Bobcats, coughs and lots of fun

Joan at MMM

Yeah, I know it’s been awhile. Sorry. There’s a lot going on here and it’s not all good. When we last left off Joan was receiving treatment for an eye infection. Just when that was getting better it was time for me to make my annual trip to Urgent Care, this time for a cough that wouldn’t go away.

Tuesday hike

Well two weeks into that treatment and the cough continues to hang on. The nurse practitioner at the Urgent Care said I had some kind of virus (well, duh) and that it would get better in a week. Well that was 10 days ago and I’m still hacking. It hasn’t kept me from all of our activities but it is annoying nonetheless.

A couple of Meet Me at Maynard's have come and gone we continue to work our way to our 50 MMM pins. We have the t-shirt that you get for 8 MMMs and the hat you get for 15 appearances. I think we are about 32 MMMs now.

We have seen two great shows since last I wrote. “Good Rockin Live” was a show about Sun Records and some of our favorite local musicians and singers were involved in that show. They did a great job covering songs by Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, just to mention a couple of them.

My Bobcat buddy

This past Wednesday was William Florian, a former lead singer for The New Christy Minstrels, brought his great voice and folk music to the Voyager stage. His show is very audience-centered and he encouraged us all to sing along with all those great Peter, Paul and Mary songs as well as many others. We have seen him here before and I’d really like to book him for a Family Literacy Center fund raiser in Lapeer.

Friday night we attended the dinner show in the ballroom. The entertainment was The Sonoran Dogs, a group named after a spicy local hot dog, and again it was very good. The group, not necessarily the hot dog. If you want a sample go to You Tube and search for “Alice in Nogales.” A funny, but catchy tune that I always enjoy. The Sonoran Dogs have been here before. They have a great blue grass sound and the evening was wonderful.

Off on my own hike

I’ve been on a number of hikes in the past two weeks, including an easy hike at Sweetwater Park where we encountered a wild, but very calm Bobcat. I’ll post a photo here so you can see how close he came to us. Our group of five simply stood still and he walked up and by us.

For a point of clarification, when I hike with others I wear my good hiking shirts, you know the plain ones. When I go off into the wilderness on my own I wear a loud Hawaiian shirt so the rescue helicopter will be able to more easily spot me.

As per my son Tim I am working on making my "selfies" have more smiles than frowns. How am I doin?

Hoping that Joan might experience the Bobcat she and I returned to Sweetwater a few days later, but no Bobcat, but we did get a close up look at a Roadrunner. The guy was hiding in the bushes and was well camouflaged. When I started taking photos of him he moved off.

Roadrunner in the brush

I do need to stop and make a couple of observations. One involved one of the entertainment nights. We had taken our seats (we have the same seats for every show) and I looked around and noticed all the grey heads surrounding us.

I looked over to Joan and whispered, “What are we doing here with all these old people.” That observation was tempered by the stark feeling I had when I saw my new age (as of last month) written on the doctor’s sheet during my visit to Urgent Care.  Patient age: 70. And there is was, the first time I had seen my new age listed on any form. It kind of sunk in for a minute that I had made this new mile marker in my life.

Or in other words, “Where did 70 years go?”

Roadrunner escaping

Despite my cough and illness I have had a couple really good hikes recently with, and without the Voyager hiking group. One of them was in the Tucson Mountains. It was supposed to be a hike called “The Golden Gate Loop” trail. Unfortunately our leader made a wrong turn and we ended up on the Dave Yetman Trail, which is a beautiful hike, but not a loop.

So I went back alone on Friday and found the right trail and did the Golden Gate Trail by myself under a clear, warm Tucson sky.

Me on the mountain

This past Tuesday I went on a hike in the Rincon Mountains and we did a trail called La Milagroso Trail. Again we made a wrong turn and ended up on a trail on the opposite side of the canyon we were supposed to be on. Still it was a great hike and I’m going to go back at some point and do the trail we were supposed to do.

