Apricity West 5

February 21, 2025 - Friday

Weighed in pre-weekend and lost .2 pounds. Yes, that counts considering our Tucson eating habits. Then the usual chain of events - walk, no swim, go to T&J’s for patio time, including cocktails and pizza. 

February 22, 2025 - Saturday

Walked at about 9am - then to T&J’s for a visit to the local Farmers’ Market. Today is more about arts and crafts, Sunday is more about food, but don’t worry, we found Heirloom and Black Garlic, Sour Dough Bread, a Ginger cookie and finally, pot stickers to share to keep it light. Here is a tour of the market for your pleasure...

Picked out a couple of butterfly stickers here. The vendor, Marissa, said that she has a bush in her front yard and noticed butterfly wings on the ground. Turns out, there is a praying mantis eating the bodies and leaving the wings behind in perfect condition. She laminates them and makes light earrings and necklaces. They don’t lose color and are beautiful as nature itself. Stickers are not the real deal, but... 

Sandra (forgot to get her picture) does water color art and also sells blank-inside cards. She does all of it - painting, framing, printing, etc. Her husband is her roadie for the shows which she very much appreciates. 

We talked with Todd about his art and the cost of a booth. Turns out he also draws medical images for hospitals and doctors' offices showing all of the body parts, organs, blood vessels, etc. WOW - talk about detailed work.

I was immediately drawn to a bright colorful booth of De La Cruz Mexican Art. The pieces are made from a very light weight wood and painted with bold and vibrant colors of lead-free acrylic paint. They are created by the Nahua People in the Mexican state of Guerrero - the styles can be traced back to Pre-Columbian era. Zoom-in to see the intricate details - many have moving parts that are so light they move in a breeze.  

There was a spinning class outside of a restaurant in the parking lot. It's in the email - see if you can find us... 

Rich and I took over the Parsons’ kitchen to give them a break from feeding us. Rich roasted a pork loin with carrots and baby potatoes in the pan. I made a batch of Johan’s red cabbage with vinegar, apple, onion and cloves. Jim grilled pineapple spears and Terri cleaned up afterwards. Team work.

February 23, 2025 - Sunday

We met them at 8am at First Watch for a “light” breakfast - HA! Of course, it was delicious.

 

Then we went our separate ways for the rest of the day until patio time after our ukulele session. While on my walk back at the RV park, Suzie came by with her mountain dogs - each weighing 125 pounds. I said I bet she doesn’t weigh as much as one of them. She weighs 105 lbs! Good thing they are so well behaved and don’t drag her around on their walk. When asked where the dogs sleep, she said, “In our bed!” Not surprised that they just ordered a bigger rig to be delivered in a couple of weeks. 

She told me that there was a birthday recently and they planned an outdoor gathering. It was too cold in the evening, so they took it inside with the two dogs and 8 adult partiers - she just pushed everything aside. I can’t imagine how they all fit in there...

We were sitting outside when Amy came by in her golf cart. She has been working here since we have been coming out and has always connected with us being from Vermont and knowing NY state very well. She asked if we knew of a TeePee on Route 9 in NY as someone had just made a reservation and said they owned it. To be continued - they arrive on Tuesday. She went on to say that she has quit drinking and smoking since we saw her last. Kudos to her.👍 Also that her husband was just diagnosed with stage-3 rectal cancer and is undergoing treatments. Prayers for him.🙏 

We drove over to the Rio Vista Park for another TUKU2 meetup. Today it got up to 77 degrees - grateful for the shade sails. Well Rich keeps getting more harmonica solos - 3 intros and/or outros that will be performed on March 19 at an elder housing unit. He hardly touches the ukulele - he’s more comfortable with the harmonica. Who knew!

Another no lunch Sunday so as to enjoy blue cheese burgers and turmeric cauliflower dinner with T&J. Followed by a combo of my WW flourless, sugarless chocolate chip cookie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of cherry syrup. Yum.

 

February 24, 2025 - Monday

Lazy day in the 80’s - did the usual stuff, including walking. Rich and I practiced our music. Hit some new milestones today...

