I got up Saturday and decided it was time I stop lollygagging around and get some work done.
Yes, its true, I live in an RV when traveling but today I wanted to do some stuff on the Jeep, oh and my ol favorite, laundry, and a project on the RV.
So, another quick breakfast at Claire's (not my fault Ashleigh she has good coffee) and then down the road to the store to get the wood for the project.
And being a newly reformed lollygagger I have learned not to enter the air conditioning of the RV when its 80 outside because then I tend to stay in there.
So, I needed to remember to extend the awning so that during those 15 min breaks (not length but frequency) from not lollygagging (my new word) I would have some shade to rest in with my ice cold water or that 1/2 tea and 1/2 lemonade stuff I like (still not my fault Ashleigh, at least its from the RV and not Claire's)
Suddenly I found myself 50 miles South at the San Xavier Mission.
The mission is an operating church located on the San Xavier Indian Reservation South of Tucson.
it was founded as a Catholic Mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692.
Construction of current church began in 1783 and completed in 1797
During this time Southern Arizona was a part of New Spain.
In 1783, Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain was able to begin construction on the present structure using money borrowed from a Sonoran rancher. He hired an architect, Ignacio Gaona, and a large workforce of O'odham to create the present church.
Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico.
The last resident Franciscan of the 19th Century departed in 1837.
With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States.
In 1859 San Xavier became part of the Diocese of Santa Fe.
In 1866 Tucson became an incipient diocese and regular services were held at the Mission once again. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet opened a school at the Mission in 1872. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity now teach at the school and reside in the convent.
It takes approximately 50 years for every branch on a Saguaro so this one is a kid as well as a Cactus not and Agave. And those dang Cholla's (Jumping Cactus remember to always have a comb in the desert)
In Cactus years this one would be an old fart like me in human years
Some knowledgeable people say that some Saguaro's are older than the redwoods. But I, personally, wouldn't know. I'm not that old.
Some more Prickly Pear and Cholla's
Here is a towable post for Border Patrol watching our Borders. Fitted with dark windows so you cant see/shoot them, multiple cameras and sensors, and the mandatory air conditioning.
Towable to a spot near the action. Wanna bet there's a microwave?
On the way to my next stop along Father Kino's Missionary work (in reverse order) we come to the Carmen Store.
When I got transferred to the Nogales Border Station we had no place to live and being I was a recent employee of the National Park Service at the Grand Canyon I made an arrangement with the Chief Ranger at the Tumacacori Mission site to let us live there even though I no longer worked for NPS
Jessica had a Cruiseair Scooter and she would drive, Amanda on the rear and Ashleigh would stand on the floor in front of Jessica. They would go everywhere on that thing especially here to the Carmen Store ( 4 miles) where we had an account. Some weeks that bill was big, it would have stuff like milk, bread, movies, candy, movies, candy ,,,,,,,,
One day they hit a rock and all went flying. Ashleigh got a broken nose which they tried to hide from me so I wouldn't take the scooter away.
The Mission San Cayetano de Tumacacori was built along the banks of the Santa Cruz River. Another in a long list of Father Kino's missions
The unrestored inside of the mission
Father Kino was never a resident priest at Tumacacori but crisscrossed the Pimeria Alta for 24 years establishing missions, trade routes,and mapping the area for New Spain.
In 1828 Mexico decreed that all Spanish-born residents were to leave the country.
Tumacacori lost it's last resident Priest. Scaffolding still clung to the bell tower. The NPS has no plans to restore Tumacacori but maintains it as is. (or as it was then)
As I mentioned the girls and I lived onsite for awhile when they were small. Here is our adobe house with the covered front area.
Ha ha, just joshin ya. Here's our house on the Mission Grounds. Those walls were 30 inches thick, once you got them hot or cold they stayed that way but it took a long time to get them there.
It was a two bedroom and had a big fireplace. It also had a big cooler which blew directly onto the electric stove in the kitchen which made cooking take forever.
Jessica had her own room and Amanda and Ashleigh shared one. Mine was the added on room that was used to dry red peppers before we moved there.
