Southwest Driving Trip - The Road Home

Thursday morning, we arose at the normal time, enjoyed the sunrise over the Santa Catalina mountains, and also enjoyed a cup of coffee and some toast and fruit. We packed up our trusty RAV 4, said our goodbyes to Tom, Kevin and Liam, the Scotty dog; then, departing Tucson around 10:30 via I-10 heading in an easterly direction through Deming, NM where we joined I-25 heading north. 

We passed through the town of Truth or Consequences (founded as Hot Springs in the late 19th century.) According to Wikipedia, major settlement of Hot Springs did not begin until the construction of Elephant Butte Dam and reservoir in 1912 as part of the Rio Grande project. The city changed its name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences as result of a radio show contest. In March of 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the NBC Radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced that it would air the program on its 10th anniversary from the first town that renamed itself after the show. In a special election on March 31, 1950, the residents of Hot Springs voted 1295 to 295 to change the town’s name to Truth or Consequences, and the program was broadcast there the following evening. 

During our drive, we decided to snack on our stash of goodies that we had hauled along with us. Deb reached into the arm rest for her bag of Haribos Gummy Bears. Word to the wise: do not leave a bag of Gummy Bears in the vehicle parked in the Arizona sun for six days. They had melted into a colorful conglomeration. She tried to pry a few loose and finally had to resort to gnawing on the whole mass. The chocolate bar fared a bit better, it hadn’t puddled into a mess, but it still was a bit worse for the heat.

Continuing north, we arrived during rush hour at Albuquerque. The traffic on I-25 was horrific, as multi-lane roads merged and spun off. At one point there were 10 lanes of northbound freeway traffic, turning it into a huge parking lot.  We eventually pushed through and wound our way north to the outskirts of Santa Fe, where we had booked a LaQuinta Inn for the evening. Our good luck with LaQuinta ran out. This hotel was a large three storey facility with over 300 rooms. The price for our double bedded room on the first floor was only $76.00 including taxes, and we were tired, so we accepted the offer. We asked about a king size bed room, but that was extra and so we opted for economy.

We dined in the room on leftover sandwiches from the day before, some Cheezits, an apple and some wine from our stash. We watched a bit of TV and were asleep before 10:00 PM.

As we had showered at Tom & Kevin’s the morning before, we saw no need to shower. Mark misread his clock and was up by 4:45, and misquoted the time to Deb as “5 minutes to six” when she inquired sleepily from her bed. We were dressed and ready to carry our luggage out at 5:30. Unfortunately breakfast did not open until 6:00! We opened our door and noted that there was a shopping cart piled with clothes and a suitcase just outside our door, pushed up against the stairway leading to an upper floor. It seems we had gained a neighbor during the night who was sleeping underneath the stairway, partially hidden by their shopping cart!  Deb had texted Abby that this was the kind of motel where they find your body parts strewn across the desert.  This seemed to confirm that, although, since it was only 31 degrees, I am sure our neighbor was freezing.  Thinking about it, we hope he was alive!

We packed the RAV 4 and walked to the lobby for the included breakfast. The normal sausages, this time both link and patty, breads, biscuits and gravy and a waffle machine.  There was no attempt to stir up the freeze dried eggs to simulate fresh; they were just cooked in a sheet pan and then cut into cubes, roughly 1 1/2 inches to a side. The flavor (such as it is) was the same, but the presentation left something to be desired. Considering the $76.00 price point, we just shrugged, ate and refilled our coffee mugs for the road. We saw no reason to stop at the front desk to turn in our new neighbor and disturb his slumber, so finished up, hopped into the car and hit the road.

According to our trusty iPhones, the distance to Omaha from Santa Fe was calculated to be 13 hours. As the morning wore on, we discussed our choices and made a decision not to push the whole distance. North of Trinidad, NM, we left the interstate system and started our journey on two lane roads to Red Cloud. US Rte 60, headed east, thence on to US Rte 383 across Kansas, then north on US Rte 183 into Nebraska and switched to US Rte 136 in Alma, NE continuing east to Red Cloud and our reserved room at our favorite Hotel Garber in downtown Red Cloud.

This is our third stay at the Hotel Garber, and it felt like coming home. This is a down time for tourism in Red Cloud and south central Nebraska. In another week, there will be  influx of tourists for the annual Crane Migration with their stopping point some 75-100 miles north on the Platte River, between Kearney and Grand Island, but Red Cloud and Webster County have not yet been able to parlay this into much of a bonus for them.

It was really, really windy and cold outside so walking to the bowling alley (great Rubens) or the Palace restaurant (not as grand as it sounds) was an uninitiated option.  Juan’s Tacos next to the hotel was packed and we have, by now, run out of sandwiches and mostly wiped out our supply of Cheetos and chips, so we cleaned up and then headed downstairs to the dining room and treated ourselves to a lovely dinner.  We enjoyed a cocktail each and then dined on delicious wild rice and mushroom creamed soup (recipe by Brandi).   Deb ordered the steak points over potatoes, and Mark enjoyed a chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine, and as we were the only diners in the entire dining room, we had a visit with the hotel manager/bartender/waitress, Brandi, with whom we had become acquainted on our previous visits. So glad we stayed in for dinner.

We retired to our room, fell into the wonderful king sized bed, and watched a little TV before dropping off shortly before 10:00 PM.

Saturday morning we packed up, went down to the dining room for a continental breakfast of bananas, scones, toast, juice and coffee. After loading up the RAV 4, we walked across the street to the National Willa Cather Center, and toured a wonderful photo display in the gallery: a series of photos taken over a 10 year period tracing the Underground Railroad stops from Louisiana up to freedom in Canada. We visited with staff, made use of the facilities, purchased a trio of books and headed out to home.

