Hello Arizona

We had a splendid visit with our friends the Brierleys with whom we have previously explored all the sites for miles around Central, Arizona. Two of their grandkids were there too, and that was fun. They invited us to see their new home in Globe, Arizona, so caravaned over there the next day. Globe is an interesting old mining town with an historic downtown and a Pueblo Indian ruin on the outskirts.

We learned that Hatch chilis that we thought were only grown in New Mexico but flourish here as well and that they will be harvested in abundance at the end of next month. We expect to receive several gunnysacks full.

The drive south from Globe over highway 60/177/77 is a scenic wonder of Arizona landscape with saguaro forests, ocotoillos, mesquite, creosote, cacti galore with handsome, red rock formations, giant copper mining operations and little towns all the way into Tucson.

Tucson has succumbed to ugly urban sprawl. I swear it took us an hour and a half to get from one side of it to the other. All the freeways are torn up, and it's a total mess that I was happy to leave behind as we headed toward the Mexican border and Green Valley where we stayed with our friends Richard and Judy Watson who had just moved into a new house in October. We saw the building site last year and were eager to see the results.

We are not going to get to Mexico on the trip because we forgot to bring our passports, but when we go to California on our next junket we'll be sure to take our passports and dip into Mexico for sure.

The Watson's new house was a masterpiece of Southwest architecture set on a penninsula between two arroyos to assure that no one else will build nearby. Look across the valley to the East are the rugged, gorgeous mountains. I missed my photo opportunity with the light on them from the West and had to settle for a shot the next morning. The spacious interior with huge beams and high ceilings was tastefully decorated and the grounds landscaped with native scrubs for a natural setting, appealing look. They have been busy.

On the way to the Watsons we saw our first road runner of the trip. In fact, we almost ran over it. But, I'm afraid that will be the last road runner we'll see on this journey. The Watsons are dedicated bird watchers and live a wonderful transitional zone with exotic birds from Mexico. We vowed to stay longer next time and take in some of their favorite birding spots such as Patagonia and preserves in the mountains to the east.

We will be heading north tomorrow.