“At night the stars put on their show for free.”
~James Taylor
Monday morning Barry and Deb drove me to Nogales Mexico. We parked on the U.S. side, and walked across the border to a bright, school-bus yellow building that housed my new dentist. I’d lost a filling over a year ago, and another one just recently. When I lost the first one, I tried in vain to find a dentist who would repair it, but after many, many phone calls, either they were not taking new patients, wouldn’t take Medicare, or said they could fit me in next July. I finally convinced a dentist to let me come in just to get the rough edges ground down so my tongue would stop scraping on it. She did that, but said I’d need a root canal and she could do it a week, but I’d have to come back in two weeks for the crown. I was moving, so that didn’t work. I’ve put it off until Barry and Deb mentioned how close, easy, and cheap the Nogales dentist office was. I won’t bore you with the details, but although it took most of the day, I got a full set of X-rays, a deep cleaning, two cavities filled, one root canal and one crown, 3D printed while I waited. Everyone in the office was over-the-top kind and friendly. I did have to wait to see the dentist who did my root canal (in another building, and perhaps another practice?) and then waited during their lunch break and a final wait for the crown to be printed, but in the end it cost me less than $1100. The last dentist who told me they would only clean my teeth if I submitted to a deep cleaning, involving two visits, and numbing my entire mouth said it would cost over $1200. I declined. So, the way I see it, I got my teeth cleaned for $100 cheaper and they threw in two fillings, a root canal, a crown and X rays for free! I guess that makes me a medical tourist, and the dental care I got in Mexico far surpassed anything I’ve ever gotten in the states. I’m a convert, for sure.
Cosmo and I had such a wonderful visit with Deb, Barry, and their dog Joey. Deb went to culinary school, so every meal was a delight. I had bought a mini-ice cream maker (same company that made my mini waffle maker, my tiny oven, and my baby air fryer) and Amazon delivered it the day I arrived. We got ingredients, and since my ice cream maker had two freezer cups, we made two kinds of ice cream nearly every night. There were some experiments, but certainly no failures, and some recipes so good they’d easily compete with the best homemade ice creams anywhere. I learned a new card game (a version of canasta with 7 decks of cards) and we played every night while waiting for our ice cream du jour to set up.
I had two baths while there, did all my laundry, and I took my rugs out to clean them, and Barry did an exceptional job on them while I yacked with his next-door neighbor. I scrubbed my floors and vacuumed up dog hair from all my van’s nooks and crannies with Barry’s shop vac. So it was not only an extremely fun visit, but also quite productive.
I had intended only to stay until Sunday morning, but when I got scheduled for a dental appointment so easily, and had someone to cross the border with me, I stayed an extra two days. I left on Tuesday and headed back to Picacho Peak where I easily got a very nice spot in the cactus forest. It was 76⁰, sunny and stunningly majestic.
I stayed a couple of nights before moving westward, almost to Gila Bend, AZ. I went back to BLM land off of Vekol Road near I-8. I found a very large, uninhabited area, not far from the interstate. I could still see cars and trucks passing by at night, but the low hum of tires in the distance was soothing when it was warm enough to have my windows open. It got cold (cold for here) the second day, barely reaching 60 degrees, and there was intermittent rain. In between showers, Cosmo and I played ball outside, but mostly it was an indoor day. I put on sweat pants, made waffle brownies and a mocha cappuccino and watched YouTube most of the day. We were treated to a beautiful rainbow at sunset.
Even though my life is pretty much work-free, I still enjoy a “rainy day off” now and again.
### ### ###
On Saturday morning, I packed up and headed westward. San Diego is my ultimate destination, but I drove just past Gila Bend to an Arizona Land Trust spot that I stayed at on the way to Deb and Barry’s. The sun came out again and it was in the mid-70’s once again. I settled into a nice spot and made lunch before Cosmo went outside for some ball chasing. (Him, not me.)
Lessons From The Road: I lead a charmed life. I always feel safe, and more often than not, I am surrounded by people who care about me (Deb and Barry took this to a whole other level). I haven’t completely figured out who my tribe might be, or how to define them, but I’m sure that friends from my past, who let me stay in their driveways or guest rooms are certainly an integral part of my tribe.
I’m learning that home is wherever I am at any given moment. I used to have major transition periods when I moved from the wild into a driveway, and another transitional period when I moved back. The longer I’m on the road, the easier I transition seamlessly from The Empire, back into the wild. I’ve also learned to take in the pleasures that are available wherever I happen to be. In the wilderness, I enjoy the dark skies, dotted with stars and planets, and the beauty of plants I never knew about as a kid; in a friend’s driveway, I relish the opportunity for long hot showers, maybe a bath, getting to cook in a big kitchen, do laundry, and have friends take me on adventures. It used to drive me crazy when anyone would say “It’s all good,” but I’m learning that most of the time, that is a true statement.
I’m getting pretty good at not having a long term trip plan. When I settle into a place, I figure out where I’m heading next, but not when I’m heading there. Beyond the next stop, I only have a vague idea of the direction. That’s working for me right now, and it makes me much more able to be in the present instead of always worrying about where I’m going and how I’ll get there. I’m reminded of a saying by The Story People: “If you hold onto the handle” she said, “It’s easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it’s more fun if you let the wind carry you.”
And as Joni Mitchell once said “I’m a wild seed again, let the wind carry me.”