It seemed like we barely moved in and we were having company. I have no pictures of any of them! Thank goodness Ramona and Jason had a new camera and I can get some pictures from her.
First it was Wally and Marsha from Seattle. They arrived on 12/11 and left on 12/15. They kind of used our place as a home base for their explorations of the area and visits with other friends. I think maybe they got more than they bargained for there since we are 30 minutes from the the city limits of Tucson and at least 15 more from where they mostly hung out.
The day after they left, our friend John brought his dad down to see the house. John lives in Susanville, CA and his dad lives near Phoenix. They stayed a couple of hours, had lunch with us and took off back north.
Later that same day, our daughters, Ruth and Ramona arrived with Ramona's husband, Jason, and their daughter Aidan. Ruth was down from Salt Lake to visit Ramona before she and her family head to Sicily. Jason is in the Navy (that's how they met) and is assigned to Sigonella. Ruth just stayed until the Friday before Christmas, but Ramona and family stayed until the day after Christmas.
Unfortunately, Trout and I got terrible colds during their visit. In my usual slow metabolic way, I started showing the symptoms about 3 days after he did. By Christmas day I was down and out but he was starting to get better. I started the pork roast that morning and went back to bed. He got up and spent time with the kids and actually cooked the Christmas dinner. I knew he could!
In spite of all that, we did get to do some fun things between feeling awful. I took Ramona, Jason and Aidan down to Tombstone. We spent just about all day and did it up right with a stagecoach ride, a visit to Boothill and watching the reenactment of the Gunfight at the OK Corral. I must say that the gunfight was better than the last one I saw, but it was a revisionist version. The Earps aren't exactly the good guys in this performance.
On Christmas Eve we went on a mule-drawn wagon ride to see the Christmas lights in a development here called Winterhaven. Most of the people in the area do some serious decorating. Some nights cars are allowed, but mostly it's only pedestrians and the mule or horse-drawn vehicles. We had a good night. It was cold but dry and the lights were great. I hope Ramona got some pictures of that, too.
One thing our guests had to put up with was no curtains on the windows (except in the office where Ruth slept). That meant being able to see lots of stars and the moon at night, but it also meant being awakened by the sun early in the morning. Hopefully by the time our next visitors arrive, I'll get some curtains up.
For now, here's what the living room looked like with the tree up.
We are moved, but not totally settled in yet. This is my challenge.
This is only part of Trout's.
This is one for both of us. As threatened, we did get a dog after the New Year. In fact, the Humane Society took in this dog on January 2nd. We saw him on 1/8, adopted him on 1/9 and picked him up on 1/10 after he was neutered. His name is Cisco. In the past, I picked the dogs and Trout did this naming. This time, Trout really picked the dog and I did the naming. You gotta love the hair.
We all will be glad when he can get this collar off. The Humane Society said it had to stay on for 14 days, but when I take him to our vet this week, I hope that can be changed. He's about 7 months old and weighed about 33 pounds when we picked him up. He may be part Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. If so, the temperament description is great. So far he's been very good. He and Guido have had some contact and things are going fine there.
So this edition of Travels with Trout is about travelers coming to us. Check out the other blog for more on the house.
This is one for both of us. As threatened, we did get a dog after the New Year. In fact, the Humane Society took in this dog on January 2nd. We saw him on 1/8, adopted him on 1/9 and picked him up on 1/10 after he was neutered. His name is Cisco. In the past, I picked the dogs and Trout did this naming. This time, Trout really picked the dog and I did the naming. You gotta love the hair.
We all will be glad when he can get this collar off. The Humane Society said it had to stay on for 14 days, but when I take him to our vet this week, I hope that can be changed. He's about 7 months old and weighed about 33 pounds when we picked him up. He may be part Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. If so, the temperament description is great. So far he's been very good. He and Guido have had some contact and things are going fine there.
So this edition of Travels with Trout is about travelers coming to us. Check out the other blog for more on the house.
