Adventure 948: Too Much Fun/61

Non stop action this past week included several trips to the gem show, oodles of Mexican food, two nice sunset jaunts, a Mountain Music concert at Catalina State Park, a day trip to Biosphere 2, an outing to kids day at Tohono Chul, nearly endless games of " Little Stinker", and one Star Wars movie nightly. Angela will stay in Tucson a bit longer, but Falcon and Leticia head back to the Northwest on Thursday. The last ten days have been filled with much sunshine, many adventures, some big smiles, and our grateful realization that, for us, life is good especially today.

Falcon snuggling up to Auntie Tia.

Leticia trying out her new healing bowl. Feel the vibes!

Mimi is fond of flan.

Falcon communing with the cacti at Tohono Chul.

Mimi and Falcon making clay at Tohono Chul.

This poor guy feels for those who just got their Federal pink slip.

Tia and Leticia.

Falcon taking the lion's share of Mimi's Choco Flan.

Now owned and operated by the University of Arizona, the biosphere scientists must be  wondering what will happen because of the recent freeze on their NASA funding. Time will tell if climate research is a priority for the present administration.

Completely under glass, the biosphere includes a desert, a rain forest, the largest indoor ocean in the world, and several ecological research projects concerning water, soil, and plant life.

Originally, eight people planned to live for two years completely sealed in the space. One unforeseen complication arose: The soil and other living matter produced so much CO2 that the oxygen balance became unsafe for humans. The project had to be modified to add air to the system via a giant lung like apparatus.

This dome shaped building is the lung that regulates the air inside the biosphere.

Leticia used this lady's back as a puppet show while we were at the Mountain Music show.

Fly away little birdie.

The band awarded this T-shirt to Leticia for being the first audience member to dance.

Magnificent saguaro of the day.

Art shot of the day: Biosphere Musing.

Mom and son enjoying the sunset. Another fine day in the desert.
 

Adventure 947: Bye Bye Sawyer/60

Sadly, we took Sawyer to the airport this morning so he could return to Portland. Short (or no) vacations are the bane of the working man, but fortunately he's young enough to endure the forty degree drop in temperature. He's already planning his return trip next year. To send him off we had a feast last night that included marinated skirt steak, flour tortillas, Spanish rice, sautéed peppers and onions, refried beans, Mexican coleslaw, fried plantains, and BBQd pineapple. Of course we had red salsa and green salsa, guacamole, and plenty of good cheer. We maxed our seating out at ten diners. Along with Sawyer, there was Uncle Kel and his wife Miss Karen, and two of Angela's friends (Kate and Becky) joined the party. Sawyer enjoyed perfect Tucson weather while he was here, and he got to see a few Tucson highlights, so even though we were sad to see him go life is good, especially today.

It's hard to get everyone in a group selfie. You can barely see Becky's arm.

Kel listening to the wisdom of his 21 year old nephew.

Angela and Kate waxing wise, most likely planning future adventures.

There's Sawyer and Becky caught in a candid in the back.

Falcon testing the fried plantains.

Selfie of the day: Silly Willies.

Sawyer got to enjoy a Tucson delicacy: The Sonoran Hot Dog.

And we caught the sunset at Gates Pass.

This is us perched on the rocks like Native Americans of old waiting for the sun to go down.

Go West young man; that's where the adventures lie.

Adventure 946: Hotel "California" Tucson Edition/59

Our daughter, Angela, became our first visitor this winter, opening the gates to a steady flow. It's been great so far. She has a long list of things she wants to see, and has become our personal chef and health advisor, which is good because she's skilled in those areas. One day we met up with her friend, Kate, for a bit of a stroll through the cacti in the East section of the Saguaro National Park, and last Friday, her son, our grandson, Sawyer arrived to add his spirit to the adventure. Yesterday, we went downtown to ride the trolley and shop a little bit at one of the gem show venues. I'm not much of a gem show participant, but I was along for the ride as designated driver in case the intoxication from too many options became overwhelming. We also had a late lunch at La Chaiteria after walking through the historic Barrio Viejo just South of downtown. Who knows what today will bring, but tomorrow two more lively spirits arrive: daughter Leticia and grandson, Falcon. The only thing I know for sure is that the throttle will be pressed flat to the floorboard, and no one will want to "checkout" any time soon. So, we'll take each adventure as it comes believing as we do that life is good, especially today.

Judy and Kate out back of the home Kate's renting.

This cute little native pueblo diorama sits atop an antique Singer sewing console. Quite the juxtaposition if one is inclined to consider history.

The entrance to the home.

We've yet to see real saguaro blooms, but these representations are part of a display in the visitor center at the National Park.

Unlike the West section of the park, there are several saguaro "families" clustered here and there in the East.

First art shot of the day: Ever upward, not necessarily straight.

Angela, Sawyer, and Mimi.

