Homeward Bound

Although it was our last week here at Countryside and we were alone doesn't mean we didn't stay busy enjoying all we could. The construction in the park appears to be winding down just in time for us to leave. Except for this it has been very quiet because nearly all park neighbors have left for the summer. To stay busy and get away from the construction we have gotten out for various activities. We have taken several bicycle rides and the trip computers on the bikes are now registering upwards of 150 miles on each since they were installed earlier this winter. We have continued to enjoy the pool about every other day but virtually all other park activities have died out except for Tuesday evening when we enjoyed pot luck snacks and a karaoke party on the pool deck with a number of remaining park residents. They tell us that about 70 people live here year round. On Sunday evening, as posted last, we had a fun evening with Dad's cousins in Chandler.

Left to Right: Alayne (Ruby's daughter), Wendy, Ivan, Lindsey, Curtis, Milo, Ruby

Monday afternoon Alan Sedgwick, our dancing and geocaching instructor, asked Dad to come to help him administer to an elderly couple in their park that are coping with news just received that the sister has terminal cancer. Following that we visited a while and invited them down to learn how to play Pegs and Jokers. We had a blast and Lois and I won twice to the men's once. We then made arrangements to spend Tuesday geocaching with Alan and Lois. We went to Fountain Hills and found about eight caches and then came closer to home to find two more that were very well hidden. One of the caches in Fountain Hills was a virtual cache and another was a puzzle cache in the vicinity of the lake and fountain. Another one was so tiny it was amazing. Ask us for more details about these if you are interested. We got in plenty of walking on a very warm day and had a great time.

Fountain Erupts Each Hour on the Hour for About 15 Minutes

That evening was the pool-side karaoke party mentioned earlier.

By Wednesday we started making preparations to leave and Thursday we spent all morning and early afternoon at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum about 30 miles East of here near the city of Superior. It is an Arizona state park that we visited there last year and it seemed even more beautiful this year maybe because more plants were in bloom. The variety of trees, cacti, flowers and other vegetation is made even more interesting and delightful due to the small lake, the nearby scenic Picket Post Mountain, many colorful rock formations within the park, the canyon with the small stream, the Australian exhibit and much more. We found this to easily be our favorite over the Desert Botanical Garden we visited last week. The only problem was that Dad was on a prolonged phone conversation with his sister which continued as we left and we forgot our camera so our only pictures were on Dad's phone. Once again it is difficult to select photos as there are so many good ones from which to choose.

Huge Eucalyptus Tree, One of Many in Eucalyptus Forest

Part of Australian Exhibit

Clevenger House Along Lower Main Trail in Canyon Was Home for Family of Five in Early 1900's

Section of Lower Main Trail in Canyon With Many Pomegranate Trees

Trail in Canyon Along Queen Creek

Upper End of Main Trail Going Down Into Canyon

Ayers Lake in Background From Upper Main Trail

Boojum Tree

After returning from the Arboretum we went to Gilbert to visit Becky Denison with whom we cruised last November. She lives in an exclusive gated community in a beautiful home on a man-made lake. She had lost her camera with all her cruise pictures in the lake while boarding her boat a couple of months ago and I went there to see if I could retrieve it in the shallow water near the dock. The camera would be ruined but the memory card with the pictures would still be OK. The water was cool and not clear enough to see the bottom so I had to search by feel. While I found a number of trash items, we were all disappointed that I never ran across her camera in almost a half hour of searching. Becky then took us for a ride in her boat to the community's common area with a huge club house, a small, clear lake surrounded by a sandy beach and waterfalls, a huge swimming pool with spa, fitness center, racket ball and tennis courts and many other amenities. Becky sent us off with three grocery bags full of lemons and grapefruits from trees at a vacant home in her community where she used to live. Thanks Becky for a nice afternoon. We wish we could have found that elusive camera:(

Looking for the Lost Camera

View from Becky's Back Yard

Becky and I Just Cruisin'

Community Swimming Lake and Beach (separate from boating lake)

Waterfalls and Flowers on Swimming Beach Shoreline

Community Swimming Pool

Fisherman on Shore During Boat Ride

In Becky's Back Yard

Friday we checked out to leave Saturday morning. We took a last bike ride and twice this week we have gone to delicious dinners at the Outback Steakhouse to use Christmas gift cards. Although it is very windy and cool (72 degrees) we took our last swim and soak for the season before turning in. If it is not too windy we'll be on the road headed home Saturday morning.