“Time it was, and what a time it was, it wasA time of innocence, A time of confidencesLong ago, it must be, I have a photographPreserve your memories; They’re all that’s left you.”
~Simon and Garfunkel ~
Click here for Sunday Morning Soundtrack:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTFtz5hwO3w
Cosmo and I packed up and left the Petroglyph Campground on Monday morning. We drove about a half an hour and found gas, then continued on to one of my favorite spots in the middle of a cactus forest just north of Tucson. It was just breathtaking there.
When we arrived, I made my favorite breakfast—Ramen.
I buy the packets when I find them cheap (averaging around 10 cents a packet). I sauté up some mushrooms and onions, cherry tomatoes and kale, and then put in the water and noodles. I throw out the flavor packet that comes with, and add some peanut butter, soy sauce and siracha. A meal fit for a king (or a queen).
We were going to head to BLM land closer to Deb and Barry later in the week, but after reading the most recent reviews, we were advised that it has turned into a not-so-friendly homeless camp with garbage stacked up and feral dogs running loose. We stayed put until Thursday and then headed to a casino parking lot just outside of Tucson. We parked for free for the night after registering. The casino gave me a meal voucher for $10 toward any one of the cafés or grilles inside, and a card to be redeemed for $20 worth of casino money. I didn’t use either. The casino felt like a scene from a sci-fi movie. The slot machines were floor to ceiling video displays. There were no handles to pull like the old days, but instead, each machine had a cationic zombie in front of it mindlessly pushing buttons and sipping a drink. It held zero appeal to me, so I went back to the van, parked at the remote end of the parking lot and watched a movie on my laptop. It was cold and damp (at least for southern AZ at this time of year, so we went to bed early. In the morning we got ready to head to Green Valley, but on our morning walk, we met Jose, a very nice man from North Carolina staying nearby in a camper on the back of his pickup truck. We talked for about a half an hour. It made my day to talk with a fellow nomad, compare notes about where we’ve been and where we were headed, before Cosmo and I drove the short distance to Barry and Deb’s house.
Deb made us sandwiches for lunch and we got caught up. Barry and some neighbors were putting a new sprinkler system in his back yard, so I helped glue together PVC pipes for a little while. After that we drove to the clubhouse/restaurant in their community and got pizza for dinner. Lots more yacking before Cosmo and I were worn out and ready for bed.
On Saturday morning, Deb drove us and her dog Joey to do rattlesnake aversion training. We’d done it 2 years ago, but both of us were uncertain if it stuck. So we did the re-testing and sure enough, when Cosmo and Joey approached two rattlesnakes (with their mouths taped shut) they heard the warning rattle and neither one of them would go any farther. When we tried to walk close they dug in their heals and scurried in the opposite direction. Mission accomplished. The previous training was still with them and they remembered getting shocked if they approached one of the snakes. I will feel a little safer when I head back into the desert this week.
We stopped and got Jersey Mike’s subs which I’d been craving and seldom get on the road. Back at the house, Barry and his neighbors who were helping with the new irrigation system took a lunch break and then Cosmo and I headed out to the van to type this missive and take a nap.
Lessons From The Road: I’m pleased to report that there were no difficult lessons this week. Life was not only good, but also quite easy. If there was a lesson, it is to remember to savor old friends. I’ve known Deb since the mid ‘90’s. We worked together on the Names Project to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Visalia, CA. It was a project that took on a life of its own, and a lot more work than any of us had imagined. It’s good to keep in touch, and reconnect with old friends. It was certainly a joyous reunion.