Back from the Land Where Time Stands Still

Okay, time doesn't really stand still in Arizona, but at least they don't do the stupid Daylight Savings Time thing. I hate Daylight Savings Time. I hate that I spend 2 to 4 weeks twice a year adjusting to the sun coming up at a different time. That alone is enough to recommend Arizona as a place to relocate to. In my opinion.

First, a brief travelogue. Second, a preview of the wonderful things in store this week.

The Wizard and I traveled to Tucson, Arizona, to celebrate Purim. That was fun, but I forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Then we did a little exploration. Like the cactus in Sabino Canyon.

This one appears to have a tumor:

And I don't care if it's called a Teddy Bear Cactus, I'm not going to give this one a hug and take it to bed:
The next day, we went to the Pima Air and Space Musuem, where we saw a lot of planes, including this rather curious one:

We couldn't figure out what that big hole in the side was until we were up close and personal:

It's where that big tire goes while the plane is in flight. We spent some time trying to imagine the inside of this plane, because the passage between the two tires has got to be somewhat constricting. Not our problem, just a curiosity.

As we were about to leave, we encountered this cute little critter:

Other visitors to the museum were sure it was some kind of chipmunk, but every chipmunk the Wizard and I have ever seen has some distinctive stripes. Later on, we found a Field Guide to Mammals of the Southwest. Sure enough, this is a ground squirrel.

Moving right along, we left Tucson after a very nice visit with the family of one of Future Vet's friends, and drove up through Sedona:

To the Big Hole in the Ground, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon:

Really Big Hole in the Ground.

We spent most of a day hiking along the Rim Trail, which is mostly level and has some spectacular views. I took some pictures, but my little Canon SureShot really doesn't do them justice, so I will spare you, gentle readers.

My SureShot probably won't do justice to these either, but seeing them was so unutterably COOL that I just have to share:

That's a California Condor. But wait! There's more!

Unfortunately, it's hard to get a good picture of birds in flight with the kind of camera we have, but in this picture I caught six of the nine condors we saw that day:

We saw other wildlife as well -- more squirrels of various varieties, a fair number of smaller birds, and a whole family of mule deer:

They kept an eye on us, but didn't seem to be too bothered. I expect that later in the year when there are more people, the deer are a little less obvious during the day.

I was going to post some other pictures, but let's face it -- you can see better ones online, in postcards, in books, etc. Unless you know what you are looking at, one person's snapshots just aren't that enlightening.

However, we did have one or two interesting incidents during the afternoon. I was looking down over the edge when all of a sudden I spotted something quite familiar to anyone who has lived in the Northeast US for decades -- SNOW!!

I took a picture, but it's hard to capture something as emphemeral as snow.

Those little white specks in the air are snowflakes. The bigger white patches on the ground are pockets of snow.

After the snow started falling, we walked a little further then took a bus down far enough to finally catch a glimpse of the Colorado River, far below:

After that, we went back to the Village (shades of The Prisoner!), used the bathrooms, had some lunch, and did a very small amount of shopping. The Wizard bought a t-shirt and I bought a dragonfly hanging. That is to say, we didn't add too much to the STUFF we are trying to get rid of at home.

Coming back to Dodge was exciting. It rained and/or snowed for most of the way and the windshield wiper on the Wizard's car decided to crap out on us. That's not an experience I'm in a hurry to re-create.

Since returning to Dodge, I have been trying to get back into the rhythms of daily life at home. Back to the box, bag, shelf, or pile a day thing, that is. It's been four days and today, the fifth day, I'm ready to tackle the STUFF.

But before that, a small digression. The Drama Queen bought a car! Or half a car, judging by it's size:

That means "her" old car has been returned to the bosom of the family, as soon as it comes out of the Volvo shop yet again. There's something wonky about the electrical system and the Volvo guys haven't managed to solve it yet. Once it is fixed, we are loaning it to Young Mom, a friend of the Drama Queen's who has lived with us off and on over the last 5 years. Her car got totaled not too long ago. As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, "It's always something."

Okay, now to the box issue. I went around the house this morning counting boxes. Here's what I found:

In the Living Room (also my office):
1 half-empty box of books
2 boxes of video cassette tapes (one of prerecorded tapes, one of tapes we recorded)
1 box containing some video cassettes and some game system controllers
2 boxes/cases of Girl Scout cookies (with 12 and 10 boxes inside)
1 box of audio cassette tapes and yarn
1 box of books, papers, and other stuff from my previous place of work
1 box of all kinds of unused papers
1 box full of things to Freecycle

In the Kitchen:
1 box of "Things Looking for Other Things"

In the Family Room:
1 box of softballs and Hanukka decorations
3 boxes of books
1 box of sci-fi and fantasy magazines
2 boxes of yarn
1 box of K'nex pieces, plus 4 additional containers of the same
stacks of books all over the coffee table
2 bags of toys

In the Dining Room:
2 boxes of books
9 boxes of papers, mostly from my previous employment
1 box of homeschooling magazines
1 box of "Thing to Save for the Next House"
2 boxes of photos
1 box of audio cassettes
1 box of the Drama Queen's belongings

By my count, that makes 36 boxes, 4 containers of K'nex, 2 bags of toys, and several stacks of books. Though I don't know if I should really count the Girl Scout cookies, which are going into the freezer until after Passover. If I can get through all of that this week (remember, it's already Wednesday), I can make up for the week I lost in Arizona, which does not condone Daylight Savings Time. (And neither do I.)