We pulled into the driveway of the house at 1:53 PM, having logged some 3,200 miles on this round trip journey to the Southwest. Poppy the cat was very glad to see us, although she spent most of the evening nipping at Deb to show her love/frustration. She also proved to Mark that the automated, self cleaning litter box was not really up to a 10 day absence. However, the helium filled balloons left over from Deb’s birthday party on February 21 held up amazingly and were still floating in the air!

 Could we have made better time flying? Yes. Could we have enjoyed it as much? No. We didn’t kill each other, although Mark didn’t know until we reached Santa Fe that Deb had secured a sharp kitchen knife in the armrest area of the car for possible protection from “thugs, hooligans” and other unsavory characters. Luckily he didn’t qualify!

Southwest Driving, Monday, March 2, 2026

Sunday is Dell’s actual birthday, together with the date of the State of Nebraska joining the United States. Dell’s anniversary is arguably the more important, at least to those of us gathered in Anthem, AZ. Most of the morning was taken up by text and phone calls to the Birthday Boy from friends and relatives offering congratulations or expressing amazement that he was still hanging in there! We showered, snacked, and eventually loaded into Dell’s new car for a trip towards Cave Creek and some shopping. Deb found a number of items that were candidates for hauling back to Nebraska, including a tall blue porcelain cat, a large outdoor metal collage depicting a thunderbird symbol, and some smaller pots. Alas, nothing found its way into the car.

At 4:30 we headed to the Kiki Rae’s Restaurant to meet our friends Jan and Frank Hrasky for dinner. Dell picked this as he is very partial to the creamy clam chowder. We started with a cocktail and then placed an order for a cup of the chowder all around. Dell had a chef’s salad; Deb ordered a beet and arugula salad, the Hrasky’s split a huge French dip style sandwich, and Mark picked something called a “loco moco” which turned out to be an excellent hamburger patty over a bowl of white rice, then drizzled with a brown gravy and a fried egg on top. We ended the meal with a “birthday” wedge cake of deep chocolate drenched with chocolate sauce and a huge dollop of whipped cream, stabbed with a gigantic sparkler shooting flames out of the top.  A great tribute to a wonderful guy and ending to a wonderful meal.

On the return trip we were subjected to awesome sunsets, which, for the passengers, took the edge off the Sunday night traffic. We finished the evening with some television and reading. A quiet night in the end.

Monday Morning, we packed our bags and loaded up the RAV 4 for the trip south to Tucson. We left Casa Sennentz by 10:30 and jumped onto the freeway parking lots that surround Phoenix for the 150 mile trip south to Tucson. Although Dell admonished us to be sure and take a bathroom break before leaving, which we heeded, we still needed to stop at a McDonald’s for a rest. While there, since it was the noon hour, we ordered a snack of a Big Mac, fries and a hot fudge sundae for the road.

We arrived in Oro Valley at Tom & Kevin’s home around 1:00 PM for a warm but pleasant afternoon. After such a “hard” drive some of us rested our eyes in a prone position while others tried to keep their eyes open while sitting up. Although Tom & Kevin are now teetotalers, eschewing alcohol, that didn’t stop the Nebraska contingent from its evening dirty martini and scotch on the rocks. Following cocktails, we took a drive to our evening dinner reservation, Trueland Burgers and Greens. Again, lovely, low-key affair. Mark enjoyed a huge burger topped with bacon and a fried egg (a pattern is developing), Deb a classic Burger, Kevin a Buffalo Chicken sandwich and Tom a salad topped with Ahi tuna.

Again, home early for some relaxation. We had determined earlier to watch the movie Hamilton, as Tom & Kevin had never seen it. This started a hilarious attempt by old people to sign into Disney+ on the television. Multiple attempts and we kept getting thrown out for wrong password or fat fingers on the keypad. Deb finally was able to get it up and running by logging in with her passwords from Omaha. Unfortunately, it timed out before the intermission, but the boys are significantly intrigued to try and finish this show at a later date.

We retired around 10:00; an enjoyable and relaxing day with friends, even though the daytime weather had reached 90ºF.

Southwest Road Trip, LA & Tucson, September 29 - September 30, 2025.

This morning we are on to an adventure. Ed took the day off from work to spend some “quality time” with his parents, while Meg stayed home to work. As they both work from home, it makes raising Cooper much easier! We first left the condo around 9:00 for a quick drive to Nat’s Diner for breakfast. Deb had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and hash-browns. While Mark tucked into a turkey sausage scramble, accompanied by hash-browns and toast, Ed opted for scrambled eggs with toast. Copious amounts of coffee were provided. We can heartily recommend this diner to anyone traveling to the LA area.

We returned home for a quick freshening, and then headed for our destination of the day, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA.) Deb had been to this museum a number of years ago, but found the current exhibits new and exciting. The building is an amalgamation of multiple buildings near the La Brea Tar Pits. We spent hours in the modern exhibitions area, which is one of the most extensive collections of modern art in the world. Mark was particularly taken with the Picasso room, surrounded by twenty Picasso works on the walls or pedestals. We wandered the exhibitions for hours, separately and together. 

We can’t leave a museum without a visit to the museum shop for Deb to add to her earring collection from museums around the world. Next door to LACMA, and formerly known as LACMA west, is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which we didn’t have time to enter. But as there is no entry fee for the museum shop, Deb was able to step in and again add to her collection.

We left the parking garage and fought the traffic back to the Sherman Oaks neighborhood. Meg had  taken a break from work and walked to the local Ralph’s supermarket for some baked potatoes and steak for our dinner. We enjoyed the meal, chatted at length, and then Mark and Deb climbed to the top floor to repack their luggage for the next day’s early departure. A truly enjoyable though quick visit.

Tuesday morning we left the house early, Meg driving us the quick 20 minute trip to the Burbank airport for our morning flights to Tucson for the next leg of our trip. Fifty minutes to Las Vegas, a two hour layover, Then another forty minute flight into Tucson.  Mark read, while Deb dozed on both flights. for the final leg, we had an aisle and window seats with one seat between, which was occupied by a quiet black gentleman who also dozed on the flight. After landing, as we were leaving, Deb turned to her seat mate and said, “nice sleeping with you;” to which he replied “Ditto.” 

