Thanksgiving - Part II @ Pheonix

 

After leaving the ranch Tuesday we headed south to Phoenix where we stayed in a rental in North Scottsdale and visited family outdoors in backyards and parks maintaining good social distancing and masks as best we could.

Wednesday evening we all visited Zoo Lights, although I didn't get any pictures.

Thanksgiving morning we ran in the annual Anthem Turkey Trot which I map out to be ~3.85 miles. This is our 5th year running. It was my turn to run with Ellie. She really pushed herself and finished in 37.25 and we estimate to be about 12th place. I couldn't keep up and finished a few minutes and a few places behind her. The top 20 received medals and Ellie was really excited! Emily and Darcy finished right around 53 minutes, which was a big improvement compared to last year for Em.

 

Looking good pre-race! 

A post-race soak in the hot tub helps with the sore muscles.

Historical Race Times:

2020: Ellie - 37.25 ; Matt - 39.05 ; Emily - 53:00 ; Darcy - 53:15

2019: Ellie - 41.30 ; Darcy - 42.0 ; Matt and Emily - Exactly 1 hr. 

2018: Darcy and Matt: 40 minutes (19th and 20th place!)(Ellie sick) 

2017 - Ellie and Matt: 47 minutes  

2016 - ?? ( no record)

 

After the race we went met-up for a great Thanksgiving meal in the Leshner backyard and snapped a few pics. sans masks.

 

New matching PJs for the cousins from GJ!

Friday morning we met up with the Freidmans + Clarice their 2 year old great dane for a hike.
 

Thanskgiving - Part I @ the Ranch

 

This Thanksgiving was a little different than previous years b/c of Covid. We decided to spend several days at a ranch in Wickenburg AZ - the girls had a blast learning to ride horses and going out on trail rides lead by wrangles.  Alex, Mardi Gras, Tuxedo, and Rivett our trusty steeds guided us through the desert with ease. The chow was good with three squares a day. A good change of pace and scenery for us while I got to live out my cowboy dreams for a few days.

 

Car ride silliness! 

 

 

We embraced our ranch experience boots, hats, and all!

 

 

 

 

The horses were driven to the Corral in the morning and out to pasture in the evening. We enjoyed watching the ~80 horses on the property run out and back each day.

 

 

At the corral there was always activity as the wranglers would saddle up the horses for morning and afternoon rides, feed, and water them. The girls enjoyed watching the horses and picking out their favorites and their personalities. 

We enjoyed several trail rides. A great way to breath in some fresh air and take in the scenery. Early on in our stay the girls did a 30 min. lesson to learn how to handle their horse and from there they were good to hit the trails. Wranglers would take small groups of 6 to 8 out on 1.5 to 2 hr trail rides.

 

After a long day on the trail we would enjoy a nice diner in our Sunday best.  Leisurely for sure.....on ranch time...they would take ~2hrs!

 

Saturday night they took us out a few miles into the desert for a cookout under the open desert skies for a BBQ. A couple old timey cowboy's entertained about 50 of us with cowboy and folk songs.

 

 

 

I escaped on Sunday afternoon sole and shot some clay targets.....hit 14 out of 25, so not too bad.

Tuesday afternoon we packed-up the car and drove down to Phoenix (stay tuned for part II). 

 

 

 

Halloween

Halloween 2020 - a bit different with Covid but we made the most of it. First, it was a on a Saturday, with a full moon (first in 76 years), and Daylight Savings ending on Sunday morning. 

For costumes this year we went with an Alice in Wonderland theme with Ellie as Alice, Emily as the Cheshire Cat, mom as the Queen of Hearts, and me as the Mad Hatter. 

On our street we essentially had a block party in the ally. Neighbors opened up their garage doors for a trunk-or-treat type of event with garages decorated in different themes and with some games etc. To go with our Alice in Wonderland theme the girls decorated our garage in the spirit of the "painting the roses red" scene complete with some croquet in our side yard with candy for those who could get it through the wickets.

We also walked the neighborhood a bit although maybe only 15%-20% of the houses were handing out candy. Some had gotten very creative using long, downward sloping PVC pipe to deliver candy while being socially distant.

Full moon rising over SoCal.

 

 

 

Costume dress-up with the car pool kids!  

Ellie as Alice: 

 

 

Emily as the Cheshire Cat: