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Poached Cranberry Pear with Walnuts

May 3rd, 2012 by billhug

This is a yummy side to the morning breakfast at Down By The River B and B

During the fall of the year, the cottonwood trees along the San Pedro River are starting to turn the golden hues that forecast the coming of winter. Down By The River in St. David is the Lodging Hub for Cochise County and so we have many opportunities to treat our guests to breakfasts that use ingredients that fit the season.

When we have our Southwest Egg Bake for the guests at the Southeastern Arizona B and B, we serve some type of fruit that reflects the season. During the months of October and November, cranberries are available and so are pears. The combination just goes very well with the spiciness of the Southwest Egg Bake. So try this out and find out how the tangy pears cranberry combination can spruce up your breakfast with both taste and color.

Ingredients:

2 – Bosc pears
¼ c – sugar
2 – whole cloves
1/6 tsp – ground ginger
¼ tsp – cinnamon
1 c – cranberry juice
1/3 tsp – allspice
¼ c – Craisens
1/6 c – walnuts

Directions:

Cut pears in half, peel and core
Combine all ingredients together except pears
Place in a skillet with the pears face up and bring to a boil
Reduce heat to simmer,
Turn pears occasionally with slotted spoon until tender
Place on plate, garnish with sauce, Craisens and walnuts from the skillet.

Serves 4

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Tombstone Archives

April 21st, 2012 by billhug

On March 9, 2012, the City of Tombstone Archives had their Grand Opening in February and since Down By The River Bed and Breakfast is a member of the

Pat Kelly, Maria Untalan, and Angie at the Tombstone Archives

Tombstone Chamber of Commerce, we were invited to the Open House. The Archives are open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Archives is located in the Marlowe House on the corner of 6^th and Fremont Streets. The Marlowe House is a very green colored building and is on the National Historical Registry. Catherine Marlowe offered the use of the house for the archives. The building was moved from the original location to the present location after the July 1882 fire that burned in Tombstone.

While we were there, we met two people with the Tombstone Vigilantes, Pat Kelly and Maria Untalan. Pat and Maria were gracious enough to pose with Angie in front of the Archives during the Grand Opening. The Tombstone Vigilantes were formed in 1948 and do reenactments in Tombstone during special events throughout the year and on the 2^nd, 4^th and 5^th Sundays of the month.

Nancy Sosa Tombstone's Archivist

Nancy Sosa, the archivist, was kind enough to give Angie and me a tour of the facility. Nancy enthusiastically told us about all the information that was found in the basement of the old City Hall. Nancy explained how the old file collection was rescued from the basement in 2008 when the basement was flooded. There is mold on some of the collection from the moisture and these items are being treated so that the original documents are saved and preserved. In 2010, the city voted to develop a system to maintain the documents. In the Archives collection are old deeds, maps, town layouts, books and other paperwork including the records of City Council meetings. The documents had been previously been stored in over 350 old boxes, garbage bags, along with trash, and in loose piles. Nancy along with many volunteers catalogued the collection so that items can be easily retrieved and stored. There is a lot of work still to be done with the collection and it is being financed through donations to the Archives from grants and various organizations and individuals.

Tombstone Baseball Team Picture

The Archives also include old newspapers. The oldest paper in the collection is from 1940 but there are prints of papers back to 1879. The Archives offers a CD of copies of the papers for $10. That is a pretty good bargain for old west enthusiasts that want to research the happenings in Tombstone and the surrounding area. There are also pictures of the town hanging on the walls. I was particularly interested in a picture of the Tombstone Baseball team that hung over a chair containing a uniform with balls and a bat.

