We first heard about Tortilla Flat when the remnant of an Arizona ghost town made the news for being on sale on eBay for a cool $1 million. It has a population of just six people but there is often a wait of up to an hour for a table in the Superstition Saloon and Restaurant. Dollar bills signed by people from around the world are crudely stapled to the walls and ceiling and real saddles serve as seats at the wooden bar. Well worth the long wait, the restaurant boasts the biggest burgers and hottest chilli around. Both are delicious! And before you head out, pay a visit to the Country Store for a scoop of their world famous prickly pear ice cream.

Tortilla Flat is open June 1 - September 30 Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm, October 1 - May 31 Monday - Friday from 9am - 6pm and year round Saturdays and Sundays from 9am - 7pm.

2. Catch a Fowl Ball at a Dbacks Game

Okay, so we had season tickets for three years and neither of us has actually ever caught a fowl ball. But we've seen plenty of others get one! No matter, an Arizona Diamondbacks game is great fun and air conditioned Chase Field is a great place to escape the heat for a few hours. On nice nights, the roof retracts and Friday night games feature a fireworks display and a post-game concert.

Not a season ticket holder? No problem! We always find great deals on lower level seats on StubHub.

3. Kayak the Verde River

The Verde River is public land and open to anyone for kayaking. But if you don't have your own equipment, check out Sedona Adventure Tours. Better yet, Sedona Adventure Tours combines ducky kayak fun on the mini rapids of the Verde River with wine tasting on their Water to Wine tour. The rapids are ones that anyone can do - I survived without falling in after all - and the ducky kayaks are incredibly stable. There's usually a nice breeze on the river and if you happen to get hot, guides will usually look the other way if you "accidentally" fall in the river to cool off.

Sedona Adventure Tours Water to Wine Tour starts at $97.25 per person. Must be 21 years or older for this tour.

Both Northern and Southern Arizona have a number of wineries and they all have various festivals like blessings of their vineyards, camping under the stars, and other celebrations that involve lots of wine. There's nothing like a nice glass of wine to cool you off on a hot Arizona summer day! Stop in at some of my favorites: Arizona Hops and Vines in Sonoita, who pairs their wines with different chips and cheetos (try the Moxy) or Bitter Creek Winery clinging to the cliff-side in Jerome with a stellar view over the old copper mine (try the Crusader).

Inside Kartchner Caverns, it is a cool 70°F year round. Go deep beneath the ground on the Rotunda/Throne Tour, which is about 1.5 hours in length. Marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites formed from water flowing deep below the Sonoran Desert and maybe even see a few cave creatures like bats!

Kartchner Caverns guided tours are $22.95 per person and $12.95 for children 7 - 13 years of age. Note that you are not allowed to bring anything into the caves; lockers are available to store personal items.

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What causes a smile is individual, of course. But a few sleep medicine experts share what they believe are super easy ways to help you smile before bed. 

Color

"I get my kids' coloring books out and that makes me happy. It really relaxes me and there is no pressure to do something in the right way. [It's] a very calming activity," says Michelle Drerup, a psychologist at the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic.

"Reading is an excellent way to relax before going to bed," says W. Christopher Winter, a sleep medicine expert at Charlottesville Neurology & Sleep Medicine in Virginia. "It is probably best not to read something particularly stressful or heavy ... something funny is positive."

Learning about war, drug abuse, or politics could agitate your mind and keep you up, worrying about the future.

Meditation and guided imagery helps people relax while putting a smile on their faces - and leads to better sleep. Drerup encourages patients to imagine themselves "calm on a beach [or] walking through a forest."

She also helps patients practice autogenic relaxation, a process that encourages warmth and heaviness in their bodies, mimicking the feeling the body experiences as it falls asleep.

Build castles

Winter encourages patients to build castles, houses, or cabins in their mind. What kind of features would a dream house have? Marble countertops? Dormers? A dock by the lake? Night by night people can add and subtract features they want in their dream abode.

"It's Pinterest for your mind," says Winter. "It is all fun."

"I think that the news at 11 o'clock should be banned. Watching TV shows that make you laugh where you are not stressing out about anything [is great]," says Drerup.

She recommends that people stay away from news channels and sports-even though the excitement of seeing a team win might make people happy, it might also make them too excited to sleep.

