CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN: ON THE ROAD AGAIN, EATING OUR WAY THROUGH TWO STATES

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN: ON THE ROAD AGAIN, EATING OUR WAY THROUGH TWO STATES

Let’s start with Mount Lemmon, north of Tucson, Arizona. The Admiral and I had never gone to the top of it. Sue said the very top is blocked off to the public; you have to make reservations to see the fantastic telescope positioned on top of Mount Lemmon. She and Butch did that a year ago, and they had incredible views of faraway galaxies and heavenly bodies. The astronomer who hosted them had taken stunning photos of some of the stars they viewed, and he autographed prints of his photos for them. They decorate the wall in the hallway as you enter their desert home in Vail. Even without the lure of the telescope, the Admiral and I wanted to drive the 30 mile road that goes nearly to the top of Mount Lemmon. It was a gorgeous sunny day, in the 70’s, a little windy, but perfect for the drive. We began our windy journey in a “forest” of saguaro cacti. When we left the saguaros, the landscape became very rocky with hoodoos everywhere and layer upon layer of interesting geological eras exposed to us. The Admiral said that my brother the geologist would have enjoyed himself immensely in this environment. As we made each hairpin turn, new majestic monuments greeted us. I could not take enough photos to do this scenery justice. Each hoodoo deserved its own frame. Then as quickly as they appeared, the red and beige and gray rocks gave way to conifers, a jungle of fir trees with soft needles on the ground beneath them. The temps went down, but it was still sunny with a robin’s egg blue sky overhead. Clouds? Are you kidding? Not on this day. We passed elevation markers 5000, 6000, 7000, and 8000. Finally we reached the barrier across the road to the tippy top. To the left were the ski slopes (closed, no snow) and to the right was the highly touted restaurant (closed on Tuesday). Still, it was the journey to this point that was well worth the hour of driving. There are countless places to drive off the road and take a photo. And for people like us who keep drinking to stay hydrated, there are clean, well-managed restrooms right off the roadway at each climate level. This trip is spectacular. If you are ever in the Tucson area, Rusty and Lois, and all the rest of you easterners, please do yourselves a huge favor and drive up the Mount Lemmon Road of Beauty.

My indoor experiences while visiting my sister were also very gratifying. Sue and I went to two great movies, Bridge of Spies and Steve Jobs. No matter what role he takes on, Tom Hanks becomes the character he plays and you forget he is Tom Hanks of Bosom Buddies or Forrest Gump or Captain Phillips. He was an insurance defense attorney in Bridge of Spies, but he became so much more, as his character grew in strength and courage, rising to every impossible challenge created by the Russians and East Germans to make his efforts to swap prisoners (Abel for Powers and that Princeton grad student) a failure. I lived in West Berlin for a year, the year of the Student Revolution (1967-68). The events in this movie preceded me by five years. We watched the Russians and East Germans actually building the Berlin Wall in the movie. The actor who played Rudolf Abel, the convicted Russian spy, was spot on – Mark Rylance, who is one of the most celebrated Shakespeare actors in the world. “Would it make a difference?” See the movie. It will make a difference.

Another stupendous acting performance was turned in by Michael Fassbender in the movie, Steve Jobs. His assistant, Joanna, was wonderful. I kept wondering which American actress was playing her, and at the end, as the credits rolled, I learned to my amazement that Kate Winslet, speaking perfect “American” had aced this character. Steve Jobs was not likable at all, as compared with Steve Wozniak, who was almost too much of a schlemiel to be likable. But Woz, as played by Seth Rogen, was light years ahead of Jobs in the compassion and decency departments. Fassbender was indeed charismatic in the lead role, but what an asshole Steve Jobs was in both his personal and professional lives.  

When we weren’t supporting the movie theater economy in Tucson, Sue and I and Butch watched movies at home, including Gravity in 3-D. I can’t remember when I last wore special 3 D glasses, but they really made all the objects floating in space float right by my head. Some of the objects did more than “float” – they flew ferociously by and at the space stations destroying them and killing everyone but the Sandra Bullock character, who somehow (with the spiritual help of the ghost of George Clooney) made it back to earth safely. The visual effects in this movie were deserving of an Oscar. Bullock for her acting? Not so much. But she was good in the role, just not riveting. Give me Jessica Chastain for that character,

When not watching movies, Sue kept making one culinary masterpiece after another. We arrived to a counter full of Thanksgiving pies – apple, pumpkin and pecan. The apple and pumpkin were homemade and clearly superior to the pecan. Sue had also made homemade bread and her famous sticky buns with nuts. Yummy! They made for delicious breakfast fare, but Sue also added eggs with ham and peppers on a few mornings. And don’t forget the waffles and maple syrup and really crispy bacon strips. This meant that we didn’t need lunch, and thank God we generally waited until dinner for our next food intake (except for the afternoon movie popcorn). Sue made meatloaf for one dinner, spaghetti and meatballs for another, a roast chicken with all the fixings for yet a third, and did I mention the perfectly grilled hamburgers she provided one of our first nights? I know I’m leaving out something, but there was so much good food coming out of her kitchen, One night we went out to dinner – at Hacienda del Sol. I had a New York steak – okay – and the onion soup was very good. But I couldn’t wait until the next night when Sue would serve up her spaghetti sauce and perfectly heated garlic bread. I don’t even like garlic normally, but that garlic bread was sweet and mellow.