Now one last fascinating thing that I found out was concerning the Town Ordinances. During Council meetings ordinances were passed and recorded in the meeting minutes. After the meeting the ordinances were recorded in a separate book starting with number 1. All of the ordinances are in that book with the exception of number 9. Nancy says that it was removed at one time and she seems to think she knows who did it. I asked “What was ordinance number 9?” The answer can be found in the City Council minutes that are also at the Archive. Number 9 was the ordinance that outlawed guns within the City of Tombstone. This is the same ordinance that Virgil Earp was going to enforce when he went to the OK Corral with his brothers and Doc Holiday to get the Clantons, McLaurys and Claiborne to give up their guns. With all the controversy about that gun fight and what exactly happened, who was right or who was wrong; it is interesting that this one page is missing. Makes you wonder if someone wasn’t trying to fix the outcome one way or the other.

That being said, every day in Tombstone the gunfight is reenacted in front of a live audience at the site of the OK Corral. On the third Friday in October and running through that Sunday, the town holds the Helldorado Days event. October 19 to 21 will be the 83^rd anniversary of the first Helldorado days and it should be another fun time for people to watch the goings on and have a Jim Dandy of a time!

So come on down to a southeastern Arizona bnb and take it all in. Remember when you come to Tombstone make your stay complete with the best lodging experience in Cochise County – Down By The River B and B – the lodging hub of Cochise County.

Tags: B and B honeymoon, bnb SE AZ, OK Corral, Tombstone archives, tombstone bnb
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Angie’s Caramel Souffle French Toast

March 17th, 2012 by billhug

At Down By The River we serve a variety of breakfasts. We

Angie's Caramel Souffle French Toast

try to make sure that our repeat guests get to try something new when they return to our Southeast Arizona b and b. To this end we have developed some different styles of French Toast. The caramel souffle French Toast is but one. We are putting this into our blog at the request of a recent guest that wanted the recipe.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as we do.

Angie’s Caramel French Toast as featured at Down By The River B and B, the lodging hub of Cochise County.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup Maple syrup
¾ cup crushed pecans
8 slices thick chala bread (crusts removed) enough to cover pan
8 Large eggs
2 1/2 cups half and half
2 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
2 tsp Triple Sec (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar for egg mixture

Instructions:
In a 9 x 13 baking dish, arrange bread slices in a single layer over the sugar mixture.
Melt butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat or microwave
Stir until smooth add crushed pecans
Pour over bread in baking dish and spread to cover the bread.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until well combined and pour over the bread.
Cover and refrigerate at least 9 hours or overnight.
Prior to baking bring soufflé to room temperature.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 1 hour uncovered
or until puffy and golden brown.
Serve immediately.

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Down By The River – The Lodging Hub of Cochise County

February 1st, 2012 by billhug

Down By The River B and B is located in Saint David, AZ and offers you a wonderful place to stay within a short drive to many different types of activities. There are historical sites, ghost towns, a movie studio set, museums, national and state parks and monuments, outdoor activities, festivals, stargazing and the Southeastern Arizona wine country. The B and B is located within an hour of the Tucson International Airport and is close to Interstate 10 and the major highways that span the county. This is why we call Down By The River B and B “The Lodging Hub of Cochise County”. The B and B is also a short distance from activities in Santa Cruz County.

Map of the area around Down By The River B & B

There are many things to see and enjoy around Down By The River B and B

Cochise County land area is as big as the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined with a total area of 6,218.77 square miles. It is the 38^th largest county in the United States. While Cochise County is large and Arizona is the 6^th largest state in the union, there are 7 of the 15 counties in Arizona that are larger than Cochise County. To see it all, you want to stay at a location that gives you easy access to the area via simple day trips. Down By The River B and B fits that bill. In looking at the attached map, you can see that the B and B is located in an area that has a variety of things to do and places to go. For your convenience, click this to print the map.

Some of the highlights of the county include Parks and Monuments. Many of our guests are here to visit these locations. The Chiricahua National Monument has fantastic rock formations although it did have the Horseshoe 2 fire go through there in June of 2011. I have some past blogs about the Chiricahua N.M., both before and after the fire. Kartchner Caverns State Park contains live wet caves and offers two tours that are both unique. Tours of the Throne (or Rotunda) Room is open all year and the Big Room is only available between October 15 and April 15. Reservations are encouraged for these tours. There are more

1000 year old pictographs can be seen at Council Rocks

parks and monuments in the county that offer fascinating items such as Native American pictographs over 1000 years old, the location where Coronado is thought to have entered into what is now Arizona and more modern history locales.

