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Welcome to Payson Pop Up Bakery!

Pre-Order your baked goods, at this time we are only baking whole pies and whole batches of the following items:

Blueberry White Chocolate Scones $3.50 each or $25 for the whole batch (8 )
Pecan Sticky Buns $5.00 each or $50 for the whole batch (12)
Almond White Chocolate Biscotti $2.00 or ($20 for 10)
Almond Brown Sugar Granola $5.00 (16 oz)
Zucchini or Pumpkin Bread, a loaf for $10
Blueberry or Cranberry Orange Muffins $3.50 each or $35 for 10
Cannoli $3.50 each or $35 for a batch of 10
Whole Seasonal Pies: $20 each (9”) or $12 each 5”
- Apple
- Lemon Meringue
- Pumpkin
- Pecan
- Coconut Cream
- Banana Cream

Sign up for our daily specials, we sell individual items on that day! Send us your phone number and we will included you on our daily specials text.

We currently have in stock:

1.5 ounce mini jars of Payson Green Chili Jam $2.50 each
4 ounce jars of Boysenberry Jam $5.00
4 ounce jars Strawberry Ja
Pint jars of Boysenberry jam $8.00

Writers Corner

Life at the Payson Arizona Guest House

September 13, 2021 No Comments

One event that Jeff was looking forward to doing once we returned to Payson was fishing with his dad. Here in Payson, we sit at 5,000 foot elevation which makes the weather cooler and we are amongst pine trees, oak trees and Manzanita bushes. At Jeff’s parents house they put out feeders for the birds so they are frequented by all the feathered friends like hummingbirds buzzing around the flowers, red Cardinals looking so dramatic, Wood peckers knocking on the tree trunks, quail running across the driveway with little ones in tow, doves cooing, hawks preying, eagles on the hunt, crows crowing and so many small finches and wren flinting around the feeders in flocks of yellow breasted flurry.

One of the many bird feeders on the property

Of course the bird feeders also attract the furry friends like gray squirrels with their fluffy curled up tails ready to store nuts up for the winter. We even made special friends with one special gray squirrel named Peanut! He decided it was worth human contact to get those pecans he was hand fed.

Jeff holding Peanut, the resident squirrel

There are also cute furry bunnies hopping with their cotton tails. Jeff’s parents have seen a family of Javelina on their property, those furry animals that look like wild boar with their split hooves and pig snout noses. Their young are striped and so adorable when they follow their mom in an obedient trail. They have also had elk but they prefer these stately creatures stay out of their flower beds. Off in the distance on a starry night they can hear the coyotes howling and the elk bugling their high pitch call.

Payson boasts having a section of the Mongollon Rim (pronounced Muggy-own)in its territory, this is a dominate geographic feature of Arizona and its 7000 ft elevation divides the “hot country” from the “cool country” of Arizona. It formed during a prehistoric mountain “event” that also formed the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. It runs for 200 miles to New Mexico, in fact it’s name comes from the time of Spanish rule under the Governor of New Mexico in 1712, long before it was part of the United States.

Boulders hiking trail in Tonto National Forest near Doug & Lynn’s house

One of my favorite things to do when I’m at Doug and Lynn’s House in Payson is to run to the top of the Rim and watch the sun rise as it casts its golden glow across the Rim illuminating the valley below. I also love to run down the hill from their house to the trails, what a welcome change to run on the red course sand on the winding trail under a canapy of pine trees.

The sunrise from up the hill from Doug and Lynn’s

The lake we went to was about 30 minutes from Jeff’s parents house called Woods Canyon Lake and it sits on top of the Mongollon Rim, the scenic part that can be driven on for 41 miles. But what all of that means for us here on the Mongollon Rim is that we have good fish’n! Rainbow trout to be exact.

Well this “fish’n day” with dad turned out to be pretty epic! Doug says he caught the biggest fish of his life! They started out doing “catch and release” but soon when they saw these 18 inchers they decided to keep ‘em!

Catching fish in Wood Canyon Lake, Payson Arizona

Doug cleaned them and cooked them on the grill with lemon, butter and pepper. To our surprise the meat was pink like Salmon! We were so wrapped up in the moment that I forgot to take a picture of our dinner that night. However, we made Trout Patties for dinner with the left-overs the next night and I managed to photograph that!

