So Thursday 27th November was Thanksgiving and we were waiting for Mum and Graham to arrive. Having spent ages getting the house and ourselves ready they arrived while I was in the shower!! Having rushed downstairs to say hello then headed back to get dressed etc. by the time I got down staris again it was as if I’d seen them only the day before. Just like when Kate and Mum came out for my birthday back in August we were remineded how you very quickly get used to being around people I guess that’s always the way with those we know and love most – it’s not about being inseparable, it’s being separated and nothing changes! We need to try to remember that in the next few months when we think about people back home and how we’d love to rush back to see them. Don’t get me wrong we love you dearly and can’t wait to see you all but we will only get this chance and these experiences and you’ll all be there when we get back!!
Aside from being delighted to see them we were also very excited that they arrived with suitcase full of treats; M & S mini rolls, cholclate fingers, Rooibos tea bags, digestive biscuits and more marmite!!
We spent the weekend catching up on all the news from home and chilling out in the sunshine. Having been travelling for a week and doing a lot of miles Mum and Graham were happy to sit in the garden and read! We took them over to Patons Yard for them to see the birds and so that William could share his newly acquired knowledge of all things birdlike. We then went to Patagonia Lake State Park and sat on the beach there. We signed up for a ranger led moonlit walk for Friday which sounded fun.
By then we were all well used to being back together. Kids enjoying some interaction with adults other than us!! It did feel strange to be in Dad and Carol’s house with Mum and Graham and John so far away. But lovely none the less!
We had a lovely walk locally on the Anza Trail, along the dried up river bed. The Monsoons of July and August that were especially heavy this year had left piles of rubbish along the way which was very sad. Very hard to imagine there being rain here at all let alone rain so heavy it would fill the river beds!
There was no news on Frankie as yet so we took car back to the garage (no longer needed now we had M & G big hire car). We had a very frustrating day of chores, loading up prepay phone, etc. Bless Mum and Graham for patiently driving us around and accompanying us on these boring errands.
The start of December brought the ’25 days of Christmas’ on telly with a different Christmas film every night. We couldn’t stand to watch a 2 hour movie last 3 ½ hours due to the frequency and length of the advertisement breaks. So we were recording them and watching them the next day. At this rate we will have well and truly ‘done’ Christmas by the time we leave here. Very strange watching films with snowy Christmas scenes as we prepare for it here in the sunshine.
However, Tuesday we woke to clouds. Immediately demanded a refund! In fact that was the beginning of 5 days of cloud and the odd shower!! Bikinis off and jeans on!! We took the kids to the skatepark where Charlie mastered a drop in – don’t ask! Being so much smaller and lighter I was able to help him to do it by holding his hands while he got his nerve up. But sadly Will being the same size as me meant I couldn’t do the same for him. So it was we left the park with 1 very chuffed and 1 very disappointed children!! Missing Daddy a lot and wishing he was there to see it and to help!! However, they managed not to either gloat nor begrudge the other too much and we went on to have a really lovely afternoon.
We headed to Madera Canyon to do Dad and Carol’s favourite walk here in Tucson. The Canyon makes a big dent in the North west face of the Santa Rita Mountains. Upon arrival we established that it is a world renowned location for bird watching due to it being a major resting place for migrating species!! One very happy big boy!! Sat and had our picnic in front of the huge line of bird feeders and watched wild turkeys, finches and even hummingbirds flying so close to us you could feel the breeze from their wings.
We had a nice hike despite the rain!! Graham decided to opt for the road as the least slippery way back to the car and the rest of us fancied the trail. William however was very worried about Grandman being on his own and kept on saying on our way down that he hoped he would be ok. I love his sweet caring nature at times! He then came home and cooked us all curry. Not bad for a boy who just a few hours before was ranting at not managing his skateboard tricks…
Mum and Graham went over to Mexico for lunch one day and the kids and I stayed behind. So they got a bit of time to themselves which I’m sure they needed living with us 24/7!
On Thursday it rained pretty much all day so we headed to Kartchner Caverns State Park. The caves were discovered in 1974 in the side of a mountain by 2 chaps who along with the Kartchner family on whose land they stand managed to keep the caves a secret for many years before finally getting them established as a State Park and opened to the public in 1988. The park works to conserve this living cave as the limestone caverns are still developing. They’ve researched and learnt from lots of caves around the world and so to preserve them they have all sorts of methods including all visitors being sprayed with water to stop lint falling off them, air lock doors and a very strict no touching policy. If you accidently brush up against any of the formations they mark them with red tape and come back to ‘clean’ them at the end of every day. So although the 2 show caverns were incredible and had some beautiful formations that I’d not seen anywhere else before including the worlds longest soda straw stalactite at 20’ they lacked some of the mystery and magic of other caves I’ve visited where you stumble around in the dark on narrow paths tripping your way down into the caverns. But great none the less.
