Summer Sunsets

We could make a photo album of the gorgeous sunsets this summer.  I know we aren't getting the monsoon rainfall and we are getting record number of triple digit days, but I cannot remember a better summer for sunsets, can you?  Here's a click from last night's walk; I would title it "sky on fire". 

We are walking earlier as the sun begins to shift, the days get shorter. So the summer season is winding down.

At the Tucson Padres Ball Game

I try not to think about next summer when even AAA baseball will be in Tucson's past.  I don't care how the County tries to promote soccer; it will never replace the All-American past time for me.  So, with a bit of melancholy in my mood, we went to one of the last Tucson Padres games last night and took our son's partner's daughter, Izy, with us.  She had already been swimming in our neighborhood pool for an hour (after a full day of first grade), but that didn't seem to dampen her energy level much once she saw the inflatable playgrounds and, especially, the waterslide.  She was flying around that thing like a waterbird.  It didn't matter that she often went head first into the pool of water; she smiled with delight and kept going back for more. (It's blurry due to her speed and the splashing water on the phone's camera).

After about 45 minutes of playground time, I insisted we stop to eat a bite.  She and I enjoyed a delicious food truck quesadilla while Mark chomped on the hot dog (free ticket for "the kid" on kid's night which also meant Izy got in for free.  The playground wristbands cost $5.00 so it all came within budget for the afternoon/evening:).

After we ate, I was able to watch some of the game and admire the new moon in the western sky.  Izy went back to the playground for another 30 minutes before we said "enough" and packed up to go home. 

Later, watching the news, I was glad to see the Padres won the game.  Their last-ever game is August 24th with fireworks and other events planned and we hope to go to that, with or without young child.  As I watched the families in the stands, at the playground and food venues, I wonder where all these hard-working families will go for wholesome and affordable fun that doesn't involve movie screens or pizza restaurant circus play.  It's a sad day for Tucson when we bid pro baseball good-bye.  And it's a long wait for UA baseball season to start.  I guess that's where I will have to go for Tucson future baseball.  Oh, well. We have good memories of the SideWinders and spring Dbacks training.

Day Tripping BrightSpot: Patagonia, Arizona

Yesterday I insisted we detached our chains to our computer desks and go for a day-trip.  We so enjoyed our six-hour venture into Santa Cruz County.  We stopped along the road to take pictures of the white poppies (we were surprised to see clusters of golden poppies in the hill's rain run-off ridges) and picked two full-sized gourds on the thick vine trailing along the grass.

   

We had lunch and post-lunch dessert in Patagonia.  The "over the top" oatmeal cookies by Heather Wood, the baker at The Gathering Grounds, enticed us to eat two cookies and buy a third for dinner dessert at home.  Heather is a self-taught baker (pies and other pastries included) and we'll be back in September to taste her pie and that of others' at Patagonia's Pie Party, September 14.

 

Walking down their linear park (the historic line for the now-departed train), we wandered through their Butterfly Garden and into their town park. 

There, lo and behold, was an anachronistic "merry-go-round" now almost totally gone in today's playgrounds due to safety regulations.  I remember how we ran and jumped on it, dragged our feet, arms, and--for really bold 8-12 year olds--lowered our torsos to hang over the edge as the speed twirled us around and around.  Mark said, as we gingerly rode a short ride ourselves, "this one has been well taken-care of--the ride is smooth and bearings are easy." 

From there we walked to the Patagonia Community Garden and met these three friendly gardeners.  I talked with them about my community happiness book and they expressed interest in having me come back to talk with others.  I do hope they invite me! 

We asked them about the location of the Patagonia Cemetary.  As we are in the process of redoing our Wills and making (we hope distant) funeral plans, we are exploring how to/where to do a "green burial."  The Patagonia Cemetary does allow this type of burial but only for residents.  So, we were interested in at least seeing this resting place.  They told us how to find it and it's a sweetly untended but charming spot with a view "to die for!" 

It was a wonderful day-trip and we are making a commitment to get back onto the path of more day-trips in our lives.  Computers, chores and other tasks won't disappear, but we can make more time for fun.  What about you?  Are you boosting up fun for your life?

 

 

Gray on the Couch

Lately, I have been feeling the angst of a new (one year this month) cat owner:  where does Charlie A. Gray go after we have fed him and he wanders throughout the day?  Why doesn't he (yet) cuddle with us?  Are we lacking cat-care in some way and he's picked another house to call his day-home?

I don't have the answers to those questions, but last night he came in and cuddled on the couch while we were watching the 2nd viewing of HBO's "Newsroom." (It takes us two viewings to catch all of the rapid-fire dialogue, nuances of meaning and finer points of acting in this great show).  It was a nice hour for the three of us.

Diamondbacks Home Run at the Chase Field Pool

It's taken a couple of days of chores, fixing a car tire (we returned from Phoenix with a nail in the rear and that took two trips to Costco yesterday), and baking this morning (our son's 31st birthday) before I could sit down and share this fun photo from the Thursday night game at Chase Field.  The Diamondbacks beat the Cubs 3-1 and I so enjoy watching the art of the game, the families in the stands and the kinds-goofy but entertaining between innings race of the hot dogs.  I always root for mustard to beat ketchup and relish and this time, Mustard Dog won!

When the Dbacks player hits a home run (and the stadium dome is closed), the splash fountain at the pool shoots up water.  We found out the pool rents for $5,000 and "seats" 32 people, so while it's fun to look at, we won't be hosting a pool party there anytime soon.  Still, it costs nothing to see or to photograph, so enjoy the memory.

When you go to a baseball game--what types of action do you most enjoy?

Playground date

This week we were happy to spend time with 6 year old Izy.  We went to Foothills Mall for lunch and, after lunch, she played in the playground.  While there she met a young boy, Brendon, and we watched them exchange names and phone numbers to "get together again at the playground."  It was fascinating to watch how this relationship unfolded in 30 minutes, demonstrating how we humans socially interact with strangers and navigate from the unknown to connecting with another.

Here are two photos of Izy in "play and smile" mode with a bit of flirtation in her posture.  This is how little girls begin to bedazzle little boys!

 

 

Clamshell Cloud

One of the magical elements of Tucson summer's is the diversity of cloud formations that roll in from the mountains as monsoon storms build, crash, evaporate.  After a coolish evening set in this week, Mark and I returned to our walk along Mountain Avenue and we saw this cloud.  It looks like a clamshell to me and I am sure a meterologist can give a specific explanation for its shape.  But sometimes, I don't want explanations, just the experience.  What about you?  And do you see something else in this cloudshape?  Imagine.