Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 21
12/13/08-01/16/09 Tucson - Holidays, Weather and the Price of Diesel
The price of diesel is right at $2.30, although with the Fry’s (Fred Meyer) card and spending $100 on groceries, Sam was able to pay only $2.20. That was good, much better than when we started.
The weather in Tucson has not been normal. We are thinking that maybe we are the bringers of cooler weather. We saw snow that did not stick and below freezing weather way too often for this area. On one of these nights, we got back home to find that we were out of propane. A nice mini-adventure to get the tanks refilled – but Sam came through and we had a toasty trailer. We had several rainy days, more like Portland’s weather – although this year Portland is having record-breaking cold weather with snow, snow, and a little ice. I’m almost positive that it wasn’t our fault. Tucson had several nights where the moon was so bright that it was casting shadows all night long. Sam and I enjoyed walking late at night and being able to see without a flashlight. This was due to the moon being the closest to earth, with the full, full, gorgeously full, moon. The wind blows every morning at Cactus Country. Wayne explained it by saying it was due to the cold nights transitioning to the warm days. I think its purpose was to give us some ‘negative’ so that it would be easier to move on when it was time. We see more big jackrabbits, but no javelinas.
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| Another Forest |
Christmas was our first one without our kids. We missed them all – but had a great Christmas dinner with Grace and Wayne. Having family to spend Christmas with was a salve to the homesickness I was feeling at the time. Sam and I went on a Christmas Light Hay Ride through a part of Tucson. New year’s eve we spent at a rockin’ dance at the rec hall at CCRV. The band was good and we were dancing, all of us having a good time. Grace, with the help of Rich, got the band to announce our 30th anniversary and we danced some more. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We spent the first day of the New Year golfing in sunshine, taking pictures of a coyote, swimming at LA Fitness and eating at Chuy’s.
Grace and Wayne took us to the airport and we flew home on January 3rd, to have Christmas and celebrate Jaron’s first, Aaron’s, Joe’s and Sam’s birthdays. The flights went well and I really am enjoying every one I can go on. The kids have all been fighting colds, flu and general bad stuff all winter. The grandson’s were great!! Jaron’s birthday party, which had been put off due to the extreme snowy weather, took place with the theme of ‘star’. Jaron is still not walking, but it’s because he is too busy right now having fun. Sam and I get him giggling when we sing jingle bells with a big ‘Hey!’ after every verse. We probably look silly to him. Owen went on only one one-day trip with gramma and Papa. We went to see my mom and brother Cecil in Salem. Unfortunately, Owie got sick and by the time we left to go back to Tucson, they were all sick. Christmas was spent without a tree and without all the decorations we normally have up. In fact, we spent some of our time getting some of the decorations we put up earlier back sown and in the attic. The main thing is we spent the day celebrating with family. Nic and Owen were so sick, they had their gifts sent downstairs to them – so we missed some of their warmth. Joe, Lea, Kyra and Korbin were there. Dave was there and we rehashed his Birthday gift to Jaron (a full sized sword, with sheath) and Tauna, Aaron and Jaron. Thanks to all of you for gathering to spend holidays and birthdays with us. We thank God for you every day and sometimes more often. We also got to spend time with our friends in church, Beth and Dan, Roy and Cindy – as well as Laura, Mike and Don. We are sooo blessed.
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