Toppenish - City of Murals

Sadly, we were called away to Oregon last week for the funeral of my dear Aunt Dottie in Springfield (Eugene). The funeral was scheduled for Sunday, so we left Saturday morning for Corbett, Oregon where my brother and sister-in-law (Clair & Beverly) live.

I scurried around Friday getting my appointments for the week-end covered and other odds and ends taken care of.

We left early enough on Saturday that we didn't have to rush to get to Clair's house. For the first time ever, we took the time to drive through the main section of downtown Toppenish, Washington. They have done a fabulous job of scattering dozens of western theme hand painted murals throughout the town.

The purpose of the murals is to tell the story of the history and legends of the community, which still has a significant Indian population, and an agricultural economic base.

These murals are painted on the ends of buildings, at the top of buildings, over the doorways... you have to look around and pay attention or you will miss some.

The first picture above gives you a perspective on the size, with the SUV parked in the lower right section of the picture. They are absolutely fabulous. Click on the images to enlarge. This will give you an even better appreciation for the quality of work in these paintings.

Max On His Harley

Couldn't resist posting this picture of Max on his Harley back in the "good old days". We received this in the mail from Max's sister, Connie.

He looks like he's smoking a cigarette, but he has never smoked, so he must have a toothpick in his mouth. Click on the image to enlarge.

What a great photo!

Baseball season

I went to my first T-ball game ever this morning.

This picture is of my little friends Olivia & Eli. They "belong" to our friends Keith & Shelley Granger.

Eli is 6 years old and plays for the Pepsi team. T-ball is fun for the kids because they don't keep score and there are no outs. Everyone gets a chance to bat and run bases. One of the Dad's pitches to the kids and if they can't hit it after three pitches, they sit the ball on a rubber "T" and let the batter hit it from there. They get as many trys as they need to actually hit the ball. When everyone on the team has batted, the other team gets a turn. They generally play two full innings.

The kids are so cute in their baseball uniforms. If you enlarge the second picture (by clicking on it) you will see the third baseman playing in the dirt, while Eli takes his turn at bat. :-)

Spring Blossoms

We love the Spring and watching all the trees as they bloom and leaf out. TodayMax & I went out for a drive around town, stopping along the way to take pictures as we saw pretty flowering trees that we liked. The first picture is of Max in our little garden of Phlox. The roses, in the background, are leafing out nicely and we're looking forward to them blooming a good portion of the summer. The fourth picture is that of a small cherry orchard that continues to survive in the city. The rest of the pictures are from around town, in no particular order.

Shirlee's Birthday

Today we had a birthday party for our friend, Shirlee Spilker. Shirlee's birthday was actually last Sunday and she was feeling kind of bad nobody seemed to remember. Little did she know that our mutual friend, Barb Keeler, had a surprise gathering planned for today at Abby's Pizza in East Wenatchee.

Shirlee is the volunteer coordinator at Central Washington Hospital. She couldn't figure out how so many of the volunteers kept the secret all week. At least now she knows who she can trust with a secret.

Truthfully, I didn't even realize Shirlee's birthday was so close to mine, so we agreed we should celebrate together more often. I originally met Shirleee through golfing at Three Lakes, but we've had some real estate dealings in the past... and have become friends off the course and away from business.

Happy Birthday, Shirlee. Yes, we do care!

Das Puttermeisters

Here is a duplicated post from my golf blog:

Last night I had a (belated) birthday dinner with my "Puttermeister" golf team friends. We have a 6 year tradition of celebrating each others birthday at Garlini's Italian Restaurant in East Wenatchee.

The birthday celebrations started when Karen turned 50. We all turned 50 within a few years of each other and have been celebrating every birthday ever since. This means we meet 4 times per year just to socialize and reminisce and laugh about the great times we've had playing golf together as a team. Sometimes we leave the restaurant with sore stomachs from laughing so much.

We were trying to figure out last night how long we've been playing together and decided it's about 8 years. Sadly for us, Barb and her husband Leonard are retiring and will be moving to Arizona this June. We will sorely miss Barb because it's been so much fun being a "team". We hope to still play together in the future when Barb and Leonard come back to town, and have talked about Barb finding a tournament in Arizona that we could all play in. This would be so much fun. Max's sister lives in the Phoenix area, so I know he would be entertained while I'm off playing golf.

The name "Das Puttermeisters" came about during one of our first tournaments together when Barb and I were goofing off, trying to talk German, as a way of making jest at Lisa's 100% German Heritage (I am 25% German). Lisa works at Cashmere Valley Bank and can certainly count perfectly well in English, but she always counts up the scorecard in German. It's pretty funny to witness. So, after much ado, "Das Puttermeisters" was born and has been a force to reckon with ever since.

Team members from left to right are:
Lisa Schmidt, Carol Williams, Karen Madison, Barb Keeler.

Long live Das Puttermeisters!

Blogging Consultant?

