Friday morning was another bright and sunny day in Tucson. Today is a travel day. We were all packed up prior to breakfast. This morning we dined on fresh fruit, cereal, a bagel and cups of coffee. The previous evening, we had received an invitation from Mark And Kip, our fellow dinner guests, to visit and view their home in a nearby subdivision. The four of us motored the 15 minutes over to see the most wonderful home we had seen in years. A much larger home than Casa T&K but without the mountain view. A glorious front courtyard complete with a stretch of green Astroturf, lemon trees, and cacti.
The kitchen had been newly remodeled with new countertops, double ovens and a beautiful gas cooktop. Bedrooms were much larger and, as both men work from home, they were outfitted with full offices, including multiple monitors and music, along with beds and toys for both cats who were lounging in haughty disregard for the visitors. The pool area was wonderful- Mark was enamored with the solar powered Roomba-like skimmer puttering over the surface and Deb was astounded by the outside shower tucked around the corner, which was also accessible from the master bath adjacent. Said master bath included a huge walk-in double shower and boasted a pair of walk-in closets, each seemingly larger than our bedroom back in Omaha. We were suitably impressed with their home - and we walked away with a batch of both regular and Meyer lemons, from their garden trees.
Back home , Tom ordered a large pizza from the neighborhood Rosatti’s Pizza store and went to pick it up just as George and Karen arrived from their 2 1/2 hour drive down from Phoenix. We shoveled in our pizza, Tom and Kevin gave Dell and Karen a tour of their home and we then said our goodbyes before we headed back up the road to Phoenix. We once again offered heartfelt thanks to Kevin and Tom for the gracious and generous hospitality and putting up with our freeloading ways. Another enjoyable, and surprising, winter visit.
The trip north on I-10 was fraught with the normal problems. An accident at about the 70 mile marker forced us off the route and onto smaller roads. We made a a detour around the east side of Phoenix, stopping for a fuel and restroom break at the local Costco store. We arrived in Anthem at the Casa Sennentz around 6:00 and unloaded the vehicle, dragging our luggage into the new sleeping rooms. As March 1 was Dell’s birthday, Mark had brought him his customary gift of a bottle of Single Malt Scotch, this time a bottle of Auchentoshan, an Islay of distinct flavor derived from its maturation in three separate casks, Bourbon, Olorosso and PX Sherry. After sampling this wonderful scotch along with preparation of a dirty martini and a margarita for the ladies, Dell prepared and cooked some hamburgers on the grill while Karen prepared some ham and beans to accompany them. We rolled into bed, well fed and watered.
The next morning we were up and “rarin’ to go.” Deb completed some morning work while Dell and Mark headed off in the Mustang convertible for the CVS store and the local Ace hardware to run some errands. We were each on our own to raid the larder for lunch,: Dell opted for some re-heated pork ribs he found in the refrigerator, Karen sliced up some not too great tomato and layered it over some cottage cheese, Mark sliced up a leftover cold hamburger and covered it in with kosher dill spears and some ranch dressing on bread. Deb had some toast and peanut butter accompanied by a chocolate caramel macadamia nuts treat.
We napped and read in the afternoon before cocktails on the patio. This evening we drove to Cave Creek area to try a new restaurant we had found on Open Table called Ofrenda’s. Deb tried a house special Watermelon Margherita which seemed acceptable as it soon disappeared. The Mexican fare was authentic, and we chose a smothered chicken enchilada, s couple of pates of dinner tacos and a new to us chicken enchilada smothered in Suiza sauce - a cream and lightly spiced tomatillo sauce. We finished up with a shared set of churros with a caramel sweetened dipping sauce. The drive home was uneventful and we arrived by 7:30, ready for a little TV watching, conversation and reading. all were retired at a normal 10:00. No late nights for this batch of septuagenarians. Happy to see our old friends again, we pronounced this a couple of smooth days.
