Friends, Baseball. Sedona and Beyond

The view from recliner at the RV Park

From the deck of the restaurant at Sedona

Junior Ranger Hinnen

Ron and Diane

All of us with a part of the Sedona landscape

Montezuma Castle National Monument

A view from the bleachers at Peoria

Looks like the score is tied!

On Saturday the 20th, Ron and Diane arrived from Tulsa to spend a week in the sun. We dined on Barbecued Ribs, then sat and visited into the night. We had all met on our cruise out of Miami in the middle of the opening chapter of "the big adventure" in September of 2008.
On Sunday, we took a drive to see the Montezuma Castle National Monument, then we went on to Sedona to take in the sights. While there we had a very good late lunch before heading back to Apache Junction.
Monday we all went to the Mariner's / A's game at Peoria. Monday evening we had Barbecued chicken and some of the leftover ribs from Saturday. Tomorrow we will head down to Tucson to tour Old Tucson Studios, and possibly one of the other nearby attractions.
Later in the week we will be heading back to Tonto National Monument and Ron and I have 3 more baseball games.
The weather has been what we consider normal with daytime highs in the low 80's. It got a little warm at the game this afternoon, but cools down nicely at night. Tomorrow it will be in the low 70's for a day with a chance of showers, then back to normal on Wednesday.
We will have a recap of this busy week on Sunday. Ernie

Midway

We found this one along the trail. Even manged to frame it well!

A healthy Saguaro, a dead Saguaro, and a Saguaro skeleton.

A view out from inside the ruin.

A section of the ruin.

Posted by the Department of Redundency Department. oops!

A Saguaro skeleton

Along the trail to the ruin

The view from the trail!

We have officially reached the halfway point of this adventure. We've already started talking about the next one, but it may not be until next year. We're kicking around the idea of another
"around the country" adventure, but it would be in the opposite direction of the last one.
Last week we decided to take a drive to the Tonto National Monument. We discovered that we had been there about 10 years ago when we spent a week in the Worldmark Condo at Pinetop. This time we hiked up to the lower ruin. There is also a larger upper ruin (1 1/2 miles each way) that is a guided hike. We thought we would save that one for next week when Ron and Diane are here. The pictures on this blog were all taken at Tonto.
Yesterday we went to Tucson where we met Seattle acquaintances Jim and Cindy Goodman, at the Mariner's / Diamondback's game. This is the last year for Spring Training baseball there as the teams will be moving to a new park in Scottsdale next year. We had good (and inexpensive) seats, $5.00 up close parking, and $3.00 Hot Dogs. This was the best Baseball bargain of the year. We even had a coupon for buy 2 tickets, get 2 free! But we did burn up the better part of a tank of gas. It's a little over a 2 hour drive each way.
We are probably going to catch the Mariner's / Ranger's game on Wednesday at Peoria. Last year for some reason that was the match up we saw with the least attendance. For whatever reason, you do not see many Texas license plates here. Next week will be busy when Ron and Diane are here. We will be taking 3 significant road trips, and going to 4 Baseball games. We are looking forward to it!
The temperatures are in the 80 degree range now, and are predicted to stay that way. The last time I looked, the 10 day forecast only showed a couple of days below 80. It's like August in Seattle.
Until next time........................Ernie

One Week Later....

"Wildlife" Arizona Style

Cactus don't always grow vertical

Chihuly sculpture at the entrance to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens

"Tourists". Note: One wearing fleece and one wearing shorts!!

Yuma Car Show. 1951 Chevrolet identical to the one I (Ernie) learned to drive on in 1962.

Went to our 2nd ball game today - Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians. How can I describe this experience? Now, it wasn't snowing, but after the 3rd inning Joyce retreated to the car for warmth. At this game I wore, in addition to my jeans and shirt, a fairly well insulated jacket, a scarf, gloves and a blanket. The wind was actually what made it so cold. Not that I'm complaining about the weather (Joe...) but I just wanted to describe the experience. Ernie lasted until the 7th inning and then he came out to the car because he felt sorry for me (or - maybe he was cold - he wore shorts). It was actually funny, I felt like we were at an April ball game at Safeco Field.
The rain and clouds here are very different from Seattle and depending where you're at in the valley, you can have sun or lots of rain. The mountains here resemble the ones in Hawaii because of their formation plus they're now green instead of desert looking.
This past week we did some exploring of the area, becoming acquainted with where the different communities are located. On Saturday Ernie drove to Yuma again to go to a car show so he was gone 12 hours. I chose to stay 'home,' relax, and read. On Sunday it rained a lot so we saw a movie and took a drive out of metro Phoenix to McDowell Park in the foothills and decided we'd go back there again when it was less wet. Yesterday we drove to downtown Phoenix (about 45 minutes from here) and were going to a museum of history but it was closed, so we drove around downtown exploring the area. We had lunch at an In N Out Burger (kind of like Dick's in Seattle).
It's late in the evening and as I'm writing this I hear the pitter-patter of raindrops on our rubber roof...hmmm. However, rain is good, especially in the desert, so bring it on.
"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"... Joyce
The weather forecast calls for the last of the rain to fall later this afternoon. Right now (9:00 a.m.), it is mostly sunny but on the cool side. After today it clears up, and starts to heat up with temperatures getting to the 80's next week! From here on it looks like the weather will be what you would expect for this area. We will probably need to get more sun screen soon. It should be plenty hot when Ron and Diane get here on the 20th.
Just after Joye headed for the car at the game yesterday, the clouds cleared out and it was bright and sunny! It was still a bit on the windy side, but comfortable. At the end of the 6th inning , Joyce had been back at the car for about an hour, and there was probably about an hour left in the game, so I headed out too. The M's ended up losing the game 6 to 4, and I believe that they are now 2 and 3 in spring training. They lost both of the games that we attended, and if I remember correctly, they lost 8 and tied 2 of the 10 games we went to last year!! We may go see their game against the Giants tomorrow in Scottsdale. There should be no blankets, coats, etc. required for tomorrows game!
Ernie

