We interrupt our normal AI Recapping...

I'm in Yuma, AZ. No, you didn't know I was going to Yuma... no one online knew I was going because this long-planned trip was a surprise for my Dad's upcoming 80th Birthday, and he watches my blog and Facebook pages. I've been up something like 20 hours already and I'm getting a little punchy. I have AI set to record at home, and I'll catch up on recaps next week.

Sorry I couldn't warn everyone- but I promise lots of pretty travel pics.

In the meantime, I'm going to bed.

Yuma- The Last Day

I've lost track of the days- I settled into a routine of running, and then joining the water aerobics class in the morning, and then sightseeing in the afternoon, and a walk or TV in the evening (with knitting in between everything- I accomplished a surprising amount of *book* work this week). I did finally figure out how to do the hamstring stretches without drowning, though it took me a few days. (The regulars were always very polite- turning their heads to giggle at my klutziness)

Yesterday, we visited the Yuma Territorial Prison, which was opened in 1896, and will now be closed in March, due to state budget cuts.

It's a bleak place, and I cannot imagine being locked up here, in the 130 degree summers

crammed 6 to a tiny cell.

In the history of the prison, 39 women were held- a couple for murders, one or two for drug habits, several for burglary, but most for adultery. Yeah, they were locked up in hell for cheating on their husbands. While there, some of the ladies knitted some very fine lace.

The prison is on a hill, overlooking the Colorado River, near the confluence of the Gila River,

with many cactii on the grounds. And this century plant, which is blooming.

After the prison tour, we went to Lute's Casino, a very cool, old-time saloon. You know that the food is good, not so much because of the full tables and lines on the sidewalk, but because the slot machines were being totally  ignored in favor of lunch.

At night, the RV complex where my dad lives (he's a year-rounder) is lit up like a holiday.

And the sunsets are lovely.

I head back to South Dakota and snow tomorrow morning. I've had a wonderful visit, but it'll be good to get home, and to stay there for awhile. I don't anticipate any more trips until I finish work on the book- so I should be in SD through May. I hope.

Yuma- Day 2

It was beautiful this morning- 50's, and no breeze. My dad keeps apologizing for the chilly weather, and I remind him that it was -11 yesterday morning in South Dakota. Lows in the 50's and highs in the low 70's are perfect. Especially for running outside, which I realized I could do (why use a treadmill when outdoor conditions are just right?) . So I ran 3 times around the RV park, one circuit being about a mile. (yes, I'm bragging- I'll pay for that in a bit, just wait).

I saw lots of cool things:

Resident Black Swans- not nesting at the moment, but they have produced several sets of babies

a beautiful fountain

tall trees

look, but don't touch

ditto.

I hear there are lots of humming birds here, and I hope to see some (and maybe get a pic). There are many songbirds wintering here, so it sounds beautiful as well.

After my run, I strolled over to the pool for some laps, and arrived just as a water aerobics class was starting. So I joined in, thinking it would be an easy hour of water play.

I got what I deserved for that bit of pride... The regulars handed my butt to me. I was absolutely worn out by the end. If we're not doing anything tomorrow morning, I'll go back for another session (the ladies were wonderful, even when I mangled nearly every move). I WILL figure out how to grab my ankle and hold my leg straight out in front of me, without falling over and floating away.

Yuma Day 1

As airport days go, today was fairly easy. It started early, as they all do, but the flights were smooth and on time. I got into Denver at Gate 24 and flew out from Gate 26, something that has never happened to me. Usually, I have to hoof it from one end of every airport to the other. It was a nice break, especially since Phoenix's airport is the most confusing one I've ever been in- it's not very well marked, and finding your way outside to the bus that takes you from one gate to another (about a mile away- no kidding) was difficult, and then you have to go through security again.... I actually felt lost for awhile.

But I made it to Yuma safely. From -11 degrees this morning, to this:

I'm tired, but I expect I won't get a whole lot of sympathy....

I'll check in tomorrow.

Before I Head Out

Today's trip prep is a trifle less hectic than recent journeys- I'm flying out of Sioux Falls early tomorrow, so we're staying there tonight (so I don't have to get up at 1:00am for the 3 hour drive in order to get to the airport at the appointed time). And this isn't a work trip, though I will be working... in between cactus sightings and sight seeing and lounging poolside... yeah, work...

All I have to do this evening is go to B&N for some flight reading (airport bookstores only stock pb bestsellers and most of them don't interest me, and I don't feel like lugging a hardback around, though I would really like to read Stephen King's most recent doorstop.) I finished Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates on the way back from NC last week, and started Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (which is every bit as funny in print, as it was as an audio book). However it's a slim volume, and I'll probably finish it in Denver. So I need at least one more book to add to my already heavy knitting/shampoo/makeup/HersheyBar for emergencies *personal item bag* .

Speaking of audio (via Librovox as always) , I'm listening to Northanger Abbey on the treadmill now. It's probably Jane Austen's funniest book, and I am really enjoying it. Each chapter is read by a different reader (well, sometimes they do 2 in a row, but there are many readers), and so far, that hasn't been too jarring, though the sound quality varies wildly (not to mention the traffic noises in the backgrounds of some of them). I am picturing the odious John Thorpe as Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his Twister days (which movie I watch at least once a year, when I need a good laugh. I don't think anyone connected with it had ever been in a thunderstorm, much less a full-blown tornado. I especially love the ice-cube hail, but I digress). I picture Henry Tilney as one of the Jonas Brothers (the one with the curliest hair), though I think if I met Mr. Tilney in person, I might wonder if he was one of The Men Who Do Not Marry.

Anyway, it's a wonderful book, and now I need to go finish packing. I'll check in from Yuma, with pics and reports and the usual trip stuff. Be good while I'm gone.