Tom was on hand to meet the flight and we tossed the luggage into the vehicle and headed to their home in Oro Valley. As we settled into the guest bedroom, Mark discovered that in the rush to get off the airplane, he had left his Kindle reader in the seat pocket of the plane.  We quickly filed a “lost belonging” report with Southwest in the hopes that it would turn up.  Thankfully, the Kindle application on his iPad was linked to his reader so he was able to open the book he had been reading and continue.

Kevin had been grocery shopping, so that after cocktails and a quick catch up and admiring the pink glow of the Catalina Mountain range from our seats on the patio around the pool, he placed the filet mignon steaks on the grill, produced the salad from the refrigerator and the scalloped potatoes from the oven. A great meal and fun chatting about the world, trying not to get too worked up about the latest machinations of the Orange Felon and his cohorts in the Washington. We retired to our beds for a good night’s rest.

 

Southwest Road Trip, September 27 - October 10, 2025

Saturday, September 27, 2025 we left Omaha on a Southwest flight, scheduled for 9:50 AM takeoff, only 25 minutes late. We were transported to LasVegas for what was to have been a one-stop, non plane change flight en route to Burbank, California. Southwest Airlines had other ideas. After every other passenger was off the plane, we mentioned to the flight attendant that we must be the only people headed to California.  That’s when he said, no, this plane was next headed to El Paso. Whoops! An equipment change that Southwest Airlines neglected to notify.

We hustled off, and luckily, only had to hobble from gate C1 to gate C11, within the same terminal. They were expecting us and allowed us to pre-board, and so we settled in for our 45 minute hop over to Burbank. Deb took an immediate nap, and Mark dozed in and out. Landing in Burbank, we texted Ed for pick-up and then went to baggage claim, fully doubting our bags would have made the change. We were pleasantly surprised when they dropped onto the spinning baggage carousel and we were off to the pick-up point.

A short 20 minute drive and we arrived at Ed & Meg’s new condo in Sherman Oaks on Sylmar Avenue. A 4-storey unit on the corner of the building with a 2-car garage under. We were welcomed by Meg and the newest member of the family, Cooper, the 8-month old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

We put our luggage into the guest bedroom and settled into the living room for a glass of wine and some talk. Meg left for a work function of about an hour and a half, and Ed prepped hors d’oeuvres for dinner. Ed’s high school chum Matt Rysavy, now a freelance editor in LA, and his girlfriend Kara Harschberger joined us for dinner: a wonderful homemade butternut squash soup, salad greens and chocolate treats as a dessert.

As Deb and Mark had been up since 5:30 Omaha time, they retired early at 9:30 after a full travel day. Mike and Kara stayed on until a little past 11:00 and then headed back home. A long but enjoyable day.

Sunday morning, Mark rolled out at 4:30, showered and went down to drink some coffee, catch up on the latest Orange Felonies being perpetrated on America, and work his morning NYT puzzles. Meg and Cooper eventually joined and went for a morning walk, Ed came down to make more coffee and Deb, after showering and doing battle with Millie the cat, came down for coffee around 9:00.

The schedule for the day was to depart around 10:15 for West Hollywood and Hamburger Mary’s Restaurant for brunch.  Not just any brunch, but a live Drag Queen show with brunch and lunch available. What an experience.  Ed seemed to be a Queen magnet, ending the 2 hour show with three separate lipstick kisses on his forehead and the rest of us running out of $1.00 bills! We finally rolled out of the show around 2:00PM, made a short stop for Salt & Straw Ice Cream for Deb and Meg (excellent) and then home for a nap and rest up before our dinner reservations scheduled for 6:00.

Dinner this evening was at an Italian place, Osteria La Buca. Wonderful food, with some nice cocktails, Negroni, a Succo di Puma (vodka, wild elderberry, lemon) and a nice Pinot Noir wine. Meg and Ed shared an appetizer of melon salad. Dinners included Nero Spaghetti which featured a black homemade spaghetti, clams, squid, shrimp, tomatoes and bread crumbs; spaghetti caccio pepe; and bucatini carbonara; plus and order of bread to sop up all the wonderful sauces. No room left for dessert, however.

Back home, we opened a delicious bottle of California Red wine from the Temecula area and talked bout the next day’s plans.  Some who arose early crept up the stairs for an early 9:00 bedtime, and others struggled upwards a bit later.  A wonderful, food filled Sunday in sunny Southern California.

 

February 28 & 29, Tucson to Phoenix

Wednesday morning was a bit cloudy but otherwise typical Tucson weather. We picked at the remains of the breakfast bar this morning, made use of our hosts washer and dryer, and packed up our bags. Del and Karen had spent the previous night in a Comfort Inn near Mt. Lemmon here in Tucson after driving down yesterday from Phoenix. They arrived at Potosi Point Drive just before lunch, bringing along the second half of the huge sandwiches they had dined on the night before. Mark and Karen split her muffuletta sandwich and we also finished off some of Kevin’s remaining tortilla and rice dish.

As rain showers started, we said our goodbyes and our heartfelt thanks to Tom, Kevin and Liam the Scotty dog for their wonderful hospitality and headed north to the Phoenix area for the second leg of our annual free-loading sojourn in the Southwest. The rain became heavy for a short distance as we initially headed west but as we turned north on I-10, the rain dissipated and traffic was not too bad. We arrived in Anthem, north of Phoenix around 5:00.

We unpacked the Ford and then enjoyed a cocktail and glass of wine. After calling in our order, Del jumped into his Mustang convertible and drove to a nearby Asian restaurant to pick up our take-out, returning with the warm and satisfying meal in about 20 minutes. We dined, talked, and then sat watching the antics of the talk show hosts on You Tube for a few hours, turning in after another “tough” day as travelers.

