This year we were lucky enough to get invited to another 60th birthday, but this time in a warm climate! We drove for three days, only getting to temperatures above zero in the middle of the third day, in New Mexico. It was worth the drive! Our friends are in a retirement community in Phoenix. The days were sunny and warm by 9 a.m. Still, some of the locals wore toques and mitts for their morning walks!
Here is the back of the house our friends rented (what you see here is the "Arizona room"):
and the view from the back. Our host golfs most days on this course, which is in the centre of the community. Who wouldn't? We watched a few golf balls land in the water (none belonging to our host, of course).
Here is the front of the house. Doesn't our car look happy to be warm? This house had more than enough room for us, our hosts, and probably a couple of dozen others!
On Saturday we went to the "Swapmeet" (think of the flea market in Texas, kids) and bought some interesting items. I now own two of the sharpest knives made!
You thought the car looked happy! How happy do these two misplaced Manitobans look? As the one belonging to me said "What's not to like? It's warm, I'm golfing, and the company is good!"
We also took in a Phoenix Suns game at the U.S. Airways Centre. Phoenix has a new Light Rail Transit system, which made getting in and out of city centre a breeze.
The city is getting ready to host the All Star Game. Here is Yao Ming, expanded a bit. We thing there will be two more players displayed on the other two sections of this building.
This is the view from our seats - kidding!!!! Anyone could sit courtside for the pre warm-up (none of the starters participate in this one). Tickets at this level were going for about $900 on line.
Here is the view from our seats in the nose-bleed section. Actually, they were very good. We could see everything clearly. Phoenix lost to San Antonio, unfortunately, but it was a close game.
But...the
real reason for the trip was my childhood friend's 60th birthday! Here we are with her "Freedom 60" cake. As a recent retiree, she was thoroughly enjoying her time in the sun, and was not a bit bored!
I decided that she needed a memento from each decade we have known each other. Marking the first and second decades - a copy of her valedictorian speech and a high school sweater. I wondered why I had kept that all these years!
The guest of honour and her hubby prepared a wonderful dinner for us and two other couples. I thought you weren't supposed to have to cook on your birthday!
And, just to show that we never really grow up, here she is enjoying the candles on her cake! Honestly, I didn't know they were trick candles (didn't have my glasses on when I bought them). I think the giggles are as much a result of the amount of wine consumed as they are a result of enjoying the surprise!
Many thanks to our hosts for a great time!
We also visited the Desert Museum, and saw all kinds of creatures and cacti. I learned so much about the different vegetation, and have it written down, if anyone is interested. Suffice it to say, I had never thought of a forest as being a cactus forest, but we drove through the Saguaro Forest, which is hill after hill covered in those "reach for the sky" cacti we see in wild west movies.
Our hosts really wanted us to stand in among the "Pipe Organ" cactus, but we wisely decided against that idea.
And yes...in February, we enjoyed a lovely dinner on an outdoor terrace overlooking the city lights. It was very beautiful, and delicious. Our friend is drinking Flat Tire, or Fat Tire, (I can't remember) beer. Strange name, but he liked it. We stuck to red wine!
Thanks to our friends for a good visit. You may see us again, and we really hope to see you here as well!
