Years ago we were founding members of the McHenry County Corkers, an amateur wine-making club. Over time some members came and went for various reasons, but a core group has hung together. These people are some of our closest friends. But people are going different directions. We are wandering vagabonds, another couple is moving full-time to Florida while a second couple is splitting their time between Florida and the Chicago. Others are no longer making wine. In short, it is time to celebrate the club and hold our last official meeting. Donna and David volunteer to host the meeting at their home. William and I judiciously choose to Uber to the event and arrive with half the group already started. Shortly all eleven who are able to attend are enjoying a glass and chatting away. David and Jim are our official grill masters and the green egg is fired up. The awesome steak meal is a capstone for the group. At the end of the evening we know that the club is disbanding, but the friendships never will.
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Our son Paul has been working primarily from home since February when he was told not to come into the office because he had been in Japan, and they had some of the early cases of Covid-19. By the time he completed his 14 day self-quarantine his company was already making plans for employees to work from home (or anywhere outside of the office with a good internet connection and decent workspace). Paul reserves a couple of weeks at an Airbnb in Racine for his work from home location and his wife Kara joins him a few days into the stay. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to see both of them. On their first weekend in town Gina and Jerry host a family party by the pool. William’s Mom joins in, but declines a dip in the pool. One afternoon William, Gina and I take Kara on a tour of places we experienced in our childhood and early adulthood. We’re not sure if Paul is happy or sad that he has to work and therefore misses the experience. One evening over dinner Paul and Kara inform William and I that we will become grandparents in January!! We are very excited. One Friday we are able to meet up with my brother Dan, his wife Martha, and some of their family - including our new great-nephew Emmett who is seven weeks old. It’s a fun dinner during which Emmett is well-behaved (well...for an infant.). :-)
We also see some of our friends. William and I meet up with Lois for lunch several times and Lois and I sneak in 9 holes of golf one day. We also have opportunity to have dinner with our dear friend Gretchen, once at her home and once in “our” apartment. Both are delightful evenings. It’s a hot evening the night at the apartment so we dine al fresco in the backyard around a card table. We spend a week in Mesa, helping Anne’s Mom get ready for her trip and then onto a plane to Bismarck, ND where she’ll spend time with her sister. On Saturday we have a delightful evening at Randy and Sally’s which includes dinner and a trivia game with friends via Zoom. Sunday William and I spend most of the day performing the tasks to close up the house for a few months then grab a Lyft ride to a hotel near the airport.
Our experience traveling in this Covid-era is frustrating. In normal times the hotel has a shuttle which travels to the airport and nearby restaurants. It is not running due to Covid-19 measures. The closest restaurant is 1.5 miles away and it is 105 F - not a reasonable walk. I load up the Door Dash app on my phone and we try it out for the first time. It turns out to be a good experience - we have some good Indian butter chicken and garlic naan then put in a second order for cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. Thank goodness we get a $60 annual credit on Grub Hub orders from our Chase Sapphire Reserve card! Although the website for the hotel said they were providing a grab-and-go breakfast instead of their usual breakfast buffet, that isn’t the case in Arizona. Sigh - we’ll grab something at the airport. The Lyft driver for the 3.5 mile ride to Sky Harbor Airport takes over 30 minutes to arrive. He explains that the number of drivers is way down because drivers make more from unemployment and the $600 per week Federal unemployment supplement than driving. We put on masks as we enter the airport. Disappointingly, we find only two restaurants open in the terminal, and each is offering only two or three items from their standard menus. Mostly breakfast sandwiches. The food is delivered on disposal plates or in boxes and coffee is in paper cups. The restaurants do not allow seating - apparently we are expected to take our meal to the gate seating areas and balance them on our laps. It feels worse than a step back to the airport dining experiences of the 1970’s. We remove our masks while we eat and like most people leave them off until closer to boarding. The Southwest Airlines gate attendant pre-warns everyone that no beverages or food will be served on the flight due to Covid-19. We are encouraged to purchase items in the terminal. As boarding begins we are reminded that masks are required for the flight. We are reminded once again in the pre-flight announcement from the flight attendant that masks are required throughout the entire flight. After we land William adjusts his mask and poses for a photo prior to our deboarding. The mask/no mask issue has become so scientifically muddied and p o l i t i c a l ! Gina and William’s mom pick us up at the airport in Milwaukee and we drive to Racine where our home for the next month is in our nephew Jerry’s duplex. We’re happy that his renters moved out and he’s provided us with the opportunity to rent for a month. Sunday night we have dinner with James at José Muldoon’s, a downtown Mexican eatery. We have fun then say our sad goodbyes - it has been wonderful to spend so much time together. We leave the Airbnb at 6 am Monday. It’s only been three weeks, but it feels a little like we are leaving home. Google Maps tells us that if we drive straight through to Mesa, Arizona it will take 12 hours and 10 minutes. But we will make a few short stops and hopefully a longer visit to the Petrified Forest National Park. Our first stop as we drive south on Interstate 25 is the Dunkin Donuts in Pueblo for some caffeine and a jolt of sugar. With Covid-19 restrictions we aren’t allowed to eat in the restaurant so we inhale our donuts in the parking lot and save the caffeine for the ride. The scenery changes as we drive south. Around Trinidad, Colorado the landscape is filled with pines. South of Raton, New Mexico and Wagon Mound, New Mexico the landscape reminds us of the Patagonian Steppe around El Calafate, Argentina. The high desert is even dotted with elk or possibly deer which from a distance remind us of the guanaco we saw in Argentina. At 