It was a long 3 weeks without Edie at my side. The kids had a wonderful time in Costa Rica, many great adventures. I headed out to pick up Edie and then went on to spend a week in Arizona with Larry and Renee. The trip also gave us a chance to stop and see friends Brad and Dottie, just north of Phoenix.
Grumpy, Pretty Woman, Brad and Dottie. Brad and I have been friends since the 9th grade. We went to college together, along with Larry. The drinking experiments of our youth is something we laugh about often.
We spent the night in Phoenix and then made our way to Green Valley, Arizona to meet up with Larry and Renee. They rented a place for a month and were kind enough to invite us to spend some time with them. They rented a condo in a retirement community that was built in the early 1960’s. The construction was financed by a teacher’s union and members bought these units as retirement homes. The units are compact with incredibly mature landscaping. Very quiet and nice.
Each unit has a large front patio that is contiguous to your neighbors patio.All the plants are 50 to 60 years old.A single bathroom that is well sized.The master is small but comfortable. The second bedroom is comfortable too.The kitchen is handi and there is a huge pantry behind the open back door.There are many 55 senior communities in Green Valley, AZThere is a laundromat located on property and we spotted this praying mantis just hanging out one day.Larry is 6’5″All the trees and cacti are huge.
We took a day and drove the short distance to Nogales, AZ and Mexico. I had heard for years about all the pharmacies and medical offerings and Edie and I wanted to check it out.
We parked in a paid parking lot and saw advertisements for dental services and medical services.Walked past this building on our way into Mexico. No checks or passports, just wander in.You see the store fronts and that is how you know you have left the US and are in Mexico.It feels like Mexico.Edie fell in love with this puppy. Border crossing made it out of the question to buy the little fellow.We didn’t stay very long, less than 2 hours, and found the line to go back into the US. The guy in the blue vest had a portable player and was singing for tips. He wasn’t bad.The line was long and took awhile, we passed by the vehicle traffic processing area.The fence, we need some for sure.The Sonoran desert is beautiful, especially in the winter with temperatures in the mid 70’s.
We had a wonderful visit and really enjoyed the area. We drove home, taking 2 full days, with an overnight in Pasadena. That was even pleasant as well. Nice uneventful drive home.
Back home, Edie took a picture of me walking down the hall, svelte and down 60 pounds.
