Ah, Phoenix in August! Everyone looks at us like we are crazy but the family, pool and cabin beckon. After getting back from the airport, I proceeded to urgent care to get medicine for yet another sinus and ear infection. As I like to say, it's not a Sanders' vacation without a trip to urgent care.
Who needs 110 degrees when you can cool off in the pool. The kids love warm Arizona swimming.
Nathan hiked up Camelback a few times.
At the Science Center, Maddie and Theo had a blast. Maddie was so proud to pull herself up to the top of the hardest
pulley system.
Such focus!
We, of course, need to have a trip to the Railroad Park. Another benefit of Phoenix in August, the park is practically empty!
But, the main reason for our August visit, a 40
th Anniversary! What a celebration.
We had a special brunch at Aunt Philly's house.
Reading cards and doing the 1970s trivia contest.
We displayed pictures from the early years. Theo loved the star confetti.
The happy couple!
That night we enjoyed a dinner at Vincent's bistro. Delicious french food, lovely toasts and a fun evening with the whole gang to honor Mom and Dad.
Nathan even went back to the kitchen to chat with Vincent. He returned after closing to share a glass of champagne with Vincent and talk about the past decade.
Nathan left to go back to reality and we headed up to the mountains. One morning we went to a park and were thrilled to watch a big boy practicing baseball. The kids could have sat there all day watching him hit balls.
Puzzle time! Maddie and Theo were a great help putting together some challenging puzzles.
And fishing. They couldn't wait to fish! We weren't as successful this year but it was a valiant effort!
I love the big Arizona sky.
We went on a girls hike along the mogollon rim.
Last time we'll have a kid in the sink. Pretty cute, no?
Somebody loves to clean - hooray! He was very intent on scrubbing the shower.
Grandmommy would be proud.
Fishing take two. No luck.
The mad hiker
A stop at the Pinetop jail.
And our annual dinner at The Christmas Tree. Unfortunately, it was also our last dinner as the restaurant closed shortly after our visit. So sad to lose the
Pinetop institution.
Looking very fine and handsome in a suit.
Helping Pop Pop clean up outside makes for a necessary water break.
Scrubbing the sand toys.
Goodbye mountains. We did have one more trip to urgent care to put Maddie on antibiotics for her ear infection.
For our last night, we stopped at the Sugar Bowl for dinner, ice cream and games. This is another highlight of our Phoenix trips.
And in the most amazing toy claw grab ever, Uncle J was able to get each child an animal out of the machine. And each toy fit the child perfectly - a frog for Gabey, robot for Theo and pink glitter elephant for Maddie. I'm still in awe.
Goodbye Arizona! Until next year...
This was an overgrown mess that now looks almost art like simply by thinning out the base, creating a canopy and planting some things underneath.
This back bed was weedy and lacked any sort of design. We curved out the bed, added cobblestones, many plants, a stepping stone path and voila! it's lovely.
We took out a chunk of lawn for this bed to anchor the patio. The bare spot is a hopeful vegetable bed for next year. We have a fairly shady yard though so I'm not sure if we'll be successful.
And our new walkway - which was a lot of effort in the making. Who knew there were so many options but we are quite pleased with the result and it should last for as long as we are in the house. My favorite is the large granite stone across the front - it's solid and won't budge unlike the bricks that used to continually fall off. I'll replant the beds along the walkway come spring, though I just put in 110 bulbs!
