Trout Fishing in Arizona

If you are now one of my Facebook friends, you probably noticed, to your salivary glands' delight, that a preponderance of our posts have to do with food and drink. There are many good restaurants in the Tucson area, and prices are reasonable enough that we can afford to go out frequently.  We also enjoy just getting together with friends late in the afternoon.  But the main reason we have been eating out so much is that we find ourselves away from the house at lunch time, and lunch time is a great time to have a big meal.  Not only is it less expensive than at dinner time, but it's much better for your metabolism to eat during the middle of the day and then lightly in the evening.  Okay, so these are all just good excuses.

Living in the Boston area, and particularly in Acton, we have become used to getting the best of the best, both in vegetables and fish.  We have slaked our thirst for really fresh vegetables, somewhat, with our finding the local organic garden we talked about in the last post.  But finding good, fresh fish has proven to be somewhat elusive.

It's not that the grocery stores don't have a wide variety of fish.  They do. And it's not that we can't get the Atlantic species we're used to; I am a big proponent of eating locally, and I would be very happy with good, fresh Pacific fish. And there's the key word: fresh. the majority of fish found in stores is either frozen, previously frozen, or never frozen, but with the sunken eyes that tell you it came off the boat more than a day or two ago.  The two exceptions are salmon which, whether it's wild or farm raised, I can only enjoy every so often; and trout.  The trout has turned out to be absolutely delicious, and since we have discovered it, we have eaten it about once a week.

(In all of the above I am excluding shrimp, which tends to be frozen and of very good quality whether you live in Boston or Arizona.)

One amusing difference we have found with the trout is that apparently Arizonians, if that is the right term, have much more fragile sensibilities when it comes to knowing the source of their food.  In only one store we have been to so far have we seen the actual whole trout; everywhere else they sell either a filet or a headless, tailless body.

And to be fair to the restaurants, we have found two that seem to be able to get fresh fish and cook it properly: Bluefin and Poca Cosa, the latter being an outstanding Mexican/Sonoran style bistro.

We are now exactly 16 days away from closing on our house, and just under three weeks away from departing for our journey back to Acton.  I'll save being maudlin for a subsequent post, since now we are too busy taking stock of what we need to do before we leave.  We are done with all the shopping that we're going to do now.  We have appointments set up with our contractor for the changes that will be made to the house while we are away.  We have scheduled a temporary forwarding of mail with the post office from our vacation home to our Acton home.  I still have a doctors appointment and a hair appointment. We have a couple of social engagements. We have to move out of our rental villa and into our friend's house for several nights, along with all of the stuff we have bought for the new house which we can't put into the new house until after we close. And we have to sort through all of our clothing and miscellaneous stuff to see what we can ship in order to minimize what we have in the car. Even the car has an appointment at the Volvo dealer; we have put on so many miles it's time for the next regular checkup!


And today is just another wonderful, sunny day here. Bob is out playing golf.  We will both be working on our online courses for a couple of hours later.  And then we're off to a movie this afternoon with a friend, followed by dinner here at the house with some of the fresh vegetables we picked up yesterday.

The Waning of TV

I'm watching the end of this weekend's delayed golf tournament as I'm finishing my breakfast at eight o'clock.  Television in Arizona has been a challenge.  We are three hours behind the East Coast during daylight time, since Arizona doesn't go on daylight time, but the television schedule is central time.  Of course, anything live such as sports events or presidential addresses happen in real time which is then three hours earlier than Eastern time.  The TV in our rental condo is an old-fashioned screen and although there is cable there is no HD nor VCR.  Last night we were able to watch both "The Good Wife" and "The Mentalist" without staying up too late.  Conversely, there have been numerous times we've been out with friends till nine or so, which means that there is nothing on except the 10 o'clock news at nine, which is not really worth watching. Occasionally we pick up reruns of Rachel Maddow.  The result of all this is that we have been watching very little television and to our surprise have not been missing it. I wonder what will happen when we get back to Acton, whether we will feel the need to catch up on the few shows we have missed entirely or whether we will continue watching very selected TV.  It has been easy to adapt to watching practically no TV; I suspect it will be just as easy to adapt to our old habits of watching TV most nights.

Bob is out playing golf again, which gives me the time to blog and to work on my current online course on "global poverty".  He has really been enjoying the ability to play two or three times a week, at low cost and very close.  Yesterday afternoon I went out with him at four o'clock.  He was able to get a tee time as a single, so I was able to ride around in the golf cart and enjoy the beautiful scenery and views of the mountains from the course.