Thursday we leapt out of bed to meet the day (wouldn’t that be a sight to see!) Deb did a little remote travel work, Del puttered around the house cleaning the deck and skimming the pool, and Mark sat on his anatomy reading all day. Deb and Karen checked out restaurants and finally settled on a place the Sennentz team was unfamiliar with - Kiki & Rae’s Seafood Bar in nearby Cave Creek.We arrived a few minutes late for our 6:00 reservation, but were seated promptly on the patio under a  portable gas heater. We enjoyed great clam chowder, deep fried cod sandwiches, scallops on rice medley and shared a bottle of Pinot Noir. A relaxing and delicious  meal.

Arriving back in Anthem we watched part of a movie, read for a awhile and retired around 10:00. A quiet and relaxing day.

February 26 & 27, Arizona 2024

Another stellar day in the American Southwest. Monday was a leisurely day of reading, writing, and grazing through the breakfast buffet that Kevin set out for us. In the afternoon we loaded into the Avalon sedan and headed out for a late lunch with Tom’s cousin, Jan Buckingham and her husband Lauren Ronald at Vivace Restaurant. Jan and Lauren are transplanted Omahans who live in Tucson year-round. Jan is a retired Interior designer and Lauren is a retired attorney, formerly with Kutak Rock in Omaha. The lunch was well presented Italian fare and most delicious. The setting provides a view of the entire valley and downtown Tucson. We then drove to Chicos and Costco to replenish some supplies and find a blouse and slackers to complete a wardrobe for Deb.

We returned in the early evening and enjoyed cocktails and wine around the pool. We dined on leftovers and then settled in for a movie that Tom had recommended: “Leave the World Behind.” The stars were Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon. This was a thriller and a very thought provoking movie that we can recommend to anyone over the age of 13. Lots of foul language and some violence. The ending leaves you wondering. It is available on Netflix.

Tuesday we were up at the crack of dawn (7:00) and again grazed the breakfast bar. After cleaning up and chatting for a while, we left for a late lunch at Harvest Restaurant. We enjoyed a glass of wine, some burgers, a salad and a turkey sandwich. All the food was delicious. Next we traveled to the DeGrazia Art Gallery and toured the art. Ted DeGrazia was a native Tucson artist (1909 - 1982) born to Italian immigrant parents in Morenci, Arizona Territory. He eventually attended University of Arizona earning a Master’s Degree in Art and established the Gallery for living and painting in the 1950’s.

We made a grocery stop and then returned to Oro Valley for martinis and wine around the pool. Tom fired up the jacuzzi spa and when the temperature hit 94ºF, we slipped into our suits, transferred our drinks to plastic glasses, and dipped into the spa for an hours soak and chatter.  Some of us watched “Barbie” while the other two dozed while pretending to watch.  I will let you figure out who the dozers were.

We finally crawled into bed at 10:30, having enjoyed a hospitable day of relaxation, witty repartee, friendship and food.

2024 Arizona Spring Fling

Saturday, February 24, 2024 and our “Uber” driver, Abigail picks us up promptly at 10:00 AM to transport us to Eppley Airfield for the beginning of our spring trek to the great Southwest. Our Southwest Airlines flight to Denver departed and arrived on time. We lunched on a Caesar Salad and a Ham and Swiss sandwich plus a pair of cans of Pinot Noir for the princely sum of $68.00, this from a stand-up sandwich purveyor. We found our way to our gate and sat at a computer hook-up station / desk to eat our meal. Surprisingly good food, with one of the best ham and Swiss sandwiches ever encountered. (Topped off with a huge Rice Krispy & marshmallow treat for dessert.) 

The flight to Tucson was delayed due to late arrival of the equipment, but we landed safely in Tucson at 5:45, met by our host Tom. Our bags arrived on time and intact and we spent the next 45 minute drive catching up enjoying the sights as we headed for home in the suburb of Oro Valley. Kevin and Liam the Scotty Terrier met us at their home and we rested on the patio, looking at the Catalina mountain range, enjoying a dirty martini and dined on a taco bowl dish Kevin had been preparing in his Ninja pot. We notified Abby that we had arrived safely. Darcy was on a flight returning from Denver after a drive out from Omaha with her friend Erin and her son Sam. Ed & Meg were also in Arizona, Scottsdale, and were busy touring the Biltmore Hotel and enjoying a cocktail in this Frank Lloyd Wright designed structure. We will meet them in Burbank next weekend. 

Sunday morning we awoke fairly refreshed and enjoyed a breakfast buffet of pastry, chopped fruit, cereal, juice, toast and jam and the all important coffee. The morning was beautiful, the mountains gleamed and we sat on the deck admiring the day. There is a huge bicycle road race occurring here in Oro Valley today.

The traffic is diverted and there are hundreds of bikers racing around a 4 mile stretch of the town. We walked about a block up to the highway area of the race and watched the pelotons racing by and then, later in the afternoon, watched the professional racers as they tore around the route at a torrid pace. This event began at 8:00 this morning and went to 4:00 in the afternoon. Exciting to watch although it was quite a disruption to traffic and caused us a bit of circumnavigation when we returned later in the afternoon.

Shortly after the noon hour, we hopped in the car and headed out for our day’s adventure. We drove to the nearby town of Oracle to Biosphere 2. This 3.14 acre facility was originally a ranch, then a hotel conference center and  in 1984 construction began for the Biosphere as a simulation for exploring human living possibilities in space.

The original 8  Biospherians were locked into the facility for a two year period, raising their own food, cooking and living together to test the possibility and life activities away from Earth.  After the initial two year period, a second set of 7 Biosherians entered the facility for and additional period. The facility is now owned by the University of Arizona and continues into research of life science. There are five Biomes under glass at the facilit. These biomes, ocean, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savannah grasslands and fog desert, are all huge structures under glass similar to enormous greenhouses.The walking tour takes approximately 90 minutes and is truly amazing.

