Arizona Sun

Abundant Saguaro Blooms

Careful Photography

Must have a hat

Looking for Gold

Stories in the Desert

Harris Hawk Sighting

The only way to travel out West

Saguaro Forest

Secrets of a Stealth

Decomissioned Mig 28

No - It is not a whale

A10 in Action

Could there possibly be any more adventures to check out?  There is a aircraft bone yard to explore in Tucson.  Also a early sunrise hot air balloon ride followed by a breakfast in the desert to experience.  To say nothing of more pool time and sunshine!  Probably should just leave the Quiddler and Rummikub  at home!

Before Coming Home

Before we came home yesterday we had lunch/supper at a place recommended to us called "Il Terrazzo".  It is a very unique but fascinating out of the way eatery on Johnson Street in Old Town Victoria.  It's not far from the waterfront and unless you knew where to find it, you would miss it.  The building originally was a warehouse.  Most of the buildings along the waterfront had that purpose when first constructed.  The courtyard has been enclosed and weatherproofed.  Apparently behind this former warehouse was numerous small buildings, each of which was a home/place of business for the local prostitutes.  Every seaport seemed to have warehouses and whorehouses.

Il Terrazzo serves incredibly taste-y Italian food.  I would recommend this place to anyone asking for a unique dining experience with no regrets!

February 14

My Sweetheart on Valentine's Day

More Before and After

FROM THIS .....

TO THIS .....

TO THIS!

 

 

Out with the old and in with the new

THE OLD

THE NEW

Now we are waiting for the plumber to come and hook up the sink that went in this morning.  Peter took time to silicone the tile/counter BEFORE he had to work around taps.  Smart thinking.  If you have to do a messy job, what can be done to make it easier?  Now you can also see room for an eating bar at the counter.  And look at all that space to make cookies with the "grands"!  And look at all that "buffet" room now!  Oh the benefits are well worth the work!  This renovation we can do - we've watched a young family do much more than this and come out at the other end happy with their renovation labor of love!  They are my inspiration to make it work!

Kitchen Renos Started!!

 After what seemed like only a few days of discussions about the potential renovations to our house, we decided to start the kitchen renovation right away.  So after doing some planning from Dec 30 - Jan 1, we went ahead and started with the first day of our renovations.  We have lots in mind as time goes on, but this one makes a lot of sense to start with since it is not that difficult.  Here are the before the renovations started photo from this morning and the next photo shows the selective demolition completed.  It took more time to empty and glean the cupboards than it did to remove them!

BEFORE RENOVATIONS STARTED

AFTER DEMOLITION DONE AND MESS CLEANED UP

I think it will be a few months before we finish off since we now have to order a new set of cabinets for beside the fridge.  New appliances will be in order as well as new light fixtures.  Can I say the first day was fun? ! ! !

Then and Now!

Little E is sure growing up! It's such a blessing to watch her become her own little person! Grandpa and Grandma love to "babysit" and see these changes! She is such a happy and busy little girl so it isn't hard at all to say "yes! we'll watch her!"