ARIZONA EXPEDITION!

My expedition to Arizona started with a flight out of XNA (www.flyxna.com), which meant I was able to have supper the night before, with loved ones that live in Northwest Arkansas.

The flight on Allegiant Airlines took off and landed on time, so that my son and his friend, Ross, were able to pick me up at the Mesa, Arizona, airport---just as they assured me they would!  These two became acquainted years ago, on a rock climbing expedition on Baffin Island, in the Arctic Circle.  Their meet up for additional rock climbing in Arizona, was under much different climate conditions! After picking me up at the airport, and a quick lunch, Ross took us to the beautiful Cochran "estancia", which would be our home for the next several days.  

The next day, we started out early to find the place where the Chicago Cubs play their spring training baseball games, called Sloan Park (www.mlb.com).  None of us had ever been there before, but with the help of Google maps, we found the big field outside the stadium where folks parked.   For those who did not want to walk the remaining distance to the entrance, there were men on special bicycle transport vehicles, who were happy to take you to the entrance, for a fee. 

Since the tickets my son and I had were in a different location from the Cochrans, as soon as we got to the entrance fence, I found someone to take a photo of our group, thinking it would be the only time we would all be together.  

However, as it turned out, we all entered at the same location, which enabled us to get our group photo, made in front of the big Cubs wall sign. 

After a while, I went to where the Cochran family was  sitting, to get a photo of all of them together.  I allowed plenty of room in the photo, so that their oldest son, (who was unable to make it in time for the game because of a work assignment in California) could "photoshop" himself into the seat that was intended for him, beside his mother. 

I had read on their website that game attendees could have a special greeting put on the Sloan Park marque, so I stood in line with many others, to see how it worked.  They put my request on the marquee, which said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY GROVER", and gave me enough time with the posting, to get a photo of me pointing to the greeting.  This marque is in the concessions area, and did not have a set fee, rather donations only.  However, there is a different marque inside the ball park, and seen by the entire stadium, where one can purchase a message, that will be flashed on the big sign next to the scoreboard, saying whatever the purchaser wants. 

The kind gentleman who took my information for the Happy Birthday Grover greeting, told me I could go to a different location, just a few feet away, under the green umbrella, and get a Happy Birthday Grover button, complements of the Chicago Cubs.  When I went to that location, I told them we were also celebrating Dave's birthday,  so they made a button for him, also.  They also had souvenir signs for folks who were attending the game, for the first time, so I also had one of those made for the Cochrans. 

Then I took the "First Time" sign down to the Cochrans, to get a photo of them with it.  Other folks sitting nearby, thought I was a Sloan Park employee, who was going around giving these signs to first time attenders, and started waving to me, saying they were also "first timers", so could they also have a sign??!  I was amused and told them they could go up to the concessions area, find the lady under the green umbrella, and get a sign with their name on it.  The Cochrans later told me that several people in their row, then climbed over them to get to the stairs, so that they, too, could have a souvenir sign! 

The 74 degree temperature posted on this bill board, and the clear blue skies, show that my prayers for good weather for the game were answered in a most wonderful way!

The first pitch for the game was actually four balls, pitched by a popular singing group (BOYZ2MEN), shown in the photo below, in the light blue shirts. 

Sloan Park is a relatively new baseball facility in Mesa, Arizona.  I took a panoramic photo of it on my iPhone, as shown below.  That is my son waving on the far right side of the photo. 

In keeping with the long-standing tradition of the fans singing as the music plays, "Take me out to the ball game", we all stood up and sang the song.  My son is shown with three fingers lifted, as we sang "Three strikes, you're out, at the old ball game!"

The Cubs team prevailed over the Chicago White Sox team, so the Cubs mascot was able to take to the field, waving the giant "W" flag, indicating a WIN, WIN, WIN, for the Cubs!  (By the way, I used the MLB.com phone app to get our tickets, so they were on my phone after purchase.  I am happy to report that entry went smoothly, as the electronic readers at the entrance gate and my phone communicated as intended.) 

After the game, we went back to the Cochran's house, and met up with their oldest son, who had driven in from the Los Angeles area, and was able to join us for supper.  He had heard about an outdoor eating place (called Jalapeno Jacks) with very good reviews, so we gave it a try, and everyone seemed happy with the food they served.  One of their staff took a photo of our group, as shown below.  They had a beverage on their menu that only one in the group was willing to try---Sarsaparilla.  I found this interesting because my son's namesake, regularly dug up sassafras roots every spring, to make a tea which he said was good for "thinning the blood".  Decades ago, one could buy sassafras roots in the produce section of supermarkets, but recent concerns over its toxicity, have diminished its availability in the United States. 

After supper, we spent some time outside in the Cochran back yard, enjoying the fire, and listening to the sounds of the desert birds.  The photo shows my son looking at his phone, because he was using a phone app, to identify the bird that was serenading us. 

After time outside, we gathered in the living room to play a couple of rounds of the card game called "Five Crowns", which I did not win!

The next morning, we went for a walk in their neighborhood, and the grandson who is a professional photographer, took a photo of his mom and me, in front of an amazing cactus plant:

We continued on to walk through their clubhouse, with lovely southwestern architecture:

After the walk, we went to a game store the guys found on line, to look for a group game we could play later that day. 

Grover bought the Wingspan and Terraforming Mars games as a gift for the Cochrans, to thank them for their hospitality, but also because he wanted to play these very complicated games with them!

The photo below shows us around the table, playing the Terraforming Mars game. 

The maximum number of players for Terraforming Mars is five players, so Grover served as the "M.C." for the game, and assisted us newbies in understanding the many intricacies of its strategy.

The next morning it was time to take Grover to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport for his flight home.  After saying our goodbyes, and heading for the airport exit, it was my first time to see, in person, one of the WAYMO driverless taxicabs that are available in this area. (These vehicles rely on more than just cameras, they are also radar-equipped, so they can drive in foggy and low visibility conditions.) In spite of the WAYMO technological advantages, I was still thankful the Cochrans took my son to the airport, and not a "phantom" driver! 

It was wonderful to get to be together with these family members and enjoy various activities together.  Even though family gatherings require some planning and work, I think they are very beneficial for living a fulfilling life.  After all, Scripture admonishes us to "not forsake the assembling of yourselves together".  One usually thinks of this in terms of church attendance, but it can also apply to family get togethers!  I can say with assurance, that "assembling together" with all these beloved family members, gave me "MILE OF SMILES"!!  Tricia