Birding is also a major activity in the county. The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area is one of the 5 best migratory birding areas in the United States. The B and B is located on the San Pedro River at the north end of the riparian area boundary with easy access to other birding areas throughout the county. Birding can be done any time during the year since there are birds that live here all year round. In the winter, the area is inhabited by birds that are from the northern climes such as Sandhill Cranes and other water birds. Spring and fall is when migratory birds visit on their way to other areas, while summer has birds that make the area home while nesting.

There are many historical places to visit. Old ghost towns, sites of old forts including a Spanish Presidio that was build in the 1700s, the Butterfield Stage

The Bird Cage Theater is now a museum with many things to see from the late 1800s.

road and way stations and towns like Tombstone and Bisbee. There are museums scattered throughout the county and this year there will be a big celebration for the 100^th Anniversary of Arizona Statehood. The events and festivals will be occurring in the area during the entire year, so check out the calendar on the B&B website for upcoming things to do and see.

There is also much that you can do and see if your interest lays in hiking the many trails that are in the county. Many of these hikes will take you into the back country to old mines, ghost towns and ruins. This is also a great way to observe nature here in Cochise County, as it is home to many animals and birds. Many people think of Arizona as a flat desert but here in Cochise County there are peaks almost 10,000 ft in elevation. The mountain trails will lead you through pine forests and, at certain times of the year, these trails are snow covered and inaccessible. If you do much outdoor hiking you will see just how rugged the county is with the many canyons and mountains that are located here. It is easy to imagine why it was so hard to capture the Apache People during the Indian Wars that took place in the county in the late 1800s.

Southeastern Arizona is also where most of the grapes are grown for the wineries in Arizona. There are many tasting rooms available and these are located in two areas. One is in the Sulphur Springs Valley with Willcox as the focal point and the other is in the Elgin/Sonoita area. Both locations have some

Sunsets in Arizona are fantastic to see.

fine vintners featuring a variety of wines for you to choose from. When Down By The River BnB started in 2005, there were only 3 tasting rooms in these locations. Since that time it has grown to include about 15 wineries that feature their products. Some of our guests have come back to the B and B at the end of the day, sat out on the patio to enjoy the wine that they had purchased and watched the sunset.

At night when there is little or no moonlight, the stargazing can be phenomenal. There are a few ways to enjoy the night sky. One is to just sit and look at it. Most people that live in the city have never seen the Milky Way. During the fall and winter this view of the sky is spectacular. Some of the guests have brought their own telescopes and have set them up on the property to do viewing. Down By The River also has a 13” Dobsonian telescope that is available for use by guests. This telescope is not computerized so the user will need to know locations of objects so that these can be found in the sky. Lastly there is an observatory that is in Benson. San Pedro Valley Observatory has many telescopes and rents them out for the evening. I did do a blog on SPVO so you might want to read about what I wrote on that facility.

So when you come to visit Cochise County and all it has to offer, choose Down By The River for a great place to stay while you go about exploring all that makes this a wonderful place to call home.

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Gammons Gulch Movie Studio

December 22nd, 2011 by billhug

There were many films shot in the Tucson and Benson areas back in the 1950s and 60s. A John Wayne movie was shot in St. David, not too far from where Down By The River B and B is located. Even today there are movies shot in

The Main Street in Gammons Gulch

Mescal at Tucson Movie Studios. We want to let you know about a little jewel known as Gammons Gulch. This is a movie set that is located between Pomerene and Cascabel, northeast of Benson and surrounded by arroyos and beautiful mountain vistas. Down By The River B and B, the lodging hub of Cochise County, gives you access to this intriguing location with a short drive of about 24 miles along the picturesque San Pedro River.