Get it on

"I think that making love can be sleep promoting. It usually helps with people's moods and can be naturally relaxing," says Winter.

"There are certain yoga poses that have much more of a relaxing [effect]," says Drerup. "The corpse pose would be the ultimate relaxation pose, where you are laying flat on the floor on your back."

She also suggests child's poses and other poses that involve laying or sitting. She urges people to say away from standing and powerful poses.

"Things that are carb heavy are sleep promoting. Treat yourself or your partner to chocolate candies," says Winter. "[Chocolate] can be mood elevating-just a tiny little bit."

He recommends that people put a small piece of chocolate on their pillows when making the bed in the morning. Right before shut-eye, they can enjoy the chocolate, providing a mood boost.

"Try to end the day in a positive frame of mind," says Drerup. "[Keep] a gratitude journal of the day."

People should only write about what they're thankful for and not get bogged down by details of the day. That could actually turn that smile upside down.

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Places to visit and dine in Prescott. The Granite Dells on Hwy 89 are very scenic.

Right off the picturesque downtown square is Sharlott Hall containing very interesting historic buildings and various exhibits. There are also many restored Victorian homes just above the downtown square.

There is an art gallery at Yavapi College containing watercolor and oil paintings by faculty, students and others, which are worth viewing. There is a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden adjacent to the gallery. It contains impressive contemporary sculpture pieces and beautiful seasonal flowers. It is very relaxing to sit in the Garden and contemplate these items.

I've enjoyed eating at Murphy's just off the square, which is good full service restaurant. More recently, I've dined at the Raven Café right off the square on Cortez Street. It has excellent counter service. The food is very delicious, and there are many fresh organic items on the menu.

Delicious and healthy baked goods. There are two items I really enjoy by the Flax4Life company. They are the Wild Blueberry Flaxseed muffins containing high amounts of Omega 3, which the company indicates supports cardiovascular health and  helps to maintain normal cholesterol levels. They also make miniflax chocolate brownies, which provide high amounts of Omega 3. They can be purchased at the following: Safeway, Sprouts and Whole Foods.

I also enjoy drinking SoBe Life water, which comes in several flavors; my favorite is Yumberry Pomegranate. It has no sugar added and contains several B vitamins. It can be purchased at Fry's grocery or the Target stores.

Anita

 Good eating by Anita! 

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As you all know, Dr Lakin is a strong supporter of annual physicals, and Spring is a time we can visit and explore any unresolved medical problems and any new health issues that need to be addressed. Annual physicals are one of the best ways to safeguard your health.

The American Medical Association recommends that if you are between the ages of 40 - 49 years, physicals should be done every two years. If you are 50 years plus, it is recommend you have yearly exams, especially if you have any chronic medical conditions that need to be monitored.

• Watch a short video on how to register! 
• Watch a short video on FAQ!
• Watch a short video to access your lab results!

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THE LONGEST RIDE:  

Oh my goodness, Scott Eastwood is even better looking than his dad. Even better than when Clint was his son's age. I refuse to read Nicholas Sparks books because they are so predictable. The movie was just like his books. Luke is a bull rider who is making a comeback. At one of his events he meets "Sally Sorority", Sophia who is the typical college girl about to leave for New York for employment in the art field. As we said when Clint was his sons age "he will never make it as a star". Well, we were obviously wrong. I would say Scott Eastwood needs some more acting direction before continuing his career. He is certainly easy to look at however. The bulls at the events have dummies on then. It is so obvious and a riot to watch.

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WOMAN IN GOLD:  

Helen Mirren...how can anyone beat that. She is superb and plays the lead character in the film representing the true character Maria Altman, niece of Adele Block Bauer whose portrait was painted by a famed artist. The Nazi occupied Vienna took many of the Austrian paintings. This one was placed in the Belvedere Gallery after the war. Maria tries to prove that she is the legal owner and goes back to Vienna to try to prove her case. See the film to see what happens.

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ALOHA:

How can two actors of outstanding caliber get talked into making such an inferior stupid film. I truly almost walked out but it was so cool in there. Mr. Hunk, Bradley Cooper, with his piercing blue eyes did the best he could under the circumstances. Emma Stone lisped her way through her part with those overly thin legs and huge beautiful eyes. Rachel McAdams was the only one who I could tolerate.

Barb A.  

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