The Bill and Kit Excellent Adventure Journal-Issue #23

The week of March 9, 2009:

This week Dewey, Bea, Kit and I went to Florence, AZ…..the county seat for Oracle where mom owns some land. I needed to research some deed records and survey maps. So as not to make it all work and no play we stopped for lunch at a nifty Mexican restaurant that they knew about.

We enjoyed some incredible authentic Mexican fare beneath the gaze of this fellow.

This critter, the one on the left, is a Javelina…..a form of wild boar (the one on the right is anything but a bore) that roams the mountains of Arizona. It is as mean as it looks (the one on the left, the critter on the right is actually quite pleasant) but reported to be very tasty. In fact the motto of Arizona outdoorsmen is PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals). You haven’t lived until you have eaten Carnitas in a Cantina and washed it all down with Pacifico Beer. Life is indeed good!

 Hey…..I wonder if those Carnitas were made from that fella on the wall (the one on the left)?

As we headed up US-79 we stopped by a roadside memorial to the great late Tom Mix. Tom met his demise at this site as his 1937 Cord Phaeton went into a wash (ditch) and his suitcase flew off the rear package tray and bopped him in the head. Apparently others do not hold this great American in as high esteem as I by the preponderance of bullet holes marring this shrine. Rest in peace King of the Cowboys.

We took a trip to the Thompson Arboretum outside Superior, Arizona. This incredible collection of local and exotic trees and plants and succulents covers 320 acres and was all the work of one individual, Boyce Thompson, a 1940 Wall Street wonder boy who was a millionaire by age 30. Following are some scenes of this beautiful facility.

A lot of the cactus and plants were in full spring bloom…..I’ll save those pictures for later. Once again a great day, with great people in a great land.

Love, Dad/Mom, Poppy/Guma, Bill/Kit