Cabinets installed. Bottom drawer on the left had to be modified to allow for the gas pipe to the cooktop. They made an ingenious modification. Great guys!
Eric was back to install the crown molding, it's stunning.
Then we get a call from the granite people. The backsplash I ordered (months ago) is backordered for three months. Would I like to come in and look at other options? Well, let's just see. The other options were in the same color tones as my first choice but were linear. The other choice was in different tones but the same pattern. When we laid it against the granite along with the surrounding quartz it looks even better than the original. And it's available immediately. Sometimes problems turn into great opportunities.
On Wednesday we left for Sharon's in Green Valley. Arizona has great highway signs! My all time favorite remains "Be the kind of driver your dog thinks you are" but this one did tickle my funny bone.
Sharon is good medicine for me. She is a gracious hostess and a good cook. She greeted us with Cadillac margaritas and Build it Yourself Taco salad with giant mounds of carne asada. Gary was in meat heaven!
We joined Sharon and Pluto for many walks and had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. We enjoyed a bottle of Joseph Jewel Zin (thanks Marcia for helping make that happen) and used Sharon's mother's Seder glasses. Why didn't I take a picture of our table? Unknown. Trust me, it was both lovely and delicious. But here we are toasting. We made a new tradition based on Lori's insistence that she had a new mantra. Yes, Lori, we used it often and frequently!
The lake is lovely and full of ducks. Sharon will be back as it's only an hour away. Unfortunately they do not allow dogs near the beach, so she has nixed the idea of staying there, but another picnic is definitely in her future.
We came hone by way of Nogales. I had never seen the wall (except on TV) and wanted to see it.
Here it is crossing a hillside.
We drove home with a short stop in Tubac (one of our favorite places), to check out our favorite shoe store. And surprise, they were hosting an outdoor vendor market. I ran across this: It's supposed to be a holiday center piece, and will become this year's Nativity-pocalypse
What started out as a one time joke many years ago has evolved into a holiday tradition. I'll go downstairs and find our nativity set and place the Baby Jesus on the "dinner table". Yes, Lori inherited my bizarre sense of humor. Don't judge me, Lori started it!
And we also found some cute shirts.
On Saturday we drove 2 hours (each way) for lunch at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas. Sharon is quite the history buff and wanted to visit the five famous old hotels in Arizona. I've now made it to four of them. The Gadsden is also a haunted hotel. It was purchased, several years ago, by a couple who specialize in restorations and it's lovely. It sits at the border directly across the wall from El Chapo's estate. And the border patrol has discovered multiple tunnels from Mexico into Douglas complete with ventilation and lighting. During Prohibition one tunnel led into the basement of the Gadsden Hotel! They had a full functioning speakeasy and bordello downstairs.
The lobby is simply beautiful and is beginning to look like Christmas.
Stairs to the mezzanine level. Back in the day, Pancho Villa was drunk and rode his horse into the hotel and up the stairs. On the 7th step, the horse missed and chipped the marble. They didn't fix that :)
Typical of Shon, my first stop is the ladies room. Isn't it simply lovely?
We enjoyed a very nice (and very inexpensive) luncheon in the newly restored dining room.
A beautifully restored tile mural from 1929 tucked into a corner.
Then the owner, Anel, took us on a tour. My boots were suede so not in need of a polish.
This is the haunted room, Room 333. Someone had left the door open and the ghost (which often appears in photographs) was not available. Still it was a fun visit.
Then Anel took us to the basement. This is the speakeasy.
And the bar.
This cash register belonged to Anel's uncle who owned a car repair shop. When he learned that she had purchased the hotel, he determined that this would be a perfect gift. She was thrilled and found someone to oil it up and make some repairs. It works perfectly! They had to significantly reinforce the shelf as the register is very heavy.
She has stringent rules for cleanliness and I was more than six feet away when I asked her to remove her mask. She a cutie and a hard worker. You can't see the colored lightbulbs above her head. Six different colors signifying which of the prostitutes were on duty AND available that evening.
This was the Madame's bedroom.
One of the tunnels to Mexico.
Just a few blocks away from the hotel is the border.
It was such a fun visit with Sharon. Haven't seen her since July when she came up to cook my birthday dinner. I didn't realize how much I missed her. Can't wait this long again. I'll be back in January, after the remodel is finished.
Today, Monday, is the start of Week 5. The oven and cooktop were delivered. The guy cut the hole for the electrical and pulled out his measuring tape. Oven outer width is 30", hole is supposed to be 28.5". It is also 30". Call cabinet people, owner gets on the phone and tells me there is supposed to be an insert that the installer hasn't put in yet. Oh, and if there is a fee for the appliance people to return to install, just let me know and I'll reimburse. THAT'S the right answer! Eric, the installer, will be here tomorrow to put in the insert. Oh well, more adventures in kitchen remodel await!
I love reading your posts—it’s almost as good as talking to you! Glad the wine got there, and you’re using it wisely (note I did not say responsibly). Can’t wait to see the next chapter!
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