Streaks:

Duolingo 71 days

WW 150 days

Walking 150 days

 

February 25, 2025 - Tuesday

Slept good last night - 7 hours. Walked earlier than usual to beat the heat. Played music. Crocheted on the pink baby blanket for Rich’s expectant great-grand daughter. Terri came over for a visit - sat outside in the shade. Beautiful!

 

February 26, 2025 - Wednesday

Slept even better last night - 9 hours. Same pattern for walking today. Working on the baby blanket little by little. Rich is really taking this solo stuff seriously, since he has practiced every day this week - YAY...

 

February 27, 2025 - Thursday

Another good night of sleep! Yahoo! Up at 7 and walked at 8:30 while still cool and refreshing. I decided to do a swim on this glorious bright, sunny day.

 

We are a mile away from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and they are starting to prepare for the Air Show. They are actually being re-certified - the show is March 22/23. It is thrilling to hear and see their magnificent power overhead.  

We are trying very hard to be “good” during the week with a big party weekend coming up - Terri’s birthday! Jim always plans something super special and we tag along.

 

Stay tuned...

Apricity West 5

February 14, 2025 - Friday  HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Not happy with the scale today. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I do try to be true to WW during the week. So, up and out the door early this morning to walk 2 miles in anticipation of a big Italian eat-a-thon at Michelangelo’s in Oro Valley for Valentine's Day...

Wines and suds…


Took a bite before the picture. We asked to share a Caesar salad and they served it like this…


My Rigatoni Gorgonzola…


Rich and Terri ordered Fettuccini with Clams…


Jim’s Orecchiette with sausage and pesto…

...followed by the Frost Shoppe where all flavors of genuine gelato are served. This is one of three display cases…

The story goes that two young men, having grown up together, went off to the U of A majoring in communications. They always knew they would go into business together, but not sure what business. Their families played different roles in suggesting the business, the name of the business, the logo and the location. The key to their success is the chef they brought over from Italy for their opening - he ended up staying a few months. They brought him back permanently as he could contribute much more to the venture in artistic ability, creativity, and teach more staff (primarily high school students). Jim remembers when Frost came to Tucson in this location and now there are 13 franchises. We all had a double scoop with two flavors to get the full experience. Rich’s included a bonus of a Chocolate covered Caramel in the salted caramel selection - he got two so offered me one. At the bottom of my dish was one of my own which I offered to all, but no one bit, so I got two! So it was a full day of amore.❤️ 

After dinner and before gelato, Jim took us to Western National Park Association so Rich could pick out an F# Indian Flute as suggested by Gary in North Ranch.

There were only two left in stock, so he scooped up this beauty with turquoise inlay. Now he just has to learn to play it...

Odell Borg is dedicated to introducing as many people as possible to native flutes.

We also stopped at a small popup Art Show where I found a very small pair of earrings for a second ear piercing which I had let grow in. Now to open it up again. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

 

February 15, 2025 - Saturday. HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY TO MY FIRST BORN GRANDDAUGHTER, LEANNA! ❤️

Laundry day at the Parsons. Took a walk with Terri - so much better than walking alone with my earbuds. When we got back, we had a fun mini-jam - Terri has a sweet voice which needs to get louder. Working on it! While playing, Leanna FaceTimed me and sister, Lily, joined us. We played/sang White Sandy Beach of Hawaii for them. Lily danced to it. The birthday pizza party will be at my house tomorrow...

 

Rich proudly sent this picture to Gary. He thanked Gary for his influence and he responded, “Whisper breath through it and enjoy the sound of your heart.” WOW!

After our cocktails on the patio, Terri served up her delicious Southwestern Chop Chop Chowder with artisan bread with olive oil dip. It was wonderful. 

February 16, 2025 - Sunday

Met T&J at Baja Cafe bright and early for Liege waffles (infused sugar crystals in the batter), eggs, hash browns and bacon. Oy! It’s official - our Valentine's Day eat-a-thon has become Valentine's Weekend. 😂 We are definitely foodies! 

Liege appetizer…

Main course…

Across the parking lot is Little Anthony’s Diner which is totally retro. 

Rich got his new flute out and watched a video by the gentleman who made it. He learned a lot and stuck with it for quite a while. 

