WHAT WOULD YOU SEE ON THE WAY FROM PHOENIX???

First of all, who really wants to be in Phoenix in the summer?? You can cook alive there. But, we did go for a little getaway before Alex left for the start of school. What did we see on the way home. Let me share the photos...

TITAN MISSILE SILO

We recently toured this Titan Missile Silo in Tucson. Cameron got to "turn the key" for the launch sequence.

If the big bombs were to come this way, Fort Huachuca would be no more. I hope the big bombs don't come this way...

FRIENDS

We are lucky. We have great friends. So, whenever we can hang out with our friends--well, that's a good time. And as life is far too short, we try to hang out as much as possible!

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN

We do enjoy the evenings in Arizona. Sitting out on the patio with friends, enjoying the wonderful climate, sunsets over the mountains, and the wildlife that decides to come visiting.

Let me just assure you that a rattlesnake does rattle (like maracas) and this little guy was sitting within about a foot of our friend Lydia. I got my photo, and all Tom was worried about was if his chicken was burning on the grill ("somebody check my meat!!") The chicken was fine, Lydia was fine, and the snake, well, "tastes like chicken"!

MAKING A PURCHASE

Anyone who knows me, knows that I do like to shop. And I really like to shop for bargains, and I really, really like to shop for unusual items. Well, after nearly one year of trying to purchase a very special item, namely a tequilla barrel made into a piece of furniture (something every household must have), we located a man in Tubac who knew a man in Mexico. My other man in Mexico had not been able to complete the mission--that of finding the tequilla barrel furniture. So, Angel, from Tubac, contacted his guy and went down to Nogales, Mexico to pick-up the tequilla barrel furniture that had come up from Guadalajara, Mexico. The only problem--one of the tequilla barrels had to be back at Fort Huachuca in time to go into the shipping crate of my neighbor and friend, Lydia. And...the packers were at the house on the final day of packing. Her crates were ready to head to Germany, with or without that tequilla barrel. So, Linda (another friend), her pick-up truck, and I headed to Nogales, AZ to meet up with Angel after he came out of Mexico with the tequilla barrel furniture. Unfortunately, he got held up in customs for 3 hrs--and he finally got to our meeting point. He loaded four tequilla barrel coolers into the truck from his truck, and we headed to Fort Huachuca. Lydia called and got the exact (or almost exact) dimensions, and we pulled up to her house with the packers waiting patiently with just that exact amount of space left in the crate. After loading it into the crate, it was nailed shut and ready for Germany. I was thrilled that we met the deadline and finally, finally had our tequilla barrel coolers.

THE LONG HAUL

Seeing the US by car has its benefits. Cameron continued to add on the Junior Park Ranger Badges. He visited Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN; Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Monacy Battlefield, MD; Clara Barton House, MD; Ford's Theater, Wash DC; FDR's Home, NY; Lincoln's Home, IL; Wilson's Creek Battlefield, MO; St Louis Arch, MO; George Washington Carver's Homestead, MO; Petroglyph National Memorial, NM; Salinas Ruins, NM.

The Summer Road Trip

Not exactly what I had planned to do for my summer, but thankfully I do like to drive. So my summer vacation involved driving (with my mom and Merlin) from Arizona to Indiana, intersecting Cameron in Chicago during his layover flight from Montreal, Canada to Arizona, my flying back to Arizona for Hall of Fame Week activities including the MI Ball, flying back to Indianapolis (thanks to my in-laws for getting me to and from the Indy airport), driving (with mom and Cameron) to Maryland to see Alex over the Fourth of July weekend, driving to West Point, NY to see Bob and deliver Cameron to Bob's care for a week, driving back to Indiana, picking up Cameron as he flew back to Chicago, meeting Tom who flew into Chicago to accompany us back to Arizona.