Exploring new territory..............(martha)

We have delayed exploring (or touring) Tucson because our focus has been in three distinct areas. First, on our house (settling it, renovating the kitchen, unpacking, etc). Next, on volunteering and lastly, on building our new community (finding a church, joining a fitness center, belonging to a dinner group, etc.)

However, Kris and Al Perry (friends from Minnesota,) spent six weeks here during their harsh winter back there. They persuaded us to join them one Saturday at the Desert Museum. It was a great day outdoors. After a wonderful orientation to desert plants and cactus we went inside for a presentation on the rattlesnakes and Gila Monster. (See photos above.)

Next, my sister, Linnea, (from Pasadena, CA) visited us for a few days last weekend. (Her office was closed last Monday for President's Day.)

As a result of her visit, we toured the Kitt Peak Observatory (located on the Tohono O’odham Nation land). The next day, we went to the Titan Missile Museum (which was fascinating). Our docent led tour exceeded the hour because we had so many questions. Maybe we are smarter than a 5th grader?

Afterwards we drove 30 miles south (on I-19) to Tubac. This is a charming town (population less than 1,000,) with a large shopping area. Think Shirlington (if you're familiar with that area near our former neighborhood in VA). Tubac is spread over several "city" blocks containing locally owned restaurants, shops, art galleries, furniture stores and coffee spots.

Last weekend, Tubac also hosted an arts and craft festival. Artisans from around the country (CA, MT, MN, NJ, etc.) had tents displaying their skills at painting, pottery, bronze sculpture, leather works, etc. It was enjoyable walking outdoors from booth to booth. It was sunny, with no wind and over 70 degrees.

Even though Tucson is the snake “capital” of America, come and visit!

We’ll step carefully and go exploring other sites!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Jeff)

Greetings,

Sorry for the delay in posting but things have been busy for us.

First, the Good. We had a great time in MN for the Christmas holidays seeing family and friends. Another Good is that the kitchen is finally done. We are very pleased with the outcome (see photos above) and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.

Second, the Bad. While back in MN, we got our yearly dose of real winter and are very glad that we could escape back to Tucson before we froze our noogies off! Another Bad is that Arizona, including Tucson, just got hammered with our version of a winter storm. We got almost two inches of rain, roughly a third of our yearly average, and over three feet of snow in the mountains (photo above is from our front balcony). We even had tornado watches for Tucson.

Third, the Ugly. Yes, the Vikings season has ended. It was a heart breaking loss for many of us who felt this was our magical year. But alas, five turnovers will almost always guarantee a loss. Brett Favre played his heart out and showed a lot of courage to hang in with the pounding he was taking. It was a very exciting season, so I hope he does not retire for good.

Happy St. Lucia Day.....................(martha)

Though it's not part of Advent, for Swedes, December 13th is the start of the Christmas season. This day honors a young Christian girl who was martyred. She is always portrayed with her head encircled by a halo of candle lights.

As a child, my three sisters and I took turns being St. Lucia each year. If it was my turn, I was thrilled to wake up early in the morning. I’d wrap myself in a white bathrobe with a red sash. Next, I’d don a “crown” and walk to each bedroom to wake my family members for a festive candlelight breakfast. Every year, my Mom baked Julekage, a sweet cardamom flavored Christmas bread as a treat for this day.

As an adult living in Minnesota, the tradition continued a bit differently. My Mom enabled my siblings and me to continue to celebrate December 13th. First she baked Julekage in the shape of St. Lucia’s crown. Next, she delivered them to us by the 12th so we could celebrate St. Lucia Day on the 13h.

That brings me to my next point. Since we are in the midst of a kitchen renovation, we are not sending Christmas cards this year. Instead our warmest wishes are extended here....'No fair" you may mutter (under your breath). You do want us to remain sane, right?!

Therefore, I am remembering a simple celebration from childhood. The times I was excited to be chosen St. Lucia. In keeping with that theme, I have chosen to "be" St. Lucia this year and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

May the joy of Christ’s birth fill your hearts today and in the coming New Year.

Winter?

Greetings!

Well, things are cooling down a bit here, with lows in the 30s and highs in the mid 50s. The whole state of AZ just had winter storm advisories, even blizzard warnings up north around Flagstaff. In Tucson we had strong winds and rain (much needed) overnight, and at higher elevations (above 6000 feet) there was snow and some road closings. But as I look outside the sun is shining and clouds are clearing.

