Vacations can be at a beach, in the mountains, in farmland, the ocean side or even in the desert. Whether touring, fishing, boating or shopping, a change of pace can energize some and wear out others. As farmers, our lives have been spent pretty close to home, but a few short weeks ago, we took a long overdue trip to visit my husband’s brother and his wife in the 48th state in the Union.
Early October seemed the most practical time for us to leave the farm for our trip. However, the weather patterns for our sunny southwest destination brought excessive heat. Extreme heat warnings abounded every day. This kind of weather for October was not customary. Regardless, seeing family was the great for delight for us.
Off we went to the airport – so many people going to and fro, hither and yon kept hustling and bustling on their journeys. We found our gate and waited to board.
Once in flight, we left the cloudy skies over Minneapolis and enjoyed the sights below. We marveled at all the good work done by the land surveyors as they marked out the sections of our great land. On our way going southwest, we watched as the topography gradually changed.
Once we landed, the scenery differed from our native home terrain. It was like being in another beautiful world. Tall, slender, Date Palms, bushy, fine-leafed Mesquites and the green Palo Verdes covered the landscape.
The neighborhood adornments included cacti: saguaro, pipe organ, prickly pear and many others. Flowering plants were not uncommon. The scarlet blooms of the bougainvillea highlighted the panorama. Fruit bearing citrus trees graced the paths we walked. Rocks were abundant in yards and grass was rare.
The biggest treat was reuniting with family who hosted us on our visit. Memories and funny stories bubbled over as we met together to eat or play a game.
With temperatures of 105°-112°, any outside activities were reserved for the cool early morning hours. We carried bottled water to avoid dehydration. We learned to play Bocce Ball on well-manicured courts. As extreme heat built up to its sweltering climax, we had to call it quits by about 10 a.m.
Our hosts showed us the Phoenix area. The extreme temperatures caused the Park Service to close the hiking trails that meandered through the rugged desert hills. They drove us to Flagstaff where the temperature was more moderate… and we got to visit their dear grandson. On the way back to the Phoenix area, we rode on a highway with hair pin turns to Senora. We saw outstanding sights of the beautiful Red Rock State Park.
During our stay, we ate at several of our hosts’ favorite eating places. We enjoyed old-fashioned malts at the “Galaxy” restaurant located on historic Route 66. That along with the super home cooking, we had to lose weight once we got back to the farm.
The time to say good-bye comes, as usual, way too soon. We left Phoenix. On our trip home we met and interesting man from Afghanistan who sat beside us. He wished to thank Americans for all the money they spent for the Afghan people in the 20 years our military served there.
We cruised on home at 37,000 feet. Things started to look more like home. Curiously, not lot of color showed in the green forests of Minnesota.
Does it sound like we had a change of pace? We did. The next day after our return, we got busy and butchered 22 roosters.
Corn Salad
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups grated cheese, co-jack or your choice
1 cup green pepper, finely chopped
½ purple onion, finely chopped
¾ cup mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients and chill. Top with crushed Frito Chili Cheese corn chips.
Recipe credit: Mrs. Rod Grabau
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