[Composed: July 11, 2023, High in Tucson: 105°F]
Shira and I wanted to expose the kids to a bit of native history, and we figured Casa Grande Ruins National Park would be an ideal way to do this. The ruins are relatively close to Tucson and impressive to set your eyes on. The site is also relatively small, which given the insane heat, was a blessing for us. The kids were able to check out the small musuem, explore the ruins and then return back into the AC of the building to watch a well done video about what they had just seen. Afterwards D and I did some additional exploring while the other kids lingered in the museum and checked out the gift shop.
On our way back from the ruins we were hoping to stop by the delightfully named Rooster Cogburn - Ostrich Ranch. This quirky site offers folks a chance to feed a bunch of different types of animals, something the kids would have enjoyed. Alas, the ranch is only open on the weekends this time of year. To add insult to injury, on our way back from Casa Grande we caught sight of the Aircraft Boneyard in the distance. Even from the highway the place looked like fun. But alas, trekking around an outdoor museum in 105°F wasn't a sane idea.
We stopped at an outlet mall on the way home to pick up some supplies and we happened to come across a toy store there. J, C and D were delighted to pick up packs of Yugio cards, which had been a game they were playing thanks to a deck J had brought. They were all psyched to have a fresh set of cards to play with and the three kids spent the afternooon locked in Yugio combat. Earlier in the trip, I tried to listen to J as he explained how Yugio was played, but he immediately lost me. I kept turning to D and C and remarking: wait, if you guys don't know how to play Yugio, then how do you know what the heck J is talking about? My guess is that the gameplay is similar to Pokemon so that C and D could pick up Yugio quickly enough. I can't remember ever a topic being discussed by young people that seemed so tremendously foreign. So this is what it feels like to be old, eh?
After shopping we got in some pool time while Shira took T and G to get haircuts. They both came back looking gorgeous. I was especially impressed with G who wanted a dramatically short cut. It takes serious courage to try a new look and G crushed it. We're so proud of her.
In the evening, we went to dinner with Aunt Gina and her side of the family. We'd just seen Aunt Gina at my mother-in-law's funeral so it was a treat to see her again so soon and under happier circumstances. The kids loved playing with R, and it was fun to enagage in some adult conversation. I'm hoping the Tucson crowd will make it to DC where we can reutrn the favor of showing them a good time.
If you look at the pics below you'll notice a shot where D and J are wrapped in blankets playing chess. How cute, right? Not exactly. A few minutes before D had seen a massive spider in their room, and noped the heck out of there. Either he had the room, or the spider did; they weren't going to be roomates. J being supportive, joined him as they made camp in the living room. After a couple of false alarms, I eventually squashed Mr. Spider (and and no, it wasn't the massive creature who shares our bathroom; he's fine) and D and J could return to their accommodations. It was a spirited and adorable encounter.
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