Months ago when we planned Hector’s trip home to Miami to see his family, we originally planned a quiet week in Tucson Arizona for me. Of course we had no idea that just prior to that trip we’d find out that Angel has cancer. The plan was to take our time traveling between Albuquerque and Tucson. But since we had to stay in Albuquerque for follow-up on veterinary tests, we wound up driving non stop to Tucson the day before Hector’s flight, which was scheduled out of the Phoenix airport.
So we rolled into Catalina State Park just after six in the evening, and with all of the stress and worry I forgot to call the campground to notify them that we were arriving after hours, as I usually do the few times that we run late. With the recent time change, it was pitch black, and unlike most other parks, they didn’t leave a note nor a map for us. But we found our campsite, and set up our electric, water, chairs etc.
The next morning the three of us headed to the Phoenix airport to drop Hector off. Even though Phoenix is a two-hour drive from Tucson and offered much lower airfares, I chose to stay in Tucson rather than Phoenix. This was to be my first time without Hector on Island Girl, and I wanted to be as comfortable as possible. And the state park turned out to be a wonderful choice (thank you, Nina for the recommendation).
Unlike other areas of this desert that have lots of thorny, prickly plants everywhere, this state park has just a few of those, lots of soft dirt, a (tiny bit) of grass here and there and mesquite trees throughout. Not to mention a beautiful view of the Catalina mountains. Just what the doctor ordered.
Another reason for staying in Tucson was to see some wonderful new friends that we met here last year. Our first evening, Angel and I joined Jean and Jerry for dinner at their home. I met two very interesting friends of theirs, Deb and Stan and the hours flew by.
Angel enjoyed their beautiful yard, thoroughly explored their roomy house and got lots of pets from everyone. A great evening for us both. And I forgot to take photos.
But Angel was still not up for any long walks so we took it easy around the campground. She was still not quite herself after the ultrasound and x-rays but day by day her appetite improved (I was adding extra veggies to her food). It also took a few days to get her to take her pills consistently (she’s too damn smart). And every day she walked a little longer with me around the campground. So I took advantage of this week to rest but also to run some errands, do some cleaning etc.
We had a perfect corner campsite for Angel, with a large dirt/grass area. She made a great big hole for herself, where she spent lots of hours resting.
In the middle of the week, Jean and Jerry joined me for happy hour and sunset. Once again I forgot to take photos. My brain was still not fully recovered from the stress.
As far as being alone with Angel on Island Girl, the week was uneventful, thankfully. Angel seems to have gained some strength and is being her adorable spoiled self.
And it turned out to be a good thing that Hector was away, as it gave me time to process everything (I usually need more time than he does) and to rest. Meanwhile, Hector didn’t have a single moment of rest while in Miami, which was as it should be 🙂
~Brenda
Love all the photos of adorable Angel:) Glad you week alone went well. I imagine it was wonderful to have Hector back:) Take care…thinking of the three of you:)
Yes, Angel and I were both happy to have Hector back.
Brenda
Home alone with Angel… what more does one need while Hector is away….
Angel is the best companion.
Brenda
We are sending warm thoughts your way. Meeting Angel was a highlight of your visit for the girls. Peace and love to all of you.
Thank you for the warm thoughts, we are hopeful that she’ll be with us a while longer. She is so gentle and wonderful. Hugs to all of you.
Brenda
I have yet to have any success at booking a site at Catalina SP. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things regarding the campground. Hope Angel is feeling better.
I tried last year to reserve a site here and couldn’t get in, so this year I called several months in advance, Ingrid. But we just booked it again for the week of December 13th and it was open, so you never know. It’s a beautiful place, I highly recommend it, get a site in loop B – better showers. Angel is doing well at this point, eating, walking a bit more and even has short spurs of high energy now and then so we are happy.
Brenda
English message:
Hello Brenda and Hector, what a casualty! I follow your blog every week and now you are in Tucson too. My parents, are from Spain as I am, and are doing a trip in their RV. They have a blog too called http://www.usaenautocaravana.com (Spanish) and they are in Tucson too! I think it would be great if you both can meet!
Hola Brenda y Hector! que causalidad! les sigo toda las semanas y ahora ustedes estan en Tucson! Mis padres, que son de espana como yo, estan haciendo un viaje en su RV. Ellos tambien tiene un blog llamado http://www.usaenautocaravana.com y estan en Tucson ahora mismo! Creo que seria genial que os conocierais!
Greetings! saludos!
Hola, Fernando! Nos alegramos mucho que nos esta siguiendo en nuestro blog. Acabo de leer el blog de sus padres y les voy a enviar un mensaje.
Saludos!
Brenda
de nada! el gusto es mio. Teneis un blog muy interesante! Si quieres llamar a mis padres
Me alegro que te gusta nuestro blog. Llame a tus padres hoy y hable con Angeles un rato, pero ellos están a camino para Phoenix y no pudimos conocernos en persona. Quizas cuando regresen nos cruzamos de nuevo.
Brenda
Hola, Fernando. Espero que veas este mensaje porque no tengo tu e-mail. Conoci a tu papa y a tus tías hace unos meses, y la pasamos muy bien juntos, ellos son encantadores. Enrique me comento que debería avisarte cuando estemos en camino para Calgary. Creo que llegaremos a Cochrane este domingo, adonde nos vamos a quedar unas cuatro noches para visitar a unos amigos. Vamos en camino hacia Alaska. No se si estarás disponible esta semana que viene, pero nos encantaría conocerte. Mi e-mail es brendavlopez@msn.com.
awwwww…the pics of Angel are priceless. I’m so glad you were able to relax and process some of all the crazy stress you’ve had over the past weeks. You and Angel really deserve the down time. Hopefully you’re going into a slower pace of travel the next month?
Nina
She loved her hole and this park is wonderful. We always slow down in winter. We’re going to Benson and Why as you also recommended, it’s the Nina tour! Staying close to Tucson as we will return here the week before Christmas for Angel’s 30-day check-up. Then we head to Borrego Springs with a stop in Yuma, and then Quartzsite. We also plan to spend the month of February in Mission Bay. No long drives and no short stays. Thanks for all of your great suggestions!
Brenda
Angel girl looks peaceful. I love Tucson and have spent many lovely vacations there visiting family. So glad you had good girl-time with Angel. I need time to process, too. Sending you both lots of love and a big warm hug.
Thank you, Rebecca and Happy Thanksgiving!
Brenda
Oooh…I love Angel’s idea of digging a little hole to snuggle up in to de-stress and think. I may incorporate that into my life repertoire.
Hugs,
Vince
Angel can teach all of us many things…
Take care,
Brenda
Glad to hear that you had some time to decompress and that Angel seems to be regaining her strength. We love Catalina State Park. It’s a wonderful place to relax and enjoy nature. Big hugs coming your way!
We loved Catalina State Park and will return for one more week in December. Hugs to both of you, too!
Brenda
Creo que nada se da por casualidad. Pienso que lo mejor que pudo suceder es que te quedaras con Angel y como dices, procesar todo lo que está sucediendo; y que Héctor lo pudiera hacer a su manera. Qué suerte tiene Angel de tener a unas personas como ustedes para cuidarla!
Gracias, Maria Elena. Angel es una perrita maravillosa y la queremos mucho. Y estoy de acuerdo que nada pasa por casualidad. Gracias por tus bonitas palabras y un fuerte abrazo para ti.
Brenda