A New T-Shirt - Nope

Tombstone, AZ   High - I've forgotten. But the weather was really nice. Warm but not hot. The nights are cooling down.

 Lunch time - we decided to stop at the Farmhouse Bakery Restaurant. This is the restaurant that Pat, Marilyn, and I had stopped at and had such a great hamburger. And the food did not disappoint this visit either.

There is just no way to not stop in Tombstone when you're in southeast Arizona. Especially when Paul really wanted a t-shirt from Tombstone (preferably from the Harley store). If you remember, the girls and I stopped in Tombstone a couple months ago on a Monday. Again Paul and I were there on a Monday and the streets were really quiet. I figure the store owners want a day to recover from the wild week-ends.

Our search for the perfect t-shirt was not successful. Most of the stores looked like they needed to be restocked. Their inventory was quite low. 

I let Paul wander up and down the street while I sat and people watched. I also watched as the clouds started getting darker and the wind picked up.  

 We did succeed in leaving the fudge store without buying anything. That's pretty news worthy.

 Leaving Tombstone we actually got rained on. But it was only just enough rain to make the car spotted with dirt. We did not expect the rain because this area has really been suffering from a drought. They are preparing for wildfires this summer.

It was time to head to Sunsites, AZ where we had reservations at the Inn at Sunsites. 

 

I read some really nice reviews about this place and the price was reasonable. Not a lot of choices unless you're in Benson or Willcox. The rooms were really nice and really clean.

Dinner was at TJ's Bar and Grill. We weren't really expecting anything special in the way of food on this adventure - boy were we surprised. We found some of the best food ever. First stop - TJ's. We would definitely eat here again. (fresh cut fries sealed the deal for me).

We had a busy first day and headed back to the Inn. One problem for me. I don't stream anything so I had no idea how to use the TV in my room. Paul volunteered to show me but I was tired and decided I would just read my book. I don't think my brain could have grasped the streaming thing. The bed was comfortable and I'm not sure how much of my book got read.
 

 

Saguaro National Park (East Side)

 Tucson, AZ - beautiful weather. I just don't remember the highs and lows

Paul and I had talked about taking a trip to see the Chiricahua National Monument and finally decided it was time to go. 

The Chiricahuas are located in southeast Arizona near the town of Willcox. But before we get there we have some places to see. Number one on the list was Saguaro National Park near Tucson. 

Saguaro National Park is home to the giant saguaro cactus. These cactus are tall (up to 50 feet) with arms that grow throughout the years. They are very slow growing and can live to 200 years. Saguaros are found exclusively in Arizona, California and Mexico. 

 

The Park itself is divided by Tucson into two parts. The East Side and West Side. The East Side has a paved 8 mile drive through the Park and that is what we choose to do. Several pull outs with beautiful views of the Sonoran Desert. I have several pictures for your enjoyment. (I really do love the desert.)

The weather was just about perfect. There were more people visiting the park than I expected but not enough to ruin the experience.  

Lizards, Cougars, Ice Cream, Airplanes and More

Apache Junction    High 88  Low 64

 How in the world is it the middle of April already and I am so far behind on my blog. I'm going to try and get caught up so wish me luck. 

We (me and the girls) decided we needed to try Oldies Ice Cream. We invited four of our Missionary Elders to join us for a treat on a hot afternoon. They couldn't say yes fast enough. Oldies is an ice cream shop decorated like the 50's here in Apache Junction.

(I forgot to get pictures of the place and this one if from their website.) 

 Pat and Marilyn both wanted banana splits. When they went to order at the counter, the woman working asked them if they were sure they both wanted one. Turns out the splits are huge. They decided they would share one which was a really good idea. I had a kid's sundae which had fantastic ice cream. The Elders ordered everything from a milk shake to a double scoop sundae. 

 All the time we're there, the music playing is all from the 50's. We were amazed that these 20 year olds knew most of the words to several of the songs that played. This place definitely deserves another visit.

Wendy (my neighbor in our park) takes the best pictures. She found the Superstition Mountain Cougar that only shows up twice a year during the third weeks of March and September.  

 Paul had this visitor in his yard one day. Usually all he gets are bunnies and birds.

 Paul and I tried out a new place for us for lunch. Barrio Brewing Company is a brewpub which sits at the Mesa Gateway Airport. You can watch planes take off and land while eating. It looked like they were working on a couple of new runways out there. 

The food was okay but not much to get excited about. Paul had a burger and I had a Philly Steak sandwich. Probably won't be back.  