Lynn and I enjoyed kayaking around the lake while the guys fished. We saw bald eagles perched high on the tree tops with their keen eyes on the lake because the fish were jumping! What a site to see as the fish jumped feet out of the water to catch an insect, creating a splash of water droplets caught for a glistening moment in the blue sky while the ospreys swooped down to catch the fish.

Lynn & I kayaking in Wood Lake on Mongollon Rim

The edge of the lake has the same red rock as on the walls of the Grand Canyon and is dotted in pine trees. It was so beautiful in the morning light as the green horizon was reflected on the still lake water creating a mirror image of the trees. I also spotted a few aspens on the water edge that will be beautiful as they shed their summer wardrobe of green for a coat of yellow, the perfect change for fall.

Sunset in Payson on Green Valley Park, a great flat walking trail

If you are interested in having your own Payson experience you can find Doug & Lynn’s Guest House on Airbnb, “The perfectly located Guest House in Payson, Arizona”

Gardening, Maintenance & Handyman

Do you need help with your garden and landscaping? Small jobs around the house? I love gardening and have spent the last 30 years of my life tending a garden. I have lived in California where I was the caregiver of a beautiful oasis of a garden. My skills include tilling the soil, amending it and preparing it for a vegetable garden, weeding, feeding, pruning and maintenance. My husband Jeff is a licensed tile contractor and is available for assistance on larger projects such as drip irrigation, tree pruning, raised bed installation and general handyman tasks.

We also lived in Italy for 4 years where we experienced gardening “Italian Style”. I have recently moved to Payson Arizona where I would love to help you plant and maintain your garden. Give me a call if you would like an estimate on the planning, maintenance and planting of your garden and landscaping.

Call Katrina at 209-412-3613 for an estimate

Katrina’s Hourly rate $35

Jeffs Hourly rate $65

Planting
Weeding
Pruning
Drip irrigation
Raised beds
Handyman work
General Maintenance

My Garden In Italy:

Jeff’s Handyman Skills:

RV Renovations

Welcome to The Homestead Traveler! My husband and I renovate RV/Fifth Wheel travel trailers out of Arizona. We started this business during the Pandemic while so many of us became tired of being stuck at home and want to take our home on the road! We had bought and sold houses after renovating them before we left for Italy and my husband has been a licensed contractor for over 15 years. We decided to turn our talents toward RV renovations during this time when so many of us want to have mobile living accommodations. Here on this page you can find more information about our RV renovations and RVs we currently have for sale. But for many of you that have read my travel stories and taken my Online Cooking classes for years, you will still find that information on this website as well. I hope you navigate my menu button to find a story that takes you exploring Italy or a recipe that helps you travel through culinary delights. You can always contact me at thehomesteadtraveler@gmail.com to inquire about Renovated RVs for sale at 209-422-7577. I look forward to talking with you soon or seeing you on Instagram at “thehomesteadtraveler”.

What we currently have available for sale:

2008 Keystone Montana $43,000

38 ft

4 slides

Living room has opposing slides for larger room feel

Ducted airconditioner

Oven and 3 burner cooktop

Electric fireplace

King size bed in bedroom

Stacked Washer & dryer

Kitchen island with black farmhouse faucet has a slide for more kitchen space

Porcelain vessel sink and black farmhouse faucet in Bathroom/bedroom

New vinyl plank flooring throughout

Upgraded LED recessed lighting throughout that is dimmable and easy on the eyes for relaxation

Shower has been renovated with waterproof vinyl “Carrera Tile”

Bathroom has been remodeled with “Carreras look” countertop, porcelain vessel sink and black faucet.

All water tanks, propane, and systems in working order, ready to hit the road!

