Dodds Family Thanksgiving Visit - Nov 2018

Dodds Family - Brown's Ranch

Usually, we'll either go to Texas or Louisiana for Thanksgiving - instead we had Texas come to us!

In order to accommodate all the various family logistics, we invited everyone to come the weekend before Thanksgiving until Thanksgiving morning.  All but Lily arrived from Dallas at 7pm - Keith picked up a 14-seater from the rental car center and then met them all at the curb outside baggage claim.  Graham stayed at the airport to meet Lily while Keith took the rest and an enormous amount of luggage back to the house.  He then went back to the airport to get Graham and Lily an hour later - now all 10 of us were settled in the house for the weekend: Margaret and kids in the beach room, Jean and Dick in the Asian room, and Graham and kids in the gym.  Since everyone had eaten diner in TX, we just had some wine and cheese at the house before bed.

Boone, Josie, Lily - Botanic Gardens

Saturday started off with breakfast at the house before departing for two destinations: Margaret, Owen, and Keith hiked Camelback (record time up at 50 minutes) while the rest of the gang walked around the Botanic Gardens.  Boone decided to have an incident with a jumping Cholla cactus (otherwise known as jumping Boone cactus), then Graham had some excitement with it himself as he tried to remove it from Boone!  

Graham, Owen, Margaret - Camelback

Shawna drove the group back from the gardens to pick up the hikers and to go to Keith's office for a quick change and also some free snacks at the Wolff snack bar!  It was then a quick drive to the Cornish Pasty Co for lunch outside before heading over to Top Golf for a couple of hours.  While most of the kids and Margaret had been to a Top Golf, Graham and Dick  had not and they were the best of the group!

The Golfers!

We then went home for a swim - the pool was heated to 75 degrees which was a bit chilly until we got going.  We tried to play volleyball but the shorter kids struggled a bit since they could not touch the bottom!  Dinner that night was grilled beef/chicken kebabs, couscous, roasted cauliflower, corn on the cob, and asparagus.  Graham worked the grill and turned out some delicious kebabs. The dinner was topped off with homemade ice cream c/o Josie -it was really quite good for only 4 ingredients!

Pool Volleyball in November!

On Sunday, we stared off with a heavier breakfast: Mexican Tostados (though the kids stuck with their honey nut cheerios).  We then all drove to Browns Ranch for a couple hour hike.  It was back to the house for a light lunch before going to the Butterfly Wonderland and Aquarium for the afternoon.  Shawna went back to the house early to start the cooking; the rest of us got home around 5pm.  This evening was our Thanksgiving dinner: fried turkey, stuffing, brussel sprouts, scallop potatoes with mushroom, corn on the cob, and two - yes, two - steamed puddings with birds custard.  Jodi stopped by for an hour to meet Keith's parents before we all had dinner.  The food was delicious - the turkey was just about perfect as was the rest of the meal.  The night was wrapped up with some karaoke before bed.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Monday was the beginning of the road trip.  Shawna was unable to go with us as she had work commitments so there were 9 of us heading north.  The first stop was Sedona - with a Pink Jeep tour scheduled for 11am.  We made it in plenty of time so the family walked around the main street and had their picture taken with snakes as Keith parked the car.  We had to split into two groups - Margaret with the kids and Jean/Dick/Graham/Keith in the other jeep - though we saw each other at each of the breaks.

Pink Jeep Tour

Lunch was a quick stop at Wildflower Café before we went over to Courthouse Butte for a hike.  We were originally doing a loop hike, but once the kids saw that you could climb UP Bell Rock we split into two groups, with Jean and Dick sticking to the loop hike.  There were a lot of scrambles up the rock, and some steep areas which were fun.  As we wrapped up the hike, Margaret ran back to the van to get a change of clothes for the kids so they could take their "formal" Christmas photos just at sunset.  We then drove up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff where we stopped for dinner at NiMarcos Pizza - listed the best in Flagstaff!  It was only about another hour from there to the Holiday Inn Express in Grand Canyon Village where we stayed the next two nights.

Bell Rock

Tuesday morning we ate at the hotel (the kids loved the breakfast there!), grabbed a Starbucks in town, and drove to Grand Canyon Airport for our morning helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon with Grand Canyon Helicopters!  Keith and Margaret went with the 4 kids while Jean/Dick/Graham went in another helicopter.  We did well with the front seats - Margaret, Josie, Owen, Jean, and Dick all got front seats.  It was a great flight - about an hour - and also cool because the very first view the kids ever had of the canyon was as we went over the rim in the helicopter.  It was also fun with the flight starting with a Star Wars song!

Helicopter over Grand Canyon

Once the flight was over we drove up to the park - with free entrance care of Dick's lifetime park pass he bought for ten dollars!  We parked the van at the visitors center and walked the 2 mile rim walk over to El Tovar - taking pictures the whole way.  We then walked back toward the visitor center, stopping at the Market for a quick bite to eat.  We then drove back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner - which was at El Tovar back in the park.  Keith ate with the kids and had the lamb shank which was delicious (kids ate off the kids menu).  Jean/Dick/Graham/Margaret were at their own table and were not as impressed with the dinner.

Josie, Lily, Keith and Owen

Wednesday we copied the breakfast plan from the day before (hotel and Starbucks) and then went back to the park for a hike down South Kaibab Trail past Ooh Ah point to Cedar Ridge.  Everyone had a bathroom break there, then we started the 1.5 mile hike back up.  Boone was pretty stressed the whole way as he was desperate to be "first" - Keith gave it the college try to explain to Boone that it was not critical to be in front but it was a losing argument!

Ooh Ah Point - South Kaibab Trail

We then drove back to Grand Canyon Village to see the Imax movie (great imagery), have lunch at Wendy's, then began the 3.5 hour trek back to our house!  We made super time, arriving at 5:30pm after stopping at Chick-Fil-a for dinner for the kids.  Keith showered and then drove the 4Runner to the airport to pick up Rachel and her parents who were in AZ for a 5 day visit of Page, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon.  Keith brought the three of them back to the house for Gin & Tonics, wine, and cheese (which was dinner for all of us).  Keith then drove the van to the Townplace Suites with Rach and her parents following in the 4Runner which they were borrowing for their road trip.

Sedona

Thursday morning was busy - Keith took Graham, Margaret, and kids to the airport and got back to the house in time to join Jean, Dick, Shawna, and the Bunnings for a breakfast of avocado toast before Rachel and her parents headed up to Sedona for their tour.  Then we went for a hike up Sunrise Peak with Jean and Dick.  While on the hike we made a game-day call for dinner - rather than going to the Hilton and having more turkey we changed the reservation to Zinc Bistro so Dick could have his fill of French food!  We showered when we got home, Keith had a nap, we had another round of Gin & Tonics, and then Ubered to dinner.  Graham and Margaret graciously bought our dinner - it was delicious.

Sedona

Friday morning we had our coffee, took Jean and Dick to the airport, and spent the rest of the day up to our ears in laundry - cleaning all the sheets, duvets, and towels that were used over the weekend!

Brown's Ranch

It was a really fun time hosting the whole family and everyone seemed to have a great time!  

AZ Taco Fest - John and JoAnna Visit - Oct 2018

AZ Taco Festival

For our third year of going to festivals with John and JoAnna, we decided to stay local (and thus make it cheap) by going to the Taco Festival in Scottsdale.  John and JoAnna flew in Thursday afternoon - Keith picked them up at the airport and that afternoon/evening we hung out in our pool, drinking beer and catching up.  Shawna cooked a yummy meal of roast lamb, couscous, tomato/cucumber salad, roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and hummus with pita.  The lamb did not come out as good as we had hoped but it was still tasty.

Chez Dodds

On Friday, Shawna and JoAnna did the Lost Dog Wash hike which took about 1.5 hours in the morning.  The afternoon and evening was spent going to breweries and then testing our ability at Top Golf after too many beers!  Our first stop was OHSO on the canal where we had individualized pitchers of beer (served 2.5 beers each) for only $7 - what a deal! We also snacked on artichoke dip. Keith had calls for work so he met us at the next stop which was the Cornish Pasty place where we had pasties, salad and more beer.  We all then walked to Goldwater Brewery where we tasted some of their beer and snacked on popcorn.  Our final stop before heading to Top Golf was Coach House which is one of the oldest bars in Scottsdale.

Coach House

That evening, we played four rounds of Top Golf with the girls winning three of the rounds.  We snacked on pretzel bites and flatbread while continuing with the beer drinking.  Apparently, the beer helped Shawna because she golfed the best she has ever done so far!

Top Golf 

On Saturday, we had intended on doing a hike in the morning but the weather did not cooperate as it rained for most of the day.  Instead, we relaxed at home, planning some of our future trips.  We went over to the Taco Festival around noon and tried many different tacos along with beer.  Because it was raining, we mostly hung out in the bar tents, running out to grab tacos from time to time to bring them back to the tent to eat.  We watched the pepper eating (which was hilarious) and taco eating contests and then being full, we finally left around 4pm.

Iceland Moon Walk Dance at Taco Fest

Back at home, we hung out in the pool and then grilled some kabobs which we ate with the leftovers from Thursday night.  We then played a few rounds of board games - Battle of the Sexes and I Love the 80s which were won by the boys.  John wanted some port with our dessert so we had one bottle which apparently was a bit old - Keith could not get the cork out so we had to 'drain' the wine through a napkin.  Surprisingly, it was still pretty tasty, although at this point, not sure if we would have noticed the difference between good or bad port!

John and JoAnna had to fly out early on Sunday so we had breakfast and relaxed a little before Keith drove them to the airport.  It was another fun weekend filled with laughs!

Dawn and Stuart Visit - September 2018

Keith, Shawna, Stuart, Dawn

 Keith's friend Dawn from his University of Surrey days was doing a west coast tour with her husband Stuart - we were excited to host them for a day of their whirlwind tour.  As they were driving down from the Grand Canyon, we met them for a day in Sedona.  It required us to get up at 4:30am and leave by 5:45, but with no traffic we made it into Sedona in only 1:45.  We had planned to meet them at the Java Café next to the Pink Jeep Tours office so they arrived in time for us to chat 30 minutes before our Broken Arrow tour.   We went for a bit of a walk down the main street of Sedona before driving over to The Hudson for lunch.  The food was as good as last time: we shared some bruschetta and pretzel bread to start and then had the Kale salad and Chopped salad.

Pink Jeep Tour

After lunch, we hiked around Bell and Courthouse - it was 95 degrees so a bit hot, but gorgeous scenery as always.  It was then a drive home to cool off in the pool with margaritas and guacamole before our dinner of flank steak, sausages, elote, and sweet potato stackers.  We managed to also plow through three bottles of wine and a taste of the cider brandy they brought us!

Dawn and Shawna

We slept in until 8am on Sunday - having a relaxing morning before leaving at 11am for a Taliesin West tour.  We then convoyed over to the Cornish Pasty Shop for lunch before Dawn and Stuart drove away to get to Santa Barbara for their next overnight.

Taliesin West

Mom (Honny) Visit - April 2018

Lon's at Hermosa Inn for Dinner

Shawna's mom (Honny) finally decided to come visit us for a long weekend.  She had been hesitant for a while as she was concerned about her blood pressure.  She arrived on Thursday afternoon with no issues - Shawna met her at the airport and they went to the house to do the tour and get settled.  That evening, Shawna cooked lemon chicken with cauliflower.  Keith had been out of town so he arrived later that evening as well.  Since Honny had been up quite early that day to get to the airport, we all went to bed rather early.

On Friday, we had a leisurely breakfast outside on the patio and then ran a few errands in the morning.  We then had lunch at home and went shopping in the afternoon at Talbots where Honny bought several items, including a few things for Shawna.  That evening, we met Keith at Lon's at The Hermosa Inn where we sat outside for dinner.  It was a beautiful evening and Honny was ecstatic to see all of the flowers!  For dinner, we shared a salad and seared tuna for appetizer and duck breast for an entree.  Dinner was delicious!

Lon's at Hermosa Inn

On Saturday, we had breakfast again outside and then spent most of the day doing a home garden tour  that was arranged by Phoenix Home and Garden magazine. We went to four different houses and saw a variety of styles of homes and landscaping.  During the tour, we were only allowed in the gardens.  The first house (up near Carefree) was our favorite as it had mostly cactus/succulent landscaping - it was beautiful!  The other homes had more traditional landscaping.  In between visiting the houses, we stopped at La Grande Orange for lunch where we had salads and were finally able to use some of the gift card that Graham had sent to us two years ago!  We returned home to relax a bit before heading out that evening for dinner at Sassi (which sadly is closing in the Summer).  We shared the prosciutto and squash blossoms for an appetizer and the veal for an entree.  Unfortunately, Honny was not feeling well so we took our entrees home and ate them there.  Before bed, we watched a Disney documentary on pandas, monkeys and snow leopards in China.

Lon's at Hermosa Inn for Dinner

On Sunday, we had breakfast again outside (yes, this was a tradition of the weekend) and then went to the Musical Instrument Museum.  We were amazed at how many displays they had from every country - it took us about 3 hours and even then we rushed through several of the displays.  It was very interesting but as Keith said, it was also "too much".  We had a late lunch back at home and then relaxed that afternoon.  For dinner, Shawna made a Moroccan stew with meatballs, chickpeas and spinach served over cous cous and then we watched The Second Best Marigold Hotel - we had both seen it but Honny had not yet seen it (she had seen the first one).

Musical Instrument Museum

On Monday, we had breakfast outside and then went to Dillards to pick up a few things for Honny and to one of the nurseries to see if we could buy a replacement ocotillo.  The nursery was very large and catered more to landscapers - the ocotillos did not look any better than the one we had so Shawna decided not to get anything.  We stopped at Whole Foods to show Honny what a real gourmet grocery store is like (her options in LA are very limited) and then returned home to have lunch.  After lunch, we ventured out again to an upholstery place to try to get estimates to re-upholster our living room furniture and to pick out some fabric samples.  However, they were just about to close so she asked that we send in pictures to get the estimate.  We returned home and did a little gardening (or rather Honny did the gardening while Shawna watched) and then Shawna cooked a fish curry for dinner.

Home Garden Tour

On Tuesday morning, we got up early and Shawna drove her mom to the airport.  After seeing her off safely, she returned home to get back to the grind stone!  We had a great time and are already planning on her return visit next Spring!

Stephanie Visit - March 2018

Old Town Scottsdale

We were excited to have Stephanie fly in from North Carolina for a weekend.  She arrived on the Wednesday night.  Keith was in Vegas for work so Shawna picked her up at the airport.  Steph stayed one night and then borrowed the 4Runner to visit Leah in Tucson for a couple of days.  She arrived back at Chez Dodds on Saturday day so we could start the weekend.

Lost Dog Wash Hike

Steph got to the house at about 10:30 or so on Saturday.  We chatted a bit, then Shawna made a salad with shrimp for lunch which we ate with a bottle of wine on the patio - it was a beautiful day.  That afternoon we drove to the Royal Palms for an afternoon treat.  First stop was a dip in their pool with a glass of wine, followed by massages for all three of us.  Very relaxing afternoon!  Dinner that evening was at Citizen Public House, where we shared burrata, bacon jam and smoked salmon salad for appetizers and then shared the short ribs for an entree.  It was early to bed after all that wine!

Dinner at Citizen Public House

On Sunday, we relaxed at home with coffee and Shawna's breakfast of chorizo and egg tostadas.  It was then off to do a 3 mile hike at Lost Dog Wash - pretty but just undulating.  We came back to the house for a shower and an amazing lunch of cheese and wine on the patio - quite elegant!  The afternoon event was Top Golf which Steph had not done before.  We got in a couple of rounds.  The original plan was to go out for dinner but we were all total stuffed, so we bagged the dinner, ordered in PF Changs, and rented Justice League on apple TV!

Keith had to be at the airport early Monday am to fly to NorCal, so Shawna was able to drop her off Monday between calls.  It was super to see Steph!

Nancy and Hall Visit - March 2018

The gang at Olive and Ivy

We were excited to have Nancy, Hall, and the kids stay with us for a couple of days.  They arrived the Tuesday night at 8:45, so Keith met them at the airport, gave them the keys to the 4Runner, and they headed off straight to Sedona  and the Grand Canyon while Keith Ubered home.

The boys on top of Camelback

We next saw them on Friday night at 9pm when they arrived from Wilson after seeing the Grand Canyon.  We had a couple of drinks and then headed to bed.  The next morning Shawna made breakfast tostadas for us.  Then Keith, Hall, and Zachary drove off to hike Camelback while Shawna, Nancy, and Claire went to the Butterfly exhibit at the Aquarium.  They boys made it to the top of Camelback in 1.25 hours.  They ended the hike back at Keith's office for a quick change and so Zachary could do some "shopping" at the company snack bar!  After the butterfly exhibit, the girls grabbed lunch at Grassroots Kitchen and Tap where they had salads before we all met up at Salt River Fields Stadium for a Spring Training Game: Diamondbacks vs Padres (it was a tie game).  The boys had Soba Noodles at the park for lunch with a couple of beers.  We dropped by Sweet Republic for ice cream on the way home where Nancy tried the toffee banana sundae.

The girls at the baseball game

Both kids went for a quick swim while the rest of us showered.  We then taught them Monopoly Deal and played two hands of that with a bottle of wine and cheese plate before Ubering to Toro at the Fairmont.  Dinner was delicious - we ate family style, sharing the Hamachi, Spicy Tuna Roll, Churrasco Platter, Mexican Snapper, and the Asado Negro.  We topped it all off with the "La Bomba 32" which was a massive ice cream bowl slammed on the table.  The evening was capped with Keith and Shawna dancing with the kids.

The aftermath of "La Bomba 32"

Sunday morning was pretty relaxed: after coffee and packing we drove to Olive and Ivy for brunch on the outdoor patio.  Shawna had to leave right after lunch to catch her flight to Tampa for work, while the rest walked around Old Town and the Vegan Beer and Food Festival before Keith took them to the airport.

It was super to see them all!

Simran Visit - Feb 2018

Lost Dog Wash Hike

Following our ski weekend in Park City, Simran decided to come home with us to spend the week in Scottsdale while Rak and Ria skied the week in Sun Valley.  During the week, we all worked during the day and then did the following activities after work:

Street Art Walking Tour

• Hiked Lost Dog Wash Trailhead
• Dinner at Crujiento Taco - we shared the charred ejotes for an appetizer and several tacos our favorites being the Korean fried chicken, crunchy lamb, and the shrimp
• Lunch at Herb Box - we shared the veggie sampler and a quinoa bowl
• Hiked the Horseshoe Loop in Gateway
• Made pasta at home for dinner
• Checked out Cosanti, an outdoor gallery of bells and chimes made by an Italian American artist
• Grilled flank steak for dinner with rice and kale
• El Barrio Street Art Walking Tour which we saw cool art but the tour guide was not great
• Dinner at Barrio Cafe - shared the roasted poblano pepper and the green chicken enchiladas - so yummy

On Saturday, we drove down to Tucson for the day - we originally intended on staying the night but decided to just make a day trip out of it.  We did a food walking tour of downtown with Tucson Food Tours which was a lot of fun.  We stopped at seven different places: 