Biosphere 2 is meant to replicate Biosphere 1 (Earth) and is undertaking all kinds of research that is fascinating and basic to life. As an example, There are three huge, under glass “hillsides” that are constructed on steel frameworks under glass. These are each approximately 33 feet wide and 100 feet long, at a 10º slope and will be planted with a variety of plants and grasslands. The object is to find how water is purified as it percolates through various layers of growth and soil. There are nearly 1,000 sensors in each area of soil, and, as it is all under glass, the temperature, humidity, and sunlight can be controlled and measured.

The object is to find the effect of each input on the plants and the resulting water that percolates through the soils. To me, as a building guy, two of the most interesting structures were the Lung buildings. Since all the structures are sealed under glass, the temperature and humidity combine to continually change the pressure inside the structures. If not properly vented the structures could explode or crush under the atmospheric changes. These huge lungs are designed to breathe via huge floating aluminium floors that rise and lower as to maintain an even pressure with in the building structures. The facility is open from 9:00 to 4:00 every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tickets are $27.00 for adults, $25,00 for seniors and $15.00 for those 17 and under. There are a limited number of tickets available for each day and hour so are best purchased in advance from Biosphere 2.org.  Anyone planning a visit to Tucson should add this to their agenda - it is not to be missed.

We returned to the house for the rest of the afternoon for cocktails and visiting. We snaked on cheese, crackers, and some cookies and ice cream. As we were still in travelling mode and under the influence of toile changes, we retired at 10:00 having enjoyed our first day of learning about our world and resting by the pool with cocktails and good friends and hosts.

Arizona 2023, Saturday, March 4, 2023

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.

Arizona - Thursday, March 2, 2023

As noted in yesterday’s post, we awoke this morning to 3-4 inches of snow blanketing the patio, cacti, and xeriscape. The pink Catalina mountains from the evening before were covered and white - quite a spectacle. Neighbors report that this is the most snow in their 24 years here in Tucson. An astounding experience for our sunny southwest sojourn. The snow was gone by 11:00 in the morning and the sun was out, although the temperature never rose much over the upper 50’s.

Needless to say, we stayed close to the Casa T&K until middle afternoon. The brand new coffee maker decided that the workout we were giving it was too much. This caused a trip to Best Buy for a trade-in replacement. As long as we were out, we stopped at Crate & Barrel, West Elm, and Williams Sonoma to see all the paraphernalia we would not buy and did not need. Nothing on offer that we were willing to haul or ship home. Besides, that would occasion a discussion of what to throw out in order to make room for any new stuff.

Tom & Kevin had invited their friends Mark and Kip to join us for dinner. Mark & Kip are also transplanted Omahans who are still gainfully employed but working from home most times. During the conversations, we discovered a number of mutual friends and acquaintances - really a small world after all. Kevin prepared a macaroni and cheese with mock crab casserole accompanied by peas and a delightful salad. We had cheese, crackers and salami for hors d’oeuvres, some nice dirty vodka martinis, and conversation before our meal. 

All said and done, the snow melted, the Catalinas turned pink at sunset and all was again right with the world.

Arizona, Wednesday, March 1, 2023

 This morning broke cool, sunny and a bit breezy. The sun made a glorious rise over the mountains and, if the you were willing to sit in the cool breeze, presented a promising start to the day to enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee on the patio. Mark commandeered the Casa T&K kitchen and prepared a brunch of Eggs Benedict accompanied by some more fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee. A proper start to any vacation day.

After cleanup of the kitchen and the bodies, we spent the early afternoon reading, communicating and napping. We left the Casa around 3:30 and drove first to the amazing Total Wine liquor store to stock up on some supplies and then drove to a nearby shopping center filled with smart galleries and our eventual dinner destination. We perused the galleries, scored an artsy blouse, and contemplated a number of future purchases.

We next dropped in at our restaurant destination, Tavolino Ristorante Italiano. Deb and Tom ordered a Negroni cocktail as our son Ed had noted it was one of his favorite craft cocktails and also a classic. Deb tried two sips and then handed it to Mark while she ordered a replacement Dirty Martini with Grey Goose, her usual go to drink. Tom finished his Negroni but was not inclined to order it again. Mark will drink most anything. Kevin, as designated driver stuck with a single glass of wine.

The food was classic Italian, a pair of Tagliatelle Bolognese, a Spaghetti Frutti Mara, a Penne al Fungi all accompanied by a bottle of Nero d’Avola. We eschewed a dessert, although we were tempted by the menu. We were back at the Casa T&K by 9:00 and settled in for some reading and television entertainment. Around 10:00 it started to snow! After staring out at the large flakes dropping on to the cacti and other flora in the yard, we went to bed thinking we were in some alternate universe. 

Thursday morning we awoke to a white winter wonderland with an inch of fluffy white stuff covering the landscape. Not something we had dressed for. We will see what the day brings.  

Arizona - February 27

 We are on the road again! It seems strange to be standing on line at the TSA Pre check in Omaha; it has only been five months since we returned from our nearly two months in Europe but that feels like a lifetime ago. We are now headed to our annual visit (some would say freeloading) to our friends in the Southwest. We left our home at 4:45 AM on Monday, stopped to pick up our driver Darcy (dear DAPC2) who will drive our car back home. Our first leg on Southwest Airlines was uneventful, we arrived in Denver and immediately proceeded to the McDonald’s outlet in the C concourse for an egg, bacon, cheese biscuit sandwich  and a potato patty to share and take the edge of our hunger. We arrived at the Tucson airport where Tom & Kevin are on hand to meet us. We loaded our meager luggage into their white sedan and headed to the Casa T&K bed and breakfast for the next few days. Kevin was our chauffeur this morning with Tom riding shotgun.

