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. 
 

Ostritches, Goats, Deer, Mini Donkeys - My kind of place

 Raining again in Tucson

After a mediocre breakfast at the hotel, we loaded up the car in the rain and headed for our next stop, hoping the rain quits before we get there since it's outdoors. By the time we got there, the rain had quit so we were ready.

 

We all love animals and none of us had ever been to Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch. Time to rectify that. We opted to buy the pass that also let us feed the sting rays. We got our cup full of food for the different animals and headed out to try our luck at feeding them. 

The big trucks only run on weekends or holidays.

 The first animal we encountered were the friendly mini donkeys. They are sooo cute. And they definitely know what we are there for and run right up to the fence to get their pellets. 

The second animal we found were my favorite - the Fallow Deer. They are very gentle when taking the food out of your hand. Even the youngest child could easily feed these deer. They are quite small.

How about some goats in a penthouse? These are Boer Goats from South Africa. The idea is to put the food in the little white cups and then you have to crank the cups up to the goats. The food falls out in a feeding tray and it's your turn to send up more food.

The Hole In The Wall Gang are also Boer Goats who know how to put their heads through the holes to get food. If you're brave enough, you can also get a kiss from one of these goats. That is Picacho Peak in the back ground.

 Next up were ostriches and this place has lots and lots of ostriches. Watching those animals run is really something to see. And I would keep little hands away from feeding them. They bite and both Pat and Marilyn found that out the hard way. I read the instructions carefully and did exactly what they said to do so I escaped unscathed. But I only did it once.

Did you by any chance happen to notice the lady's straw hat that was at the Hole In The Wall? Ostriches have long necks and have no trouble grabbing your hat off your head. She and her husband had a tug of war going with the ostrich over the hat. They finally won but the hat was a little worse for wear.

Next were the Giant Sulcata Tortoises from Africa. It was interesting to learn that they need to be fed from the side because they can grip the asparagus better from that angle. 

They also have chickens, rabbits, sheep, ducks, parakeets and Rainbow Lorikeets.

The Rainbow Lorikeets are from Australia and are a part of the parrot family.  The food you receive to feed them is nectar in a little cup. You hold the cup in your hand and they will fly to you and sit on your hand or head or shoulder. They can open the nectar cup by themselves and then enjoy a refreshing drink. Now that is fun.

 

All our food was gone from our cups so it was time to go visit the stingrays. They eat fish. Not sure what kind of fish but their keepers cut the fish into small strips which you hold between your fingers and then put your hand flat in the water which lets the stingray grasp them. These are cow nose stingrays and are really very gentle. I didn't let go of the food fast enough and one of them grabbed my hand. Did not hurt and felt quite soft.

Pat and Marilyn feeding the stingrays

 We really had a great time and would highly recommend taking children to feed the animals. There were a lot of children running around while we were there and they were having a great time.

It is now lunch time so we headed to Florence. This trip we stopped for lunch at Mount Athos Greek restaurant. It was so good and may become one of our favorites. 

Back home but not sitting still too long. Hope to make a few things happen closer to home this month. Got some ideas so check us out.

 

Arizona's First Synagogue

 Still Beautiful In Tucson

After our really good lunch, we had one more stop before calling it a day. This stop was heart wrenching.

Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center

The JMHC has a multi-faceted mission of educating about the Holocaust and other genocides, exploring the legacy of Jewish experiences in Southern Arizona, preserving the first synagogue in the Arizona Territory, and collaborating with Tucson's diverse community to promote human rights.

The first synagogue built in the Arizona Territory (1910) located in Barrio Viejo. 

 

I really don't have much to say about this visit because it is such an emotional visit. One of my very best friends is a Jew whose mother was in a concentration camp. She has told me that her parents did not talk about the war and she doesn't either. I understand. 

We arrived in the middle of a tour so we joined them. The guide was giving a presentation on the reasons why the Jews moved from New York and Pennsylvania to southern Arizona. One of the reasons they moved here is the same as many of us live here especially in the winter. They came for the sunshine. 

 

My back was really complaining at this point (it is better now) so Marilyn went on to the Holocaust portion of the museum while Pat and I sat in the pews. She said it was quite dark but she took a few pictures for me.

 

After the huge lunch we had, none of us were hungry for dinner so we just munched on whatever we could find. Tomorrow we head back home with two more stops to make.