 

Went to our 2nd ukulele meetup this afternoon - TUKU Proper. What fun it was with 36 players in the room. Rich was so moved that he played harmonica for 80% of the 21 songs! They kept telling him to play and gave him a solo for one of the songs (which we never heard before) too. He did great obviously playing by ear. I was shocked when he even sang one or two songs! 

New telescopic stools and cushions that fit in a bag for easier transport. We’re taking our cues from Keener and Carol for accessories. 

Colorful cushions…

Back at the Parsons’ party patio, we shared our experience over Jim’s delightful cocktails. 

We joked that Rich was a "super blowhard" today! Pork chops, harvest blend, and roasted Brussels sprouts were on the dinner menu tonight. And yes - we all skipped lunch after the enormous breakfast we had. 

 

February 17, 2025 - Monday

Today is a chill, do-nothing day. I did my walk, crocheted a little, and some tax stuff. Slept a solid 9 hours last night - feeling energized. 

 

February 18, 2025 - Tuesday

Up and out to Fry’s today before 8am. What a nice store! Very well merchandised, appealing, and great customer care even while the clerks are moving quickly and efficiently. We are planning to make dinner for T&J Saturday, so stay tuned. 

 

After putting everything away, I went for my walk. The weather is bright, warm, and sunny - good day to swim so I did. 

 

Practiced the new song list that came out for this weekend.

 

February 19, 2025 - Wednesday

Another gorgeous 70 degree day - walked and swam today even though I didn’t fall asleep until 2am. Sarah, banjo player, was walking her dog past our site and I asked her if she wanted to jam this week. She got verklempt and said not this week, as they have a quality of life vet appointment tomorrow. Bee Gee’s kidneys are failing. 🥺

 

February 20, 2025 - Thursday

And another good night of sleep - phew. The nights are in the 40’s so it takes a while for the sun to warm things up to short sleeve temps - usually by 9. If I wait much later than that for my walk, it quickly gets too hot for me. 

I sent a “thinking of you” text to Sarah and she replied that Bee Gee was so much better today that they cancelled the vet appointment! 

I made a batch of flourless, sugarless, WW chocolate chip cookies in the air fryer today. They are actually very good. I sure hope we have some left for Terri and Jim tomorrow night!

Watched La Dolce Villa on Netflix - a much needed feel good movie💕

Apricity West 5

February 7, 2025 - Friday

While on my walk listening to the radio, I heard a news story about a volunteer project translating historical documents from cursive to digital records. I have been so upset that they did away with teaching cursive in our schools. My grandson asks me to read aloud the cards I give him! One argument against it is that future generations will not have a signature. Not being able to read historical records in Ancestry or any other documents is what has me worried. So I signed up through National Archives to translate documents. Will let you know how that goes...

 

Stopped at Michaels for yarn to crochet a baby blanket on the way to Terri and Jim’s for Fish Fry Friday. We lolled in the courtyard before dinner. Rich cooked rice, marinated shrimp, and then pan fried scallops in butter and lemon, while Jim grilled the shrimp. Terri made one of her delicious salads with feta, fresh orange, and homemade dressing. I helped serve...

February 8, 2025 - Saturday

Weighed in today as we know what the weekend will bring - lots of fun, food and drink. We were both down - me a little, him a lot. After my walk, Rich and I practiced on our ukuleles as we are going to a brand new (to us) group, TUKU - Tucson Ukulele Uprising! We’re feeling pretty brave since we don’t know anyone there. 

 

We all went to El Charro for lunch. Jose was our waitperson and he prepared Table Side Guacamole for us - see a video in the body of the email. Here come the pictures of delicious food. We sat outside in their courtyard under the umbrellas.  

Video of table-side guacamole prep in the body of this email. 

The unique practice at this restaurant is the preparation of Carne Seca - there is a screened cage hanging on the roof with strips of beef hanging to dry in the sun. Then it is shredded, seasoned and ground up for the meals. I had a carne seca burrito which was delicious.  

Took a tour to visit two more murals in town…

Cocktails and conversation afterwards.