This past weekend we had two different cultural events. Friday night we went to a local park, Tohono Chul, to hear Gabriel Ayala, a Native American classical guitarist. A few weeks ago I was in a charity golf tournament and he was one of my playing partners. He is a lot of fun and a great guitarist. In fact he has been touring recently with the Four Tops and the Temptations up in Canada, as well as playing down in South America. He has also been nominated for Grammys.

The second event I had been anticipating for many months. Once I saw the Vikings were playing the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix, I wanted to get tickets to the game. Using Stub Hub (thanks, Gina :)) I was able to purchase two tickets back in August. Originally the game was set for 2:15 local time, and Martha and I were just going to drive up for the day. But the NFL changed the game to be the NBC Sunday night game. So, we decided to stay overnight rather than driving home late that night.

We parked for free in a high school nearby, and walked about 1 mile or so to the stadium. We passed lots of Viking and Cardinal folks tail gating. We arrived almost an hour before they opened the gates, so we had to wait. Many folks wanted to buy tickets, but the only tickets left were Club level at $500 a ticket. While we were waiting I met Jeff Dugan's (Vikings #83) mom who was there to pick up tickets Jeff left for his parents at will call. They live in Pennsylvania, but they follow him all around to watch him play. Any way we finally got in about 90 minutes before kick off. We got a few snacks to eat and relaxed while watching some of the players chatting on the field (Favre and Warner talked a good 10 minutes or so). We had good seats, upper deck but in the corner of the end zone, so we could see all of the field pretty well.

One thing I don't like about being at the stadium is the noise level. Not the fans, but all loud music they play before the game and during breaks. Some of it was painfully loud (am I getting old or what?) and I was thrilled when the game started so the music would stop. Another thing I don't like is the excessive drinking. One 20-something Viking fan two rows in front of us kept standing up on every play and when people asked him to sit down he was rude and obnoxious. Also, mid way through the third quarter a fight broke out about 10-15 rows behind us. I just didn't like the vibes anymore so Martha and I left after the third quarter. Shuttle buses brought us back to the parking lot and we headed for the hotel.

I am glad we went to the game. It was probably my only chance to see Bret Favre play, and though the Vikings did not win (at least the first Viking touchdown was in our corner of the endzone) there was no denying that they had tremendous fan support at the game. I guess I am spoiled in that I prefer to sit at home, in front of the big screen, snack on cheap food and drink, see all the replays, and have easy access to the bathroom.

Well, this week we begin the kitchen redo. Today and tomorrow the tile guy is here to tear out the old tile in the kitchen and family room. Then next week the cabinets will be replaced, and some tile will be laid. Then Christmas week the rest of the tile will be laid. The new counter tops will go in Jan. 7th after we return to Tucson from our dose of real winter in MN.

New Traditions..............(martha)

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.

It started on Wednesday night with a festive worship service at church. Then on Thursday morning we had a simple picnic breakfast in the park for about twenty of us. The eggs and meat were cooked over an open fire in the pit adjacent to the covered pavilion. It was windy. Plates and cups went flying as the food disappeared unless we anchored them down.

One upside of living here is the weather. In the beginning, like all mornings, it was cool (mid 50s). By noon, we were in shirt sleeves as it reached the mid 70s. Jeff finished our time in the park by playing horseshoes while I walked that park. In the afternoon, we watched a movie. In the evening we enjoyed a Thanksgiving buffet at a country club serving turkey, ham and all the trimmings.

Our weekend was capped off with a lovely brunch on Sunday in the home of new friends from church. The hosts introduced us to eight new people to acclimate us to our new community.

Today, Jeff and I will receive a personalized one-to-one orientation at ICS (Interfaith Community Service). We will be switched from serving Mobile Meals to providing transportation (to doctors, grocery stores, etc.) to those who no longer drive.

Friday, we are attending the annual Holiday Lights festival and Musical Performance at Tohona Chul Park (15 minutes away). Jeff golfed with one of the performers, Gabriel Ayalay at the ICS golf fund raiser in mid-November. Gabriel is an acoustical guitarist and a Native American from AZ. Recently, he finished a tour with the Temptations.