Spring Training game #1

Does this mean that I'm going to have to take up carpentry?

The kid

The Ichiro highstep

"A river runs over it" at Tortilla Flats

The pitmaster at "work."

Today was the first game of the 2010 Spring Training season in the Cactus League. We saw the Mariner's and the Giants play to a 7 to 7 tie after 9 innings. Not sure how the game ended up, as we decided to head back. We are about an hour from the park in Peoria. They pretty much played what could be considered a starting lineup for the first 4 innings. It was a near perfect day with clear skies and temperatures in the low to mid 70's.

Yesterday we took a run out to Tortilla Flats. We were amazed at how green it is. The road was closed beyond Tortilla Flats due to the river flowing over the road.

On Monday I fired up the Weber Smokey Mountain and cooked 2 racks of baby back ribs along with some Italian sausage. It tastes just as good here as it does at home. I'm running low on Bone Suckin Sauce, but I think I know where to get more. We discovered a BBQ Joint at the ballpark today. I'm going to have to give it a try. The name says it all!!

Browner Ernie

Great Weather and Friends

It was a beautiful sunny warm day today - just what we've been waiting for.

We took a drive up in to the Superstition Mountains today to Tortilla Flats - a stopover for travelers back in the day. Now it's a tourist draw and there were a lot of people there. The mountains are spectacular and dramatic and the rain has greened everything up.

Later, we met friends Joe and Lindy for dinner at an Irish Pub in Chandler. Good beer, good food and good company. I actually drank almost an entire beer (due to encouragement from Joe and Lindy). We plan on getting together again for an Ernie BBQ event at our place.

Tomorrow is our first Spring Training Baseball game - go Mariners!

Back from Yuma

We made it back from Yuma about 7:00 Saturday evening. It's about a 210 mile trip (one way). It took just over 3 hours, as most of the way the speed limit is 75. We had a good time with Ron and Jan, and they drove us around quite a bit. The clouds chased us all the way from Yuma to Apache Junction, and the rain started falling again around midnight. It's almost noon, and the sky is just begining to brighten up a little. The weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week with temperatures in the low to mid 70's. Our first baseball game is on Wednesday, and it's supposed to be sunny & in the low 70's. Just about perfect for sitting out in the sun.
Today our plan is to do some grocery shopping, and make a Target stop for basics. I had thoughts about firing up the Weber Smokey Mountain today and cooking some ribs, but the weather isn't cooperating. Maybe tomorrow.
Ernie

Fun in the Sun

Ichiro, Junior, and Milton Bradley at the batting cage

Ichiro, Junior, and Milton Bradley at 1st base working on "pickoff plays".

Jack Wilson, Jose Lopez, & Franklin Gutierrez with David Aardsma on the mound

Rolls Convertible In the player's parking lot at Peoria.

Sign at Desert Valley YMCA outside of Scottsdale

Saguaro Cactus loaded on pickup at a local nursery. Approximately $1500 worth ($100 per foot)

The weather is now in full cooperation with us. Yesterday we drove over to Cave Creek which is near Scottsdale. We found a YMCA, and made a stop there for Joyce to give it a cursory inspection. She said it was nicer than the West Seattle Y. We took backroads back to Apache Junction, and went through Paradise Valley. Pretty pricey houses out there with really nice scenery.
Today we went back up to Peoria to catch some Mariner's Spring Training. They have approximately 63 players in camp. All of the big names are there, and got quite a few pictures of Ichiro, Junior, Jose Lopez, Franklin Gutierrez, David Aardsma, etc. I even managed to snag a ball during batting practice. I'm not sure who hit it out over the right field fence, but Ichiro and Junior were both hitting when I went out to try for a ball. After practice I got Mike Saunders and Milton Bradley's autographs on the ball. We will catch more practice sessions, and should be able to add a few more signatures.
This evening we went over to the hall at the RV Park and played Hand and Foot. Joyce ended up in the money ($7.00) finishing 3rd out of about 25. I'll try to get her to one of the local Indian Casino's while she's "on a roll".
Tomorrow we will be heading over to Yuma to meet up with Seattle friends Ron and Jan. It's about a 3 hour drive, so I hope to get rolling by 10:00 a.m. We will be staying overnight and coming back to Apache Junction Saturday evening.
Until Sunday,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie