Party Time!

I baked yesterday for the first time in awhile. I made a chocolate-pecan-orange torte, similar to the one that I used to make for my bakery. Today I enrobed it in chocolate-Grand Marnier ganache, and it was lovely.

I went walking with Maddy in the wash, and Dave wasn't answering the phone, so I called Becky! It was great to talk, since it had been awhile. The walk was a little chilly, but ... LOL not compared to back east! (I just checked, and it's 8° back in Bloomington! brrrrr! I guess I'll stop complaining about the cold here!)

So, by the time I went to Ione and Rob's for their party at 1, it had warmed up, probably into the 60's. We were in the sun, too, and it was lovely, food delicious, the people amiable, and the music great. Rob, Harold, Pete, Lloyd, and Neil played, and we all played percussion (tambourines, wood blocks, and eggs filled with sand!), and sang. I really should take my camera to one of our parties so you all can see (if not experience firsthand) the fun I am having.

Oh, and everyone loved my torte! :) It felt good to be back in the baking saddle again.

Beautiful Day

Last evening, I went out with Jan, Gary, and E.L.. These are the folks who are considering taking me along on their Alaskan cruise. E.L. has already asked another lady, though, so I'd say that my chances are not great at this point. Anyway, it was really a fun evening with lots of laughs and great food. We went to a Japanese restaurant where they cooked the food on a griddle right in front of us. I believe that the place is called Sakura.

Today I got up early (for me) and did my laundry. Ardell was there, and we enjoyed good conversation while our clothes went 'round and 'round.

After putting my clothes away, I went for my walk, taking Maddy to the Pantano River Park. It was a little chilly today, with the high getting only into the mid-50's, and a bit windy. It was sunny, though, so it was quite bearable.

I did some email and checked the goings-on in MySpace. I'm having fun with that, even though some of my "friends" look like police composites! Yeah, Annette, I have a couple of Greg friends. One is Greg from Chicago. He's currently #4 in my Friends listing. The other who's been writing back and forth with me lately is Gregor, and he's um... hmm... somehow he's not in my top friends, but he should be.

Jim, who wrote a comment here, is one MySpace guy that I write to pretty regularly. He is in Carmel, is killer handsome, and seems like a very nice guy! We're going to get together for a Handel's when I get back, but he doesn't know that yet. Jim, if you're reading this , now you know. And I'm thanking you for your generous compliments of my photos!

And then there's Dave, who's my #1 friend. He's *the* Dave, you know, from Massachusetts -- the one who's coming to Tucson on 3/2 to visit me! :)

I just looked through some of my MySpace friends' profiles and ... LOL I'm not in the top friends for most of my top friends. The goofy thing about the whole MySpace scene is that you sort of just trust that people are as they seem. And you have to know that some of the people who say that they're single aren't, and some who are single, aren't in a position to date... like me! I know that I'm going to get there, and I'm up front about that, of course, but you wonder who really isn't what they seem.

And it seems like such a rat race! The women seem so desperate and I am so NOT desperate. I just know that, when I'm ready to date, I'll be as busy as I want to be. I know that I want to be with someone -- I like being in a good marriage -- but I also like being by myself, and I know that I'm worthy of someone who's fantastic, self-sufficient, and sure of himself.

FotoFun met today at 4, led by Ione and me. We discussed upcoming photo shoots and meetings, setting the agenda for the rest of the season, leaving just a few blanks. Our first photo shoot is next Wednesday!

You may wonder what happened to my outdoor projects, and ... they're progressing! Jack and I are going to be building my deck, and we've been scouting prices of materials and tools at the home improvement stores. He's going to make a materials list tomorrow.

