Odds and Ends from Tucson

We don't seem to take many pictures in the winter unless we are on a hike or someone else is kind enough to take them and share.    Note to self...... take more pictures or everyday life.    Now that we have spent most of 4 winters in Tucson, we have seen the major sights.    This year we have branched out a bit to see some new things.   One example is the Mirror Lab at the U of A.   We took a fascinating tour of the lab with our friends Reve and Susan.    The docent was great and answered an amazing variety of questions.   We got to see the polishing of a 28 foot telescope mirror, a process which takes months.   We also saw how they molded them, moved them within the facility, and transported them to their sites.    

We also are enjoying the lecture series at the U of A.   Last year it was titled "Living Beyond 100".   This year it is "Genomics".   There are six lectures in the series and we are halfway through.    All have been interesting, but some are easier to understand.    The scientists do a good job of simplifying the material for the average person but the detail can be complex.   My main take away so far is that within the next decade humans will have their genome created at birth and that information will be available for their medical care.  We are not like machines with software, instead our genetic code mutates, adapts, and changes to help us live in our environment.   Sometimes what works medically for one person doesn't for another.   For example, medications vary in their side effects based on our genetics. The pandemic lecture was scary and eye opening.   I like that we are stretching our minds in our retirement.   Living in a university town gives us access to great resources.

Scrabble is another way to expand the brain a bit.   On Fridays, we have a fun group of women who play for 2 hours.    This week we expanded our weekly game to include lunch at Tohono Chul Tea Room.   
 
Every day John and I try to get some exercise.    Hiking is our favorite way, especially since John is training for an English Coast to Coast walk in May  with LeAnne and Christine.    We hiked in Tucson Mountain Park with Matt and Madonna and saw this spectacular crested saguaro.   As you can tell the weather has been sunny and lovely blue skies.    But the winter has been colder than normal this year.   We prefer sunny and warm but will be happy with sunny and cold.

One of the fun parts of living at Desert Trails is our feathered friends.  The neighbor has a collection of feeders that means that we have lots of birds.   Mimi loves to sit on the back of the couch and watch.   We call it her "bird TV".  There are cactus wrens, cardinals, road runners, quail, goldfinch, several kinds of hummingbirds, and a pair of resident owls.   You can hear them whoooo-ing most mornings and evenings.   They even pose for pictures.