🧨 🎆 🎉 🧬 ✨ 🎇 😁 🤸‍♂️ 🎊 🪢 🍾 🌰

We started off the New Year right, with a shot of Croatian Plum Whiskey , known as Šljivovica (Slivovitz), it’s a is a potent, aromatic fruit brandy, and poppy seed kolachi. A gift from our friends Dawna & Scott. It doesn’t get any better!

Cheers Everyone!

Everything I had and my friends had was Scrumptious! From the combo platter I had included 2 potato pancakes, 6 pierogis and Polish vegetable salsa. I even got a piece of Polish apple cake for my birthday!

Another beautiful sunset at Voyager, just when you thought it couldn’t get any oranger in color.

We truly enjoyed Sunset Red Band, a popular Tucson Band. They played classic rock and country, and kept us dancing all night long.

Candi Renee is an incredible singer with her dad on the guitar.

Remember the song “All she wants to do is dance” by Don Henley ?, That’s what my friends and I did all night long, Dance, Dance, Dance. It was a great time.

On Monday January 12th, Myself, Dave and Marcia went to the Anchor Bar.

Know we didn’t take a special trip to go to the original Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, they have one here in Tucson that we had to try out and compare to the one back in Buffalo.

We had to try the Buffalo Wings and Beef on kimmelweck .

We weren’t disappointed! The food was delicious just like back in Buffalo, NY.

For those of you who don’t know Chicken Wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.

The Story of a Buffalo Classic 

On March 4th, 1964, Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat.

They looked like chicken wings, a part of the chicken that usually went into the stock pot for soup.

Teressa had deep fried the wings and flavored them with a secret sauce. The wings were an instant hit and it didn’t take long for people to flock to the bar to experience this new taste sensation. From that evening on, Buffalo Wings became a regular part of the menu at the Anchor Bar.

The phenomenon created in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo has spread across the globe. Although many have tried to duplicate Buffalo Wings, the closely guarded secret recipe is what makes Frank & Teressa’s the proclaimed “Best Wings in the World.”

Dave playing right field.

Dave is up to bat, batter, batter swing. . . .

Dave played good especially since it was his first time playing softball in a organized league, he waited till he was grown up for sure. He played in other organized leagues but not baseball or softball. I gotta give Dave a HIP, HIP HOORAY for joining up. Oh by the way they played the best team in the league and got clobbered, Wait till next week, I’ll keep you posted.

Who remembers the song “Take me out to the Ball Game?” If you do go ahead and sing. . . . . .

On Wednesday January 21, we went to visit Aqua Caliente Park in East Tucson. Our neighbors here in Voyager told us about this park awhile ago and we went there today. It’s truly an “oasis in the desert” a beautiful county park surrounded by mountains.

From about 1150 to 1250 AD, it was home to a Hohokam village. After European arrival, the park had many uses, including an army encampment, orchard, cattle ranch, health spa, and resort. The park earned its popularity from its the natural hot springs, which were used both for their irrigation and perceived health benefits. In 1984 the land was purchased by Pima County, and the park was opened the following year. The Friends of Agua Caliente (FOAC) was formed in 1993 to preserve historical elements of the park.

Agua Caliente Park has some of it’s original historic buildings when it was a ranch. There are still remnants of the ranching operation visible today. You can see the original Ranch House and Rose Cottage that are both on the National Register of Historic Places.

The second picture there was once a hour glass shaped built in swimming pool by the tree. One of the recent owners bricked it over.

The Ranch House

Because of its hot and cold running natural springs, Agua Caliente Ranch area has been a popular place to live, dating back to the ancient Hohokam.

The Ranch House was open to the public so we went inside to take a look. we were impressed. First we went into a parlor/entry way then to the Living Room, followed by the huge double everything kitchen, further along was the dinning area and next a study. We didn’t get to see any of the 6 bedrooms it once had, but there was a public restroom inside that was once their bathroom. It was for sure a great place to live or visit. Over the years, various owners, some families, others entrepreneurs, added on to the home, until it had six bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a study.