Our Previous Renovations that are now sold:

2008 Bighorn Heartland $39,995 (Sold)

Click here to take a virtual tour: https://youtu.be/imv5fg7b9Xk

We currently have a 2008 Bighorn Heartland 34 ft Fifth Wheel with 3 slides for a total of 300 sq ft of living space for sale. This is a completely renovated RV, an apartment on wheels! It is ready for camping or full time living. All mechanics have been gone through and are in great working order. We personally have checked out all operating systems and functionality. We can deliver it to within 150 miles of Payson, Arizona. This Renovated Rv has new flooring, paint, butcher block countertops in bedroom and Corion countertops in kitchen, fixtures such as the vessel porcelain sink and black farmhouse faucet in the bedroom. Also included is a microwave, stove, electric fireplace with remote control, hidden TV in fireplace cabinet with remote control elevator lift top, 2 air conditioning units and dual pane windows. The tires are new and awnings are fully functional and in good shape. Call or Text me at 209-412-3613 for questions or to see it.

The Specifications:

34 ft

3 slides

Living room has opposing slides for larger room feel

Dual pane windows

2 airconditioners

Dish TV on roof ready for satellite

Roof in excellent condition

Oven and 3 burner cooktop

Remote controlled electric fireplace

TV elevator lift with remote control

King size bed in bedroom

Couch folds out to a double bed

Washer/dryer hookups

All furniture included (couch, wingback chair, dining table & 2 dining chairs)

King size bed

Fully renovated with butcher block countertops in bedroom & bathroom

Farmhouse porcelain sink and black faucet

New faucet in kitchen

New vinyl plank flooring & paint throughout

Upgraded LED recessed lighting through thats dimmable & easy on the eyes

New tires 2022

Everything is brand new, not lived in, no pets or smoking

Central vacuum

Extra large “garage” storage under RV

All water tanks, propane, and systems in working order, ready to hit the road!

No generator, No solar

2 propane tanks 30 lbs each

90 gal. Gray tank

45 gal.black tank

12 gal. Water heater

15,000 BTU Air Conditioner

60 amp. Converter

Dry weight 10,850 lbs

GVWR 14,000 lbs

$39,995 Asking Price (Sold)

TV is hidden in the cabinet and is raised by a remote control mechanical ”elevator” TV lift (see video)

Beautiful wood beams and recessed dimmable lighting in ceiling

And it has an extra large ”garage”, storage under the Rv

Call or Text Katrina at 209-412-3613 for questions or to arrange a tour on Facetime or Whatsapp.

2005 Open Road (Sold)

Travel, Writers Corner

Hello, Tucson!

September 20, 2021 1 Comment

At over 500,000 population, Tucson is the second largest city in Arizona, second only to the 1 million 700 population of sprawling Phoenix. Here in Tucson they have several Universities including University of Arizona with over 40,000 students. This may explain the over 20 breweries that we found in Tucson!

With such a large amount of Breweries to choose from, where do you start? We chose to visit the Mercado district and Crooked Tooth Brewery. Crooked Tooth Brewery has a cool vibe with large antique “garage” doors that open out to the street and nice selection of house brewed beers. Our favorite was the 18th hour Hazy IPA with its juicy citrus notes. A really cool thing about Crooked tooth is it’s “across the alley” neighbor Anello, a true Napoletan style pizzeria. It was not so easy to find even though it sits directly across the way. It has chosen to be incognito with no signage and the front door blending into the woodwork on the facade. I felt like I was at a speakeasy ordering my pizza from the window…”do I need a secret password to order?” I wondered. Once my order was placed and paid for they brought the pizza right over to Crooked Tooth Brewery and we enjoyed our Napoletan wood fired pizza with our Hazy IPA. Talk about good food pairing!

Anello Pizza next to Crooked Tooth Brewery in Tucson, Arizona

Another fun place in the Mercado District is the Mercado San Augustin on Avenida del Convento. This Spanish Colonial Revival shopping center is a beautiful courtyard surrounded by little shops with heaps of Old World Spanish Style. Surrounding the courtyard is Sies Kitchen where we ordered churros with carmel sauce and an icy sweet horchata to wash it down. Horchata is a Mexican beverage made with rice, cinnamon and sugar. There is also Presta, a great coffee roaster shop, so the guys both got a cappuccino and we sat in the courtyard admiring the quaint ambiance and old world charm while nibbling our churros and carmel sauce.

