BUSY, BUSY, BUSY SOCIAL LIFE!

As soon as we announced our change in plans (leaving the area on October 19th for southern California instead of at the end of December), our social calendar compressed from a couple of months to one week. Lunch time became the hot social slot.

On Sunday, our friends Gary and Judie drove over to Bisbee from Sierra Vista for lunch at the Bisbee Breakfast Club, a very popular breakfast/lunch diner a short distance from Queen Mine RV Park. The best way to know that the "snowbird season" has not yet started: there was NO WAITING at noon on Sunday for a table.

On Monday, Jeannie and Ray (this photo), our friends with the straw bale ranch house over near the Whitewater Draw in Sulphur Springs Valley (where they welcome visiting RV'ers, by the way), came to visit and have lunch at the High Desert Market and Cafe, a pleasant walk up Tombstone Canyon (the main street of Bisbee) from the RV Park. The food was delicious, and the pastry case irresistible to my three lunch companions (I thought the personal pizza had already done sufficient damage to my Weight Watchers program for the day).

Fortunately for my diet, we had long-standing plans with Frank and Ron for a hike to the top of Carr Peak. Since our week-long stay at Rosanna's had to be cancelled, she came over to Sierra Vista to hike with us, too. Check out this view towards Sierra Vista at about the halfway point of the hike (which starts in the saddle).

Fall arrived in Cochise County a few days ago as the storm from the Pacific Northwest swooped far enough south to cool the temperatures down to record-breaking levels. Our mornings have been in the low 40's, daytime highs have been in the low 70's. Crisp fall temperatures and deep blue skies - perfect weather for a steep, mountaintop hike.

This part of Arizona doesn't offer a lot of fall color, but Carr Peak and the neighboring peaks and canyons of the Huachucas do shelter a few patches of aspen. The Carr Peak trail passes through them as it switchbacks to the top. Just 1/4 mile from the top of the peak, we stopped for lunch on this comfortable rock ledge. With the cool air temperatures, the sunshine felt SO GOOD. The view was miles into Mexico, and we watched hawks soar in the canyon below us.

Here is a first: we all were so comfortable and contented, we decided to sit where we were rather than continue to the top of the peak! Oh, the power of relaxing in the sunshine on a fall day.

For dinner, we had a menu of grilled salmon and vegetables planned, but both Odel and I felt too tired to cook. High Desert Cafe to the rescue - a check of their weekly "take out dinner" menu showed "rosemary garlic roast chicken with roasted potatoes and root vegetables" for dinner. Odel jumped back into Jules and was home 15 minutes later with two delicious, ready to eat meals. Yum. Dinner, a glass of wine, a hot shower, and I was in bed and asleep in record time.