Celebrating my birthday at the Sonoran Desert National Preserve

We had been here before, about a year and a half ago.

We liked it here because we saw few people, the hiking was different because it is a very flat desert, it is close (less than two hours from home), and there was a lot of history in this place.

For my birthday trip we were there five nights, and took five hikes.

On my actual birthday, we got to Facetime with Jules and Emily and their families.  They all sang Happy Birthday, which actually sounded pretty good considering how difficult it is to coordinate something like that over Facetime.  Of course, because it was them, anything would have sounded really good to me.

A few days before, Candice, Stella, and Marina had come to visit us and gave me a Surprise Birthday party.  Here we are, outside, social distancing, with masks.  Vicky took a picture of everyone singing a muffled happy birthday while I (unmasked) was blowing out the candles on my cup cake. :)

 

After my Facetime birthday party in the Sonoran Desert, I had my choice of dinners.   I chose nachos.  Looking at them, wouldn't you have made the same choice?  I mean, desert southwest, nachos, desert southwest?

And they taste even better when the cook and server are Vicky!!

I got gifts!

 

Yes, I know it is "Bridal Shower" wrapping paper, but we don't waste anything.

Look what was inside!  If John Wayne doesn't care if it is Bridal Shower paper, why should I?

Then, later, I had cake and ice cream.  Vicky made Red Velvet cake, my choice.  One of the reasons I chose it was that it was the last food my mother ate before she died.  She had asked Vicky for Red Velvet cake, so Vicky made one in Washington and we flew with it to her in Fort Collins.  She ate some, and then a few hours later, with Vicky and me there, she slipped away.  

I wanted to grab her and yank her back, just as I wanted to grab my father and yank him back.  "Wait! I'm not done with you!  I still need you...."   But that's not how life goes.

As the years pass I find I miss my parents more and more.  I want to tell them, over and over, how much I appreciated them and the love they showed to me.  I worry frequently that I never let them know, but the rational part of me knows that I did.  There were two times in particular that I remember.  One was about 12 years ago when I and they were at Serrano's for lunch.  

After lunch we just sat in the booth for two hours, and I told them all about my childhood memories and how good of a childhood they gave to me.

Another time, also in Serrano's, was with them and Vicky.  I did the same thing.  Over and over I ask Vicky to remember what I said, and she actually made a list for me.

So, I thought it would make my mom happy to have Red Velvet cake today, the day of the birth of one of her two children.  And it would make my Dad happy to know that Mom was happy.

I opened my cards from my family.  And thought about each of them so far away.  But it was like they were there with me, as they are always there with me and Vicky.

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For the next several days, we hiked in the mornings and then did our projects in the afternoons.  So very relaxing and peaceful.

Projects:  models and knitting
 

Vicky is making a blanket in bright desert colors for our home.

And at night, the sunsets were beautiful.  And in the morning, the sunrises were beautiful.  

It was the desert's way of saying "Goodnight Vicky and Dan," and then "Good morning Vicky and Dan....where will you walk today and experience my beauty?"

And maybe it was also the desert's way of saying to me:  "Dan, be at peace....your parents knew you loved them and recognized and appreciated all they did for you and your family."