MEN’S BREAKFAST

TODAY WAS THE MEN’S BREAKFAST IN THE PARK. THAT MEANS THE MEN COOK AND SERVE BREAKFAST FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE PARK. FRIDAY TERRY AND I DID THE SHOPPING AND THE MEN MET AT 3 PM TO SET UP AND DO THE PREP.

SATURDAY MORNING WE STARTED COOKING AT 7 AM AND SERVING AT 8:30 AM.

MY ASIGNMENT WAS TO MAKE FRENCH TOAST, AND DID 64 PIECES PERFECTLY, EXCEPT THE ONE THAT HIT THE FLOOR, WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM MARY.

COMPLETE WITH MIMOSAS……

LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY COOK-OUT I ENJOYED THE COOKING FOR A GROUP ONCE AGAIN.

MARY’S POTS

LOOK HOW NICELY MARY’S POTS HAVE FILLED OUT.

I HAVEN’T BLOGGED ABOUT THE SCOOTER IN AWHILE, I DID HAVE IT OUT ON FRIDAY AND DODGED THE THUNDERSTORMS AS I MADE MY WAY TO HEBER-OVERGUARD ON FRIDAY TO CHECKOUT A BIKER EVENT AT THE LOCAL BAR. THEY WERE JUST SETTING UP AND AND I DIDN’T NEED A TATOO SO I HAD A BEER AND RETURNED TO THE MOOSE LODGE IN SHOW LOW. IT WAS A 75 MILE ROUND TRIP AND FELT GOOD TO BE OUT ON THE HIWAY.

  “SUNNY AND 80” (BETWEEN THE MONSOON RAINS)

TOMATOES

WE DON’T HAVE ANY TOMATOES. JUST HOW BIG DO THE PLANTS NEED TO BE? MARY STARTED THESE PLANTS LAST FEBRUARY FROM SEED AND JUST LOOK HOW BIG THEY ARE.

THEY HAVE HAD A FEW YELLOW BLOOMS, BUT NOT ONE GREEN TOMATOE.

THE BLOOD RED GLADS ARE A MYSTERY AS WELL.

LAST YEAR THE BLOOMS WERE A REAL PALE GREEN COLOR, AND THIS YEAR RED?

THIS IS THE THIRD SUMMER FOR THIS HANGING BASKET ON THE BACK DECK. WHEN IT RETURNS FROM THE DESERT IN THE SPRING IT LOOKS HALF DEAD, BUT BOUNCES RIGHT BACK ON THE MOUNTAIN.

TONIGHT IS ITALIAN NIGHT AT THE CLUB HOUSE AND WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO PASTA AND SOME GREAT SAUCES.

  “SUNNY & 80”

PRETTY

MARY’S FIRST GLAD OPENED TODAY. AND IT’S BLOOD RED.

GEES, ANOTHER WEEK FLIES BYE. THE SUMMER SEEMS TO BE FLYING!

AFTER MIKEY WAS HERE WE HAD A VISIT FROM DAVE AND CINDY OUR GOOD FRIENDS FROM GILBERT. THEY VISITED “THE MOUNTAIN” WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AND FAMILY AND A VISITING GRAND-DAUGHTER FROM LA CROSSE. THANKS TO DAVE FOR TAKING US TO DINNER AT CHARLIE CLARKS.

THE MONSOON SEASON HAS STARTED, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO LET IT GET ME DOWN AS IT HAS THE LAST COUPLE OF SUMMERS. I BOUGHT RAIN GEAR SO I CAN  RIDE THE SCOOTER EVEN IN THE THREAT OF RAIN SHOWERS, AND I STILL HAVE MY CENTRAL COLLEGE UMBRELLA.

WE’VE STILL BEEN GETTING OUR MORNING WALK TO WALMART IN AND THAT GETS US BOTH STARTED WITH 4500 STEPS FOR THE DAY.

TUESDAYS ARE BUSY WITH 8AM COFFEE HOUR AND 7PM POKER GAME. WEDNESDAY WE SEEM TO  GET TOGETHER WITH OUR FRIENDS THE HUNTERS, AND TODAY WAS A TREAT TO SIT OUTSIDE ON THE DECK AND EAT CHICKEN LEGS OFF THE GRILL.

NO NEED TO REPORT ON ANY FAMILY NEWS AS WE ALL LEARN THAT ON FACEBOOK. I GUESS I COULD GIVE UP THE BLOGGING , BUT THIS IS THE WAY I PREFER TO REPORT IN. IT’S NICE TO LOOK BACK OVER THE YEARS TO SEE WHEN AND WHERE WE DID WHAT.

I’M GETTING A LITTLE TIRED OF EATING FRENCH TOAST AS I TWEEK MY RECIPE AND TRY OUT THE THREE ELECTRIC GRILLS FROM THE CLUB HOUSE. AT THE END OF THE MONTH I’LL BE COOKING FRENCH TOAST AT THE MEN’S BREAKFAST FOR ABOUT 30 PEOPLE. MAKES ME THINK ABOUT THE SUNDAY BRUNCH DAYS IN FRANKVILLE. WISH PAULIE WAS HERE TO ORDER AROUND AND FRY THE TOAST.

