LADDventure

S'Mores and Summer

This weekend was about as hot as it gets here in Arizona, so we lived in the pool.  We hosted a pool party/early 4th of July BBQ on Saturday, where the s'more bites were the easy hit of the afternoon with no need to stand around a blazing fire.

Here's the recipe:
Break graham crackers in half.
Put a marshmallow on each half graham cracker.
Put them in the 375 degree oven on a cookie sheet for about 3 minutes.
Take out of the oven, and promptly plop a Hershey Kiss in the middle of the marshmallow while it's still all melty.

Delish, simple, and seriously 3 dozen of them were gone before the guests were.

On Sunday we finally crawled out of the pool, pruned and a bit sunburned, after spending another day in the water with friends who had come over to help us finish leftover beer and burgers.  It was the best kind of summer weekend, and in the Phoenix area, where summer is long and uncomfortable, it got me thinking of other ways to make the most out of the season.  A trip to Wisconsin this week will help.  Lake Michigan, fireworks, friends, family, and much cooler temps make for good summer memories.  So here are some other ways I am determined to enjoy summer to the fullest.  It's here for a while, so I might as well make the best of it.

Summer Bucket List 

Make rhubarb dessert of some sort

Host a pool party

Head to the mountains and go camping

Eat S'mores

Have a girl's pool day

Go for early morning/late night walk

Sit under the porch during a monsoon

Join a gym  

Take a road trip

Organize my teaching supplies

Read a magazine cover to cover

Go to the beach

Spend a day on a boat

Swim at night

Watch fireworks

Draw with sidewalk chalk 

Watch National Lampoon's Summer Vacation  

Dig in the dirt

Drink an Italian Greyhound cocktail

Catch fire flies

Drive up to Flagstaff for the day

Buy new sunglasses

Pack a picnic

Spend an entire day with a good book

Drink a beer at a baseball game

What's on your summer bucket list?

Wordless Wednesday - Looking Up

Jeep Journal - Crown King Camping

We decided rather on a whim a few weeks ago, to head to the mountains and try our hand at some camping again.  We have gone a few times, and have all the gear, but this was the first time we'd be heading up our own trip and the first time we were brave enough to bring the dogs.

The last time we were camping, I was sniffed by a bear.  But that was in a different state, with many more bears. So we decided to give it another shot, loaded up the beasts, and invited Mr. Ladd's brother and fellow Jeeper, to come with us.

We just made it a one-nighter this time since we weren't sure how the dogs would do, and if we'd forget some essential piece of equipment.  But, we could have easily done two nights and the dogs were so good, I think we will next time.

We found a spot just down the road from Crown King, an old mining town that you can only get to on a dirt trail up the mountain.  The town itself is literally a saloon, one gas pump, and a general store for the most part.  We headed past the town a bit, set up camp and proceeded to chill...

all of us...

all day...

It was lovely.

There was exploring, lizard hunting, and dirty paws.

There was cast iron over an open fire, s'mores, and a chilly evening under a crisp night sky.

At this point in the summer there are burn restrictions, because it's so dry, which means you have to camp in a designated campground with a metal fire ring.  But, at the time we went, there were no restrictions yet, and one of the really cool things about Arizona is you can just camp pretty much anywhere.  So there are these great little secluded spots that have obviously been used by others because rocks are formed into a fire ring, but otherwise it truly is being one with nature.  I never thought I'd want to be quite so familiar with nature, but the nature here is oh so worth it.  There is nothing like escaping up into the cooler mountains when the summer heat starts to creep into the valley.

Cottonwood, AZ - A Hidden Gem

We celebrated our 8th anniversary with a weekend getaway to Cottonwood a few weeks ago.  Now, I have to begin this post with a bit of a brag - I have an uncanny knack for finding the best spots for unique experiences on trips.  We try to make it a priority to spend a weekend away every anniversary, so I did some research online, knowing we wanted to try something new and found that this sleepy little mountain town is having a bit of a resurgence of late in Arizona's northern wine country.  This little two block stretch of Old Town Cottonwood had literally everything we needed for a perfect, relaxing, anniversary weekend.

We stayed at the fairly new Tavern Hotel, which was a gorgeous, intimate boutique hotel on an awesome Sip & Stay wine tasting package.  It was an incredible deal, and we could not have been more pleased.