February 9, 2025 - Sunday

After yesterday’s food intake, I pushed myself to walk 2 miles which is  .4 miles more than I have been doing. Have to make up somehow for not dancing 3 times a week. A woman stopped by today asking about our motorhome. She is in an A-frame with her husband and his and her huge mountain dogs. It turns out that one (hers) is a comfort dog which she takes to schools and nursing homes. Her name is Suzie - when I told her my name, she said her grandmother’s name is Monta. She is here from Montana - White Fish which is where our friend, Nancy, hails. Rich mentioned Kalispell which is near there where he has a friend, Vern. She then said they sold their home in White Fish as it is so crowded and busy with traffic and moved to Kalispell! After that, they moved to Portland, OR which is where my friend, Cindy, lives! Small world! We have a LOT to talk about in the coming weeks - they leave on March 1st. 

 

We drove over to Terri and Jim's to load up their car with our instruments and stands for the TUKU meeting. They were our roadies and stayed for two hours of entertainment/discovery. There were 21 of us there and it really sounded great. When Rich wasn’t playing the ukulele, he pulled his C harmonica from his pocket to play along on several songs and they commended him for it. What a gorgeous setting to play music - in a desert park. Video in the body of this email. .

Sister Terri

Went back to T&J’s house to “watch" the Super Bowl and eat wings and potato salad. We were focused on the food!

 

February 10, 2025 - Monday

I did the 2-mile walk today. Worked on taxes and was working on this blog, when I heard Rich squeal, “Oh my God!” I got up to look outside and lo and behold, Pat from North Ranch (walking partner) was parked in front of our site! She and her daughter, Cindy, came for a surprise visit - just in time for cocktail hour. I am so glad to have met Cindy. She has lived in Tucson since 1994 and knows all of the places we talk about that we have visited. What a wonderful surprise! Pat is here for the week and then goes back to NR. 

February 11, 2025 - Tuesday

Went for my walk and then we met Terri at Sa-Ing Thai Cuisine, where we have been many times. Their food is so flavorful; I had the Pad See-Ew with pork.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet and we settled in to watch my grandson, 15-year-old Jacob’s, high school basketball game on my i-Pad. It can be hard to follow on the i-Pad so we watch for sneaker and sock colors. There are 2 tall, thin players that wear white sneakers and socks - Jake and Sammy. They aren’t usually in at the same time, but into the 2nd quarter someone got hurt and they took the camera to the other side of the court, so we couldn’t tell who it was. I saw tall, thin white sneakers and socks standing and assumed it was Jake. Nope! Come to find out, he was being taken away in the ambulance with a dislocated knee - very painful. They also discovered he has a hairline fracture in his elbow from the fall! This is the same kid who has been sidelined from football several times with hairline fractures in his wrists. I swear he has grown sooooo fast - 4 inches last summer alone - that his bones are weak. I'm just making that up, but is it possible? He was 6’3” in September and looks like he has grown another inch or two since then. Needless to say, I had a sleepless night with sympathy pains in my knees… (I got his permission to tell this story.)

 

February 12, 2025 - Wednesday

Temps are cooling here this week into the low 60’s. Walked before the high winds started though I feel like I’m in a daze! The highlight of my day was that Jake called me and he sounds good. I guess he’s used to these setbacks and doesn’t really get all worked up about them. They go to an orthopedic doctor tomorrow to decide what comes next. 

 

Kyle (guitar) and Sarah (banjo) walked by and we talked about an impromptu jam session at the community room tomorrow. Frank plays guitar and will give it a try too. We’ll see what happens - it can’t be that bad if it is music - right? We’ll see...

 

Guess who dug out his paper and pens to do some drawing for summer Farmers’ Market? Here is a sample:

Rich cooked a small steak for us in the air fryer and it came out really good. Just had broccoli as a side.

 

February 13, 2025 - Thursday

A windy walk in the morning and then met up with Kyle, Sarah and Frank at the Community Room porch for a spontaneous mini-jam. We worked through some songs for an hour and a half and will work on others to reconvene next week. 

We went over to Terri’s mid-afternoon to keep the jive going. She (piano) and I played a number of songs that we like. Then we had a stir fry dish - chicken and cashews a la Terri...

Jacob went to the orthopedic doctor and they said the elbow is a minor injury. He actually fractured his kneecap which is the best case scenario as he could have torn ligaments otherwise. Basically, he has to rest and ice his knee - no surgery, no cast...

Until next week, Tata