Payson

Today we drove up to Payson and visited a few very cool spots. First we stopped at the Knotty Pine Cafe for breakfast...very tasty. Then we went to the Tonto Natural Bridge. This place is amazing!! Truly amazing. We spent quite a bit of time there hiking and exploring God's beautiful creation. The hike down was very easy, but going through it became a little bit more challenging. I was the first to bite-the-dust there, thankfully nothing major though. :0)

Next we headed over the the Water Wheel and explored quite a bit there. Also a very nice place. You can't really tell from when you get there initially, until you begin hiking in. We visited a couple of swimming holes and just took nature in. We had also packed a lunch, and enjoyed it while there. Both Grover and Dan (Tracy's hubby) bit-the-dust there. Tracy was the only one to leave Payson without any mishaps!! :0)

We headed back into town around 4:30ish. Whew!! Thankfully we were headed the opposite direction than most of the traffic, and made it home at a descent hour.

These are definitely places I'd like to visit again, and highly recommend that you all visit.

Memorial Day Holiday

This weekend we had the opportunity to visit our family in NM. We had a lovely time there, but as you can imagine the time flew by. Before we knew it, it was time to come back home. These two are pics of my dad and his wife.











This is my Nino and Nina (Godparents) also knows as Grandpa Juan and Nana to my son.

This is the Alvarado family. She is my sista and that's her hubby and their chamacos (sons).

The youngest son is quite fond of my chamaco, and thoroughly enjoys watching his every move...even while he's eating. I know, I know... family!?!?!

Cafe con leche

All you coffee lovers out there have got to try French Press Coffee! It is the best. I first tried it at my friend Lylah's house, and absolutely loved it. Well a few weeks ago, my friend Chris gave me a French Press Coffee Maker. I KNOW....how awesome is that??? Anyhow, at first I was a bit hesitant to use it. In fact he asked me a week or so ago if I had used it, and I sheepishly admitted that I hadn't. But I am glad to report, that I finally used it. :0) And it wasn't that difficult!!! :-) AND IT IS DELICIOUS.

This Chica's Nachos

A hit with us during our teen years, was nachos. While out an about, we were usually short on cash, so we'd try to get the most bang-for-our-buck...sooooooooo...more often than not, we'd opt for the nachos. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't just because they were one of the least expensive items at the concession stand...BUT because they were good. Of course the kind we bought then were just cheese nachos with lots and lots of jalapeños.


Today, nachos are still a big hit around our house, but I enjoy them with a lot more ingredients...I try to get in all of my food groups in. :0) Here's a simple recipe for all you nacho lovers out there:

Tortilla Chips
Velveeta Cheese
Refried Beans (or hamburger if you prefer)
Black Olives - diced
Onions - diced
Tomatoes - diced
Avocado - diced
Sliced jalapeños
Sour Cream

I melt the cheese on very low heat (you could add a little bit of milk)
Pour cheese over chips
Add as much of the rest of the ingredients as you'd like
Enjoy!!!

Chile Verde

I tried a new Chile Verde recipe today that I found on this site. It is to die for...I am not kidding. I did customize it a bit and added more Hatch Chile ( that what the recipe called for because I love green chiles. Also I did not add as much fresh oregano as the recipe indicated, but kept the rest of the ingredients the same. Roasted tomatillos and garlic really add a very nice flavor. I will have to explore using them in other recipes. I also made spanish rice and refried beans to go with this tasty dish.

I highly recommend it for all you Mexican food lovers!!!

Why? Why? Why?

Why do these four-legged creatures love us so unconditionally? Why? Why? Well let me tell you why our little Chata loves us so mmm...maybe not unconditionally BUT more like conditionally. :-) It might be because she gets do lay her head down on the desk while I'm trying to work, and she also gets to hang out on the recliner. Plus she gets to lay on my lap and relax or take a nap whenever she pleases.

Oh, and not to mention she gets to hang out with her boy when he's around. He'll let her lay next to him while he's doing his homework, rubs her belly, lets her play with his stinky socks (she loves them stinky socks) and most importantly, he gives her Hot Cheetos...yep that's what I said...Hot Cheetos...she loves them Cheetos.

Oh, I'm sure the fact that we feed her occasionally also has something to do with it...and we take her on walks... she loves them walks. And I love my little chatita for the mere fact that when I walk in the door from a long hard-day at work, she greets me with a smile and a toy and doesn't yell out "what's for dinner?" like my 15 yr old!! :0)

Estrella Mountain Rainbow Valley Trails (East & West)

We hiked at a different park today. Traveled all the way to the west side to take on the Rainbow Trails. Getting there wasn't too bad since we were traveling against the traffic. The hike included both east and west Rainbow Valley Trails, part of the Toothaker trail, and part of the Gadsden Trail for a total hike of 9 miles in 4 hours....not bad...ehh! Our plan was to get started around 7:30 but we ended up starting about 7:50 and ended at 11:45. We started the hike on the west end, which was a good thing since it appeared to be the most strenuous in my opinion. But what exactly makes the hike strenuous? The book categorized the hike as moderate, but the park map included strenuous in its description. Anyhow, some of the challenges we experienced on this trail that we hadn't on the others were the rocks along the trail...tons of rocks, and the dirt was very loose, so we had put on quite the balancing act.

