Adventure 958: Last Hurrah, Tucson 2025/71

I'm not sure how Judy said good bye to her trainer, Rob, but I gave genuine hugs to Sifu and Magdalena before and after my last Tai Chi lesson. We spent the day packing, cleaning the house, and generally walking around among the wispy mist of nostalgia. For dinner, our good friends, the Kral's treated us to a pleasant dinner out at  a popular Mexican style restaurant called Guadalajara. Dinner was good, the company better, and afterward we walked to the nearby middle school to watch the sunset. In the warmth of the evening, all I could think that good friends and good fortune find us grateful that life is good, especially today.

This view from Amy's back yard might be this year's screen saver. While we haven't yet left, we're eager to return.

I slurped this giant margarita (with Judy's help) tonight at dinner.

Ginny and Judy atop the bleachers watching the sun set in the West.

Ginny and David's neighbor snapped this shot of us enjoying the last light of the day.

We even got to see this little band of javelina's scamper by.

Just a bit of a curling cloud sinking into the evening.

All clean and ready for Amy to move back in.

Car packed and ready for an early morning departure.

I've left room for these to guys, tucked in a safe space for the trip home.

Poem of the day:

PETALS

As we age

the things we thought

pleasurable

fall away

like wilted petals.

We may think:

She loves me not.

He loves me not.

They love me not.

The detritus

lays strewn

in memories

trailing us

like shadows.

But if our loves

truly pleasured

us

the memories sustain

like well turned phrases.

After which we may utter,

“They loved me then.

They love me still.”

Always and forever,

Just as we thought;

Just as we live. 

Adventure 957: The Tucson Slathering Continues/70

It's the week of lasts. We attended church yesterday for the last time this year in Tucson. This morning we volunteered for the last time this year at Cross Street. Tomorrow, I'll have my last Tai Chi lesson in Tucson for this year, and Judy will work out with her trainer, Rob, for the last time. Yesterday afternoon and into the evening we attended the last part of the 40th annual Tucson Folk Festival. What we heard tickled our fancies to the last bone. One of the performers we listened to, Kenny White, said this line: "You brush up against fate at least once a day; at night you chase ghosts." We'll be chasing ghostly memories all the way home, but they'll be Caspers, gentle little "BOOS" that make us smile. In the meantime, we're beginning to pack, beginning to clean, and beginning tingle with the expectation of resuming our life in Spokane. I guess what they say is true, "Home is where the heart is." At any rate, for us life is good, especially today.

Kenny White and Cheryl Wheeler, very talented musicians: witty, entertaining, socially conscious, and immensely entertaining.

Selfie of the day: My Bunny and me snuggled up near the front just left of the stage. I didn't meet the photo bomb guy.

Heather Lil' Mama Hardy, rocking out. A local, she's an incredible fiddler with a great voice and a hot band.

Over four hundred musicians performed during the weekend. We sampled just a small taste.

The place was so packed when we got there we had to watch Missy Anderson and her One man Band (Husband Heine) from behind the sound/video console.

Just taking in one last wistful gaze down the wash.

Our land lady, Amy, a fellow rabble rouser at the Saturday Morning protest. She said she was in the audience at the Folk Festival, too, but we didn't see her. We grateful for her.

Poem of the day.

THAT’S ALL

That’s all we want, right?

To know a place

has been saved

for us.

A little belonging:

To know there’s room

for us

at the table.

That’s all we want, right?

A helping hand:

To know there’s a hand up

for us

like a Scout’s honor.

That’s all we want, right?

A little love:

To know there’s an open heart

for us

to hold close.

That’s all we want, right? 

Adventure 956: Tucson Slathering/69

In our last days here we've been slathering ourselves with as much Tucson as we can. We hiked a last hike. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Tito and Pep's. We shared a burger at a new place, Redbird. We protested with thousands of our fellow rabble rousers. Judy paid off last month's cribbage debt at Barrio Barista where we enjoyed hot coffee and a nice breakfast burrito. We took in an Arizona Women's softball game, and we spent a nice evening watching hoops with our friends, Krals. Tucson feels  like home now, but truth be told we're ready for the trek back to the Northwest. In so many more ways than we can count, life is good, especially today. 

Sadly, the home team lost in the last inning. Quite impressive women on both teams.

Arizona is ranked 13th; Oklahoma State 16th. Good game.

One of the sights at the protest. WARNING: POEM OF THE DAY IS FOR MATURE AUDIENCES.

STAR*

Just

as He said

He would-

On day one

He grabbed

our nation

by the pussy 

because

“When You’re a STAR they let You.”

He thrust His greedy fingers inside:

some of the pussies cried, 

some of the pussies bowed,

some of the pussies cowed,

some of the pussies complied,

But none of the pussies pried

His fingers away 

because 

“When You’re a STAR they let You.”

His fingering squirted 

a mess all over the place.

But late at night He crowed,

"I think the pussies like it."

We're all monkeys in this circus. My favorite signs read: WE SHALL OVER COMB & WHEN THE POOR RUN OUT OF FOOD, THEY'LL JUST EAT THE RICH.

Really? Our Vice-President.

Selfie of the day: Basking in the sun in the left field bleachers.

The entrance to the softball stadium.

We split a quite delicious classic Redbird burger, which was suggested by friends.

Art on the wall of one of our previous discoveries, Barrio Barista.

 

The Wiley Cager won this game. New month. New leader.

A little port to finish complement the desert cake. As pleasing as my very cute date.

The Olive Oil cake infused with orange essence.

We shared a boneless chicken grilled over mesquite. Out standing.

We loved this beet salad on our last visit, so we enjoyed a reprise.

And for starters, this raw tuna dressed in a jalapeño strawberry sauce. Needless to say, our indulgence left of satisfied. 

Adventure 955: Penultimate Tale of the Table/68

We leave for home one week from tomorrow, so we've been busy packing in as much "Tucson" as we can. We had lunch after church with Kel and Karen who are headed back to Ohio as we speak. We shared happy hour with my cousin, Joan, who is on her way back to Boston via Palm Springs. We walked in the desert for two and a half hours yesterday at Sweetwater. We hiked in Sabino Canyon a couple of days ago. We enjoyed a nice dinner with Jordan (Tai Chi Sifu) and his wife Chris last Saturday. We've made reservations at our favorite fine dining establishment (Tito and Pep's) for tomorrow night. We drove intentionally to South Tucson for our favorite burrito (Tania 33). And we've tucked all the good memories of our kids and relatives visiting this year. It's been a good season. We're squeezing it like fresh juice, and we feel grateful that life is good, especially today.

I'll leave a little bit of heart here this year.

I may have to use this view from the back yard  as my screen saver.

We got to see real life saguaro blooms on our last hike in Sabino Canyon.

Selfie of the day: "Sure, I'd like to stay in Tucson a little longer. What do you think, Bunny?"

Sifu Misner, showing us how well his new puppy (Daisy) can behave.

The view from Sifu's back deck.

Kel Babe and Miss Karen just before they left.

The Ocotillo blooms are in full swing.

One of the saguaros saying Hi.

Cousin Joan.

And another saguaro waving good bye.

None too soon we'll be heading into the sunset.

Poem of the day.

HOLES

God Most High

Please fill the holes…

in my knowledge,

in my understanding

in my emotion,

in my judgment.

God Most High

Please fill the holes…

in my feeling,

in my compassion,

in my acceptance.

God Most High

Please fill the holes…

in my spirit,

in my presence.

God Most High

Please fill the holes…

in my heart,

So that I may be a vessel 

that pours only your 

Most High Love.