Echoes of the Southwest

  At the end of April, Gary and I went to our land for a visit. The guys were able to go there and get things started. Not everything goes smoothly as they found out. They were able to start with the bathroom and perimeter fence. They are planning on going back in a week or two to finish phase one. We will plan another trip to document it with videos and photos. We are very happy with the progress so far. Ryan is meeting with a man that has shipping containers. He may give us a deal on two 20-foot and two 40-foot shipping containers. Gary and I are thinking of using one of the 40-foot containers along with both 20-foot containers to make a "U" shape house. This house would be our home that we would stay in while vacationing on the ranch. The shape would help with the strong winds and the containers would be great protection from fires. Wildfires are a real threat, so we want to protect our investment. We are hoping that the shipping containers will be phase 2 so we can start ...

One of the places you must see while visiting Sedona, AZ, is Tlaquepaque (Tia-keh-pah-keh).  The name means "best of everything" and was built in the 1970's.  Located near Oak Creek with flourishing vegetation all around its grounds, Tlaquepaque has the look of  being transported  somewhere in Europe, perhaps Italy.  Inside are many interesting shops, galleries, restaurants, with cobble-stoned walkways and arched entryways with vines growing all over the stucco walls. Sitting in the back area in Tlaquepaque Village is the El Rincon Restaurante Mexicano.  Their food is a mixture of Arizona Style and traditional Mexican food.  You will see how the Navajo/Hopi lifestyle is swayed in each meal.  They are know for their delicious El Rincon Chimichangas which are wrapped in a sopapilla masa and stuffed with either beef, chicken or tiger shrimp.  If you can find room in your tummy, they also offer dessert chimichangas with either choc...

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.

This is where we stayed. Young is a standalone municipality located in the middle of the Tonto National Forest. You have a couple of core roads leading in and out of town. For most of the drive, the road is not paved and a four-wheel drive is suggested during extreme weather. Young is 60 miles southeast of Payson, 65 miles north of Globe and 150 miles from Phoenix. From Mesa, it took us 3 hours, but we stopped for lunch, gas and groceries. Young is known for the Pleasant Valley War. This took place between 1887 and 1897. I did a post about three years ago on this war. Here is the link:  http://www.echoesofthesouthwest.com/2017/01/pleasant-valley-range-war.html (When I write a post about the museum, I will show more pictures from that era.) Sharon and I enjoyed ourselves in this small town. We managed to find several things to do while staying there a couple of days. It is a great place to vacation and get far away from the large city.