Lost a friend today

We received a phone call from my cousin Sharon's husband today.  It was one that we were expecting but dreaded receiving.  Sharon passed away after battling cancer for the last 4-5 years.  She hung in there despite many setbacks and as the quality of her life was diminished, she always had a smile for us when we visited her.

Al & Sharon spent the last 3 years in a RV park a few miles from us and we visited more with them than in the previous 50 years.  She will be missed by her three sisters; Betty Ann, Marcy and Linda along with her husband Al as well as Gerry and me.

She made it one day past her 68th birthday and a wedding anniversary.  I wonder if she hung on for those two events or was it just her time to go?

She loved the Southwest and Tucson in particular.  We took a ride with them down a rough road for about 30 miles and she was a real trooper and had a great time.  I'd like to remember her like she was in the photo below, with a big smile.

Sharon OKAS Barrier

 Goodbye Sharon.

Lazy Days, Passports & Farewell

Gerry and I let our passports expire and now are in the process of getting them renewed.  The Dept of State (DOS) finally have automated the process to a certain extent.  We were able to go online and fill in the form and print out a completed application.  My handwriting is so bad that I know the application would have been thrown out.  When I was in the Foreign Service, my official passports were free and they would process my personal passport in an expedited manner.  Now, it is up to us to do all the work.  

We went to Costco to get our passport photos and also to buy a large pizza for dinner.  The lady at the photo counter was sitting around without anything to do and welcomed a chance to get up and take our photos.  She was very friendly and had a great sense of humor, which isn't always the case with the photo processors.  I think that is the first time I have ever been in Costco where the processing dept was at a standstill.  

We stopped by Lazy Days rv center to see what stock they had in a motorhome that we would be interested in.  They have changed the entry process there and you now have to park in a area near the MHs and then walk through the dealership in order to gain access to the units.  There is a very pretty curving rock wall that keeps you from driving into the area.

I noticed a salesman sitting in his golf cart behind the building and stopped and asked him in they had a unit meeting our specs.  When the answer was affirmative he directed me to drive down the road a little farther and enter the back of the lot and park.  We didn't find anything that we were interested in, but did meet a nice salesman.  He was the only salesman out there, plus two customers (tire kickers) and that was all.  Keep in mind that this was a Saturday afternoon about 3pm.  The rapid rise in fuel costs must have a very negative effect on sales.   At least in Costco they sell other goods and are doing well.

Back to Costco, we shopped and picked up some needed items and then ordered the large combo pizza.  When they say large, they mean the old large style, not like Pizza hut where the large is really a medium.  We headed over to the Pima County Fairground campground to share the pizza with cousin Sharon and Al.  We all stuffed ourselves and there is still enough pizza leftover for a large lunch today.  

Sharon and Al are leaving Sunday to ranch sit for a month and are excited to have the opportunity to do so.  The ranch is out in the middle of nowhere and I would go out of my mind sitting there for a month, but they are better suited to the task.  Sharon is an avid reader and Al likes to putt around keeping busy.  It will be interesting to see how they like the job and if they extend.  They have basically a full hookup site provided and have to feed two sheep and two goats twice a day, plus keep them in water.  Tough job.  It was sad to see them leave, but I know we will be seeing them at the ranch in March, so that will be nice.


The weather lately has been fantastic with sunny days, cool evening and no rain.  I guess that is it's a desert.