May 19, 2011

May 19, 2011

Even though it is May, we awake to snow. Since we don’t see it often, I don’t mind at all. In fact we enjoyed a leisurely drive south thru snow-covered pine forests. Halfway back we stop at Tuzigoot National Monument. This is a National Park location we missed on previous trips thru the area.
The Visitor Center museum is closed for renovations, so we head on to the short self-guided tour. Tuzigoot is the ruins of an ancient Indian pueblo that sits like a castle atop a small hill. This stone “condominium” maybe held some 200 people. Sitting next to the Verde River the Indians cultivated corn in the valley. For some forgotten reason they deserted the site around the year 1400.

We got home in the evening. I took a quick swim in the pool to wash away the memories of this morning’s snow.

May 16-18, 2011

May 16-18, 2011

The recent visit by my relatives renewed our interest in hiking. Aimee decided it was time for a repeat of our favorite all-time hike. The Grand Canyon. So she called a few times and easily got us a cancellation at Phantom Ranch. Normally this has to be made over a year in advance. After a morning round of golf we loaded the car and got to the south rim shortly after sundown. We checked into Bright Angel Lodge and drove blindly in the dark trying to find an open parking spot. Since the Canyon is not lit, I didn’t realize till the next morning I parked within feet of the edge. Good thing my brakes held.

Midmorning, We made our way to the South Kaibab trailhead and started our descent. It was stunning. The only downside was the wind; at times it was gail force with Aimee fearing she might get swept off. At Phantom Ranch, we toasted our arrival with a cold beer from the bar while listening to the afternoon ranger talk. By dinner we were famished; the stew dinner never tasted better.

Our luck didn’t last. Yesterdays wind blew in a storm front. It rained off and on the whole trek uphill turning the trail into mud. By the time we got to the top the rain had frozen into hail. On the bright side the moisture intensified the green and red colors of the canyon. Beautiful.

Between the cold, the altitude and the vertical climb, Aimee and I are exhausted by the time we get to the top. After a hot chocolate, it is into bed for a recuperating nap.

April 27, 2011

April 27, 2011

My sister Jean came to visit this week. I put my brother-in-law to work with a laundry list of gardening chores thinking that would keep him busy all week. He was a ball of energy and finished on the second day; I need to find alternative amusement to wear them out. After the standard warm-up hike around the area, Aimee and I decided to take them on our favorite hike of southern Arizona. We packed the car and headed two hours east to Chiricahua National Monument. Chiricahua is a rock wonderland formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. It has to be the largest concentration of balancing rocks anywhere. I lead them on a 3.5-mile hike thru the middle of this awesome scenery.

My sister was a history major so I figure she would also love the Fort Bowie hike just up the road. It was the ground zero for the Apache Wars. After driving eight miles down a dirt road we arrive at the trailhead. The first stop on the hike is the foundation of a stagecoach rest stop. Jean is already imagining herself crossing this wilderness in a very bumpy and dusty horse-drawn vehicle. A hundred yards beyond is a large cemetery. It seems most were killed by Apaches. Apaches were not the farming type and instead preferred to live by raiding. They had to keep coming back to this spot because of the natural spring here. Despite no rain in six months, this water source continues putting out cold water. It feels great splashed on my head. At the top of the pass is the park Visitor Center and the few remaining walls of Fort Bowie. From here the army went out in search of Cochise, and then later Geronimo. By the time we get back to the car my sister is finally tired. She celebrates the experience by watching the John Wayne movie, Stagecoach.

March 30, 2011

March 30, 2011

Aimee bought me a Cuisinart Food Processor for my birthday. Since she was so thoughtful I bought her an early birthday present. A solar electric generating system. The one thing we have an abundance of in Arizona is sunshine. We already have a solar pool heating system to harvest some of that energy. That system pumps the pool water onto the roof of the house to be warmed in black mats of small plastic lines. The heater means we can open the pool a month or two early.

We have lots more space on the roof, so I thought Aimee would like to go “green” and add some solar cells. A crew of three came to the house and over the course of four days installed 34 solar panels on the roof, enough to generate a years worth of electricity for us. The production has been remarkably steady in this first week of operation. We made exactly 41 kilowatt-hours each day. That is more than twice what we need right now, but the local utility is storing it for us and will give it back this summer when we turn on the A/C and need more than we can make.

