The crazy weather may have kept us guessing but it certainly did not slow us down. February was a month filled with visitors. We have many reasons to love Spring in Tucson but one of our favorites is that Tucson hosts the Gem and Mineral Show every February which brings our good friend Brendan to town. The majority of Brendan’s time is occupied with rocks and rock geeks but he always finds time for a small adventure. This year, since we have a house again, we were finally able to return all his generous hospitality and host him. Our first houseguest! Good thing he is easygoing because our house was (and still is) a work in progress. We promised him that by next February we’ll have things whipped into shape.

The following weekend my Grandma Eileen, Aunt Paula, her boyfriend Harry and their constant companion Carlos Juan Diego the Chihuahua came over for the day. They hadn’t seen the property yet so we were really excited to show them around. After the grand tour we enjoyed a leisurely lunch on the patio since the weather cooperated so nicely. We also celebrated my Grandma’s 94th birthday–she makes getting old look easy. If I live that long I sure hope I am in that good of shape, both mentally and physically.

The next week we were treated to a visit by Lance’s Uncle Russell and Aunt Kathy from California. We didn’t get to spend much time with them during the day since work made demands but we did share a couple fun evenings together. It is always nice to get together with loved ones and catch up on each other’s lives and events. Though it had been warm and sunny during their visit, the day his Aunt and Uncle left town the bottom dropped out—several inches of fresh snow coated the mountaintops, rain soaked the lower elevations and it was awfully close to freezing at night. Coincidence? I think not!

As much as I appreciated all that wet weather I was a tiny bit peeved since my sister Desirée and I couldn’t tackle our planned Letterboxing adventure. We are both really enthusiastic Letterboxers—we love deciphering the clues and trekking around town to discover these hidden little artistic treasures. Plus it gives us a chance to share our lives and discuss the latest news. Though flooded washes kept us from our original route we braved the elements and sought out less soggy locations.

It was a great Letterboxing day even if we weren’t 100% successful: one box eluded our valiant efforts though we did stumble across some smoking paraphernalia (of the non-tobacco kind, which we promptly disposed of). If you knew my rather proper sister you’d understand why I found it so hilarious…

The first day of March we gathered with Lance’s family to celebrate the second birthday of the youngest member of the clan. It was a fun evening of games and good food with entertainment provided by the two silly boys. And by silly boys I don’t mean Lance and Jed—though they are often quite entertaining—I was referring to Andrew and Aiden.

Speaking of second occasions to celebrate—this March the University of Arizona hosted the second annual Tucson Festival of Books. The free, two-day festival describes itself as “a celebration of literacy, the literacy of the written word as well as the literacy of language through music, song, and the spoken word.” I had such a good time attending and volunteering at the event last year that I signed up to do it again this year.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who loved it—it garnered the sixth position on the list of Top Ten U.S. Book Festivals! This year’s event was bigger and better with over 450 authors and presenters and close to 80,000 attendees. The weather was picture perfect and I think it safe to say that a good time was had by all. On top of all that, the festival raised over $200,000 for literacy programs!

The month seemed to pick up steam as it moved along—our waking hours were rather filled by the end of March. Not that it was all work. We did sneak out for a fun night of baseball with Lance’s family and as if that evening wasn’t filled with enough puns we attended a showing of The Cisco Kid. It was put on by the Gaslight Theatre—a Tucson favorite that is beloved for its farcical productions. This musical melodrama was full of double entendres and other shenanigans, and the best part? Audience participation was not only encouraged it was mandatory!

March turned out to be my month to dabble in the actors’ realm. Not only did I attend a fun theatrical performance with Lance but I worked behind the scenes during the filming of a documentary about Juan Bautista de Anza. That is one of the fun things about the environmental education group that I work with—they are involved in some incredibly interesting programs. I was only a gofer but I was on location from sun-up to sun-down and learned quite a bit.

The weekend of filming took place down south at the Hacienda Corona de Guevavi Bed and Breakfast near Arizona’s largest border town, Nogales. The location couldn’t have been more appropriate since the Hacienda’s 36 acres are a small remnant of the vast Guevavi Ranch once owned by Juan Bautista de Anza, Sr. The elder Anza established his spread in 1728 near the small Guevavi Mission which Father Eusebio Kino founded in 1691 along the Santa Cruz River. Anza’s hacienda had the distinction of being Arizona’s first livestock ranch. The men who share the Anza name left quite a mark on history, especially here in southern Arizona.

1736 was a monumental year on the Spanish frontier: Captain Juan Bautista de Anza’s wife, Maria Rosa Bezerra Nieto, gave birth to a son which was named after his father, and a huge ledge of silver was discovered near Nogales. It was Captain Anza’s job to certify the find and restore order to the community. In Anza’s official government correspondence he used the name of his deputy’s nearby ranch: Arizona. The name quickly became associated with the famous area and ultimately, our fair state.

In 1737 Captain Anza requested permission to explore an overland route to Alta California. On the frontier of Sonora correspondence was slow and life was treacherous, in 1740 Anza was ambushed and killed by a group of Apaches. To her credit, his wife Maria remained in the area, raising their children and running the three large Anza family ranches. After her death Maria was buried in front of the Guevavi Mission altar.

Anza Junior followed in his father’s footsteps, in 1752 he enlisted in the army. As his father had done Anza rose quickly through the ranks and became captain in 1760. A year later he married Ana María Pérez Serrano, the daughter of a wealthy mine owner. Like his father before him Anza requested permission to explore a possible route to Alta California. The King of Spain approved the expedition and on January 8, 1774 Anza and a small party left the presidio at Tubac. The hope was to connect Sonora and California by land. Anza’s years of exploration and building good relationships with some of the native populations served him well, his scouting party reached Monterey, California on April 19th. His trip a success, Anza returned to Tubac in late May. For his efforts Anza was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and charged with an important task: establish and colonize a harbor further north in Alta California to deter the advancing Russians.

