Echoes of the Southwest

We had a fantastic 40th anniversary trip to Laughlin last weekend. My hubby and I actually came home with more money than we went with. Our friends treated us to a fantastic dinner and dessert. It was weird being there for the first time with having to wear masks. They had people paid to be on mask patrol and had every other slot machine shut down. My husband likes play three card poker at the tables, while I prefer 5 card draw duces wild at the bar on a machine. Every time I took a drink, I quickly pulled my mask down, drank a swig of my rum and coke, and quickly put my mask back on. We had a great time and will return when the restrictions are lifted.

Drive any direction in Arizona for several miles and the scenery will change several times. We just recently drove north to visit our land and I took many pictures while in the jeep. These pictures I took with my Lumix camera are on our way home from our land. These will give you some idea of what kind of scenery you will see along the way.

40 years ago today, April 25, 1981, Gary and I were married in my future in-laws backyard. The wedding was supposed to start at 6pm, but the minister thought it was 6:30pm. All went well and the weather was perfect. Everyone had a great time. My Dad kicked back some beers with the best man and my brother sang with the band. After it was over, we took our honeymoon to Sea World and ended up in Las Vegas. It is hard to believe that 40 years have gone by. We have suffered some loses (his brother, parents and my Dad) and had some setbacks. We stuck through all the good and bad together. It wasn't easy, but we are stronger together for it. We have been blessed with two fantastic kids, a wonderful daughter-in-law and three beautiful grandkids. Today, we are celebrating in Laughlin, a place we love to visit. We are meeting one of my besties and her husband there. She was a bridesmaid, so it makes sense that she is here to celebrate with us 40 years later.  So what is next. Well, you saw m

  Located in Apache County in the northeast section of Arizona, sits the small town of St. Johns. There are roughly 5,000 souls that call this place home. To get to there from Phoenix, you will drive north on AZ Highway 60 until you get to Show Low. From there, you take AZ Highway 61, which runs through the town. The name, St. Johns is Tsézhin Deezʼáhí in Navajo which refers to the surrounding rock formations. It is a family orientated settlement and is located near many important sites. It is not far from Show Low, the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, several lakes and campgrounds. Our land is nearby, so I see us visiting there many times.

This is the drive coming from Show Low to Globe.  There are many twists and turns on that route. The tunnel is between Miami and Superior with a view of Picketpost Mountain as you enter Superior. That is where we found Apache Tears.  *Note: My hubby was not driving that fast through the mountains. We were cruising slow. LOL

My husband, Gary and I have always wanted to buy some land in Arizona to have mostly for a vacation spot. It gets really hot in the summer here, and we wanted a place in the northern and/or eastern part of the state where it is at least 20 degrees cooler or more. Ryan, our granddaughter Kennedy's dad, wanted land too and found 40 acre lots in the NE part of Arizona. We decided to go in with him and his uncle to purchase the land. He ended up buying the last two 40 acre lots. They were going fast. And just like that, we all became owners of 80 acres. We met Ryan, our daughter Katie and granddaughter Kennedy in St. Johns, which is the nearest town to our land. We followed him down a dirt road to get to the location. We didn't know what to expect except that a huge arroyo or wash was running through the center of each lot. That thing was massive. Almost the size of a gorge. We couldn't cross it to the other side, but the next time Gary goes, he and a friend will take our Track

I got a Panasonic Lumix camera for Christmas. I am still learning all it can do. I decided to play with the photo effects and had fun doing it. I took pictures of my plants and backyard. I did a video showing the various effects.

In Arizona, spring comes early and sometimes, not at all. This year, it came early, but summer is pushing it out. I love how beautiful my backyard looks with all the growth and blooming of flowers. The bees were buzzing all around our tree in search of pollen. My garden is blossoming and veggies are growing. The only downside is my allergies are bad. I can deal with that as long as the weather stays out of the 100s and my yard looks gorgeous.

  My husband and I, along with our friends, went to the Arizona desert near Superior to look for Apache Tears. The first time we didn't find many, but the second and third, we hit the mother load. I put this video together from our adventure.

 Sharon got a pool and is ready to play.