This and That Before We're Outta Here

 March 6 - April 5, 2021

Tombstone, Arizona

Another month behind us, and we've gone from a little more snow to temps in the 90's! And lots, and lots of wind :-(  Spring in the desert is definitely a mixed bag. Sadly we've had only one decent rain (came with the snow) since December, so we are scary dry.

You know it hasn't been an especially exciting time when I lead with the weather.......but there have been some fun highlights over the last few weeks.

Rebecca (our friends from Olympia here locally for the winter) and I have a great day visiting the Amerind Museum. No photos inside and I've posted several from the surrounding area in past posts so none this time. 

The new exhibit, Parched: The Art of Water in the Southwest, is a variety of mediums expressing the personal experiences of eight Arizona-based artists. The video is very detailed, and is a must-see before enjoying the exhibit itself. I'm glad it will still be here this winter so I can return to see it again. 

From the museum's website, a partial section of the new exhibit. 

We wrap up our day with a real treat: inside-a-Mexican-restaurant-meal! Magaly's in Benson is very tasty with great service. Social distancing and all masks make it an even better experience. 

It's encouraging to see the number of our friends and family getting vaccinated here in Arizona and around the country. I join the club on March 16 with the single dose Jansen in the little border town of Douglas, Arizona. Although not a drive-through like Bill's, this little clinic moves a lot of people quickly through the process. No ID or residency check, they have all the information from the online registration and believe you're who you say you are. Getting everyone vaccinated is the goal.

Slightly sore arm for a couple days, and a mild headache the second night, and I'm feeling very excited at the prospect of returning to a normal life! It is truly amazing the psychological effect of just getting that poke in the arm and that little white card (they couldn't have made them credit card sized?) in my hand!!

My two week waiting period ends on April 1, the same day Bill receives his second Moderna shot in Bisbee. Unlike his first shot with a single line of only a few cars, they're moving three lanes of cars through three shot stations - getting hundreds of first and second shots dispensed. Bill's waiting period ends the day we hit the road so we're both feeling very good about our timing.

An old self-serve car wash makes the perfect spot to set up three shot stations. Upbeat volunteers and music playing validate the feeling of celebration - we're way ahead of schedule for getting everyone vaccinated in the US.

We'll continue to mask in public until the CDC confirms we've crossed the threshold, but most everyone we'll be visiting, including our kids, will have at least their first shots when we visit. I can actually see some hugs in our future :-)))

The Bisbee Breakfast Club in the little "town" of Lowell is always a good idea, and with spaced tables, mandatory masks, and single use menus we enjoy their always delicious breakfasts. With a short wait to be seated, I stroll vintage Erie Street under popcorn-clouded skies.

When we moved so many things out of the motorhome into our Tombstone house we included the tv in the bedroom. We never used it and wanted it for the guest room. I figured the wall bracket left behind would just come off when the screws were removed.

Nope. Glued, welded, epoxied, that sucker is not coming off! But it's really ugly.

Fast forward to the last couple weeks and I have a solution to cover it. A shadow box and small poster arrive from Amazon, and with a couple hand tools, scissors and double stick tape the unsightly bracket is no more (that you can see anyway).

With the back removed and slots cut to fit the bottom of the bracket, the shadow box is deep enough to surround it completely.

Wa-la! Held snug to the wall with heavy duty double stick tape, we now have a piece of art/storage instead of a tv. 

In addition to the project above, I load a few more items, clean windows and shampoo the square of carpet under the dining table. Can't wait to be loading everything!!

Tessa gets her teeth cleaned, the Jeep gets new tires, oil and brakes, the new satellite is installed. Appointments are made for "right before we leave" haircuts and pedicures. The GPS is updated, necessary documents are confirmed, final reservations are made. 

Jeff is SO ready for us to be gone! Well, not the dog of course. I can't believe us old folks aren't entertaining :-)

High winds have meant fewer pretty sunsets, but we still enjoy a few from our back porch. As excited as I am to see water and trees, I'll miss these wide open Arizona skies.

An Easter zoom-gathering brings us exciting grandchild news, to be shared at a later date :-)

The oldest, Ezra, enjoys his purple Easter hair and a new cuddle buddy.

The youngest, Elliott, gets to know his first Easter bunny.

The next post will be from the road. When you hear that loud "wooooohoooooo" on the 15th you'll know where it's coming from :-))