After months of recruiting, training, and hard work Anza’s colonizing expedition left Tubac on October 23, 1775. It was rather slow going since the group consisted of just under 300 people (including women and children) and 1000 animals, but they finally reached Monterey in March 1776. Leaving the families to rest, Anza and his soldiers scouted the San Francisco Bay, searching for an ideal spot for the new presidio. Since Anza’s mission was finished he did not stay in California to establish San Francisco but returned to his duties in Sonora. A year later Anza was rewarded with the prestigious job of Governor of the Province of New Mexico. In the final chapter of his military career Anza was to return to southern Arizona. In late 1788 he was appointed commander of the Tucson Presidio, but he died before he could assume the role.

Indirectly responsible for the name of our state and directly responsible for California’s fourth most populous city the Anza family left quite a mark on this part of the country. When the Anza documentary is finished, some time next year, it will have quite a tale to tell. But, back to the hacienda. The Guevavi Ranch was homesteaded in 1915 and grew to become one of the largest in the area. In 1956 Ralph Wingfield, a well-known rancher, purchased the property and with the help of his business partner John Wayne he began enlarging his holdings. The ranch soon encompassed close to 100,000 acres! The ranch also became a retreat for John and some of his Hollywood friends: Elizabeth Taylor and Stewart Granger among others.

In 1988, almost 300 years after its founding, Wingfield donated the Guevavi Mission portion of his ranch to the Archaeological Conservancy which later passed it on to the Tumacácori National Historical Park. About the same time the massive ranch was parceled off with the Hacienda Corona, the heart of the ranch, becoming a bed and breakfast. It seemed sad that after 250 years the end had come to the Anza ranch but thankfully, the Anza name will not disappear from the area: my entire drive home I followed the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Auto Route.

Aaahh, Spring—what a great season!

Photos: View our photographs from Spring in Tucson.

Notes: Read more about Anza’s expedition on our post Missions of the Santa Cruz Valley from February 2008.

Tucson is so diverse that there never seems to be a shortage of events and activities to attend. Work and other obligations limit what we can participate in but thankfully we still manage to get out there. December was a crazy busy month for Lance so he had to skip a few of the outings. But hey, when work comes your way during this difficult economy you’re grateful for it.

Early in the month I attended a bird walk at Sweetwater Wetlands led by Rick Wright, a very talented “bird nerd.” We know Rick since he manages WINGS, a birding company, one of Lance’s clients. While we enjoy birding and have learned a great deal in the past several years we still feel like amateurs so I was a wee bit intimidated to be in such renowned company. Thankfully, my worry was for naught. Though Rick’s skill was prodigious—he identified far off tiny dots as birds without his binoculars and deciphered species from mere snippets of song—his main goal was to make the rest of us better birders. Anyone that encourages me to think of a Northern Shoveler as a floating football is cool with me!

Next up was an evening of acoustic music shared with friends Dennis and Heidi. Though the venue was less than optimal for live music the tunes were good and the company was great so we can’t really complain. Besides, where else can you sit outside on a patio and enjoy the stars without freezing in December? Might as well take advantage of Tucson’s mild winters!

A few days later I hit the trail with a naturalist from Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation. Lance had originally planned to attend the hike but a particularly vexing web issue kept him indoors instead. Truthfully I think it best that he wasn’t along since our hike progressed at a snail’s pace—our group kept stopping so our guide could explain some of the Sonoran Desert’s unique features. Besides, now that I know the trail Lance and I can wander back there and explore on our own some day.

The hike’s turnaround spot was at the ruin of a house built by a husband and wife who homesteaded in the Tucson Mountains in the early 1930s. Sherry and Ruby Bowen built their sturdy house out of rocks and other locally available materials. I imagine they had to be pretty resourceful since at the time, their house was way out in the boonies west of town. Though the roof has long since disappeared, the walls, the fireplace, and bits of plumbing remain in remarkably good shape. From the looks of it, it was a small yet comfortable home in the middle of the desert. And wow—talk about a view!

Though it wasn’t pristine desert even back in their days—since there were several mines in the Tucson Mountains—the Bowens certainly had their share of encounters with wildlife. Ruby recorded several in her diary, so—lucky for us—the tales survive today. My favorite was the passage where she described a Mountain Lion that attempted to get into their house through a window after smelling their dinner on the stove. Though Cougars still roam the Tucsons the Bighorn Sheep that Ruby used to watch graze in the valley are long gone, victims of the various pressures that a growing city exerted on their habitat. Thankfully for the remaining plants and animals (and fellow nature lovers), a large chunk of the Tucson Mountains including the old Bowen homestead, are protected within the boundaries of the Tucson Mountain Park.

Speaking of wildlife we had our own encounter last month. While Lance and I were working in the front yard (well, Lance was working, I was talking) we turned around to find three very curious, and not in the least bit timid, Javelinas. By the time we noticed them they were within five feet of us. Since we had rakes and shovels in our grasp we were not scared, just surprised. It looked like they were going to hang around for a bit, so I slipped around them and grabbed my camera from the house. I honestly figured they would disappear immediately, like most wildlife does when a camera comes into view.

I felt quite fortunate that they stayed around long enough for me to take a few photos. After they finished their examination of our yard and found nothing to eat they moved off down our driveway. Quickly and quietly they disappeared into the jumble of desert growth. All that remained from their visit were tiny prints in the dirt and a skunky, musky odor that wafted around our yard long after they were gone.

While the Javelina visit was a particularly memorable event, our yard offers up surprises daily: a Cooper’s Hawk snatched a groggy dove from the ground for breakfast, an American Kestrel made a valiant effort at a Verdin, a Coyote slunk through the brush, a Harris’s Antelope Ground Squirrel climbed up the spines of a barrel cactus to reach the fruit. Then there are the non-critter curiosities, like the hot air balloon that drifted over our house on not one but two mornings last month. Many moons ago when I was in college I had the urge to skydive (but never had the money). My new aerial goal is to ride in a hot air balloon—does that mean I’m getting old? Or perhaps I’m a bit wiser now; jumping out of a perfectly good airplane with a bit of satin strapped to my back is no longer as appealing to me.