I've been told by a number of people how much they like the blog(s) and it would be great to have one for their family. They've suggested I offer a Blog set-up service, which would be kind of fun. I could do the basic set-up and some training on how to post pictures and text.

You wouldn't need to learn any coding because I could work with the template if you want sidebar links etc. They could have a blog set-up to post pictures of family history, family reunions, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, baby pictures, etc. It can be totally customized for the individuals.

The actual blog hosting service if FREE, so there is no monthly charge. The only fee would be an initial set-up and training fee for me. The blogs can be archived by the month, with the most current posts showing up on the home page. I have this blog set up for the most recent 25 posts to show and the rest are in the "archives" by the month. This can be customized.

Although it's fairly new, you can see a sample of what I did for my cousins on my Mom's side of the family at:
www.StClairClan.blogspot.com

Other blogs by Carol:
Carol's 2006 Golfing Season
Investment Real Estate Blog
Max and Carol's blog: This blog
Carol's Residential Real Estate Blog : This is a more comprehensive service and requires a monthly fee. This is too time consuming and I wouldn't be interested in doing this for a family blog. This is primarily to enhance my Search Engine Optimization for my real estate business, but not necessary for a family blog.

If anyone knows anyone who might want to set up a family blog, have them check out my blogs and then contact me.

Have a great week-end,
Carol

CarolWilliams@charter.net

Mom & Dad

While I'm being nostalgic, here's my favorite picture of my Mom & Dad (Amy & Bruce). Aren't they a good looking pair? My Mom died in 1957 and Dad died in 1964.

I miss them, but my life is good!

Grandpa & Grandma St. Clair

Last Fall I started a family blog, for my Mother's side of the family. In looking through pictures to post to that blog, I came across this picture of me and my brother, Clair, with my Grandpa Frank and Grandma Pansy. We must have been about 5 & 6 years old, making this picture taken in about 1957.

Grandpa Frank is my Mom's Dad. Pansy was actually my step-Grandma but she treated all the kids the same and she was a swell Grandma. My favorite memory of her is that she would always make applesauce when I would come visit. I was such a picky eater in those days, it was the one thing she knew I would eat (that and fudgescicles). My Mother's side of the family were loggers and I remember that they would eat a huge breakfast. I remember thinking how odd that was.

My Mother's side of the family has always confused me because Frank was married three times and had something like 12 children total. His first wife died after having four children and then his second wife (my biological Grandma) died when my Mom was about 3 years old. My Mom was the only child by the second wife. Pansy is the third wife and the only Grandmother on that side of the family I ever knew. She and Frank had 7 children. If you want more info on that side of the family go to:
www.StClairClan.blogspot.com If you scroll down to the first post on that blog, I've put a simple family tree that helps alleviate some of the confusion.

Anyway, this picture is proof that I used to be skinny and cute... but I got over it! :-)

The Birthday Azalea

Here I am, at the kitchen dinette, with the Birthday Azalea Max picked out for me. It's now sitting on my office desk (where I spend most of my time).

54

Today is my 54th birthday. I'll be doing a combination of working and playing, while staying close to home most of the day to spend time with Max. Tonight we will go out to dinner at the Peking Restaurant in East Wenatchee with our friends June & Roger Dorner. Max and I go there fairly often on Sunday afternoons. They usually don't even offer us menus anymore... just bring us a #3 combination plate (mild): Kung Pao Chicken, Deep Fried Shrimp, Fried Rice, and BBQ pork with the hot mustard sauce.

Homemade German Chocolate Cake (made by the birthday girl) for dessert.

Tel-Emergency System

I've gotten to the point that I worry about Max whenever I leave for a few hours at a time. A couple of weeks ago he fell (for the first time) while I was out getting my hair permed. He fell in the carport, but can't seem to recall exactly where or the circumstances. He hurt his hand bad enough that it swelled up and bruised significantly. He also complained of sore ribs and a tender knee, but nothing broken that we can tell.

As a result, I purchased one of those "tel-emergency" systems at the medical supply store the other day. It's not one of those monthly service fee kind hooked into a central call center... but, as we discovered, does call 911 BEFORE it dials my cell phone.

The gal at the medical supply store warned me it could be a bit of a challenge to set up, but I've gotten pretty good over the years at programming techy things and I can certainly read a set of instructions.

I did all the set-up and was testing it. Within seconds we received a 911 call wanting to know if everything was o.k. I assured them that I was setting up this new tel-emergency system and thought I had programmed my cell number... but didn't know I had called them. So, I tested it again... with the same results. Oops!

This morning, after some overnight inspiration, I tested it again. Within a short time 911 was calling us once again. I told her I was still trying to program this system, and she informed me an officer was on his way. The very polite officer did arrive shortly. I explained what had happened and assured him I would call the customer service number in the paperwork to get some help with this system.

It's good to know the system is working, but it was my understanding we could program my cell phone number (and up to 4 other contacts) into the system for notification. I didn't know 911 was still the first number called.

