Happy birthday, Becky

Michael's sister Becky was one of my avid blog readers and,  just in case she is still reading it ,  I'll use this to wish her happy birthday. Though Becky passed away a year and a half ago,  she'll always be one of my best friends and a real inspiration to me. Happy Birthday to you,  Becky!

In other news,  things are moving along here in Tucson.  Jack's mom Mary got out of the hospital the day after we arrived in Tucson -- the 25th of October.  Since she is on oxygen and using a walker,  things are a bit more challenging for her. She has appointments with a nurse,  with pt,  and several doctors. So far,  we've managed to get her where she needs to be and to help her to keep things tidy at her apartment.  Yesterday,  in fact,  she went down to the salon to have her hair done. This was her first time doing that since the hospital,  so it felt great to her. I just followed along,  letting her do everything.  She even said,  "you're not even going to push the elevator button?". But she did it all,  including setting up her small oxygen tank,  by herself. What a woman. She could have just let other people do for her,  but she's decided to get well and do for herself. :-)

Jack is having a workup done,  meanwhile,  and they are finding some blockages in arteries. Extent and remedies are uncertain at this point.

Me? Well,  I've gotten the front "yard" dug for my retaining wall,  Jack and I procured the blocks,  and they are sort of tentatively set in place. We are going to need to cut a few of them to make them fit. Then will come plastic behind them and gravel and maybe soil to fill in behind.

The little cactus that we planted here is just like the one that we put on at Jack's -- the one that someone was inspired to kick over when we first returned. So we'll move mine to his house and replant his remaining broken stalks and see if he can make them grow again. He was so proud of his little cactus that it made me sob to see it all broken off.

Anyway so then my plan is to top my little plot with decorative stone and "plant" some steel cacti there. :-) I would move my steel agaves from 206, but they are so perfect there and they make me smile whenever I walk past. So I'll find more.

People are returning from the frozen north at a steady pace,  and activities are going here. It's a beautiful time to be in Tucson.



Location : 7451 S 5th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85710,

Almost home

Tucson is just 92 miles away! This photo shows a bit of rain that we're seeing along I-10 today.

Our trip has been fun,  punctuated by visits to family and friends. We visited state capitols in IL,  IA,  NE,  and CO. At some point soon,  I will figure out a way to get all these photos online for your viewing pleasure.

I'm posting this with my new smartphone -- a Samsung Charge with much help from Verizon. I so love the little gadget. It can,  I'm convinced,  do anything!

Location : N Railroad Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643,

On I 80

We awoke this morning to a chilly 29° in Henderson,  NE. Were now headed west on I 80 300 miles east of Arvada,  Colorado. All is well and enjoying a break while Jack drives.

Location : 301-399 7th St, Gothenburg, NE 69138,

Jack was the line judge

 I was proud! 

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

A great day

Jack and I had a wonderful day today!  We started by visiting the Ford Museum in Dearborn. What a neat museum,  with so many different things to see!  There was the actual bus in which Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat,  Edgar Allan Poe's writing desk... planes,  trains,  and automobiles.  This was a whole day,  and we didn't see it all,  by a long shot.

We drove back to Ann Arbor and to the school where Wren was to play volleyball. The funny thing is that they were short a line judge,  so Jack was happy to fill in. What a fun time for all of us!

Back at Dave and Kelly's,  we got the tour of their new home and yard and then dinner. Chinese food satisfied all of us so that we were fortified adequately for the short trip to Baskin Robbins!  Lots of love and laughs. .. Just a great time!  <3<3<3<3<3

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

On the Road Again

Ok...trying posting with the blogaway app I just got for my phone. Jack and I are in Ypsilanti this afternoon. And for those of you who are familiar with the geography of Michigan,   you know that,  to get here,  we traveled east. We're here to visit with David,  Kelly,  and the children. And we're excited about this!  :-)

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

Back in Michigan

I've been back in Michigan since August 17. I've mainly been occupied with my usual home-improvement pursuits. If you know me very well, you know that I've been obsessed with home improvement since childhood, when Annette and I rearranged our bedroom furniture... uh... frequently. At least I have not rearranged this house to the point where I'm sleeping under my desk! LOL!

Jack and I have not worked much on his house, I think because he just can't stand it. He says that he wants to sell it, but he can't figure out what he wants to do with his garage FULL of tools, and many other things. We're trying to work in that direction, anyway.

We went to Grand Rapids on Saturday and bought a bookcase and nightstands finally. This will give me a civilized place to put books (duh) and help to organize (or at least hide) the bedside clutter. Jack and I will go back down to pick these up later in the week. I also have been diligent about getting my appointments made -- teeth cleaning, eye exam, financial checkup, etc..

Weather here on the river has been perfection. Jack has cooked delicious food for us on the grill, and I made the best egg salad EVER just yesterday. :)

Can it get hotter than this?

Jack and I arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas yesterday, and spent today here, too. We went to Garvan Woodland Gardens this morning, and spent a good three hours wandering around over the many paths, photographing woodlands and gardens, and sweating! I believe that I would have died, without the water that I'd brought along.


We drove back into town, and then to bath house row. There, we did a tour and read all the exhibits about the heyday of the Hot Springs bathhouse industry which peaked in the 40's. Interesting and fun!


We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Central Park Fusion Restaurant, headed back to the KOA, and did laundry!

Santa Fe

We actually made it out of Tucson! We had planned to leave on Tuesday, but ended up leaving at 10:30 am on Wednesday. It was oppressively hot and a little humid, as is typical for the Monsoon season. We stayed last night at the Little Vineyard Campground in Deming, NM.

Tonight finds me with Jack and Eddie the cat in the little Navion close to Santa Fe, NM. The sky is clearing, the air is amazingly cool and fresh, and we're having a fine time! The GPS is working well in conjunction with our collection of AAA maps. We are looking for a place for dinner now. So off we go!

Still in Tucson

I know that I've been remiss in posting. I would vow to do better, but you wouldn't believe me anyway. ;)

We're having a good time here in Tucson. We've been working on projects and here's what we've accomplished:

• My deck is done and is beautiful.
• My skirting (made of faux stone) is done and is beautiful.
• The inside of my cottage is lovely, furnished, and is a great place to live.
• I have some beautiful new patio furniture and an outdoor heater.
• Jack's ceiling is done in his cottage's bedroom, and it's splendid.
• Jack's cottage is neat and clean, and is the process of becoming organized.
• My 206 cottage, which I'm going to be selling, now has new flooring.
• The carpet is ripped out from the bedroom in 206 and we're getting set to install new.
• We moved furniture into 206, so that we can sell it furnished.
• We have procured some neat decorative items to "stage" 206, and are in the process of placing these items. This included some fabulous finds and the place is going to look wonderful.

I've come to the conclusion that, for both Jack and me, home improvement is a hobby. Ever since the frequent furniture rearranging that Annette and I did as children, I've been a home improvement freak. So, consider it normal that I look around this beautiful cottage and see more things that need to be fixed up. I do. :)

So... are we going to stay here all summer? Are we going to fly back to the midwest? Are we going to take a long RV journey? Stay tuned to find out!