2 pm Arizona time we arrive at Petrified Forest National Park, just off of I40. I am happily surprised to find that the Visitor Center has reopened. After receiving an overview of the park from a ranger we pull up to the Entrance Station, pay for our pass and begin the 51 mile road that winds through the park from north to south. The first section provides short trails, lookouts and phenomenal views of the Painted Desert. It seems that we only drive a mile or two before we want to stop and take in a different desert scene. The wind is wickedly blowing at a gale force. On one of the lookout points William is afraid I’ll be blown off the edge, but we brave the weather. The old Route 66 used to run through the park, now I40 divides it. The remains of a 1932 Studebaker mark the location of the old road, as do the old telephone poles which form a line in the reclaimed desert. William’s parents drove Route 66 from Chicago to Las Angeles (and back) for their honeymoon in 1954. They borrowed a car from a relative for the trip - we’re pretty sure it wasn’t a Studebaker. South of I40 we enter the petrified forest. First we take a small hike to see the puebloan homes and petroglyphs then back in the car take a small loop to see the Blue Mesa. The petrified remnants of trees become abundant and we make stops at the Agate Bridge, Jasper Forest and Crystal Forest.
As we exit the South Gate to find Arizona 180 we realize we spent two and one-half hours in the park but could have spent a full day, possibly two, hiking and taking photographs. Perhaps we’ll return on a day when we do not already have a 12 hour drive. We continue our drive to Mesa, making our way through the Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forests. As we descend in altitude the sun is low in the sky. We arrive at our destination in Mesa an hour after the sun has set. When we are not together on our phone calls with James he often comments on shenanigans. These activities cause him to be of high-spirit and are always interesting. Some of his latest shenanigans are related to the garden he is developing in the backyard. Last Fall he built planters from scrap wood and pallets. During the Winter he collected free wood chips from the city and built up a bed of chips over the sandy soil of Colorado Springs. The Spring found him driving in his Mazda 3 with buckets to an alpaca farm for free (aged) manure.
Today we have opportunity to see the results of such shenanigans. James has lettuce, baby spinach,radishes, broccoli rabe, and tomatoes popping up in the planters and auxiliary buckets. Cañon City is about an hour’s drive southwest of Colorado Springs. After breakfast I pack some waters in a cooler and William and I drive out of the city on Colorado Highway 115. The high desert scenery and mountains to the west are a beautiful backdrop. At Penrose we pick up Colorado Highway 50 and drive west to Cañon City. The Arkansas River flows through the area and Cañon City has built a pleasant walking and biking trail along the river. We easily find a parking spot in the lot, grab some water and begin our stroll. Based upon the online reviews during a normal year the trail and adjacent picnic areas would be well populated on a sunny Sunday. Today we meet people only occasionally. There’s also one group of energetic rafters bouncing their way down the Arkansas River. They seem to be having a blast. After our walk we opt to check out the historic downtown rather than just returning to Colorado Springs. All of the shops are closed but we do find three restaurants which are open with limited seating. Cañon City Brews and Bikes has a large beer garden - perfect! We are greeted by a masked server and seated at a socially-distanced table in the garden. We sit back and enjoy the eclectically decorated garden as we sip our beverages and nibble on an appetizer of cheese curds. It is the first time we have eaten in a restaurant since March 12th. It feels really nice. Cañon City is home to the Royal Gorge Bridge (and amusement park) as well as the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Both are open today at reduced capacity, but neither appeals to us. As we drive out of the city we can’t help but feel sorry for the numerous business owners and the people they normally employ. They will miss most of the tourist season which they depend upon for the bulk of their yearly income. James is a professional chef and food purchaser so you can imagine that whenever we meet we have fun making meals together. This is a good thing since these days the restaurants are closed except for carry-outs. On our first day James takes us to Shamorck Foodservice, a restaurant supply warehouse which is also open to the public. We purchase such staples as a half-gallon of heavy cream, 5 lbs of finely shredded cheese and a three pound bag of frozen peas. Normal-sized packages of other products are also added to our cart. A trip to Walmart and the local butcher helps us round out the household items and groceries we need to get us started for our three week stay. Our Airbnb has a great four-burner gas grill in the backyard and we use it five or six nights a week. We fire it up for steaks, boneless chicken thighs, sausages, ribs, bone-in chicken, hamburgers and other assorted meats and vegetables. Nothing like throwing slabs of meat on a hot grate to bring family togetherness! For several months William has wanted to make spaghetti sauce starting from fresh tomatoes. This a perfect opportunity. On our second Monday in town James is working as William and I make our way to Save a Lot, which is fondly known in the area as the Mexican grocery store. We pick out 21 pounds of Roma tomatoes, then make our way to the meat counter. Most of the signs are in Spanish and they have interesting cuts in the case, including tripe and tongue. I feel like I’m back in Central or South America as the clerk hands me my ground beef packaged in a pink plastic bag. Ah, fond memories. Tuesday after breakfast William and James get started. I volunteer to be the photographer and dishwasher. They blanch the tomatoes, peel them, pull the bulk of the seeds and start them pots cooking on the stove. Once the tomatoes have cooked down sufficiently James uses a stick blender to smooth the them into a thick sauce which reminds me of thick tomato purée. Meanwhile William has prepared meatballs and Italian sausage. He seasons the sauce, adds the meat and tops the pots with water. Over the next three hours the sauce simmers, thickening and cooking the meat. We manage to do a small amount of exercise, getting out of our chairs to stir every 15 minutes. The evening dinner is penne pasta with the sauce and meatballs, Caesar salad, garlic bread, peas and green beans. Mmmm. The extra sauce is put into vacuum-sealed bags and frozen for future meals.
