Ladies Who Lunch

After twelve hours of travel time, a short sleep, a walk, and breakfast -- I headed off to Sedona for lunch with three of my colleagues.  We had a 1:00 reservation at Tii Gavo and other than that, the day was unplanned.  I really enjoyed the drive north.  We passed through such different terrain.  We made our first stop at a rest area about an hour or so into our day.  Of course, cameras came out and we documented.

View from the lookout platform.

We watched our steps

We knew we were getting close to Sedona when we could see the red rocks.  It was hard taking pictures from the backseat of a moving car.  But I tried.  

We arrived an hour or so before our lunch reservation, so we decided to check out Tlaquepaque that had been recommended.  We poked around and found souvenirs to bring home.  I saw a pair of opal mosaic cacti earrings that were so cute.  But I thought I might only wear them this week. And at $84 -- maybe more than I needed to spend for a week's accessory.  They were pretty, and I passed on them anyway.  I did not leave empty handed, however.

A really fun bead shop

Part of a mural by the parking lot

Same mural

The drive out to the resort where we were eating was spectacular.  The road was twisty and we looked live bobble / swivel head dolls trying to capture that angle and then the next.  Tourist behavior for sure.  We arrived a few minutes after 1:00 and realized that with the time change, it was 4:00 and we were really hungry.

Restaurant doors

The meal was fabulous.  We started with chips and guacamole.

For my main meal I ordered a green salad with blue cheese, candied pecans, and apples. Yum!

Plus, a side order of corn bread with honey butter.  Double yum!

We savored our meal and enjoyed the views.  They were stunning.  After we ate, we went out to the patio and took even more pictures.

Flags at half staff for 9/11

Our reflection in the glass of the building

And we took yet more on the way back to Phoenix.

In other news, the Patriots are playing out here in Arizona and were in our hotel last night.  I might have been in the elevator with a couple of players, but I didn't recognize them.  They were big guys -- so dudes here for the game, or players.  I haven't felt that small in a while.

I'm here for the week.  Hard to be away from my hubby and Lovey Lamb.  The time change makes it hard to connect.  I'll set my alarm so that I can talk with my boy before he heads off for school.  At least this isn't a 6 week separation!

And have I mentioned that it is hot?! Ugh.  I don't want to hear that it is a dry heat and therefore not hot.  It's hot!

Vacation Food

We ate a lot of good food while on vacation.  Heather had planned out most of the dinner meals ahead of time and that enabled us to know what to bring from home to augment the rental's kitchen.  I brought donut pans, baking supplies, and my some of the spices my hubby tends to use.  We made huge shopping runs to the market over the bridge for fresh produce and dairy.

I tended to bake before breakfast.  The cottage really heated up in the afternoon, and I took advantage of the morning coolness to be in the kitchen.  While I baked, Heather made chai.  Yum.  On the morning when we were drinking the remnants from the night before, the late sleepers missed out.  I did not document the sad faces and slumped shoulders when they realized their loss.

One morning I made two batches of scones -- blueberry and chocolate chip.

Blueberry and chocolate chip scones

The first morning I made donuts.

The fruit makes it a healthy breakfast, right?

On the Wednesday of the vacation, Nedim was in charge of dinner for the extended family.  With help from Heather and Stan, there was a feast.  I forgot to take pictures of all the food before we dug in...but I managed a few of the aftermath.  The food was delicious and the company / lively discussions were just as fine.

Lots of 2nd trays and empty dishes

Can't see from here Todd and  Jen's homegrown grilled mushrooms.

Chairs set out on the front lawn.

The conversation groups kept shifting.

A break before dessert.

Ice cream buffet!

On of our last days, the men-folks trusted me enough to grill fake chicken patties and buns.  How hard could that be?  Not very -- and I even managed to turn off the grill by myself.

I didn't burn anything

And while I was out with the grill, Heather was whipping up some fruit salad.

Up close, Selim style

I'm so lucky to have an organized sister who can think and plan ahead for a crowd. There was room for everybody to contribute with prep work, cooking, grilling, or dishes detail.  We worked well as a family and enjoyed our meal times very much.  Back home, our dinner's don't have the flair that we enjoyed that week.

At the Cove

Temps reached at least 98 today at the coast.  Add the humidity, and it felt like a wall of heat hit me when I went outside after work.  Made me wish I had a body of water really close where I could go for a swim.  That got me thinking about the Cove...

We instituted a no electronic policy for our boys during our vacation week.  Every afternoon the personal electronic devices were put on their respective charges and their owners had to find some other way to amuse themselves.  Mostly, we hung out at the cove.  Water and sand play is good for hours on entertainment as long as you slather on the sunscreen and reapply frequently.  It helps if you are raising a fish, like I am.  A few times I had to check him over for gills.  He doesn't have any body fat to keep him warm (and I have plenty), however, he stayed in the water longer than I did.  As a parent, I was happy watching his exuberant water play.

When not in the water myself, I played with my camera and tried to keep it dry.  May be next year I can buy a zoom for it.  I sure missed long distance shots that I could get with my previous long lens.  Still, I managed to capture some images to help me remember the hot afternoons at the Cove.

Getting warmed up in his Olympic towel.

I see a quilt pattern here...

Ready for water action!

Warming up in the sand; constructing some engineering masterpiece.

Pose 1

Pose 2

All is right in his world.

All the tankers passing by remind me of Istanbul.

Cousins.

A moment of calm before the keep away games begin.

Still life on steps.

Here I am! 

Snorkeling with Robert

Still life with shoe.

Golf ball and wood treasure found when snorkeling.

Hand stands while waiting for the tennis ball game to continue.

Bottoms up!  3 ducks go down and show off their tushes.

Perfect water bubble shot.

Admiring our pedicures.

Mom - do you like your new hat?

Turn about is fair play.

Sporting our nifty headgear.

It has been so dry in that area, that the water level in the river was down, noticeably and considerably.  I thought a foot, but Doug said more than that.  The low water level allowed for easier play for the shorter set.  They could stand with their heads above water almost all the way out to the dock.  They weren't the best swimming conditions, but the boys had a great time.

May be, at some point in my life, I will be able to walk to water.  That would be amazing.