Sunday, we are attending the Minnesota Vikings game in Phoenix. The good news…..the Vikings keep winning! Go Vikes. The bad news ……….? The NFL changed the time to the Sunday night game starting at 6:30 pm (our time). Now we are staying overnight rather than driving up for the day.

I hate to miss attending my Pilate’s class on Monday morning. Odd how quickly it has become a regular habit.

Yesterday, I was at the dentist office for the third appointment since Nov. 4th. I now have a permanent crown. Does that make me Queen for a Day?

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from AZ,

This year is a special year of giving thanks for Martha and me. We still have to pinch ourselves from time to time just to make sure we are not dreaming. By God's grace we are here, living out the dream we put in place over 15 years ago.

Things are great here in AZ. We are getting settled in, and a certain rhythm is starting to develop. On MWFs I do a Total Gym workout here in the house (we bought one recently) because I am not a big fan of going to a gym. Martha will probably do TG as well and goes to a Pilates class on MWF. I am golfing once a week for now but I hope once the house gets "done" I can make that twice a week. There are four or five nice city/county courses I have played so far, and they are easy to walk. I just bought a golf push cart so I don't have to carry my clubs anymore because my shoulder has been bothering me a bit more these days.

We went to see "The Blind Side" last weekend. It was a great movie, based on a true story. In fact Martha and I made sure we watched some of the Baltimore Ravens game this past weekend. Go see the movie and you will understand.

Last Saturday we joined Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) and signed up to volunteer with Interfaith Community Services (ICS). You may recall that Martha was raised Lutheran (I was raised Catholic) so this is like going home for her. It is also very familiar to me because for the first 12 years of our marriage we worshipped at Lutheran churches. RLC is very outward focused, trying to meet various needs in the community, and ICS is focused on meeting daily needs in the Tucson area, from Mobile Meals to augmenting the local food bank. Martha and I feel that RLC and ICS is a good fit for us to start volunteering and helping others.

The house is coming along. We had a landscaper do a lot of work in the front yard (clearing, planting, new timed drip irrigation system) and it looks great. The new plants are fun and give the front yard a clean and diverse look (see above). We are especially fond of the Santa Rita Prickly Pear cactus (thanks JoAnn, John and Anna). The back yard will probably be a two year project. Also, we are about to tear up the kitchen and family room area. We are putting in new tile and new cabinets, as well as some minor construction to give us some more storage space. So, for about three weeks starting Dec. 7th, things will be a bit messy and disorganized. But we hope to have everything done by Jan. 8th.

We will be heading to MN on Dec. 24th again this year for Christmas and New Year. It will be great to see family and friends, and get another reminder why it is great to live in a snow-free zone! Right now the temps have been great, with lows in the 40s and highs in the mid 70s. This is the nicest time of year in Tucson for sure. We have met many of our neighbors, and they all seem like nice folks.

As I said at the beginning, Martha and I are well aware of how blessed we are. We thank God for all the blessings He has poured into our lives, especially all of our family and friends. We cherish each one of you and look forward to seeing some of you in the very near future.

Week 8 (almost).......................(martha)

Well, it has been a whirlwind week.

My well intentioned plans to write at mid-week did not materialize. Instead, I was busily preparing for my sister, Mary's, arrival on Wednesday with John, her husband. Besides cleaning the dust bunnies, scrubbing shower stalls and settling the guest room I have been cooking (yes, don't faint!)

Backing up, last Tuesday, Jeff and I attended the volunteer orientation to "work" for Interfaith Community Services (ICS). The scope of services offered and the wealth of opportunities to help were impressive. Currently, their # 1 need is for drivers delivering MM (Mobile Meals). They differ from Meals on Wheels in that their program accommodates dietary restrictions.

At orientation, the presenter asked for volunteers for the next day's annual golf tournament benefiting ICS; I offered to help. My assignment was an easy one. Four of us sat at the 7th green (a par 3,) to vouch for anyone who got a hole-in-one. The prize was a Steinway grand piano. Alas, nobody managed that feat and we had a pleasant afternoon outdoors. Fortunately I arrived home 30 minutes before John and Mary came.

They drove 8 hours from Pasadena, CA with their bikes mounted on their SUV. They have taken advantage of our bike-friendly city each day. Thursday, Jeff and John golfed. Mary and I walked in our neighborhood, ate lunch at a local park and took my cousin to PT in the afernoon.

It's time for me to close. All four of us are heading to my cousin's for dinner.