It's getting to be time

We leave Tucson two weeks from today. We'll spend a week in Sedona and then begin our four-day drive home.

The end-of-season gatherings are beginning. Today we're going to a "4th Street" potluck. We'll be spending time with neighbors we've met  - Dar and Betty, Ronnie and Bill, Jodie, Selma, Michael and Michelle, Don and Betty - and meeting some we don't know. I'm not keen on gatherings of this sort, but we've been waving to them all as we walk or ride our bicycles - everyone does that here - so the faces are familiar. The potluck will celebrate our neighborhood away from home.

On Thursday my Monday/Wednesday/Friday water aerobics class is going to lunch at the RV park's restaurant. I used to think an 8:00 a.m. class was too early, but here I usually wake up on my own at about 7:15 so it's been a good way to start my day. The class is full of familiar faces now: Carol, Susie, Mike, Hannah, Laura, Bill, Marilyn, Billie and a dozen others. We laugh a lot. When we meet at other times, we say we don't recognize each other with our clothes on! Carol teaches the class as a volunteer and there's a card and an envelope going around for her.

A week from today my handbell group gives its concert. We're in the usual "not quite ready to perform" state, but I expect the rough spots will be ironed out at Tuesday's rehearsal - or we may need an extra practice. It's been a pleasure to meet up with these folks for the last ten weeks to make music. There's also a card and envelope going around for Bette, the director.

Next Monday there's a gathering for the Reimagining God discussion group. This has been an unexpected gift for us - we didn't participate last year because we knew we'd be leaving before the end of the season. Everyone in the group is on a spiritual journey. Storytelling has been a big part this year - Art and I told our stories, and so did Betty, Mer, Eve, David, Sanjay, Bob, and a few others. The trust among group members has been very special.

The luncheon for the Great Decisions foreign affairs discussion groups is a week from Thursday. I was asked to facilitate the newest, fifth group this year.  Group V started out with six participants and grew to thirteen: Alex and Nancy, Lou, Al and Bette, JoAnne and Dick, Marcia and Jerry, Jim, Pothan, and Art and me. We're from Canada, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington. All winter friends. The luncheon speaker is a woman talking about the current status of women in Afghanistan.

Two weeks from today there's a potluck for participants in our Tuesday evening 12th step group. We may decide to stay one more night so we can attend that gathering.

There are no gatherings that I know of for our line dancing class or our current events group. We have two more sessions of each before our departure.

We started the season with the intention of regular attendance at two-step dancing and the Native American flute circle, but other circumstances prevailed and we only attended those events a couple of times. We still dance, though, and we're still working on playing our flutes. We hope to take the flutes on a hike in Sedona and see how they sound among the red rocks.

A few of our friends have already left the resort for home. Others will stay a little longer than we do. The winter community will dissolve and come together again next year. We're signing a contract with our landlord for another three months in 2015. Our park model is up for sale, so we risk not being able to come back to the same one if it's sold before next year - but we're not ready to buy a place.

Sun, wonderful sun! Arizona in the winter!