Cinco de Mayo

It's been a long time away... I've neglected my blog. Between recovering from broken bones, heart surgery and trying to launch a new web platform, well... Enough said. I'll use this tool until I have the other platform ready. Since my broken arm has not healed well enough to cover the distance this weekend... I'm doing something I never do...riding "bitch"! For those of you that don't know what that means.... Instead of riding my own motorcycle, I'm riding as a passenger. What makes this trip special is I'm riding behind Michael on a 2005 Honda Goldwing Trike... a monster of a motorcycle.

We left Phoenix for the small town of Patagonia, roughly 20 miles from the US Border. The drive south of Tucson on our way to Sonita was gorgeous as always. This area (of what I have seen) of the Sonoran Desert is my second favorite. Flowers were in bloom all the way; I'm going to have to learn more about them. All I can say is there were yellows, pinks, vivid reds, whites and everything in between. They were short and tall...the red ones were at the top of plants that towered as high as 20 feet! Sonita and Elgin are the wine communities of AZ. We didn't stop for that this trip, I didn't want to juggle wine bottles in the saddle bags. This trip was about finally getting my Native American flute - something I have been trying to do for 10 years.

You can purchase High Spirit flutes on the Internet or occasionally in shops in the southwest, but I wanted to go to the area they are created, see the shop, meet the folks that make them, and hand pick the right one. They are made from several types of wood, each wood has a unique signature grain and personality, and the pitch range is wide. Finally, after narrowing my choice to "D" Condor pitch and aromatic cedar, all that was left was grain and style. He laid out my 5 favorites on the table and I narrowed it down to 2, finally settling on a turquoise inlaid piece with a series of knots and grain lines that had character I appreciated. I got a nearly bullet proof case.. and headed out the door.

 All the hotel, motel, and b and b's were booked from Tucson all the way to north of Nogales on account of a big horse race. We did not want to stay in Nogales - we didn't want to be robbed. We pushed on to the small Spanish community of Tubac (now and artsy place filled with quaint shops, good food, and tequila bars); what better place to spend Cinco de Mayo? We stayed at a lovely b and b called Secret Garden in the historic part of Tubac, and walked the town, visited shops and finished at Elvira's. The food was wonderful. We walked back to the b and b and practiced playing my new flute with a beer buzz. In the desert, I'm having a hard time staying hydrated. I'm drinking tons of water but peeing all the time! Drinking beer doesn't help.

We climbed in to bed after a very long day... and you know how it is when you wake up in the middle of the night...exhausted, in a strange new place, and perhaps a little tipsy? At some point in the middle of the night I stumbled out of bed and did a landscape Braille trying to find a cup to drink water. Michael wondered what the heck I was doing... which I sort of remember, but I clearly remember how horrible the tap water tastes in Tubac!

This morning, after coffee in the local coffee shop, we are planning to door more walking around the shops, and were considering going to Tumacacori, but I have already been there in the past... And I hate doing things twice. Tonight we are spending the evening/late night at Kitt Observatory to view the stars and planets through the largest telescopes in the world. It will also be a full moon!
*Update: No Kitt Observatory. We got a call that cancelled  due to high winds. Bummer... something for the bucket list.