Any Excuse is a Good Excuse to Relive the Past

What better to get to septuagenarians off their set point than a lovely day and an excuse to take Flat Stanley on an outing to see our part of Arizona.  He flew in from Grosse Pointe, Michigan last week to get a taste of life in the desert and is to report back to our grandson Joseph's second grade class about his experience.  (For those of you who haven't met F.S. he's a character in a children's book who is flattened when a bulletin board falls on him.  He finds being one dimensional is a great way to see and do as he fits in an envelope and once he arrives at his destination, learns all about a new area of the country.  A great teaching device!)

Packing a picnic, we headed for the Dragoon Mountains. The first time we drove through these mountains eight years ago I commented to Joe, "How eery, this reminds me of a lunar landscape, or what I imagine it would be like.  There are huge boulders - and I mean huge - in the middle of the desert.  Flat Stanley had a good time, climbing on them and crawling through crevices, while Grandma and Grandpa risked sprained ankles and were happy it's too early for rattle snakes.  With the slender dark green cypress trees silhouetted against the brilliant blue sky, it was a great day - and place - for pictures.

From there to a marshland - again a bit of an oxymoron in the high desert - to a wildlife refuge so that our little buddy could see Sandhill Cranes. It was difficult to get good pictures as these huge, long legged birds blend with the environment.  There were thousands of them and we were told they fill the air in the morning when they take flight and again at sundown when they return; the best time for viewing them.  We were there mid afternoon, but even so, it seems F.S. was impressed, but probably not as much as our next stop...Tombstone, 'the town to tough to die.'

This historic town that survives on tourists was crawling with them, so the three of us fit right in.  A dude in a cowboy outfit with a handlebar mustache and a sombrero like hat gamely said, "Sure, I'd be happy to meet Flat Stanley" and not only motioned Joe to stand by him, but handed him his revolver to get into the act.  We passed on going to the Shoot Out at the OK Corral and on stagecoach rides, but got pictures of the latter  rolling down the street, pulled by horses that could probably make the route without a driver.

Truth be known, had we not had an excuse, we might not have made the effort, but what a beautiful day we had.  How grateful we are to Joseph for the opportunity.  It's been years since we took our six on outings.  I'll have to say, a day with Flat Stanley was not nearly as hectic (and not quite as much fun!)