Fun and Games Dept

We had a group (or squadron) of javelinas stop by the gazebo this morning. They apparently enjoy our rosemary bush and other small plants in the area. Truman was not amused, opted to puff up and then went running upstairs. They stayed around for a few minutes before sunrise, making a stop around front in the landscaping near the driveway before moving on to their next activity.

Truman remains upstairs.

I did two days of cycling this weekend. These were my first rides in the desert and I can say without hesitation that the air is quite dry.

Tucson has a nice assortment of cycling paths and lanes, at least in our little corner of the city limits. It can also be quite hilly in spots. Today I reached 31 MPH on a downhill. Coming back up the hill to get home was a bit of challenge but I was able to get my act together by taking it in “chunks” and riding from shady spot to shady spot along to road. Before I knew it I had completed 11 miles in 48 minutes. Not awful for an old guy.

It’s quite nice to ride bike again, but I already know I have to do it early in the morning. It’s a good thing this Mountain Standard Time thing has me on an earlier schedule during the work week; I just maintain the fun on the weekend.

I do love the City of Tucson’s desire to control light pollution. In Chicago I always felt like the new LED street lights would sear my retinas; here in Tucson the lights are doing their job but not intrusively. Plus, it’s wonderful to be able to see stars again.

Work hard, never take anything for granted, and enjoy life while you can. Happy Easter to everyone that has stopped by!

We are settling into eating dinner as a family on the gazebo. We are lucky to have such wonderful chefs in the kitchen. Some of us help out by setting the table and cleaning up.

The sunsets from our back yard take my breath away.

So amongst our errands for the day we had appointments at the ADOT Motor Vehicles Division office on the east side of Tucson. I’m always fascinated with Motor Vehicles offices such as these, so I was excited to see how the fine folks of Arizona handled things like issuing Driver Licenses and Motor Vehicle Registration.

A good deal of the paperwork can be completed online in their well designed web portal. This is where I took the opportunity to schedule appointments for our transactions. Surprisingly, the office was not particularly busy, so we breezed right through without an issue.

The friendly man at the front desk took our photos and engaged in pleasant chit chat. This is completely backward from anything I’ve experienced before; in both New York and Illinois they didn’t take your photo until you’ve been approved and you’ve paid your fees. Once we accomplished this, we were off to the desks, where we waiting in line for a few moments and then stepped forward when beckoned by the smiling faces behind the plexiglass. Earl took care of his license and the car registration; I just to take care of my license. No tests, not even an eye test this time. Show plenty of identification to prove who I am (I used my passport, my Illinois license, the official “change of address” mail from the USPS, and my Private Pilot Certificate). Answer some questions, get all of your documentation scanned, and off we go after $25.00. I received a temporary license.

Earl did the same, with differences in the paperwork, and then he quickly completed his car registration transaction. The only difference in this process is in Phoenix and Tucson you need to get an emissions test before you register your car. This seems a little out of order to me, but we accomplished this easily this past Saturday. I had seen the information on the website so that’s what probably kept the whole process simple.

We have a waterproof paper temporary license plate on the back of the car and for the first time in our car’s life it no longer has a front license plate bracket. ADOT issues random characters for license plate numbers now, hence the reason they send the license plate to you in the mail.

There are certain amount of feeling settled once you get all of your motor vehicle requirements registered to your new home state. I’m excited to no longer be driving around the area on Illinois plates. We probably still act like snowbirds but we no longer look the part.

We are officially in Tucson. The drive was not bad today, the house is beautiful, there is much to do, and I’m off to bed. Time changes and all that..

We are about six hours from our new home, stationed in a Ramada in Albuquerque, N.M. I wasn’t expecting to drive through snow squalls, but we ran into two snow squalls between Tucumcari and Albuquerque. Um, this is the desert.

Overall the drive is going well. Truman has settled into a routine and takes naps. I follow road signs. Earl converses with us both and plays with his phone. It’s quite routine but still enjoyable.

I can’t believe it’s been nearly eight years since this song’s release. The second single from the album “A”, by Agnetha Fältskog (the first ‘A’ in ABBA), “I Should Have Followed You Home” was a duet with former Take That singer Gary Barlow. Both Gary and Agnetha are so classy, and this live performance still brings me to tears all the years later. Beautiful people, beautiful music.