With the close of our new house almost upon us (April 16th) we have been busy buying some of the essentials and are pretty much done at this point.  Online shopping has really been a big help! We'll be meeting with our contractor a couple of times before we leave to go over the details of changes we want made, and we will likely be back here in October for a week or two to actually move in and get things set up before we come back in January.  Our house is small enough that we can get by with a minimal amount of furniture.  We do still have to buy a few patio chairs since we intend to spend a great deal of time outside.

We continue to meet people here and there, and everyone is very welcoming, since just about everyone has come from somewhere else.  Interestingly, the local phone book has a section listing people by hometown.  There are three other people from Acton here, although I don't recognize any of the names.  Our time is filled with golf; going to the fitness center; going out to eat; visiting various places of interest as we're still learning the area; "slouching" with friends; playing bridge; going to movies; sitting outside for cocktail hour; reading; the occasional trivia contest; and so on.  Next January we will really get into the swing of things and Bob will also join a pickle ball league, while I will probably get involved in a book group or some other club. it's a pretty easy life.

Of course everyone who lives here tends to encourage other people to move here.  What I find quite funny ,and gratifying in an odd sort of way, is the reaction when they find out we're from Boston.  "Oh, I understand why you only want to spend a couple of months a year here.  Why would anybody want to move out of New England, it's such a great place?" Note that there are a preponderance of people here from Washington state (rain) and Minnesota (frigid).

The weather has gotten warmer now and we expect cactus to start blooming in another week or two.  We discovered a local garden that sells "almost organic" vegetables on Saturdays and Wednesday mornings.  Last Saturday we got some gorgeous chard, some unbelievably tender asparagus, and beautiful green onions.  We somehow managed to miss the oyster mushrooms but are hoping to pick up some on Wednesday.

With the warm weather - 75 to 80 during the day, and generally brilliant sunshine - we have to be very careful not to get too much sun although it's so enticing to do so.  We've learned that a little bit at a time is okay, and that hats and sunscreen are our friends.

That's it for now.  My TV for the day is almost over and it looks like Tiger is going to win.

Just Strolling Down the Stravenue

I'm starting this long-overdue entry on the 14th of March (pi day for you mathematicians and scientists, and tomorrow is the Ides for the rest of you).  So much has happened here in the last two weeks!  The rain from a week ago has gone, as has the cooler weather, and you can see the results everywhere you look.  Some of the cacti are getting ready to bloom in a few weeks.  The parched, dry rough on the golf course has started to take on a pale green hue.  It's getting harder and harder to see any snow on the mountains, except for the very top of the tallest ones. Even Mt. Lemmon, which at 9800' boasts the southernmost ski area in the US, has temporarily suspended skiing until they get more snow.

This morning we are sitting out on our back patio enjoying the warm weather.  I'm reading a book, and Bob is intently listening to one of the lectures from his online course on Justice.  This is not justice in the normal sense, but rather in a very broad approach to philosophy, ethics, etc. I would probably be taking it as well, but I'm pretty much tied up with my own course on the economics of global poverty.  These are issues I never studied in college since I was focused so much on the science and math, and it is quite eye-opening.  Foreign aid is rarely the panacea we think it is; poverty is a very complex, local and culturally-specific set of issues.

Bob has been playing a fair amount of golf, as well as taking lessons, and spending time on the driving range. It's really nice that he can do that on a regular basis and not worry so much about the weather cooperating.

One of the interesting parts about this extended vacation is that it doesn't feel so much like a vacation.  Two big contributors to that are that we are renting a "Villa", rather than staying in a hotel; and we have some very good friends here and have met others who make us feel very welcome.  I have found myself saying "it's time to go home" rather than "it's time to go back to the villa or the hotel".  It truly makes a difference.

A few weeks ago we thought it might be interesting to take a look at a few houses here, just for curiosity's sake. We have enjoyed our stay here so much that we know we'll be returning next winter, and we thought a bit of interior sightseeing would help us decide what to rent next year. Our friend Maren is a realtor, so it was very easy to do this without making any sort of commitment.  There are so many different models of house here in Saddlebrooke, and we had only seen a couple by virtue of visiting our friends here.

