Tucson 2018

The last time we went to Tucson, it was with Skeeter (of course) and my little Winnie walker.  Four years later, I was wheelchair-bound.  With Earl, my primary caregiver, in Portland, my new village consisted of three girlfriends.  Fortunately, they were experienced veterans dealing with my various mishaps, so I was unconcerned about that.  To me, the bigger issue was Thelma's dimensions*.  Would she fit going down the hallways?  Would she fit in the bathroom?  Could I get up at night, transfer to the wheel chair. and get to the bathroom without falling on my unsuspecting friend?  Yes, Thelma maneuvered down the hallway.  No, she didn't fit in the bathroom, but waited patiently just outside for me.  Yes, I was able to transfer and go to the bathroom without falling on my friend.

 Usually, when Earl and I fly, it's on a full size airplane with a gateway to the plane door.  I scoot down, we check both the scooter and wheelchair like baby strollers, I hold on to his shoulders and we walk to our seat.  Done.  But the direct flight to Tucson was on a small plane, outside at the end of the terminal, with a ramp rather than a gateway.  So much for not being obviously disabled (a misguided, but persistent fantasy).  But there are some advantages to disabled travel and my friends learned to embrace them.  Going through security is usually unpredictable, but often, the line is shorter.  People with disabilities board first, and if there is room, often upgraded.  For our flight, all four of us we were indeed upgraded to first class (yay!, free wine).  So, I scooted to the end of the parking gates, bit another humiliation bullet as they strapped me into an aisle chair and hauled me up the ramp.
The Tucson Casita
My friend's casita (pueblo–style house) has always been a great getaway place for our girls' trip. It has areas to enjoy the outdoors–something the climate in Oregon doesn't dependably allow in the Spring.  In the past, we have gone toward the end of March (a sunny, but moderate temperature).  This year, for several reasons, we went in May.  The difference?  It was freakin' hot down there!  An added activity to our daily sojourns was going from shady spot to shady spot.  We were Northwest wimps, even the one friend who loves desert heat.

Tucson at it's best
One evening, we went to the home of friends who split their time between Tucson and Central Oregon.  It was one of those Arizona evenings when it makes perfect sense to move to the desert—beautiful setting, clear skies, gentle breeze.  The house wasn't huge, but impeccably decorated and well laid out.  As we were leaving, our hostess escorted us to the car.  "How nice.  She didn't need to do that.", I thought and it was.  However, she was also on the lookout for rattlesnakes and scorpions languishing on the walkway.  Oregon was sounding better–cooler and wetter, but better.
Tucson Botanical Garden
Tohono Chul Park
We had been going to Tucson for a long time, since the start of the Iraq War. Some things had become traditions and we looked forward to them every visit.  We had to go to Tubac, the artsy shopping village about 45 miles south of Tucson, drop into the Tumacore Bar (long story), and of course, lots of margaritas and Mexican food.  The challenge was to find things to do that we hadn't done before (preferably indoors, out of the sun).  We had been to the Tucson Botanical Gardens before, but not the Tohono Chul Garden. Yeah, it was hot, but worth it.
Time Machine Museum of Miniatures
The last day came and we looked for something new–with air conditioning. Turning to the list of Top 10 Things to See in Tucson, we stumbled on some museums that sounded interesting.  Although we had been going to Tucson for awhile, the art museum at the University of Arizona had been my first foray into motorized scooting when I got stuck in the restroom**. The art museum had a special exhibit that sounded appealing so we took that in.  At the next museum, we discovered a the world of 'Miniature Craft'.  Way beyond a casual past time, Miniature Craft dates back to the 1700's and is a passion for the miniature enthusiast.  Creation of a true miniature strictly adheres to a 1 to 12 scale, must be authentic and is often handmade.  Unexpectedly fascinating.  
Rockabilly Raceway
Also on the Top Ten List was the show at Tucson's Gaslight Theatre.  Perusing on the web, we decided "Rockabilly Raceway" was either going to be fun or the tackiest show ever.  It was both and we'll likely return.  Dumb story, talented cast, good music, medium food and wine.  It may become a new tradition.





The lesson:  Always something to do in Tucson before May

 *Previous post: New Wheels: The 'girls'
**Previous post: What Happens in Tucson...
Previous post: What Happens in Tucson Redux

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We have contact

Image
Skeeter alerted me to an eyesight problem when I realized there were times when I had to navigate precisely while scooting.  I found myself dealing with my deliberate mono–vision by closing one eye in order to gauge available distance.  How much space was between Earl's car and my car, and between the telephone pole and the edge of the sidewalk?  How much asphalt before the road dropped off into dirt?  It was like my old "contact lens" days when one lens isn't in–blurry around the edge (not exactly double vision) .  Hmm, cataracts (at that time in life) , diminishing acuity (OK,  predictable... ) , Ataxia (a typical symptom for some people) ? Around 1993, I had radial keratotomy (RK) after years of wearing contact lenses or coke bottle glasses for being legally blind.  The surgeons gave me one eye for reading and one for distance (mono–vision) .  It was a good solution for someone in the 40s.  But, as I aged, the difference between the eyes was too significant.
Read more

Resume and Update

Image
It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I'd like to think that I was busy, but in fact, I was just too lazy and got overwhelmed at the thought of writing. The other issue is that not a whole lot new has happened and when friends would say, "You haven't blogged in a while," I just nodded my head and stared blankly. I thought maybe it was time to retire the blog and move on.  I mean-- geez! I started this in 2011. There are nearly 200 posts, two thirds of them after publishing my book.  How much blabbing can a person do?  However, the prospect of not being able to blab was just too much to deal with. So, I decided to dig in and update some old posts-- like, "Whatever happened to...?" or "w hatever happened after...?". Going through old posts was rewarding. I discovered that being honest has paid off in that most of my old observations were still valid.  I was relieved to know that there were few instances of "I wish I hadn't said t
Read more

East Coast Roadtrip

Image
East Coast Fall foliage It had been more than two years since we had ventured on our first roadtrip*.  It was time to move from using a walker to a wheelchair.  That was a particularly difficult humiliation bullet to bite.  I thought I had accepted the inevitability of progression, but I found myself whining, "No-o-o-o!"  Was this the end of the road before absolute immobility? Were my traveling days over?  More importantly, would I strain Earl's back and were my scooting days over? 😱 As with previous transitions, logic and practicality won out.  I was so freakin' slow with a walker. I didn't appreciate how frightening my precarious balance was to others.  Finally, I knew an injury was the bigger personal threat and was to be avoided at all costs.  Thelma and Louise ** became a permanent part of my next chapter.  Wheelchair use gave me greater mobility and freedom than I had expected.  It didn't impact my travel, scooting, and I didn't "
Read more