold mine.
According to legend, a German immigrant discovered a mother lode of gold in the wilderness and revealed its location on his death bed in Phoenix in 1891 to a boarding house owner who had taken care of him for many years.
Some Apaches believe that the hole leading down into the lower world, or hell, is located in the Superstition Mountains.

It is a favorite hiking and climbing destination.