February 2020

Before Lorne and Marilyn left, of course we had to do a trip to Box Canyon.  Marilyn loves that ride and it is always an adventure.  The day was sunny and was quite pleasant.

Mr. Woodpecker on the bird feeder

woodpecker on the hummingbird feeder

The weather for the most part was pleasant although we did have some rain and a bit of a cool down period which brought some snow to the upper elevations but we managed to skirt that bit on nonsense   at the house.   That was a good thing.
Karl and Naomie came for a very quick visit.  They wanted to get out of the Montana cold so decided to head our way.  They arrived one night before Lorne and Marilyn were scheduled to depart so spent that night in our camper before moving to the casita for the next few days.  It was a good few days with Naomie arranging for Karl's good friends (from Canada) who had been visiting in Mesa, to come and spent Saturday with them and help celebrate Karl's birthday.  Karl had no idea that Naomie had arranged this and was so surprised.  They spent Saturday together shopping in the various stores in Wickenburg before finally coming back to the yard and enjoying a huge bonfire and birthday cake.

snow on the Weaver ;Mountains

cuddling on the couch after a busy day

Hank and Kay - out on the trails

The sign saying The Arrowhead was closed

This month, Booko made his second visit to the vet as he had an incident with a javelina that somehow strayed into the yard despite Kay's and my efforts to block the culvert that is in the front yard.   We had a javelina in the yard previously and this spurred us to pound metal bars across the entrance to the culvert hoping that this would deter the critter.  Unfortunately he must have been determined to return but Booko had a different idea.  I don't believe the javelina actually got into the yard but the skirmish occurred with the javelina on one side of the bars and Booko on the other.  They did however get close enough for Booko to receive a laceration to his face and several scratches across his chest from the metal pipes.  All in all, it could have been so much worse.  A few sutures, some antibiotics and painkillers and we were good to go.

While John and Kay were busy on various projects I was busy refurbishing four oak wine barrels that Kay had got last summer.  It was quite a job but they turned out beautifully.  We decided to keep them whole instead of cutting them in half for planters and that I think was a good decision. They looked awesome and once we got flowering plant pots on top of them, they looked even better.
Kay and I spent one whole day putting together the vanity she purchased for the bathroom in the upper casita.  Let me tell you, it was quite a task.  We put that damn thing together and had to take it apart three different times before we finally got it built properly.  Holy Buckets, we had to have several beers after that!!  It looked awesome and I'm glad we got it.  It is going to look awesome in that bathroom.

finished wine barrel

Hank and Marie in the Hassayamppa

construction in the upper casita

framing the bathroom and the kitchen wall in
upper casita

chillin at the end of the day

pajama party in the man cave

One of guest's rides

jeep in the garage out of the rain

Gary Grady (Big Mur's Tavern in Dundurn, Sask) and his wife Sharon
came for a visit and enjoyed the outside bar.

Friends from Dundurn came for a quick visit this month and it was a fun time around the bar and then around the wood stove with them.  They are hoping to spend more time down here in Arizona next year so are checking out different spots for them to hang their hats for a while. They liked the casita and seemed to enjoy themselves before having to head back to Phoenix and then heading back home.

Booko versus javalina - not sure who
really won

sedated and waiting for sutures

waiting to wake up

Lorne and Marilyn had a great vacation in Mexico and returned to us on February 26th.  It was around this time that we were hearing news of the Corona virus and the possibility of a pandemic.  Apparently this virus originated in China and is quite aggressive.  I guess we will have to wait and see what this brings us.  No one likes to hear of a possible pandemic but there are numerous cases throughout the world.
Jace,  Kimmy and Kelly left Saskatoon head our way for their two week vacation down here so we are expecting them is a few days.  More company and craziness coming!!   Life is Good!!

January 2020

Arizona Sunset

Happy New Year everyone.  Hopefully this will be a bigger and better year than the previous one.   Our hopes and dreams are big and I hope all goes well this year.

Hank chillin

Hank shopping at Tractor Supply

Luke and Becky left on January 1st.  They had a great time with us but it was time for them to return to Canada.  They have finally got the OK from the truck dealership that it was safe to drive their truck home.  He had been rear ended last month and it caused some damage so Luke was hesitant to drive the thousands of miles home without some reassurances that it would be OK.  When that came theough, they were ready to head home.
The casita had been booked pretty steady with some longer term rentals and that was a good thing. It was less housekeeping and we could concentrate on other projects.
Kay has been off work since the 22nd of December so her and John got busy cutting the fence in the horse property and installing another gate.  This second gate allows guests access to the State Trust trails without having to use the gate beside the casita.  This allows more privacy for our guests and that is always a good thing.

Our new gate

fence is finished and landscaping rocks look great

outside bar fridge

Hank cuddling with Booko

Hank is finally settling in but still displays many "puppy" traits.  It has been a continuing battle and Booko has had to get a bit angry with him at times and has put him in his place.  All in all, I think he is doing great and eventually will be an awesome dog.  It is this "puppy" stage that we have to get over with.

Man cave bathroom

The man cave bathroom was completed this month in time for Lorne and Marilyn's arrival.   It will be so handy to just scoot in there instead of having to walk to the house or back to the casita.
The kids will be coming soon and this extra bathroom will be pretty darn handy for them as well.

desert run

nasty rock climb - doing the back way around
the mountain loop

Lorne and Marilyn arrived on the 22nd of January.  They stayed with us until they had to catch their flight bound for Mexico on the 9th of February.
Of course Lorne and Marilyn are very independent when they are visiting us, but we always manage to take a few road trips with them and that is always fun.  They often go on daily drives but always arrive back in the yard for happy hour.  We are either sitting at the outside bar or around the wood stove in the man cave for the evenings. Suppers are sometimes a collaborative effort and that always leads to some interesting meals.  It is always fun.

rocks and cactus

sunset

outside fire

painting the fence with water repellent 

looks awesome

building the man cave bathroom

outside bar

We managed a trip into the desert behind the house and did the mountain loop trail the back way.  Doing it this way gets the tough rock climbing part over with at the start of the trail and allows us to be in the sunshine near the end of the day as we are out in the open desert headed towards home.  This trip was good and both dogs enjoyed the day.  Hank is getting more comfortable in the side by side and is always eager to "load up".  Booko of course loves the trails and hates to be left behind.  Lorne and Marilyn brought their little tracker down again this year and I'm sure it will serve them well again.

beer break in the desert.  Does it get any better than this>

beer at Antelope Creek

We took a trip to Antelope Creek one day and enjoyed the sunshine.  As always, it was fun.  We had stopped for a beer at Gilligan's before hand and it was nice to get back there for a bit.  Unfortunately, our favorite bar, The Arrowhead had once again, been closed.  Apparently, the new owner absconded with the money and fled town!!  Holy Buckets!!  We are going to have to wait and see what happens to that.  I sure hope it reopens as it was a good place to go for a beer and a decent meal.

Lorne was busy re-wiring the upper casita and installed an overhead fan as well.  He too has been a busy beaver in helping us get that casita closer to being rented.  It's a good thing we have talented friends and family.  Life is Good!!