We visited Sue and Butch during our second week of travel. During our first week we drove from Phoenix to Salinas and stayed with our neighbors, Brenda and Royal. Speaking of great meals, the Admiral cooked two doozies right off the bat. The first night he grilled ribs and chicken and barbecued them both. They were both just so tender and tasty. I could have eaten all the chicken he barbecued by myself. Fortunately there were a few leftover pieces that I enjoyed the next day. Then the Admiral went into overdrive and spent several hours making his now world famous onion soup. Yes, the onion soup at the restaurant in Tucson was good, but you haven’t had the best onion soup until you’ve dipped your spoon into a bowl of the Admiral’s sweet onions and gooey cheese. Better yet, dip a slice of French bread into the bowl to sop up all the broth. That’s all you really need in life to be happy – a bowl of the Admiral’s onion soup. After the onion soup we had grilled pork chops cooked to perfection, with salad and apple sauce. Once the Admiral finished preparing and we finished eating those two stellar meals, he turned his attention to the 15 and ½ pound free range Diestel turkey we had bought at Star Market in Salinas. He and Brenda agreed upon a brine recipe, and they brined that turkey into savory, moist meat, both dark and white. Add the side dishes of Brenda’s sweet potato casserole, the Admiral’s stuffing and my humongous green salad (with feta cheese, roasted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries – you get the picture) – and we had a very memorable dining experience at the Calkin Moore’s on Harper Canyon Road on Thanksgiving. By the way, I baked two apple pies the night before and indulged myself in eating a slice hot from the oven at about 9 at night. Shelby and Alice brought pumpkin pies and a super-rich chocolate pecan pie for Thanksgiving – add to this Brenda’s deep chocolate birthday cake from November 23 and yes, you can make a strong case for overeating while at Brenda and Royal’s.

Fortunately, I walked a lot with my dog Zorro, either down the road or into the park. I’m not jogging yet, and not walking several miles at a time. But we stay out 30 minutes or so, and it’s just great spending time with him again. He is so good on the leash, as I struggle with my walker over the uneven pavement of the roadway or on to the grassy areas next to the road that he loves to explore. Zorro is a mensch, and he shows all of his thoughts and emotions in his eyes. He does not miss anything – of course, the obvious when we are packing the suitcase to leave. But he does not miss any human interaction and he picks up on all of our insecurities and hesitations. It must be hard being Zorro and absorbing all the feelings of everyone he encounters and trying to adjust his expectations to accommodate our needs. He is very wise. I should have named him Yoda.

These last two weeks were definitely a time to be thankful – for our Harper Canyon friends who care for our house and our dog so well; for my Carmel friend, Sondra, who serves 15 at Thanksgiving with unnatural ease; for my work friend, Chris, who cares for puppies as much as I do and loves to walk them; for the Admiral, who never stops caring for and about me; for Zorro and his soulful eyes; for my sister and her husband, who always go overboard with their hospitality and love (just stay away from politics); for Barbara and Louisa, who always remember me and lift my spirits during the holidays and through the year; for Cathy, who is indomitable and inspirational; for the Admiral, once again, who makes these travels possible and makes my life livable.

We are back on the boat now – hunkering down in the salon and stateroom during a torrential rain. We went from nearly complete dryness and humidity of 7% to 100% humidity with two plane rides. The Admiral is back in shorts and all is well with the world in Key Largo. In the few days we have been back, he has already made jambalaya and SOS and just got the fixings to make beef stroganoff. I cannot eat better. Thank you, dear Admiral, for your love of cooking. Now all we need to do is shake this jet lag, get to sleep before midnight, and clean up Slow Motion for our Christmas guests – the Admiral’s daughters are coming. Yay! They bring so much life to the boat and there is a special sparkle in the Admiral’s eyes when they are here. Mine too. Can’t wait. In the meantime, y’all have yourselves a non–hectic week or two before Christmas. And come visit us in January. We’re planning a boat trip to Key West. You would not want to miss that (especially you, Cathy – see you soon, I hope).