We've discovered that Cottonwood is a great launching point for Sedona, Jerome, etc. because those places tend to be more expensive/touristy.  It's great to spend the day in one of those areas and then come back in the evening.  So after a delicious breakfast across the street from the hotel at the Red Rooster Cafe, we took the short 20 minute drive up to one of our favorite little ghost towns, Jerome, which is quite literally built right into the side of the mountain.

We wandered the winding, crooked sidewalks in and out of quirky little shops.  We bought a few unique souveniers, including an antique Christmas ornament.  It's becoming a tradition to get an ornament on every trip we go on to help make our Christmas tree a yearly memory of our travels.

Then we headed back down toward Cottonwood.

Our hotel package included tastings at 3 wine rooms in Old Town,  so we spent the afternoon tasting wines at The Wine Cellar, and Pillsbury Tasting Room.  Our favorite was Burning Tree Cellars, where every wine we tasted was amazing, and the lovely Katie recommended we come back for a glass of The Poet 100% Pinot Noir after dinner at Nic's.

We followed that suggestion, and another to head to RIOT (Rendezvous In Old Town), a bar down the street afterwards.  It was a wine/craft beer spot that had the feel of a beach bar with the friendliness of a local favorite.  This friend was playing live music, and we were having so much fun we had to buy his CD.  We also discovered this beer, heavenly!  After wine tasting all afternoon and a few of those tasty brews, we giggled the entire walk back to our hotel like we were in college again.

Breakfast the next morning at Crema Cafe was to die for. I could have sat in that courtyard all day, but alas, it was time to head back down the mountain.

 Sometimes everything in the Phoenix valley seems so new and canned.  I love exploring the remains of the Wild Wild West in places like Jerome and Cottonwood.  I love the raw textures and history of the old mining towns and am intrigued by these beautiful buildings that hold over a century worth of stories. 

I would highly recommend Cottonwood for a weekend away.  In fact, I just highly recommend weekends away in general.  They help you reconnect to yourself and each other, in a place free from the distractions of work and home.  It reminds you of why you promised your spouse all your future days when you spend a perfect one exploring a new place together.

Wordless Wednesday - Hang In There!

Wordless Wednesday - Why Would I Go Inside...Ever?

Thankful Thursday - Spring is Perfection Here

Right this minute I am crazy grateful for...

• March in Arizona.  Picture the perfect weather.  That.  All month.

• Orly's nail polish in Terracotta on my toes - my favorite orange-y coral for spring

• Coffee date at The Coffee Shop with one of my favorite teacher friends this morning who is seriously as loveable as a labrador retriever. (I'm looking at you, Mrs. Johannes) I miss working with her face every day.  

• Lots of productivity with the office to myself and dogs who have been stuck to me like glue while Mr. Ladd is away for work this week

What are you thankful for today?  It's impossible to stay grumpy while thinking of things you're thankful for.

Wordless Wednesday - Citrus Blooms

Wordless Wednesday - Phoenix Public Market

Jeep Journal - Predator and Lower Terminator Edition

It had been a long time since we really had the Jeep out and about, so Mr. Ladd signed us up for an organized wheeling class through the AZ Virtual Jeep Club.  It was a full day of trails in the Table Mesa Recreation Area in the Northwest part of the Valley.  We were signed up for the 202 class - the Predator trail, and then had extra time so decided to do Lower Terminator with the group as well.

Apparently the people who named the trails we were on 2 weekends ago were big Schwarzenegger fans, but it definitely fits.  They were less like trails and more like large rock obstacle after large obstacle all day long.

The day started off with this view...

...which is the only benefit to being up that early, ever.

We met up with all the other off-roaders, probably about 100 vehicles all together.  Some kind Jeepers were making everybody pancakes and sausage with their clumsy blue heeler pup greeting us as we aired down tires and had a quick talk on safety and technique from the Virtual Jeep Club.  The Bureau of Land Managment also gave a quick overview of what they're doing to keep trails like this open for recreational use and mapping/designating areas for off-roading.
It was interesting, but I was freezing.  It was definitely the coldest weekend we've had this year with temps in the 20's when we started and climbing up to 45-50 eventually. (See, it's not always 100 here.)

Then we set off and most of the day looked like this...

With some breaks to help this poor stuck Toyota FJ - nice girl, but she needs a Jeep.

And a break to watch this craziness.  Don't worry Grandma. Our Jeep is not set up to be quite that adventurous and neither are we.  These guys we ran into on the trail had insane rock-crawling rigs built for such things as this...

And this...

Pulled it back upright.  Good as new. 


And there was of course the scenery - the reason I get up early, pull on hiking boots and layers, and am willing to pee in the wilderness.