Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking about the fact that the power cord on my laptop is a bit loose. I thought I should go up to the computer place in Guaymas some time soon and see if they have a replacement cord. Then I realized I wasn't in San Carlos. I wasn't even in Mexico. It was a sad moment.

Yesterday's drive was very pleasant, especially the first couple of hours. I drove, listening to a bit of mariachi music on the radio, enjoying the scenery. Robin took over after we went through Hermosillo (around Hermosillo, actually. We managed to find the bypass, and it was a Good Thing.) Then he drove to Santa Ana, and I took over for the trip across the border. We sat in line for over an hour, but the crossing itself was very gentle. We hardly lost anything to the border people - just the last of our bacon and sausage, because it wasn't in its original packaging so they couldn't tell for sure where it originated. Actually, its original packaging wouldn't have helped. I had bought it from Tony's truck market, and it was packaged in Saran wrap or something like that. I had meant to give it Enrique, the night watchman at the park, on our way out, but we didn't leave as early as I expected, so I missed him.

We stopped for the night in Green Valley, Arizona. After we checked in, we left again and drove to Safeway, where we wandered like people in a dream. Robin wanted cheese. Real cheese. Old cheddar. We still have about a pound of Chihuahua cheese, but I think that's destined to feed whatever stray dogs we may encounter. Next year's shopping list starts with at least two kilos of sharp cheese to take to Mexico. I hope the U.S. hasn't started restricting cheese imports by then. I drifted through the bakery, glanced down, saw a label that read Chocolate Macadamia Nut Biscotti, and marveled. Look, I said. So many things. In the end, I bought some tortillas and a package of frozen tamales for my dinner. Robin bought a chicken pot pie.

The place we stayed billed itself as an RV Resort, and I didn't like it, so we decided to push on today. We went first to the Mission San Xavier del Bac, where I took a bundle of pictures. The tower to the left of the door as you face the mission was all covered with scaffolding and tarps, so we didn't get as good a view as you will by looking at the pictures in Wiki, but it was an interesting place nonetheless. There was an effigy of Saint Francis Xavier lying in a coffin in front of one of the side altars. A sign read "Please do not visit Saint Francis during Mass." Ooh. Ick. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Xavier_del_Bac

We ate our brunch there in the parking lot, before we started touring the mission. We were joined by a couple of dogs, who just.know. where to hang around. We must have a sign somewhere on the rig, some sort of secret symbol known by all strays, which means "You've come to the right place!" They got chicken. If I'd thought of it, I would have suggested a cheese course. Next time.

We drove on to Tucson, to the Pima Air Museum. http://www.pimaair.org/ I put the rig in a parking spot sort of under a tree, and while Robin toured the museum I had a nap. It was a delightful place - the tree provided just enough shade, and due to the high winds we're experiencing today, I was exquisitely comfortable. I opened the door and all the windows and basked in the cool air. After that we came here. I do believe"here" is very near Casa Grande, Arizona, in something called Las Colinas RV Park. Robin has gone for a swim while I take advantage of the wi-fi. (The clerk said the reception is iffy, so I'm making hay......) Speaking of reception, they don't have cable tv here, so Dr. House is going to have to do without me this week.

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