Saturday July 18th

I had the MOST excellent IKEA experience on Wednesday. I got the blinds that I have wanted for my bedroom as well as some curtains. It is AMAZING how a bunch of $10 items can add up to so quickly… I do feel that I got off easy, it ends up that my blinds were on sale and that cut a HUGE amount off of my final total. I have 8, count them 8, small windows in my bedroom and the cost of 8 blinds adds up. Kind of made me want to go back for some of the items that I passed by because I thought I was spending so much money on the blinds.

Thursday and Friday were days spent enjoying the summer heat and sun of Tucson. The monsoons have come but not the HUGE knock your socks off downpours that I so love. I was hoping that Terri would be able to experience at least one massive monsoon, there is really nothing like it…the smell of the rain on the hot desert earth, the heat radiates up from the ground as everything cools off.

We had the most delightful dinner last evening at my favorite restaurant in Tucson, Café Poca Cosa. It really is the best food in the entire city and the owner Susana is truly one of the most delightful proprietors. She goes to all of the tables and greets her guests personally and knows many of us regulars by name. The hug is always a welcome one and her cooking is beyond compare.

Sadly, we lost an American icon yesterday. Walter Cronkite’s voice was the voice of a nation as I was growing up. I can still hear his voice as Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 first placed his foot on the surface of the moon and his coverage of the near catastrophic Apollo 13 mission. We listened to him and trusted him at a time in our country when we as a nation trusted so few.

Watch for his classic reaction around 7:50 minute mark on this video as he takes off his glasses with such joy and pride for the accomplishment.



I had the great joy of hearing his voice as I first entered Epcot Center's Spaceship Earth as it's narrator. His is the voice in the big golf ball…his is the voice of my youth and he was one of the reasons that I started to enjoy current events in Jr. High and politics as I entered college.






Thank you Walter, your voice gave courage to a nation in times of trials, showed us realities when no one else dared and to this time and far beyond your integrity is a benchmark that all should strive for.