Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Another Party

We ventured out today with Dave and Elizabeth to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum (BTA) in Superior, Arizona. It was about 45 minutes from Gilbert. According to their website, BTA holds collections of desert plants from the Unites States, Mexico, Australia, Madagascar, India, China, Japan, Israel, South America, the Middle East, Africa, the Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula. I will let the photos speak for themselves.

We were there from about 10:40am until 3:00 pm and could have spent far longer. I especially enjoyed “forest bathing” and being one with nature. Even though the parking lot was full and there were a lot of people, it did not feel crowded. There are 135 acres of gardens. Joe and I did not walk the complete loop as I am a light-weight hiker. We did see quite a bit. Dave, Elizabeth, and Joe went on a medicinal plant guided tour for an hour. I sat in the shade enjoying a cool breeze and the sounds of people talking.

From BTA we went out to Covert Bailey’s for a party put together by Linda Baker. Everyone brought an appetizer, except Linda who had made two decadent desserts. The group tonight included Chuck and Judy Barnes, Pat & Mike (friends of the group), Judy’s sister and her husband who were visiting from Washington state, Dave and Elizabeth, Covert, Judy Boyle, and Joe and me. In addition to some fun foods, the company was terrific. It is nice to spend time with people who are kind and intelligent. It is easy to see why they have remained friends for years. After the sun set, Covert lit the fire pit and we sat around looking at the stars, drinking wine, and chatting for a while.

Check out the sunset photo from this evening and a photo of a gate to one of Covert’s gardens.

I will be sad to leave these wonderful people behind. They tease us that we need to live in Arizona for at least 6 months each year. Covert would adopt Joe in a heartbeat. He appreciates Joe’s ability to fix things. Covert does woodworking and has a strong regard for people who work with their hands. It makes me happy to see someone else appreciate Joe’s skills. It makes me sad that Joe’s parents never did – he believes they considered him a failure for not having a job that required him to wear a suit every day.

I may have already mentioned that I could sit and talk to Linda and the Judy’s all evening. Linda shared details of several of the homes she owned over the years (several with her husband, Ron, who passed away about two years ago). She was describing a home she had while still single. The home was at an altitude of over none thousand feet in Colorado. Linda shared, “When I dated, I was looking for a man with a snowplow.” Elizabeth was walking by when Linda said this - Elizabeth stopped in her tracks and responded with, “That has to be one of the best dating criteria I’ve ever heard.”

Our time in Arizona has been a blessing. It feels good to know that if we did decide to come here on a routine basis, we would have friends nearby.