When we moved to Phoenix, we found an Encore RV park – Golden Sun RV Resort which is a 55 and older resort. Yep, Lorraine qualified for that. haha. Anyhow, this park is full of mobile homes and they fit the RVs either in between a mobile home in an empty site or have areas where the RVs can go. It appears that the sites where the RVs are in the open are reserved. It is Snowbird season afterall. So we were squeeze in between two mobile homes. The site is fine with enough room for the car on the side of the RV. The area is full of “blue haired” residents who seem to think they are in charge of everything you do. We were walking Cocoa to the dog park and she stopped and peed in an empty site. There was a circle of people nearby having happy hour and they basically attacked us for letting her pee in the empty slot. Apparently, we are supposed to walk her down the middle of the street towards the dog park. Well, let us tell you, she will stop in the middle road and pee there and it is too bad she didn’t do it in the road right next to these people. Anyhow, one certain person thought she owned the place and gave us a piece of her mind while she gave us the thumbs down. Now the empty site is still empty after three weeks but she had to say something. Talking to the manager of the resort, she mentioned that we can only do what we can when walking the dog but should just try not to have her poop on any sites. Plus she mentioned she has issues with this resident because she thinks she owns the street. Needless to say, we kept to ourselves while we were here and walked the other direction when they were out. Always someone has to be the bully. That is unusual because in the RV parks most everyone will say hi and wave to you.
We were able to go to Scottsdale – named Scottsdale in 1894 after founder U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott and incorporated in 1951. We liked this city because of all of the great handmade statues around the city.
While there, we stopped at Hula’s where we enjoyed some nice Mai Tais. We are suckers for Hawaiian restaurants plus Mai Tais.
So we were able to spend some time going into Phoenix and the State Capital. The issue with this State Capital is that it is not a working state capital building and instead is a museum. Apparently, they built all the working buildings around the state capital building. The museum is not really much to see except for a lot of memorabilia. It was disappointing and so far, our least favorite state capital.
Across the street from the capital was the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza.
“The plaza was established on March 9, 1978, by the Arizona Legislature in honor of Governor Wesley Bolin, who had died a mere 5 days previously on March 4. Prior to the resolution creating the plaza, it had simply been a part of the Legislative Governmental Mall. While the plaza exists only as a part of the Mall, in common usage the terms are interchangeable and the name of the plaza is often used in preference to the Mall.
Much like the National Mall on which it is loosely based, the Legislative Governmental Mall is intended as an open-air public space featuring monuments, memorials and gardens. Some of these monuments were erected prior to the inception of the Plaza, such as the monument to the USS Arizona which was dedicated over a year earlier on December 7, 1976. The Plaza, when dedicated, included these existing memorials and all subsequent memorials have been located within the boundaries of the plaza.
When going to places like this, it is not only amazing at the things that are included but all the work that went behind the building of all the pieces. It is incredible.
Eusebio Francisco Kino (10 August 1645 – 15 March 1711) was an Italian Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer and astronomer. For the last 24 years of his life he worked in the region then known as the Pimería Alta, modern-day Sonora in Mexico and southern Arizona in the United States. He explored the region and worked with the indigenous Native American population, including primarily the Tohono O’Odham, Sobaipuri and other Upper Piman groups. He proved that the Baja California Peninsula is not an island by leading an overland expedition there. By the time of his death he had established 24 missions and visitas (country chapels or visiting stations). Kino has been honored both in Mexico and the United States, with various towns, streets, schools, monuments, and geographic features named after him. The copper silicate mineral Kinoite is named in his honor (a light blue copper silicate mineral. It is somewhat scarce and is displayed in the State Capital). In 1965, a statue of Kino was donated to the United States Capitol’s National Statuary Hall collection, one of two statues representing Arizona. Another statue of him stands above Kino Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Tucson. An equestrian statue featuring Kino stands in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza across from the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. A time capsule is encapsuled in the base..
On our way back we had to stop at the Hole in the Rock also known as Papago Park. “Hole-in-the-Rock is a series of openings (tafoni) eroded in a small hill composed of bare red arkosic conglometricsandstone. The sandstone was first formed some 6-15 million years ago from the accumulation of materials eroding from a Precambrian granite, long since eroded away. The tafoni are thought to have been eroded by water. An open, shelter-like chamber in the face of the formation communicates with the rear of the formation via a hole eroded completely through the rock. Another substantial opening exists in the “ceiling” of the chamber.”
Finally, Lorraine was able to meet up with a former High School friend and have dinner with Kay Cassidy West. It was a great time with a lot of laughter. It was like we just saw each other yesterday.
We leave on Sunday, Nov 19, for Tucson where we will be until the end of February. We guess this is our Snow Bird stay. We will update as we tour the Tucson Area.