Paul and I spent some time planning our next adventure. So stay tuned. 

Short Stack for A Tall Cause

 Still breaking all kinds of heat records. This is just bizarre.

 Last May 2025 we had tea to celebrate Mother's Day. But this tea was special because it was spent with Clydesdales. We went to the Clydesdale Preservation Foundation in Gilbert.

This year I found the following:

We really enjoyed our tea with the Clydesdales so we figured this would be a great thing to do. It was early enough in the day that the heat wasn't a problem.

I picked up Pat and Marilyn and off we went. Wendy was going to join us but when she went online to get her ticket, it said they were sold out.  

There were a few people milling around when we got there. Two  horses were in the paddock (?) (a grassy area with an electrified fence around it). We turned in our tickets and they told us to go get our pancakes and sausage. 

The pancakes were really delicious. And another person asked to sit at our table with us. She was interesting to visit with.

 But that was the end of it. We wandered over to the horses but they weren't interested in us because the volunteer had the food bucket. They were really pretty especially when the sun hit them. They glistened. 

The most excitement we had was watching one of the horses who decided he wanted to go outback where the food was better. He banged and banged on the gate making all kinds of noise. 

Really disappointing adventure. At the tea last year, one of the officers of the foundation gave us a wonderful talk about the horses and the difference between a foundation and a rescue. She explained how they got the horses they have at their location. A very interesting presentation. She also let us know that she was fighting cancer. She was not at the breakfast this year. So whoever is in charge needs to make some changes for next year. Also, they need to change their ticket selling website. They definitely were not sold out and had no idea that site was telling people that they were. 

 

 

In other news - once a month the women in our Church Ward get together for a luncheon at Denise's beautiful home. Denise does most of the work (she made ham sliders)  and we bring salads and desserts and whatever sounds good. 

She has this beautiful picture of a bunny in her living room. My phone doesn't do it justice. 

The three of us keep plenty busy but the heat and the price of gas is putting a big dent in our adventures. We're looking at things to do closer to home and inside a building. Wish us luck. 
 

The Road to 250

Apache Junction  High  100  Low 67

 I posted today's (March 18th) temperature because this is the earliest Phoenix has ever reached 100 degrees. And for the next few days the temps are going to be even hotter. We will reach 107 on Friday. The weather is definitely broke. Seasons? What seasons? 

But back when it was only 88 to 92 we went to explore some of Arizona's past. Since the USA is getting ready to celebrate 250 years, Arizona put together a traveling museum to share some of its history. 

The museum has a replica of the Liberty Bell and is going to travel to all 15 counties in Arizona and then the Bell will be permanently installed at the State Capitol. We went to the Red Mountain Library in Mesa to see the exhibit.

It was hot, my back hurt and the heat really got to me in the trailer. They had two chairs for people to sit on and Pat and I each claimed one. Marilyn (thank you so much) stood in the sun in the long line to get in. There were lots of panels full of information, but there were so many people I didn't stay long enough to read most of them. If I had been feeling better, there is lot of information that would have been interesting to read. But thanks to Marilyn, I have been able to read several of the panels here in the air conditioning in my trailer.  

               

I'm glad we went because this is one of those one time experiences that I love.   

You Drove 90 Miles For WHAT??

 

In June of last year, the three of us took the Cerreta Candy Factory tour. We got to make our own candy bars and see how they make some of their candy. As we were getting ready to leave I noticed this huge bag of popcorn for sale. We all like popcorn so I couldn't say no. 

 Fast forward to March of 2026 and I really wanted some more of that popcorn. It was sooo good.  Checked with the girls to see if they were up for a road trip and off we went. Pat knew where we were going but we didn't tell Marilyn. She did figure it out because we gave her a popcorn hint. Not a fun drive because you go from Highway 202 to Interstate 10 near downtown Phoenix and then you wander through Glendale. But we made it and it was worth it. 

We each bought a bag of popcorn. 

Thank goodness I have a huge trunk. And we also bought some orange dream cloud candy which just melts in your mouth. I think the cashier thought we were a little strange to be driving all the way from Apache Junction to Glendale for popcorn. 90 miles round trip. 

It was lunch time so I took the girls to a restaurant that Paul and I found a couple of years ago. The Taste of Europe which features Polish food.  The restaurant is in downtown Glendale. 

Found a different way home which was about 10 minutes longer but much easier on my nerves. I am thoroughly enjoying my popcorn.