The blur of scnery as we move from California to Arizona
We stayed and spent the bulk of our time with Robin. She lives in the same development as Mom and spent the most time with her over the last few years, helping her to expand her business along the way. She was also the one who was taking care of Mom when she died. When we first saw her, I hugged her so hard that she winced. Oops! Sorry, Robin.
Robin gets a version of our travels from Kyle, and her lovely pup Dougie keeps us all with a smile on our faces
It was so nice to be in her company again. So many of the times we have stayed at Mom's, Robin was also there for a good portion of the time. She's really part of the family for us.
We took a trip to the Capitol building to explore a little of Arizona's history
Since Robin's house is on the other side of the same neighborhood as Mom's, where we visited so often and even spent a couple of whole winters living, everything is very familiar. Walking Robin's dog, Dougie, on my old running route, it felt at times like I was just taking a week off of work for another visit again.
Of course, not everything was the same. My route took us past Mom's old house. It looks pretty much the same, except the trees are a little bit taller. The first time I went by it, the glow of the lights inside made me feel like I was my usual ten seconds from the big hug and warm welcome I always got every time I came up the path.
Things are different now. The house belongs to somebody else, so I just had a long look and kept on walking, but I still can't shake the feeling every time I see it.
Mom's other great friend and mentor, Scott, is a busy man, but he and his partner Fred carved out some time for us.
I can't say enough good things about Scott. He's absolutely brilliant at what he does and is a paragon of fairness and integrity. Plus, he's just really great company. It's easy to see why Mom loved him so much. Fred is pretty good, too. Hey, Fred.
I don't share the same interest in the finer details of precious antiques as Mom did with Scott, although it was hard not to with her infectious enthusiasm, but I'd like to think that if there were a parallel universe where Maryanne and I could live down the street from him and Fred, we would all be great friends. Time spent with them is always such fun. It's hard to leave and let them get back to their busy lives.
We got a few overdue errands done in the ol' neighborhood and managed also to do a few touristy things during our brief stay. Then, it seemed like it was already time to be leaving. We often spent weeks or even months at a time in Phoenix in the past. That made this time feel like we had just breezed in and then breezed right out before we had a chance to settle in. Going all over the world is great and all, but sometimes it can just seem way too big.
Anchorage location >> On google maps
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