On my return to Phoenix, there were many days of above average temps, often above 100. The thermometer in the car may read a little high, especially if the car was sitting in the sun - but I think you get an idea of what it was like in the afternoon when I walked Mr. Shadow,
As Mr. Shadow continues to age, he has more difficulty getting in and out of the car. So I have built him a step - this appears to make it much easier for him. And of course, it is appropriately decorated for his wine loving owners.
On the hottest days, I have started taking him to Solano Park. Although it is smaller, it has more trees than either Steele Indian Park or Granada Park - we can walk in the shade more often on these hot afternoons.
Patty left for Portland on Sept. 30. While I was home with Mr. Shadow, I volunteered for one of the Music In The Garden events at the Desert Botanical Garden: The Chuck Hall Band. My job was to be an usher.
The overly hot weather continued, but on Monday Oct. 5, storms came through and the afternoon temps dropped precipitously (along with the precipitation) - fifty degrees cooler than just the prior week when it was 118.
On Wednesday Oct. 7, Patty returned from Portland. I met her at the gate and we went to the United Club where we had some wine and cheese, and chatted for about an hour before my flight left for Portland. Because of Mr. Shadow's age, we decided not to use a kennel and our friend Jane is not here to take care of him, so Patty and I took separate trips to Portland.
Of course, Portland is famous for roses and some places they were still in bloom - so I took the time to stop and smell the roses.
Thursday afternoon, we went to a couple of wineries to sample and buy wine, and to have lunch. We had a nice visit at both Raptor Ridge vineyard and Anna Cara winery. Friday, I went to Salem and visited with my friend Paul who Patty and I met in May while on the train to Ourense. Paul showed me around Willamette University where he now teaches and several of the government buildings where he used to work. Friday night, Ben and I went to a local Thai restaurant and brought home food for us to share with Lindsey and Carrie.
Ben and Martha now live in the Sunnyside District of Portland. Some intersections are quite well decorated.
Their housemates, Lindsey and Carrie, have a dog, Pippin. While walking Pippin and on other walks, I came across some spooktacular Halloween decorations.
Saturday Oct. 10, it was a bit rainy but we still decided to visit Hoyt Arboretum. They have planted different trees, both native and non-native trees, and grouped them. The trails go through stands of those types of trees. We hiked the Maple Trail first, and then the Redwood Trail, before returning to the visitor center.
I took this video so you can see how tall some of these redwood trees were.
We then made a visit to Costco and hit a sale on Samsung S5 phones. Martha needed to replace her phone and got both a new phone and a tablet for Ben at virtually no cost because of the rebates. Ben later went to the hospital for his 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift as the on call resident at the hospital. I drove him to the hospital in the rain, then later got a tour of the hospital from Ben, and then Sunday morning, drove to the hospital to pick him up.
Sunday, Ben and I went out for breakfast, and unknown to Martha, we also went to a bakery where Ben ordered a birthday cake for Martha. We then prepared the house for what they call supper club. It is a sort of round robin potluck dinner (or in this case lunch) where other residents bring food. Nine of us had a wonderful extended lunch and time together. Again, Ben later went to the hospital for his 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift as the on call resident at the hospital. I walked with him to the hospital, then back home for dinner with Martha. And I walked to the hospital to meet him Monday morning. He and I went out for breakfast, then Martha, Ben and I went to the Oregon Historical Society for a couple of hours - since this is the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, there were a lot of exhibits about Oregon's involvement in WWII. Plus, we toured the rest of the museum that gives the history of Oregon, including the history of the natives as well as of the European settlers. This day is the federal Columbus Day holiday (second Monday in October) but Oregon is one of the U.S. jurisdictions that have changed the local name to Indigenous Peoples Day. After lunch, we said goodbye and I left them in downtown Portland while I drove to the airport and flew home to Phoenix.
Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, when I was walking the dog, I came across some spootacular Halloween decorations here.
I went for my regular Tuesday Docent tour and learned about this scam where crooks apparently can receive the code from your car key fob when you use it to lock your car doors. They wait near convenience stores movie theaters, watch for people to lock their cars and then use the code to enter the cars and steal anything of value.
I did a couple of stations, including two shifts at the saguaro station, one before lunch and one after lunch.