This isn't really a bad thing. Now, at least, I don't have to worry when I leave. I'll hang the emergency necklace around Max's neck and make him promise not the "experiment" with it. We already know it works! At least he knows what to do if he does fall or have some other emergency when I am away.

Gives me comfort...

Remember The Archives

Just a reminder for those who may get behind in their reading of this blog. This blog was started last September (2005), but only the 25 most current posts will show when you open the page. Scroll down the right sidebar to the "archives" and every article is stored in the month it was posted.

For example:
Our England trip will show from mid-October through early November
Our Palm Springs trip from late January through early March

Allergy Testing

Today I did the arm-full-of-pin-pricks allergy testing at the office of Dr Cromar in the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center. Dr. Cromar is a very nice guy, who happens to go to our church. He is very active in the church, and is a very good speaker.

Anyway, as one of the tests, he wanted to have my sinuses x-rayed. At least that's what he said. I think it was just an excuse to get my head in an x-ray machine to see if there was any "gray matter" up there. He was so kind as to actually walk me to the x-ray department instead of sending me off to find it on my own. Now that's good service! I wasn't worried about the results, though, because I know with the medical privacy laws he can't reveal the results to anyone without my permission!

After an initial consultation for a variety of allergy issues, Dr Cromar had the nurse, Stella Visser, poke 28 holes in my right arm and another 12 or more in the left arm, testing for food allergies. I happen to know Stella because she is the wife of Dwayne Visser, the guy who was Max's technician for many many years when he worked at the U.S.D.A. research lab here in Wenatchee. Dwayne was an excellent technician and helped Max tremendously during his career.

Oddly, ALL of the food allergy tests came up negative. I had recently determined that I am definitely allergic (or at least have an intolerence for) peanut butter, but peanuts did not come up positive... nor did anything else. The odd thing is, I cut peanut butter out of my diet about 2 months ago and it has made a huge difference. There are other "intolerences" but I have not been able to isolate them (like peanute butter). Therefore, we are inclined to believe it is the preservatives (or some other additive) that is the culprit. Unfortunately, there isn't a test for preservatives and it's a difficult to monitor anyway.

We're working on some other alternatives... so stay tuned...

Life could get even better if it works!

The Golf Blog

I've started posting to the golf blog... so check it out when you get the chance.
Click here.

More Doctor Appointments

In a recent post I mentioned we had met Max's new primary care physician. We used all of our influence and favors to get Max THE doctor, so I was assigned a different doctor. Monday, I had the opportunity to meet this new doctor of mine... Dr. Toth. Not that it makes a real difference, but my doctor isn't even in the main clinic building and, frankly, he looks younger than some of our grandchildren! The picture posted to the left makes him look older than he actually does in person. I'm sure he must be older than he looks. The good news is, I suppose, we shouldn't have to worry about him retiring in my lifetime! Anyway, he seems fine and his professional profile looks good... and I'm sure we'll get along very well. He's a good listener and that's important.

As a result of the appointment, I discovered my blood pressure is on the rise. This is unusual for me because I generally have low blood pressure. It's about time I have something to show for what those step-children have put me through. :-) Anyway, it's something we will monitor.

The doc also ordered some blood tests, full-fledged allergy testing, and a bone density x-ray... plus we're working on a new course of action for my hot flashes. I've been on PremPro for over a year and not comfortable with staying on it much longer. He has me taking the Progesterone lotion and cutting back on the PremPro tabs. Over the next couple of months, I'll ween off of the tabs altogether. I go back in a couple of weeks to review the results of all these tests... and figure out what to do about it.

This all sounds like a lot, but I'm actually feeling quite fine. Just some nagging issues to tend to before I get too old for any of it to work. <grin> I will, afterall, be turning 54 in a few days!

Cheers to all!
Carol

One More Blog

You're not going to believe this, but I've set up one more blog. The newest blog is going to log my entire 2006 golf season, less the Palm Springs portion which is discussed elsewhere in this blog.

The purpose of the new blog is to chronicle my experiences this season game-by-game, couse-to-course. I promise to write about every game, whether I like it or not! I've only made one introductory post so far, but will add more as I get out on the course and have something to report. This coming Thursday is our first 18-hole Ladies Division event at Three Lakes Golf Course... so that will kick off the upcoming season.

Here is a link to the new blog. And, also, there is a link down the right side bar of this blog, cleverly listed under "links".

I'm even wondering how to keep up with posting on all of these blogs. With the golf blog, I'll have a total of 4 blogs plus my regular real estate website. Here they are:
Our personal blog (this blog)
Carol's golf blog
Carol's residential blog
Carol's investment blog

Carol's Top Properties website

Gee... maybe I won't have time to play golf afterall ! Stay tuned...

One Sentence

Today we had out first consultation with Max's new primary care physician, Dr. Peter Rutherford. Our other doctor retired at the end of last year, so we were left to find a new one. We solicited the help of a doctor friend, who is on mission in Brazil, to get us a referral to one of the best and most popular doctors in the Wenatchee Valley Clinic. The nurses, and others in the know, are shocked we were able to get into this doctor because he has a 1 1/2 - 2 year waiting list for taking new patients.

