Our Lifestyle Adventures: Getting Snow in the Desert, a Rare Experience!

a belated Wacky New Year to one and all!

snow falling on the desert floor

A cold front had come upon the Phoenix metropolitan area on Dec. 31. There was a freeze warning from 11 pm Dec. 31 to 6 am Jan. 1, the very hours we were out for our New Year's Eve party. Bill went deep into our closet to take out our trench coats! Yes sir! The cold has descended unto the desert valley that was supposed to be a winter haven!  

 

Cave Creek is an hour away from Viewpoint, to the north of Phoenix and Scottsdale, where Harold's Corral was located. Bill and I had fun at the wacky phone booth with our hats and other paraphernalia. My prime rib au jus was excellent. Bill’s New York strip was ok. The spinach and artichoke dip with flatbread for appetizers was awesome. The green beans, baked potatoes, and salad were good. 

wacky at the photo booth

still quiet at dinner

The Mogollon Band played great country music but it was way too loud for our old ears. We danced a lot of two-step, rock n roll, and even polka! Our New Year’s Eve Party was in style, Western! For Christmas Eve we went to Fairmont Princess Hotel, quite a spendy place so we looked for a more reasonable alternative for New Year's Eve. Harold’s Corral offered a steak dinner, dancing with a live band, party favors, a midnight buffet and a champagne toast to welcome the New Year for only $60 per person. Great value!

I so loved my hat!

the champagne toast

The band led the countdown to the traditional grand entrance of a New Year. At the stroke of twelve everything from the drums, all the noisemakers, and the people in the restaurant created increasingly high decibels. Then Bill and I hurried to the midnight buffet so we could go, home being an hour away. From a door that was opened near the buffet table, we got a glimpse of the snow that was falling outside! It was crazy!!! 2015 came with snow, an amazingly rare experience in the desert!

We got home at 2 am and woke up late on the first day of 2015! Bill had a mixed doubles tennis tournament match at 2:30 pm. While he was there, I got busy preparing for the New Year’s Day Dinner Party we were hosting at our RV. We had invited three other couples from Viewpoint who have become close friends. There could have been others but our “home” could only comfortably seat 8 for dinner.

our little home seats 8!

Party favors from Harold’s made our setting more festive. We had mini-cheese logs and special crackers for appetizers. There was holiday ham glazed with pineapple and cherries cooked slowly at Mel and Carolyn’s smoker. They also brought green beans casserole, a request of Bill. Bud and Bonnie made scalloped potatoes, another Bill favorite and Cam and Clinky brought a great big strawberry cheesecake! It was another fine way to greet 2015. The number 1 bowl on college football bowl was also on TV, the Rose Bowl! 

how I looked to my grandkids on Hangouts

Then I had the added bonus of being able to greet my children and grandchildren in style on Hangouts, an app where you can video conference for free! April and Clint from Newcastle in the UK, Trisha and Deejay and their kids from Seattle, Washington, and Claudine and Arnold and their kids from Calgary, Alberta, Canada all laughed at my impromptu and comical performance with party favors and noisemakers! New Year does not only make snow fall on desert floors, it also can make certain people crazy!