Have NO idea where the first five months of 2023 have gone but know there has been no time to say “Hi” to all of you. Hope your year is going well and you are all staying healthy;-)

In our continuing effort to stay well, broaden horizons and NOT fall into all the usual ruts – new discoveries were sought out in the Scottsdale area.

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is very near and dear to us AND is the number 1 thing to do in Phoenix. This year MIM renewed (after Covid) its two programs for Seniors – Music and Wellness for Seniors and Memory Care with Music. E participated in the administration of both programs which involved one afternoon a week. In addition to the wonderful museum and its programs, MIM has one of the best music venues in the city – a 300 seat theater with incredible acoustics! We both became ushers for the concerts the beginning of this year, and spent a night a week assisting in that capacity and another night or two a week as ticketed viewers.

Loving music – and particularly jazz – two additional recommended venues were checked out. Very close to home in north Scottsdale is the Ravenscroft, with a state of the art concert hall and the Jazzbird lounge with $10 music on Friday evenings! Downtown Phoenix houses The Nash, which advocates and facilitates the growth of jazz thru performances, education and outreach. Attending events here gives us the opportunity to rediscover the downtown area and see some our favorite artists – such as Francine Reed;-)

Another discovery was the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert. A well hidden series of about 7 ponds that have been established to promote the awareness and appreciation of Arizona’s ecology and natural history of mainly desert and riparian environments. The walking paths provide miles of trails to view birds and other wild life. A small sample of many of the species of birds encountered follow – –

A trip south of town took us to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, whose mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of desert plants, wildlife, and ecosystems. The collections not only include plants from the US but also Mexico, Australia, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, Israel, South America, Africa and the Mediterranean. We were blown away having NO idea the size and coverage of this arboretum in the middle of the desert!

One more favorite in Phoenix is the Desert Botanical Gardens. This spring they had a wonderful exhibition by Rotraut that was magnificent at night with lighting. A special evening.

No travel is required for the neighborhood owl, who returns each year and sits just out our window – –

Even with all these new activities, there was still plenty of family time. This year sister Barb turned the BIG 6-0 and niece Demi turned 21 and spent a night with all the old folks to celebrate in Old Town Scottsdale and at the Talking Stick Resort. A good time was had by all – –

G got swept away for a relaxing weekend in Sedona for his 21++++++ birthday;-) The celebratory dinner was at Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante, which was excellent! (Hint – do NOT stay at L’Auberge de Sedona. Way overpriced and VERY dated.)

Mid-April a jaunt to Ridgecrest, CA allowed us to visit the Shoe Crew and visit another new site – Red Rock Canyon State Park. The sculpted rock formations were quite interesting and again the wildflowers were magnificent – –

On the way back to Ridgecrest we were treated to a Navy F18 sighting – –

Many of the usual winter and spring activities were worked into the schedule, such as hiking and walking 4-5 days a week and golf now and then. (The golf rates have gotten ridiculous since Covid – so the usual twice a week golf went by the wayside;-( ) But, the long, cold, rainy winter provided a VERY green desert with unbelievable wildflowers and lots of water. So – the hiking was spectacular!!

Hard to believe the first half of the year is almost gone. But, June is upon us and a trip to Alaska with the grandkids is in the offing. Hurry back for the first two weeks of June;-)

Good Health to All – E & G