You will also notice the "snakes are out" caution sign, which made me feel particularly vulnerable. The last thing I wanted to see, was one of those rattlers, but thank God we didn't....WHEW!!!

It was quite hot, but occasionally there was a cool breeze to help keep us going. There were a few times that I wondered, "what was I thinking in agreeing to do this long of a trail again?" Then I realized, those thoughts came a little too late. :0)
Estrella Mountain Park is not a bad area, during our hike we experienced a few nice valleys...lots and lots of Saguaros. Oh, and lots of ants, there were ant holes all over the place. Also, how could I forget too mention...other types of holes...BIG holes (like burrows)...don't know exactly what live in them, and certainly did not want to find out. Towards the end of our trail, we came across one particular hole that looked almost like an ant hole, but had rocks around it which appeared to be wet...very strange, we weren't sure what had built it. Being curious and all, I thought it was a great opportunity for a Kodak moment. So take a look, and if you know what it's from, give me a holler.

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend, and we're taking a break from our hikes. But we will resume the weekend after that and will let you know all about it. We've not decided where we will be hiking, but since it's getting hotter, we've tossed around the idea of driving up north for the day...dunno yet...BUT will keep you informed.

Mi Padre

Today is my father's 60th birthday. I called him bright and early to wish him the best, and told him we'd go see him very soon. So as you can see it's a very special day today, for a number of reasons. Back in the early 2000s my father was diagnosed with cancer, but thanks to the Lord, he is still with us today. I admire him for his strength not only during that difficult time, but for everything he has had to endure. He is a man of strong character, with good morals and values who helped shape me into the person I am today. My father is a jack-of-all trades, who is more than willing to lend a helping hand to anyone that may need it. He will not let an opportunity pass by to help someone in need, and will give you the shirt off his back if necessary. The man is a magnet, who has many, many friends. Whenever there is a gathering, he is the center of entertainment with his tall tales and ongoing jokes. My son and his other grandchildren absolutely adore him, and always look forward to the opportunity to visit "grandpa". So, today I celebrate my father, and am reminded of the Lord's goodness and blessings.

Tortilla Soup

Before leaving for my hike on Friday, I put to cook a double batch of Lylah's Tortilla Soup. Yummy!!! When I returned from the hike, it was ready to be enjoyed. My nephew, Julian, who is staying with us at the moment loves this stuff. We also enjoyed some on Saturday. The recipe calls for fresh cilantro...good thing I have my own cilantro growing. I also have some spearmint, and cherry tomatoes growing. This is my first time attempting to grow something edible, and it seems to be going ok.
Anyhow, where was I? Oh, yes, yes, yes...this tortilla soup is delicious. I highly recommend that all of you try it, the recipe is very simple...trust me. ;0)

McDowell Mountain Regional Park

This Friday we hiked the McDowell Mountain Scenic Trail near
Fountain Hills. The hike was about 4.3 miles, and it took us about 1.5 hours to hike it. Not bad, ehh?? Well, the trail was relatively flat, just a few little hills, so that made it a lot easier for us. The area was not bad, didn't have as many pretty views as some of the other hikes. And, also, there was a lot of poop along the trail, horse poop, dog poop, more horse poop, etc, etc....well you get the picture. Anyhow, getting around the poop was probably the most challenging part of our hike this Friday. Grover's friend, Tracy, went along with us again. Whew...thought we had scared her after last week's hike. She sure had some pretty nasty looking blisters from South Mountain's hike, though. But, she seems to be quite the trooper, and decided to come along.

Once we were done with this trail, we decided to go check out the fountain, and walk around the park, which is about 1 mile. Since we were already in the vicinity, might as well check things out. The park was full of lively children playing and running through the water fountains along with a group of seniors having a picnic. The fountain did go off while we were there, and we had an opportunity to get some lovely pictures. Oh, and we got so see a mama duck with all of her little ones, I counted 12, but Grover says 13. I don't know, those little suckers were hard to keep track of, going under the water and making it more difficult for us to count. Once we were done there, we headed back into town, and went out for Mexican food....YEAH!!!! This was an opportunity for us to replenish ourselves, and eat 3x - 4x the calories we had just burned. Afterward, we went to the movies and watched Baby Mama....mmmm....personally, not a very good movie. But I'll let you all decide for yourselves about that.

