Saturday. Might be our warmest day here yet! Alex and I took our last bike ride down to Bashas’ to pick up fresh buns and pastry. It’s been fun cycling together for some of our mornings here. A good workout and a good way to start the day. It’s also been interesting to see how many people are out there, going for a morning walk, or jogging, cycling, or walking their dogs. It’s “busier” here than what I remember from previous visits.
It’s also been good to spend time with Alex. She is a great mom and a great daughter. Alex is a kind, caring, positive, strong, honest, beautiful woman. She and I share many warm memories of things we did together with Sue here in Gold Canyon.
When we returned from our cycling/shopping trip it was time for breakfast. Saturday breakfast means bacon and eggs, although today Max opted for a fresh chocolate donut with sprinkles on it instead. Tim served up delicious scrambled eggs and bacon. He was feeling MUCH better than he did yesterday and was looking forward to our afternoon golf game at Sidewinder.
After breakfast Max and I had one last cycle to the playground park near our house. It was quite hot already and Max sat in the shade under the slides and buried treasure (rocks) in the sand there. His bike will sit in my garage here until I leave for home in a couple of weeks, so it will be a few weeks before he gets to ride it again. He has certainly improved his riding (and braking) skills here on the up-and-down streets!
When we got back from the playground it was soon time for lunch. Sandwiches and chips and a St. Pauli Girl pilsner. Then, at about 1:30, Max and Alex dropped Tim and me off at the golf course.
While Tim and I golfed our last game at Sidewinder, Alex and Max drove out to the Goldfield Ghost Town. Over the course of the week here, Max has developed quite an interest in the ‘legends’ of Superstition Mountain. He and Alex spent a couple of hours at the Goldfield tourist attraction, visiting the shacks and shops, going down a mine shaft to see what it might have been like to work underground in the ‘olden days’, and witnessing a ‘high noon’ gun fight on Main Street.
When they’d had their fill of old-fashioned entertainment and were ready to cool off a bit, they came back to the house and jumped into the pool for one last swim.
Meanwhile, Tim and I were making good time on the golf course. We started a little ahead of time and only caught up with golfers ahead of us on the last 3 holes. Tim was in fine form again, obviously feeling better than he had for a couple of days, and striking the ball well.
We sent a text message to Alex when we got to the 18th tee. She and Max were just back from the pool and would meet us at the Kokopelli restaurant patio at the golf course for sundowners and dinner. Which they did. The heat of the day was giving way to a warm and pleasant evening as we sat out their watching the sunset. Green fairways below us, golden sunset to the west, a guitarist entertaining the guests, and delicious plates of food in front of us. Marvellous! What a fine end to a fantastic week of family holiday time!
It was dark by the time we got home. The kids went upstairs and packed their suitcases while Max and I played with some “glo-sticks” out on the patio. He and I are each other’s biggest fans. He is the best combination of his parents — smart, funny, always positive, gentle and kind, sensitive, and loving. I already miss him. What a treat it has been for me to have had the opportunity to spend so much ‘quality time’ with Max and his parents these past eight days!
The temperature was still comfortably warm. A full moon was rising above the mountain to the east. Even though we needed to get up ‘super-early’ tomorrow morning, no one wanted to cut short this final evening!