More Mind-Bogglings

We are still living or at least visiting the city of Phoenix just off Indian School Road. Lots of traffic but we are far enough away from that main drag so we hear very little except the loud motorcycles that pass mostly at night. We were lucky enough to find a Sprouts grocery store within walking distance so that's convenient. In the same strip mall is a restaurant called the the Angry Crab. Initially I wasn't interested in eating there (I'm allergic to crab) but we decided to try it for lunch. What a feast. Most customers get crab by the pound, dumped on their table and are equipped with gloves and bibs. We didn't go that route, simply had an appetizer of shrimp, calamari and hush puppies followed by deep fried fish. Even that was a feast. I couldn't believe how much I ate which didn't look like near as much as the others were eating. It was delicious. Certainly a mind-boggling kind of place but I don't think I will return.

Another day we went to the Phoenix Zoo, I didn't even know there was one here. Large desert terrain for many animals but it was difficult to imagine a giraffe or a hippo living in that patch of desert. The most colorful were the parrots, I've always wanted one but settled for a painting. The temperature was in the 80s so many of the captured animals were in whatever spot of shade they could find and were napping, not much activity. Most of the activity came from the thousands of young humans that were there, nice to see youngsters running around. It was not cheap, I think the entrance fee was a mind-boggling $40 for an adult but Katherine asked about a senior rate and we got $10 off but with the lunch of chicken we had I guess the final spent was about $100. Too much for what we saw.

We now have three more days before we are out of here, a place I don't think I will remember with fondness. Next to the Tri-Cities in Washington State and a week later we fly to Panama. It will be good to arrive on foreign territory and to experience a different culture.

Stan the Man 

 

 

More Mind-boggling Change 

Yes, we continue to move on, as of last night we are in Phoenix, Arizona. It could be a culture shock but of course we have been here before so we were kind of ready for it. In fact we lived here for awhile quite a few years ago but since we left this city has grown from the 7th largest city in the U.S. to the 5th largest with a population of 1,673,164. Now that sounds big until you compare it to New York City where we also lived for a few years. NYC now has over 8 million inhabitants. But try comparing it to the last place we were, where we spent three weeks, Sonoita which has a population of 803. Each place has it's own culture, its own strengths and its own problems. 

Currently we have 10 days in Phoenix to see what its like living here, of course 10 days will only allow us to scratch the surface. We were planning on being here to meet up with Todd, my son and his wife Joy. They were going to be in Phoenix for major league baseball spring training, they're big fans of the Seattle Mariners. Unfortunately, their plans changed so they aren't here. However, we will be having a mini reunion with other family and friends.

I'm sure you can imagine the process of not knowing a huge city but yet needing to get somewhere specific. The traffic is terrible and it either crawls or accelerates to the point that its scary. We did find our apartment with little trouble. Another well equipped Air B&B with just about everything we need. I don't think we have lived in an apartment before. Without Katherine and her GPS we could have been lost for some time. We are in the area that is known as South Biltmore, hopefully we will get a chance to visit the Biltmore Resort and Spa.  

Until Next Time,

Stan the Man 

 

Preparing for More Change 

Yes, we have been stable for awhile but we are on the precipice of another mind-boggling change. I suspect what we write about here doesn't always seem mind-boggling to the reader but to us every change without having a home to return to seems to fall into that realm of mind-boggling. We pack-up, prepare to move on but its not to head home but instead to another set of unknowns, sometimes scary and sometimes exciting.But we are a couple days away from the next change which will be followed by other changes. For the days left here in a cottage on a Sonoita farm we will be getting ready for the next move.

It's been a good time here in this place and last Friday was a special day. Our good friends Jon and Sonja from Tucson came up and met us for lunch at Dos Cabezos one of the few restaurants in or around Sonoita. Like every establishment here they have wine tasting and wine by the glass along with delicious pizza and wonderful chocolate cake. It's a great place to visit for eating, drinking and meeting up. Locals and visitors seem to enjoy it, a very busy place.

As always, good conversation with Jon and Sonja. Jon is very curious about most everything. He asked what the name Sonoita comes from, I hadn't checked that but out came his phone and we learned it is believed that it means "land of many springs". That rings true since we have seen a number of springs that stand out here in the dry landscape. There is one on this farm we are staying on that feeds a small lake.

After a great lunch of pizza and conversation we headed out to the Historic Empire Ranch where we had an interesting hike under towering cottonwoods and amongst fallen members of the tree scape. The trees are able to grow there because of the creek that runs through the area but not now. It was bone dry. At any rate, a great day.

If you read the last post by Katherine you know we may be spending our summer at Crater Lake. We have been notified that we should know whether we are chosen by early March, coming up soon.

Next we will be back in Green Valley for a couple of days so I can get a shot in my eye for my Macular Degeneration "ouch" and to take care of several business things. Then off to Phoenix, Kennewick, WA and Panama.

Stan the Man 

  

 

 

Mind Boggling Development

 Mind Boggling Development

 Hello, this is Katherine, Stan the Man's wife.  He invited me to be a guest writer on his blog.  This week we dusted off our resumes and applied for volunteer positions at Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon, in the Cascade Range.  This summer season gig includes giving nature talks, guiding hikes, engaging with visitors at view points, and working in the gift shop.  We know it is a long shot, but why not?