Anyway, we talked about Max's Parkinson's and his meds and I wanted to discuss his memory issues. The doctor ran Max through a series of questions, including what day and month is it, spell some words... AND then he asked him to write one sentence on a piece of paper. Can you guess what Max's one single sentence was? "I love Carol". How sweet is that?

Tough to top that, so will sign off for tonight.

A New Art Site

A shirt-tail relative of mine has put up a new website, featuring her unique art work. I love her use of colors. Check out her gallery and narratives here.

Another Birdhouse

Only patriotic birds will want to visit this house. Isn't it just the cutest thing? This was a surprise find yesterday as I wandered through the new Apple Annies Antique Mall in Cashmere. It certainly isn't antique but I wanted it anyway. It was only $8.

This came about because yesterday I was scheduled to see my massage therapist, who works out of her home in Cashmere. Max was whining about how much his hip and back were hurting so I offered to give him my massage time. So, I dropped him off for the massage and this gave me about an hour to take an unplanned trip over to the Antique Mall. My reward for sacrificing my massage time!

The Mall which was completed several months behind schedule and hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget is phenomenal. It's huge. I don't know how many vendor booths there are, but a lot! And, they're nearly all full. It's almost overwhelming when you walk in and every booth is full of stuff. Warning: Do not take small children in here. It would be too scary with all the dishes and other glassware.

In addition to the new building, their old building across the street is still used as an annex for consignment furniture and other things. When I have some spare time I'll stop in there and check it out.

Anyway, this new birdhouse which is now the second in my collection, has inspired me to consider starting a collection of birdhouses. It will be fun to watch for unique birdhouses in my travels about. I won't buy just any birdhouse... only those that jump out at me!

By-the-way... Max's hip is feeling much better and he's definitely walking with more spring in his step today! So we both benefitted from the change of plans. And... I will get MY massage treatment next Tuesday (if he doesn't sweet talk me out of it again).

Home Safe

Hi everyone,
I keep getting calls to be sure we are home safe. Yes, just haven't had time to post yet. Had good travel weather.

Will write more later.

A Public Warning

Today I am offering a public warning. Yesterday I spent about an hour getting analyzed for a new set of golf irons. Could this be the beginning of an improved golf game? I certainly hope so. For a girl, I'm not a bad golfer... but having a new set of irons that are custom fit to me should make me a more "consistent" player. Hopefully it will be consistently good, and not consistently bad.

This is all theory, of course... so I'll let you know how it goes.

Carefree Driving In California?

Is that an oxymoron? Could there actually be such a thing as carefree driving in California? Maybe not, but having an onboard navigation system is as close as one could ever come. I was pleased to be able to focus on traffic and not when the next exit was coming up.

We got up at 4:00 this morning, so we could leave Palm Springs by 5:00 in order to beat the rush hour through the high traffic areas. We were on the road by 4:50, and I was amazed at how much traffic there actually was at that time of day! But, we did get through without ado. "Maggie", our onboard navigator, makes weaving through the maze of southern California freeways a breeze.

We were braced for rainy and snowy conditions today as per the forecast. We did experience on again and off again rain throughout the day (and a little snow through the Grapevine). Later in the day, we were shocked to find a 2-3 mile stretch of highway with a thick blanket of hail on the ground just north of the town of Willows. It was very bizarre. One minute we were breezing along at 70+ mph, then we were immediately slowed to about 40.

Tonight, we ended up in Redding, California which is about 650 miles from Palm Springs. It was a long day of driving, but this puts us in a good position to evaluate the weather conditions for the Siskiyous tomorrow and take off if conditions permit, or stay put if that's more prudent. I-5 has been closed on and off over the last few days, including today because of numerous accidents. With our all-wheel drive, we're not so worried about getting through the passes, but I do worry about some of the other drivers out there. I'm constantly amazed at how many dumb drivers there are in the world. Many of them have macho 4-wheel drive rigs that they think can go anywhere they want... as fast as they want.

Will check in again tomorrow or the next day to let you know how we progressed.

Dessert in the Desert

I bought some fresh strawberries, while at the College of the Desert Street Fair yesterday morning. Yum... there's even some left for dessert again tonight. I also bought a new blouse, a couple new visors, and some golf towels. It's a good thing we really are leaving here on Friday, because there is no more room in the car to put things!

Click on the picture to enlarge the strawberries (and Max). They're huge in real life... the strawberries that is. :-)

Last Days in Paradise

We are settled into our one-bedroom villa at the Welk resort. This place is really nice, as were our accommodations at Canyon Shores which is, literally, just across the street. Here there are two big pools, instead of the several small pools serving each building at Canyon Shores.

