I'm back from a fun trip to Pinetop-Lakeside to celebrate Wanda's birthday.  

front row: Jeannie and Perri

back row: Mary, me, Marlene, and Wanda

We had no wifi at the cabin so I was unable to post.  

Here's how my week went:

MONDAY

It was an easy drive to Payson to celebrate Wanda's 80th with "the girls".  I arrived early enough to stop at the quilt store (where I bought a quilt book) before rendezvous-ing with the ladies (Wanda, Mary, Marlene, Jeannie, & Perri) at Macky's Restaurant - which turned out to be the wonderful restaurant where I always like to eat when I'm in Payson.  I could only eat half of my Caesar Salad wrap - the rest came "home" with me for lunch tomorrow.  Then we all went to the quilt store (Mary, who had just met me, was worried that could be a problem for me since I'd gone before lunch... silly girl!) where I ended up buying some batik fabric I'd been eyeing earlier.

Then back on the road to Pinetop-Lakeside. I had no real trouble finding the cabin, which was delightful.  However there were not enough beds to go around for the 6 of us (which we already knew) so we had to double up.  After settling in we celebrated; Wanda got some great birthday cards, and liked my gift (the wine with a pretty label, and a 35th Ave. gift certificate.) Turns out that we were also celebrating Perri's birthday (she turned 70 last week.)

Mary cooked chicken enchiladas for dinner, and Jeannie whipped up a salad with all sorts of goodies in it.  It was wonderful to be able to eat outside on the deck.  For dessert Wanda had baked up some outrageous chocolate truffle brownies.

When I was getting ready for bed I realized I hadn't packed my toothbrush.  When I brushed my teeth right before heading out in the morning I must have plunked the brush back into its spot in the bathroom instead of into my penguin bag.

TUESDAY

I cooked breakfast for Wanda ( the other ladies either weren't eating or were having bagels) and then we all made a field trip into town to check out the two quilt stores.  At the first one I got some great Dalmatian fabric, and at the second I got four stunning batiks (on sale, 40% off) and some fun giraffe fabric.

There was a stop at Safeway for various necessities, and I got a toothbrush.  I need a small one so I was choosing from the kids' section, which is why I came home with a Firefly brush that has a blinking light that starts out green, changes to yellow, and ultimately to red when I've brushed long enough.  

Back at the cabin we had lunch on the deck (the weather is so, so pleasant!) and then played Mexican Train.  I won 3 of the first 4 games, and in the one game I didn't win I was left holding only one tile: the double zero!  By then my back was unhappy sitting so I took a break from the game despite my stellar score of absolute zero.

Dinner was in town at Charlie Clark's.  Jeannie had brought along birthday glasses for us to wear that lit up, and they were a big hit not only with us but with the other diners there. 

We all enjoyed our meal, and when dessert came Jeannie had a fancy candle with eight petals that opened up and lit eight more candles.  

It also played Happy Birthday - and kept playing.  When we got back to the cabin we left it singing in the car, guessing how long the battery would last.

WEDNESDAY

Found out this morning that the rich food did in Wanda; she was up sick at 3:00.  Happily she seemed to bounce back pretty well during the day.

For breakfast I made up eggs and turkey bacon for those who wanted them.  My original plan was to serve omelettes, but without my cast iron skillet they turned into scrambled eggs.  We played Mexican Train out on the deck, and a brazen squirrel cruised by (probably lured by the aroma from the sugar cookies Marlene had just baked.)

After lunch Wanda, Jeannie and I stayed home to relax and work on our handwork, while Mary, Perri and Marlene cruised over to check out the casino; they more or less broke even.  Later in the afternoon Jeannie went out to her truck for something - and the candle was still playing Happy Birthday!  Wanda stepped on it trying to silence it; the flower was smashed to pieces, but the song mechanism just kept going.  I ended up putting it in my car, wondering if I'd have "music" to drive home by the next day ...

Perri grilled salmon for dinner, which was delicious.  Along with a wonderful salad, yellow rice, and broccoli, it was a perfect dinner!

THURSDAY

After breakfast I packed up some of my stuff and took it down to the car.  Before I did, however, I took a vote on whether that chip would still be singing. Four of the ladies said no, though Perri and I guessed yes.  And it was! Mary was so impressed she says she's going to invest in that technology.

Driving home there were the usual number of idiots on the road.  In Show Low a car turned left in front of the car ahead of me, forcing him to slam on his brakes to avoid being hit. I was able to avoid hitting him (just barely) because I wasn't tail-gating. Then between there and Payson a vehicle in the on-coming lane drifted into my lane, so I laid on the horn and he moved back over.  And in Fountain Hills a vehicle threw a rock onto my windshield, leaving a chip right in my field of vision.

By the time I neared home it was pretty cloudy - and just as I got off the 101 big fat drops of water started plopping on the windshield.  Nice to arrive home to cooler-than-expected weather.