Date: December 6, 2010
Location: Tucson, AZ
0900
Our first morning in our new home surroundings starts with a crystal clear bright blue sky punctuated by a ring of jagged rocky peaks that surround the desert floor on which Tucson is located. We are nestled quite pleasingly in our spot at the Voyager RV Resort and we have this magnificent view out our front window to enjoy for the rest of the winter. There may be no ocean near by but the majesty of the stark desert beauty is awesome. It is not our first time to visit the Voyager and it is beginning to feel almost like home already and we have been here less then a full day. Being welcomed by the very pleasant staff here and our friends sure did make the transition from meandering nomads to Voyager denizen much more efficient and nearly immediate.
Connie and I had driven just a little bit over 300 miles and we were looking forward to resting and slowly getting our traveling bus back into her house mode. Aurora had been behaving exceptionally and we had covered over 2500 miles since we had left New York. Some of the slightly more then a month of traveling had been spent visiting family but a lot of it had been spent sitting behind the wheel of our rig and watching the travel video that played outside our windshield. Our longest day had been a 500 plus mile day that brought us to El Paso, but most of the days were much shorter and a lot less stupid. It was now time for us to slow down, park our rig, and become residents of Voyager. I was looking forward to a slow evening of doing just about nothing. Oops.
As we were leaving El Paso Connie had received a call inviting us to attend a concert of Harp Fusion. Normally this would have been a fantastic opportunity to again hear the Arizona University students under the leadership and tutelage of Dr. Carol McLaughlin. But we had been traveling for a month and I was looking forward to a night of catch up rest. Besides, the concert would demand we leave the RV Park by 4:30 and when we received the call we were in El Paso and not sure we could make it to the park in time. We had just had a magnificent evening attending the Bruce Nehring Consort Singers at the Loretta Chapel in El Paso, so missing another concert would be sad but not devastating. Sadly, but wisely, we declined the invitation and proceed on to our winter home for a quiet evening. Oops again.
We arrived at the Voyager just before 3:00 pm and we were quickly guided to our site and expertly parked. Voyager has for years displayed a talent for getting big rigs parked perfectly in somewhat defined quarters. As my wife was receiving her welcome hugs and greetings from our friends I followed expert directions and placed our rig right where she belonged and positioned her for the fantastic view we are to enjoy for the next three months. As I was accomplishing this seemingly daunting feat my lovely co-pilot was making new social plans for us for the evening. Did you know that you can park an RV, get all of the necessary hook-ups completed, tune in the TV for both cable and satellite, remove your bikes from the back of your car, and take a shower and get sort of dressed up for an evening of socializing and do all of this in less then a hour and a half. And, by the way, your wife can do her social rearranging, register us at the campground, start getting the inside of our bus turned into a home and get her self ready for a evening out, and accomplish all of this in that same hour and a half. All of this was accomplished within the confines of a bus and we did it with a smile. When we met our friends to drive to the concert I told them I may be ready, but I am probably not pretty. They did not find that odd.
The concert was well worth the minor inconvenience of a hurried shower and quick dressing required to attend. The church was filled to nearly over flowing as we prepared to be entertained by 25 harps playing original music to celebrate the Christmas season. The harpist ranged in age form less than 10 years old to Dr. McLaughlin who is, I a sure a bit past 10 years old. She is the teacher of the harp choir at the church from which the young talent came and the professor at the University of Arizona from which the collection of very talented young ladies that make up Harp Fusion come. Listening to 25 harps in one place playing beautiful music for the holiday season is and experience that few will ever get to enjoy and I am very fortunate that I did not let a little 300 mile drive and the demands of a quick shower deter me from the pleasure.
In the last two days Connie and I have had the opportunity and pleasure of attending two very wonder musical experiences. The Bruce Nehring Consort singers take the audience to a new level of musical appreciation. When this is melded with a brass ensemble and a chamber ensemble performing inside a quaint and intimate chapel the result is mesmerizing. When we add to that experience the chance to again hear Harp Fusion we are definitely on a musical high.
I most go and set up my home now. I was too busy being entertained last night to fully accomplish my chores. Oh well, one must have priorities and I know what mine are.
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