When not marveling at the above-mentioned events and working, we spent time with family and friends, which is one of the more important things about the holiday season for me. Getting together, sharing stories and great food. I’d love to say that a good time was had by all but I know that my Aunt Shirley did not enjoy sitting next to me during our after-dinner Skip-Bo game. She seemed a bit put out that I didn’t leave her any easy plays!

Near the end of the month the Nissan Leaf Zero Emission Tour stopped in Tucson so I swung by for a peek at the electric car that Time magazine picked as one of the “50 best inventions of 2009.” It is nice looking and the features sound great: fully charged it can go over 100 miles in the city (less on the highway). I think it will make a fantastic commuter car, especially when you consider that the average person drives roughly twenty miles a day. Pima County is one of the five test markets where Nissan will start selling the Leaf in late 2010. In preparation, some charging stations have already been installed around town, and more are planned along I-10.

Though it does not use any gas or oil and has no tail pipe (and therefore it does not release any exhaust) the Leaf is not perfect since the majority of electricity in the U.S. is generated by the burning of coal, a fossil fuel that has a sizable impact on the environment. During my visit with the Leaf I was surprised to learn that according to the U.S. Department of Energy our current electrical grid has the capacity to power 84% of electrical vehicle commutes without building any additional power plants. It may not be a perfect solution but as Voltaire once said, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” On that level, the Leaf is certainly an interesting alternative.

And that is how we ended our year—with hope for a better and brighter future.

Photos: View the photographs from December 2009.

• Hiking with Brendan,
• bike riding with Aaron, Jenny, Nate, Geoff, and Lauren,
• celebrating Grandma Eileen’s 93rd birthday,
• spending time with Shirley,
• celebrating nephew Aiden’s first birthday,
• Letterboxing with sister Desiree,
• birding with Nancy and Denny,
• celebrating Charles’ birthday,
• participating in hummingbird monitoring with Alison,
• enjoying a visit with relatives from Ohio,
• touring the Chihuly exhibit with Aunt Coralie and Desiree,
• spending time with Tom and Libby,
• celebrating Lance’s birthday,
• attending cousin Dan’s family-filled wedding in Rhode Island,
• celebrating Desiree’s birthday,
• celebrating sister Adria’s birthday,
• attending Danny’s wedding in San Diego,
• spending time with Rich and Karen,
• visiting Lanny, Sharon, Dave, Emily, Rusty, Angelika, Sarah, Megan, Ronja, Shane, Steve, Frankie, and Gracie in Ohio,
• celebrating cousin Shane’s birthday,
• celebrating second cousin Sarah’s birthday,
• savoring Mexican food with Bev, Hector, and LeeAnn,
• sipping tea with Boubacar,
• celebrating Scott’s birthday,
• cheering on the UA Wildcat football team with Adria and Joel,
• sharing Thanksgiving with Jed, Heidi, Andrew, Aiden, Joel, Bruce and Barbara, and
• catching up with Dave, Tori, Lori, Dennis, and Heidi.

These are just a few of the experiences that have enriched our lives this past year: a wealth worth more than all the money in the world. We look forward to many more such memorable moments in the coming year and we wish the same for you.

Of course it helps knowing that we’ll have a place to come “home” to in Tucson when we return from our RV adventures. At a speaking engagement in March author Charles Bowden, a long time Tucsonan, mentioned that it is a place worth standing up for. He also quoted one of his good friends (and one of my favorite authors), Ed Abbey, “Tucson is easy to leave. I’ve done it six times.” Tucson is funny that way—though we’d both left town numerous times we always ended up back in the Old Pueblo. And with our recent purchase, it’ll be our home for many, many years to come (at least in the Fall, Winter and Spring).

I will update you on our latest trip as we travel but first I need to bring you up-to-date. The beginning of June saw us flying back to Rhode Island for Lance’s cousin Dan’s wedding. Not only we were excited for the happy couple but the occasion provided us with a good excuse to return to the state and visit with family. Though it sure didn’t feel like it, it had been two whole years since we were last there.

We were able to stay for almost a week, which sounded like an ample amount of time but, of course, we were back on the plane to Tucson before we knew it. Our stay was quite comfortable since Lance’s cousin Laura generously opened up her cozy home to us. The wedding was wonderful and in a stroke of good luck the weather cleared up marvelously for the outdoor event. The days before and after the wedding were rainy and practically cold (to us) but on the day of the ceremony we were rewarded with a bit of a sunburn.

The wedding brought in family from nine different states so there were quite a few new folks for me to meet (even some new ones for Lance). We chose not do any touristing and instead spent our time catching up with family especially Lance’s Grandma, Edna. And then, snap, just like that, our trip was over. Our flight back to Tucson, unlike our trip east, was uneventful, thankfully.

Back home we threw ourselves into house projects in anticipation of our open house party. Near the end of June we were finally going to have all our Tucson area friends and family over to see our place. We waited over a month since we felt the place needed a little bit of sprucing up first. It wasn’t all hard labor: we did extricate ourselves from work to have a bit of fun, my sister and I went Letterboxing (by the end of the day we decided the rest of the boxes in Tucson would have to wait until the weather cooled off) and later we helped that same sister celebrate her birthday.

June 28th, the day of our “open house party” was a hot one but since we don’t own any furniture the action was out on the back porch. We enjoyed showing everyone around our property, and hopefully they all have good imaginations since the place is basically a blank slate. Lance and I kept repeating the phrases “and we’re going to…” and “this will be…” Oh well, you have to start somewhere.

On the fourth of July we gathered at a local park with Lance’s sisters and family to help Adria celebrate her birthday. It was a day late but hey, the fireworks made waiting worthwhile! After our lovely picnic a small group of us took in a baseball game, followed by a nice fireworks display. It was a pretty warm evening, the game ran long, and the home team lost but still, I think we all had a great time.

