Murphy has nominated the Alabama song The Ladies Roll On as our theme song for this trip which we have unanimously decided is perfect. Thank you Murf; we accept your nomination.

We spent Wednesday, the 21st, on the road and saw every kind of scenery known to man. There was breathtaking beauty; sandstone (I’m guessing) cliffs that looked like cream-cycles; huge barren mounds of black dirt and rock that bordered on sci-fi ugly; horses, cows, antelope, sheep, and a small herd of mules. The scenery changed every few minutes. Cyd did a great job keeping us on the road through sheets of intermittent rain. We set our watches back an hour since Arizona, our destination, does not observe daylight savings time.

As we got closer to Tucson the iconic saguaro cactus started making their appearance along with other desert vegetation. Just shy of arriving in Saddle Brook, a lovely retirement community north and east of town, Cyd ran smack dab over a plastic gas can that got wedged between the car and the road. It was dark so we could not see under the car, had no flashlight, and desperately wanted to be resourceful but sadly lack all skill in that department. After driving a short distance it became clear it was not going to budge by itself. Cyd suggested calmly that I crawl under the front of the car and grab it while she slipped the van into reverse. Was she kidding? I wondered. NO. Feeling like I had no choice, I crouched down on all fours and managed to get hold of the handle before she backed up. Bam! It was dislodged. All the while Mother, legally blind and unable to assess the situation for herself, was asking how it was going.

Our cousin/Mother’s niece, Sue, and her husband, Jerry, were our hosts. They met us at a beautiful furnished home that they are in the process of selling and had offered us for our stay. In the world of compare and contrast, there was zero comparison between this stunning three bedroom home and our $55 room the night before. We had the place to ourselves. Sue and Jerry had a chili and pumpkin cake dinner ready for us when we walked in the door. Talk about service. We enjoyed the meal and their company and all headed to bed early.

We had a slow, relaxing morning that started with coffee on the back patio that overlooks a golf course and the mountains! We all decided we could wake up to this every morning. After breakfast Mother took a power nap before Sue and Jerry picked us up for lunch in one of the club houses and a tour of the impeccably landscaped, ideally situated, well planned community. We enjoyed catching up with Sue and getting to know Jerry. Mother managed an afternoon snooze before we met for cocktails at their new home and dinner at one of the community restaurants. We sat by a huge picture window overlooking a wall of mountains. Wow.