Joan has continued to make beautiful jewelry and I’ll post those photos here as well. She has quite a knack for making and then assembling the jewelry. We will no doubt pick up a few beads and trinkets at the coming Gem Show here in Tucson next month.

Our Tuesday hiking group on La Milagroso Trail

The Two’s Company group that was here for New Year’s Eve was back a week ago for another dance. One of the wonderful things about being here is they have a dance just about every week.

We also had our first “Market Daze” here at the resort and we bought a good supply of some homemade greeting cards, because the nice lady who has made them all the years we have been here is at a point in her life where she can’t do it anymore.

In fact that is one of the sad things about coming back here each year. As wonderful as it is to come and see our old friends, it is equally sad to return each year and find out that some of our friends are not coming back either because of health or that they have died since the last season.

Rain in the desert

This week alone we had two memorial services for two of our resort friends and there is another scheduled next Saturday for another.  In addition, the man who taught me wood carving four years ago took a fall off a ladder in Michigan and he and his wife are in assisted living care back in Michigan. They sold their home here.

Another couple we have come to know very well is a Canadian couple who always rent the casita right across from our space. We hadn’t seen them (they are always here when we arrive) and then learned from a mutual friend in the park that they had a serious accident on the way here and returned to Canada. They may or may not return next year.

Another couple (I wrote about them several years ago because they went with us to see the Sand Hill cranes) are not returning because their son tragically died in the spring last year. They are also selling their home in the resort.

Joan's latest creations

We have another couple we really enjoy spending time with but they are not here this year for a happier reason, they are on an around the world cruise on the maiden voyage of a new Viking Cruise liner. We hope to see them next year.

I know that this is all part of the circle of life, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Bonus hike photo

And because I’m in an observing mood these days, let me just say that as much as I am amused by the weather folks and the over the top panic in Michigan, it is worse in Tucson. We’ve had a couple days where there was the threat of rain and cold (when they talk cold here they mean daytime highs in the high 50s and low 60s).

But it’s the rain they go bonkers over. “Valley rain and mountain snow tomorrow.” And we got a little, but they still go crazy over a ¼-inch of rain and a couple inches of snow in the mountains is ridiculous.

Also during this period my wonderful sister-in-law Diane sent us a care package of my favorite soup - Andersen's Split Pea soup from Buellton, California. She apparently remembered me talking about the soup during a discussion about things to to around Santa Barbara and she sent me some. That's a great thing!

I'll really try to be a little more prompt with future postings.

A trip to Urgent Care highlights first full week in Arizona

One week in and we’ve already made our first trip to Urgent Care, but this time it was for Joan and not me. A couple years ago it was my ticker and shortness of breath that ate up a couple days in the hospital – for nothing as it turned out, but this time Joan has caught a nasty eye infection.

Eating out, Arizona style

Not sure where she contracted it, but she looks miserable with her swollen and red eyes. After a trip to the urgent care we made separate trips to two Walgreen’s until we found one that had the prescription salve she needed to clear up her eyes. The issue will keep her out of the pool for a couple days anyway.

Before Joan’s eyes went all crimson on us we enjoyed the Wednesday concert in the ballroom – To Ella With Love – a tribute to the talented Ella Fitzgerald. Crystal Stark – a popular local singer and American Idol finalist was the star of the show. The band wasn’t bad either.

Here’s a little story about Ella Fitzgerald – and me – that y’all probably didn’t know. Back in my days with the Atherton Police Department I used to work special details and one of the more memorable ones (I actually had a few memorable ones, including Shirley Temple Black, Mayor John Lindsay, Senator Ted Kennedy, to name drop a few) was an afterglow for a Boston Pops concert at Stanford University.

Joan's newest creations

Arthur Fiedler, the incomparable leader of the Boston Pops, brought his show to Stanford and Ella Fitzgerald with him. At the close of the show he and Ella were to come to a party at a mansion in Atherton where I worked. The host of the party gave specific instructions to only let the cars bringing Ella and Arthur into the driveway.

