Sunday, November 28, 2010

THANKSGIVING NEWS AND NOTES




Christmas came ahead of Thanksgiving in the town plaza of Kierland Commons, near our condo. Yesterday (Saturday) the place was full of families and kids getting pictures taken with Santa Claus in the little Santa Claus house--with a live band playing Christmas music. Delightful! And, of course all the shops and restaurants nearby were welcoming hosts of shoppers.

An attractive new development, called Scottsdale Quarter, is opening across Scottsdale Blvd from Kierland Commons, with many more stores and restaurants. We enjoyed an outing that included refreshments at "True Foods," a new restaurant that emphasizes healthy eating and drinking. It is owned in part by Dr. Andrew Weil, a world-famous physician who focuses on integrated preventive health care. Our world of local opportunities for recreation, dining, and shopping is rapidly expanding!

Our Thanksgiving eve was also a time of celebration, with some interesting neighbors as our guests for cocktails and appetizers. We are finding lots of stimulating people to enjoy from the immediate area. Starbucks is a great community gathering place, with room for more than 100 people inside and out--often completely packed. It reminds me of Kaye's Cafe in Fairview where we used to go for pie, coffee, and more, while visiting with friends from all over the community!

NOTES FROM CARTWRIGHT

We talked to Dad on Thanksgiving. He said he had a good dinner at Mavis and Ron's, and had a full tummy! He said it was cold, with several inches of snow on the ground. I told him we were in the process of fixing dinner, and he said it made his mouth water! And, he said when chewing on our turkey we should think of him! So, we did. He said it had been kind of loud there with the sound of the calves and cows that had been separated, with calves now in the feedlot by his house.

Shawn, Tracy, and family were without water for a couple of days. The artesian well located up in the pasture had quit flowing, so they had to drill a new well near their house. Unfortunately, the weather was cold (9 degrees below zero)and miserable all the while!

Will is getting ready to go on a winter trip, possibly to some far-off place like Thailand!

Cindy and Don had a full house for Thanksgiving. Susan, Harvey, Carol, and Julie were all there to see Marilyn and Issy, in Bismarck for medical checkups.

IN SCOTTSDALE

We are hoping to see Ron and Mavis down here sometime in early December, to visit with us and Ron's sister who lives in Mesa. We look forward to that!

Maureen is coming for a meeting on January 23 for several days--so we hope to have multiple chances to see her between her events in downtown Phoenix. She was going to be in San Francisco to see her good friend, Sherry, and then to Washington, D.C. for meetings in early December.

Happy Holidays,

Bill and Marie

Friday, November 12, 2010

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY; TUCSON VISIT




We are enjoying these colorful winter flowers around our backyard patio. This is the time of year when summer flowers are pulled out and replaced by the kinds that do well in cooler weather with shorter days. We have been observing, and enjoying, the changes all around us!

MAVIS AND RON CELEBRATING 43 YEARS OF MARRIAGE!

Mavis, Ron, Dad, Marilyn, and Issy enjoyed a lunch outing at the South Forty in Sidney to celebrate a 43d anniversary. It is hard to believe that my "little sister" could have been married that long! CONGRATULATIONS!!

DAD'S NEW ASSISTANCE

Linda Sitter has started helping Dad two days each week. She assists him with bathing, eating, pill-taking, and anything else he needs. She and Dad seem to get along just fine. Vicki Dunbar continues to come regularly to clean the house and help out as needed.

NEWS FROM MARILYN AND ISSY

Susan, Julie, and Carol are all very busy with their jobs. Susan and Harvey were in Sidney for a week at the time of Harvey's brother's death, and helped Marilyn and Issy install a new washer and dryer upstairs so Marilyn does not have to do laundry in the basement.

Julie is driving a rental car because she got hit by a deer, requiring some repairs. She was in Plentywood this week where she goes once per month to work with audiology patients.

Williston continues to grow very rapidly because of the oil and gas activity, doubling the population in the last few months. Several new housing developments are going in, as are new mobile home communities. A new oil well has been completed near Trenton, but nothing new is underway around the ranch.

TUCSON VISIT

We helped one of our good friends (Zaye Chapin) celebrate her 84th birthday in Tucson on Tuesday of this week, in the company of other friends aged 89 and 95.
Zaye was a colleague of Marie's for many years at the University of Idaho. We had dinner with some other wonderful friends who lived across the street from our house at the Villages of La Paloma. It was fun to see all of them, and to visit some of our old haunts around the city--including a Jazz Society concert while having dinner at the Acacia Restaurant in St. Phillips Plaza.

Although we thoroughly enjoyed being back in the area where we lived for ten years, we have no regrets about moving to Scottsdale. This seems more like home now. We are making some interesting new friends, and really enjoy the Kierland Commons community where we live!

Cheers,

Bill and Marie