In 1873, Peter B. Bain filed the first formal claim to the land surrounding Agua Caliente Spring and built the original one-room adobe structure. How lucky he was to have acquired such a beautiful piece property! Bain got a subsequent owner John Fuller and they used the ranch for cattle and an early resort utilizing the natural warm spring. Later Bain and another partner, Marion T. Beckwith, began a dairy cattle operation by bringing cows north from Sonora. By then Bain built several outbuildings and corrals at the spring. In 1875 he sold Agua Caliente Rancho to James P. Fuller, a produce salesman from Hermosillo, Mexico for $300. What a great deal.

Through the late 1800s, and early into the 20th century, the ranch became a popular health spa. From the 1960s until 1984, the property fell into disrepair, as various developers jockeyed over the prospect of building homes there. Good thing Pima County bought 100 of the original 1,000 acre ranch and began restoring the buildings, so we all could enjoy the views. The park now receives 9,000 visits a year.

This historic old massive Mesquite tree or Mystic Tree as it’s called, is over 300 years old. If it could only talk what we would learn. It’s located near the Ranch House.

 The Rose Cottage is a historic, renovated 1920s-era adobe building that was originally used as a guest cottage for the ranch, They restored it 2004, and it now serves as an education center, classroom, and office for the park, 

The Bunk House is a historic building that was used during the 1920’s by ranch hands and cowboys when the site was an active cattle ranch and health resort. It is a, rustic structure, historically characterized by a corrugated metal exterior, one main room, and an open porch.

We started our walk around the park

 Fuller’s Orchard once contained at least 3000 trees that produced a wide variety of fruits.  I was in operation until the 1960’s.

One of the park’s highlights are the pond areas. Agua Caliente, literally meaning hot water, It’s a unique 101-acre park with a perennial warm spring. An artificial stream links together three ponds within the park. The ponds are fed by the spring water and have diverse wildlife and fish populations. The spring flow fluctuates during the year—at various times, due to drought, visitors may see the lower ponds dry.

Here are some of the birds and a turtle resting on a log.

Sitting on a bench watching for bats, Wait, I won’t see any in the daylight!

Dave saw a lizard slide by.

I hopped on the turtle’s back to go for a ride, he was fast and there was nothing to hang on to.

“When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing – just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blow or waves rippling in a pond?” ‘Ralph Mareton’

We packed a lunch and took off full and happy.

We all had a great time and walk in this “Desert Oasis.” It’s a beautiful spot that feels like your far away from the middle of the Sonoran Desert. It has shady picnic areas and great walking trails through palm trees and ponds. If your ever out this way don’t miss it.

Dave and Rick discussing the game stratagy

Dave got a run . . . here he is at second and then third base before he got to home plate to score.

The band the Jukebox Junqies played oldies and some newer songs, they were good and some of my friends and I danced all night long.

I’m on the farthest left side, right in front of the bald headed gentlemen, dancing the night away! Everyone had a great time.

On Wednesday the 28th, we to Saguaro National Park West

We took the King Canyon Trail once again. It starts in Tucson Mountain Park, just outside of the National Park boundary. It is the starting point for several trails: the King Canyon Trail (3.5miles up to Wasson Peak), King Canyon Wash Trail (meets back up with King Canyon Trail 0.9mi up the dry river bed), and Gould Mine Trail (0.8mi one way, meets up with the Sendero Esperanza Trail), all of which connect to Saguaro National Park’s West District’s extensive trail system.

Dave & I like going to the Saguaro National Park’s to see the Saguaros, with all their arms and sometimes legs going in different directions. When your walking thru them they feel like family. Like the Indians thought below. . . .

The Indians of the desert called the Saguaros People, spirits of ancestors standing as Silent Sentinels over the parched kingdom of sand and stone. Proudly like great sculpted arms of a sleeping giant you burst through from the grave, fingers spreading on hands clawing for the sun’s warmth and grasping for the monsoon’s thirst quenching rain. 

We also go to the West park to see Petroglyphs.

Shaking hands when the game was over. Giving the team a hip, hip, hooray!

I forgot to mention that they lost. 😒The coach told them to get use to loosing because all the teams they play, play all year long and in different leagues other days, like this team. They didn’t win one for the Gipper. Next week is gonna be there week.

Dave walking home with me after the game.

January was another fun month, lots to do and see. The weather was above normal for most of January and that meant more pool days.