“Everyone else parks on the street,” were the instructions. So me, and two other officers providing security waited at the driveway entrance directing cars to on street parking. Finally a large black limousine came down the road and it was the vehicle carrying Ella Fitzgerald and it was directed into the driveway. At some point a small Toyota must have pulled up and without recognizing its very famous passenger it was sent to park down the road with the rest of the party goers.

A few minutes later here came the driver and his famous passenger, Arthur Fiedler, walking up the street. We were very apologetic, but Fiedler was gracious and understanding and told us he enjoyed the walk. That’s my one and only brush with Ella Fitzgerald – and Arthur Fiedler.

On Thursday, I had my first Men’s Bible study, Joan went to her Aquacize class (pre-eye infection) and then she walked the park. We were supposed to get a propane delivery, but when the truck arrived he declined to put gas in our tanks because they “expired” in July 2017. Fortunately we had gas in reserve, but now I had to deal with “expired” tanks. More on that later.

We went shopping at the newly remodeled and expanded Walmart near our park. They have all the sugar free items we need for our diet so we will likely be shopping there in the future. I also got the car washed and the gas tank filled. Plus, we returned a Christmas present I bought for Joan – an accessory for her Kitchen Aide blender – at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I purchased the item (which was too large for her Kitchen Aide) for a small one and they made the exchange even though I purchased the item in Flint, Michigan.

Cannabis Doctor sign spinner

We also passed a truly energetic sign spinner on our way home. The guy – a Frank Zappa lookalike – and obviously a refugee from the Haight Ashbury district of 1968 was wildly spinning and throwing a sign that advertised “Cannabis Doctor.” It appeared he had been testing some of the doctor’s medicine. Unfortunately a van blocked my attempt at a photo of him, but I did capture the sign.

So lots of chores completed on Thursday. Because of the very nice weather we ate outside on our picnic table.

Friday dawned with me heading to O’Reilly Chevrolet to check on why my “check engine” light keeps coming on in the Tahoe. Turns out it is a minor issue with some government mandated emission device and nothing I need to deal with during my time here. I did have them do an oil change so the trip wasn’t entirely worthless.

I stopped to price new propane tanks for the trailer, but before purchasing two $85 tanks I went to the Internet and discovered that a local company will recertify old tanks for an additional 5 years for $12.50 a tank. A $25 recertification sounded so much better than a $170 tank purchase, so while Joan went to her polymer clay jewelry class I made a short trip to Barnett’s Propane and got my tanks recertified and topped off.

Joan’s eye continued to get worse so after dinner we made the trip to Urgent Care so she could get medicine for her eye.

On Saturday morning I was up early to help set up tables and chairs for the donut and coffee gathering in the ballroom and then I worked out for an hour in the fitness center before returning to the ballroom to clean up the tables and chairs.

For dogs that can read

The head of security at the resort pointed out that the biggest area of concern in the park right now is dogs – both the noise and emissions they make. Apparently dog owners have not all been complying with rules about noise and emissions.

At least one owner believes that dogs can read as you can see by the accompanying photo.

“What we have here right now is a dog park that includes humans,” the security man said. Now you are up to date….

Mountain lions and Bingo, all in day's rest

Happy New Year! We welcomed in the new year in the Voyager ballroom to the tunes of “Two’s Company” a local duet that appears here at least once a month during the winter.

Joan at Meet Me at Maynard's

The night was not without its drama though. One of the party goers, who had obviously partied a little too much, somehow went to his knees on purpose during a song just before the midnight countdown. The tipsy man was apparently reacting to lyrics in the song that indicated being on a knee or knees.

Anyway, once he was down on his knees he then had to get up. I watched this whole horror in slow motion as he worked himself up to a crouch and then stumbled two or three steps backwards finally losing his balance and going over backwards striking his bald head very hard on the seat of a folding chair.