That afternoon we carried on into the Western town of Tombstone, “The Town too Tough to die”. Famous for gunfights, dusty streets and famous residents including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday it is a real life town best known for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. A total tourist trap. Lots of gun slinging cowboys at every corner and saloons offering sasperillas. We took the kids to one of the reenactments of the gunfight which was great fun. Although Charlie jumped about 3’ into the air when the first gun went off!! We then rode the Trolley Tour and heard all manner of outrageous stories abot the towns history. Great fun.
Friday we headed back to Patagonia. The kids were desperate for Barbar and Grandman to try the burgers at Wagons Wheel. We also met up with Matt and Abby at Patons Yard again and spent a bit of time watching the birds there. Then headed to the Lake for the moonlit walk. The idea was to hike up a small mountain to watch the sun go down and the moon come up. Sadly the very cloudy sky made both of these things a little hard to see. However, we learnt lots about the different type of cactus plants and the kids yet again impressed the group with their knowledge of wildlife leant along the way.
At the weekend there were festivals in both Tubac and Tumacacori (just 3 miles south of here). We went to the Tumacacori Festival during the day on Saturday. It was great. Like a Mexican village fete I suppose. Lots of craft stalls, food stalls, etc. But more exciting were the half dozen or so State Parks locally there offering activities. We spent hours there carving petroglyphs, chatting to wildlife experts, handling bear skulls, learning about the Anza Trail, the kids dressed up and wielded swords and guns. Really fun day out. Highlight for Will was the Great horned owl and harris hawk he got to see up close. The action was centred around the stage with troupes of Mexican dancers and musicians and some talented chaps on their glockenspiels!!
Then in the evening Mum and I wandered into Tubac for their Festival of Lights. Bascially all the shops and galleries were open late all with hundreds of candles and lanterns and paper bag nightlights lighting up the street. A stage had been put up in the town centre and the choir were singing carols and horse drawn sleigh rides made it all very Christmasy indeed. Mulled wine being served in the shops guaranteed maximum spending although we managed to escape without too much damage. Quite easy NOT to buy things when you have a 28’ van to squeeze all your stuff into.
Sunday the sun finally came out again – with a vengeance. Sat in the garden reading our books. Will and I had a bike ride over the Anza Trail. Then we all guaranteed ourselves nightmares by watching some crazy man get deliberately eaten alive by a 20’ anaconda – idiot!! Charlie and I were far too freaked out to even watch so headed to bed!!
We visited Tubacs Presidio one day. We really went to keep Graham company as he’d already had a solo trip to see the Titan Missile Museum and we couldn’t let him go alone again. The kids huffed and puffed about the whole thing but actually really enjoyed it. Especially the old classroom where Charlie donned the dunce’s cap and sat in the corner – might get one of those for the van when we are home schooling… might not bother with the shackles…
The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum had been on our must do list since before we arrived in Tubac. Will and Charlie were both desperate to go there and see all the birds and animals. It’s in the top 10 zoological parks in the world, not so much a museum as a plant and animal collection representing the Sonoran Desert. We spent close to 6 hours there walking the interpretative trails which wind through cactus gardens. Amongst the hundreds of animals and birds there we spotted a few we’d not yet seen in the wild. We spent ages in the hummingbird aviary which was incredible. These are definitely the boys favourite birds and they sat still and quiet for ages as these incredible little creatures buzzed around our heads.
The raptor free flight show we’d been told was something quite special and indeed it was. Spectators stand in the middle of the section of desert and the birds literally fly over your heads – at some stages far too close for my liking. But the kids loved it all and the experience of owls and hawks so close you could touch them was something really special. So much so that we went back for the 2pm show too.
So we have spent a really lovely fortnight with Mum and Graham. So great to have had them here to distract us while John was away. We’ve loved being able to share all our stories of the trip so far and hear about everyone back home. It will be very hard to say goodbye to them when the time comes on Monday. But I know we will all remember this very special time we have had together here in this lovely place.
I am writing this on Friday night and will post it tonight too. Imagine being completely on time and up to date on the blog – will be the first and probably last time that happens! Tomorrow Dad and Carol arrive from Connecticut so we will finally get to spend some time with them here in there special place in Arizona. And most exciting of all John comes back from the UK. It has been lovely spending all this time with Mum and Graham but we have missed John so!! We are very much looking forward to getting Frankie back (now all mended) and packing up and getting back on the road.
Wickenswanderings 