Tumacácori and Tubac

I started out with thinking about a "T" tongue twister:  Traveling to Tumacácori and Tubac tentatively  takes time.  Oops....an "a" word squeezed in there.  Oh well, it is the best I could do. 

Not only was it a beautiful day, it was a day where everyone could get into the National Parks free if charge.  Worked for all of us!

 This is what the mission looks like today, partially restored, and

what it looked like in 1868, after being abandoned for 20 years.  The original facade of the church and also the inside were painted with bright colors.  Now these have been replaced with muted shades of tan and adobe colors.

Not only was there free admission, there were locals providing demonstrations of paper flower making and tortilla making.  Of course, it would have been rude for us to pass these ladies by without making a donation and sampling some tortillas.  Doris added homemade beans and salsa to hers.

Beans , Salsa and tortillas hot off the outside stove.

Our little snack was followed by a walk around the grounds of the mission.  Below is the mortuary chapel.  The roof of this circular building was never finished.

 Behind the mortuary is the cemetery.  The 593 graves from the mission era have long ago been destroyed by weather, thieves and cattle.  The ones that remain are from the 20th century.  The only one that is identified is that of Juanita Alegria.  She was buried in 1916.

 Sandy patiently waited for Jeff, Erica and Jerry to catch up as we walked through the grounds.  Years ago, there was not much to see here besides the church.

Next stop: Tubac, small town, big prices....also known as a tourist trap.  The artwork is beautiful, the clothes in the store are unique (meaning $$$$) and the stores are quaint.  In other words, we window shopped.

Jerry, Jeff and Erica 

 Don checked out the map as Doris waited for him.  None of the maps showed any benches, but he soon found a spot where he could sit and let the rest of us wander.

The quaint shops and interesting sculptures can keep you occupied for hours.....unless you are of the same persuasion as Don.  He was ready to leave after about 15 minutes.  The only thing that would hold his interest would be a tool store (there were none).  Thank goodness Doris and Sandy went along with me....or did I go with them?.......Oh well, at least we had a good time!

 This roadrunner made out of a saxophone captured my eye as we went past it.  Now that is something I think would go great in our back yard.  He was a quiet guy, though, and not once did I hear his "beep, beep" as we went past.

 Last stop of the day: the Cow Palace.  It has been at this spot since 1920 when Mr. Kinsley started it.  I remember it from my childhood as Kinsley's ranch, a cool respite with a nice lake.  It was a stopping point on the old Nogales Highway for many years.  Now the lake and trees across the street are gone, but at least the restaurant lives on.

DeGrazia Day

Tucson's most famous artist, Ted DeGrazia, built his Gallery in the Sun in the early 1950's.  I think he never realized how popular his paintings would become at that time, and how they are still loved by so many people.  On his property, he also built The Mission in the Sun in honor of Father Kino.

On Tuesday, the six of us campers came to visit the place where Doris and Gary were married.

Doris and Don in the parking lot area.

 The Mission in the Sun is made out of traditional adobe, perfect for the spot it sits on at the base of the Catalina Mountains.

 Inside, the chapel,  Doris lit a candle in Gary's memory.  It was one of their favorite places to take visitors when they came to Tucson.

Doris took a moment to pose next to a huge Saguaro located by the chapel before all of us left.  The men went to eat liver and onions (ugh) and the ladies had a much better lunch at Beyond Bread.  Of course, Don, Jerry and Norm will disagree with me on that, but I write the blog!!!!

Catalina Camping 2015

Once again, we took our 5th wheel down to Catalina State Park for our annual get together.  This year, there were only 4 rigs, but we had plenty of visits from family and friends during our time there!

The first part of the week was cool and cloudy, which made for some great photos.  The views changed constantly, as heavy clouds obscured the top of the Catalina Mountains, only to recede and start the cycle over again.  

Cooler weather didn't bother Sandy and Doris, as the three of us walked around in the campground.  After all, we need more exercise than just playing cards and dominoes.  We did manage to get in some short hikes, Corn Hole games and bicycle rides as well.  Somehow, we also worked in a Happy Hour each afternoon, whether it was 5 o'clock or not.

On Thursday, it cleared up.  No more clouds or rain and the wind calmed down.  It was perfect day for a spaghetti dinner with different sets of friends.  

 Look how nice we line up for dinner! Just like we did when we were in school, although I think Jerry might be trying to steer Sandy in the right direction.  I wonder if other people are like us....no sooner do we complete a meal and the guys are asking what we are making for the next one!  Maybe our motto should be: eat, drink and be merry.  We can handle that.

 Doris cut into the delicious dessert that Elaine made.  Even though all of us were full, absolutely no one was going to pass up on this absolutely divine dessert!

After that, it was time for pictures of us FWHS gals.  We finally decided it would be in birth order: Nellie on the left, was the oldest, then me, Doris, Phyllis and finally....the "youngster" of the group, Sandy.  

 And the winning picture is:

Camping to us is not just sitting by a campfire, drinking cowboy coffee and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers.  Nope, our menu is varied and also unpredictable at times!  This year, Sandy and Jerry put together a shrimp boil.  All the ingredients were lined up on the table so they would be added into the pot in the proper order. 

 How many people does it take to make this?  Remember the old adage, "too many cooks spoil the broth"?  We did.  So Jerry stirred, added, and stirred some more.  The rest of us supervised watched!