Just purchased this figurine for our friend, Jace Keeling, made by this artist from Burkina Faso. His work celebrates female literacy and every figurine displays a female figure reading or holding a book. Each piece is one of a kind. Very cool.

Selfie of the day: Mother, son.

Second art shot of the day: Life is a circular swirl.

Quesadilla La Chaiteria style.

Sawyer, sporting the socks Mimi knitted for him: a perfect fit. He said he felt patriotic wearing them.
  

Adventure 945: Shades of Lake Woebegone/58

Garrison Keillor used to open his weekly broadcast with the line, "Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Woebegone..." I wish it were so. Our week has been filled with a host of conflicting emotions-not all bad; not all good, but definitely a batch of feelings capable of moving the spirit. First, since we are involved in feeding the homeless here in Tucson, many of whom are immigrants, we attended a meeting informing us of how to meet the forces of immigration, ICE agents, and vigilantes. The meeting centered on knowing our rights: the rights of immigrants, the rights of those who provide aid, and the rights of law enforcement. The bottom line is "You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can be held against you." The emotionally wrenching part of that training is the idea that one of the main tactics used by law enforcement besides intimidation and threats is the hope that those questioned will offer information that will be harmful to their own cause. Agents can cajole, harass, lie, and mislead all in the name of legality. Vigilantes, those righteously indignant so called patriots are another story. A group came into the work center at church, which is considered a public space under the law. They took photos and interviewed one of the supervisors. They then proceeded to overdub her comments with words she did not say, and posted the video on X. This deceit is not only hurtful, but it's unfathomable. On the other side of the emotional scale, we enjoyed a nice birthday dinner with my cousin, Joan, who turned a robust 73. It marked the power of family joy. In yet another emotional arena, we attended the funeral of Robert Johnson, long time church custodian who died recently after a battle with cancer. We had come to know Robert through our work at Cross Street. The testimonial period of his service lasted forty-five minutes and would have gone longer had not pastor Allison cut it short. Everyone said much the same thing. Robert was an inspiration, a leader of men, a man of pride, integrity, and humility. On our way home we passed a group of protesters outside one of the gem show venues. One sign read, "No human is illegal." All of this sits in the belly of the current hostile takeover of our government. There are many egregious actions flowing  from the firehose of executive actions, none more so than Elon Musk's DOGE. Fighting a sense of powerlessness, I pray that our Democratic leaders will do more than draft another strongly worded letter. In the midst of all of this, I have faith that God will balance these man made actions and continue to provide a life that is good, especially today.

Cousin, Joan, looking good. "There art thou happy, Romeo."

Let's get this party started.

Tai Chi training continues. Here Sifu is demonstrating a bouncing action with Nate.

Here, Paul is bouncing Sifu. Notice that a Sifu's heels have come off the ground. Though a still shot, his next movement is to be thrust backward and upward into the mat.
   

Adventure 944: Day to Day Tucson/57

The last two weeks seem forever blue. I'm talking about the desert sky, of course, and while it's still quite chilly at night, most days arrive on the wisp of endless blue that is oh, so warming to the heart. We've maintained our regular schedule of personal training for Judy, Tai Chi for me, volunteering at the Cross Street food kitchen Mondays and Fridays, and soul cleansing worship at Southside Presbyterian on Sundays. Last week, we enjoyed a leisurely walk among the cacti with Kel and Karen. Afterward, we feasted on a nice lunch and Buendia. Not to be out done, our financial advisor and his wife found themselves servicing clients in Arizona, so we also had a pleasant lunch and chat with them at Tumerico. Maybe those lunch calories are the reason we chose to take a hike up Pima Canyon a couple days ago. Last year, we had to cross water in places. This year, the creek bed is bone dry due to the fact that Tucson has seen no  measurable rain since October. That streak ended last night when about a half inch sprinkled the valley. A final bit of news found Judy paying off this month's cribbage debt at the Raging Sage Coffee Shop. She was glad to see this month go, and hopes for a steady change of fortunes for next month. In either case, life is still good, especially today.

The saguaros and every other plant in the desert are quite stressed this year.

Hiking buddies: Kel, Karen, Judy, me.

A solitary cactus wren looking for a new condo. Maybe this fat saguaro will fill the bill.

One of our favorite family run spots.

Their motto, alegria, is to meet each day with joy and happiness.

Judy and I shared this deliciously decadent chicken mole.

I like the idea of meeting each morning with hope, joy, and happiness.

Saturday morning Tai Chi students working their way through the Fan.

It's seven miles to the ridge. We've never made it that far. We usually walk up for and hour and back down for an hour. The whole hike would be very strenuous.

Selfie of the day: I'm sure the correct response is, "Yes, Dear."

Maybe some day we'll venture to the top.

The Wiley Cager pulling a clever shuffling maneuver, hoping for a fresh start in February. Notice the yummy scone she bought me.

Art shot of the day:  Lately, things seem a little backwards.