Agua Caliente County Park in NE Tucson

Water is everything when you live in the desert.    At Agua Caliente County Park you can spend a day in a true desert oasis.    The park has hot springs that create wonderful pools surrounded by multiple species of palms.   The palms are not native but they were planted in the 1880s and have reseeded so there are hundreds and they are huge.    The park was originally a ranch and at times a resort.   The ranch house, cowboy bunk house, and the rose cottage are still there.    The ranch house is open for visitors with lots of pictures of the ranch at various times in its history.   I especially enjoyed the ones from the 50s.   A room is dedicated as an art gallery with new shows every 4-6 weeks.   The history is fascinating.   We enjoyed an hour long historical tour with a docent that lived nearby and told great stories of the area, the ranch, and the plants.   They even have a 200+ year old mesquite tree.   Definitely worth a visit if you are in Tucson.

The Snowbird Life

Now that the holidays are over, life for a snowbird settles in just like the working world.    Our holidays were very subdued this year.   The day before Thanksgiving I ended up having a tooth extraction which kind of spoiled the best day of eating all year.   Then at Christmas I ended up with a virus which was marginally better before the bronchitis I had at New Years.   Good thing we had a fantastic late Thanksgiving, early Christmas in Mexico.   After almost a month, I am finally getting back to normal.    

Normal in the Desert Trails world is a very busy, very fun life.   John and I manage to get in exercise most days.   Biking group is on Monday.   Exercise class is Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday.    A hike in the desert is about 20 steps out the door and there is almost always someone to walk and talk with.    The park has a couple dances every month and for us oldies that can be serious exercise.  Our part time job takes up several hours per week.   But that still leaves lots of time for scrabble, writers group, travel club, and exploring Tucson and the area.    This year was a great year for movies so we have been working our way through the award nominations.

We have fun circle of friends and laugh about trying to get our calendars coordinated to go out to eat or play some cards or explore.    Like most retirees we don't know how we had time to work.      I am looking forward to some volunteering.   My friend Kirsten and I just signed up to work at the Festival of Books again this year.    If anyone is thinking about visiting Tucson, keep March 9 and 10 in mind.   The festival is great for all ages.    There are usually around 300 authors attending and some are very well known.    We are volunteering in Science City this year, an area that we didn't spend much time last year.   Should be interesting.

You might be surprised at the weather we are having right now.    The next several days are expected to be in the 40s for highs and mid-20s for lows.    Almost like the north country but here the sun shines and somehow that makes a huge difference.   If you bundle up and the wind isn't blowing a hike is great.    We are a little too wimpy for biking in 40 degrees but that is our problem isn't it.     And the sunsets are just as beautiful when the weather is cold.

LIFE IS GOOD!

An Amazing Christmas Present

This year I figured my Christmas present was our trip to San Jose Del Cabo with the kids and Isabelle.   And it was a fabulous Christmas present.    I didn't need another thing.   As it turned out John and I had an abundance of riches this year with lovely gifts of wine, coffee, a beautiful coach bag, and other treats.   One gift took me by surprise and amazed me.   It was a hard bound book of the last three years of this blog.    All my musings and photos are preserved in a book that I can leaf through and also that will be around to share with the family in years to come.   I am hoping that the grandkids and hopefully someday great grandkids might have fun seeing how Grandpa and Nana set off an adventure in their retirement.     The best part of all was the inscription:

"Dedicated to my mom who inspires me to live a life full of adventure, love, and community"

What Mom wouldn't break down and sob when reading something so touching?  Shannon I'm not sure you appreciate what a gift this was.    I will never forget it.   Thank you darling.

Happy Holidays in San Jose del Cabo

We are spending the holidays at Desert Trails this year so we needed to figure out how to celebrate with the family.    Rather than meeting in the rainy cold northwest, Shannon, Christian, Isabelle, Erik and Jenn flew to San Jose Del Cabo and met us for a week of sun, pool, beach, good food, relaxing, and lots of family time.    It was fabulous!    We stayed at a gorgeous 2400 SQ FT condo with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths.    Plenty of room for everyone and we all did what we enjoyed.    We relaxed over coffee and breakfast until it was warm enough to hit the pool or beach or just explore the area.    Isabelle was the entertainment for the week.   She is 20 months and at a great age where everything is "yes!"   Fortunately, because soon she will likely be moving into the twos when everything is "no!".    She was a little fish with her floaties on at the pool.   At the beach, she was at a run from the minute her feet hit the sand.    She loved to jump the waves with Nana; one, two, three, JUMP!   The weather was a perfect sunny and 80 and the sunsets were beautiful.   Amazingly fun time.

 Our last day, the kids had fun opening their 'stockings' and in the evening we had a Mexican souvenir gift exchange with lots of present stealing going on.   Christian, I still want those pottery chili peppers ;-))    Oh, I wish we were back there.......

  

Last Stop Lost Dutchman, then Back at Desert Trails

We had such a good trip down to Arizona that we decided to spend a couple more days on the road and stopped at Lost Dutchman State Park near Apache Junction.   The camp sites there are terrific and the hiking is pretty and just our speed.    The view from our window was amazing.

 After a leisurely trip down to Tucson we arrived at Desert Trails on October 25th.   This year we have a part time job at the park, hosting the entertainment and opening the public buildings.     It's fun meeting the entertainers, making sure they have the lighting and equipment they need and greeting people as they come in.    We arrived a couple days early to get set up and cleaned up after a month on the road.   And best of all, catching up with friends here at the park.

Tucson has a unique celebration in early November for the Day of the Dead; the latino tradition of remembering and honoring those that have died.   It seems like the entire city turns out for music, dance, and a parade.   John and I went with friends Bev, Pam and Gary to watch. It was so much fun that next year I want to participate.    At the parade we saw Reeve and Susan from DT all dressed for the occasion.

 

The Mogollon Rim, Canyon Point Campgroud

Canyon Point Campground on the Mogollon Rim is a favorite of ours.    It is southeast of Flagstaff at 7700 feet elevation with pine and aspen trees and some spectacular views off the rim.     This time of year the aspens glow gold and when the wind blows they quake.    The sites in the cg are huge and very private.    Just electric for hookups but that's all we need for 3 days.     A short drive away is the rim trail that is several miles of paved path along the rim.   Another path goes back into the pines to Woods Canyon Lake.    The path made for a great bike ride although the area along the rim was a bit scary.    I like walking the rim and looking down several thousand feet when I am on 2 legs not 2 wheels.    There are tons of great hikes in the area and a ranger station with good information.   This is a great place to kick back relax, hike, bike, read, and eat at Casa Ramos (great Mexican food nearby).  

Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River way below

The drive from Kanab into Arizona crosses the Glen Canyon Dam.   We had stopped at the terrific dinosaur museum before but not at the Visitor Center for the Dam.   Nice exhibits and movies plus great views of the dam and the Colorado River way below the top of the dam.   This area is covered with archaeological sites and many dinosaur skeletons have been uncovered.