The more we looked the more we got excited about being here next winter, and Bob kind of tossed around the idea of perhaps buying a house ourselves, so we didn't have to rely on rentals and didn't have to worry about specific dates when we might be able to come out. Well, so that you're not on the edge of your seats, we actually made an offer on a small (2 br) but lovely house.  The offer was accepted after a couple of tos and fros, and we are now in the process of making it happen.  Yesterday was mortgage day and today is inspection day.  If all goes well, we will close on April 16, just before we leave!  This has been almost as surprising to us as it must be to you.  We are very excited about it and looking forward to being here next winter and perhaps for a short time in the summer or fall. But don't worry, we're not ready to move out of New England any time soon.

Attached are just a couple of photos of the outside front and back. The Santa Catalina mountains can be seen from both.







Only in Tucson: We noticed one or two roads with names like "Cherrybell Stra". We found out after asking that "stra" is an abbreviation for "stravenue". So I looked it up in Wikipedia and the answer was so good I have to quote it directly. "A stravenue (portmanteau of street and avenue) is a type of road particular to Tucson, Arizona. The United States Postal Service officially supports the abbreviation STRA for stravenues. A Stravenue runs "diagonally between and intersects a Street and an Avenue."

Today was our second all-day excursion looking at furniture. It's been awhile since we've bought any and it's even harder when you're not familiar with the stores in the area. After looking at and sitting on so many pieces of furniture we couldn't remember which was which, we finally bought a couch. Now we have a place to sit. Next step: a bed. After that we'll probably take our time.

We just finished dinner, it's about 7:30 p.m., and I can report that it's a lovely, dry 75 degrees outside. Delightful!

Month's End

February is a short month, but it still counts and we have been here for all of it. It's hard to believe the time has passed by so quickly!

We've been told many times by many people that this February was unseasonably cold, but to us it's felt like heaven. It's difficult to complain about 60-degree days when the sun is shining and it feels so much warmer. We've had a bunch of visitors and have thoroughly enjoyed them all: Bob's sister for a week; a friend from college for just a weekend (overlapping); Gail's sister and brother-in-law for a week; and Richard and Diane, also for just a couple of days. It's been fun showing them around and discovering new things ourselves in the process.

I've noticed a slight change in my speech as our time here has gone on: instead of saying we're going back to "our Villa", I've started saying we're "going home" on our way back from dinner or shopping. Not to worry, friends on the East Coast! We have no intention of moving here, but may well become snowbirds. Since I can no longer participate in skating, skiing, snowshoeing, or any of the other joys of New England in winter, I may as well enjoy the sunshine here. And Bob has taken up golf with a vengeance. He has made it to the driving range at least 3 days a week, is in the middle of a series of 5 lessons, and can play 9 or 18 holes whenever he wants. The closest course is 2 minutes away via golf cart, so it's criminal not to take advantage of it. He played yesterday, and is on the course now as we speak.

Ironically, Bob has been getting less exercise rather than more, partly because we are just enjoying exploring around Tucson and partly because he has not yet found activities to replace either hockey or his gym at Koko.  There is a gym here, also 2 min. away, but he doesn't like it is much as KoKo so it doesn't get as much use.  Bob is looking into winter hockey in Tucson; there does not seem to be very much of it, but it is conceivable he could play occasionally.  He would also like to be riding his bike, which is in Acton.  A very nice Jumbo (Tufts alum) loaned Bob his bike for the duration, but Bob, being the competitor that he is, would prefer to be riding a bike with clipless pedals. All things to think about for next year.

As we drive around we are continuing to amuse ourselves with sights big and small. Today's winner for best street name: Calle sin Nombre
And the two runners-up: Roller Coaster Road, and Ina Road, sometimes misspelled on the street sign as In a Road.

Tomorrow we will be going to our second "First Saturday Sale" at the H.F.Coors Pottery. It's owned by some member of the Coors family, and they make beautiful dishes and serving pieces. On the first Saturday of each month, overruns and better seconds of both their consumer and commercial pieces are available at greatly reduced prices. It's kind of like a refined version of the original Filenes Basement, minus the shoving and undressing in the aisles. Find them at http://www.HFCoors.com  or on FB.

This afternoon will be the first in a while that we've had time to slouch in the sun on the back patio or by the clubhouse pool. We're going to try to fit more of that in this weekend between Coors, craft shows, gym, and golf.

No complaints.

