I love to go on vacation but what I love, even more, is coming home. Isn’t everyone like that? Dave and I had another lovely week up in the North Woods of Wisconsin with our BFF’s Jeff and Jen and their 3 boys; Travis, Blake, and Jack. They (as in the 6 of them, not me) love swimming in the lake, boating, fishing, water skiing, tanning, hiking in the woods, and being outdoors. I love staying inside their gorgeous log-cabin home, cooking and relaxing. They can have all that sun, water, nature, and mosquitoes! Even though I do everything in my power to avoid those blood-sucking devils, they find me. Oh well, it’s worth it to live in the beauty of the pines and be with the people I love. Another thing I love is making meals with Jen. She’s a great cook and she and I are totally in tune with each other in the kitchen. Can’t wait until next year…

While we were out of town, we missed a big happening in “the Valley of the Sun” – and I’m not talking about the All-Star Game. We missed the “now famous haboob” that occurred here on July 5th! I have a link for you to watch it – as I did – from the comfort of my laptop. This time-lapse video is Amazing!

And here is a picture of a damp paper towel that I used to wipe off the center island kitchen counter … mind you, my house was completely and professionally cleaned by Gabby, my “twice-a-month house cleaner” earlier that very same day – July 5th! And no other living creature has been in the house since. This is a small sampling of the dirt that came in through our closed and locked windows and doors when the massive wall of dirt rolled over our defenseless little house!

Disgusting! On to better and more appetizing things…

[Read more →]