We’re in our last traveling days before pulling into Phoenix for the month of April. We’ve been mostly hop-skipping our way west, with shorter one and two night stop overs every two hundred miles between Galveston and southern Arizona, where we’re relaxing for this last week.
We spent a long weekend outside of Austin near the lower Colorado River, in the same park system where we were camp hosts last March. This time we stayed on the North Shore, with open grass areas and a lovely view of Lake Bastrop. We chose to return to the area so we could get together with friends who live in Austin, and also to eat at a really delicious Chinese restaurant. We were so disappointed to find out that the restaurant had closed the day we got there.
We stayed in Kerrville for three nights, in a private campground along the Guadalupe River. We celebrated my 60th birthday there with a drive into the small town, got a free cone from Dairy Queen, and scored some fun shirts at the thrift store. Marika wanted to take me out for a fancy dinner, but I just wanted to enjoy her homemade hummus and veggies at home. So we stopped at the supermarket for some wild salmon to add to the menu and But picked up two decadent slices of cake from a fancy bakery, that was served with candles, for dessert.
Most of the people at the park were seasonal, and I talked myself into saying YES to joining them for their weekly poker game. It was dealer’s choice with wild cards almost every game, so it was more about luck than skill, but it was fun. And I doubled my $5.00 buy in.
The roads across Texas were dappled with blue bonnets and Indian paintbrush. Once into New Mexico the terrain changed to high desert, with fields of sunshine as far as you could see.
While I loved the wide open space and the forever sky, the drive was long and quiet, since I can’t talk or sing. Ever since we left Georgia on March 1st, I’ve had all kinds of allergic sneezing and coughing, and it turned into laryngitis the second day we were on the Texas coast almost 3 weeks ago. I’ve been drinking lots, gargling with salt water, and drowning in slippery elm tea, but there’s really been no change. And the dry air also hasn’t helped.
And now that we’re in the desert, things are even drier, so we purchased a small humidifier to keep the air moister for my mucous membranes. And yes, I’ll be seeing someone when we get to Phoenix next week.
But for now, we’re enjoying the slow transition to the climate and the sun of the southwest. We are in Tubac, Arizona, about 25 miles north of the Mexican border at Nogales. We’re here for the migrating hawks. Instead of staying at an upscale RV resort, we found an offbeat campground that feels more like a junkyard with random spaces for RVs to hookup. But the people are great, it’s quiet with a groomed walking trail, and the birds are a plenty.
All day long we watch goldfinches, sparrows, hummers, orioles, phainopepla, cardinals, and gila woodpeckers feasting on Marika’s various feeders. We’ve seen quail and roadrunners, and this morning, Marika even saw three deer.
The owner is also a licensed masseuse, and she gave me one of the best massages I’ve ever had. And that same evening, she and her husband played music on the patio with one of the RV guests.
Cody and I love the walking path that skirts the property. It’s graded dirt, about six feel wide, bordered by tall, wild weeds full of scents, and smells, and bright yellow buds. I try to stay on the less dusty sections, keeping my eyes out for snakes, since it is that season. The path passes three backyards furnished with bright colored patio furniture and barbecue grills. It’s cool under the canopy of desert trees whose name I can’t remember.
We had only planned to stay two nights, and actually questioned that choice when we first pulled in, but we extended our stay for another three, to enjoy the quiet, and the space, and the birds. Marika has been going birding every morning and I have been enjoying the slow, easy, restorative pace.
Tomorrow we are going into town to experience some art. And we’ve been getting together with friends in the area, too. We’ll drive the last three hours north to Phoenix on Saturday, when the freeways are a little less crazy with traffic.
One of the big reasons we’re spending April in Phoenix is to take care of some Dad things. He’s 88, still living at home, and spending half his time at his girlfriend’s house in Sun City West. The intention is to clean out a few rooms in his house that he doesn’t use, assess how he’s really doing, and be his taxi service since he no longer has a driver’s license.
Usually we stay at a nearby RV park, but we couldn’t get a reservation, so I suggested we park the RV in my Dad’s driveway and live in the house since we wouldn’t be able to plug into electricity to run the air conditioner, which is a necessity in Phoenix in April. We’d save some money, be more available for my Dad, and Cody would have a yard.
But my father was concerned about the weight of the RV on the cracks in the driveway. He doesn’t relate to dogs, and would prefer Cody stayed outside. And it would be a tight fit maneuvering into the space.
The more I thought about it, the more I imagined the stress I would feel of living with my father in the house that I spent my teen years in. That my father now shares with his girlfriend. Where my mom’s office is still like she left it nine years ago.
I was anxious about not sleeping in my own bed, not having a place to retreat and restore, and the thought of all of the emotions of going through my mother’s things. And I worried about how Cody would feel when we had to leave him in the house to go for outings.
And then I had to stop myself and come back to the beauty and ease of where I was. I had to remind myself that I can feel the BEVY (my mom’s name) of emotions as they arise, when they arise. But I didn’t need to be feeling them right now, because it wasn’t happening right now.
Instead, I focused on what supports I might need when I’m there, and how I might cope when things got uncomfortable. And I shared all of these thoughts with Marika so she could understand what I might need from her, even if I was too far in to ask.
And I reminded myself that it will be like the waterfall in the river at the end of the campground in Kerrville. It may get a little bumpy, a bit exciting, and things might get churned up. But on the other side, a slow and steady, easy flow will be waiting for me.
And then I got an email from the RV Park woman in Phoenix, asking when we were coming, that she DID have a spot for us. And my whole being relaxed. Now I could have my own space, sleep in my own bed, even swim in the park’s pool, so that I am much better equipped and prepared and able to take care of whatever comes up.
We will be staying at my Dad’s house for the two or three days that the RV is in the shop for a new toilet next week. But then I’ll be home and free, and ready.
In addition to Dad things, we’ll be taking care of medical stuff, getting both vehicles re-registered, and, of course, enjoying our favorite foods and friends. This will be the first time I’m in Phoenix, NOT working with Mac clients. I can’t wait to see how that open space feels.
I will hold the first deck of Heart Sparks oracle cards in my hands this weekend. If they are as beautiful in real life as they are on the screen, I will be placing the first orders. Email me for details on pre-ordering your own deck.
From my heart to yours,