The Welk resort offers a lot of activities to keep you as busy as you want, including a Champagne Welk-um the evening that you check in. Isn't that clever? Remember Lawrence Welk and his "Champagne Music"?

Today's selection of activities included: Treasure Box Painting, Tote Bag Painting, Flower Pot Painting, Bug Painting (they're into painting here I guess), a pool tournament, root beer floats, happy hour at the pool... and they have some kid activities and evening family activities.

Tomorrow morning my friend, Dorothy, and I are going to the Street Fair without the men. Max likes to go, but after about an hour he gets tired and wants to leave. So, Dorothy and I are going to stop by Starbucks on our way and wander around leisurely.

We're scheduled to leave here Friday and plan to be home by Sunday... so just a few more days in Paradise. Don't be too sad for us. We've had a good time!

Spring Training

It's almost time for another baseball season to start. I was so pleased to find a Spring Training game on TV this morning while we were waiting to check out of our motel, and move to the villa at the Lawrence Welk Desert Oasis Resort. The game wasn't a Seattle Mariner game, but it was a game (Dodgers vs Braves). I told Max someday we should consider going to Arizona during March and taking in some of the Mariner Spring Training. We'll see if that ever happens.

Another week in the desert coming up. We'll definitely be on our way home by next Friday, so we should arrive back in Wenatchee some time Sunday, the 12th.

Change Of Plans

We were scheduled to be on the road headed home yesterday (March 1st), putting us home on Friday. BUT, Max's mobility hasn't been that great so when our friend, Dorothy McIntire, offered to let us use her week at the Lawrence Welk Resort, I decided there wasn't any point in rushing Max back to the cold and wet. At this time, it looks like we'll be heading home next Friday (March 10th), getting us home within 3 days.

I had to do some scrambling to change some appointments, but everything seems to be under control. I continue to do my real estate work via computer, phone and Fax.

Will check back in a couple of days.

The Team

Here is a picture of the gals I played golf with on Sunday and Monday at Cathedral Canyon Country Club. We were lucky that it wasn't as hot as originally forecast. The cloud cover helped.

From left to right: Janet, Cheryl, me, Dorothy

We were only a few strokes out of the money, but we had a great time! These ladies know how to put on a tournament. It was an "Oscar Nomination" theme, with (fake) oscar trophies... and tons of door prizes for those of us who didn't win by virtue of our golf scores! The day after the tourney, it rained about for the first time in the desert since October. What good timing.

Kevin's Version

Shortly after I posted my last blog entry, including the golf match for "family bragging rights", I recieved the following dissertation from Kevin... who I think sent it to the rest of the family. Here it is, in it's entirety (with some comments from me in red).

Its official. After a dramatic round of golf, Carol has taken control of the Klock Family Cup. The weather was about 84 F, light wind out of the west on Indian Canyon Golf Course in Indian Wells. Of course Carol picked the course (and paid the $100 green fees). The final outcome was in doubt through at least the second shot on the 1st hole. By the time the turn was made it was almost a matter of pride but I had left that somewhere on the front nine. I came back to shoot a respectable 42 on the back nine. However, the following top ten reasons I got beat.

1. Like Donovan McNabb, I had to be playing through injuries.

2. Carol claimed sore shoulder and teed off on the red tees. Red tees are the girly tees. Yes, Kevin, I am a girl... that's where we tee off. And I did offer to let you tee off there too. Male pride can be a terrible thing. I do have two bad rotator cuffs (very painful), and didn't want to blow them out before my two day tournament at Cathedral Canyon C.C. Sunday and Monday. If you are a man and do not hit your drive past the girly tees, you are required to drop your pants as you head towards your next shot. I played blue because the male in the twosome who joined us was playing blues and was 105 years old so I felt inclined to at least protect my manhood and play from there.

3. Playing from the red tees gave Carol a 1,500 yard advantage over the 18 holes of the course. That's right for you who know golf, she got at least 100 yard advantage per hole. My par 3 was 200 yards and her's was 98. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin... you were doing far better from 200 yards out than 98, so that wouldn't have helped. Was it the 120 yard par 3 I birdied, with a two foot putt?

4. Carol is not tied down by the traditions and analysts of golf that say boobs get in the way of long drives. She drives as far as I do which means her 100 yard advantage led to 60 yard 2nd shots on par 4's. I want her for any of my scrambles. Again for you non golfers that's a tournament where you play the best hit ball. Carol did let me use her driver which I was spanking long and straight. Kevin will be in a golf shop soon getting one of those King Cobras.

5. My dog ate it.

6. The day before I had flown from Springfield, MO to Dallas, TX to LAX. Then drove from LAX to Camarillo to Palm Springs. The drive to Palm Springs took 4.5 hours including one 12 mile stretch through LA that took an hour. That's right 12 miles in one hour and no wreck. That fancy new truck made the trip more bearable.

7. The hotel put us in a room with only a king size bed for the four of us. They then told me that it was my fault for using Priceline. After verbalizing my displeasure at the front desk and explaining that we had called in advance to secure a two bed room, we got the two bed room. It had two doubles, I almost asked for the king and a roll up instead. It felt like college, I mean shortly after getting married again.

