On Friday the third we drove in to Dallas to visit Dealey Plaza, the grassy knoll and the Texas Schoolbook Depository museum. This was emotional but I am so glad we came here.

We took Boo along to see the Plaza and knoll. She did really well among people and traffic. We left her in the truck for the 3 hours while we were in the museum. She was curled up sleeping when we returned. Good dog!

The next morning we met my niece Jessica for breakfast in Coppell. It was great to see her but we didn’t get any pictures!!!! After breakfast, we headed to continue our drive to Arizona.

We spent the night in a Walmart parking lot in New Mexico.

We reached our two month home about noon on January 6.

Dave’s old friends Denny and Meg came to visit us our first day in Arizona, along with their dog Mia. They live close by and we will see them often.

The next day, Dave worked on some wiring issues on the trailer. Then we took boo to one of the dog parks in the resort. She had do much fun playing with the other dogs. She amazed us at how fast she can run.

We decided to explore Casa Grande a little. We went to the visitor center and picked up some brochures about CG but also other areas of Arizona. It’s time to start making pls for our stay here. We ended up at the Airport Bar for one drink before going home.

Friend and family sometimes laugh at me while I say it is chilly here. Our nights have been getting down to low 30s and we aren’t wearing the same clothes we would wear in Minnesota. However, afternoons have been in the high 60s. It feels warmer than that and it’s only going to get better!

We took Boo to visit Denny and Meg, to get used to their home and other animals and to watch the Vikings lose to the 49ers on the 11th. They made a delicious steak supper for us, which we sure did not expect. It was funny to see Boo cowering on the bed while kitty Louis sat on the floor and looked at her! I think she will do okay though, when she stays with Denny and Meg for a week next month.

On the 14th, we drove to Tuscon to drive through Saguaro (rhymes with tomorrow, ‘G’ sounds like ‘W’) National Park. Tuscon sits in the middle of the park. We drove through both the West and the East sections. It is beautiful!

On Friday evening, January 17, we went to Denny and Meg’s again. Denny’s sister Connie joined us, with her dog Georgia. All three dogs had such a great time running and playing together. Boo was so exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as we got into the truck and was too tired to eat when we got home.

We’ve spent a lot of time hanging out at the park. We have gone to the pools a few times. There is an indoor/outdoor pool and another one that is all outdoors. They have been fun but so far, not as much fun as the times at the pool last winter in Palmdale. We have also gone to the senior exercise classes a few times.

Boo had some mouth issues, a result of the trauma she experienced before we got her. One tooth was missing and several others were badly infected. She ended up having 4 more teeth extracted at a vet in CG. She did well and is recovering nicely. We don’t think she will have any trouble adjusting to eating on just one side of her mouth.

We decided to do some site seeing, on Thursday the 23rd. First, we went to Phoenix to check out an RV show. We were not impressed with the trailers and 5th wheels on display but it was a nice experience. The show was held in the parking lot of the Arizona Cardinals.

We continued on to Apache Junction, to take in the Goldfield Ghost Town.

We shared a chicken quesadilla and a beer for lunch, on the patio of The Mammoth Saloon.

Every place we visit has different kind of beautiful scenery.

In late January, we met Denny and Meg at the Gallopin Goose in Coolidge for a taco lunch. It was a great day and Boo was able to join us on the patio.

Later that day we stopped at the Casa Grande Ruins. This was the first National Archeological site. It was home to Sonoran Desert people, the Hohokam, which include the Hopi. They built an intricate canal system between the Salt and Gila Rivers to irrigate their lands. This is the most complex ancient irrigation system north of Peru. The canals still exist today but have been modernized.

The walls of the Great House were made if caliche, a mixture of limestone, sand and clay. The walls were 4 feet thick at the base and were built in stages. The roof was made from saguaro ribs. The walls face the 4 cardinal points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns with the setting sun at summer solstice.

For a week long interlude, see our post about our Caribbean cruise.