It's a party !!

Well, the weekend of June 21-22 saw 2 of my friends (Donna & Maureen) celebrate the Big 50 ! It reminded me that I am not that far behind ..... hmmm. Of course, parties were in order. And since the temperatures in Phoenix were their normal June 110+ degrees, what is the only way to celebrate - a pool party! Always a great mix of people, some I don't get to see that often, were in attendance, so that added to the merriment. The picture is of Donna; unfortunately, I forgot my camera on Sunday so no pictures of Maureen - dang! This was also a going away party for Maureen, as she is moving to Norman, OK, to see her son through high school and then into the military. We'll miss you , Mo !!

Jeff/Chrissy's wedding

Well, I made another trip back to Missouri over Father's Day weekend. Usually I don't head back there this quickly after Memorial Day, but this year was special. I got to see my nephew, Jeffrey, and his long-time (I guess, when you consider they are barely in their 20s) girlfriend Christina tie the knot. It was great to be there to witness, plus I got to see many relatives I often miss when I live half the country away, so that added to the pleasure! It was really quite a short wedding ceremony (much to most guests' pleasure) and then off to the reception to do some catching up.

Since I was back in the Ozarks area, I could not miss the opportunity to get up Sunday and spend one more day boating at the Lake of the Ozarks! All in all, a great, if not short, weekend back to good ol' Missouri. I even had time to stop off for an adult beverage at a fun little Lake bar, with one of the best names ever!

Oww.. wait, I mean, SWEET !!!!!

Usually when you get bitten by a bug, it hurts, but not this one. I went to the local NASCAR track and took a ride-along in a stock car through the Richard Petty Experience. Needless to say, I have been bitten and am hooked! I have done this once before in an Indy car, and I now know what I want to do. I can no longer be content riding next to the instructor; I'm gonna need to drive one of these babies ! Time to save my money up to do more of this.

As for the rest of May, it is starting to heat up here, so indoor activities are becoming the rule. A group of us headed over to the Glendale Jazz & Blues festival for one last nice, warm day of music. I got to take in a Diamondbacks game as well as one from the Rattlers (our Arena football team). The month culminated with a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. A nice, long, relaxing weekend was spent hanging out and boating. As usual, it rains sometime during this weekend in the Midwest, but the weather gods smiled on me. It was never raining during the time I really planned to be on the water.. sweet !!!

April = racing!!!

Here in Phoenix, there are still a number of things to do, but high on my list is attending the spring NASCAR race, and all it's revelry. Being night races, it can lead to some cool temps, but this year the weather was perfect! The next weekend, I made another favorite trek to LA to catch the Long Beach Grand Prix. Having a long-time friend living there makes it all the more enjoyable, as they own a wine bar close to the event - woo woo !

The month ended with a fun Phoenix event, the salsa festival. Warm weather, tasty salsa, and a few margaritas to boot make for an enjoyable afternoon as the weather starts to warm here. All in all, this has been a cool spring for us, with temperatures staying in the 80s throughout the month and into May. Just why we live here!

Spring training

As is normal in March, the buzz is all about spring training baseball, and in all fans' hearts, hope springs anew for their team. My friends Roger and wife Eileen stopped by for a few days to enjoy the great spring weather, do some hiking, and take in a couple of Royals games.

more catch-up

In February, even though you do not think of AZ as a ski destination, we really got to do some of that here! The rains that drenched the valley this winter led to the best snowfall in some 10 years here, so I took off a few days and headed to Pinetop for the first time to ski at Apache Sunrise. This is actually close to the real skiing elsewhere. With 3 mountains and only the locals there for this trip, I got in more runs than I could count.

The first time!

Well I finally made it! I had sworn to start a blog this year, but it took me until halfway through the year to get it done. Whew! It has been an eventful start, which had aided in my lack of ability to get to this point. The year started on a sorrowful note, with me losing my beloved companion and dog, Maddie. It is amazing how much we come to depend on animals to be there and simply give us unconditional love. However, I was blessed to have her company for 17 years, and she is now resting peacefully along side her sister (?) Candi, in a beautiful pet cemetery here in suburban Phoenix.

As for the rest of the spring, it was filled with the normal glut of things to do here in Phoenix. Our winter, if you will, is chock full of events, with a variety of things to do. I attended art fairs, motorcycle rallies, a charity beer tasting (always good!), the normal slew of collector car auctions, and even made it to 5 Royals' spring training games. Yes, growing up in Kansas City as I did, I am still a hapless romantic when it comes to rooting for the Royals and the Chiefs. The picture is of me (on the left) with my friend Mike in town for some spring fun. We had joined others at a popular hangout for bikers and tourists alike - Greasewood Flats - for some Sunday afternoon relaxation and libations!