Disc Golf

Casey took Don, Jim and I out to learn how to play Disc Golf. The idea is to throw discs (like frisbees) towards a basket with chains that represents the hole. There is a cement pad that acts as a tee box where you stand to begin your throw for the hole. 

Don got very good at hurling the disc flat and far.  Jim and I were not as good. I had a hard time letting go of the disc too soon and having it veer left. During one  shot I was bound and determined to hang on long enough - I threw it very far right and it ended up going over a brick fence into someone's back yard. A big bull dog barked to tell us he found it. Sorry Casey!  He is now short one disc. Good thing he brought a dozen or so. 

When Casey plays serious disc golf he carries a backpack with 15 or more discs. Each disc varies in shape and weight causing it to fly further or shorter depending on what kind of shot is needed. Much like the different clubs a golfer would carry. 

Thanks to Casey we got to try a new sport! 

Group Golf at Silverado

A drier day of golf at Scottsdale's Silverado Golf Club.   A Great day of golf with good friends (12 in all)  and good times.  ..... and Krista made her Arizona golf Debut.  Also a great big THANKS to the McCullochs for a great meal and drinks après golf.  Oh Ya, and Happy Birthday Nancy!

ps: script by DZ today.

The group before golf ...looking good before the stress of golf.

Just a couple of dudes following us around the course.  (Casey and Jim)

One of our foursome,  great swing Mel.

Another of our foursome.  Shayne posing for the camera.

Good drive.  Can you spot the ball??

Krista had some really great shots.

What form!!!  The mountains of course.

Concerts

We do get to see a lot of entertainment while we are in Mesa. A group of five Manitoba women attended a dinner theatre called Menopause:  The Musical. It was a very well done show. Four actresses sang and danced for 90 minutes without a break. The lyrics to well known songs were adapted to tell a story about four women experiencing the change. The setting was in Bloomingdales Department Store. Each act was in a different section of the store and used minimal set changes to achieve the effect.  Well done entertainment and fabulous food!!

Landscaping Works

Today it is raining in Mesa, which gives me a chance to see if the landscaping we did earlier in the week is working. Yes indeed. The river bed seems to move the water away from the front and side of the house. Yahoo!!

Not so in the backyard. The water pools at the end of the deck. At least the water here does not run in towards the patio doors. That would really be a problem. We have some planning to do to get the backyard landscaped properly. That will provide us with a winter project. 

How to Plant a Saguaro Cactus

Very carefully!!

First you dig a hole. Then you lift the giant cactus using ropes and a piece of lumber. You stand it up in the hole. Fill in and tamp down the dirt. Take away the rope and board. Voila!

Bliss

I may never move again!  I just got my swivel cuddlier chair set up in the bedroom. It was quite a struggle. Too big for friends' SUV, so had the yard man pick it up in his truck. Then it was too big to get in the bedroom door without a lot of struggling. Phew!  Well worth the effort though!!

Gorgeous viewing spot!  Yes, this is blissful!!

Mystery quilt - Step 2

I have been happily sewing away in my new Mesa sewing room. I have had to improvise, as I don't have proper furniture yet. I am using a 6 foot folding table for my sewing machine to sit on. But because the table is regular height I needed a taller chair to sit on to be comfortable. I tried a lawn chair with a pillow. Not very successful. Then I tried a bar stool. Even at its lowest setting it was still too high, so I put a box on the floor for my sewing machine pedal and my feet to sit on. Works like a charm.

I also wanted another table to arrange my sewing project on. Not having any other tables at hand, I improvised. Using two 5 gallon pails and the large box the flat screen TV came in I created a table of sorts. Mom on the Solar Farm would be proud of me!!

Part 2 of the mystery quilt was to create 186 purple flying geese. I used a variety of purple fabrics for the geese and some of the black on white fabric for the background. It took a fair while to do all this cutting and sewing. The pieces are quite small. Perhaps it is a good thing that this quilt is a mystery because if I had known all the work involved I may not have started it!

Water Drainage Landscaping

Our yard Maintainance Man, Juan, agreed to do some water drainage improvements for us. When rain falls in Arizona, it tends to come in large amounts. The landscaping around our house had all the water draining towards the house instead of away from it. 

Don and I have found that getting projects done here happens very quickly. We talked with Juan on Thursday and by Sunday his crew worked on and completed the job. Whew!!

The four men arrived before 8am and began scraping away the top layer of gravel. They had to gently remove the soil underneath as there are many hoses for the irrigation laid there. As they removed soil from one area they would build up the soil around the house so the water would drain away from the house. 

Once the soil was all accurately sloped to drain properly, they laid down river rock. Now it looks as though we have a dry river bed running through our yard. 

Next step is to add some more foundation plants. The sago palm by the front door is nice, but is a bit lonely!!

Sewing at Last!

I finally have some time to sew as Don is off to Ottawa for CSGA meetings. I stopped at a large fabric store in Phoenix after I dropped Don off at the airport. It is an amazing store!  I bought some batik fabric for a storm at sea quilt I have in mind and will plan out on paper soon. I also bought a quilted bag of 38 fat quarters of the new line of Downton Abbey fabrics. They only produced 150 of these fabric packages across North America, so I was very fortunate to get one!  I can hardly wait for the fourth season of Downton Abbey to start in the new year!!

I also got some more black on white fabric and a few lime green and aqua pieces to be used in a mystery quilt I am working on. 

When I got home I cut out and sewed together almost 200 four patches with the gray and the black and white fabrics. That was step one. Now I can work on step two which was emailed to me a couple of days ago. Soon I will be caught up and will anxiously awaited the next set of instructions. 

Boston Pops in Mesa

We attended an outdoor concert at Hohokum Stadium in Mesa by the Boston Symphony. Affectionately known as "America's Orchestra", the Boston Pops is the most recorded and probably the most beloved orchestra in the USA.  The evenings repertoire was varied, featuring the likes of Tchaikovsky, Ellington, Bernstein, Gershwin, Queen and Abba.

We were spooked by Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter and the Flying Theme from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.  We were serenaded by Rhapsody in Blue with pianist, Michael Chertock, and Joy! a Christmas medley.  Surrounded by the audience we were part of a Patriotic sing-along.  We rocked out to Bohemian Rhapsody and Dancing Queen.  The finalle was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

I know I raised from my seat abruptly as noisy fireworks exploded to emulate cannons during the 1812 Overture.  The ending was followed by the most amazing fireworks display I have ever witnessed!

To end the evening Mel, Shayne, Don and I dined at Rancho de Tia Rosa, an authentic mexican restaurant.  It is located in an adobe building and is beautifully decorated to feel you have traveled to Mexico.  There was even a duo who serenaded us with Mexican music.  The food and the atmosphere were both great!

Los Sendas and Arizona Opry

Went to Los Sendas golf course restaurant for a sunset supper. Gorgeous location overlooking Mesa. Fun visiting with a dozen Manitobans. 

The next night out was to the Arizona Opry. Mel booked a group of 16 of us at three tables. The musical program was a variety show. Lots of great music. Four of the six musicians played a wide variety of instruments. Lots of brass and other wind instruments, including two alpine flugelhorns. 

Tonight we are at Hohokum baseball Stadium to hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra do a Pops concert. Lots of fun!!  Looking forward to fireworks during the 1812 overture!