“SUNNY & 80” (WITH AFTERNOON RAIN SHOWERS)

MIKEY ON THE MOUNTAIN

AS I PREDICTED IN MY LAST BLOG, IT WAS A FUN FILLED THREE DAYS WITH MIKEY. SUNDAY NIGHT WE STAYED AT THE APACHE GOLD CASINO IN GLOBE, AZ. WE ALL FOUR LOST OUR ASSES. FOUR? YOU ASK? YUP, WE WERE HAPPY TO MEET MIKEY’S TRAVELING PARTNER, CHERYN.

MONDAY WE MADE THE TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN THRU THE SALT RIVER CANYON.

LUNCH AT THE DRIFT INN, IN GLOBE, WHICH OPENED IN 1905, AND NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE. WE HEADED RIGHT OUT TO CHARLIE CLARKS ORCHARD WHERE THE LADIES ENJOYED THE ART FAIR, AND MIKEY AND I FOUND THE BAR AND LIVE MUSIC OUTSIDE.

TUESDAY WAS THE FOURTH OF JULY AND WE STARTED THE DAY WITH STICKY BUNS, OUT ON THE DECK WITH OUR MORNING COFFEE.

THE DAY ENDED THE SAME WAY, WITH A “GO-TO-TOWN” MEAL OUT OF THE DUTCH OVEN ON THE DECK. IN BETWEEN WE CHILLED OUT AT THE INDIAN CASINO WHERE WE TRIED TO RECOVER FROM OUR VISIT TO APACHE GOLD ON SUNDAY. MIKEY RECOVERED, REX MADE $25, AND CHERYN AND MARY DON’T WANT TO SEE THE INSIDE OF AN INDIAN CASINO FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP.

WEDNESDAY WAS A ROADTRIP TO THE METEOR CRATER AND WINSLOW, ARIZONA.

THE THEME OF THE DAY WAS “TAKE IT EASY”.

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though
we will never be here again
so open up, I'm climbin' in,
so take it easy

THE THREE DAYS WENT WAY TOO FAST AND WE RETURNED TO THE VALLEY OF THE SUN, AT 113 DEGREES, TO DROP THEM OFF AT THE AIRPORT.

The Loons

By Uncle Hans

Been a while for a blog from Uncle Hans.   The pair of Loons that live on our lake have not produced a baby for 3 or more years.  Yesterday, the little one appeared (at least to us) for the first time.

  The cell phone camera struggles with the distance through the living room window glass, but you get the idea.  I worry about the size of the baby.  I think they are running late. They have about 90 days to make an adult that can fly a thousand miles out of that thing no bigger than my fist today.  The last picture, with the flag, is of Mom with the baby on it's back.

They are hiding out in front of our house because the lake is quite active today for the holiday weekend and there is really no safe place that's not near the edge.  Mom and Dad don't like the edge that much either with the little one so vulnerable....

The Climatus are having a banner year....always fun to watch.

Uncle Hans

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

OUR CLUBHOUSE WAS COOK’IN ON SATURDAY NIGHT FOR OUR 4TH OF JULY COOK-OUT. MARY LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, THAT I HAD SOME FOOD EXPERIENCE SO I BECAME ONE OF TWO GRILLERS.

I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 50 BURGERS AND 30 HOT DOGS. WE TRIED OUT THOSE COPPER GRILLING SHEETS YOU’VE SEEN ADVERTIZED ON TV. THEY BASICALLY TURNED THE GRILL INTO A GRIDDLE AND WE HAD FRIED BURGERS. I WON’T BE PICKING ONE UP FOR HOME.

THE INSIDE LINE UP OF SALADS AND DESSERTS WAS EXCELLENT.

I MUST HAVE COOKED OK, AS MY NEXT ASSIGNMENT IS TO COOK FRENCH TOAST AT THE END OF THE MONTH FOR THE MEN’S BREAKFAST. FUN COOKING FOR A GROUP AGAIN, I ENJOYED IT.

TODAY (SUNDAY) WE’RE OFF TO THE PHOENIX-MESA AIRPORT TO PICK UP MIKEY FOR A VISIT TO THE MOUNTAIN. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS YEAR WE’VE GOTTEN TOGETHER WITH MIKEY AND HIS SECOND VISIT TO THE SOUTHWEST, I THINK THE SOUTHWEST IS GROWING ON HIM.

BREAK OUT THE JACK AND BEER, IT’S GOING TO BE A PARTY FILLED NEXT THREE DAYS!!! I’M WONDERING WHAT MIKEY WILL THINK WHEN HE LANDS AT 8:30 PM AND THE TEMPERATURE IS STILL OVER 100 DEGREES?