Friday, July 01, 2005


Me at Sabino Canyon in 1997 with my nephews, Tyler and Cody. Posted by Picasa

When Tucson hits 100 degrees, this here pool looks awful NICE--'specially after HIKING there! Posted by Picasa

Looking up out of Sabino Posted by Picasa

A DRY HEAT

Yesterday I got an email from a Montana friend of mine who is living in Mesa now. She was describing how her kids are mostly hanging out and swimming this summer and how they are going to visit their Grandma in Tucson next week—Sabino Canyon, more swimming, Gaslight Theatre. And don’t forget the eegee’s!

This email sent me down memory lane and I started thinking about our summers growing up. The staying up late and getting up late, watching cartoons and eating cereal and hurrying to get our little chores done so we could go swimming—either at our pool, the neighbors’, or the public pool. The public pool was usually the one at Palo Verde Park by our stake center (and right by the Gaslight, Deb!) and it was 25 cents to get in and they had a bunch of 25-cent snacks at the snack bar, too (I liked Fritos or a Bullet Popsicle).

We could usually swim a couple of hours until the thunder and lightning of the monsoons started around 4 pm and they kicked us all out of the pool. The running super-fast over the asphalt as it singed the soles of our feet. The water fun after the rain started and the washes (or “arroyos” in Spanish) filled up (yeah, I know like 10 people died every summer from doing stupid stuff like this, but hey, we survived). I don’t think Mesa gets as much monsoon action as Tucson, but that’s the thing I miss the most. I loved how the day would heat up to some ridiculous temperature and the skies would just let it rip and then it would smell so good out side, with the creosote and mesquite and sage. The night temperatures would be nice and cool and the sunsets would be awesome as the thunderclouds rolled off to the northwest.

Sabino Canyon is cheesily called “Our Desert Oasis,” but it really was. When we were teenagers getting away with our friends, or as school kids having a ditch day with our mom, Sabino Canyon was a magical place to swim, dive, wade, picnic and just CHILL! I heard that all of our swimming holes are gone and that makes me sad, but it’s still gorgeous.

So enjoy Tucson next week, guys. Have an eegee’s for me, and maybe a pizza at Little Anthony’s right there next to Gaslight (a pre- and post-stake dance hang out). And if you get the chance for a great dinner out, try El Charro down town—so fun and festive. Wave to my ‘hood as you drive past Park Place Mall—my neighborhood and elementary school and all that is just south of there!

All that said, I have just one thing to add: “Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, it was a toasty 80 degrees today!” I miss AZ, but I do LOVE Montana. The world is a beautiful place.

I took Addie to see "Hiawatha" at the Yellowstone Ballet Company performance last night in Bozeman. She liked it, but got restless , so we skipped out at intermission. She is very excited about starting dance class soon. Posted by Picasa

...but then she was sad when she kicked over a cup and slipped in the water and dropped her program while she was dancing down the sidewalk. It was still a fun night--she got to pick out an Independence Day T-shirt and eat an Icee at Target afterward. Posted by Picasa

FAMILY LETTER 07.28.19

Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                                        We have just ...