Busy Times and Exciting News Pending!

November 1 - 16, 2015

Tombstone, Arizona

Arrrrgghh!! More than half-way through building the post, including photos, and poof! whatever key I hit in error erases the whole thing. Numerous attempts to restore it without luck :-(((

Too frustrating to try and remember whatever pearls I was sharing, so deep breath and start from scratch!

November is why so many spend early Fall and Winter in Arizona. Moderate daily temps with cold nights, bright blue skies with accent clouds, and light (sometimes strong) fresh, deep breath breezes. And the yearly surprise of some very pretty fall colors from our pockets of large trees.

Colorful Cottonwoods mark the route of the San Pedro River across the whole valley.

Changing light give us muted hues,

with vivid colors in the bright sun.

Patagonia is mostly known for it's lake - lots of Bass tournaments - but there is also a cute little village. A handful of good eateries, a couple unique shops, and a wonderful Audubon hummingbird center. Rebecca and I deliver some of her felted pieces to the trading post and enjoy a delicious brunch at Gathering Grounds next door. Highly recommended if you're in the area.

We head north to the historic Harshaw Cemetery. The Hermosa Project Mine is just south of the site, so the dirt road is well maintained. Surprisingly we cross four strong flowing (but very shallow) creeks. Been a long while since the Jeep got muddy! Most of those interred at the cemetery are the Soto family and their descendants, with a few other Hispanic Catholic families from the 1880's to the 2000's. No additional burials are allowed now. Set on a hillside, many are above ground concrete graves with several older ones covered by piles of rock. The exception is the single grave along the river outside the fence marked with a white cross. I can't find any information, but Rebecca was told by a local that a Jewish man named Jim is buried there. Large old-growth trees surround the area. A handful of RVs are camped along the road - it's Whitetail Deer hunting season here.

Beautiful gnarly oaks.

Free-range or escapees, we stop to say hello to these two beauties who are clearly uninterested in socializing.

I love finding thick forest throughout our desert area.

Some graves include stories of the deceased and their family.

Large concrete multi-graves with rock-pile sites behind.

Maybe Jim.

With the river and forest, rock formations add to the beauty of the drive.

Along with the other changes that come with Bill's move back to the clinic for dialysis is no longer needing the port for treatment. So out-surgery in Tucson is on the agenda. While he's having that little adventure I check out South Tucson's murals. Tucson has over 100 which I hope to find during upcoming visits. 

This building really commits!

One of my favorite musicians, Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson in 1946. Both the music hall and the transit center are named for her.

Hard to capture at ground level, this large piece is stunning.

After the mural tour and a quick breakfast, I head to check out small RVs. With several of the many dealerships in Tucson within a couple miles of each other, it doesn't take long to check out a dozen units. At the size and price-point I'm shopping for there is a limit on floorplans, so most look nearly identical :-) 

And I find one!! With a small deposit to hold it I go pick up Bill. He feels up to going to check it out, and after another quick tour we agree it will work for us.

A couple days later I'm satisfied with the deal they can make trading in the Thor and purchasing the Entegra (small hint), and we arrange to pick it up next week.

So fingers crossed it all works out and we get that off the to-do list! Photos next time.

Lots of fun with the craft group, and on Saturday Rebecca and I add Vicki to our annual pilgrimage to Gather Vintage Market in Tucson. All year it's open one weekend a month, but expand to two for November and December. Their holiday wonderland is a magical shopping experience. Even with the bigger crowd we have a wonderful time exploring and buying. Seeing it through Vicki's first-time-there eyes is even better!!

Part of what makes it so extraordinary is that the vendors work together to meld their items into multiple vignettes. So beautiful.

Shopping from the various trees is great fun!

This tree would be great in a Tombstone storefront.

Unique vintage and new ornaments.

Several woodland scenes highlight flora and fauna.

Lunch at Cafe ala Carte at the Tucson Art Museum is also much busier that usual, but after only a short wait our salads are exceptional. They both agree the Sangria is the perfect addition :-)) Vicki is from the midwest in an area with no Trader Joe's (why would anyone live in such a place???), so our fun day wraps up with a visit to one of the four we have in Tucson. She's a convert!

Likely the Thor's final sunset with us. Bittersweet.

Cassidy ready to surprise brother Henry that he has a new toy!

Penelope and Reese lovin' on Mom and baby bump.

Little M gets a ride from Dad at a local festival.

Big M sporting new braces and a festival-made snowball.