Yikes

I was vaguely aware that I had not posted in awhile.

Until today, I had not realize that it has been a month—Yikes!

I have started and stopped some posts, including one about items I have discovered while sorting through the things Linda left behind.

For example, the 3"x5" cards that she routinely used. There is a stack secured with a binder clip, dating to 2016, each card listing what to take/pack on our various road trips.That same year, she started recording visits by a three-legged deer.

Linda’s last notation was—“2/10/24 ‘3-legs' walked down our driveway with 3 others" (to date, ‘3-legs’ has not returned).

So what have I been doing?

On April 9, I went to Arizona. My first trip there was in 1959 when I rode a donkey down Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. I returned in 1978 and was captivated by Organ Pipe National Monument located in southwestern corner on the borders of Mexico and California. I introduced Linda to both places in 1995.

Together we made multiple trips to both places. We drove and hiked throughout Organ Pipe, and went to the popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We camped in a tent at the more remote North Rim. During the night, Linda went to the bathroom and was sure that she spotted a mountain lion. Although it was June, we woke up to snow.

In 2019, we went to Tucson. We loved the Sonoran Desert Museum, the University of Arizona’s art museum, and the impressive Women’s Plaza of Honor on the campus.

Little did we know that first-born grandchild Sophie would go to the University of Arizona, Tucson. We were eager to visit her but did not manage to make it.

 Now, in May, Sophie graduates with a Bachelor of Science in psychology.

Although my solo trip was sad, it was satisfying, and it was super, super wonderful to spend the time with Sophie, (who is also the creator/influencer of a thriving e-business sdhpaints.com)

The “selfie” of us is at the spot in Tucson Mountain Park where Sophie and her friends watch the sunset. The stickers on our shirts are from our earlier visit that day to the Tucson Art Museum. Behind me and Linda in the second photo, is the multi-limbed columbar cactus, the Organ Pipe Cactus. The columns can grow up to 26'. The National Monument is its northern most natural habitat.