Week Six: Tucson, AZ

This past weekend we celebrated our 30th anniversary. 

Friday

We went to a resort in the area.  On our way to the Resort we were caught in the most massive Monsoon I have ever seen in Arizona.  The rain was just crazy!!  The road turned into a river with cars stalling out mid drive.  We pulled into a parking lot to wait out the brunt of the storm after I got an emergency message on my phone saying not to travel due to the intensity of the storm. 

Once things had settled down we traveled on and saw downed trees and lots of debris left along the roads. 

Steve and I were super excited to be going to this resort for our anniversary but alas…we were less than impressed with the facility. 

We used a “Priceline” deal, and you never really know what you are getting with those, so we knew it was a risk.  The resort was worn down, and outdated to say the least! 

The room was extremely spacious and in it’s finer days top of the line for sure.  But, unfortunately those finer days are over and it was pretty lackluster. 

However, Steve and I were determined to have a great time together.  Regardless of our surroundings.

On arrival we checked out our accommodations and found out the pool was closed due to lightning. 

So, we headed out to stock up on a few breakfast and snack items.  We found a nice Gelato place and had a refreshing peanut butter and chocolate treat! 

Then we came back and just relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

Saturday

On Saturday Steve got a massage and I got a body wrap at the onsite spa. That was very refreshing for both of us. 

We headed to the pool in the afternoon and were delighted with the facilities.  There was a lap pool, a kids pool, a large hot tub, and a beautiful swimming pool. Also on the sight was a pool bar with refreshments, misters, and a splash pad area.  We enjoyed the pool several times over the weekend. 

Steve and I feasted on some delicious Mexican and Chinese food together this weekend. 

Sunday

On Sunday we went on a hike in Sabino Canyon.  The views were amazing!  Sabino Creek flows through and there is a lovely waterfall that was flowing.

You can see some photos and a video of our hike HERE.

One of the most unusual things we saw happened on Sunday evening. 

We were on the balcony in the evening and enjoying the city lights in the distance when we saw a bunch of translucent lights in the sky.  We were watching them and thought maybe they were drones, or lasers, or some sort of disco ball type reflections.  There would be a few and then they would grow to 20+. 

After a while of watching we decided to walk out to where we were seeing this happen.  Once we got closer to the area we could see that these things in the sky seemed to be bats or birds.  I spoke with someone who was also there and they confirmed that there were indeed night birds and bats and were drawn to the area by the lights from the tennis courts. 

The lights were reflecting off the birds and bats and that was the glowing lights we saw in the sky.  There were so many of them!  They were eating the insects that were drawn to the lights. I looked up the bird and it’s called a Lesser Night Hawk. 

Pretty cool!  

Monday

The 4th of July was of a different nature than our normal. 

I was thinking about how certain days are markers for me in the year.  My birthday, Christmas, and the 4th of July, are all days on which I can think back and remember the memories with clarity. 

The 4th of July was always a special day to my family growing up.  We usually had a cookout with relatives, or did something special to commemorate the day.  I recall my dad and my uncle purchasing a lot of fireworks one year and letting them off on our street for the neighborhood to enjoy.  I also remember having to sweep up all the ash from those fireworks too!!

My family went to Cedar Point on the 4th a few times when I was a kid.  Cedar Point is a large amusement park in Ohio with a number of roller coasters.  That was always fun! 

Seeing fireworks has always been important to do on the 4th. 

I remember seeing them on grassy fields, over the ocean off the rocky coast of Maine, from an airplane on my way to India, sitting on the deck or back patio, letting them off ourselves, etc…

The 4th of July this year began by the pool at the resort we were staying at.  It was a peaceful way to start the day. Then we checked out and got brunch.  We picked up some groceries for the week and headed back to “Airy.”

We called a bunch of Verizon stores to see about getting a “hot spot” for internet, as the campgrounds internet is not reliable. 

We eventually found a store that was open and had one in stock and headed that way. 

We decided to switch both our phones to Verizon in order for it to make sense to have the “hot spot,” as it would be a better price if we were on a plan with them. 

We have had Straight Talk and Cricket at our providers, so we felt comfortable with the switch and we would be paying basically the same rates on our phones.  Straight Talk was a bit of a nightmare for Steve to get untangled from and over 2 hours later we walked out of the Verizon store with new plans, a new hot spot, and they upgraded my phone for no cost (just taxes).

So in the end it was all good…but what an ordeal! 

All I can say is Pedro from Verizon was amazing to work with and kept his cool even though Straight Talk was being extremely difficult to work with.

We made it back to “Airy” and sat outside to enjoy the local fireworks around the campground.  It was a lovely evening.

It will be difficult for Steve to head out to his Hospice job tomorrow and me to focus on writing, but we really enjoyed our 30th anniversary weekend together.

The Rest of the Week…

The rest of the week was normal for us…Steve at his Hospice job and me working on writing.  We took walks in the morning and evening, enjoyed conversations with family members, and relaxed with reading, watched some TV, and computer stuff.

This weekend we will be going to Kartchner Caverns.  I will give you the scoop next week.

Blessings Friends!