A scant mile from our destination, we were stopped in the turn lane waiting for the light to go our way when SMACK, we were lightly rear ended by a Mercedes SUV. The light changed, we pulled around the corner and into a grocery store parking lot to make the obligatory information exchange and inspect the damage. No injuries, barely a tap, and no apparent damage to either the Toyota or the Mercedes. The offending driver (Gigi) was in a tizzy, extremely apologetic and nearly in tears. Kevin spent a great deal of time calming her down and getting the necessary information from her. Cellphone pictures of license plates and insurance card info make this whole fender bender situation so much quicker.

Back on our way, we quickly arrived at Casa T&K for the beginning of our stay. We visited at length, Kevin made some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch and then we laid our tired bodies down for a quick nap. Next thing you know it was up and on to cocktail hour. The mountains that form the stunning view from the deck of Casa T&K were beginning to change color with the setting sun, and as they say here “When the mountains turn pink it is time to drink!” Mark mixed up a pair of dirty martinis for Tom & Deb (twice) and Kevin and Mark enjoyed some wonderful Scotch single malt whisky.

Kevin had prepared a magnificent dish of creamed scalloped potatoes, a delightful bowl of peas and garlic and grilled a quartet of beef filets for our dining pleasure. We ate well, talked into the night and fell into bed happy with our first day of “Spring Vacation.”

The weather in Tucson has been decidedly chilly, highs in the low 60’s and lows into the upper 30’s. Sitting on the patio if it is not sunny in the afternoon requires a light sweater or jacket. Mark, of course brought his sandals and shorts, which seems only natural to him. These pair well with his fleece pullover so things are fine. Deb has long pants but not nearly enough long sleeved blouses - some quick shopping may be in order! For Tuesday morning, Kevin has prepared his usual B&B spread of fresh fruit, danish coffee cake, bananas, juice, cereal with milk and of course, copious cups of coffee. The Hampton Inn buffet would be shamed! This morning we loaded up the Toyota and headed south to the border town of Tubac, Arizona. This historic town, first established as a Spanish presidio in 1752, is now primarily an art colony and the shopping area is crammed with over 100 art galleries. We walked, shopped and stopped for a wonderful lunch at the famous Elvira’s Restaurant.  Although we have heard stories of the Arizona wildlife, we only encountered a lonely grasshopper on our visit to Tubac.

Elvira’s was originally established in 1927 in Nogales, Sonora county, Mexico. In the 1980’s the restaurant closed as US tourists stopped flocking to the restaurant due to the combination of drug/gang violence, economic downturn and changing regulations requiring passports to cross the US - Mexican border. They re-opened in 1987 in Tubac and serve wonderful Sonoran cuisine. We dined on a Mole Poblano, a Chili Relleno, some chicken enchiladas, and steak and mushroom quesadilla. All accompanied by a Modell Cerveza and house margaritas. Our chauffeur Tom stuck to ice tea.

We arrived back at Casa T&K around 5:30, in time for Pink time, and then grasped on leftover scalloped potatoes and some grilled kielbasa. By 10:00 we were nodding our heads and crawled into our beds, having enjoyed the touring, the food and the camaraderie.

Tucson to Phoenix Arizona, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

We arise this morning to a cool, cloudy and blustery day in Tucson. Well rested, we breakfast on the remains of last night’s pizza, some fruit and yogurt and the ever present coffee. By 10:00 we are saying goodbye to the pink painted Santa Catalina mountain scenery.

Shortly we are all packed and we load into the white, smooth riding Avalon and head north along I-10 towards Casa Grande and our luncheon appointment. The winds were howling crosswise against the car and the semi-trailers were swaying as they stormed past our vehicle. Tom, our designated driver, held steady and the rain held off. We arrived right on time in Casa Grande and located our destination, Creative Cafe, reputedly the best restaurant in Casa Grande.

The Creative Cafe has an interesting story; according to its menu, it was founded in 1987 and provides work and learning opportunities for mentally and physically disabled adults. This was quickly apparent when we had been seated: we were approached by a young lady, obviously disabled and so thin she would have fallen over if she ventured outside in the winds we encountered on the way to the restaurant. She ably attended to our drink requests. On the other side of our table, an attentive young Down syndrome man was quick with refills, napkins and an apron filled with straws to hand out.

Our Phoenix connection friends were only 30 minutes behind schedule, although with a ready set of excuses; it was raining heavily on the way south, the traffic along the I-10 corridor was horrific, and most importantly, neither had remembered their cellphones with the name of the restaurant they were headed towards, nor any method of contacting us to receive directions. Even if they had located a pay phone(?) they wouldn’t have had the foggiest idea of our phone numbers as that information too was stored in these devilishly ubiquitous electronic devices. It was miraculous that they were able to find us at all.

Once the six of us were gathered around our table, introductions were made (our two sets of hosts had not met previously) we ordered our sandwiches and then launched into conversation. The Nebraskans, four of them desert transplants and the two of us freeloading visitors, quickly found commonality, shared background, politics, and interests. The sandwiches we had ordered were excellent and the single lunch hour stretched to two. By the time we were ready to transfer the luggage from one car trunk to another, it was pouring rain.  At least the rain was able to hide the tears as we offered heartfelt thanks and said our goodbyes to our Tucson hosts. Tom and Kevin headed back south in the rain and we headed north with Dell and Karen to our next few days of adventure. The rain finally stopped some 20 miles south of Phoenix and we coasted into Anthem, after a stop at Costco to load up on wine and soda water, now in the sunshine.

It has been two years since we were here in Phoenix; during the pandemic, we had cancelled plans in 2021 for a southern excursion. Many changes around the Sennentz homestead, new plantings, dirty Mesquite tree removal, but the pool and hot tub spa were still beckoning. We loaded our bags into our designated bedroom and settled in for some talk and rest.

