Adventure 911: Tucson Winter Two/19

It's a good news/bad news situation. The bad news ushered us out the door of 1339 Hopbush Way today. Our 2024 winter  stay has ended. The good news is our land lady informed us that we could have the house again next winter. Hurray! She had planned to sell the home, but has since revamped her plans in our favor. We enjoy this house, the location, the neighbors, the amenities, and the fact that we have the entire place to ourselves. We had a very good season, and after two years staying in Tucson for the winter, this will be our paradigm for the foreseeable future. This season we established good friends and connections at South Side Presbyterian. We furthered our relationship with our friends, the Kral's. We entertained most of our family, one cousin, a niece, and a few of our friends. I cemented my place as a little brother in the Tai Chi group. Judy put on several layers of muscle working with her trainer, Rob. We learned to navigate Tucson, and we made several trips to the desert to commune with the cacti. In all, it is once again true that every day proved to be good. For that we're thankful. Right now, we're on our going home routine. Day one is a 6.5 hour drive from Tucson to Las Vegas. We began with an excellent breakfast prepared by our friends, the Kral's. We stopped in Surprise, AZ for lunch with Russ and Kathy, Judy's cousin, and we rolled into our hotel in North Las Vegas a little after six. As tradition dictates, we then moseyed over to the local In and Out for dinner. Tomorrow we'll rise with the birds for a long ten hour leg to Boise. We'll pray for traveling mercies. In the meantime, we've scrubbed the road grime off with a hot shower, and we're enjoying the feeling of our jammies. Truly, life is good, especially today.

Highlight Photos

Good times with Falcon and Leticia.

Good visit with Kate, Scott, and Alden.

Good times with long time friends, Deb and Ed Drouin.

Great fun at Tai Chi class. Some progress.

Wonderful week with long time friends, Jim and Karen Cramer.

Fun weekend with my cousin, Joan.

Good times with Libby.

As you may know, we're foodies. Too much good stuff to name, but these Mole Enchiladas from Tumerico are quite yummy.

Angela invented sunset with wine at Gates Pass. Good times.

All trips seem to involve sister, Karen. Always fun and games.

Our host, Amy Weinberg, is a therapist who uses yoga. Her home reflects her peaceful impact.

Two fresh faced volunteers at Cross Street. 5 A.M. start Mondays and Fridays.

I caught this saguaro waving good by on our last trip to the desert.

The desert bloom is just beginning. Maybe one day we'll stay long enough to catch the full color, but I don't want to get greedy. I'm already the luckiest guy on the planet.

Adventure 910: Tucson Winter Two/18

Richard Rohr wrote, "Easter is the feast of hope. This is the feast that says God will have the last word and that God's final judgment is resurrection. God will turn all that we (humans) maim and destroy and hurt and punish into life and beauty." 

I pray that he's right because in light of so much tragedy, sadness, unfair death, nonstop war, unjust imprisonment, broken relationships, oppression, and suffering, it takes a strong Christian faith to hold the line.

Rohr believes "... the resurrection of Christ is saying that the final judgment has already happened. It's nothing we need to fear; nothing we need to avoid. God's final judgment is that God will have the last word."

That is my personal anchor. And why I think I'm the luckiest guy on the planet. I wake up each day marveling. I take Mary Oliver's advice, "Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."

I'm here to tell you, Life is good, especially today.

Who can't marvel at a very blue sky?

Who can't feel the splash of yellow on a spindly spine?

Who can't breath in the puffs of color in a cactus patch?

Who can't smell the goodness in a fry bread taco?

Who can't welcome's the touch of a prickly red cotton ball? 

Who can't revel in a swath of golden poppies?

Who can't endure the deflated sadness of a honorable loss?

Beauty blooms everywhere.

Take time to enjoy the swirl.

As Mary Oliver says, "To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and when the time comes to let it go, let it go."

 

Adventure 909: Tucson Winter Two/17

Our lives have become so routine there hasn't been much to share. That all changed this week when our youngest daughter, Libby, spent four days with us. While the weather could have been better, we had much fun cooking, hiking, exploring, watching movies, cheering on the Zags, and generally enjoying our time together. As an aded bonus, my cousin Joan came to Tucson for the weekend. She's looking to spend next winter here. We took a hike, had dinner, and toured a few neighborhoods looking for suitable housing. It was fun and good to see her. Other than that, our time is fast coming to an end for this season. We head home on April 10 and with traveling mercies, we should arrive at our Perch by the thirteenth. Libby's time here also included her finding a spot for our whole family to spend a week together this coming July. It will be our fourth straight summer gathering most (if not all) the troops in one place. Many things in life are fraught with difficulties. Having family together helps mitigate the angst, and helps make life good. And you know what I say: Life is good, especially today.

Of course, we had to take Libby to Tumerico for some delicious vegetarian Cuban Tacos.

It was a bit cool when we went on our hike with Joan, but since she's been wintering in Park City, Utah, where the snow is deep and the roads are icy, she thought the weather was just balmy.

While not a Tucson specialty, a trip to In and Out is always worthy.

Maybe our best outing was brunch at the Tohono Chul Bistro where Libby and I slurped Prickly Pear Margaritas.

Selfie of the day.

Libby capturing one cactus.

Then a few others.

The ladies enjoying an afternoon Eegees cocktail. Agave tequila provided by Mrs. Drouin.

Thiis majestic saguaro lives midst the palo verde trees at Tohono Chul.

After taking Libby to the airport, Judy and I enjoyed a classic Mexican infused diner breakfast at the very popular (and excellent) Franks/Francisco's. It brought me back to my roots.
 

Art shot of the Day: Don't worry; Be happy. Eat and get out!

Adventure 908: Tucson Winter Two/16

When my son called the other night, he gently chastised me for the lack of blog updates. In my defense, things have been swirling around here more forcefully than a sudden scirocco. We've been volunteering at Cross Street, maintaining our work out schedules, watching the progress of newly hatched humming birds, and spending the last nearly two weeks enjoying longtime friends, the Drouins and the Cramers. That doesn't even count cheering on the Zags through the final stages of the WCC. Whew! This retirement thing is a workout. So, in a nutshell, we ate food we prepared, we ate food others prepared,  we served food we helped prepare to the homeless, and we walked off the  excess calories in the desert. Most of our other living moments, we shared laughs, memories, and newly formed experiences with friends. Needless to say, life is good, especially today.

Here we are on the assembly line putting together Indian Tacos for the morning breakfast.

Ed, Jim, and Karen enjoying a laugh before dinner.

Selfie of the day: Sunset at Gates Pass. Go Zags!

It's hard to get any better.

The baby humming birds just before they left their nest.

Standing on Signal Hill, a location humans have visited for more than fifteen hundred years.

A sneaky selfie.

Deb and Karen catching up with a little chit chat.

Jim raising a toast to the setting sun.

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Ed getting his chakras aligned in Leticia's bowl.

Jim and Karen on their last night in Tucson.

Deb and Ed under the oldest and largest saguaro at Sweet Water.

Art shot of the day: A budding crown atop a favored saguaro.

Sifu Misner bouncing Magdalena during Tai Chi class..

Magdalena, who is Polish, is 94. When I told her life is good, especially today, she agreed, saying, "I know darling, I survived the Nazis, the Russians, and my first husband. How can life be anything but good."