More fun in the desert southwest: Wine and music

A Sonoran sunset

Once again I have been lax in keeping you all up-to-date on our doings. So instead of starting at where we left off, let’s start at today and work backwards for a change.

On Tuesday (March 10) I headed off for another great hike, this time in the Catalina Mountains. The Bug Springs hike is always an adventure as the first part of the hike is nearly straight up gaining about 800 feet in less than a mile. The steps are large and the air thin up in the Catalinas. This is the same hike I took two years ago where snow and ice made the steps extremely treacherous. Not so this year.

The hike is really two hikes. The first part (the up part) transits some beautiful pine forests and the second half is a trek through the hot side of the mountain and a part that was badly scarred by fire several years ago.

Catalina hike vistas

On Monday (March 9) I went on the easy hike which was a return to Empire Ranch, a hike I have done twice before. This is an extremely easy hike but is interesting because it takes place on a ranch where John Wayne shot at least two movies and where he stayed during the filming. The ranch house is rugged but has a lot of history.

After I returned from the hike Joan had done some more laundry and then we got cleaned up and headed to the Monday night “Meet Me at Maynard’s.”  They have a drawing each week and I won a $25 gift certificate to Hotel Congress or Maynard’s Restaurant. When she called my name I could barely believe it as I never win anything.

We are going to save the gift certificate, instead we went to a place called “Fried Pie” which specializes in individual pizzas. Because of my affinity for anchovies an individual pizza is perfect as few people enjoy sharing the taste of anchovies with me.

The homeless are taking over downtown Tucson

The big controversy in Tucson right now is the take over of downtown Tucson by the homeless. Advocates have brought in these wooden "pods," I call them "coffins" for the homeless to sleep in at night. There are shelters in Tucson and a couple organizations that help the homeless but these folks prefer to live on the sidewalk which is causing great consternation here.

A judge recent allowed the city to remove the pods from the sidewalk after several of the advocates were arrested for dealing drugs to the homeless. Stay tuned.

After church this morning (March 8) we returned to our trailer with hopes of watching the last part of the Detroit Red Wings nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox. The one downside of being in Tucson is that I can’t watch my favorite team on a regular basis. So when they are on I enjoy watching them.

A tree on the Monday hike

Church was great this morning and included a special performance by The Presidio Saxophone Quartet. This is a group of four local music educators who play a variety of saxophones and were incredibly good.

Unfortunately by the time we returned from church the Red Wings were losing the game 4-1 and ended up losing the game by a 5-3 margin. Despite the loss it was fun to see the team in action for the first time since New Year’s Eve.

After the game we went shopping and stocked up on food for the week.

A Direct TV blimp flew over our resort

On Saturday (March 7) we did very little. I worked out in the fitness center and returned home and played mule for Joan to the laundromat which was packed with folks as time is drawing short for many folks here most of us like to travel with clean clothes.

We spent the afternoon sitting on our patio reading and then Joan broke out some leftover pork and noodles for dinner. After dinner we went to the Renaissance Dance where we joined some couples from church and Bible study for the evening. Great fun.

Last year we met a nice couple from Idaho – Barry and Darcel. Both were professors at Washington State University and they have a beautiful home in the resort in The Cove development. They have been here for 18 years and until last year had never gone wine tasting in southern Arizona. We introduced them to the wine country and when we first saw them this year in January they put in a bid to repeat the trip this year.

Darcel, Joan and Barry at Lightning Ridge Winery

As a testimony to how busy it gets here, we have been trying to find a common date for the wine tasting for two months and things fell together for the trip on Friday (March 6). Last year we went on a Tuesday or Wednesday when a number of the wineries are closed, but this year we were able to tour any of the wineries as they are all open on Friday.

We ended up visiting five wineries and only one was a repeat from last year. As a non-drinker I end up as the designated driver and somewhere along the line Darcel befriended another couple from Washington and they followed us in their truck to the last two wineries. We also talked up Voyager RV Resort and they are going to check it out for a possible stay here next year.

Hiking Ventana Canyon

After Joan, Barry and Darcel drank their way across southern Arizona we returned home in time for Joan and I to head to the resort theater company’s production of “Guys and Dolls.”  We have some very talented folks in the park and we really enjoyed the hard work put in by the cast.

Thursday (March 5) started with the fitness center, the Bible study and then Joan and I attended a 1 p.m. lecture on The Amerind Museum in Dragoon, Arizona. The Amerind is a center for Native American crafts and is a destination that we may have to try someday when we are looking for something different to do. I will be leading the Bible study in James next Thursday.

After the lecture we drove to one of those “Great Clips” places and took advantage of a 2-for-1 $10 haircut special. There were several little boys getting haircuts so I just got me a little boy’s haircut.

We returned home and had breakfast for dinner.

Wood carvings at the show

Wednesday (March 4) was an exciting day for me because I had my first wood carving entered in the “Show and Tell” show in the ballroom. There were lots of beautiful projects from around the park, including lapidary, wood working, wood carving, silversmith, quilts, stained glass, jewelry, scrapbooking and Joan made arrangements to take a class next year on Swedish weaving. There are many more activities here, but you get the idea.

I would put a photo of my project here, but it is a surprise present for a relative and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Sorry for the tease.

That night the ballroom was transformed into a show theater again and we attended “Blue, Blues and Boogie Woogie.”  Once again we were not disappointed by another quality show here at the resort and I’m going to put a couple links here to recordings by the keyboardist, singer and harmonica player so you can get a hint at how good they were.

Stainglass class offerings at "Show and Tell"

It is really fun to attend a concert every week and simply walk three minutes home afterwards.

Tuesday (March 3) broke early and cool with a wonderful hike in Ventana Canyon. This is a hike I have done twice before, but this year there was more water than ever before owing to the recent rains. Our lunch spot at the pools was very enjoyable as the pools were full.

Once I arrived home I cleaned up and we headed off to the weekly potluck. Joan cooked up a great beef stew and returned with an empty pot.

The previous three days were fairly quiet, except for attending the Albert Galli dance and dancing the night away, if you can call dancing until 10 p.m. “dancing the night away.” Somewhere in there we went shopping, but mostly we just rested from our wonderful and fun-filled days with Pam and Gloria.

We did attend the "Do Dah" Parade and also "Voyager Night at the Races" on Friday afternoon and evening. Voyager Night at the Races is just Pinewood Derby for seniors. Many of the car designs are very unique and you can see photos from the parade and races in the post below along with a few other miscellaneous photos.