Scotts Seein America: Sunday, March 07, 2010

I apologize to anyone who tries to follow our blog on a regular basis. I realize it is frustrating to log on only to find nothing new posted. I will try to do better…can’t get any worse! I haven’t been blogging mainly because our activities have been limited because of Ron’s knee, back and shoulder pains. We had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon March 17th but the pain was getting too bad so we made a trip to the emergency room. Eight hours later we had a diagnosis of arthritis in the knees (which we knew), and a start in his back. He walked in saying “give me drugs” and we walked out with 3 prescriptions. They have helped him sleep which is a plus in itself. We got into another orthopedic doctor 2 days later and have a follow up visit in a couple of weeks. Which means we will be staying in Tucson at least another month. The temperature has been in the 60’s & 70’s so I am not complaining. Some of Ron’s other symptoms were fatigue, loss of appetite, a cough and rash – which, in talking to a lady who has been coming to Tucson for the last 8 years, are symptoms of valley fever. Valley fever is an airborne spore that lodges in the lungs and for some is very hard to kick. Luckily Ron has gotten over it and is back to his normal self. He keeps saying it was like nothing he has ever experienced before.

I went out to the Tucson Skeet & Trap Club to visit with our dear friends Carmel and watched Mel shoot. It is the first time I have seen a trap shoot tournament and it is amazing at the number of men & women who participate in this sport. The grounds are wall to wall RV’s and vendors. Very interesting. We were able to spend some time visiting and attending another shoot even though Ron was not at his best.

We spent an afternoon in Tubac, AZ which at one time was an Indian village then home to Spanish explorers, Mexican ranchers, Mormon farmers and American settlers. It was established in the early 1700’s and became home to hundreds of artists & galleries in 1972. Today, besides the art galleries, there are many unique boutiques & restaurants.

Representative early 1700's Tubac street.

Neat tiled street signs in the artsy village.

We also viewed the Diamondbacks’ & Colorado Rockies’ opening spring training game. Our goal is to try to see the Cardinals in as many different parks as we can as we travel around. But in the meantime it was great to see a pro game even though the D-backs lost 11-1 so it was not a very exciting game. Ron was rooting for the D-backs since he felt a loyalty as we are residing here for 2 months. I on the other hand was hoping for a Rockies win since Colorado is my birth state. So we knew, either way, one of us was going to bring home a winner. This is the last year the D-backs will use the Tucson Electric Park for their spring training. They are moving to a soon to be built stadium in Phoenix. A sad day for Tucson – they built a very nice stadium that seats 11,000 in 1991 and now the team feels they need bigger and better…does that sound familiar?

Opening ceremony at first game of Diamondbacks spring training.

D-backs badly beaten....Ron's disappointed look.

Yesterday we attended the Fiesta de Saguaro, an annual event featuring native Mexican dancers, Mariachi bands, food and a pinata for the children. We will go back again to take the 8 mile scenic drive and some short walks in the Saguaro National Park.