At the beginning of December, we wandered out to Gammons Gulch with some family to visit the old movie studio set. They had never been to Arizona and so

Old Mine Shack

we thought that it would be a treat for them to see what a movie studio looked like. I had been there once before to see what Jay Gammons had to offer in order to tell our guests what they could expect. It had been about six years since we had been there and the additions that had taken place during that time were evident. There is a saloon erected on the site now, albeit it is a dry bar. This was added by a movie company that was filming a movie about 2 rival saloons in a town. They built the saloon in a few days and when they finished their work, they left it there. There is even an old mine that is back in a canyon across a wash.

Jay emphasizes the features of the movie set and gives you a story on the tour.

Jay is a wonderful docent. He has stories about when his dad worked in the movies and also told us that he himself had worked in movies. One movie he noted was with John Wayne (we’ll let him tell you which one). He told us that the Duke was a real gentleman and to show you he means it, he has a picture of himself with the Duke as a young boy.

Jay decided to develop his studio to give a view of what happens behind the scenes to those interested in films and to share his passion. Typically, smaller productions use his studio and this is a niche that Jay has built in the movie market. Jay has also had his props used in movies, one of which is Tombstone. As you’re touring the studio with Jay, he points out the pictures of different props and tells you a related story about how it was used in a film.

The best part of the whole experience is Jay. The man is so enthusiastic and he knows so many stories that you sit there in wonder. Before you know it he has shown you everything and it is an hour later. The studio can be used for old westerns or it can be used for films that are cast in the early 1900s. The town site includes a telegraph office, saloon, gallows, black smith shop, old garage, a church (where they will hold weddings), old mine shafts and mining equipment to name a few things.

Jay plays the banjo at the piano during a break on the tour.

You’ll see that the time flies by as Jay takes you around and tells you his stories. He even sits in the saloon plays the piano and banjo for you. There are many antiques and all of them have a story. So if you want to go see a movie studio without a lot of restrictions, then Gammons Gulch is the place to go. Jay’s repertoire is worth its weight in gold. Take a look at his website and you will find directions and just what to expect. We let our guests know about Gammons Gulch and they have all come back to tell us that it was really a neat experience.

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Arizona Centennial

November 21st, 2011 by billhug

Arizona is celebrating the centennial of admission as the 48th State in the Union on February 14, 1912. Arizona official centennial events run for many months and at many different locations in the state. Events can be found on the official website.

New events are being added to the calendar so check back to find out when events are happening and where. There is also a section of fun facts that give you trivia about the state. Some facts are “ All of New England and Pennsylvania would fit inside of Arizona.” and “Arizona is the 6^th largest State in the Union having 26 peaks that are over 10,000 feet in elevation.” No Arizona is not just flat with nothing but sand and cactus. In fact as you travel either north or east from Phoenix you actually gain elevation and find some of these peaks.

For a little background history, the New Mexico Territory was established in 1853 and at that time the territory consisted of New Mexico and Arizona. The territory also included the southern part of Nevada. When Nevada became a state during the Civil War this section west of the Colorado River became a part of Nevada. On March 16, 1861, the southern New Mexico Territory around Mesilla and Tucson declared themselves independent from the United States and joined the Confederacy. The Confederacy considered the territory a vital link to the Pacific and would have allowed the Confederates to trade with the rest of the world. This would have caused the Union logistical problems with blockading ports. Additionally around 1860, Southern California was close to becoming a separate territory apart from the State of California. That never happened even though the area was sympathic to the Confederate cause.

On April 15, 1862, the Battle of Picacho Pass was fought in between Tucson and Phoenix, near the present day town of Picacho. The Civil War battle was the furthest west of any battle and is reenacted yearly. The Confederates were driven back to New Mexico by California Volunteers and later withdrew back to Texas. In 1863, the U.S. split up the New Mexico Territory and created the Arizona Territory, which was to become the state of Arizona.

Arizona became known for mining, cattle and railroads.

Read the rest of this page »

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