Wildflowers

On our way home from Chiricahua National Monument last month, we drove on less-traveled roads back home to Phoenix. We were delighted to see the landscape in bloom.





Simply amazing!

Our neighbor, Jane

Jane is 85 years old and has lived in the house across the street for 50 years. She’s been a widow for over 20 years and doesn’t have any children. She gave up her old car a few years ago after a fall in her bathroom. Jane has recovered from the fall, but is still unsteady on her feet. I often see her sitting in her wheelchair in the middle of her driveway, just soaking up the sun.

Today I found Jane at my front door. She had pushed the wheelchair across the street and had a bottle of Italian salad dressing sitting in a plastic cup on the seat. “Would you open up my bottle for me? I just can’t do it.” I easily unscrewed the top. And then she told me a story.

About eight years ago, her bike was stolen from her shed. It had training wheels on it. Her husband was going to teach her how to ride the bike, but he never did. He died before he got the chance. Yesterday morning, when she went out to get her newspaper, she found the shed door open. “What did they take this time?” she wondered. As she peered in the shed, there was her bike, training wheels and all! Jane then called the pastor of the local Hispanic church. She asked him to come over and get the bike. She wanted it to be put to good use. Besides, maybe it would get stolen again.

Jane is, indeed, a special neighbor.

Chiricahua Hike

The Chiricahua National Monument seems to be a well kept secret. When Dale & Carolyn came to visit in February they spent several days in southeastern Arizona and we encouraged them to see the Chiricahuas. They came back with a glowing review and pictures.

We've been there a few times over the years, including camping with Mom and Dad in the RV. We decided a Chiricahua hike over Easter weekend sounded pretty good. According to the park ranger, the best time to visit is March and early April. We got to the visitor's center by 8:00 in order to catch the shuttle to the top of the mountain. Then we hiked the Echo Canyon trail (4.2 miles), back down to the visitor's center. The best trail is the Heart of the Rocks (7.3 miles round trip) which takes you to some amazing rock formations.

I think we've convinced Joe and Ellen to make the trip next year.

Our "Pot" Garden

No, not that pot. A garden in pots. It works well for our climate. You can drag the pots into the shade when it gets too hot.


The lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers and onions are growing great - thanks to Phil's green thumb.

A Relaxing Weekend in Tucson

Sometimes you just have to get away.

Joe and Ellen arrived Thursday night from GR. By 3:00 on Friday we were on the road to Tucson. Our destination was the Westin La Paloma Resort, afforable due to my employer's benefit of significantly reduced room rates.

On Saturday, we went hiking in Madera Canyon, a bird watchers paradise. It was a steep hike up and down - a little tough on the knees - but we made it.

Then it was time for the pool.

Someone would rather watch the NCAA Final Four games.

All in all, a great weekend.

The un-Christmas letter

“Why didn’t we get a Christmas letter from Phil & Ginger this year?” you may be wondering. You’d think that, with Lauren and Aaron’s wedding in Vail and the reception in Grand Rapids, we’d have lots to write about. I have all the usual excuses – too busy, got sick. It’s not like we don’t care about you or enjoy getting your letters, because we sure do!

So we decided to try our hand at blogging.

Don’t worry. I’m not going to write a whole Christmas letter here. We’ll just post some blogs throughout the year and just “ramble on.”

We had a great year in 2007. It ended with Lauren and Aaron’s visit at Christmas.

This picture of our family was taken in Sedona. More Sedona pictures are sure to crop up in our blog.