The healing continues, and so does the packing for home

A blurry wine tasting photo

We are better! Yes, the grueling sickness that Joan and I both were suffering is steadily leaving us. This is one of the worst illnesses that either of us can ever remember having. Two doctor visits and a couple rounds of antibiotics and finally after two full weeks we are pretty much back to normal.

After skipping Palm Sunday services because of the illness we did very little for the next week. We did feel good enough to attend the Wednesday night concert “Motown.” The program was very good and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We also attended the last Market Daze and bought a little gift for a coming shower. I can’t say much more about that because the person who is getting the gift may be a reader of this post.

I also skipped the Tuesday hike to Aspen Grove because I was just not strong enough.

A pleasant outdoor tasting bar

On Thursday (March 24) I attended my final Men’s Bible study which we held at the Voyager Bar and Grill for breakfast. A total of 18 guys (out of the 20 who routinely attended the study) were at the breakfast.

I was starting to feel well enough to borrow a high ladder and get on the roof of the trailer to seal the rubber roof as I do every year.

Of course, I had to endure the constant taunts of folks walking by telling me about the man who fell of the roof of his RV and died several years ago. I appreciate their concern, but I’m going to print up a sign next year that says: “I am aware that a man died falling from the roof of his RV in 2013. Trust me, I do not plan on replicating that feat.”

Chuck and Jane on the Seven Falls trail

The roof and trailer washing was finished on Thursday and then Friday I spent the day waxing the trailer. With an 11-foot high and 33-foot long trailer, that’s a pretty big wax job as you can likely imagine. But the trailer is all shiny and ready to head to its summer storage in Flagstaff.

On Saturday we picked up our friends Barry and Darcel for our annual wine tasting trip. We spent all day Saturday touring the Sonoita wine area in Southern Arizona and added a couple new wineries to the itinerary this year. Joan and I buy a few bottles of wine as a donation to the Family Literacy Center auction which is coming up the end of April.

Sunday was another quiet day around the trailer. On Monday morning I met my friends Chuck and Jane from Fenton, Michigan who are renting a condo in the Sabino Canyon area and a long postponed hike to Seven Falls was finally in motion.

Desert flowers in bloom

Monday night Joan and I went to Meet Me at Maynard’s and enjoyed our final MMM event for this year. We met some friends from the resort at Thunder Canyon Brewery and had a nice dinner. Some of them headed to the Grand Canyon the following day for a hike down to the bottom of the canyon. Not sure how that all worked out yet as they are still there as I write this.

We had a beautiful day to hike and enjoyed a wonderful 8-mile hike into Bear Canyon. The next day, I thought I was going to the final hike in the resort, which is always the Chirachua Mountain hike. Unfortunately, they are doing extensive road work in the park and the hike had to be cancelled at the last minute.

Another trip to Seven Falls

So when I showed up for the Tuesday hike I learned that the planned hike for the day was, wait for it, Seven Falls. So, yes, I did the exact same hike two days in a row, but I had fun with a small group of hikers from the park and the views are always stunning from the falls.

After arriving home I got cleaned up and then Joan and I headed to our last Tuesday night potluck. We were surprised to find so many folks still in the park and potluck as usually the place clears out pretty quickly after Easter.

On Wednesday, I went to the barber shop and had my ears lowered and my beard trimmed for only the second time since I have been here. I was in desperate need of a haircut, but the recent sickness had delayed that important bit of grooming.

My lunch perch view at Seven Falls

We had tickets for the Tucson High School steel drum band for Wednesday night and decided to give it a try. We weren’t expecting much, but boy were we surprised. An energetic group of 18 high schoolers put on a magnificent and high energy show that brought about 500 seniors to their feet dancing and clapping by the end.

We loved the music and the kids and stayed after a few minutes to thank the kids for their performance. We hope they raised plenty of money for their coming invitation trip to play at Disneyland. Jovert is the name of the band and if you happen to come across their concert, go, just go, it’s well worth the time.

So Thursday (today) is Joan’s birthday and after I got up and worked out she opted for a day at the casino. As I don’t enjoy that activity very much, I decided to drop her off and let her play to her heart’s content and picked her up later in the afternoon and then we went to dinner at the resort for her birthday.

Looking back at Seven Falls from the trail

Things are starting to wrap up for the season here in the park. People are pulling out in big numbers every day and they are not being replaced. So things are starting to look a little empty here. We’ll contribute to that emptiness on Monday.

I’m going to try and post again in the next day or two, because I am doing a solo hike tomorrow and it’s one of my favorites, but I’ll tell you (and show you) after I complete it. 

Really hard to believe that another three months in Arizona is over and that it’s time to head back to Michigan. We have some more fun things to do on the way home, not the least of them stops to see both my lovely sisters.