Meet at Maynard's scenery

Then he hit the hardwood floor with a thud and blood started draining out of a cut on the back of his head.  A number of people immediately went to his aid, including a retired nurse and he laid on the floor for a few minutes and then a couple men lifted him into a chair where the nurse applied a bandage to his head.

The musical duet never missed a beat and the midnight countdown went on without any further distractions.

It did get me to thinking that we have seen death come in many forms at the resort. According to a number of folks, a man plunged to his death while cleaning the top of his trailer a few years ago. A fact I know because I am reminded of it by every passing resident when I am on the roof of my trailer cleaning it.

Another man died while playing pickleball (a very popular sport that roughly looks like tennis and ping pong) but that was attributed to a heart condition. I nearly got killed by a senior citizen driving a speeding golf cart through a stop sign. So it would not have completely surprised me to have a “death by dancing” incident. Fortunately, the man is probably walking up with a massive hangover 

combined with a concussion this morning. Not a great way to start the New Year’s.

On the patio at Meet Me at Maynard's Super Moon in the back

On Sunday we went to church after I started my exercise regimen at the resort fitness center. I also reconnected with the table and chair committee and have already helped tear down church, set up the New Year’s party and then stayed late to tear down the tables and chairs after the party was over. 

Next up the Ella Fitzgerald tribute concert on Wednesday.

After church Joan and I went shopping to fill the cupboards and then returned to the resort to watch NFL football. The Lions pulled out a meaningless victory over the Packers on Sunday. This team is so frustrating. They win the games that don’t matter and lose the games that mean everything.

Seven Falls selfie

In addition to watching football, Joan did our travel laundry while I made up some burgers and bacon and cut up some fruit for a snack to pass at the New Year’s party. The weather has been outstanding since we’ve been here with much of the same predicted at least a week into the future.

One sad thing about Arizona is that you know you are here because you immediately notice one or more homeless people on nearly every major intersection seeking help. Probably a function of the good weather than keeps them here.

Now here’s an observation I made in Fort Smith (or Port Smith as Joan calls it). We spotted a story called “Sofa City.” Over the years I have see a number of businesses who use the “City” as a formal business name.

That is just stupid. If you can’t come up with a better name than that, you should not be in business. I’m sure somewhere there is a “Car City” or a “Taco City” but just stop it. It’s dumb.

New Year’s Day (today) will be a time of football and then Meet Me at Maynard’s tonight.

So we went to Meet Me at Maynard’s and continued our Monday tradition when we are here. We walked our two miles, returned to the courtyard. We failed to win any prizes and then had dinner at Fired Pie, a custom pizza and salad place we really like. It would have been better if we had won a gift certificate to go there.

After returning home we watch Alabama dismantle Clemson and then went to bed.

A very small amount of water at the base of the falls

The Tuesday hiking group was off because of the holiday (not sure what holiday Jan. 2 is, but they were not hiking today) so I went alone to Sabino Canyon and did the Seven Falls hike. This is a good starter hike for the season as it is an 8.2-mile out and back hike with just a 1,000-foot elevation.

Because of a lack of rain and snow, the falls at Seven Falls was more like Seven Trickles. Last year we couldn't even hike this trail until March because of high water. There is almost no water right now.

On the trail with my new hat

Coming from Michigan I need a week or so to acclimate to the altitude and climbing so this was a perfect chance to do that. Although Joan doesn’t like it, I love hiking alone sometimes because it gives me a chance to have a little solitude and enjoy nature.

A volunteer at the park told me that a mountain lion had recently been spotted in the canyon, so that added an element of adventure to the hike. I figure with tasty Big Horn sheep in plentiful supply the mountain lions would probably not bother with an old man.

While I was off playing in the mountains Joan was at her Aquafit class and she spent some time walking through the park for exercise. We live and eat healthier down here for sure.

At 5 p.m. we attended our first Tuesday potluck dinner and caught up with a number of our friends from previous stays here. Joan then stayed and played Bingo until 9 p.m. and was about as successful at winning there as she is at the casino. She was only out a couple bucks so no big deal.