We took the traditional route, serving it on brown paper, and no utensils or plates.  Cleanup was a breeze...you just roll up the paper and throw everything away.  No dishes for us ladies to wash.

On Sunday, Jerry's son, daughter and their families came out for the afternoon, as well as other friends from Faith Lutheran Church.  Jerry's impending birthday gave us another excuse to eat cake and Rice Krispie bars.  The 7 & 5 candles didn't match, but it was a better option that trying to put 75 candles on the cake.  By the time we would have gotten them all lit, the first ones would have burned down.....ah, the perils of being a senior citizen.

 And finally, a birthday kiss from Sandy.  He was one happy camper!

Wonderful Williams!

Oct. 13th was the designated day for Jerry, Sandy, Don and I to meet up with the rest of the group in Williams, Arizona.  This is what our rigs looked like, all lined up at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park.  Don and Sandy's sister, Doris was already in her spot when we got there.  So was Jerry's son, Jeff and his fiance, Erica.  We were ready to take on Williams, but was it ready for us??

 That's what us ladies like to see: the guys cooking breakfast!  Jerry and Jeff are working hard at the dueling grills.  Works for me.

Looks like Erica and Sandy are checking on the guys to see where they are in the cooking process.

 Another day, and it seems like we are eating a big breakfast again.  Now we are over at Doris' trailer, enjoying the eggs, sausage, bacon, toast and fried hashbrowns.  I'm surprised that we aren't all overweight.  To our credit, we did get a lot of exercise while we were there.

Since the RV park is so close to downtown Williams, we have done a lot of walking....and shopping!  First, we checked out the steam engine by the train depot that was all dressed up with cobwebs for Halloween.

 Then it was on to the main street, the old Route 66 which ran right through Williams before being bypassed by the Interstate.  Of course, there are a lot of souvenir shops and cool looking cars along the main drag.  I'd gladly trade my PT Cruiser for this red hot Pontiac. Talk about nostalgia!

Don turned around , probably to check on where I was.  Doris just kept on heading to the next shop.  If you are into the 50's and 60's era, this is the place to visit.  

Some of the group are wine connoisseurs.  And wouldn't you know it, in between the restaurants and other shops was the Grand Canyon Winery.  I took pictures while the other 6 people sipped and tasted the different wines.

 Don and Doris perused the menu with all the various wines and beers.

 While the bunch imbibed, I wandered around and busied myself with taking pictures of the buildings.  The Red Garter with the cute lady hanging out the window was built as a saloon and bordello by a German tailor in 1897. He also had a Chinese restaurant and opium den in the same building.  I guess that is what you could call a "full entertainment package"....

 I wonder if Elvis could smell the wine on Don and Doris' breath?  If he did, he sure didn't complain about it.

Day two (or was it 3 or 4...when you're retired, they all seem the same) of strolling the streets.  We made a beeline to Cruisers to meet up with friends from high school.  In fact, Sandy and Doris went to grade school with Phyllis and Dave. We won't even think of how LONG ago that was!

 We had a wonderful time visiting with Dave and Phyllis Green, who have lived in Williams for about 15 years now.  I'm glad they were able to meet up with us so we could visit for awhile.  I don't think Don was trying to hide behind the pole, but you never know.  He was happy to be here....there was food involved!

Williams was indeed our "last hurrah" for the summer.  We had eaten lots of good food, seen new things, learned a thing or two from all the museum visits, enjoyed the ocean air and had played a lot of card games. The icing on the cake was the beautiful sunset during one of our last evenings.  Like they say about wine, "It was a good year".

In "Plane" Sight

Our friends, Gary and Sherry, suggested that we all go to the Planes of Fame Museum, which was about an hour's drive north of Williams.  The day was overcast and cool, so it was a good day to be inside. 

There are 3 planes outside, but most of them are inside a large hanger in the very teeny, tiny town of Valle that had 832 occupants in 2010.  One thing for sure, there isn't much there, but it is the home of Grand Canyon Valle Airport, the museum, a hotel and a few other businesses.

For the price of $6 each, we got admission plus a free cup of coffee!  Can't beat that for value.

 Gary was checking out one of the planes

while Doris, Sandy and Sherry gazed at another one.  The one below had the nickname of "The Grasshopper" and was first flown in 1945.  They were used for observation and air ambulances.

This odd looking contraption (nicknamed the sweat box) was actually developed in 1934 as a training device.  It taught pilots to fly blind or by instruments only. The instructor sat at the desk who talked to the student through headphones.  The instructor had the ability to induce cross winds, turbulence and make the trainer yaw, pitch and roll, making the student sweat. The student's progress was recorded by the "spider" on the desk, which made a red line on the map.   I thought this was amazing for that time and age.

I had a take a closer look at this plane, since it was covered in heavy canvas and not metal.  It is a British fighter plane used by the Royal Flying Corps during WWI. Anyone in that plane would surely see the action up close.  Those pilots had to be some brave and daring guys.

In addition to the air museum, there was a small group of cars on display at the Grand Canyon Valle Airport.  As the seven of us read about the history of this completely restored 1939 Pontiac Woodie, we realized it belonged at one time to the Walter Douglas Jr. family. It was THE Grand Canyon Airlines Woodie. Walter Douglas had a lot of ties to Flowing Wells, There is a grade school named after him, right across the street from the house I lived in during high school.  His children went to high school with Sherry, Doris, Sandy and me.  None of us ever expected to come across something like this in a relatively obscure location.