Winter in "The 'Brooke"

With just a few exceptions, it has been unseasonably cold in Saddlebrooke since we have arrived. Of course, it's all a matter of perspective, so for those of us from New England watching the current east coast weather from afar, it seems positively balmy here. I'm delighted, but not at all surprised, that many of my friends back east love the outdoor opportunities that the snow and cold bring: Mary and Marga and Patty skating on the pond (who cleared the snow, by the way?); Mary and Randy going skiing instead of shoveling right away (good call, the snow at the house will wait); Marga and Ed brushing up on their snowshoe technique; Diane and Bill finally getting a chance to cross-country ski after waiting in vain all last winter. Thank you all for posting your exploits on FB! I hope the storm has been kind to you in other dimensions as well, so no significant loss of power, and no snow-related injuries, please!

Although we arrived on a 60-something degree day at the end of January, the daytime temps here have been mostly in the 50s. When the sun is out it's really beautiful and a sweater or sweatshirt suffices. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature plummets, this past week into the 20s, which is cold even for us. Today begins a string of sunny days in the 60s, which is just perfect for sitting or walking outside. Saddlebrooke sits at about 3500 feet above sea level, so it's always a few degrees cooler than Phoenix, and even a degree or two cooler than downtown Tucson. Because of the altitude the atmosphere is a little thinner, so it's possible to get a tan almost all year 'round, or a burn if you forget the daily sunscreen.

Saddlebrooke is a "dark sky" community, which means no streetlights and only low, downward facing outdoor lighting. Residents are careful to turn off lights in rooms they're not using, to use task lighting when possible, and not to have blazing white lights in the rest of the house. As a result, the night sky is spectacular. There are always constellations and whatever planet happens to be near. I've even managed to see the Milky Way, which I remember seeing all the time when I was growing up and there was little light pollution, and hardly ever since then.

We ate last night at a lovely little bistro with a view of the mountains at sunset. We sipped our before-dinner wine outside, watching the light play off the rocky terrain. Dinner inside was delicious, and we strolled back to the car slowly, just savoring the moment with our good friends and the night sky.

Bob played golf this morning while I sat and chatted with a few ladies over tea. (Next time we'll plan better and have four for tea and bridge!) My sister, Paula, and her husband, Mike, arrive tomorrow to spend a week with us. On our way to the grocery store we stopped at the Western National Parks store, which had a special exhibit of Oaxacan carved wood, rugs, and hand-embroidered blouses. I could not pass up the last, and bought two that are just perfect to wear here. We finished up the afternoon sitting in the sun on our patio, enjoying a little reading, which we've hardly had time for.

Not too bad for the middle of February.

Settling In

I can hardly believe it's been over a week since we moved in! We played bridge with 3 other couples and have enjoyed the sunshine on our small but pleasant back patio.

On Wednesday we drove up to Phoenix to pick up Bob's sister, Aline, and the three of us had lunch at this wonderful little bistro located in a most unlikely industrial park location, just south of the airport and right off the highway. Google research paid off again. There was  a nice variety of sandwiches and salads. The three we had were delicious.

She left yesterday afternoon.  I don't know where that week went either. We saw the Tucson botanical garden, a moderate size space right in the heart of Tucson, and primarily a cactus garden, although they do have a tropical butterfly enclosure which we just barely got into before it closed.  The butterflies were gorgeous, not the usual ones that we see around us.  The enclosure also had hummingbirds flitting about, except for the two who had built nests and were sitting on their eggs.

On Friday, yet another old friend from Tufts arrived.  Bob and I hadn't seen Dick for about 35 years, and once again, with the exception of a lot of gray and white hair, he looked the same to us.  Aline had visited him just a few years ago, so the two of them had a lot to talk about and to catch up on.  In a rather whirlwind weekend, we managed to visit Tubac on the art show weekend and had lunch in Tumacacori at Wisdom's, where they have good Mexican food and great margaritas.  I'm sure we will be going back to both when my sister Paula arrives.

We also visited San Xavier del Bac, the oldest Catholic mission in the US.  It is over 300 years old and has been in continuing service. Originally Jesuit, it is now run by the Franciscans.  It's quite beautiful, with an interesting mix of southwestern architecture influenced by Europe.  In one small alcove of the church there is an effigy of Saint Francis.  The faithful and penitent approach the effigy, lift his head and kiss it, and stroke the cloth that is draped over the body.  On the purple cloth are pinned many "milagros", literally "miracles", that are tiny stamped tin figures of animals, people, or crosses.  When you pin a milagro you are either asking St. Francis to intercede for you or thanking him and God for a prayer that was answered or for your good fortune. We had purchased some  milagros last year at a little shop and brought them with us, so were able to pin our own on the cloth.  

