So Where The Heck ARE The Murrays?

April 21, 2007

Wow, I haven’t updated this darned blog since January 28, 2007. I know I don’t need to tell all of you, as you’ve been faithfully checking the site every week since. Yeah, I bet. Regardless, I apologize for the delay. Well, a lot has happened since January, so I hope I can both entertain and inform to bring you up-to-date. Hope it doesn’t get too wordy either. A shot of caffeine might help you get through it.

The Indian Hoop Dance contest I mentioned earlier was a lot of fun. The weather cooperated and we enjoyed watching the participants parade around the grounds of the museum before competing for the final day. The costumes were really something. A myriad of colors and textures and designs reflecting the different tribes and individuals. There were contestants from the age of five on up. Unfortunately, we only got to see the youngest ones in the parade because they had competed the day before. They were absolutely adorable. The dance itself is a mixture of dancing, athletics, and stamina with something resembling a hoola hoop. The only difference being that the hoops may vary in number and size. While the contestants perform, there are Native American drummers and chanters. I must admit, after watching about six performers, it does become monotonous. This is not to say we didn’t enjoy it, or that we wouldn’t recommend it. We did, and we do. It’s always worth seeing anything that perpetuates a tradition and history. Trust me, it was fun.

We didn’t get to hike up Superstition Mountain, as something else came up for us to do. We did work security at the FBR golf tournament. Talk about an experience! We have never seen so many drunken individuals in our lives. The FBR is a big party. People gather at the 16th green, drink gallons, and cheer and boo the golfers. We can see why so many of the Pros opt out of the tournament. It’s not about golf. It’s about getting drunk. We did see VJ Sing, Seve Ballisteros, Mark Calvecchia, and a few others. We were positioned right before the 17th green, and got to see amazing shots. It’s a par 4, and several players either drove the green or came really close.

Mike and I arose one morning at 5:00 and drove to Fountain Hills, AZ. There was an art fair going on, and by rising so early we hoped to arrive in time to see the hot air balloonists take off at sunrise. We were not disappointed. It was a bit chilly that early, but the flip side was getting to see the balloons being readied to take off across the lake with a beautiful sunrise in the background. A few didn’t quite judge right, and their baskets skimmed across the lake before rising. In all, there were twelve to fifteen multi-colored balloons that participated. Well worth the early drive. The art fair itself was a lot of fun too.

Annually, the Heard Museum hosts an art fair of exclusively Native American artisans. Our friends, the Carters, had told us about it, so the four of us made plans to attend the first weekend in March. Hands down, the best art fair we’ve ever attended. Row upon row displaying phenomenal artistry from carving, jewelry, woodworking, painting, etc., by amazingly talented people. It’s a good thing we don’t currently have a home because we certainly saw several pieces we would love to own. That doesn’t mean we walked away empty-handed. Mike did buy a beautiful ring and a pair of silver earrings for me. We will definitely attend again next year.

So far, I’ve avoided mentioning tennis. Tennis took over, and controlled our lives from the time we arrived in Arizona in January, until March 27th. I kid you not. We both had regular practice every Monday morning, then a match on Thursday. In between, we both practiced with the 2.0 groups (we were 1.5 players), and then played in their matches on Wednesdays. In the meantime, we practiced to improve our game before the big end-of-the-year weeklong tournaments in March. I played in doubles matches with a new friend, and Mike played in the men’s with another friend. Then, Mike and I played in the mixed-doubles matches. Mike and his partner did well and won their first match and progressed forward from there. Unfortunately, they lost the next match and were out of the tournament. The day before my partner and I competed, I pulled a hamstring. I played anyway, and we lost our fist round, which placed us in the consolation round. We won the next match, but lost the one after. Mike and I did well in the mixed doubles, winning our first match and lost the second when I re-pulled the hamstring. It was disappointing, because we were playing well, but that’s the way the old body crumbles. Mike played extremely well the whole season and moved up to the 2.0 players for next year. I improved and also moved up, but I don’t play quite as well as Mike. He’s really good!!! Plus, he loves it.

After tennis, we took some time to see some sights. One day we took Blizz and went to the Arboretum for a two hour walking tour. It was fascinating to see the different flora, and actually beautiful in spite of the fact that cactus is not my favorite plant life. We learned about the Cholla cactus, which is also known as “jumping cactus”. Chollas appear to “jump” onto anything that gets a bit too close. The removal of said cactus is quite difficult because it imbeds itself with tiny barbs. One should NEVER try and remove them with bare hands. Supposedly, a comb is one of the better ways to remove them. Better yet, don’t get near one.

Next, we took a beautiful ride up to Tortilla Flats, population 7. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful drive to this tiny little area with a restaurant and shops, and nothing else except the panoramic view. They do boast a man 7’4” tall, and the restaurant is completely papered inside with donated dollar bills. Upon inquiring, I was told that there are two layers of the bills on the walls totalling about $90,000. Food was good, and the waitress was a hoot. When I asked if I could have lime with my cola, she proceeded to bring me a whole lime with my drink. We had a great time ribbing each other. Next year we hope to go up there again, and drive beyond onto rougher roads. We understand the views are even more spectacular.

We said good-bye to Arizona the first of April, and headed towards Salem, OR. We took the route over to California, and drove Hwy 101. What a view! It runs right along the Pacific coastline. I have never been to California, and was really looking forward to the entire drive. Little did I know.

Mike was concerned about the traffic around Los Angeles, so there was no plan to stop until we circumvented that area. Well, the roads were horrendous. You’d swear they had freezin and thawing problems there with all the bumps and holes. When we finally did stop, we found that the television had fallen and cabinets had come open and contents were spilled. We were not happy campers. Luckily, nothing broke, and Mike installed the childproof locks on the cabinets, that he had meant to do sometime before, to hopefully avoid a similar problem later. The next leg of the trip in California was just as speedy. Mike wanted to hurry and get past San Francisco and all it’s traffic. Unfortunately, Hwy 101 goes directly down through downtown San Francisco and onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately, I can say I saw San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, albeit out of the corner of my eye. I must admit, this was the only time so far, that I wanted to pull to the side of the road, get out of the truck, place a “for sale” sign on the truck and camper, and another sign saying, “no charge for husband.” All our plans to take our time and enjoy life and our surroundings seemed to disappear. California dreaming had become a nightmare.

After that fiasco, we decided we would get back on track and take our time more. We found a great campsite at the beginning of the Giant Redwoods. We were amazed at the grandeur and beauty of those amazing trees. At first, I thought, “Ok, they’re big, but I guess I was expecting more.” Well, then I walked away from Mike and turned around and looked at him standing beneath one and was amazed at the comparison. They are unbelievable. They are majestic testaments to time and nature. Pecularly, while walking among them, you see no wildlife or birds. The beauty and serenity of it all humbled me. Apparently, most of the wildlife is at the canopy.

The campsite we chose in Winchester Bay, Oregon made up for everything. Our campsite backed up to the bay. The entire campground was paved and landscaped. We went into the little village for dinner our first night and had fresh seafood with a beautiful view. The next day, we rode our bikes into town and checked out the shops. One shop roasted its own coffee with an old fashioned roaster. Mike enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee, and I had a great Chai tea.



……to be continued.