A (long) walk down memory lane

I woke up just before six. I hadn’t finished my blog post for yesterday so I did that before I got out of bed. Showered. Decided to WALK down to Bashas’ to have my breakfast and to pick up a bun and sandwich meat for lunch later. Dabbed a bit of sunscreen on my nose and sprayed a little of that new foot creme I got for my birthday from Alex on my feet. Because I’d just written a blog post with a reference to an Eagles song, I quickly downloaded the first and last Eagle albums to my phone. I stepped into my rubber sandals (hmm.. I’d regret that later) and started up my “MapMyRide” app on my phone. Queued up the Eagles albums, stuck the earbuds into my ears and started off on this morning’s ‘fitness’ walk.

The temperature was just right for the walk. Since I’m up on the side of Dinosaur Mountain the walk starts off with more downhill than up. I’m not in the habit of wearing my earphones or listening to music while I ‘exercise’ — mostly I hum all the time. It’s a bit tricky to keep pace with the rhythms of the songs and it’s hard for me to NOT walk in rhythm. Some folks are probably itching to know how many steps I walked (approx 13,600) — but for my own reference, here’s how long the trip was (5.8kms each way) as well as the elevation change for my return trip.

When I got to the Bashas’ corner I stopped in at the Gecko’s coffee shop and had a large coffee and an apple danish at an outside table where I read the USA Today newspaper. Then I went to Bashas’ to pick up a bun and a package of sandwich meat to take back for lunch. And then back home. Uphill most of the way now, and the bottoms of my feet were getting little blisters. Next time I’ll wear socks and runners. 

Many of you will know that I am a big Eagles fan. I love the first 4 or 5 albums, right up to Hotel California. Not so much The Long Run. But I have to say, after today’s “close” listen, that last double album of theirs, Long Road Out of Eden, actually stands up pretty well right next to the early albums. And why not? The album starts with a great acapella tune, No More Walks in the Wood, with those trademark Eagles harmonies. Then comes How Long, an old J.D. Souther song that could easily have been included in one of the first albums. And now, listening to the songs and paying close attention to the lyrics, I really appreciated Don Henley’s “political” songs, like Frail Grasp On The Big Picture and Business As Usual. And then, when I was almost home, here comes the final song on the album. It’s not the best song on the album, by far. It’s a bit cheesy, with mariachi horns and pizzicato strings and an accordion accompanying Glenn Frey’s vocals. But it IS poignant because Frey passed away quite suddenly a couple of years ago. But this morning it was like that song was written for me and I had a hard time holding back the tears as I walked the last half mile back to the house. 

If you don’t have the album you can listen to the song here

A perfect day, the sun is sinkin’ low
As evening falls, the gentle breezes blow
The time we shared went by so fast
Just like a dream, we knew it couldn’t last
But I’d do it all again
If I could, somehow
But I must be leavin’ soon
It’s your world now
 
It’s your world now
My race is run
I’m moving on
Like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes
No tears allowed
You’ll be alright
It’s your world now
 
Even when we are apart
You’ll always be in my heart
When dark clouds appear in the sky
Remember, true love never dies
But first a kiss, one glass of wine
Just one more dance while there’s still time
My one last wish: someday, you’ll see
How hard I tried and how much you meant to me
 
It’s your world now
Use well the time
Be part of something good
Leave something good behind
The curtain falls
I take my bow
That’s how it’s meant to be
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
It’s your world now
 

Desert BloomsWhen the song ended I stopped to take a picture of a blooming desert plant growing beside me on the road. Sue would have liked that, too. Wherever we travelled, if there was a flowering tree or bush that she could pose next to, I had to take a photo. And I usually did, as you can see below:

 

Well, that got me all ‘verklempt‘, but the fact is that in the past seven years Sue and I spent more than a year in total here in Gold Canyon, and pretty much everything I see and do here reminds me of Sue. How can it not? This is where we walked and talked, hiked and biked, learned to golf, shopped for groceries, entertained and hosted friends and family, fell in love with the desert, watched the sunrises and sunsets…

When I got home I sat down and opened my laptop to find the lyrics to the song. Then I browsed through some of my photos to find some ‘Sue with flower’ pictures. I started writing this blog post. Then I made myself a terrific sandwich for lunch — and replaced all those calories I’d lost on my walk.

I decided to go golf at the Mountain Brook course later in the afternoon. I registered at the pro shop at around 3:30. There was a couple who teed off just ahead of me. I waited a while, and then decided to play two balls. That way I wouldn’t put too much pressure on the golfers ahead of me. I still had to wait for them at a few of the tee boxes, but they quit after nine holes and after that I was on my own. I also returned my cart after nine holes and walked the back nine. Around the 13th hole I lost one of my golf balls. So now I was playing one ball. A couple of holes later the course crew came by; they were collecting the flags from all the greens so I had to ‘guess’ where the hole was on the remaining holes. Oh well, I was enjoying the walk in the evening cool(er)ness — just the right temperature for carrying my golf bag around the course. And the last gloaming of the sun reflecting on Superstition was much more stunning than any painting of it you might be tempted to buy at the Mesa market.

By now my ‘step count’ was getting close to 20,000. My feet were tired and I was hungry and thirsty. I drove to Bashas’ and picked up a little tub of some kind of Chinese salad to go with the wieners and hotdog buns I’d bought. I barbecued a couple of the hotdogs and loaded the buns up with the usual condiments plus avocado and cheese slices. Hmm… I’m turning into quite the cook, if I do say so myself!

I poured a second beer and sat down to watch American Experience on PBS — a documentary about Martin Luther King. At 10:30 I shut ‘er down and went upstairs to watch Jimmy Kimmel on the bedroom TV.