El Charro Cafe

• Maynard's Market where we sampled the cubano and turkey sandwiches - the cubano was tasty
• Scented Leaf Tea House where we had some cold teas (hibiscus)
• The Hub Restaurant and Creamery where we tried pastrami and fried cheese curds
• Reilly (which is in an old mortuary) where we sampled the fried brussel sprouts and goat cheese toast (both good)
• La Cocina (also has several shops) where we ate a Thai quinoa dish with veggies
• El Charro Cafe (which is the oldest continuously run Mexican restaurant in the US) where we sampled the tamales (the corn and chicken ones were very tasty) - this is also the home of the chimichanga but we did not try it
• Batch Cafe and Bar where we tasted the bourbon Bavarian cream filled donut topped with bacon - way too much going on with this one

Tucson

After the tour, we walked around 4th Avenue and then grabbed a few bottles of wine and drove home to have wine, cheese and crackers while watching the Darkest Hour. We decided that Tucson was quite cute with lots to do so we will definitely return!

Downtown Phoenix Historic Walking Tour

On Sunday, we went did a historical walking tour of downtown Phoenix with Phoenix Rising Tours which turned out to be quite interesting.  We learned about the three rises of Phoenix starting with the early settlers.  After the tour we had lunch at Tacos Chiwas, sharing several tacos, a breakfast burrito, a gordita and a quesadilla - the place is hole in the wall but the food was very tasty - nothing fancy, just traditional dishes.  We returned home to rest for a bit and then went to see Black Panther at the movies.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat at a kabob place near the theater before taking Simran to the airport to fly home.

Lily Visit - January 2018

Picking up Lily at the airport

Lily turned 12 at the end of last year so it was time to invite her to come and visit, as we had already with Jordan.  The best weekend seemed to be MLK weekend as we were just back from Chile and it was a 3-day weekend.

Top Golf

Since Lily had school on the Friday we got her ticket to fly in on Saturday morning.  We met her just outside security, and since she just carried on luggage we were ready to start the day.  The first stop was Top Golf where we had lunch and played a couple of games - Lily's first time....she does have one a few miles from her hour in Austin.  Lily was quite consistent - hitting many of her balls in the same part of the yellow target.  Our next stop was the Aquarium where we saw both the aquarium and the Butterfly Wonderland exhibit.  The butterfly exhibit exceeded our expectations - with a 3D movie at the beginning that explained the monarch migration that was really well done.  After a couple of hours there, we drove back to the house to get Lily settled in.  After relaxing for an hour, we left the house again to grab dinner at Outback Steakhouse and then went to see Jumangi.

Horseback Ride McDonalds Ranch

Sunday was another busy day.  The morning began with Lily cooking us all her famous pancakes - which were delicious.  We scheduled a horseback ride at McDonalds Ranch at 11am - it was fun to ride among the giant cactus.  We saw a hawk on the top of a cactus, perched and looking for prey.  After the horseback ride, we went to the Market Street area of DC ranch for lunch at The Living Room.  On the way home we stopped by Safeway to get groceries for dinner.  The next stop was iFly.  Lily and Keith had both done it once before, while it was Shawna's first time.  The person sitting in front of Lily realized he had a shoulder issue so he gave Lily his flight time, so her second flight was 2 minutes - really cool.  All of us did better than we had expected and had a blast.  After arriving home, Shawna started cooking while Keith and Lily looked though really funny old pictures of Graham - all 1600 of them.  It was really interesting to see so many of them where Lily or Boone's features could be seen in a young Graham - and also pictures of Graham at places in England where Lily had just been, such as Berwick and Windsor Castle.  We then introduced Lily to Monopoly Deal - played a game before dinner and another after dinner.  We wrapped up the evening watching The Princess Bride.

iFly

We were up at 7am on Sunday.  We just had cereal for breakfast, then Keith took Lily to the airport for her flight home.  It was fantastic to spend time with our niece!

Horseback Ride McDonalds Ranch