Suddenly, we heard a strange noise and looked out the window. Hail was pouring down, splashing in the pool, bouncing on the patio deck and piling up! A strange phenomenon in the desert. The temperature was dropping and Dell went out with sheets and blankets to throw some protection over the more tender plants in anticipation of a predicted overnight frost.

Dell threw some steaks on the barbecue, Karen prepared some Yukon Gold potatoes and steamed broccoli, and we had a leisurely dinner. We settled in to watch the PBS Newshour, then fell into binge watching a Jack Reacher television series. After three episodes, we finally called a halt and trundled off to bed at a reasonable 10:30 PM. Sleep was quick and deep.

Tucson, AZ, Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Twosday the twenty second day of the second month of the twenty second year of the second millennia following the alleged birth of Jesus of Nazareth. As the Europeans write the date - 22/02/2022. We in Tucson decided it should be a day of rest so confined ourselves to Casa Nielsen/Rose for the entire day. 

We started the day with the normal breakfast bar, but Chef Kevin added a cheesy egg scramble which included the remains of Saturday’s chopped pieces of filet and asparagus. We also polished off the remainder of the au gratin potatoes and the small pastry bites. Yogurt and fresh fruit again completed the meal. As it was a late brunch, we skipped the noon meal. 

We lazed around in the afternoon; Deb had some travel work to clean up, Mark worked on reading the novel he had begun on the flight down, Kevin attended to laundry for all of us, and Tom spent an hour or two in his home office, handling correspondence, paying bills, surfing the internet for something? We did spend a few hours waiting for and then watching President Biden’s address on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. None of us hold out any hope that the sanctions announced will deter the Putin Push, but all the effort the administration has put into organizing our Allies into a united front against this international crime is very refreshing.

 It was sunny to partly cloudy today, relatively warm at 65º F, but breezy. We were able to sit on the patio for a bit during cocktail hour, but eventually were pushed back inside. Not, however before we were able to polish off a plate of cream cheese covered by red pepper jelly, a chunk of Muenster cheese and a large collection of crackers as appetizers.

Earlier in the day we had decided on purchased pizza for our evening meal, so Tom headed out for a pair of Rosati’s thin crust pizzas; a large hamburger and mushroom, and a large “everything.” Kevin prepared a quick salad, and we enjoyed every bite, some having more bites than others! We topped this off with some delicious chocolate cookies that Kevin conjured from his pantry.

Afterward, we sat around watching You Tube videos of singer performances, notably Karen Carpenter and then a bunch of Andrea Bocelli videos. We talked and read well into the evening, finally falling into our beds around 10:30 PM. Tomorrow we will pack up and head towards our rendezvous with Dell and Karen midway between Tucson and Phoenix as we launch into the second half of our Arizona Adventure week.

 

Tucson, AZ, Monday, February 21, 2022

 

Today is an especially auspicious day - February 21 is the birthday of both Deb and Kevin Rose. As such we will call it their special day and try hard to put up with their constant  comment of “but it’s my Birthday!” This morning’s sunrise was not quite so spectacular but still pretty darn nice coming up over the mountains. At breakfast this morning, birthday cards were handed around; Tom and I both got the same card for Deb - crazy coincidence, especially as they were purchased at different stores 1,500 miles apart at different times.

 

 

First stop of the morning was to the Pima County Extension office.The University of Arizona is located in Tucson and the Extension Office is directly across the highway. In Omaha, the Master Gardener program encompasses 14 different demonstration gardens spread around Douglas and Sarpy counties. Here in Tucson, all of the Demonstration Gardens are here at the Extension office and they are open to the public, even though today is the President’s Day holiday. The greenhouses and the Propagation Nursery were closed but all the other gardens were open and available to walk through. One of the most interesting was the Xeriscape demonstration garden for low water level plantings. They utilize a drip system at each of the major plants.

Tucson averages 12” of precipitation a year, as we are in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. Here they had a demonstration of a “water harvesting” system where they collect all rainwater from the metal roof of one of the outbuildings, perhaps 1200 square feet, and via guttering, direct the water to a storage tank that in turn uses timers and gravity to feed the drip irrigation system.

Next up was a trip to another nursery, Green Things. This one was reminiscent of Mulhall’s in Omaha, acres and acres of plants on display, greenhouses as far as the eye can see, and a huge indoor tropical plant set up. This entire facility was originally a ranch, so the area is huge and flat. The other intriguing thing was that, as a working ranch there was a large main home, which is now a showroom and gallery of some very high end art, both Mexican and Native American. There are numerous bunk houses spread around the main home that are now indoor showrooms for pots, wood furniture and sundry other goods for sale. A huge enterprise.

Final stop of the afternoon was the Copenhagen Furniture store. Copenhagen specializes in Scandinavian and modern furniture design. There are stores in Phoenix, Tucson, San Antonio and Austin. We have visited the one in Phoenix almost every visit previously. Tom and Kevin had ordered a new set of dining chairs for their dining table and the ostensible purpose of this stop was to check on delivery status. Like everything else in the country, supply issues have delayed the arrival of the chairs. We were assured that they can expect them prior to the end of March, which was exciting news.

We then journeyed back to Casa Nielsen/Rose for a rest prior to changing for our dinner reservation at the Vivace Restaurant. This is a large, upscale Italian restaurant that is in the foothills overlooking the entire valley of the Tucson metro area. After dark the site of the lights of the city is quite something. The food was absolutely delicious. The Italian bread, fresh and hot from the oven, was accompanied by a very loose pesto sauce rather than butter - scrumptious. Salads were excellent, one a shared  Caesar and the other a oil & vinegar over fresh greens. With the crunchiest potato sticks ever encountered. Deb ordered the soup of the day which was the highlight of the appetizers, a cream of asparagus soup with an indescribable flavor. Main courses included a linguine topped by a perfectly grilled piece of salmon, a seafood “soup” with scallops, shrimp and cod, floating in a red sauce over fettuccine, a pork parmigano accompanied by pasta tossed with vegetables, and finally a large piece of grilled salmon over risotto.  Glasses of wine were consumed, and the evening was capped off by a pair of complimentary “birthday” brûlée’s, complete with a candle. Midway through the meal, we looked out on the patio of our dining area to witness a young couple just as he proposed to his date/girlfriend. She evidently said “yes” as tears flowed and hugs ands kisses ensued. They returned to the dining room to applause and rejoined what appeared to be her parents, they also now in tears. Very romantic!

