Arizona Visit

We have just returned from a week at our "other" home at Corte Bella in Sun City, Arizona. The primary reason for this trip, in still very hot weather, was to have a "walk through" inspection of the home at 11 months and accomplish some repairs and adjustments to the house. We had two days of workmen in and out and made a new list of things that will be addressed when we are there next month. We will be glad when all of the repairs are done and we can enjoy just being there!

Kenny was able to play some pickleball with neighbor Dan and we played one night with Evan and Kim, too. I walked each weekday morning with the girls in the neighborhood and went to the pool several afternoons. We really do enjoy the opportunities that the athletic venues offer. Kenny also used the treadmill when Dan couldn't play pickleball.

On Wednesday we went to Phoenix for dinner and a ball game. We had the most wonderful antipasti platter and pizzas from an oak fired oven at Pizzeria Bianco. We arrived at around 4:30 to get in line (behind about 18 people who were already there). We had a glass of wine and played a game of Hearts until we were able to squeeze in for the first sitting at 5pm.

This popular restaurant downtown is always packed!

We made it to the Diamondbacks vs Giants game after a little negotiating for tickets. It was a good game, with the Giants almost pulling out a victory in the late innings.

Evan took this picture because he wanted everyone to see that I was really wearing a D'Backs shirt to the game, even though I was mostly rooting for the Giants!

According to Evan, this is the largest and most expensive scoreboard in the MBL.
Evan captured this D'Backs home run hit that put the Giants pretty much out of a win. (They were actually swept by the D'Backs for the series)

On Saturday we, along with Evan, Kim, Lew, and Cindy, took a (long) trip to the Sonoita area of Arizona, which is about an hour south of Tucson, for a day of wine tasting and purchasing. We enjoyed the Callaghan, Canelo Hills, Sonoita, and Dos Cabezas wineries. We took a short trip to Patagonia for a delightful lunch at a deli that was recommended by one of the tasting room staff at Sonoita. We would love to return for a longer visit, perhaps staying in one of the local bed and breakfast establishments.Here we are arriving at the Callaghan Winery, our first stop of the day.Here we are checking out some Zinfandel grapes that were harvested a few days prior to our visit at the winery. They were still fermenting and had a beautiful color.Lisa and Kent Callaghan are the owners, wine makers, and tasting room managers all rolled into one. They were very accomodating and we loved their wines!Evan, Kenny, and Lew are quite interested in Tim Mueller, owner of Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery, as he explains the process of extracting the juice from the fermented fruit and juice. He was quite open to our questions and gave us a great tour of the winery. Joan, his wife, then poured some of the wines for us. We enjoyed this experience as well.Evan and Kim posing outside Sonoita vineyards. The grounds there were quite lovely!

We had to get into the act, too. Lew and Cindy were still inside.

This was our last stop, after lunch, on the way out of the area. Dos Cabezas (Two Heads) Winery Tasting Room was in Sonoita, not at the vineyards.

We had a great time but all of us concluded it was a very long day trip and when we visit again it will be overnight. There were some interesting looking shops in Patagonia, but alas, we did not have time to visit them. We returned to Surprise for a barbecue and watched ASU get beat by Georgia!!!

For the first time in probably 30 years we went bowling one night with Evan and Kim. Needless to say, we need to work on our game before we do that again! We also tried out the new movie theater, twice, in Surprise as well as the neighboring Golden Spoon yogurt shop. Kim and Evan joined us for dinner at the Vogue Bistro and we all decided we would go back. It is nice to have some new places closer to home. Thanks to Evan and Kim for lining up all the great distractions for this visit! We arrived back home today and we both appreciate being able to fly back and forth instead of driving. I love the new Honda CRV! We are planning on taking it to Tucson next month for the Cal game, so I can see how it behaves out on the highway. I really do like the size and the way it handles.