I had a heated water bed so it wasn't to bad. Many a cold morning I would awake to three girls in my bed because it was heated thus warmer.
Amanda and Jessica went to school earlier and a different direction than Ashleigh's pre-school.
So Ashleigh was to go to the neighbors and wait to get on her bus with their son.
More than I care to admit I would receive a call that Ashleigh didn't show up at the neighbors nor get on the bus. I would call home and Ashleigh would say she didn't feel good and chose not to go to school so I would have to take the day off and go home where she would be playing and having a ball.
There were some girls from a neighboring church trying to befriend the girls. They came over one day to take them somewhere and knocked down the basketball pole. Not a way to start a budding friendship at our house.
I taught Jessica to drive at a young age because being a single parent you never knew when she would need to drive.
One day I was coming home and had a flat on the Corvette I had. I hitchhiked home and got Jessica and the big red station wagon that was the family trickster.
We drove down and changed the tire (I needed a lug wrench or something I didn't have in the vette) when I was finished Jessica was standing there knowing she was driving the family trickster home but her face had "say Vette, pahlease say Vette) so I told her we needed to stop at a station to get gas and then tossed the keys and said you drive the vette but follow me.
She was in that car and ready to go (even took the tops off) before I could walk back to the ol red trickster.
We pulled into the gas sation that had 4 islands and Jessica pulled to a pump way over there no where near me. The guy getting gas near me said hey look at that kid driving the Corvette. She looks like she's only 12. I casually said yep she is as I walked away inside to pay for both cars.
Jessica went to her first ever concert while we lived here. I surprised he with two tickets to see Cher (her hero fo sho) I said that she could go with whomever she wanted cause I didn't want to go. She chose her friend the neighbor lady who conveniently said her car was broke and Jessica suggested they take the Vette.
I watched a this lady was driving away with my oldest kid and favorite car. But as for birthdays that one ranked pretty high for her.
Amanda's best friend lived next to the Mission Grounds. Her Dad had inherited Crayola Crayons and was such a nut case the company paid him to stay away. He made me sign a release of liability before Amanda could come over there to play.
And Ashleigh, well she learned early on that staying home sick from pre-school was a lot more fun than going. 8)
When the girls weren't riding around on the scooter or watching them shoot movies on the grounds.
(
The movie Young Guns II comes to mind. There was a guy in it all the girls were gaga over. They were in there with our video (VCR days) camera and was told they could watch but not film. So Jessica left it on and just carried it around with her arm hanging down.)
The girls would hang out at this tortilla stand and get free corn tortillas and beans all day.
When I stopped by I was telling the lady about it and she said you must mean Gloria. I said I didn't know her name but she sure liked the girls. Gloria had been doing it for 30 years I was told and still comes in occasionally to do so at 85. the lady called her and she was so excited She remembers he favorite mejas and said to kiss them and tell them Hi.
So, Jessica, Amanda, and Ashleigh xoxoxoxox from Gloria. And she gave me a tortilla for you guys but I ate it.
.
This was a fun day.
I left here and went to Patagonia where we lived after Tumacacori
This is where I went to Fire training, EMT training and worked as a Deputy/EMT as a Reserve (unpaid) Officer since I had my real job at the Border Station in Nogales.
While visiting an old friend here (Carl Bowdon says Hi girls.as well)
I received a call from the distant past.
An old girlfriend whom I dated between re-enlistments in the Marines. Guess she had run into my younger brothers (RIP Randy) wife who had given her my number. My brother and his wife always thought her and I ,,,, well you know.
Anyway there was a Monster Truck Rally/Mudbog event going on in Douglas that night and I was invited.
I got a room since she also invited me to church the following morning as well.
The church was literally miles from and other building. Seems a lot of Calvary people no longer wanted to drive `50 miles to Tucson to attend services and someone donated this rather remote land 12 miles from town and ,,,,
They had a potluck and then Delia and I rode up to Rodeo and Portal to explore.
When I left at 8 pm the Jeep was acting up and would only do 40 mph DOWNHILL. At 3 am I got home 150 miles later so this morning I called off at work and since I'm not allowed to work on vehicles in the park took it to the shop.
And I still need the part for the project. LOL
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