No, you don't have to worry about my hurting feelings or having to find all new friends! LOL and I couldn't think of anything to say about you, Annette, that you wouldn't like. You're a sweetie! It runs in our family! :)

I wasn't thinking about talking about people in a negative way at all. I was talking sort of vaguely about telling secrets about myself and fantasies and crushes... that sort of thing. ;)

Thank you all for the great compliments on my pics! I think that I could probably get something published in AZ Highways if I really tried, Kath! :P And Kath, I don't know if I'll be getting back into doing those things that used to sustain me. I've just had to shift gears during the past year, and... I'm not sure why my focus has changed so dramatically, to be honest. I've done a bit of photography and Photoshop, but I'm not feeling the energy in that direction, as I used to.

I'm watching HGTV tonight. I love HGTV. :)

No comments?

Golly... no comments on all those photos that I posted for you? Remember how I love your comments! Click that Comments notation just below each post. I get an email telling me that you posted. You can post anonymously or you can sign your name, or use a nickname.

My day was good! I got up early (for me) and readied myself for the hiking trip. We met at the Fiesta Room and arranged rides. This was a special trip -- our annual trek to Tubac.

Jack drove me, Sally, and Herb to Tubac. There we met the other 40 or so hikers, and we strolled to Wisdom's down in Tumacacori, about 3.6 miles. The walk was pleasant and the conversation flowed smoothly.

I got a quesadilla and tortilla soup for lunch at Wisdom's -- delish! Jack reappeared with his car, and we all rode back to Tubac, where we had an hour of shopping.

I read someplace that a writer should write as if everyone s/he knows is already dead. We are supposed to just cut loose, without regard to others' feelings or our own reputation or relationships. Zow. I sometimes wish I could do that. There are some things that I could say.

Hiking photos finally

What a pretty day today was! It started with my running a couple of errands with my friend Jack. We went to look at a bike and then got some shelving that he's putting into their cottage.

I did my walk in the Pantano River Park, and it was really windy, but not horrible. It was too warm for a jacket, but I did fine in my lightweight sweater.

After I got back, John came over and I asked if he'd gone for his walk yet. He expressed a bit of boredom with walking around the park, so I asked him if he'd like to go on a bit of a hike. We went over to Saguaro East, to the end of Speedway, and did a piece of the Douglas Springs Trail and Garwood Trail too. 30 minutes and we were back at the car. It was the first time he'd been to Saguaro East.. and gotten out of the car, so it was fun for both of us.

I got my mail (thank you Suzanne!) was happy to find a check for an insurance overpayment, and was dismayed to find yet another bill for the MRI from Yale. I do so wish that the insurance company would get their heads out of their butts and get that thing taken care of for me. I wonder how I get that done. I've called them a bunch of times, called the doctor who said that they had gotten it precerted, I even got a thing from the insurance who said that they had approved the charge. And then I get another bill. Sheesh. I'd just pay it to shut 'em up, except that it's $3000!

For dinner, I'd asked Pam, Mike, and Tom to go out to Red Lobster. But Pam was off hiking and Mike was going to wait for her, so Tom and I went. :) We enjoyed a delicious meal, splendid service, and fascinating repartee.

I barely made it on time for my ballroom dance class at 7. Tonight we did more Foxtrot and Swing, punctuated by turns and the Grapevine step. I was partnered with Richard, who lives across the street, and it was fun.

A bit of email and here I am!

Oh... and I promised that I'd post photos from the hike on Saturday. Here are the photos from the hike to Milegraso (or wherever we were):

Hikers:







Waterfalls:





Reflections of cacti:


Neat canyon formations:










We ate lunch on the top of this hill:

Leftovers from a Javelina's lunch:

Desert plants, including an ocatillo with leaves and flowers:




Shadow shots:

Hiking pics... almost

It got late fast tonight! Well, actually I was typing back and forth with someone from MySpace and that takes some time. ;)

I took a bit of time this evening to color-correct a collection of my yesterday's hiking photos. I'll post these tomorrow!

Ione presented her photo-documentary about guardian grandparents and told the group about how she put it together. What a cool project, and such a fine job she did of presenting it!

I went to Ace & Laurie's place after that, and Ace showed me his photo collection. Nice stuff!

The afternoon passed in a flurry of email, my walk, lunch, a quick bike ride, and lots of smiles at the beautiful sunny day.