We managed to make it into Tucson on Wednesday despite mother nature's best efforts to blow us off the road and throw sand in our faces. Since then, we've been having so much fun that I haven't had time to write!
It was somewhat otherworldly to arrive at our friends' house and see two familiar, smiling faces waving to us in the driveway. One of these faces I had not seen in person for about 35 years, and the other I had never met in person at all, but through the magic of Skype and Facebook (no commercial intended) it felt as though we had just seen each other last week. This wonderful time warp continued when another friend of mine, who also lives in the same area of Tucson, whom I also have not seen for 40 years, showed up to say hello and chat. Through the miracle of friendship the years melted away and we just had a wonderful first evening.
Barbara and her husband Gale live in a lovely home snuggled up against the Santa Catalina Mountains. Attached to the house, but separated by a small courtyard, is a "Casita" where we are staying. I'm sure everyone knows that "Casita" is the Spanish word for "little house"; this is their guest room, and my perfect hostess Barbara has outfitted it as well as the best hotels can do. Barbara, thank you!
Thursday we all went to the fitness center run by my friend Maren. I have never seen so many good-looking, over 60 bodies! Saddlebrooke is an "active adult" community, and they really mean it. Whenever I go outside I see people walking or jogging down the street. Bob has made it to the fitness center every day so far, which is far better than he does at home. In the evening we went to a University of Arizona "outreach" lecture, at Saddlebrooke, on memory. This was a very popular topic with the audience and the lecturer was very good. He confirmed what I have believed that no one can really multitask. But more encouragingly, he said that our memories can be trained. Most of the lecture was on the history of memory and reminded me of a book I read recently that was very enjoyable, called "Moonwalking with Einstein: the Art and science of remembering everything", by JoshuaFoer.
On Friday Bob and I toured much of the historic downtown areas of Tucson, and had lunch at a an old restaurant called El Charro. Enchiladas verdes for me; enchiladas con mole for Bob. Couldn't be better. We got back just in time to make it to the Wii bowling tournament finals. Bob was an alternate, but unfortunately given the scores for the rest of the season his team couldn't have won even if they had all scored perfect 300s. We finished off the evening with a hotly contested Trivial Pursuit game. There was an awful lot of trash-talking involved, but in the end the men won anyway. Note to Acton friends: we learned a way of shortening up the finish of the game without changing the rules too much! By this time we young'uns were pretty darn tired out so we left to go back to the Casita and go to bed.
We're about to head out now to visit Tubac, an artists' colony near the Mexican border and also the Mission San Javier del Bac, so I will have to cut this entry short. I just want to add that Barbara and Maren and I keep remarking to each other just how normal it feels for the three of us to be back together again and how amazing that is after all these years. It's wonderful!
I promise another entry within two days and it will have pictures!
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