Adventure 113: Valley of the Sun RV Park, Marana, AZ/Post B

Sue-Wah-RRow (Saguaro)

What a great day! I changed out the deck, and the fates rewarded me with a very satisfying skunk (Yes, the cager smells), and a 2-zip lead in the Tucson Open. But, of course, I'm still as worried as the father of a teenage girl because NO LEAD is safe from the wily cager. At least the new deck has evened the odds. After breakfast we joined our friends, the Krals, at their church (The New Life). The young pastor gave a well conceived sermon to a large audience of true believers. His message, be slow to anger, centered on the idea of  the stumbling block that many people trip over, which is the notion of being offended. He said, "Don't take the bait." And like he said, it is a really big deal. A person simply has to read the list of officially registered Christian Churches to see the divisions within the body of those who profess to follow Jesus (Being a human is fraught with difficulties). On a personal note, one of the things very heavy on my heart is the idea of exclusion. I'm troubled by the practice of judgment, both my own and others. I'm concerned (Always) by people who have found "the answer" but exclude me if I don't happen to believe the truth in the manner they do. I pray daily for three things: a clean heart, justice, and acceptance. Maybe I should add another prayer that will help me get out of my own way. After church, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch: spaghetti with a rich maranara sauce made with elk meat and thickened with garden vegetables that gave the sauce an earthy bottom note. Very yummy. Then we watched last night's Zag game, which David had taped. Speaking of zealots (I try to avoid them at all costs), it's nice being in the same room with fellow Zagots (Maybe sports is a religion). The Zags played well and disposed of the Mormon contingent (Never an easy proposition). After a walk through the neighborhood at sunset, we made our way back to the trailer, but not before we stopped at the local Taco Shop for a Carne Asada combination plate. it was also good, and the way the Hunny Bunny and I attacked it, you'd have thought we hadn't eaten in a month. The Krals have volunteered to be our tour guides for part of the next week, so tomorrow they will pick us up and we'll visit the desert museum and perhaps the Saguaro National Park. Regardless, we'll get a morning ride in, I'll hopefully continue my newfound win streak versus the wily cager, and they'll pick us up around eleven. For now, though, life is good, especially today.

 Ginny Kral coming out of the New Life church to meet us.

 Then came the hugs.

 Then came the tour of the house.

 Ginny and David have a garden about the size of a truck farm in Spokane. In Tucson, it's a bit smaller, but no less intense.

 Besides a small patch of grass, the house is bordered by a rock garden packed full of naturally occurring plants (Many of which the Krals transplanted).

 Ginny cooks. David cleans up (I helped him today).

 Carl is a neighbor. He joined us for lunch. Carl is literally a rocket scientist. It's always fun talking with genius types.

 Lunch is served.

 Thanks largely to Kevin Pangos' hot hand and great hustle by the Zags, the BYU boys went home with a loss, maintaining Gonzaga's one game lead in the conference.

 The Bunny and Ginny catching up. Ginny taught Leticia in middle school, and she also gave Libby flute lessons. It's amazing that over twenty years has gone by since we first met.

 Part of the walk include a tour around the middle school track (Fitting).

 The Krals (They seem as happy as they look).

 The desert sun bidding the day adieu.

 Another small family operation. Very good.

Art shot of the day.