Last summer my son, Steve, contacted me and announced that his family was flying to Pheonix, Arizona for Thanksgiving.

They were in the process of purchasing airline tickets and he wanted to know if I would be interested in making the trip with them.

Arizona in November was a tantalizing offer. So, what could I do but accept.

Now, this would be my fifth airplane trip in my life, so I am not considered a toughened, experienced airline traveler. When I gaze out that airplane window and see how far down the ground is and how tiny the towns and cities look that we are passing over I still emit a tiny “gulp”!

That’s an improvement as my first couple flights the “gulp” was much bigger! 🙂

We drove to Minneapolis to catch our flight on snowy, icy roads. I was smiling enjoying the fact that we would be escaping the arctic north country for the sunny, seventy-degree temperatures of Pheonix.

Steve’s mother-in-law and father-in-law were North Dakota snowbirds, and they were already in Phoenix preparing for the Thanksgiving feast.

Arriving at Pheonix, we discovered we would be staying in a large, beautiful home with a pool and hot tub. Also, a television that allowed us to watch football game after football game. It was as close to paradise as one could get!  🙂

The Thanksgiving meal replaced the standard turkey with meatballs which were delicious. It was the first Thanksgiving that I did not feel the effects of turkey tryptophan that required a brief nap after eating.  🙂

Hiking is a big thing in Arizona. So, when someone suggested we go for a hike I was immediately on board. I soon discovered Arizona hiking was much different then Minnesota ‘flat-land’ hiking.

Hiking in Arizona means you find a mountain and hike to the top!

We found a mountain, but many others had also. Vehicles were parked alongside the road as their occupants were out scaling the mountain. That meant we parked our vehicle a long way from where the hike would begin and that meant walking uphill to get there! 🙁

By the time we reached the hike’s starting point I was exhausted.

As our group of hikers disappeared from sight, I realized I would not be able to keep up their pace, so I found a bench and my hike came to an abrupt halt.

But I had an enjoyable time anyway.

The hike took two hours to complete while I sat relaxing on the bench and visited with the many climbers. In fact, I pointed out which trail to follow when several hikers were confused.

Perhaps the Parks Department will send me a special pin to recognize my volunteer work. 🙂

As I sat on my bench, I took note of the great variety of cactus scattered across the desert floor.

As a biology teacher I had very little experience working with cactus. It would have been nice had a college professor happened along and given me a few cactus lessons.

One of the weeks highlights was attending a 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music concert and dinner. I am the lover of Hootenannies and adding food one can’t go wrong. It was really enjoyable!

The retirement facility had a golf course.

There was much scrouging before we arrived to locate golf clubs. Our hosts were successful in locating some and that allowed us to hit the fairways several times.

My last shot was very memorable. There was a huge water hazard in front of the tee off with the green located across the water. Steve had already hit and cleared the water to land on the green.

I knew there was no way that my drive could cross the water and land on the green, so I aimed my shot to the right. The ball would still have to cross some water, but dry land was closer.

However, to do this meant hitting the ball very solidly which I am not always successful at. Unknown to me Steve was filming me with his cell phone. Knowing this would have certainly jinxed me.

So, what happened?

To my shock I hit the ball perfectly and the ball sailed over the water and bounced on dry ground!  🙂

To celebrate we packed up and caught our flight back to snowy Minnesota.

Thanks to Steve and Sara for the invite and to Sara’s mom and dad for being ‘super’ hosts! 🙂

Now, as I’m typing this blog, I look out the window, and my memories of Arizona are very precious because the wind is howling, the snow is flying, and reality has hit me.

Minnesota is welcoming me home!  🙂

Until next time.