I like the idea of reducing our impact on the environment but I have to admit I like the economics even better. Because my fellow taxpayers are so generous they subsidize over 75% of the cost of the system. All things considered solar is going to cut our electricity costs in half. Plus we will never see a price increase from the electric company.

Hmmm. I am thinking Aimee might like one of those new electric cars for her next birthday.

March 22, 2011

March 22, 2011

Age has not been kind to me lately. For the last two years my eyes have gotten progressively worse forcing me to start wearing glasses again. I could have lived with that. Unfortunately stronger lenses every six months is no longer fixing the problem. The eye doctor says I have developed cataracts, a cloudening of the flexible lens inside the eye. The doctor rudely ignored all my pleas that I am too young.

I have finally been backed into a corner. Without surgery I am getting so I can't play golf, see writing on the TV or drive the car at night. So I relent. I initially figured this was going to be like my prior Lasik operations. A quick zap by a laser and it is over shortly after I lay down. Not so. This is real surgery with anesthesia. As I lay on the gurney, they attach heart rate and oxygen sensors and start an IV and I ask myself what did I get myself into. Just before I change my mind and leave, the drugs must have kicked in, because the next thing I know I awaken with the doctor working on my left eye. In a few minutes he is done and they start removing the equipment.

When I remove the eye patch that night, I am pleasantly surprised to find I can see the TV again without glasses. Yeah! And there is a noticeable color improvement between my left and my still to be fixed right eye. That loss of color was so gradual I didn’t notice it. All is not perfect though. To eliminate my cataract, they removed my flexible living lens and replaced it with a plastic version. My eye no longer has any ability to see close. None… newspaper headlines are the smallest I can read. I need to make a big decision before I get the next eye fixed. Should I aim to have the right also optimized for distance and forever be forced to carry “reading glasses” everywhere I go. Or should I have the right eye optimized for “close up” and hope my brain can keep the two visions straight?

March 15 2011

March 15 2011

The calendar says Spring should arrive next week. In Arizona it comes early albeit delayed a bit this year by the hard freeze we had last month. Not only are most of the plants starting to put out new growth, we are expecting twins. Actually two sets of twins. We have a momma dove sitting on two eggs in the dead lemon tree outside the kitchen. Apparently she doesn’t mind all the dead leaves around her. Twenty yards away in the Palo Verde tree Aimee found the tiniest nest, about the size of a large thimble, made of feathers. A hummingbird nest! And she has two eggs also. While I am taking photos, a cottontail hops by me through the gate into the pool area. Uhoh! Another set of twins on the way!

March 3, 2011

March 3, 2011

When we moved to Tucson, I expected to become an Arizona basketball fan. It turned out it was easier to take the boy out of Illinois than the Illini out of the boy. We took our first step tonight and went to one of the last Wildcat home games of the season. Since Michelle Obama’s brother coaches the visiting Oregon State team, I thought I would use our mutual Chicago connection. That and my credit card got me two tickets to the game.

It was a good thing Aimee convinced me not to wear my Illini shirt. Orange is Oregon State’s color too. The game was entertaining but Aimee and I both struggled to understand the local chants of the crowd. At one point near the end of the game with Arizona way ahead, the crowd started yelling, “We want tacos”. We both thought the fans wanted the coach to play the Hispanic players sitting on the bench. That seemed pretty derogatory even by my standards. Actually it was a reference to Jack in the Box offering free tacos if the U of A scores more than 70 points. We had to stop on the way home.

With my deteriorating vision, it was hard for me to follow the game really well. Buying season tickets will have to wait till I get my new eyes or Michelle answers the telephone.

February 22-27, 2011

February 22-27, 2011

We have been playing a lot of golf this year, an expensive sport. With our interest income still in the bunker I suggested to Aimee that it would be nice to get a job to help our golf. Well Aimee did get employment. Though she didn’t get my economic drift. She took another volunteer job; at the local Accenture golf tournament, as a marshal on the 18th hole, helping control the flow of fans.

I recommended that she try to get the last hole. That may have been ideal for a typical tournament. But this was match play where it turned out most pairings were concluded well before the 18th. Still she had fun and maybe learned a few things by watching the world's best 64 golfers.