8. Suntan lotion got in my eyes. This could be true, but I doubt it, considering the length of those drives!

9. The plant is not performing well. All we've done is beat our budget on volume and profitability and I'm fielding questions as to why is Ventura struggling. My mind was elsewhere. Yeah, his mind was elsewhere... dollar signs flashing in his eyes hoping for a big bonus for beating all those production goals. They've overshot every goal, like having a King Cobra in his hands.

10. My hair was in my eyes. If I had been in town during the week I would've been able to get my hair cut. What hair?

For now, like the Iron Chef, Carol reigns supreme. Maybe one of these days we convince another Klock to join us. Until next year, Carol is the Top Klock. Amen!

The Family Torch Is Passed!

Here is a picture of my cousin, Kevin Klock and his family... wife, Jennifer and the kids Justin and Kara. The handsome guy on the left, of course, is none other than my Max. This photo was taken last night about 6:30 as were all waiting patiently for our table at Babe's, a wonderful BBQ restaurant at "The River" in Palm Desert.

For those of you who don't know who Kevin is... it is Kevin's grandparents who raised my brother and me after the death of our parents. Kevin's Dad's Dad and my Dad were brothers. Also, I lived with Kevin's Mom & Dad (and Kevin and his two brothers and one sister) for about a year when I first moved to Wenatchee in 1971. Kevin was only about 3 years old at that time. Kevin would come into my room at night after his bath and put on the headphones to my stereo and dance around in his pajamas.

Kevin and his wife and kids now live in Camarillo, California, which is 2-10 hours from Palm Springs, depending on traffic! I think it took them about 4 or5 hours to get over here Friday night. Kevin, a chemical engineer, is the plant manager where Frappucino is bottled for Starbucks. Jennifer keeps busy as a taxi driver for the kids, getting them to their school and extra-cirricular activities.

The main event for the week-end: Kevin and I had our "family bragging rights" skins golf match yesterday (Saturday) at the newly renovated Indian Canyon Golf course. The torch has been passed back to me (where it belongs). The margin of victory was considerable, so I suspect Kevin will be practicing before the next match in 2007.

He caught me on a bad day two years ago when he beat me in the first semi-annual golf match. We intended it to be an annual event, but Max and I didn't get down here last year. Therefore, I had to put up with two years of taunting from Kevin, instead of one. Besided reveling in the glory, I intend to successfully defend my title next year.

We have invited other members of the family to participate but, it appears, they're all afraid of both of us because no-one else showed up.

Hope everyone is having a great winter!

Carol

Carol@TopPropertiesWenatchee.com
http://TopPropertiesWenatchee.com

http://www.CarolsWenatchee.com

Upcoming Golf Marathon

We haven't played as much golf as usual while here this year, but that will change (for me) this week-end... as I begin a self-imposed golf marathon of sorts.

Max's mobility is really up and down and he doesn't feel comfortable paying the money to play on the longer courses because he's lucky to actually play 9 or 10 holes. He has only played once so far, and that was at the short course of Date Palm Country Club with Mary & Dick Weatherman. It works well if he plays a few holes, sits out a few holes, then plays a few more holes.

Friday, we will play again with Dick & Mary at Date Palm and that will, no doubt, be Max's last time. Since he doesn't play I don't like to leave him alone a lot but I have played a few games at Cathedral Canyon Golf & Tennis Club.

Saturday, I am scheduled to play a "family bragging rights" match with my cousin Kevin Klock. He and his family live in Camarilla (California). This is our second match. He currently holds the (invisible) trophy but I'm hoping to correct that. I told him I'd pay his green fees, but if he wins he has to pay me back. :-) I'll let you know how that goes.

Sunday & Monday I am in a tournament at Cathedral Canyon with Dorothy (Dunkin) McIntire. I have played a few practice rounds with her. Tuesday I played a pretty good round of 87, which I was very pleased with considering the difficulty of the course (and how little I've played). There is more than one hole from h___, with lots of water and sand. It's not unusual to see water down one side of the fairway and sand down the other. I'm not talking some water... I'm talking the entire length of the fairway in some cases. This is a course that requires a lot of course management and strategy on each shot. Common sense must rule over pride or you'll end up losing a shot or two anyway. I've been known to leave my driver in the bag on numerous holes, opting for a lay-up with a 5 or 6 iron. You know how I hate that!

Well, better get back to watching what's left of the Olympics for the evening. I'll check in sometime this week-end and let you know how it's going.

A Day Of Golf

Today I played golf again at the Cathedral Canyon Country Club with my friend Dorothy Dunkin. The image to the left is how I felt about the final score, so I won't go into any more details about that. More importantly we had a good time and, although the weather has cooled into the high 60's, it was an absolutely lovely day and we felt truly blessed to be out on the course!