We decide to have a cookout with friends so we are back to Shamrock Foodservice. James says he can always freeze any excess and use it later. He buys a box of chicken dark quarters. Omg... it’s 40 pounds of thighs and legs! We put 10 quarters into large ziploc bags and store them in the refrigerator for the upcoming cookout. James breaks down the remaining 22 quarters into 44 pieces and puts them into 11 vacuum-seal bags. A great value of restaurant-quality meat at less than $0.70 per pound! Garden of the Gods is a public park and National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs, less than four miles from our Airbnb. Late Thursday morning we drive over to enjoy the park. Although we have visited four or five times before, the giant red and white limestone rocks continue to impress us. We make one complete loop through the park in the car and then repeat it taking our time to stop at several spots to appreciate the views and take photographs. It’s a little windy in some spots and very beautiful!
It’s the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend and time to do some exploring. After a late breakfast on a sunny morning in Colorado Springs William points the car toward Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, about an hour ride. We drive through Manitou Springs toward Woodland Park along Colorado Highway 24. As the elevation increases 2,400 feet (730 meter) the skies darken and the temperature drops. I’m glad that I packed a sweatshirt and some spring jackets for us. The scenery is incredible as we drive up to the National Monument. We are already aware that the visitor center is closed due to Covid-19, but we are able to see some parts of the park from the road including the Hornbeck Homestead.
After taking some photographs at the National Monument we take Teller County Road 1 into Cripple Creek, increasing up to 9,500 feet in elevation. Cripple Creek is a former mining town, now a tourist destination, and one of a handful of cities in Colorado where gambling is allowed. Unfortunately today it is a ghost-town. The casino’s, restaurants, hotels and stores are all closed due to the covid-19 Stay-at-Home orders. As we drive back toward Colorado Springs the mountains are beautiful, but an icy rain develops. The temperature outside the car registers at 34F (1C). I can see why people who live in this area have generators and put in a months worth of food before winter! As we make our way down toward Manitou Springs and into Colorado Springs (elevation 6,000 feet/ 1,830 meters) the sun reappears and the temperature returns to an acceptable 75F (24C). While we are sheltering in Arizona William has the idea that as long as we probably will not be able to travel internationally for at least a year, and even then we won’t know if we will want to go through whatever is required to do so, we might as well start a quail farm. At first I teased him that we could be like Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert in the 1930’s movie The Egg and I. But I start to get more than a little worried when a I find him searching for low-cost farms/ranches in various States and watching YouTube videos about ranching quail. William and our son James started discussing quail ranching over the telephone a couple of weeks before we arrive in Colorado Springs. Now that we are here James announces that he has found a guy raising quail on the outskirts of the city and that he has arranged for a visit. There is no way that I’m staying home. God only knows what the two of them might do, they could come back and tell me they bought the farm! It turns our that the quail guy has built an addition onto his garage in the suburbs for growing the quail. He is quite the character and the backyard and garage are strewn with various projects at differing stages of completion. He shows us the birds and explains his approach. We talk with him for perhaps 30 minutes, buy 3 dozen quail eggs and thank him for his time. Saturday morning’s breakfast is a quail-egg scramble. It takes two and one-half to three quail eggs to equal a large chicken egg. James makes the whole three dozen, carefully cracking the small eggs. The scramble is very good, with a higher yolk ratio than with chicken eggs.
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AuthorHi. I'm Anne. I wander around the world with William. Enjoy Some of our Favorite Links below
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