A few days later I squeezed in a soap-making session with my sister; we should now have enough to last us for the rest of the summer. It is actually quite easy to make and we’re getting better at it with every batch. There is something quite gratifying about making things with my own two hands—I know exactly what went into it and it saves money too. Not a bad combination!

The ninth of July found us in our car driving west to Oceanside, California. The reason for our visit was yet another wedding, this time our good friend Dan was getting hitched. We drove over a day early so we could have dinner with our friends Brendan and Jennifer. Nice guy that he is, he even let us stay with him! Of course, this Dan’s wedding was just as wonderful as cousin Dan’s. Talk about strange, Dan and Jenn were married on the east coast in June while Dan and Ginn were married on the west coast in July. And Brendan is in a serious relationship with Jennifer. Apparently this is the year for men who have “Dan” in their name to hook up with women who have a version of Jen in theirs.

Too soon we drug our feet away from the sand and surf back to the pressure cooker that was Tucson. We had less than a week left to put the finishing touches on the property, make arrangements with caretakers, and repack our RV. It is amazing how stuff gets scattered when you stay in one place for awhile! But before I could tackle any of that I drove down to the far southeastern corner of Arizona to visit with my Grandma Eileen and Aunt Paula. I just couldn’t leave without seeing them one more time.

It was a whirlwind of a finish but finally all the items on our To-Do list were crossed off and we hit the road. Hopefully, we didn’t forget anything…

Photos: View the photographs for June Into July.

Our travels in the RV these past few years helped us scratch a few potential locations off our list. For a variety of reasons we narrowed our list down to either southern New Mexico or southern Arizona. We knew we had far more ties to the latter but again, price made us lean towards the Land of Enchantment (and with a tag line like that who wouldn’t want to live there?).

But then the U.S. economy fell off the wall and broke into a zillion pieces. By September we, like so many others, were watching our retirement accounts dwindle. Since we usually wait until fall to max out our retirement accounts (it’s just the way our money comes in) we were sitting on a small pile of cash. A quick look around the economic landscape; faltering stock markets and lower real estate prices convinced us that it was the right time to start looking for our dream place.

By the time we reached the Tucson valley in November we had our list of requirements ready for our agent. We contacted the agent who handled both the buying and selling of our previous Tucson home; we figured we might as well stick with someone we trust. Poor guy—he had his work cut out for him—all we wanted was a small house on over an acre of horse property, close to town, and affordable. That’s all…

We knew we were aiming high but why not? Our criteria reminded us of our good friend Karen; her husband Rich jokes that she didn’t want much in a house—just a log cabin on a few acres in downtown St. Louis. We too, wanted all the rustic comforts of rural living and the amenities of a city.

It was not an easy search, obviously our preferences eliminated the majority of the properties right away. We had a few false starts, submitting two offers that didn’t go through, thankfully. Several months passed, Winter ended, and Spring warmed up but we kept searching, checking websites, and pestering our agent. One day near the beginning of March, after yet another false start, Lance offhandedly mentioned a property that was just outside our original search area. The MLS listing piqued our curiosity so we hopped in the car and cruised by the place.

We were sufficiently interested to schedule a viewing two days later. We met our agent at the house and the elderly woman who owned the place welcomed us in. Walking into the ranch house built of baked adobe brick was like entering a museum exhibit dedicated to the 1970s. Seriously, from the shag carpeting to the overly dark and ornate kitchen cabinets to the furniture and basic decor, not much had changed in the house in the last several decades.

And that caught my eye. The lady and her husband had purchased the house while it was still under construction in 1966 and they were content to leave well enough alone. They didn’t put the house through a remodeling blitz every decade like so many of the places we had seen. The structure was intact, in good shape and simple—just the way we like it!

Then we stepped out into the fenced backyard—wow—the place was set up for entertaining; a large covered porch, a huge built-in grill, patio seating areas and a pool; too cool! We were impressed with what we had seen and it was only a small portion of the 3.68 acres so far.

Leaving the backyard we wandered around the acreage to get a visual on the property lines. I think the most rundown part of the place is what most intrigued me: the tack room. The weather-beaten wooden structure had seen far better days, the roof was partially caved in and pack rats had stuffed every nook and cranny with their nests and various accoutrements. Our agent suggested it could be torn down but I knew it had a story…

Finishing our tour we re-entered the house: Charlotte was sitting in her chair, smoking a cigarette, drinking a bourbon and water. She was happy to answer our questions. Talking over the blaring TV her eyes lit up as she regaled us with tales from the good, old days: family weddings in the backyard, horseback rides up Wasson Peak, and of course, parties with friends. I could’ve settled into one of the chairs and listened to Charlotte until she ran out of stories (which would have been a very long time, I’m sure) but we had another property to view.

Not that it mattered, I think both of us were already sold. We stayed up late that night considering our options, examining all the aspects of the property, discussing the pros and cons, and compiling our list of questions and concerns. Two days later we made an offer.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. They countered, we countered, they countered and then we all took the weekend off to reflect on the situation. On the following Monday we found common ground and the purchase proceedings began. We were nervous while we had the house poked, prodded, and checked for the overall health of all its systems; what if there was something majorly wrong? Thankfully, other than a few wear and tear items the house passed with flying colors. Whew, one hurdle down, a million more to go.

The seller asked for extra time so that she could deal with 42 years of accumulated stuff. As much as we hated it, we had no choice but to wait and wait and wait. It took so long that we even felt compelled to drive by the house a couple times just to make sure it was the same as we remembered it! Since nothing would be final until we signed on the dotted line we were hesitant to tell anyone about it in case the deal fell through. The last few weeks before we signed I checked in daily with our agent to ensure the process was going smoothly.

Finally, on Friday, May 15th, after some last-minute paper chasing and stress we found ourselves seated at a shiny wooden desk with mounds of paper in front of us: signing time! The deed recorded that afternoon and then the house was officially ours. Yipppeee!