We journeyed back to our abode for a nightcap and again into bed at the sensible hour of 10:00 PM.   A wonderful birthday for both the celebrants and their attending partners. 

Tucson AZ, Sunday, February 20, 2022

Up for a glorious sunrise over the Santa Catalina Mountain range,

which is the view out of the windows at the Nielsen-Rose abode this morning. We have an entire week stretching ahead of us and so much to do, yet so restful to sit poolside in the sunshine doing absolutely nothing! This morning Chef Kevin offered an amazing choice of repast with which to break our overnight fast. After discussing our plans for the day, we opted for a lighter meal of fresh fruit, raspberry pastries, yogurt and cereal. We enjoyed an orange juice Prosecco smoothie to go with our coffee.

Promptly at 11:00, the doorbell rang with a delivery of flowers for Deb. Abigail had arranged for the arrangement to be delivered in anticipation of Deb’s birthday tomorrow. When your children do something thoughtful and kind, such as this, you realize that maybe your attempts at parenthood were not such a failure after all. Next thing you know, they will offer forgiveness for all the times we refused to let them join their buddies at the mall or to purchase the newest piece of plastic plaything on offer.

Early afternoon, we climbed into Kevin’s white Avalon to drive the area. First stop was Tucson Cactus and Koi, the cactus nursery at which Kevin spends way too much time and money (according to Tom,) and where all the salespeople seem to know his name, Kevin’s Cheers. Never have we seen such a display or variety of cactus. Tall ones, short ones, flowering ones, dead looking ones! Kevin, a Master Gardener with Douglas County Extension when he lived in Omaha, has embraced the desert flora. He has spent countless hours restoring his small piece of the desert. His yard now encompasses 95 cactus and 16 pots of annual flowers for color and diversity. He is after a low water, xeriscape, style planting and his efforts are evident. During this stop, Deb acquired a small potted cactus, which she intends to wrap up and smuggle onto our plane home in her carry-on!

Next stop is an upscale open air mall where we spent too much time in Crate and Barrel. This shopping excursion was spurred on as a number of items on Meg and Ed’s wedding list were available at his store. Since we will be coming back out to the great southwest in another 60 days to celebrate their wedding, we used this excuse to wander the store and ponder all the wonderful goods available and decide what we might want to contribute to their happiness. 

Next onward to our evening dinner location, the Original Guadalajara Cafe for some Mexican cuisine and a large pitcher of Margaritas. Mark chose a more sensible 20 ounce beaker of Modell Negra beer. The food was excellent - the only downfall was the table-side preparation salsa, guacamole and chips as appetizers. We enjoyed a taco salad, a plate of three sauce soaked enchiladas, a molcajetes (which is a scalding cauldron of seafood and meats to be wrapped in accompanying tortillas,) and  Tom’s choice of tamales and enchiladas and a Gordita. All in all too much food. We should have skipped the hors d’oerves. 

Just as the sun was setting, we returned to Casa Nielsen-Rose for evening cocktails and conversation under the stars. Amid a brace of dirty Martinis and a bottle of red wine, we tried to solve all the world’s, or at least just our own troubles. Luckily, the combination of activities, walking and good food tired us and kept our activities to a minimum. We were into our boudoir and bed at a responsible 10:00 PM.

Tucson AZ, Saturday, February 19, 2022

We head out this morning for our week in Arizona, first visiting our friends Tom Nielsen and Kevin Rose in Tucson, and then midweek, headed toward Phoenix to spent the balance of our week with our friends Karen and George (Dell) Sennentz. Abigail picked us up from home at 7:30 A.M.; she is always on time! She inherited that trait from one of her parents. We arrived at Eppley Airfield by 7:50 and were masked up and checked in moments later. This is our first trip together under COVID rules, although Deb and Abigail did take a flight to up-state New York last fall for a wool, sheep and knitting festival. The prospect of wearing a mask for 6-8 hours was not something we were looking forward to.

Our route from Omaha to Denver, a short layover, and then on to Tucson was uneventful. No one was thrown off the plane for rowdy behavior; it wouldn’t have been too bad as both flights were 100% full. The only respite was a cup of coffee and soda on the second leg which allowed for momentary mask removal. Both flights arrived early, and we set foot in Tucson at 1:30 in the afternoon. Tom and Kevin arrived to pick us up in the baggage area and we headed to their home in Oro Valley, some 50 minutes drive away. They have now been in Tucson for three years and have created quite a life for themselves. Their home is beautifully decorated, the pool and spa very inviting and their “son” Liam the Scotty well behaved.

We settled in, headed straight for the patio, and found cocktails to our liking. As we had not eaten all day, Kevin broke out some cheese, crackers, red pepper jelly, nuts and sausage rounds. We sated our appetite and then continued our cocktail hour and caught up on life in general. At dinner hour, Kevin produced a salad, au gratin potatoes, asparagus spears, stuffed mushroom caps and marinated filet steaks. Mark performed the grilling duties. It was a late meal for all involved. Kevin retired first, having spent a lot of effort on the meal. Tom, Deb and Mark stayed up chatting for a while and then as the traveling pair retired for the night, Tom handled kitchen clean-up duties.

We are happy to have arrived; we are looking forward to our week’s vacation in the warmth of Arizona. However, when we left on Saturday, the temps in Omaha were headed towards the 60’s. But snow is also

in the forecast so wed won’t miss that.