#50 ARIZONA

Hip Hip Hurray!!!! This is number fifty!!! My final state in the year long odyssey was Arizona. John accompanied me, completing his 28th state visit with me this year. Below is his narrative of our journey to the Grand Canyon State:

Sunday December 7, 2008

Place: SFO to PHX then Peoria and Scottsdale

Remarks: Elaine and I left home at 7 AM and left the truck at Park SFO. We boarded Southwest Airline 737 on time but due to leaking fuel in starboard engine, we were kept on the ground nearly an hour until maintenance could repair the problem. We took off and flew over the Pacific Ocean reentering the coast with a clear view of the Monterey peninsula on the right side of the aircraft where we sat. We were given plenty of snacks and drinks due to the delay. Of all our flights this year, this delay was the least possible disruption for us with no connection at our first and only destination. The plane will continue on to Buffalo. We picked up National rental car and drove straight away to Peoria to visit cousin Joanne. We met Jasper, her newly acquired long hair Chihuahua, a very cute, non yippy little dog pictured below. We went out to lunch at Dillon’s, a barbeque local favorite and it was very good. Afterward we walked her neighborhood with Jasper and enjoyed the Christmas decorations on most homes. After taking a few pictures of the two of them, we said goodbye and drove to Scottsdale to check into the Hampton Inn.

Monday December 8, 2008

Place: Scottsdale and Tucson

Remarks: We checked out at 8:30 and headed for a tour of the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright for the last 22 years of his life (1867 – 1959) called Taliesin West. Ben, our tour guide for 90 minutes, was wonderful and both Elaine and I enjoyed the history and the sights. We headed south down highway 101 through Tempe and Chandler and farther south down I 10 to Casa Grande where we ate a Mexican lunch at Café De Manuel. Farther south, we stopped at Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch where Elaine bought some feathers but we did not go beyond the gift shop. We checked the North Tucson Hampton Inn, called our friend Bob, and waited for him to pick us up at 4:30. We greeted warmly and drove to El Charro bar and restaurant for chatter while waiting for Mercy to join us. This is the oldest Mexican restaurant in Tucson and Mercy told us how she remembers her folks taking her there when she was a child. We had a great visit as evidenced below. We talked of other things present, past, and future. After dinner, we drove through the enormous campus of the University of Arizona where Mercy works and she pointed out the sights.

Wednesday December 9, 2008

Place: Tucson to Phoenix and on to SFO

Remarks: Up and out at 8:30 we drove west over Gates Pass to “Old Tucson” a fake town built in 1939 for movie making. There was an entry fee but the pseudo “western town” was not yet open. We drove to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and though the entry fee was $13 per person, we had not the time to spend there. We drove through a camping area but did not go west enough to see Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mtn District) but on our way back, stopped at Safari International Wild Animal Park. The fee there was only $7 per person but we had a flight to catch so could not spare the time. However, we were glad to have taken this excursion through a forest of cactus at the suggestion of Mercy. We rolled up I 10, returned the rental Pontiac, and checked in for our flight an hour early. We finished eating our dinner from last night and the hour wait passed quickly. We flew away on time aboard Southwest 737 and arrived SFO nearly twenty minutes early. We were saying hello to kitty Rusalka by 4 PM.

Elaine is a cactus & John is a rock

...

OK, I realize some may think its awful song but I had to go with Arizona by Mark Lindsay: I think it’s terrific:

Arizona take off your rainbow shades

Arizona have another look at the world

Arizona cut off your Indian braids

Arizona why dontcha go my way

Strip off your pride your acting like a teeny-bopper run away shy

Strip off the paint from the face of a little child saint

Arizona take off your hobo shoes

Arizona why dontcha go my way

Confess, you’re belting out the chorus as you read it, aren’t you?

My Arizona book selection is courtesy 50 States of Literature By Melanie Jones. She chose The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and introduced the selection:

“Barbara Kingsolver, of The Poisonwood Bible fame, wrote The Bean Trees about finding salvation in an ostensibly barren situation—appropriately, this low-key debut novel is set in Arizona. Taylor Greer leaves rural Kentucky to find adventure out west, and by the time she hits Tucson, she’s achieved it, having mysteriously “inherited” a Native American toddler named Turtle. Taylor becomes involved with a sanctuary for Central American refugees run by Mattie, owner of “Jesus Is Lord Used Tires,” and soon finds herself struggling to understand the conflicts she must face head-on, from immigration and divorce to her newfound daughter’s unknown past. Kingsolver, as she does in all her novels, balances heady topics with quick-witted dialogue and her ever-present wry humor. “

So ends a fabulous year of travel! Thank you to all of you who helped me meet my goal.

Happy New Year!!!!