The next morning we drove up our driveway and parked in our carport and got right to work. The car was loaded with tools and cleaning supplies. Obviously, the carpet had to go, and the linoleum under that. We took out some of the kitchen cabinets, removed all the face plates, and vents. We patched the walls and prepped them for painting with a odor-sealing, stain-covering primer. We contacted various handymen and contractors for estimates on some projects we were interested in. We trimmed long neglected trees, we cut down non-native oleanders¹ and arborvitae. We thinned one section of our Jumping Cholla “forest” and we cleared an area for our RV site. Along the way we amassed two massive piles of debris so large that we were intimidated and called in experts to haul the mess away. It took the team two days and four dump trucks!

Near the end of May we finally moved our RV from the small RV park we’d been staying in for the previous six months to its new spot on the property. It didn’t take long to get it all hooked up and leveled. Though we hadn’t even considered this when we first purchased the RV it is very convenient to have a portable home while we are working on our future home. Especially since we need to remodel the kitchen…

Right about now there are probably several questions running through your mind—one of which probably goes a little something like this: Does this mean they are finally settling down and will quit vagabonding? And the short answer is: No. As excited as we are about our house and land we will continue traveling in our RV. We think of our newly acquired property as our long-term plan, our refuge where we will someday live, work, and play full time.

This summer’s trip will be truncated but we are still leaving for a jaunt to Ohio to spend time with family. Next year we figure we’ll spend about half of it in Tucson (the good half: Fall, Winter, and Spring) and the rest on the road exploring the countryside and visiting family and friends.

And now I must be off—there are house projects calling my name… I hope this helps explain our diminished web presence for the past few months, things should be a bit more normal around here soon.

Photos: View the photographs that go with this post: The Time Was Right….

Notes:

¹ Reasons I despise oleanders: they are difficult to keep looking nice, they shed like crazy, and they are poisonous. If you ate enough of the plant your heart would stop. Of course I don’t know anyone who would eat the bitter leaves but in a new book called Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities (Amazon) the author, Amy Stewart, tells of a woman who tried to kill her husband with the leaves (he survived that attempt but she later offed him with antifreeze). According to Stewart close to 70,000 people a year are poisoned by plants. That’s a much higher number than I would have guessed, so to be on the safe side the oleanders had to go. ↩

UPDATE: Thanks to an informed reader (see thepoisongarden’s comment below) we now have a better understanding of what the 70,000 number represents: they were calls to poison control centers concerning plants but less than 10% of the cases needed medical attention and there were no deaths. Good to know…

WACC is one of four archaeology centers that the National Park Service established to provide crucial resources to parks, monuments, and other sites. Not every park has archaeologists, conservators, or archivists on staff—nor can they afford to—yet all parks have collections and artifacts. Not all artifacts or collections are archaeological or pre-historic, there are items ranging from botanical and geologic to furnishings, artwork to correspondence, maps and photographs.

It is WACC’s job to assess the needs of various locations in the Inter-mountain Region (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming) and to curate, preserve, rehabilitate, and even store collections, artifacts, and archives. Of the 70 plus locations under NPS jurisdiction in the region, 50 of them have artifacts and collections in storage at WACC. Most of that information was relayed to us in the introduction along with one other item of interest; there are currently some human remains in storage at the facility that are awaiting repatriation to the proper tribal entities. It was emphasized that the remains were not visible and would not be part of the tour, out of respect for the dead (and the living).

The tour consisted of short presentations in each of the three departments: Archives, Collections and the Conservation Labs. In each area a few noteworthy pieces had been pulled out of storage and placed on display. In Archives, staff is in the process of digitizing thousands of records including 300,000 unique photographs and images. As is usual with the Park Service, the department is understaffed and underfunded so some projects have no completion date in sight. There were several items on display; most notably, a military roll call report signed by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (not General, by the way—he was only brevetted a major general of volunteers during the Civil War).

Leaving Archives our group of about twenty was herded down the hall to the Conservation Labs. The first room was occupied with a large collection of Native American soft-wares (moccasins, baskets, and clothing) recently donated to Grand Teton National Park by the Rockefeller family. Most of the pieces seemed to be in remarkably good shape but it’s the Lab’s job to assess the pieces,—then clean, repair and stabilize them. Lab staff emphasized that these items are not valued for their artistry (though some were quite stunning) but for the cultural information they possess. In most cases the Lab’s repairs are limited to those which prevent further damage of the artifact, not full restoration. Staff elaborated that sometimes damage is a vital part of the artifact’s story, for instance holes or tears that occurred during battle.

In the second Lab work was underway to preserve WACC’s own collection of pottery, much of which was found in the early to mid-1900s. Many techniques have changed since the early days of archaeology in this country, including methods of excavation and preservation. As with most scientific disciplines, ways of extracting information have been refined, with even tiny particles such as pollen now yielding important details. In recognition of the ongoing improvements in methodology many sites are no longer fully excavated; sections are purposely left untouched so that future archaeologists will have a chance to employ their advanced techniques. In the Lab’s case they were in the midst of undoing harm caused by early preservation attempts, which in some cases was causing pots to break and crumble. It is such a painstaking and laborious process, not my idea of fun.

Lastly we were escorted through the cavernous Collections storage room where row upon seemingly endless row of specially designed shelving units towered over our heads (ten or twelve feet high). The immense room was divided into sections such as lithics (rock work), pottery, pottery shards, soft-wares, furnishings and even a linen area. From Bandelier National Monument was an impressive collection of wood furniture carved by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. From Canyon de Chelly, boxes and boxes of items including coprolites and quids— wads of fiber spit out by long ago by residents that chewed agave leaves. From Faraway Ranch, a relatively new addition to Chiricahua National Monument, came a little bit of everything—the original owners never threw anything away. As a result WACC is now storing beds, napkins, an assortment of old hearing aids, tools, and even kitchen utensils—all of them with historical value.

