Apricity West 3

November 18, 2022 - Friday

We met a new couple at the Elks who just signed up tonight. He is retired Air Force and they have lived in Wickenburg for 7 years.

 

November 19, 2022 - Saturday

Today was the annual North Ranch Craft Fair with 31 tables of vendors. Richart Creations was one of those tables and the fee is only $1, making it a more profitable table than any other markets. 

It was a good day for our table and we did most of our Christmas shopping right there in solidarity with other crafters. I love to watch the expressions of people looking through Rich’s art! Most are big smiles, but some are sad faces. The card that says, “The worst part of owning a pet, is saying Goodbye” is a good example. 

 

Rich finally had an opportunity to talk with the people here from Vermont.

He waved them down and found out they are from Fair Haven, VT which is 5 miles from his house in Whitehall, NY! They had several mutual acquaintances and they used to go to his family’s Silver Diner. Small world if you talk to people long enough!  

 

November 20, 2022 - Sunday

Took a ride to Yarnell this morning to see if the brewery is opened yet. It is not; we hear that they are waiting for the necessary licenses. 

 

It always tugs at my heart to drive by the Granite Mountain Hot Shot monument where 19 firefighters got trapped and killed by a dry storm lightning strike in 2013.

Brendon McDonough (age 19) survived as he was told to be a lookout which separated him from his crew. Talk about survivor’s guilt…

Brendan is the lone survivor of the Yarnell Hill fire tragedy of 2013. Today he is a public speaker and works with numerous nonprofits for veterans, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services. He lives in Prescott, Arizona.

McDonough is an uplifting speaker, whose courage to find support at his weakest has inspired others to find their own tribes of support. Building a sense of brotherhood within communities gives McDonough great joy – because it helps this fighter honor the legacy of his 19 lost, but not forgotten, brothers.

November 21, 2022 - Monday

Line dancing and cardio drumming today. I love dancing, but feel the workout for drumming is less stress on my joints as it is mostly upper body workout. I will dance until I drop, but get a fast heart rate much quicker with drumming. There are more people joining us now, so Joanne and Kay are improvising equipment. I enjoyed using a plastic garbage can this time - it is loud and the correct height for me. The music was louder today with a new amp system that Denny provided. Dee and Sharon - you would love it. 

 

November 22, 2022 - Tuesday 

 Tuesdays are my "do nothing" days. Rich goes into the Wickenburg Art Club with Tom so I take care of phone calls, chores, laundry or whatever I feel like doing. Afternoon laundry was in the mix today while doing a jigsaw puzzle in the Clubhouse. 

 

This being the first year that people are free about getting together, it is fun to watch the planning going on for a community Thanksgiving dinner in the Activity Center. No one can cook in the kitchen because there isn’t a certified restaurant manager here - there are several Food Safety Certified folks, but according to the powers that be, there has to be a manager. Soooooo to get around that, some of the lot owners down below have volunteered to cook turkeys and ham in their homes, and everyone brings a pot luck dish. They have about 50 people signed up thanks to the “work campers” Melissa and Jim Talley who knocked on every RV door to be sure they have something to do on Thanksgiving. They are a young (late 50’s), very enthusiastic couple who is picking up a lot of slack for the aging (and dying) community here. We are looking forward to dinner at John and Eileen’s in Surprise again this year - we are in charge of ROLLS!

November 25, 2022 - Wednesday 

Found out that there are some people sick with Covid in the park and Yarnell - next town over. Guess I spoke too soon. 

 

November 24, 2022 - Thursday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 🦃🍽🍁💕

Had a great time and eats at John and Eileen’s in Surprise today...

We got the delicious Cajun shrimp recipe from Matthew, John and Eileen’s son. 

John is making a point to Rich and Rod 😄

Serious food preparation by Matthew, Susan, Steven, and Eileen. She claims the only thing she did was mash the potatoes! 

Steve is drizzling homemade caramel on the Banana Bread Pudding. 

Susan overseeing the carving.


Plentiful table of deliciousness to make us thankful. 

Ready for the next holiday 🎄🎅🤶