Visits from Don and Jane and Then Some

On Feb. 8th my sister, Jane, flew in from Boise to stay for a few days. That same day my brother from Alaska, Don, and Dixie also stopped in on their way through driving from Yuma to Twin Falls and beyond. We had a good time visiting and all of us went out with Gene and Lynn to dinner at a restaurant in Mesa that evening.

That night Don and Dixie stayed at a motel next door and took off early the next morning to see my brother, Glenn, in Twin Falls that evening. Jane stayed with us. During the week we made jewelry items in wire wrap including a ring and bracelet. They turned out to be beautiful. On Thursday we took Jane for a ride up the Apache Trail, the historic winding road to the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River. Along the way we stopped to view desert scenery and Canyon Lake before arriving in Tortilla Flat, the tiny town along the way. It consists of only a couple of stores and a saloon/restaurant with an outdoor patio where a small live band entertains daily.

Friday morning we girls went to the market and walked our bottoms off looking and looking while Dad and Gene took a 10-mile bicycle ride. That afternoon we went to a Northwest States Pot Luck lunch in the park where we were the only people representing Idaho.

Saturday morning there was an auction in the park. I bought a small teapot for my neighbor, Gayle Bramwell, as I knew she wanted one after seeing mine. They were selling some things by the box full with many going for as little as $1 which is what I paid for the cute teapot. The auctioneer stood on the back of a golf cart as it moved down a street in the park where items were stacked on both sides. It was good for a little entertainment.

Saturday evening Jane went with us to a stake-sponsored Valentine's Day Dance. It was a 40's and 50's theme that included a half-hour of swing dance instruction prior to the dance and some very tasty goodies. This was a fun evening.

On Valentine's Day Dad and Gene worked a 4-hour shift at the church welfare cannery in Mesa bottling over 6000 pints of tasty salsa. Dad and Gene each brought home a pint for helping. Dad, Jane and I exchanged Valentine's day gifts and cards.

We also appreciated the cards from family and friends.

That evening we went to an Elvis impersonator show here in the park starring Gene Styles (www.genestyles.com). We had seen him last winter and wanted to see him perform again. He does a very convincing performance with many of Elvis's memorable songs.

The next day we took Jane to the Goldfield Ghost Town and then to the Superstition Mountain Museum a short distance up the Apache Trail. We looked through a number of gift shops and checked out the reptile exhibit at the ghost town and looked through many outdoor displays at the museum before taking Jane to the airport for her flight home. We enjoyed the time with her and hope she had a fun and relaxing time spent with us.

Thursday we went with park residents to a private showing and pizza buffet at the Organ Stop Pizza Restaurant (www.organstoppizza.com) in Mesa. This was also a repeat of last winter's visit. The Mighty Wurlitzer and the many associated instruments that are played by the organ console are amazing. It is like listening to an entire orchestra and the salad and pizza were delicious.

Then on Friday evening we were thrilled by an awesome show by the Dutton Family (www.theduttons.com). They perform in Branson, Missouri during the summer and in Mesa during the winter months. Three generations of very talented performers put on an incredible show of music, dance, singing and humor. On Saturday evening we attended a talent show and art display with pot-luck desserts at intermission at our ward meeting house. I was coerced by Dad and my artist neighbor, Gayle, to enter a display of my wire wrap jewelry. There was quite a variety of talent from ward members and we had an enjoyable evening. I also got a number of compliments on my jewelry which made it worthwhile.

Sunday we attended meetings and then enjoyed a free ice cream social sponsored by the park that afternoon. Along with bicycle rides, including a 10-miler with Dad, playing horseshoes, enjoying the pool and several evenings of games and movies with the Liljenquists this has been quite a busy couple of weeks.

Arrival of Special Friends

Tuesday morning we were invited to celebrate the 59th wedding anniversary lunch for park neighbors, Marge and Alfred Johansen. It was at a nice restaurant on a golf course and we had an enjoyable time. People were particularly impressed with the personalized card I had made and printed on the computer.

Then shortly thereafter I stepped on the edge of one of the park walkways and severely sprained my ankle. It is now getting a little better but the bruising shows how bad it was. Our dear friends, Gene and Lynn Liljenquist arrived Tuesday afternoon for a month's stay. That evening we were treated to the talents of a young woman musician and vocalist who was born blind and with a severe cleft palate named Sarah Getto. She is very talented and we enjoyed her concert immensely. What is most remarkable is what she has accomplished in spite of severe handicaps. Much credit goes to her parents. She played the keyboard, fiddle and sang, doing very credible oldies renditions of Patsy Cline, Karen Carpenter, Anne Murray and others to the accompaniment of soundtracks she had previously recorded herself. You might check out more about her at www.sarahgetto.com.

During the week we have enjoyed the pool and spa several evenings along with movies and games. Dad found a web site that streams movies without commercials and we watched "Water for Elephants," The Help," and "Tangled." We especially enjoyed "Tangled." On Friday we visited the Mesa Market and even after seeing the huge flea market at Quartzsite, Gene and Lynn were amazed at the size and variety of this market. We only saw about half of it in two to three hours of browsing. On Saturday we had "lunch" at Costco as we browsed all the sampling stands and finished it off with an ice cream treat. It was a zoo! The place was huge and jam packed with shoppers. We thought it was just the Saturday before the Super Bowl but one of the associates said it was always this way on Saturday and if we thought it was crowded now we should stick around until 4 to 5 PM. In the afternoon we took the drive up North a ways to Fountain Hills and did the hike around the lake there where the man-made "geyser" shoots water up well over 300 feet for 15 minutes every hour in the center of the lake. It was a nice relaxing afternoon with even some atrists and authors showing and selling their work along the way near a playground with a couple of cute sculptures.



We finished the trip at sunset by driving to the upper end of Idaho Rd (where our park is located on the lower end) for some views of the valley and the beautiful desert scenery nearby.

Today our park neighbors, Bill and Carla Dodds are coming to visit our church meeting with us. We hope and pray they will be touched with the Spirit there.