May 7, 2009

Hugs and Hope

We rose early, showered and dressed, buttoned up the carbus (with the A/C ready to kick in), and headed to Sky Harbor Airport (kind of a neat name for an airport).  The Phoenix airport is huge.  It has four terminals, each with three levels.  The terminal we were in had a city worth of shops BEFORE the security area.  It had another city worth AFTER the security area, and each concourse had a towns worth.  Dan was flying from Sacramento and our planes were landing within minutes of each other.   He had a rental car reserved and we  would all go to San Dimas together.  Just before they closed the door on our plane (cell phones off) we get a call from Dan.  Sacramento is fogged in.  Fog in May!? He will be an hour late or more.  Just just before the door is closed we go to plan B.  Ken, Julie, and the kids spent the night in Pomona which is about 20 minutes from Ontario airport.  Quick call to Ken to explain situation.  He will meet us.  He was there when we arrived and took us to their hotel were we waited while they finished dressing.  The church was only 10 minutes from their hotel so we were there in plenty of time to mix with family and friends prior to the service.

Attending a memorial service is not my idea of a fun day.  I have been to a number of them and I know there will be more.  My only regret with Judy’s service is that Dan missed most of it because of the flight delay.  Judy was not famous.  She was not overly active in civic or community affairs.  She was not a busy business person.  What she was was a good and loving lady who never saw bad in anyone or anything or at least did not acknowledge it.  She always had a kind word and a smile for everyone. And a hug. Even in the midst of her horrible affliction she was always upbeat and supporting others.  The good sized church was overflowing. 

The minister, a nice and compassionate woman said many nice and comforting things but most of what she said was fill and reflection on the main parts of the service, a letter from Hank to Judy (written after she died) and thoughts from Judy to her family and friends written in the weeks before she died.  Nothing could be more poignant.  Hank is not a man of many words.  His reflections were so real and so touching that there was not a dry eye in (and outside) the church.  Judy’s reflections showed that even near the end of her life her thoughts and concerns were with her family and her many friends.  Liz, Hank and Judy’s daughter created a slideshow of memories.  Full of happiness and joy but also nothing held back.  There were photos taken days before Judy died.  Weak and pale but still smiling.

In describing Hank and Judy’s relationship and marriage of over 35 years, the minister said it was the closest thing she had seen to  a deep and eternal love.  It is true.  You could see it every day in their lives and Judy’s passing is just a blip.  They are still together and will always be so.  I’m not one to think such thoughts but in this case I truly believe it.

The reception following the service featured tacos, chocolate chip cookies, and cosmopolitans (nonalcoholic for the church) – Judy’s favorites.

Late in the afternoon we returned to Ontario airport , this time with Dan.  His plane left a little earlier than we did so we saw him off and walked to our gate and right on the plane.  By 8:45 pm we were back at the carbus.

Judy lived her life filled with hugs and hope and that was the message her family gave to all at her memorial.  Hug someone (better-hug several ) every day and never give up even in the worst of times.

Judy told her family she would be watching over them and checking in from time to time so if you see a dragonfly, embrace the moment.  It just might be Judy telling you things are OK.

 

May 4, 2009

Casa Grande

We left Organ Pipe early so we could do our traveling while cooler.  Couple of hours to RV park to stash the carbus and then on to Casa Grande Ruins. 

Interesting.  Other ruins we have seen have been on a hill or in a valley or in a cliff cave.  This is in the middle of a flat desert.  Things were wetter 800-900 years ago.  Also, other ruins have been of stone or based of stone.  This is entirely mud and sticks.  Attempts to preserve it came none too soon.  Much of the village structures have washed away.  The large building is a small part of what was a very large complex.

The Sonoran desert, especially around Organ Pipe Cactus NM has the most variety of plant and animal life of the four great north american deserts.  One plant we have seen a lot of is the ocotillo.  It has long straight VERY thorny branches.  Because they are long and straight they are used for everything from ramada(shade structure) roofs  to fences (natures barbed wire).  The plants way of surviving the desert is to have no leaves unless there is water.  It then sprouts leaves while things are moist and then drops them.  Until today all we had seen were dry sticks.  Today we saw leaves.  The whole desert around Casa Grande  is agriculture  thanks to irrigation from wells (another story). There must have been enough moisture around for the ocotillo to make leaves.  Fun to actually see what we were told happens.

Plant on right in first picture is most common way it is seen.

 

Local fauna.

May 3, 2009

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Lazy day.  We took a 1 1/2 mile nature/view trail hike early this morning.  Very pretty country in a desert kind of way.  :)

Later in the morning we drove the Ajo mountain loop road.  Sightseeing and desert information.  Sue took a picture of every cactus.  Not every kind of cactus, every cactus.  Just kidding – a little.  Very pretty drive.  Twenty one miles long takes two hours or more.  Lots to see and learn.

