I stayed at a local bed and breakfast, near the University of Arizona called the Big Blue House. I thought it was meant to be. You see, I grew up in a little blue house. It was clean and comfortable but they completely missed the mark on the idea of what a bed and breakfast really should be. A coffeemaker in the room's kitchen nook and a bag of bagels shouldn't qualify as breakfast. Did I mention I don't eat bagels? Next time, I'll look for a place that pampers me. My days of roughing it are over. To this day, my favorite B & B is still the one back in my own hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia...The Glencoe Inn. http://www.glencoeinn.com/ Its run by the nicest lady and boy can she cook. BTW, its supposedly haunted. That in itself is a selling feature to me.
Back in Tuscon, a few blocks from the B & B there, I found a quaint little hippie hang out that served vegetarian food, so at least I was able to eat. It was just a hole in the wall, but I fit right in with the whole college student/reggae music/internet cafe atmosphere.
It was dreadfully hot there in September, but I was actually comfortable. Its a dry heat...no humidity. I could still wear jeans. I was able to do a lot of walking. I wasn't really near a shopping area, but I took off down one the main streets and found some adorable little shops. Its difficult to find new ideas for souvenirs from Arizona. Our home is full of them. We lived there three years while stationed at Fort Huachuca. Still, I knew I couldn't come home empty handed. I found a little store that sold bugs under glass (or maybe it was plastic). Scorpions and spiders are always a big hit with the kids (well, as long as they aren't alive and chasing you that is).
The play was amazing. I have to admit, before I left home, I had worried. There were some heated emails prior to my leaving Virginia, soldier versus anti-war activists type conversations. One of the main reasons I paid to go all the way out there was that I felt they needed to see a real live female soldier in person. I felt they needed to know that we are mothers, daughters, and wives. That we are human beings as well as warriors. They knew already. I guess sometimes...folks just like to argue. Heck, them telling me it was wrong to be a soldier would have been like me telling them it was wrong to protest. Funny thing is...no one in their right mind really wants war except those making money off of it. It would have been wonderful if, back in Desert Storm, we could've just walked into Kuwait and said, "Ya'll leave now. Time to stop all this nonsense. You can't be killing this people. Go on now. Go home." (I sound like my grandmother again) Sometimes, bullies never grow up. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have had a job. Its not a perfect world. Anyway, the play is wonderful. If you get the opportunity to see it, please do.
After a quick trip to the old stomping grounds of Bisbee and Tombstone, it was time to head back and catch my plane home. I had a few hours to kill so I popped in to the mall. I walked around a bit, then sat down and grabbed something to eat (they never feed you right on airplanes). It wasn't long before I noticed a foul smell. I scooted away from the gentlemen at the table next to me. Then I realized it wasn't him. It was me. My old leather sandals reeked. This wouldn't do. After all, I was getting ready to board a plane cross country. I went in to one of those stores that sells primarily athletic sneakers and looked around. I had been drawn in by these strange looking flip flops called "fitflops". They weren't cheap, but by now I was desperate. What in the world had made those old flip flops smell this horrible, I will never know. They were never like this before. Arizona heat maybe? So, I bought the fitflops and tossed the stinky shoes in the trash. Let me tell you, I love these shoes. I swear when I put them on I could walk faster. I raced through the airport like it was nothing. And my legs were never sore, my knees didn't throb, and my back felt strong. I wear them all the time (when I'm not wearing my shape ups, that is). I must have a dozen pair of sandals or flip flops in our closet, but I keep coming back to these shoes. I thought about buying the shape up sandals, but to be honest, I might just buy another pair of fitflops instead. I know they work. Why mess with a good thing?
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