Monday, January 4, 2016

January 1 - 3, 2016, AZ

Sunday, January 3.  New Year's Eve was very nice, starting with a nice dinner with Pat, Roger, Connie, and myself.  Top that off with a fun party at the clubhouse that included lots of dancing, toasting, lively conversation, hugs and laughter - it all made for a very enjoyable evening.

The next day, not so enjoyable, as I have come down with a cold or sinus infection - probably a cold since there are many people around me that have had it.  Needless to say, it was a slow and lazy day, although I did get my Christmas decorations down inside the house, worked on my puzzle, and on a crochet project.

I woke up feeling pretty good, so later in the morning when Tom (my next door neighbor) came over and asked if I was interested in going for a hike, I took him up on it.  The day was beautiful, sunny and clear with temps near 70 degrees.  We drove about 30 miles north to the Ballantine Trailhead in the Tonto National Forest and hiked about half of the loop trail, then came back down to where the car was parked.  The views were beautiful and it was quiet once you got away from the road noise.  Our total hike was about 2.3 miles.  I will feel it tomorrow, as this is the first desert hike I have done since last spring and at one point, I slipped and landed on my butt.

My cold came on fast and furious later that evening and I was under the weather through Sunday night.  I did manage to take down the outside Christmas lights but didn't do much else.