Bob and Ginny Visit - March 2017

Pinnacle Peak Hike

This weekend was Part Three of Team Phoenix visiting: Peter in January, Jordan last week, and now Bob and Ginny.  Not to mention Jim and Maryann last fall!  Bob and Ginny were in Sedona for a week at the Hyatt as part of their timeshare - they had visited a decade earlier and loved the place.  So they tacked on a couple of extra days and stayed with us at the end of their trip.

They did not arrive until Saturday afternoon, which actually enabled us to get a heap of work stuff done before they came.  Since Shawna was cooking that night, we never actually left the house: just chatted until dinner time and then called it a night at about 9pm.

Sunday was a bit more active.  After breakfast we went to Pinnacle Peak for a walk.  We were able to make about 1.25 miles out, then turned around so we got a decent hike in.  It was already getting warmer, but the desert flower colors were gorgeous.  We went back to the house for lunch (a simple salad on the patio), then Bob and Ginny went to Taliesin West themselves since we have already been.  They came back in time for a shower before we left for an early dinner at Talavera, the restaurant at the Four Seasons.  It was a delicious dinner. 

Keith had a flight out very early Monday morning, then Bob and Ginny left shortly after that.

Jordan Visit - March 2017

At the Botanic Gardens

Jordan was the first or our godkid/niece/nephew visits last year (in Baltimore).  Since none of the other kids were turning 12 this year, Jordan told us she was going to visit us in Phoenix.  How can we argue with that?  So, we worked with Peter and Jen on a weekend that would work for both them and us - which ended up being the tail end of Jordan's spring break. 

Camelback

Keith had some important meetings so Shawna was able to pick up Jordan from her 1:30pm flight.  They then went straight to Keith's office to pick him up so we could all head over to the Desert Botanic Gardens.  This was the third time we have visited, but first time in the spring so it was at its most colorful - just gorgeous.  It was a couple of hours to walk around there.  We had planned dinner at Pizzeria Bianco, which is listed at one of the top 5 pizza places in the US, and is also in central Phoenix.  The restaurant does not take reservations so we headed over at 4:30pm.  There was not a table inside, so we went to the bar next door for a beer as we waited for the next available table.  It was not too long a wait.  Dinner was delicious - we started with the Spiedini (fontina cheese wrapped in prosciutto on a bed of arugula), then shared two 12-inch pizzas: the Rosa with Prosciutto (red onion, parm, rosemary, and pistachios) as well as the Margherita.  The desserts were not inspiring so we decided to grab an ice cream at Sweet Republic on Shea before heading to the house.  We tried to get tickets to the new Beauty and the Beast but it was sold out, so we instead watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on demand at home.

Top Golf

Saturday was a pretty booked day.  The first stop was Camelback, with a 9am start time.  We were lucky to find a space in the parking lot so were able to start as planned.  It was a pretty hot day so Shawna turned back about 1/2 way.  Keith and Jordan kept going and made it to the top in record time - less than 60 minutes.  Of course the next stop was the Cornish Pasty Shop, with lunch on the outdoor bar stools.  Since we were done earlier than planned, we bought some dressing to go and went back to the house for a swim, with Keith taking a nap after his two beers over lunch!  We left the house again at 2:15 for our 2:30pm slot at Top Golf.  Thank goodness we bought the slot - it was a 2.5 hour wait if we had not.  We played 3 rounds in a couple of hours - it was a lot of fun.  Shawna and Jordan got some good shots in, and Keith had his best day golfing ever.  We had an early dinner reservation so we changed in the parking lot before driving to La Hacienda in the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort.  The food was incredibly tasty - we started out with a trio of guacamole, then shared the Carnitas Hacienda and the Tampiquena.  Like Friday night, we skipped dessert at the restaurant and instead went to Menchie's in Kierland.  Back at home, we got comfortable and then rented Nerve on demand.

Dinner at La Hacienda

Jordan needed to get home at a reasonable time on Sunday, so we had booked a 10:30am flight - so after breakfast and chatting on the patio, Shawna drove Jordan to the airport.  It was a fun weekend!