 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Our second spring trip of 2008 was to Scottsdale, AZ., to visit aunts, uncle and cousins on Harry's mother's side of the family. After departing home on April 30th, it didn't take long to realize we had failed to have the car air conditioner, that quit last fall, fixed. Fortunately there was a GM dealer a couple of blocks from the motel in Dalhart, TX. where we stayed that night. So, the next morning (May 1st), we took the car to the shop and had the a/c repaired before continuing our trip.
A very nice, one bedroom condo in the Scottsdale Villa Mirage provided our housing for the week in AZ. Our only complaint about the resort was their lack of adequate parking. We used a few of the resort's amenities (i.e. the hot tub) while there and attended their sales program, for which we received a gift card to Olive Garden restaurant - used in Lubbock for our Mother's Day eve dinner.
Three of our days in Scottsdale were spent visiting with family. After church on Sunday, we had lunch with Aunts Dottie and Gwen and Uncle Clarence in the main dinning facility of the retirement complex they live in. Aunt Dottie has an apartment in the main building of the complex, while Clarence and Gwen have a cottage where they can have the small pet (Ling Su). This complex has over 1,000 residents and provides all levels of care to meet the needs of its elderly residents. Returning for a late lunch on Tuesday, we had the opportunity to visit with Dottie's son, Joe; and her daughter, Stacey with her eight-month old son, Jacob. This was quite a joy as it had been at least 30 years since we last saw Joe and nearly 20 years since we last saw Stacey, and or course, we had never seen Jacob. We also learned that Clarence and Gwen's oldest daughter (Patty) was in a local hospital with severe back trouble and that their youngest daughter (Teri) was spending a great deal of time at the hospital with Patty. Thus set the stage for our Wednesday trek to the hospital to see both cousins - again visiting with cousins we hadn't seen in years - just wish it had been under better circumstances. Before lunch on Tuesday, Clarence had taken us on a tour of the area and a stop at a cemetery in Phoenix to see where Uncle Conrad (Aunt Dottie's husband) is buried - he died of cancer in 1983. It was sure great to visit with so many family members.
Our other excursions in Scottsdale included a visit to a 'Classic Car Show', a tour of the Desert Botanical Gardens and a visit to their railroad park / outdoor museum. While billed as a 'Classic' car show, 90% or more of the cars were customized and modified - the 1930 Ford pictured was one of the few true classics. The Desert Botanical Gardens as the name implies focused on desert plants - especially cactus. It was the ideal time of year to visit as many of the cacti were in bloom. The railroad park was basically a community park complete with playgrounds, ball fields, picnic tables and a few pieces of old railroad equipment on display - not the most impressive museum we had ever seen.
On the return trip home, we came via Ruidoso, NM., where we discovered that our home resort (Tiara Del Sol) appears to be totally closed down - we are going to have to do some more investigation regarding its status. An overnight stop in Lubbock was, of course, next on the agenda. We arrived there mid-afternoon on Saturday, and took the whole family to an early Mothers Day dinner. We arrived at the Olive Garden restaurant about 4:45pm (quite early for dinner by our standards) to find a 30 - 45 minute wait for seating; but since this was what we planned, we waited it out and then enjoyed a great dinner.
To save Ellen and family extra congestion, we headed home as they left for morning Church services, arriving back in Stockton late Mothers Day evening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
previous trip page - click here