After I got back from golf, Max & I went out for an aimless drive around the town. We drove through some of the areas where we've stayed over the years and marveled at how many homes are on the market in nearly every neighborhood. On my residential real estate blog, I posted an article titled "Palm Springs Real Estate" where I talked just a little about the general market here.

Palm Springs Aerial Tram

Yesterday (Wednesday) Max & I and our friend Ron, who is visiting from Wenatchee, rode the tram to the top of the San Jacinto Mountains. This is an engineering marvel, raising us from the 2,000 foot level to over 8500 feet above sea level in just 15 minutes. The tram has a rotating floor, so you get an ongoing 360 degree view of the mountains and the valley.

We ate lunch at the "Elevations" restaurant, which is a little more spendy than the cafeteria but well worth the extra money. Not only was the food really good, but the view was great and we felt among the elite instead of cattle in a herd.

In all the years Max & I have been coming here (about 20), this is the first time we've ever done the tram. It was fun. Unfortunately, I forgot my digital so I took some photos from Ron's camera. He said he would e-mail them to me, but I probably won't have them for a few days.

I still haven't been able to upload the cactus pictures I promised from our time in Phoenix. I reduced their size, but either my dial-up access with the laptop or my blogging software doesn't seem to like them. I'll see if I can work with them on the home computer when we return from paradise.

A Birdhouse and Some Sox

Today Max & I got up early and went to the Swap Meet at the College of the Desert. They "swap" their goods for our money. We wanted to get there early before it got too hot or too crowded... and so we could get a parking spot that wasn't too far from the entrance. We arrived about 8:00 and when we left at 10:30 it was already getting warm and was definitely crowded.

It was fun because they've got a lot of new stuff since we were here a couple years ago... and some of the same stuff too. You all know how I love patiotic things, and sox in particular, so I couldn't resist buying several pair of these cool sox. Also we've been looking for a birdhouse to decorate some stumps Max left when cutting out some trees in our yard. This cute little "bait shop" birdhouse is about 8" tall and 8" wide. It was only $14.

Besides the sox and birdhouse we bought some fresh strawberries, dates, dried apricots... and Max got a nice 10 minute massage for $12. He said it was well worth it. Afterwards, I was sorry I didn't get one too! Maybe next time.

Memoirs

The weather continues to be unusually warm... in the mid 80's for the last several days. It's supposed to cool down quite a bit by the latter part of next week, but I haven't seen any precipitation in the forecast. It has rained only one day since October, so they are going through a drought here.

I've been working on retyping Max's memoirs over the last few days. We had a first draft typed, but he's been wanting to make some additions so, since I don't have the file on this computer, I retyped them... all 26 pages. Now he has a fresh copy to rework. I suppose there will be many more drafts before the final document is finished. It will be a nice thing for his children and grandchildren to have.

Yesterday, I played golf with Dorothy Dunkin McIntire at Cathedral Canyon Country Club. Some of you may remember her from Wenatchee Golf & Country Club. They live down here full time, but have considered moving back to Wenatchee. They love it here, though. Her husband, Bud, and my husband weren't feeling up to playing so Dorothy and I ended up playing with a couple of other ladies from the club. It was a fun group, and we all played a game called "Captains Choice". It's where everyone in the foursome rotates at being the "captain" (first to tee off). After everyone tees off, then the captain gets to choose who she wants for her partner on that hole. Whichever "team" wins the hole gets a point (each player on that team gets a point). It's like a two person best ball, but your partner could change on each hole. Anyway, the person with the most points at the end of the game wins. I won't bore you with the details of who won (grin), but I can give you a hint that it wasn't one of the locals. :-) Actually, Dorothy and I ended up partnering most of the time and we did very well!

Cathedral Canyon is actually quite a difficult course, with narrow fairways and lots of strategically water and sand. Many holes have water down one side of the fairway and multiple sand traps bordering the other side. I was pleased to score a 91... after losing 3 balls on the first two holes! After that, I played the rest of the round with the same ball. The funny part is, after having lost so many balls so soon, one of the other gals came over and gave me a sleeve of "Precept" balls that she said she would never use. I laughed and joked with her that she knew I would need the extra balls to finish the round. I teased her later that it was when I started using the Precept balls that I started racking up the points (ultimately beating her at her own game). It was all in good fun and there was no money involved... just bragging rights. I will be playing in a two day tournament at this same course on the 26th & 27th of this month... so I'll play there at least two more times before that.

Today Max & I just kind of goofed off. We were going to the Swap Meet at the College of the Desert, but I was tired this morning so we decided to go tomorrow. We went to a late breakfast at the International House of Pancakes, where I had a wonderful vegetable omelette. The rest of the day is a blur of laziness. Max is already in bed so as I type, I'm listening to and watching the Olympics broadcast on the TV.