Tucson has been host for this tournament the last five years. The region has been on pins and needles waiting to hear if it would continue. Sunday, the final day, may have been the nail in the coffin.

The tournament moved here because of rain delays in California. At the time Tiger told the media it doesn’t rain in Tucson …ahh but it does snow, once in a blue moon. And Sunday was our blue moon. On the bright side it all melted by 10am. But to add insult to injury, play was halted again, albeit only a few minutes, because it began to hail, just on one hole!

February 3, 2011

February 3, 2011

Everything in Tucson is designed for warm weather. Chicago winters just don’t occur here, so water pipes can be left unprotected and we plant palm and citrus trees in the yard. Apparently Mother Nature didn’t hear about Global Warming; she hit us with a sucker punch to the gut last night. And not just a few hours below freezing. We dropped to a 100-year low of 17F. That is enough to burst pipes and cause natural gas shortages around here.

I can dig my old winter clothing out of storage and delay my shower till the pipes thaw, but my garden isn’t as understanding. It looks like my citrus orchard days have come to an abrupt end. Despite my best efforts of covers and heating lights, the trees look very sick. If there was any chance of recovery, it was dashed with a second hard freeze again tonight.

Not seeing value in a tree of frozen orange juice, I picked everything that looked close to full-size. I guess Aimee and I are going to be drinking lots of Margaritas, Screwdrivers and Limoncello shots for the next few months.

December 31, 2010

December 31, 2010

Our string of travel luck came to a halt today. Yesterday we basked in Arizona-like 60F weather; this morning we woke to an ice storm. What a difference a few hours can make.

After scraping a quarter-inch of ice from the car, we crept carefully along a country highway to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Before farmers arrived, the central US was a sea of grass. The eastern half grew grasses taller than me although I suspect buffalo kept it trimmed shorter. Eastern Kansas contains the “Flint Hills”. The rocky hilly terrain of this locale kept the plow away. Here the native grasses make their last stand.

Despite notices to contrary, the Preserve Visitor Center was closed today. Surrounding it is an historic ranch complex. Not surprisingly wood is scarce and stone plentiful in the Flint Hills. So unlike Illinois, here both your barn and outhouse are built of limestone. Very nice! After a quick look around, I am back in the warm car.

There Aimee informs me the cell phone is missing. And our emergency phone is dead. We must have left it in the hotel, so we return on the icy highway only to discover the phone under the car seat. Aimee and I both blame each other for that fumble. To really make it a bad day my navigator died. My electronic one. Now we are flying blind. I point the car straight south in search of ice-free roads. We spend the night in Amarillo, TX visiting with Aimee's sister.

The next day, we dig the paper map out, turn the heater on full blast and drive the rest of the way home to Tucson. We didn’t really need the map; all we had to do was follow the continuous line of motor homes going that direction.

December 30, 2010

December 30, 2010

After celebrating the holidays with both sets of relatives, we are ready to head home. The Midwest is having a warm spell so this is our window of opportunity to make it across the Snow Belt safely. We leave in the morning and by mid-afternoon we cross the border into Kansas and arrive at the Fort Scott National Historic Site. Fort Scott was built in 1842 as one of a half dozen forts established to guard the “permanent” frontier. West of this line was reserved for the Indians. Permanent was very short lived. The fort closed a mere eleven years later. With the Mexican War, the US now extended to the Pacific. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, new territories were to determine for themselves whether they would be slave or free. Both sides poured into “Bleeding” Kansas to influence the vote. Violence erupted. The first skirmishes of the upcoming Civil War. Troops were brought back to Fort Scott to help quell the violence.

We learned most of this history in exhibits scattered around the reconstructed fort. It is well done but oh so similar to most of the other forts in the park system.

December 20, 2010

December 20, 2010

While I was out today, I took the opportunity to stop at the Chicago Portage, one of only two National Historic Sites in Illinois. It also has the distinction of probably being unheard of even by longtime Chicagoans, me included. Too bad, since it is the “Plymouth Rock” of Chicago, the reason the “second city” is here. In colonial times when water was the highway, one of the best ways to get from east to west was across the Great Lakes, up the Chicago River, picking up your canoe, and walking across to the Des Plaines Rivers which flows into the Mississippi. This made Chicago a vital transportation link and prompted the early US to build Fort Dearborn in 1803. Most of Chicago’s early history has been paved over. This is the only spot that has been untouched.