Old World Mexican Spanish Style house in the Mercado District in Tucson, Arizona

The Mercado District seems to be going through a revitalization with the surrounding area having homes with Spanish style facades painted in rich colors with dried chili hanging from the front doors. Wrought iron gates, copper garage doors and rooftop patios with twig awnings complete the old world look.

I think one of the best things about Tucson is the hiking. I really enjoyed waking up early in the morning at sunrise and hitting the trails. We had two mountain peaks near us and I loved the varied terrain in contrast to the alpine feel of Payson and Flagstaff and the red rock appeal of Sedona.

Sunrise from Neil & Shari’s “Coyote Lullaby” Airbnb in Tucson Arizona

In Tucson it’s all about the dessert and the beauty that thrives there. As I walked my early morning hike I could hear my shoes crunch on the gravel on the trails while I walked through the crevice between two mountain peaks. It felt like a corridor lined with tall Saguaros (pronounced sa-warro) the cactus with arms. As I passed they seemed to raise an arm in salute all the while staring straight ahead. Other Saguaros had no arm to raise in my honor but seemed to apologize for their impoliteness saying “Sorry I have no stump to raise but I grow very slowly, my first arm won’t come until I’m at least 50! But I’m happy to see you nonetheless!” These giants of the desert can live for 150 years and some have a perfectly formed raised arm while others look like an octopus with their many arms.

The Saguaros saluting me on my morning hike

I also see the Teddy Bear Cholla, a short cactus that seem to be illuminated within themselves with their thick thorns catching the sunlight. While I was communing with the Saguaro the Teddy Bear Chollo seemed to speak to me in a Danny DeVito voice saying “who you call’n short? Come down here so I can poke you with a thorn and I’ll show you short…” Hmmm, is it strange that the cacti are talking to me? About that time I was startled out of my imagination by a herd of deer that went galloping by at full speed. There were a few adults followed by several babies. They must have been grazing on soft grass still wet with the early dew when I startled them.

The Danny DeVito “Teddy Bear Chollo” Cacti illuminated within itself

I breathed in the desert air and looked around at the golden rays peeking out from behind the red mountain peaks. After being in Sedona I couldn’t really call these “red rocks”, they were more of a terracotta tone and I noticed the rocks beneath my feet were varying hues, some lavender, some seafoam green, others carmel colored and I marveled at the beauty. Arizona specializes in rocks and gems and I can understand why as I walk it’s trails.

Sometimes as I walked along I saw a cottontail rabbit leap from its hiding place and take off at “break neck” speeds across the desert. In contrast was the “slow moving” tortoise with his ancient looking dinosaurs skin slowly making his way to places unknown to me. He seemed tired but determined as he slowly blinked his heavy eyelids in my direction.

Tortoise with his dinosaur skin and sleepy eyes crossing my path

Every once in a while I had to step off the trail to make room for the mountain bike riders who were keeping their eye on the single track in front of them but would shout out their gratitude as they passed. I noticed the other hikers on the trail were clad in long khaki shorts and floppy tan sun hats with their feet securely in hiking boots. This was in sharp contrast to the hikers in Sedona who sprinted by in the latest spandex “work out” wear and running shoes: young, fit and good looking.

Watch out for those down hill mountain bike riders! (I thought this one was kinda cute)

It was time to head back home before the suns strength reached too high in the sky and I noted to myself that it would be nice return to Tucson in the winter. Yes, when the rest of the country is shivering in frigid winter temperatures we could follow the sun to Tucson and could enjoy these desert hikes, old colonial courtyards and copious breweries all day long, in the warm winter sun.

If you would like to stay with Neil & Shari in Tucson, check out their Airbnb the “Coyote Lullaby”

Index of Stories

Explore the stories I have written about living in Italy and California. You will feel like you have been swept up in another reality, a reality of Italian Villas in the olive groves, Mediterranean beaches, Medieval Cities and History from another day and time…

Our Travels in the US in 2021-2022:

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (published October 20, 2021)

The Storybook Cottages of Carmel-by-the-Sea (published October 12, 2021)

Payson Arizona Guest House (published September 12, 2021)

Hello, Tucson! (Published September 20, 2021)