When my friends and I are not shivering in our RVs waiting for the weather to remember that we are in Arizona NOT Alaska, we search for adventures all around us. I spend a sunny spring like day at the Tubac Art and Craft show one recent Saturday. I refrain from purchasing any of the high priced doodads or amazing pieces of art available there. But I do enjoy a horse wagon ride and a dance by native Americans. The cowboy working the wagon ride tells me is from Tombstone, AZ. I love to go there to shop, but I ask him what the locals do for fun in his touristy town. He replies, “Go drinking in the bars.” Well now I know!
Arts and Craft Fair at Tubac
My Musical Valentines Day
Gene (the birthday cobbler king) arranges a group trip to the Gaslight Theatre in Tucson for Valentine’s day. The show this time is called the “The Great Banjo Summit and Other Things with Strings.” With mouths agape, we watch banjo masters amaze us with tenor banjos and other eclectic stringed instruments. I am still reeling from the Dueling Banjos performance featuring a Tuba and a five string Banjo. Where will I ever find a tuba player to duel with?
A Nutty Adventure
By hanging out with some amazing people, I find adventures in some odd places. A flyer posted on the laundry door in our campground attracts Roxanne’s attention to a desperate cry for someone to clean pecans at a local Monastery.
She insists that we must not let this chance to enhance our volunteer resumes with the entry “cleaned the monk’s nuts in St. David” pass us by. I will let the video below tell the story, but suffice it to say that there should be no way for two people to have as much fun as we do cleaning pecans for charity.
Thelma, the head nut, meets us at the nut processing room and immediately recognizes our vast untapped potential as nut cleaners. While we sit there picking debris from the moist nuts, she shares her life story with us. We learn that she is famous as the face of Mrs. Myers cleaning products.
Inspired by her mom, Thelma’s daughter started the company then enlisted Thelma as the products “face.” Thelma traveled the country promoting the products as the spokesperson. How cool is that? At ninety years young, she still shows up at our campground’s Friday dances and devotes a huge part of her volunteer time to cleaning pecans. Check out her awesome story by clicking here.
Thanks also to Thelma for the enchanting tour of the Monastery property during our “break” from cleaning. Now doing business as a wellness retreat, the Monastery offers serene workkamper sites with great views of lakes and the surrounding mountains.
A Nutty Adventure - the Video
Good times! Loved the nut cleaning video. You two ladies are very entertaining.
Thought about Charlie recently. Read a little blurb about him in the Seaford High
Class of ‘71 Facebook pages, someone even mentioned your travel blog. He’s not
forgotten in his home town, that’s for sure.
Be well, keep on being you!
Oh Marcia – thanks so much for sharing that about Charlie. I am so glad to hear that he is remembered in his hometown. I will and you be well and happy too!
Sunny I didn’t know about Charlie. He was such a fine person and friend to everyone. Sorry for your loss. Happy travels. Jeff Peedin
Thanks, Jeff. Yes he has been gone almost 3 years now and I sure miss him. Happy travels to you too!
Girl you got me stumped this time, actually without words. Can you believe that!!! ;>) Sandy and I laughed at you guys during the entire video. It should be illegal to have that much fun and doing something good for someone. I personally would have been fired after the first 15 minutes and a pound of pecans were missing from the batch. ;>))) Love to crack and clean these things could do it for hours and usually have a tummy ache when I get through. Keep em coming we look forward to all of them. GOD BLESS
JD/SD
Jim & Sandy
I know what you mean. I had to keep an eye on Roxanne, she has a taste for the yummy pecans. We had so much fun we are thinking of going back and doing it again!