Exploring the World as a Roving Retiree

 Today, my last day in AZ, we went back to the Red Rock Café and again I got eggs Benedict.  Then Jim and I went to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sedona that meets in the synagogue. People were so friendly! It was a longer service than usual because a member turned 96 and was moving to Idaho. Also,  they had 10 new members! The synagogue was lovely and so was the view. The minister, Rev. Anthony Mtuaswa Johnson, seemed like a very nice man. His sermon titled "Future Humans, Human Futures" about A.I., didn't do much for Jim and I.  We sang "If I Only Had a Brain" from the Wizard of Oz, lyrics by Yip Harburg. What a fun song to sing! Then we took the trailhead shuttle to Cathedral rock trail. It was a short .3 miles to the magnificent sight. No, we did not try to climb to the top or near it. Why bother when the view was so wonderful where we were? Then we took a trail in the wrong direction but ended up at some lovely water, probably the Oak Creek again. Th...

This morning we tried a different restaurant for breakfast, Miley's, a short walk away though we went in the wrong direction at first. The food and service was good, decor nothing special,  but seriously,  $46 for the two of us, without tip? On the walk back, I looked at the sun for a few seconds, somehow thinking the eclipse wouldn't start for a couple of hours. As if it were on a schedule! I spent a couple days wondering if I had done permanent damage to my retina.  The eclipse itself was cool but didn't last very long. I will miss the clear skies and starry nights of Sedona. Then we rented e-bikes and went maybe 5 miles to a lovely area of water and rocks, Oak Creek. The bikes cost $85 each for the day (and $4,000 new, the brand was Specialized) and were fun except for a screeching my bike made when I braked. It was Jim's first time on an e-bike. We rode through an area with fancy houses and explored the neighborhood.  Then we turned in our bikes and went to Tlaqu...

This morning I got up at 6:00 and thought I would see the sunrise. It was cold out! The sunrise was not spectacular.   When Jim got up an hour later we walked to a restaurant, Red Rock Café here in Oak Creek, and put our names on the list,  waited about 20 minutes and had a very nice breakfast,  Eggs Benedict and a $5 mimosa.  Then we made our way through lots of traffic to West Sedona to get free eclipse glasses at the public library.  There was a statue of Sedona Shebly out front of the library.  In the short time we were there 3 tour buses pulled up to look at it.  Why doesn't the Seattle Public Library have this class? We got the free glasses but didn't go to this program.  Jim on our hike to Soldier's Pass I show off my eclipse glasses with one of the heartwarming "art" in the Airbnb 

It was a grueling day of travel yesterday: up at 3 am (my ride to the Juan Santamaria Airport was provided by Goodness Dental and he was there 10 minutes early, even at this ungodly hour, and the roads were quite empty!) for a 6:00 flight which left on time; 4 hour layover in Miami which turned into 6 hours; 2 hours late into Phoenix and Jim was there to pick me up and drive almost 2 hours to Sedona (construction slowdowns). The flight from Miami to Phoenix seemed interminable: 7 hours on the plane! My seatmates were fine but it felt like I was in the middle of a sea of men. There were 10 men on their way from Florida to Scottsdale for a bachelor party! First on their agenda was golfing. The man sitting next to me didn't even know about the solar eclipse. We arrived about 10:00 to a nice 2 bedroom condo in the town of Oak Creek, just south of Sedona.  The woman who owns this apartment loves those silly signs made in China. The only one I think is funny is this one in the bathroom. ...

Lesson in life: nothing is what you expect it to be. That's even more true when you are in a foreign country.  For example, I looked at the pastries at the restaurant Caffe Negroni and asked if they had a chocolate croissant. She said yes.  At least 20 minutes later she delivered a croissant split in half with warm chocolate sauce spread on it. It wasn't what I expected but there was no point in saying anything.  You just have to be flexible. It's important to not have fixed expectations...which is easier said than done. But why travel if everything is going to be the same? But honestly, sometimes it's like Twilight Zone...or Seinfeld. Or is that my unconscious "America does things the RIGHT way" thinking? I went to my last dental appointment and got my night guard. I turned down final x-rays.  The old one and the new one in its bright pink case Last night I went to a nearby Peruvian restaurant.  I think it was the most expensive restaurant I have been to in C...