Hope you're all having a great week-end!
Carol

Out With The Old

This morning we had a late breakfast with our friend Ron Stephenson, who arrived last night from Wenatchee. As we sat at an outside table at "Don & Sweet Sue's Cafe" on Ramon Road in Cathedral City, we were all marveling at the fabulous weather. The radio said it was 85 degrees today. The forecast is similar for tomorrow, with slightly cooler on Friday.

Ron is also a realtor in Wenatchee and we help each other out whenever we can. After breakfast, we dropped Ron off at the airport to pick up his rental car. Ron isn't really into golf anymore, but he likes to hike and will be doing some exploring over the next few days. There are scads of hiking trails in the area. With the weather being so warm, he may decide to take the tram to the top of the San Jacinto Mountains and hike around up there. It's been an extremely dry winter here in southern California so there's no snow up there to worry about. Ron is staying with a friend here in Cathedral City, so we won't see him every day but we will get together for dinner and maybe some Swap Meet shopping before he goes back home next Thursday.

After a short afternoon nap, Max & I went to a Golf Outlet shop in Palm Desert... in search of some new golf bags. We bought our bags many years ago on a trip down here, and they are definitely ready to be retired. We wanted something a little smaller, less worn, and more "fresh" looking. I know the new bag (on the right) doesn't look smaller, but it actually is. Max's new bag is just like mine with a hint of blue (instead of red like mine). I've already got my bag organized and ready to play for our next scheduled game on Friday at Cathedral Canyon Country Club with Bud and Dorothy McIntire. Cathedral Canyon CC is a difficult course with lots of water, so I packed extra balls! Will let you know how that goes. Later in the month, I will be playing in a Women's tournament (at this course) with Dorothy.

68

What is 68? Was it the low temperature last night? Was it my golf score from yesterday? Or, is it the number of dollars it takes to fill up our gas tank at current Palm Springs prices?

The night low temperatures have been in the 50's, so quite pleaseant. The daytime temperatures have been in the 80's. :-) I filled up the tank today and it only cost $38.56 for 14.89 gallons at $2.55 per gallon.

Yesterday, Monday, we did play our first game of golf since arriving here. It was, literally, our first game for several months (October). 68 was my score but before you get impressed, you should know this was at Date Palm Country Club, which is a nice short (par 59) course. I shot 8 over on the front nine (just warming up) and then shot just one over on the back nine. We played with Mary & Dick Weatherman from Wenatchee, then went over to their place (next to the 16th tee box) for some iced tea and chips & dip. It was fun to see Mary and Dick again. They looked happy and healthy and are always fun to play with. We'll play with them again a time or two while we're here and I'll be sure to remember to take my camera along, so I can post a picture. We're hoping we can all get together with Donna & Bill Pershall while they are here also.

Max played, also, but he sat out a couple of holes so he didn't get too tired. Overall, he did quite well and didn't seem to suffer any negative effects today.

Today we had all-you-can-eat soup and salad at the Olive Garden with Lowell & MaryJo Williams, Max's cousins from Edmonton, Alberta. They live in Palm Desert for 6 months and Edmonton the other 6 months. It is Lowell's sister who is "the other" Carol Williams, the realtor.

More fun tomorrow...

Two Farm Boys

Here are two farm boys from southern Alberta, Canada. This is Max and his cousin, Lowell Williams, who lives in Edmonton half the year and Palm Desert during the winter months. Lowell came by this afternoon and picked up Max for a short shopping trip downtown. I took the opportunity to sneak down to Barnes & Noble for a couple of hours.

Their father's were brothers. Lowell and Max were both very successful in their careers, each earning a Phd and the title of Dr. in front of their names. Lowell's wife, MaryJo, is also a Phd. I am the lone mere intellectual mortal in the group. Perhaps some of their intellect will rub off by association? I can hope. Tuesday we will have lunch with Lowell & MaryJo at our favorite spot... the Olive Garden.

On another note of interest, Lowell has a sister named Carol Williams who is also a real estate agent. When we were in Edmonton a few years ago, "the other" Carol Williams took me to her Tuesday morning office meeting to introduce me as... who else... Carol Williams. It was kind of funny.

83

What is 83? Is it my golf score? Is it the number of golf courses in the local area? Or, is it the temperature? Our first game of golf will be Monday, so it's not that. There are over 100 golf courses in the area, so it's not that. 83 is the temperature from Friday, and today was similar, with more of same forecast for the next several days! Yabba Dabba Doo.

We've Landed

Well... we've finally landed in Palm Springs. Here are some pictures of our condo, patio, and view of the pond and waterfall from our patio. For some reason, the pictures didn't come out in the order I entered them, but you get the idea. Also, remember you can always click on a photo to enlarge. Anyway, the condo is quite comfortable. We went grocery shopping at Albertsons this afternoon, so the cupboards are stocked for a while. Everything else is turnkey and here for our convenience. Tomorrow morning we'll walk the grounds and find the nearest swimming pool and hottub.

The weather is fabulous. We're hearing reports of snow back home (lots in the mountains), so we're feeling pretty good about spending the money to get here and be here.