Chicago Portage today sits in a small county forest preserve in the middle of an industrial area. The centerpiece is an artistic iron sculpture depicting Father Marquette and Louis Joliet carrying their canoe across the portage. Bundled up for the weather I took a brisk stroll on a circular trail following in the French explorer' steps. The path was properly accented with several nice interpretative signs, one describing the area’s glacier origins. I was amused to learn that the word Chicago is derived from the many wild onions and leeks that grew at the sometimes marshy portage.

December 16, 2010

December 16, 2010

From the southeastern tip of Iowa we crossed an icy Mississippi River and drove a dozen miles along a beautiful stretch of the Great River Road. We soon arrived in Nauvoo, IL, a town infamous in Mormon history. After being run out of towns in New York, Ohio, and Missouri, Joseph Smith led his faithful to this area in 1840. They flourished and Nauvoo quickly became Illinois’ second largest city. In 1844, a local dissident newspaper publishes news of his polygamy. In anger, Smith has the printing press destroyed and he ends up under arrest in the nearby Carthage jail. A mob attacks and kills him there.

Our first stop was the Historic Nauvoo Visitor Center run by the LDS. The Mormons have returned to the area restoring Nauvoo as it looked in 1844. They even rebuilt their temple. Most of the historic buildings don’t open in the winter until 11 am and we are way early. In most places we would have to wait. Not here. The receptionist quickly rounded up two delightful mission volunteers who drove with us to several buildings, unlocked them and gave us a private tour. It is hard not to be impressed with the Mormons. They are wonderful people.

Afterwards we took a drive around to the temple, and a few more of the many restored buildings. When we got to Joseph Smith’s home and Historic Site we noticed a second Visitor Center and a small subtitle with the words “Community of Christ”. We soon learned that this section is owned by a Mormon splinter group, started by Joseph’s son. I am sure the presence of a Mormon competitor in Nauvoo causes lots of heartache.

There is a lot to do in Nauvoo but most activities would be more enjoyable in summer. So we have lunch at a bakery in town and head on towards Chicago. We make a brief stop at Carl Sandburg State Historic Site in Galesburg but his birthplace is closed for the season. Touring the Midwest in winter can be frustrating. We drive the remaining three hours to Itasca to visit Aimee’s mother.

December 15, 2010

December 15, 2010

Yesterday afternoon we drove east through Kansas before darting north of the border into Nebraska for the evening. Our first stop this morning was nearby Homestead National Monument. This park commemorates the Homestead Act of 1862, a uniquely American law. In most of the world, especially Europe, land was scarce and the source of wealth. In the US, acreage was a dime a dozen, or in the case of this law, 160 for free. Giving land away to poor Americans was promoted early in our history, but blocked by Southern politicians who feared the spread of slave-free states. After the Rebels seceded, Lincoln was able to get the Act passed.

The monument sits on the site of Daniel Freemen’s farm, the first Homesteader. Legend has it he persuaded the land office to open right after midnight so he could file his claim and make it back to his army unit. Despite the allure of free land, most people were unprepared for the hardship of farming on the frontier. Only 40% of homesteaders lasted the five years necessary to gain the land title. Unbeknownst to me, the Homestead Act lasted well into my lifetime. The last Homestead was filed in 1976 in Alaska. Nobody mentioned I had other options when I graduated high school.

December 14, 2010

December 14, 2010

Despite swearing last year’s holiday migration was our last, we packed up the car and left 80F weather and headed to the land of cold. The first day was non-stop driving. We barely made it to the Texas border. I forget that Arizona is only one state removed from the west coast.

The next day we drove quickly across the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma into Kansas. Driving north we took a short break to visit Monument Rocks National Landmark. Also known as the “chalk pyramids” these limestone monoliths seem odd sitting in the middle of the Kansas prairie. They are the seabed remnants of an ancient ocean that covered Kansas in the age of dinosaurs.

