Arizona, Photography

Football, Nachos, and Friends

by Ingrid

It’s Super Bowl Sunday … rah-rah … hooya! Okay, maybe we’re not all into football (moi), but I bet we all like hanging with friends while sharing a plate of nachos. Add in margaritas and a campfire and it just doesn’t get much better. Al and I have made some great friends over the years via this blog. Exchanging stories over a campfire while indulging in good food and tasty beverages is always a fun time.

campfire with friends
Good times, sharing a campfire with friends! Boondocking at Lake Powell.

Bloggers connect

The new year ended and started in much the same way; a campfire, food, drinks, and new friends. Seriously, I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year. A blog connection turns into a meetup in person … talking over a warm campfire while indulging in nachos and margaritas … yep, translates into a fun an active weekend.

Although Terri, Second Wind Leisure Perspective, and I haven’t been following each others blogs very long, our common interest in photography and RVing had us connecting in person at the first opportunity.

Terri reached out to me last fall looking for recommendations for their RV road trip at the end of December/beginning of January. The emails flowed freely back and forth, and Terri made plans and reservations which included a stop in Phoenix so we could meet. Fortunately, the RV site next to us was available for a couple of nights. After their Phoenix stop, they’d be venturing further north toward Sedona and the Grand Canyon. At least, that was their original plan.

We’re on the right (Laredo and red truck). Terri and hubby are on the left with their travel trailer. Pioneer RV Park in Phoenix, AZ.

Friends, nachos, margaritas, and a campfire

Shortly after their late afternoon arrival to our RV park in Phoenix, I made us all nachos and margaritas. After all, Terri and Hubby had had a rather long travel day driving from San Diego to the far north side of Phoenix, and we wanted them to be able to just chill and relax.

Earlier in the day, Al set up chairs and our propane fire ring for campfire enjoyment. It turned into a rather cold evening, but between the tequila flowing, the heat from the fire, and all of us bundled up, the conversation continued and plans were made.

The next day, while the guys went off doing guy stuff, I went into tour guide mode sharing some of my favorite Phoenix sights with Terri. We started off with a stop at the Scottsdale farmers market followed by a little shopping in Old Town Scottsdale. From there, it was time to hit the trail with the cameras.

Terri equally enamored with the saguaro cactus as am I.

One of my favorite places to hike in the Phoenix valley is at the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area. We started our hike at the Jewel of the Creek Preserve trail which isn’t technically part of Spur Cross Ranch, but they are connected. The ecosystem here is fascinating. Anytime I find a body of water in the desert, I get excited. Yeah, I’m  easily entertained!

Jewel of the Creek Preserve, Cave Creek, AZ
Jewel of the Creek Preserve, Cave Creek, AZ

It was a joy sharing this trail with someone who appeared to be equally enamored with the landscape. Our cameras got in as much of a workout as our legs did. Their visit to Phoenix was over before we knew it, and it was time for them to continue their RV road trip and explore more of Arizona. We hope to meet again down the road sometime!

Terri’s Sunday Stills photo challenge

Every Sunday, Terri hosts a photo challenge and today’s theme is “Fire”. I can’t think of a more appropriate post to join in on her photo challenge. We had such a great time visiting over a campfire. If you’re looking for more photography engagement, be sure and check out her Sunday Stills page.

I too will be back soon for my Wandering Wednesday photo inspirations. It’s time to get some of my recent photographs posted and reconnect with you all. I’ve enjoyed my blogging break, but have missed you.

Terri was using her phone as well as her camera that day.

Recipe interest?

And how rude of me not to share my nacho or margarita recipe. What do you think? Should I share in a future post? Are you interested in my recipes?

And who are you rooting for … the Rams or the Patriots? I don’t really care which team wins considering I don’t usually watch football. I will, however, be making those nachos and margaritas for my husband and his friends watching the game in the RV park TV room. Should be a big group watching the game. On that note, I better get cooking!

(affiliate links)

Portable Propane Outdoor Campfire
Coleman Portable Camping Chair
Plastic Margarita Cups

65 thoughts on “Football, Nachos, and Friends”

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  6. Your capture of Jewel of the Creek Preserve is gorgeous, Ingrid! Your post was bittersweet, lol, just teasing, but we were supposed to meet up, weren’t we! Still doesn’t look promising either, looks like we’re in for the long haul another couple years. Our RV looks so sad sitting…. 😢

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Awe, I am so sorry to hear that you won’t be hitting the road anytime soon. With that said, I think you found a sweet spot to capture some beautiful bird images.

