Sunday in Benson--December 11, 2011

I awakened to hear Dan asking on the phone, "And what time does your service start?"  "9:30?" "We'll try to be there." It was 9 o'clock.  I want you to know we made it, and with clothes on.  In fact, we were hurrying so much we missed the drive way to the church and turned in at the one next door.  Jehovah's Witnesses Assembly, but there was no pass through to the Methodist Church.  We still made it in time.  They had a guest minister today.  The mother of the assigned pastor.  She is third generation in her family to become a pastor and has been retired from the NC Conference for 6 years and lives in New Bern.  Can you imagine!  We heard Rev. Margaret Foote tell us about John the Baptist telling everyone that there was a light coming into the world and to prepare the way.  Then she told us that the "Light" told us WE are the Light of the world.  The congregation, once again, was very welcoming and friendly, but no free lunch.

We came back to the camper and checked on Junnie and did some things around here before making sandwiches for lunch and heading farther south  on Arizona 80.  I don't think anyone in Texas or Arizona owns a lawn mower.  There is no grass in yards.  Most yards are swept dirt and if there's anything growing, it cacti.  Barrel, yucca, aloe, century plants, short and tall, bushy and trim.  Every now and then there are things that look very much like a splayed bunch of stick covered completely with thorns.  I'll bet they hurt something fierce!  We continued down 80  and saw signs telling us to "Watch for Animals".  We've been doing that for 2,000 miles and so far we've only seen two roadrunners and one dead armadillo.  Where are the animals?  As Dan said, "The only animals we've seen so far are dead Walmart animal hides!"  They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

 We've also learned to take signs at their word.  We have crossed many places that have been called _______ River, but there's no water in any of them, in fact there are tracks of four-wheelers in the dust of the beds.  This part of the country has not seen rain for a while and what little water we have seen has been from melted snow.  We know Texas had a horrendous summer with all it's heat, evidently Arizona did, too.  at the end of this portion of our ride, we were in the town of Tombstone, just in time to witness a shoot-out.  The guys in the black hats were shot dead!  There were to stage coaches giving rides; we saw the OK Corral Wells Fargo Company office, Tombstone courthouse and the Gold Nugget Saloon, Tombstone Epitaph, lots of "respectable folk"and some "soiled doves", as well as some of the "soilers", I suspect.   On the way out of town we stopped at Boot Hill .  It was a fun time and Dan had a super time pushing me around.  I finally got him to let me push myself around except I had to get out of my transport chair in order to do that.

On our way back to town, we found some back roads and had a great time having our liver lights shaken out of us.  That's what my mother told me I was doing while she was trying to teach me how to drive a straight shift car.  Today is the 27th anniversary of her death.  In some ways it seems longer; in other ways, much shorter.

Around here they call dirt roads "primitive" roads and they definitely fit the adjective.  I would also add that they are corduroy roads as well, too.  Dan stopped  at one of the road side booths and bought me some local pistachios.  They are really good and one of my favorites.

We sat outside some this evening.   It was cooler than I liked, but we had lively conversations with some other campers.  Once again, we find people are friendly and helpful. 

I don't think I took as many pictures today.  It's a good thing they're digital or we'd be bankrupt~

Blessings of the season to you "lights"!
Trippin'Travelin' Trekkers