New Year's Day 2008

January 1, 2008
New Year’s Day

Traveling west on I-10, the pavement here is smooth and dark, and great for writing. We left the campground this morning just before 9am and had some fun conversation about the old days when I used to do the show circuit selling flowers. Talking about the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, the biggest in the world with Wes and Gayle last night was interesting. They were traveling in Holland last summer and Gayle wanted a very special gemstone ring that would commemorate her visit there, and found out after buying it that the owner of the little shop in Holland had purchased it at the Tucson show. Funny. Told Mo the story of the people at the quartzite show so many years ago when I was selling flowers there who were selling rv vents for 10 bucks each and making way more money than I was with all my fancy stuff. We laughed about “plastic sunglasses” and how easy it seems to have some little inexpensive thing to sell while you are traveling, but of course it never is as easy as it looks. Then we talked about having a little tent and I could do tarot readings. Once long ago I thought that might be fun, but I would definitely have to get my mind and soul back into a different place than I have been of late.

Yesterday was fun as we looked up two different sets of friends that Mo had in Tucson. The first people, Joe and Joan, have been friends with Mo since she and Carol lived in Monterra in the 70’s, and were actually married at the ranch there. They lived in a typical Arizona country club, with winding streets and generic houses that went on for a long way, but their home inside was lovely and their xerixcaped gardens were great. They have only lived there for a little more than 2 years, moving from Grass Valley in California and they loved it. We visited with them at their home for a time before going to Wes and Gayle’s home just a few miles away in the same area. Gayle called while we were traveling and suggested that we all come there for dinner instead of trying to go to a restaurant. She said, “I’ll just throw something in a pot, so it’s not a bit of trouble.” Mo had thought that it might be nice for the two couples to meet, but till now that hadn’t actually happened.

Wes and Gayle are Mo’s next door summer neighbors back in Rocky Point, but they are only there for 3 or 4 months a year and then come back to Arizona for the rest of the time, especially the winter. They had a truly lovely home on an acre or so along a typical Arizona arroyo with palo verde trees and cactus all around. The home was like something out of Sunset magazine showing contemporary desert living, with a barbeque patio that rivaled most kitchens I have seen, a big southwest style outdoor fireplace/over, with adobe walls and a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall was very similar to the one at Joe and Joan’s home, so I guess it’s the thing to do in the desert when you have no grass, you need some kind of water here and there.

The inside of the home was every bit as memorable with all the southwest décor that is so open and full of light. There were big windows with views on three sides of the mountain ranges around Tucson and we watched the sunset while eating some kind of incredible appetizers made with corn tortillas, shrimp, avocado and cilantro with a great pepper kick. Gayle also made lovely Cosmopolitans, which were new to me and a surprise as well since I didn’t think I liked vodka at all. Could do that again!

From appetizers in the living room we ambled to the dining room for a meal that was surely more than “something in a pot”. We had some kind of famous southwest chicken soup called “posole” that had hominy in it, but it wasn’t anything like the hominy I remember because this was really really good. They also served corn salsa, and green corn tamales that they brought back from Puerto Vallarta, beef tamales, and chicken enchiladas. After dinner she brought out the liqueurs with desserts and a can of whipped cream which made us all laugh. It was fun.

It was nice that everyone had a chance to get to know each other and I got to know Wes and Gayle a bit better so that when I get back to Rocky Point and they are there it will be fun. Gayle likes to walk and to play “hand and foot” so that’s a good start. Although her heart is here in Tucson so they may not be going back to Rocky Point many more times.

Mo and I were worn out and not up to the New Year’s party thing so we left around 10 and traveled back to the rv park and slept right through the whole thing. I put the tv on the channel where the ball was supposed to fall and don’t remember another thing. LOL

We stayed at a park called Cactus Country RV, which was just off I-10 near Houghton Road east of Tucson. It was a great choice, with really friendly staff, and in spite of being very nearly full, it was incredibly quiet. Maybe it was the direction of the desert wind, but I never heard a sound from the freeway that was about ½ miles south of us. Also, they have the night lighting restrictions in place in this part of Arizona as well and the sky was dark and brilliant with stars since the moon is in it’s waning phase and wasn’t up yet.

It’s interesting to see how we are treated in different parks. Most of the parks are geared to wintering snowbirds with lots of activities and amenities for long term stays. As a result, short timers or overnighters aren’t treated as well now and then. In this park, though, there was none of that, and I would definitely go back and stay here if traveling through Tucson, and if visiting would choose this one as a home base.

Coming up to the interchange between I-10 and I-8 shortly and in the west it looks as though there is a lot of dust. It was windy this morning as the sun rose, windy in that desert coyote way that I love, but a bit worrying for driving the rig, but so far it hasn’t been a problem. I do remember that often around Quartzite this time of year they have wind advisories and make the big rigs get off the roads. So this is the Phoenix bypass route we are taking and the wind and dust now are getting fairly serious. Who knows why rv’rs go to Quartzite, it’s big and flat and full of people, and it’s hard to imagine what draws so many there. It’s just a “thing” I guess, and everyone with an rv needs to see it at least once, so off we go.