It is an impressive facility and a worthwhile tour, I left that afternoon with some new knowledge and a list of interesting new places to visit. Speaking of learning something new, as I mentioned in another post I was recently introduced to the concept of Letterboxing (it is similar to geocaching but relies on clues instead of GPS coordinates). I was flabbergasted to have just recently learned of it (and Questing)—especially since we could have been doing both of those during our travels!

Obviously intrigued I set off on a journey to find my first hidden box. I didn’t have to go far—a three box series was hidden right near our RV park along a path that Lance and I have walked daily for the past four months. The directions to the first box were listed online while the clues to the second box were inside the first. The fun of Letterboxing isn’t just about the thrill of the hunt, many of the boxes are hidden in special places with background information that explains the spot’s importance and all of the boxes include artistic hand-carved stamps.

After finding the box and discreetly retrieving it I stamped in to the box’s logbook with my own unique stamp and nickname. Then I stamped the box’s artwork in my logbook and dated my find. Completely hooked I continued on to the second box, but I was stymied at the third box since there were too many people around. They just would not leave! It was a bit frustrating and I found myself thinking of creative ways to disperse them but to no avail. Sigh. My third Letterbox had to wait until later.

Since I had so much fun I told my sister all about it and she was fascinated (as I knew she would be) so we set a Letterboxing date. My sister was practically giddy when she found her first Letterbox and I knew she was also hooked. The hunt was on! In the Tucson area there are close to 150 hidden boxes so we have plenty of sleuthing to do. During our second Letterbox outing we got slightly lost and momentarily thwarted by a difficult clue (all part of the fun) but we eventually managed to find our day’s quota. We felt like super sleuths, move over Sherlock!

Ah, a famous and enduring character from a well-written book series. That brings me to my next topic, the first annual Tucson Festival of Books sponsored by the University of Arizona. Billed as the “largest literary event in Arizona and one of the largest in the country” the free Festival’s author list was over 300 names long including notables such as Elmore Leonard, J.A. Jance, and Stedman Graham. I was so impressed with the idea of the festival that when the call went out for volunteers, I signed up (Lance would’ve too but he was working under a deadline that weekend).

My shift wasn’t until late afternoon on Saturday so I had plenty of time to wander the various venues and sit in on a couple presentations. Charles Bowden, a local journalist and author, and Katie Lee, an outspoken environmentalist author and folk singer, discussed their efforts as writers to urge protection of the southwest. There was so much to see and do that I went back the following day. I gleaned a good deal of information about travel writing from a lecture by Rolf Potts and Tom Miller. The Festival was well-received by Tucson as close to 50,000 people showed up. Next year’s dates for the Festival have already been set.

Along with all those fun happenings we helped our friend Charles celebrate his birthday and went for another bike ride along the Rillito River. This time we swapped Aaron for Jenny—one of these days we’ll get them both together! March has been a month full of activities and it’s not over yet…

Photos: View our photographs from Appreciating March in Tucson.

Pursuing our dreams, cherishing the journey.

Lance and I recently heard of a contest where people were asked to sum up their lives in six word biographies¹. Talk about a challenge! The above is our attempt at it. We found the exercise to be a good fit for this time of year as we look back over the past year and prepare for the new one ahead.

We spent most of the year traveling the West Coast, visiting friends and family along the way. Our original plan was to zip through California, Oregon, and Washington on our way northward to Alaska. As you might already know, we didn’t make it to the Arctic Circle or Denali National Park. Heck, we didn’t even get north of Victoria, British Columbia! Our goal wasn’t thwarted by any major disaster, instead we altered our plans based on the marvelous time we were having right where we were.

Those of you who know us well realize that we are both very goal oriented. Yet what might have previously been viewed as a failure is now appreciated as an unexpected opportunity. While we both still have dreams to follow we are learning to be more open to the wonderful randomness of life. Our lesson this year: Joy is in the Journey!

We hope your year was filled with much joy. As we look towards the coming year we wonder what it holds in store for us… Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to see you! Until then, enjoy your journey, wherever it may take you.

Good health and good sense are two of life’s greatest blessings. —Publilius Syrus

¹ The results of the contest were so compelling that many of them were published in the book Not Quite What I Was Planning, edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith (Amazon).

Of course we aren’t the only RVers who think Tucson is a wonderful place, so we felt lucky to find a place to park our rig. We split our time between a small park located close to downtown and a larger park in the desert west of the Tucson Mountains. Both locations had their pluses and minuses. We loved the hiking trails and wildlife out at the “Wrinkle Ranch” but we wished it was closer to the city. If only we could have combined them—it would’ve been perfect. Like a good friend of ours says, his wife wants a log cabin on five acres in the middle of St. Louis! That’s not asking much is it?

Although the weekdays were consumed with work and the sundry details of life, our evenings and weekends were spent visiting with family, hiking with friends, touring some of Tucson’s amazing museums, dining at favorite restaurants, and catching up. Many of our Tucson adventures have already been covered on our website but I can’t leave Tucson without sharing the events of our last couple weeks.

I’ll start with the new addition to the family, Aiden James. He showed up a couple weeks early near the beginning of March and we felt privileged to meet him a few hours after his arrival. His vitals almost matched those of his older brother Andrew when he was born. No doubt he’ll be tall like the rest of the men in the family. Heidi and Jed are thrilled to have Aiden in their lives, even though they seem to be rather sleep-deprived.

One of the gorgeous warm Sundays was spent on the trail with our good friends, AJ, Jenny, and their young man, Nate. Nate actually hiked most of the way and was a good sport. The desert floor was littered with wildflowers, mostly Scorpion Weed, Mojave Lupines and White Easterbonnets. We enjoyed lunch under the shade of a huge, old Ironwood Tree. I have never seen one that large anywhere else. Ironwoods defy logic by thriving in hot, dry areas that receive scant rainfall and are nutritionally barren.

The trees provide shelter and food to other plants, a variety of animals, and even humans. The beans of the tree are edible and the hard dense wood burns long and hot. Native peoples of the Sonoran Desert have long treasured the trees, many perform wedding ceremonies under their branches in hopes that the marriage will be blessed with the same strength and longevity as the tree itself.

