 | Soooooooooo, it's February. . . in Alaska. . . We've had an exceptionally warm winter, a tease at times. I got a reprieve for three days after Christmas, and now I find myself longing for that sweet Arizona sun. |
 |  Since Mom and Dad have retired this last year, they are living the dream. |
Boating
 |  The local brew, Desert Magic IPA by Mudshark Brewery kept me company at the top of this sand hill. Bird's Eye View |
Let's Boat to Dinner
The London Bridge, Lake Havasu, Arizona?
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Desert Sunrise
An afternoon soirée found us at the Colorado River for a drink on the floating bar at Fox's.
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Home-made Dinner
I love to cook with my mom when we are together. We slow down and smell, taste, and savor new ingredients. We always start with a cocktail. This one was inspired from www.countryliving.com.
| Arizona Sangria    We were cooking in an RV kitchen, so I hand kneaded the dough.   | Ingredients 1/4 cup peach preserves 1 cup mint leaves 1 cup blackberries 1 lemon, sliced 1 bottle white wine 1 cup Gran Marnier 1 cup ginger ale Instructions 1. Muddle the preserves with mint leaves and lemon in a large pitcher. 2. Pour in wine, Gran Marnier, and ginger ale; stir 3. Chill for at least an hour to allow flavors to marry. 4. Serve over ice with fresh mint sprigs.  With the cocktail underway, we began work on a Chicago deep-dish pizza. Chicago Deep Dish Pizza from Cook's Illustrated What is great about being on vacation and making pizza is that you can walk down to the beach while the dough is rising.     |
The Drive
| One of the delights of this trip was a 500 mile round-trip drive from Las Vegas to Lake Havasu. Driving in the desert to the tune of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and the Alabama Shakes was perfection.  |  |
Cheers Mom and Dad
Congratulations on your retirement!