Early in the afternoon we arrived at Nicodemus National Historic Site. Nicodemus is the only town west of the Mississippi founded by and for blacks. When Reconstruction ended in the South, blacks began an exodus North to escape the reach of the Ku Klux Klan. One group of Kentucky blacks was persuaded to come to this northwestern corner of Kansas in 1877 and build their own community. The town eventually grew to a population of 700. It then died the slow death typical of many Midwest villages bypassed by the railroad. The population today is just two dozen, all elderly. The town holds an annual Homecoming that attracts descendents of the early settlers. We spent an hour looking at the exhibits, watching a short film and seeing what’s left of the town. I was disappointed to see it mostly consists of a Housing Authority. Seems sad and ironic that we honor this courageous group of “independence” seekers whose offspring are back living in subsidized housing.

Continuing our journey east we make a brief stop at a marker noting north-central Kansas as the geographic center of the lower 48 states. Two days of driving out of Arizona and we are only midway across the US. I am glad our parents don’t live on the East coast!

December 7, 2010

December 7, 2010

Being a homeowner again in many ways is like returning to work; this time as an unpaid day laborer. Much of my time has been spent working outdoors. Tending to our citrus trees is one of our new Arizona experiences. I didn't have a need to understand the lifecycle of the lemon in Chicago. Besides the lemon, we have a lime tree, and three varieties of orange. I have spent many a day running new irrigation lines, checking drip rates, and fertilizing the soil. We watched the trees flower and small green balls emerge.

Aimee often commented on the beautiful butterflies fluttering around them. Only later when I investigated all the eaten leaves and discovered what I thought were bird droppings did I realize that these butterflies were laying eggs on the trees. The eggs hatched into ravenous “orange dog” caterpillars. Aimee and I spent many hours combing thru the leaves looking for these pests.

We had a cold spell last week that culminated in a hard freeze warning and the overnight temperature plunging to 24F. Not wanting to have my work go for naught, I took advantage of the Xmas season and bought a bunch of old-fashioned light strands, the inefficient ones that give off lots of heat. I turned all my citrus into glowingXmas trees.
While the trees were saved, the early cold snap must have signaled the citrus to ripen. All the oranges are quickly turning color. Even the tree with still tiny fruit. Oh well small oranges are better than no oranges. I picked one to test and it is sweet and juicy. I might not have a green thumb but apparently I have an orange one.

November 2, 2010

November 2, 2010

The Fed is flooding the market with dollars driving down interest rates in hopes of stimulating the economy. They are grasping at straws. Unfortunately for us all, there was a significant segment of the population involved in building too many houses, from construction workers, to realtors, to mortgage brokers. It will be years before they are working again.

In the meantime it is ugly also for retirees. I bought a $5000 3-month bank CD a few days ago. The 0.1% interest I was lucky to get meant I will soon earn $1.25. Enough for lunch I guess if Aimee and I share a burger off the dollar menu.

So I wasn’t surprised when Aimee suggested we both go back to work. The job Aimee found for us was grueling. We were at work before five this morning and didn’t get home till after eight at night. Just early enough to eat dinner and crash. Too long for our first day back at work. And it was a sweatshop. We worked the entire fifteen hours with only a quick lunch at our desks. Of course we worked the election at one of the local polling places. Aimee thought it our civic duty. Our job was to check Driver’s licenses. Surprisingly Arizona is one of the few states that require showing ID to vote and this state law is likely to be ruled unconstitutional. I am at a loss to understand the rationale.

Next time you vote give the volunteers a big “Thank You” as these mostly elderly workers deserve your gratitude. As for me, I am thankful we don’t vote again for two years; I need the rest.

September 25-October 2, 2010

September 25 – October 2, 2010

My sister came out to visit again to see if we had made any progress fixing up the house. It seems we have made little noticeable improvement. They also picked a bad week. Summer and its searing temperatures wasn’t ready to leave us yet. The heat was made even worse by an air-conditioning problem. The cooling unit worked fine but cold air refused to flow in the guest rooms. Another symptom of an overly complicated house. Each room has its own thermostat controlling a motorized air damper. After a lot of head-scratching we managed to locate the offender in a non-descript box on the roof.

