Prepping for a Weekend In Tucson

Left to right: Me; my son, Tim, as a pirate, and his significant other, Michelle, as Amelia Earhart.

The original intent of this trip was to see my sons, Lee and Timothy. It has become so much more. However immersing myself in visiting two offspring I have not seen for close to a year has been a much-needed beginning to the adventure! The first night in, Lee brought his new female friend, Anna, over to Tim's place in Mesa to play board games. I am staying with Tim and Michelle. Before moving on, I want to mention that I am impressed with Anna. It is early in the relationship, but both of my sons are hanging out with some very bright ladies - Anna is a National Merit Scholar; Michelle was her class valedictorian, and both had an alternative high school education. Hanging out with them all is awesomeness of a kind I did not expect to experience as a former single mom.

All of my children are avid board game players, to the degree that they have joined Meet-Up groups in their 20's. I have hosted such games in the precursor form as high school and college hang-outs in our home on several occasions. Apparently in Phoenix, there are enough Meet-Up board game groups that each day of the weekend, including Thursday, there is a group to attend. That first night fresh in from the airport, it was just the 5 of us though, and we played 7-Wonders and Word on the Street. 

Last night's Meet-Up was a dress-up Halloween party in someone's home. A man named Mark wore a name tag that said, "I don't do costumes." We divided into two groups. I am not sure what the primary group was playing, but it involved cards that looked like they had advanced from Magic cards to something possibly more complex, and it utilized miniature figurines. At our table, we played Celebrity Taboo and Ticket to Ride, the European version. I am not up on celebrities, so I was reduced to describing names such as "Pierce" with clues like "the first name is a synonym of 'stabbing.'" Amazingly, we got more points that way! My partner could not describe Tony Blair to me - one of the few names I might have gotten. We scored on Cookie Monster and Goldilocks. I've decided to buy the latter game though. Our host and hostess were the center two in the following picture: 

Today I am attempting to smooth out the weekend itinerary in Tucson. Things are becoming more serious. I have read some about the events I will attend, but the more I read, the more I realize I know very, very little! The walk tomorrow is to commemorate the 5595 total deaths, not including 2013 numbers of people who have died in the desert attempting to cross the border. 2012 added 477 to that number. These numbers come from the U.S. Border Patrol, according to the source, National Foundation for American Policy. 

The walk, or pilgrimage, is sponsored by "The Human Rights Coalition," or Derachos Humanos. It is the 13th Annual Día de los Muertos Pilgrimage /13 ª Anual - Peregrinación Día de los Muertos. I hope to finally meet Joel Smith, and possibly Larry Trent, who I've been talking with online for a few months. Anticipation is building.

Today I have been reading more about the Tohono O'odham, the nomadic desert tribe in southern Arizona. The walk will be on a part of their reservation in south Tucson, sequestered from the rest closer to the border. I have also been looking up statistics that I have read numerous times, to refresh my memory in case someone decides to ask questions. Timothy is not planning to come along after all. My oldest son, Lee won't go on the walk with me, but plans to drive in Saturday evening, and attend "The Presidio Walls Talk," a reenactment of the early days of Tucson with me, if his van is out of the shop. Or he may try to coerce his brother to bring him if his van is not out of the shop. I will get to visit with them more later, either way. On Sunday, aka 1st Day in Friends circles, we hope to attend Pima Friends Meeting. Amazingly, all of my children value Friends Meeting, kind of like they value board games. Some members of Pima Friends Meeting have been involved in immigrant rights activities locally. This looks to be a weekend of meeting many new people, and beginning to solidify some of the connections with people Robin has introduced me to via the internet!