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  7. Hi Ingrid! I’m so glad you managed to meet up with fellow photographer and blogger Terri! Fun times at the campfire, by the sounds of it. And, taking photos of the beautiful Arizona landscapes, getting some hiking in sounds like heaven to me.. Who doesn’t love nachos and margaritas???? 🙂

    Maybe you’re up for a repeat of this itinerary later in the spring? 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy the rest of winter in Arizona. We are finding it quite chilly and rainy in the California desert these weeks!! Weird things going on with the climate. And, nope, we didn’t watch the Super Bowl, but we hear The Patriots won. Again. And, coincidentally, we also had a campfire with other RVers, fellow Mercedes Sprinter van owners, this past Sunday.

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    1. It has been a cold and rainy winter here in Phoenix, but all the moisture should make for a stunning wildflower season. We’ll be here until the end of April, so just give me a heads up and we’ll do a “Terri” repeat 😃

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    1. Thank you and I’ll be sharing recipes soon … I hope. My food/beverage images are thus far not appetizing. Guess I’ll just have to make more 😁

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  9. It’s always fun meeting up with fellow bloggers in person! Glad to see you enjoyed the Jewel of the Creek at Spur Cross. If you get a chance, the other trails are great too. We loved volunteering there with Faye & Dave. We will be heading back to AZ in April for doctor appointments & staying at Cave Creek Regional Park for a week. Will you still be in the area?

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    1. Yes, we’ll still be here until the end of April … would love to meet up. Earlier in our full-time travels, we stayed at Cave Creek Regional Park often and have hiked many of those trails. At Spur Cross, Dragonfly remains one of my favorites.

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  11. Hey there lady Well I finally made Walked away from the window business January 1st Headed for Florida between snow storms Made it into Florida and the sun came out after days traveling in the rain. It’s been shining ever since. Stayed in one KOA in Clearwater for a month, where I grew up so it was great fun to check everything out. It’s been 40 years since I have been back for anytime. Learning the RVing as I go. People are so nice and helpful along the way. I will be down in Florida traveling to different RV parks until April , then I am going to head to Georgia and Carolinas to visit friends, then working my way back to Colo for part of May. Then hope to travel back across the northern part of the country and hope to end up in New England and Maine in August. Have to be back to Colo in November as Katie is getting married the beginning of November. After that may head down to Arizona . Katie’s fiancé is playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks He is a pitcher and they are in Phoenix I think. But so far I am enjoying traveling in my camper with my 3 dogs?! Adjusting to not working and making my schedules.Its definitely different! Always thanks for all your encouragement and helpful hints ! Merry Sue

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. Nice to hear from you Merry Sue and glad you’re getting adjusted to the life of a full-time RVer. We think we’ll be in Colorado in early June so we can deal with some things in storage. Next winter we’ll be back in Phoenix and hopefully we’ll be able to connect with you in AZ if we can’t in CO. Enjoy FL!

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  12. Good to hear from you again, I enjoy my blogging breaks but now I’m trying to keep up since we’re on the move for a while. So much to say about your post. As you know we just passed the 5 year mark of our first meetup with you guys. We cherish each one and always look forward to the next. As the recipient of your nachos we can attest to how delish they are. Though right now they are not in our diet as today we start the keto diet to jump start some weight loss. By the time we see you we should be able to enjoy them…in moderation. Friends of ours pulled into Pioneer for the next couple of months as they left a volunteer position in El Mirage a little early. Thanks for a peak of Spur Cross and the Jewel of the Creek, sure do miss volunteering there. We spent the Super Bowl with friends of Dave’s uncle, I was cheering for the commercials.

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    1. I’m glad you’re catching up on the blog with your travels. Helps me keep track of your happenings 😄 We’re working on our plans for the rest of 2019 and think we’ll head east (WI) for the summer before returning to Phx for another winter. Look forward to catching up with you in early ’20.

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  14. Well…..you’re back! Good to “see” you again! I, for one, would love your nacho recipe since I’ve never made them, or even eaten them! I enjoy margaritas, jut not the frozen kind. I love the taste without ice but ooooohhhh they’re so strong 🙂 We should do dueling margaritas recipes sometime!

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  16. Haha – Kevin was just like “Wait…isn’t the Super Bowl today? Maybe we should go to the grocery store. There won’t be anyone there!” Yeah… we’re not really paying much attention these days. 🙂 Whoops. But margaritas and nachos DO sound delicious!

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    1. I know! If it weren’t for our little blogs, you and I wouldn’t have met. I’ll be cooking and mixing in just a bit and taking pics to hopefully share in an upcoming post.