Refreshed after lunch we hiked the loop trail back to our RV park. Well, not all of us hiked it, Nate quietly sat down in the middle of the trail indicating that he was done, so AJ carried him back. Hmm, maybe I’ll try that someday… (See also AJ and Jenny’s photos of the hike.)

It is a Spring tradition on Lance’s side of the family to watch a baseball game, so we attended a University of Arizona Wildcats game. I think we were all pleasantly surprised: parking was easy, the stadium was intimate and clean, and the game was fun. Tom, Libby, Joel, Adria, Lance, family friend George, and myself had a cool but lovely evening out there. After some wild pitches, a steal, a home run, and nine strikeouts, the UA won their 12th game in a row!

A date to meet up with our old friends Jeff and Maryann—who now live in Colorado—yielded a pleasant surprise. We arrived early that evening and ran into an old co-worker from the restaurant where Lance and I met. Paul was one of those rare genuine people in the service industry. He now teaches 6th grade math at a school in Tucson. I can’t imagine a better teacher; it was wonderful to run into him after all these years.

Our last couple weeks were mostly spent visiting with loved ones and saying “See you later.” We don’t consider it goodbye since we know we’ll be back in the Tucson area sometime soon. I made an overnight trip down to the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona to visit with my relatives one more time. If it ever warms up down there they should have some amazing wildflowers.

The last couple weeks we sampled from quite an international menu. We made sure to get our Mexican food fix by having dinner with our good friends and old neighbors Tori and Lori. Those meals always last several hours and none of us ever notice since we’re having too much fun. Another night it was Thai food with Lance’s biking and hiking buddy, Dave. Slurping noodles is more fun with good friends!

Then we tried Japanese food as we caught up on the activities of Boubacar and Eliza; next time I need to remember that I like the red bean ice cream not the green tea. Then came St. Patrick’s day so we had Irish fare at my Aunt Coralie’s house. She and Shirley regaled us with stories from their childhoods as Lance, Scott, Desiree, and myself devoured our corned beef, potatoes, and Soda Bread Tarte Tatin. Finally it was pizza night, Lance’s entire Tucson family congregated together for one last shared meal.

During our four month stay we also shared memorable moments with Carole, Bev, Geoff, Lauren, and Rafael. And we weren’t the only ones who came back home for a visit. Josiah and Heidi brought their two kids, Arwyn and Malachi, to see their grandparents, and Danny returned to see his folks. Our friend Brendan has never called Tucson home but he visits there every year anyway. His work sends him for the Gem Show, but we always sneak out for a hike during his stay.

So, the weather was wonderful and our adventures were many, but the times we’ll treasure most were those spent with family and friends. Thanks Tucson, and so long…

Photos: View our photographs of Our Tucson Family.

Notes: We stayed in Tucson, Arizona (this time around) from 11/04/2007 to 03/23/2008.

Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. —Augusta E. Rundel

The above quote rings quite true for us. During the holiday season our thoughts turn to our loved ones who mean so much. It was a wonderful yet emotional year as we said goodbye to a dear family member and welcomed three new members to our extended family. Through all these changes we are thankful for the friendship, love and support of our friends and family. While RVing certainly has its challenging moments this lifestyle has made it possible for us to spend precious time with our friends and family that are scattered across this amazing country.

This past March our good friend Lisa joined us in Austin for a long weekend. We caught several live bands, explored the area and enjoyed some great Texas BBQ—and a good time was had by all. In April we stopped in Arkansas to visit with Erin’s old friend Jenny, husband Kevin and daughter Ella. Except for a brief tornado scare we had a lovely time catching up and we fell in love with Jenny’s fabulous Chocolate Gravy!

By the middle of April we were in northern Georgia visiting with Lance’s Grandma Ruth, Aunt Chris, Uncle Gary, Cousin Katie, her husband Ryan, their towhead of a son Kaden and soon-to-be Cousin (by marriage) Ashley. It was Erin’s first meeting with many of these family members and a week just didn’t seem long enough.

In May we were in the Raleigh, North Carolina area where good friends Hector and LeeAnn live. Everyone’s busy work schedules lightened up which allowed us plenty of time for catching up—it had been five years since our last visit. We won’t wait that long for our next visit, especially if they promise to make their delicious samosas again.

A short drive north landed us in Washington D.C. Though our time there was cut short by the passing of Lance’s Grandpa Remington Erin still managed to meet up with her friend, Debbie. Talk about lucky: Debbie’s husband Andy was working at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and he gave us a behind the scenes tour!

For the last part of May and most of June we were in Rhode Island spending time with Lance’s Grandma Edna, Aunt Lois, Uncle Rich, Cousins Ben, Paul, Laura, Karla, Dan, Carol, John, Valerie, Everett, Great Aunt Fran and Great Uncle Ray. Since we made it to Warwick in time for Grandpa Remington’s memorial service we were also able to visit with Lance’s mother Libby and his Uncle Russell from California. We squeezed in a quick trip to Orange, Massachusetts to see Lance’s sister Adria and her husband Joel off for their move to Tucson. It was hard to drag ourselves away from the clan in little Rhody but right after the Fourth of July we headed north.

Our northernmost destination was Maine, a first trip for both of us. We spent most of a month exploring the rugged coastline before turning west. Before leaving the state we caught up with friends and fellow RVers John and Marlene. As we swapped RV stories we realized that even though they’d been on the road longer they are still as enthusiastic about the journey as we are.

In New Hampshire we met up with Lance’s Cousin Rich who leads tours up Mt. Washington. The peak is known for its high winds and freezing temperatures year round and our day was no exception. The warm and sunny weather was swept away by gusts of cold wet, wind as we neared the top. Rich loves it there, he has been there for years and has no desire to leave any time soon.