The weather continued to be unusually hot and above average.
And on Friday night, Oct. 16, Patty and I went out to dinner at Tommy V's Urban Cafe in Scottsdale, then to the Origins Project discussion on Ethics.
As Mr. Shadow continues to age, he has more difficulty getting in and out of the car. So I have built him a step - this appears to make it much easier for him. And of course, it is appropriately decorated for his wine loving owners.
On the hottest days, I have started taking him to Solano Park. Although it is smaller, it has more trees than either Steele Indian Park or Granada Park - we can walk in the shade more often on these hot afternoons.
Patty left for Portland on Sept. 30. While I was home with Mr. Shadow, I volunteered for one of the Music In The Garden events at the Desert Botanical Garden: The Chuck Hall Band. My job was to be an usher.
The overly hot weather continued, but on Monday Oct. 5, storms came through and the afternoon temps dropped precipitously (along with the precipitation) - fifty degrees cooler than just the prior week when it was 118.
Of course, Portland is famous for roses and some places they were still in bloom - so I took the time to stop and smell the roses.
Thursday afternoon, we went to a couple of wineries to sample and buy wine, and to have lunch. We had a nice visit at both Raptor Ridge vineyard and Anna Cara winery. Friday, I went to Salem and visited with my friend Paul who Patty and I met in May while on the train to Ourense. Paul showed me around Willamette University where he now teaches and several of the government buildings where he used to work. Friday night, Ben and I went to a local Thai restaurant and brought home food for us to share with Lindsey and Carrie.
Ben and Martha now live in the Sunnyside District of Portland. Some intersections are quite well decorated.
Their housemates, Lindsey and Carrie, have a dog, Pippin. While walking Pippin and on other walks, I came across some spooktacular Halloween decorations.
Saturday Oct. 10, it was a bit rainy but we still decided to visit Hoyt Arboretum. They have planted different trees, both native and non-native trees, and grouped them. The trails go through stands of those types of trees. We hiked the Maple Trail first, and then the Redwood Trail, before returning to the visitor center.
I took this video so you can see how tall some of these redwood trees were.
We then made a visit to Costco and hit a sale on Samsung S5 phones. Martha needed to replace her phone and got both a new phone and a tablet for Ben at virtually no cost because of the rebates. Ben later went to the hospital for his 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift as the on call resident at the hospital. I drove him to the hospital in the rain, then later got a tour of the hospital from Ben, and then Sunday morning, drove to the hospital to pick him up.
Sunday, Ben and I went out for breakfast, and unknown to Martha, we also went to a bakery where Ben ordered a birthday cake for Martha. We then prepared the house for what they call supper club. It is a sort of round robin potluck dinner (or in this case lunch) where other residents bring food. Nine of us had a wonderful extended lunch and time together. Again, Ben later went to the hospital for his 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. shift as the on call resident at the hospital. I walked with him to the hospital, then back home for dinner with Martha. And I walked to the hospital to meet him Monday morning. He and I went out for breakfast, then Martha, Ben and I went to the Oregon Historical Society for a couple of hours - since this is the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, there were a lot of exhibits about Oregon's involvement in WWII. Plus, we toured the rest of the museum that gives the history of Oregon, including the history of the natives as well as of the European settlers. This day is the federal Columbus Day holiday (second Monday in October) but Oregon is one of the U.S. jurisdictions that have changed the local name to Indigenous Peoples Day. After lunch, we said goodbye and I left them in downtown Portland while I drove to the airport and flew home to Phoenix.
Tuesday morning, Oct. 13, when I was walking the dog, I came across some spootacular Halloween decorations here.
I went for my regular Tuesday Docent tour and learned about this scam where crooks apparently can receive the code from your car key fob when you use it to lock your car doors. They wait near convenience stores movie theaters, watch for people to lock their cars and then use the code to enter the cars and steal anything of value.
I did a couple of stations, including two shifts at the saguaro station, one before lunch and one after lunch.
The weather continued to be unusually hot and above average.
And on Friday night, Oct. 16, Patty and I went out to dinner at Tommy V's Urban Cafe in Scottsdale, then to the Origins Project discussion on Ethics.