The four of us sat at dinner one night (Dick, Aline, Bob, and me) reminiscing a bit but also just chattering away about things we had seen, the excellent food in front of us, and various small things.  The odd thing about getting together with really old friends, the ones you met in your 20s or perhaps even in your late teens, is that often it doesn't seem odd at all. Perhaps it's because of the intensity of relationships that one forms in college at the same time that one is also just figuring out who and what we are and setting the groundwork for our future thoughts and ideas and philosophies.

It really was a Tufts weekend, as my other roommates Gail and Lisa also came West for the long weekend.  They were here primarily to see the gem show, which is the premier gem and mineral show in the country.  It was funny and a bit confusing to have three Gails at the same time (actually two Gails and a Gale), but wonderful to all get together even briefly.  As people were leaving we actually remembered to take a photo of the Tufts ladies: Barbara, Maren, Gail, Lisa, and Gail.

In a previous post, I believe I had mentioned how disappointed I was in the Mexican food I had had in Arizona last year, and that one of my goals this year was to find a good Mexican restaurant, something beyond good tacos and enchiladas.  Well, we found one.  Bistro Poca Cosa (" little thing") has only a chalkboard menu that changes twice a day, depending upon what is available and what the chef feels like making.  They specialize in Sonoran food and have many excellent choices.  They also have "El Plato" which has three dishes from the menu, chosen for you by the chef.  You do not get a choice.  You do not get to say "I don't like red sauce".  You just get to eat it.  And if more than one of you at the table orders it, your plates will be completely different.  It's a delicious way to try many of the items on the menu.

Today we have no houseguests, but we still have very little time to spare.  I am trying to finish this post right before dinner, having spent time this morning going to the gym and then this afternoon doing a little bit of food shopping.  After dinner we are having people over for bridge and to listen to the State of the Union, which here will start at 7 PM.

It's only about 50° here right now, but the sun is so warm that I went out with just a fleece vest.  The sky is still "Arizona blue".

Ridin' Around in my Automobile...

...has a different meaning in Saddlebrooke. We now use the golf cart to get back and forth to the fitness center and clubhouse, as well as to our friends' houses if it's not supposed to be too cold in the evening, as the temperature can and does drop dramatically in the desert. Yesterday it was 38 degrees when we got up and by noon it was 73 and sunny.

We finished looking around our villa to see what was provided, and when I opened one of the cabinets in the laundry room, I screamed! Bob ran over to see what had happened. It was neither a broken bone nor a mouse, but rather a penguin-embossed, stainless-steel ice bucket with bakelite handles. Why the startled reaction? Not only do I have the identical model at home, but so do Pat Pluskal and Sally Heaney! It's a regular source of amusement and discussion when we get together.

Tucson is a sprawling city. Once you get to the north side of the city proper, it seems almost linear in nature, with stores and businesses lined up along main roads. Saddlebrooke  is close to 30 miles from the center of Tucson, and takes about 40-45 minutes to drive in - not unlike the distance between Acton and Boston. One difference, though, is the lack of an east-coast style rush hour.

The villa in which we are staying is everything we could have hoped for in a rental and more. Barbara and Gale and Maren did a great job vetting it for us.We have two bedrooms, living room, dining area, eat-in kitchen, laundry room, and patio with a view of the mountains. Here are a few pictures.

Yesterday we played bridge with another couple, then attended a Superbowl party.

Today was pretty laid back. Our house cleaner (recommended by my friend) arrived at 7:30 a.m., so we decided to have breakfast at the clubhouse. Breakfast for two, including tip, just $14. We ran a few errands, then came back for a light lunch. After lunch, Bob hit some balls at the driving range while I sat on the patio and finished a book. Then we both went to the gym. After changing, at dusk we rode around the golf course in the cart we've rented, looking for wildlife. There were lots of mule deer, and a road runner, but not much else. I'm really hoping to see a javelina in the wild before our stay is over. 

Tomorrow we're playing bridge with a larger group.

On Wednesday, Bob's sister Aline arrives and we'll be site-seeing with her.

It's a tough life, and we're enjoying every sunny minute!