Speaking of leaving, the bright fall foliage and cool temperatures soon encouraged us on our way. By the end of September we were in Ohio. Our three weeks flew by as we tried to keep up with all of Erin’s extended family: Uncle Lance, Aunt Sharon, Cousin Rusty, his wife Angelika, their three beautiful girls, Sarah, Megan, and Ronja, Cousin Shane, her husband Steve, and their adorable daughters, Frankie, and Gracie, and let’s not forget Erin’s Great Aunt Jo, Cousin Joy and her husband Steve. We said a reluctant goodbye to Ohio and followed the warm weather as it receded south. In a few weeks we reached our old home town of Tucson.

These past two months in Tucson have been restful but not boring. In between attending to our annual doctor appointments, working and running errands we have been spending time with family and friends. Lance’s family is all living in one town for the first time in years so visiting with Tom, Libby, Cammy, her husband Hank, Heidi, husband Jed, son Andrew, Adria and hubby Joel is an extra special treat.

Erin has made several trips down to southeastern Arizona to visit with her Grandma Eileen and Aunt Paula (and their boyfriends Tom and Harry, respectively). We’ve also shared some memorable dinners with Aunt Coralie, Aunt Shirley, Erin’s sister Desiree and her husband Scott. Last but not least are all the friends we’ve been able to reconnect with: Tori, Lori, Bev, Rafael, Collin, Debbie, Danny, Geoff, Lauren, Sam, Face, Aaron, his wife Jenny, and their son Nate. To make it even better the weather has been mostly warm and sunny—truly a wonderful place to finish out the year!

We hope that this holiday season provides you with a few moments to reflect on all the wonderful and special moments in your life. Our heartfelt wishes to all of you for a fantastic New Year full of adventure, love and laughter!

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. —Dr. Seuss

We laid low for our first week, not contacting many of our friends and family since we had doctor appointments and some serious shopping to do. Actually, I was in charge of the shopping while Lance pounded away on the computer keys making money for me to spend. We were in the market for not only a used car but a newer and larger used RV.

It may sound sudden to you but our research and pricing efforts actually began about four months ago. This past July we celebrated our one year anniversary of living on the road in our 21’ Class C Tioga Arrow motorhome. At that point, it became clear that we weren’t ready to stop traveling any time soon but we knew we couldn’t continue in such cramped quarters. It was truly amazing that Lance and I and our two cats had survived that long in our little old RV! After further discussion we realized that we couldn’t very well buy a larger RV and expect to continue to get around without a car.

So, first thing Monday morning I hit the pavement in a rental car and scouted out a couple decent deals. Fate and time were on our side: we signed the paperwork on the RV on Tuesday and bought the car on Wednesday. Within two days of our arrival in Tucson we had accomplished our two huge goals, and crossed them of the list! The only downside to working two deals at the same time is that the RV dealer made a bit more money off us than he should have. We did well on the car though and we’ll consider the tiny bit extra for the RV a convenience fee since we saved so much time shopping.

One of the things I most appreciated about the place where we purchased our RV is that they ensure that all the systems in the coach are operational. Though the RV only had a few things wrong with it by the time they were added up the full bill for parts and labor was over $4,000 and the dealer paid for all of it. As excited as we were to move in, our delivery date was delayed by a non-functioning A/C. It was promptly fixed, however, and we had the keys in our hands by the following Wednesday afternoon.

The second thing I liked about the dealer was their transition lot. Both RVs, our old one and our new one, were hooked up and parked side-by-side, which made moving in a breeze. By Thursday evening we were back in our RV park near Prince and I-10. Friday we were kept busy by errands and the weekend was consumed with ripping out the dinette and installing a desk for Lance and I. Why is it that the destruction is always so much easier than the construction? After two long days and several trips to the store, the desk was ready for the beginning of the work week on Monday.

So we are happy to announce that we are the proud new owners of a blue 2004 Honda CR-V and a 2000 Class A Fleetwood Southwind Storm 34D. We decided on a CR-V after researching which vehicles could be towed with all four wheels on the ground and, here’s the important part, without modifying the engine. We ended up with a CR-V not only because a manual one tows well, but because we’ve been keeping an eye out at the various RV parks we’ve stayed in, and one in every four tow vehicles is a CR-V. Safety in numbers, eh? Oh, and just to let you in on a little lingo from the world of full-time RVers, a towed car or dingy is commonly called a “toad”. Who says we don’t have a sense of humor?

Other than the additional 12’ in length we gained, we also gained extra width as the living room/dining room/kitchen has a full-length slide. This means that when parked, part of the RV slides out three feet for extra elbow room. The biggest appreciable differences are that it has a smoother and quieter ride, we can stretch out without touching both side walls at once, Lance hits his head much less frequently, and we are all sleeping better (including the cats).

Oddly enough some things are actually smaller in Sol Seeker II than they were in Sol Seeker, like the sinks, bathroom and fridge. The difference in the sinks is minimal, the bathroom has always been a one person affair but the fridge—yikes! Good darn thing we have a car now because my old stock up once a week and forget it system won’t work with this tiny thing.

Another unanticipated result of our new home is that Lance can’t hear me talking from the far end of the RV. At least that is what he says—I’ll be testing that assertion. It could be a case of selective hearing…

As one might expect all these changes in mode of travel will affect our manner of travel. Our system of travel that we have fine tuned over the past year will change. Instead of always taking our home with us, our RV will stay in one place for longer periods of time while we use the CR-V for day trips and to run errands. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean we are going to stop traveling—we have gained far too much in our year and a half of traveling to stop now. Look for us at an RV park near you soon!

We had originally planned to be in Tucson for four weeks but we arrived a week ahead of schedule which worked out well since the first two weeks were eaten up by appointments and shopping. For the rest of our stay we will be working during the day and spending as much time with family and friends as possible. We’re in a small, quiet, convenient location near the Santa Cruz River and Sweetwater Wetlands on the west side of town. We should have some fun with the local wildlife but more about that later.

Photos: View our photographs of our new RV, Sol Seeker II.