After the drive we went to the visitors center and did a geocache.  Also did one during the drive.

The rest of the day is staying cool as we can.  Tomorrow we head north some.

May 2, 2009

Titan Museum and Drive to Organ Pipe

We got up early and buttoned up the carbus for travel.  We left it parked in our old site and headed 30 miles south to the Titan Missile Museum. 

Very cool, especially since I spent every third day for almost four years in a spot just like it.  The docents were very knowledgeable and gave a nonstop information filled tour.  When they learned I had been a crew commander they bounced references off me occasionally and it was fun to chat with old missilemen.  When the tour reached the control center they plopped me in the commanders chair and had me do the simulated launch.  I even got a card verifying that I turned the key.  It was fun.  Sue got questions from others on the tour about what it was like to be married to someone in that job and what family life was like.

View of missile from top.

This fellow was on the shoulder of the road as we walked to a geocache near the missile museum.  I almost stepped on it.

 

After the tour we went back to the carbus and headed west and south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  Not much to describe.  Long, straight, two lane roads.

The sun has set and I am now looking at lights of a town in Mexico several miles away.  Bummer.  Thought we might find total isolation out here.  Should be dark enough to have good look at stars though.

April 30, 2009

Mission San Xavier Del Bac

Built 1783-97.  Still active today.  Very impressive structure and the murals and carved statuary inside are extraordinary.

   

April 29, 2009

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park

These two spots were close to our camp spot and in addition to the Titan museum (will see in a couple of days) were the two things I had planned on seeing in Tucson.

Advice on the Desert Museum – Go There!  Make plans sometime in your life to visit this place.  It is amazing.  Go early in the morning (cool, fewer people) and take the early docent led tour.  Lots of information well presented.  These people know their stuff.  The lady that led our tour was asked about being a docent.  She said she had three masters degrees and the hardest thing she ever did was prepare to docent at the desert museum. 

Barn owl was a warm-up prior to tour.

Everything looks natural.  If you thought Disney did a good job of making things look authentic, come here.  There are many different animal species all in natural settings. 

You hardly notice they are caged. 

Wolves.  See a cage?

Prairie dog and Roadrunner

Bobcat

 

Havalina

Burrowing animals have glass walls on their homes (think ant farm).  To see a scorpion you have to lift a rock.  Two amazing aviaries – one for hummingbirds and the other filled with a wide variety of birds.  Got within three feet of a nesting hummingbird and even closer to a nesting quail. 

 

There are docents everywhere.  At many spots there are docents giving talks and demonstrations on a variety of things. 

Couple more.

The museum is a couple of miles south of the national park.  We were coming from the south so we figured we would hit the museum first then go on to Saguaro.  Good thing!  We ended up spending nearly six hours at the museum. 

Impossible to describe the experience.  Go there!

Saguaro National Park is one of the few places where the Saguaro cactus can be found.  There are two units – one on each side of Tucson.  Different feel from museum but still impressive to see acres and acres of this unique plant.

This one was pretty tall.  Yes, that is Sue at the base.

Petroqlyphs here too.

April 27, 2009

Tombstone

As of yesterday or today this is the longest continuous trip we have taken in 43 years together.

Today was a sort of layover day.  We left the carbus at the RV park and took a short trip to Tombstone.  The only thing I knew about Tombstone was from movies and TV.  The buildings in town are old but not as old as what you see in the movies.  Definitely not as old as recent dwellings we have visited.  :)  The main street is very wide.  Sort of the Market street of its time.  All the streets of the historic town area are dirt or covered with dirt.  Nice touch.  The shops in these buildings are not as upscale as Santa Fe or Albuquerque but still catering to tourists.  Only saw one antique store.  Little specialization.  Every store sells everything.  Lots of touristy museums ($$) and shows ($$) and several tours ($$).  Even an old west mini-golf course.  First time I’ve seen a cowboy shill -inviting all to the next gunfight.  Or a miner shill wanting you to tour his mine.  Lots of locals dressed in boots, jeans, vests, and hats.  Shop people had different hats.  Interesting sign of evolution or progress;  except for the actors, all the holsters we saw had cell phones in them.

Look how wide the street is.

 

Oldest continuous paper in west

Local resident

 

Courthouse

Tombstone taxi

Losers of gunfight at OK Corral

We could not see OK Corral.  It is surrounded by walls.  For a fee we could go in and watch reenactment of gunfight (four times a day).  Judging by the fences around it the corral is quite small.  Not like the movies.  I have seen living rooms twice as large.

This afternoon is a do nothing thing.  Weather is warm but overcast and breezy.  Quite pleasant.