South Mountain's Alta and Bajada Trails

Friday, 5/2, we hiked South Mountain (SM) again. This has been probably the hardest trail so far due to its 1,200 feet elevation gain and distance...by the time we were done we hiked around 9 miles. Access to the TH was closed so we had to park a bit further down the road which increased our hike by at least 1 - 1.5 miles. The trail is located in the Ma Ha Tuak Range within SM. We did not see not one soul out there (probably not as crazy as us). It sure was pretty up there though. First we had to cover a number of switch-backs going up the south side of the mountain and then hiked along the south side. Eventually we crossed over to the north side of the mountain and had a fabulous view of city. We proceeded to hike along the north side and then encountered a few other switch-backs which took us back to the south side. Once on the south side, we began to descend, and the rest was fairly flat, but looooooooooong, very looooooooong. We had a new hiking buddy today, Traci, Grover's friend from Michigan. We were all pretty whooped by the time we were done. Actually, who am I kidding, we were whooped before, but we had to keep going to get to the car. And, YES, well felt very proud...VERY, VERY PROUD!!!

Then we headed over to Tempe to try some vegetarian food at the Green Restaurant. It was very tasty...

Forgot my camera, so no pictures this time. Although, I did take some with my phone camera, but they didn't come out very good.

Kansas City

Sunday, 4/27 I went to a work conference in Kansas City, MO. A couple of my coworkers also went (one being Grover). We flew in on Sunday, and had planned to check out the city a bit. Kansas city is known for its fountains, steaks and BBQ. So we decided that we were going to take pictures and share with you some of the steaks and BBQ we had while there.

These were taken at The Plaza. It was about 52 degrees there and I was very thankful I took my jacket. :0) We had an opportunity to walk around and check out the scenery. Only bummer was that all the shops close early there for some reason...by 6 o'clock they were all closed except the restaurants. Go figure? Doesn't make much sense to me, but that's the way it is.

This is a fabulous fountain located in a park right at the outskirts of the plaza. It's an amazing park. It always has lots of activity going on, many kids flying their kites, etc. It's very, very pretty. Plus its got these remarkable tulip flower beds. There were also these incredible trees full of lavender type colored flowers....maybe cherry blossoms...not quite sure.

The city is also full of all different types of
statues. So, we decided we'd have a little
bit of fun and "strike-a-pose" with some of them.

We also saw street performer, who enlightened us with quite the juggling performance. :-)

Kansas City

Sunday evening we went to Jack's Stack at The Plaza in Kansas City. Its a very well known BBQ place we frequent on every visit to KC. There are a couple different locations, one conveniently located nearby the Hyatt where we stay, and this one at The Plaza.
Grover and I dragged our coworker along. We did give her a heads up as to what we were up to :0).
Both Bonnie and I ordered the same dish, and Grover ordered one with a bit more variety.












The dish on the left is what Grover ordered and the one on the right is what I ordered. Oh my gosh, by the time we were done, I could hardly move, but of course we could not leave not one little morsel behind. I thought I was going to burst before the evening was over.

Monday we had a reception after our sessions ended. It's an opportunity to mingle a bit, network, and visit with my peers from other states. Afterward, my peer, Debra, from Georgia and I went out for steaks to the Herford House. It was an enjoyable evening, and got an opportunity to get caught with Debra. Last time I saw her was during a meeting we had in Richmond Fall 2006.
Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, and did not take pictures of the HUGE steak that I ate.

Kansas City

Tuesday - We went to a Dinner Theatre and watched a great Comedy Play called Rumors starring John Davidson.









They offer a full blown buffet which includes entirely too much for anyone, but of course our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and as a result we ate and ate and ate...well you get the point. The menu included four main entrees; chicken, fish, beef and pasta diablo (yummy), along with a huge assortment of side dishes. The first picture on the left is Grovers and the 2nd one is mine. And yes, we did eat it ... ALL OF IT!!!


BUT, that was not the end of it, we still had dessert. He had some sort of oatmeal type cake with the name mother-in-law in it, and I had a Creme Brulee dessert that was to die for.

Piestewa Peak - 1A Perl Charles Memorial Trail

Friday, 4/25 we hiked a new trail in the Piestewa Peak area, Trail 1A. The trail itself was not bad, just long. It started west of the 51 and we had to take a tunnel under the 51, that was kind of freaky, saw some interesting graffiti on the way. This has probably been my least favorite of the ones we've done so far. Just took a few pictures...not as pretty as the others.

There were several other trails that connected to this one, so we had to be careful not to get lost....hmmm....I mean turned around. As you can see from the picture below, we now carry the handy dandy hiking book for just these types of occurrences.