Update from Tucson

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We’ve been busy seeing a few sights and participating in old-timer activities at our RV resort.

Nan even went to a line dancing class today. I’ve been thinking about taking round dancing lessons, but it is difficult to get me away from the shuffleboard and bocce courts.

“Who is that fellow with the staff?”

“Why that’s Paddy, he’s Suzie’s brother-in-law.”

“Is that legal, to roll the bocce ball the way he does; one knee like, close to the ground?”

And so the conversation has started whether my genuflection style is legal. I’ve got an old man’s back, and my patented squat roll, that I employed in tournaments with my brothers Tom and Mick, is just too stressful anymore. So, I’ve modified it to what I call a staff assisted genuflection roll.

At the shuffleboard courts, there is an old lady who uses a three legged cane to steady herself as she shuffles her pucks down the court.

I’ve invoked the three legged cane rule for bocce ball; ‘cept I’ve tailored it to a one legged staff with a knee-on-the-ground delivery. The pot has been stirred.

. . . . . . . . .

This past week, we have made three local day trips; a drive up to snow crested Mt. Lemon, a visit to the Tucson Botanical Gardens and a visit to the Arizona - Sonora Museum.

At the gardens, we enjoy a variety of local botanicals including local desert herbs, cacti and lovely butterflies. We captured some nice photos of the flutterbyes.

At the A-S Museum, the flying raptors captured our attention. We saw some kestrels on gloved hands of trainers in a covered open air exhibit. They are part of the food chain, on the hunt for prey, but separately and individually.

We saw a demonstration of flight by other raptors (sorry, can’t remember their name), who hunt as a pack, working together to corral their prey, for harvest.

These things flew so close that one of them hit the hood on my lens as I was trying to get a photo. He was swooping in low for bait held by the trainer and thought I was going to move out of his flight path. I didn’t. Neither of us is worse for the encounter. One of us may have to be put down; but I still have my staff.

Enjoy the photos.

Paddy

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Comments

[Julia Knaake]

Butterflies and Bocce
The butterflies are gorgeous. Now you must have Nan snap a photo of you in a staff assisted genuflection roll while playing Bocce ball.

[Livvie Hicks]

Your pictures are beautiful as always. Glad you are enjoying your winter in Ariz. Don is gaining strength every day. livvie