NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, NEW MEXICO
Bob, Sara, and I as theater-goers. I think Sara may have been the youngest.
Posted May 31, 2023: Then more art at North Fourth. You saw some photos of Tamara Zibners fine work in a previous post…here are some gallery goers at that January opening.
Then, after all that art, it was time for a road trip to visit Robert and Marsha in their brand-new Arizona digs. First rule of an interstate road trip: never pass up a chance to pee.
So there are big serious trips to far countries with planes and trains and buses involved. There are notable road trips across the US by cars old and new, with me, young or old, behind the wheel. As I get older, what constitutes a travel adventure seems to be made up of fewer miles and more pauses along the way. With friends and family instead of Eiffel Towers as destinations.
First up for 2023, it was down and over, interstates all the way, to Sierra Vista, Arizona where my bro’s perfect winter home had finally been located. It was March with snow on the nearby mountains and wintery looking landscape, but the temperatures in no way resembled northern Minnesota. I was a little upset with myself for resorting to freeways since I’ve always considered them deadly boring, but I only had four days and besides needed to make sure my highway skills while going with the flow of speeding semis were still ‘up to speed.’ It’s interesting to me that freeway driving can be stressful, even dangerous without focused attention, and yet remain consistently boring. I have vowed to return to my beloved two-lanes, when Ghost and I head up for a Minnesota autumn.
We took a pleasant little day trip over to Bisbee, where tourists get to sample the old Arizona of the cowboys and saloons and ranches and mines. Needless to say, it’s seriously cute these days, but the only choice for small town survival is cute or abandoned, and Bixby does have a nice-enough feel.
This year wasn’t a big deal birthday. Well, any new number on the age chart is big at this point, but only years that end in zero or five count as major. Like important enough to have those sweet little bottles of champaign along if I get to the top of Black Mountain. Anyway made it another year…yeah yeah yeah, Everest it’s not, although I swear it is getting taller and steeper. See what I mean. I do have a sherpa-son to see that I don’t keel over along the way. Increasingly a possibility.
That might be enough pictures of me for this year. I claimed the peak for the Northome, Minnesota home team, those of us still alive.
Best part is actually hanging out with my kid WHO JUST RETIRED A FEW MONTH BEFORE HIS MOM, the lazy bum, and is moving to the Philippines for awhile. He’s been preparing for his new life as an organic vegetable farmer by growing orchids.
And lastly, took a small jaunt with my friend Tom from Delaware. He did an Amtrak trip to experience his beloved New Mexico landscape. Tom was my boss during my years as a hotel desk clerk and night auditor at the Four Seasons and Hilton (when they existed) and is still my friend and still loves New Mexico…amazing. I wasn’t a very good auditor. Usually $37 off or some amount that didn’t matter, but had to be rectified. Also I ate a lot of the bacon being prepared for the hotel’s guests in the early mornings when only the security guards, chef and I were awake.
Happy trails…or something like that.
Just saw this one. Our time together exploring northern New Mexico was great! Thank you for being the chauffeur. Remind me to send you some scrapple and some bacon, definitely bacon. Every time I see bacon at the supermarket.. I think
Of you.