Happy New Year!

Saturday night before we left for home it rained off and on most of the night. When we took our walk in the desert in the morning everything was dripping with water and beautiful. There was a white fog bank lying along the base of the Tucson Mountains to the east. Unfortunately we did not have a camera with us, I need to put it in my hiking pouch. It was really pretty with the mountain tops thrusting up out of the clouds.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas holiday, ours was pleasant and uneventful, but ten days was as much of gray damp weather as we needed! It is really good to be back in sunny Southern Arizona.

We headed back on Wednesday morning, taking the train into the city. With plenty of time to spare we stopped and spent a couple of hours at the Art Institute. Then we took the El out to Midway, had dinner at Harry Carry’s there and then found that our 7 PM flight was delayed. Several flights were backed up at the gates. We finally boarded about an hour late, then after the usual haranguing from the flight attendants to hurry up and take our seats so we could be underway (hey! I’ve been sitting in the gate for two hours, ready to go! I’m not the one that has been holding things up!). Anyway, after being abused for our sluggishness we were all seated and ready to go when the pilot announced that we were waiting for passengers from a delayed incoming flight! So ... a half hour later the delayed passengers appeared, then they announced we were waiting for their baggage.

Finally we backed away from the gate and then sat another ten or fifteen minutes waiting to be deiced. A young boy sitting behind us finally shouted out “Hurry up, lets take off!” to which Nancy replied “He is the only one with the nerve to say it out loud.”

We finally got off about two hours late, with the benefit of free drinks in return for the delay - yeah! And I must add that our particular steward was excellent, with a great personality. We finally got into Tucson around midnight and it was 45 degrees, which was very nice.

Weather has been a bit cool since we have been back, highs in the 50s the last few days. We were wiped on Thursday and did not do much other than some grocery shopping.

Friday morning was around 30 degrees, so we waited until afternoon to take our hike in the desert. We went to Beyond Bread for lunch and then stopped at a car wash where we had the car washed last month. I had noticed a week later that the antenna was missing, I saw them take it off, but did not remember to check if it was replaced. I looked around the drivers seat, expecting that they would have put it in the car. So we asked about the missing antenna and the attendant found it under the passengers seat! So we had it all the time, just did not look in the right place.

Saturday morning we did get out for our early walk, and then we went up to the Desert Museum, which was pretty crowded, and then ran a few errands.

January 2, 2013

Weather continued cool with occasional rain showers through the weekend. Of course what they call rain showers here would not even rate mention in a lot of places. Lows have been around 30 degrees with highs in the 50’s. Really odd though, we get a brief shower, then bright sunshine for a few hours and then another brief shower.

New Years Eve we went to the dinner here at the park. Really good steak and ribs with backed potatoes. We did not stick around for the dance with the 50’s cover band that followed.

A couple of quiet days this week, not a lot to write home about. It is nice weather now, high’s around 60 but still down around 30 at night. We are going to try to get in a bit longer hike later this week while the weather is still on the coolish side.

Happy New Year!