Our plan is to make a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Since Aimee and I have not worked out in a long time, we convince our guests to take a warm-up hike before we leave. It is a good thing we did. My niece’s husband was less prepared than us. Only a few minutes into the hike both soles of his boots just pealed away. The desert is tough on equipment. Our next stop was a sports shop to buy new boots, sun block, water bottles, and sunglasses. We are ready!

On Tuesday we picked up a rental van and made the long drive north. We stopped in Sedona for lunch and to admire the red rock vistas. We pulled into the Grand Canyon early enough to enjoy the view before dinner. The next morning we took the shuttle to the South Kaibab trail head. We hiked down into the canyon for over an hour. Aimee and I had forgotten what a stunning experience this is. Just awesome. My only regret was we couldn’t continue to the bottom. Unfortunately picking up cancellations for six beds at Phantom Ranch is nearly impossible. I really should be thankful we didn’t get them as the temperature at the bottom is well over 100F.

Our adventure today was not over. From the Grand Canyon we started the long drive back. In Flagstaff we made a detour to visit Walnut Canyon National Monument. My sister has been wanting to see some of our famous Anasazi Indian ruins. Walnut Canyon is one of our favorites. The ruins can be visited along a one-mile trail that loops inside a picturesque canyon. Because we just hiked the Grand Canyon all of us are complaining about the return stair climb. Near the exit a lady catches up to us and tells us her friend has passed out and is unresponsive. My niece is a nurse so we head back down the stairs to offer first aid. The park ranger decides we need to carry her out. So I accompany him back up the stairs to fetch the gurney. Back down the stairs we strap her in and walk the wheeled stretcher back up. That is six times for those who are counting. One more and they would have had to carry me out.

Back in Tucson, we are all exhausted. Tucson is still having record heat so we spend the next afternoon at the movie theater watching the new Ben Affleck flick, The Town. It was very good but the air-conditioning was even better. I am sure my sister is wondering why we live here.

August 16, 2010

August 16, 2010

We spent the day in the White Mountains driving from Springerville, AZ over to Pinetop and Showlow. Even though we are in Arizona we are in the middle of a beautiful pine forest and the weather is cool. That is because we are at almost 8000 feet elevation. We are thinking this area might be a good place to buy a summer home. It is much cooler than Tucson in the summer and is close to a ski resort for a winter snow trip. I mistakenly thought I was the first with this idea. Not so! It is crowded. There are lots of places for sale. They must have overbuilt here too. It looks like it will be a couple years before prices bottom. Aimee and I would like to have a little log cabin hidden in the forest. That seems hard to get here. Most of the properties seem to be on thin strips along roads. Arizona in general has only 10% of its land available for private ownership. The vast majority is either Indian reservation or Federal land. In the White Mountains, the Apaches have the prime real estate. I wonder what it takes to join the tribe??

It has been pouring rain off and on all day. If I am going to sit inside while it is raining I would rather do it at home in my comfy chair. So we make the last push and arrive back in Tucson before bedtime.

August 15, 2010

August 15, 2010

Since Chaco Canyon is truly in the middle of nowhere, the sky last night was very dark. We attended the evening ranger talk and wouldn’t you know, it was a sky show. And it was outstanding! Besides an interesting discussion about ancient astronomy, the park has several large telescopes including one that is almost professional size. Aimee was absolutely giddy about seeing the rings of Saturn for the first time.

We are very glad we made the killer drive to Chaco. I was a little peeved that New Mexico hasn't paved the access road but Aimee reminds me that if they did we would be competing with tour buses and need tickets to see this sight. Instead it is a lightly visited park that is a joy to tour.

Leaving Chaco Canyon, Aimee insisted on driving the first section. I never argue when she offers to let me watch the scenery. Unfortunately it was a grueling two hours creeping along the 13 miles of washboard dirt road. Not a fast start this morning.

We drove the rest of the day crossing into Arizona before finding a campsite in Springerville, gateway to the White Mountains. While stopping for gas, we got the Sunday paper to catch up on the news. Aimee commented we needed to be careful because an escaped murderer from Arizona was on the loose and had just killed an RV couple camping in New Mexico. I told her not to worry as the FBI thinks they are now either in Montana or Canada. (A couple days later the escapee is found at a campground just a few miles away!!!)