Going Away Street Party - New Years Eve

We said our goodbyes in the sunshine on the street today.

                    We're really going to miss everyone.

               Next year?

Montezuma's Well and Castle

We met Dave and Thadene and went together to Montezuma's Well up in Verde Valley. Here's Thadene in front of a plant the Indians called the scratching bush because that's what it did if you got close. All parts were used for wood, food and  other needs.

 This is a limestone sink, formed many years ago, still fed by continuously flowing springs which forms the lake and lush vegetation in the middle of this desert.
This is in a National Park, very well maintained and posted with excellent informative signage.

  The Southern Sinagua natives irrigated crops with these waters.  In some spots you can see traces of lime-coated irrigation ditches. There is a pit house high on the wall, which was from about 1050. 

Their dwellings ranged in size from one-room houses to large pueblos. Between 1125 and 1400 about 100 - 150 people lived here

Next we went to Montezuma's Castle.

 The local Southern Sinagua farmers built this 5 story, 20 room dwelling sometime between 1100 and 1300. It is up high in a cliff recess about 100' above the valley. 

 Early Americans thought it was Aztec in origin, thus the name Montezuma Castle. It was once an imposing five-story apartment-like building with about 45 rooms.

 The occupants found reliable water in the creek below and fertile land on the valley floor for farming. No one knows why these people moved away in the 1400's - overpopulated, depletion of resources, disease, conflicts within or between groups or spiritual beliefs? Many stayed in the Verde Valley and returned to hunter-gatherer ways.They had been preceded by the Hokokam natives between 700 - 900, growing corn, beans, squash and cotton using canal irrigation.
There was a huge Arizona sycamore tree out front.

We finished our day at Babe's  BBQ.

 A huge BBQ was smoking in the front yard, the smoked pork was good and the inside was rusticly decorated.

Christmas at Val Vista

The Christmas decorations are always beautiful throughout the park.

We loved our Christmas morning in the pool and hot tub with friends.

The original eight that started this tradition in 2011.

                         And Debra carving the Prime Rib.

                        A beautiful Christmas dinner together in the activity center.

Golddfield Mining Town

After Superstition Chapel, we spent time at the old mining town of Goldfield. Very authentic from the 1800's. The old train still runs around the town.

 A gun fight happened to erupt on the main street with several men down.

A few weeks ago, the gunfight at Tombstone was permanently canceled after one of the gunfighter actors forgot to change his live ammunition in his gun to blanks, resulting in 2 people being shot. Here we saw the guys carefully counting and handing in their blanks after the gunfight.

After all the stress, Dave and Ron needed refreshment at the Saloon in front of the Superstition Mountains.

                    Thadene and I saw a ladie up in the Bordello.

The restaurant has hundreds of old cowboys boots hanging from the ceiling.

                       We ended this great day with a visit to the Organ Stop Pizza which played 60's music and loved it.

Superstition Mountain, Lost Dutchman Museum, Dave and Thadene.

     

We are both so busy we have trouble connecting with these guys at home but did today to show them the local sites. We headed out Apache Trail to Superstition Mountain, Lost Dutchman Museum. The Apache Trail originally served as a stage coach and freight wagon trail. This area has a rich vein of history running through it. The Elvis Museum pays tribute to the many movies made in this area, including Charro the one in which Elvis was the star. He is the highlight in the Church.

                             And you can see why.  

This has been developed into a tourist attraction, so it now even has burros, common from long ago mining times and a hen pecking chicken playing the piano.

It was  fun to see everything decorated for Christmas, so mistletoe in the barn.

There is a Labyrinth, which is an ancient human symbol known to date back over 3500 years. It is  a walking meditation device with a single winding path to the center.  I bought Sarsaparilla, which I have always heard of but didn't know what is was - this was made in Kansas City, basically a root-beer and very good.

 The old 'Boot Hill' out back had the usual funny headstones including "Here lies big nosed Kate, shot a fellow at her front gate, wouldn't pay the going rate'. 

There is also a 20-Stamp Ore Mill out the back which is a large mechanical device used to crush ore that contains precious metals. The stamps are huge cast iron pieces dropped repeatedly to pulverize ore into fine sand to extract gold, silver or copper. The first in the USA was built in North Carolina in 1829.

Very interesting day.

Val Vista's Annual Christmas Parade

This is always fun. Santa and Mrs. Claus were pulled by special reindeer.

                 Six of the bikes were decorated with Santa faces.

Six men from South Dakota, with 'well know faces' carried aluminum chairs and did a dance routine. Hysterical.

                       Miss Arizona and princesses in their fur coats.

                      Dory from our pool league with friends in their Red Hat Ladies garb.

Johnsons at Pebble Creek

We had a great time at Chuck and Barb's today. We played bocci ball, a first for Barb and I in a long time. We quit at 10 so we'll never know who the winners were.

                    We walked through their clubhouse and loved the tree.

                You can enjoy the bar with drinks on the outside patio.

                                We viewed the 3 fountains and even saw a couple of the resident burrowing owls that live here.

Christmas decorations and Our Patio Party

Our turn to throw a party. We have gravel instead of a double patio but it didn't stop us from having fun.

I made a huge pot of jambalaya and everyone brought appies.

Our usual sunset with our tree and Santa on the dash.

My 4 Swimming Pools

I feel like I'm living in paradise. This is our outdoor pool in Val Vista.

This is the indoor one where I swim my half mile if it's chilly. Talk about spoiled.

                                         And the hot tub

.                                 The salt water pool in Fiesta.

               And here's Ranchos.

Silly Hat Party

Becky and Jerry threw their annual party and you had to wear a silly hat.

Lots of fun.