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  18. Ingrid, what a lovely post and so fun to reminisce about our stay in Phoenix! We had the best time ever with you and Al…Hans is STILL talking about shooting to whomever will listen! What better way to meet than over a warm campfire with nachos and margaritas! Some friends of our from high school (!) just moved from NorCal to Gilbert. I’m starting to learn more folks are hightailing it to Arizona as they move on to the next part of their lives. Can’t wait to come back! If you come to California, we have lots to do here, too!

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    1. Arizona is a great place to call home, and you already know how diverse the landscape can be. When the day comes for us to actually buy a sticks and bricks, it’ll most like be somewhere in Arizona.
      We LOVE the tequila Hans gave us. Pls pass that on and we think of you guys every time we pour 🍹🌵😋

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    1. Awe, thank you! I’ll probably email you sometime this month for recommendations and double check your schedule for a possible meet up in June. Stay tuned!

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  20. Hi Ingrid and Al, I agree that the Super Bowl is more about friends, nachos, beer and great commercials than the football game itself. I will admit though that last year when the Eagles won I cried because I was so happy…Go Birds!!

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    1. Hi Nancy. Hope you and Lewis are continuing to enjoy your travels. I haven’t seen you on FB but then again, I haven’t been on social media much these past 6 weeks. Enjoy your day!

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  21. Ingrid, welcome back to blogging! I’ve missed reading your posts and seeing your amazing photos. How fun to meet up with Terri. Isn’t it funny how sometimes we just hit if off with people we’ve only met on the internet? Thanks for the links to her blog. I would love to see you post your recipes! And for the super bowl, I am making a huge batch of jalapeño poppers to take to a neighbor’s house for their annual super bowl party. This year, which ever team wins is a win for the Georgia Bulldogs. Both teams have superstar running backs we watched play for Georgia during their college years.

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    1. Thanks Beth. I kept the list of photo theme suggestions you shared. So keep your eyes out for those posts. We’ve had such a busy and fun winter thus far that time seems to be whizzing by.
      I’ve never made poppers and they sound yummy. Hopefully I can take some images of the nachos and margaritas before they’re snarfed up 😄 so I can share!

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  22. Nice to see a post from you, Ingrid. We just got settled in Tucson this weekend. We have plans other than the Superbowl today but may turn it on if we’re here. Making friends has been a real highlight of our rving life. We are parked behind good friends we met last year and we met our new neighbors right away. Email me if you are heading south at all. We won’t be in Phoenix this trip unless we do a day trip. But we do plan to go up to Casa Grande next month.

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    1. Great to hear from you Kathy. We are keeping really active this winter and time seems to be going quickly. I’m not sure we can arrange a meet up in the next month, but how about in Co. Springs this June? Once we have our summer schedule figured out, I’ll email you. Enjoy your time in Tucson!

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      1. Excellent! We will be in Colorado most of the summer. And especially in June since we hope to be getting the rv garage and woodshop built by then! Will look forward to hearing from you and a meetup during our wonderful Colorado summer.

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    1. Oh gosh, living in a small space requires a great deal of organization (post coming soon) and the words “need” verses “want” is ever a consideration. One of these days, I’ll put together an RV tour, but thus far, I suck in front of the video camera 🤣

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  24. We miss you guys up here! No football for me today….Heather may or may not connect with some friends to watch it, but we’re Patriots HATERS….As a recipient of your “nacho” concoction, I know I’d like to see the recipe posted….however, I’d rather enjoy it in person with you two next to us again. Hope to see you soon! D & H

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    1. The month of May will be upon us before you know it, and we’ll be pulling in the site next to you once again. Morning coffee, evening happy hours, and nachos are in your future 😀

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  25. Love this post. The pictures are great. Oh, yes, YES, you should share your recipes! I love making nachos, is it different in an RV? The ingredients you use, I mean. (I just use the pre-made bucket ‘O margaritas! Just add tequila and freeze it. Slushies!~Kim

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    1. Whether I live in an RV or traditional house, my cooking is much the same. I too use the premade margaritas but much prefer my scratch recipe. Fingers crossed that I’m able to capture some photos of food and drink before the game watches grab 😃

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  28. Lots of fun at the campfire, past, present, and no doubt future. Enjoyed this spirited post, Ingrid. Especially liked the desert photos–Jewel of the Creek Preserve looks fantastic. I’m heading off on that link right now. I hope your Super Bowl Sunday is loads of good times, my friend. I’m rooting for the Patriots….

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    1. I find any body of water in the desert to be a special treat and not to be taken for granted. Should you ladies find yourselves visiting the Phoenix area, be sure and let me know. I’d love to share some of my favorite spots with you.
      I think my husband will be the only one in the TV room rooting for the Patriots.

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