If we do get hired, we will be in for a grand adventure in an amazing geological site.  The mind boggling development of the lake 7,700 years ago when the Mazama volcano erupted then collapsed into it's caldron, filling with snow and water. The lake is over 1900 feet deep and filled with crystal clear blue water.  

This crazy escapade will perhaps be another adventure!  We'll keep you posted.

Thanks for reading and following our ongoing travels.

 K.

 Mind-Boggling Change

It's our 13th day living in this little cottage in the middle of no-where. Well, it's not exactly in the middle of nowhere but to get here there is about two miles of dirt road off of the highway that runs from Sonoita downhill to I-10. That dirt road is literally a washboard. I can hear my teeth rattle as I drive it. There are several other structures here with other people living or working in them but we have little contact.

We have 10 more days in this spot and we move on. The name of the game for us is change. Years ago I trained employees how to deal with change. Now I'm getting a full dose. Everywhere we go is a change and we know it will be followed by another change. Big time change. I know the dangers of so much change; stress, depression, resistance and more. My wife Katherine and I have been together very happily for 33 years but it would be easy for us to get off track in our relationship with all this change but so far we are good. Communication is the key. Don't let resentments build because of the feeling of never being settled, not having our stuff etc. Above all we can't let little things grow until they become the proverbial elephant in the room. Self care is also important. We are learning as we go.

Traveling and change was easier in the past because we had our home to go home to but now with no stability it's more difficult to adjust. I like to think of us as residents of the Earth or maybe the Universe, those are our homes. We are finding it's not always easy but we enjoy feeling like we belong to those larger entities.

So change goes on even as we read, write, think, converse right here in Sonoita, AZ. 

Stan the Man 

 

 

Mind-Boggling Homelessness 

Yes, being homeless is a mind-boggling experience. Katherine and I have now carried that title since the 20th of January, not even a month but it is going well so far. No mortgage, no handyman needed to fix one thing or another, no home insurance, no landscaping to maintain and no utility bills or HOA fees. Of course there are new expenses, we are in our second Air B&B. These places aren't cheap but we will find new and cheaper ways to live in the near future, perhaps in another country. There are many countries that welcome American retirees and their cost of living is much less.

 

 There are some 770,000 homeless people in the United States. most caused by a lack of affordable housing, poverty and unemployment. We are not like those people, and we don't pretend to be. We attach that title to ourselves lightly and with no desire to diminish the situations the truly homeless find themselves in. We have resources that give us an advantage. We wish we knew how to help those individuals with their homelessness.

 

Another good side of being homeless is you can keep moving. This place we are now residing provides everything we need and more. Yes, it's kind of small and the queen bed is in what would be normally called the living room or family room, so is the comfy couch, the TV and other furniture.The kitchen is good size and well outfitted with adequate space for two or three to eat. Outside the front door is a large covered patio. It is quiet, so quiet you can hear yourself think. That wasn't true in Green Valley, there are no trucks, no freeway, It's quiet. 

 

The road in and out of here is gravel, well in some spots it's hard packed dirt but much of it is washboard meaning 10 miles an hour to traverse the two miles to the paved road and of course to get back in here. Our first day here we made that two mile trip out and drove the 50 miles or so to Sierra Vista, a pretty town of around 45,000 inhabitants with a fairly large military base and the men and woman of the army. The purpose of our trip was to visit the nearest Safeway and get provisions for a couple of weeks.

 

Then yesterday we took a drive of about 100 miles to a mind-boggling place. The rock formations of The Chiricahuas. Incredible rock formations, unique, I've never seen anything like them. If I could figure out how to put pictures on this blog I would share them but of course everything keeps changing and I have not been able to figure it out yet. Maybe next time.

 

Stan the Man 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 Mind-Bogglings:

Our house sold, we moved our personal things out, it was sold furnished and turn key.

We were declared homeless. 

First place we went was down the road to an Air B&B in Rio Rico which is very close to the border with Mexico. A casita way out in the desert, actually in open range country with cattle wandering by once in a while. The most incredible part of the place was the views. Right up against the Santa Rita mountains it felt as if we could reach out and touch the peaks but also with views of hills, mountains, valleys in all directions. The full moon visited us while there. The views could lead one to fully admire this part of the country, it could change your view of nature and much more.

After ten days in Rio Rico, we pull ourselves away and are on our way to the other side of those mountains, the wide spot in the road called Sonoita. It has a population of about 800 and most of the inhabitants are scattered around living on ranches or farms. Nearby is the small town of Elgin which is one of the centers of vineyards, wineries and wine tasting in Arizona. 

About half way to Sonoita we stop in the little town of Patagonia. We hike the Cemetery Trail, wondering why it's called that. The trail started out easy but soon greeted us with quite a climb, switchbacks and all. When we reached the top we were now aware why the trail had it's name; a large historical cemetery sits there on the top of the mountain, great views. After descending we had a delicious lunch at a cafe in the downtown. On to Sonoita!

Our new Air B&B where we will be for about 3 weeks lies four miles from "downtown" Sonoita, then two miles on a dirt road to a 20 acre farm with horse and sheep. We will be in a small cottage near the barn, nice facility. More about this location and our experiences here soon.

Stan the Man