The park arranges what they call Tag-a-longs which are caravans of cars heading toward a common destination for eats or activities. Today we were invited by Marolyn and Jerry to join them and the rest who were going to Mesa for lunch at the Organ Stop Pizza. After a long rain-pelted drive we discovered that there had been a breakdown in communication between the restaurant and our activities director. We returned to Casa Grande where the four of us ate at Barros Pizza about a mile from our park. At least we now know of a tremendous place for yummy pizza!!

The weather forecast of one last day of sunshine before a local rain-soaking prompted us to head for Phoenix to experience the hoopla Super Bowl has created in this area. Such fun to be a Seahawk fan and see all of the 12’s filling the downtown’s Super Bowl Central, then it was back home to barbecue some chicken hindquarters and corn on the cob!

The old timers were rowdy tonight but their clapping to express disgruntlement about the tardiness of the Cirque Shanghai show was answered by a stage manager of the college who explained that the traveling Chinese acrobats were trying their best to pull together a show rather than cancel. It seems that following their previous engagement in San Diego the contents of their van were stolen and the vehicle vandalized. Not an ounce of their flexibility and talent were taken, however, and though we did not get to see them regaled in their fine costumes, their show was amazing and well-received.

Another night of the arts with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers showcasing a New York troupe at the college. We have been spoiled as season ticket holders at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle for the last four years. This particular musical happened to have been the first one we attended at the 5th which set the bar pretty high, however, this group did a respectable and enjoyable job. Our only complaint was the way they chose to turn one of our favorite tunes (Lonesome Polecats) into a two-song duet.

Maricopa has a satellite campus for Central Arizona College that provided the venue for Sandstory by Joe Castillo. America’s Got Talent fans will remember him from a couple of seasons ago. We arrived early and entered the auditorium featuring two large media screens. At the end of the front row of folding chairs was the easily recognizable Joe dressed in black and topped with his signature beret. I was reluctant to take a seat next to him assuming that a showman might want to be “in the moment” before taking stage…I gave him a buffer of one chair!! He immediately opened conversation and shared life stories with Chris and me for the ensuing half hour. During that exchange we mentioned having seen one of his AGT co-performers, Turf, while in Vegas a couple of years ago. That prompted several anecdotes about the street performer during and after their time on the show.

Joe is a mesmerizing motivational speaker, as well as a gifted artist, and we were enthralled for ninety minutes by his life-and-sand stories. I immediately returned to make my Amazon purchase of his book, Sandstory, the amazing tale of how sand changed my life . His strong belief in God resonates throughout the pages of this inspirational one hundred page biographical snippet that mostly deals with his time as a sand artist. Not only did we marvel at our good fortune to witness his remarkable artistry, but also at the ridiculous nominal charge of $5 for his touching presentation!

We visited a nearby National Monument - Casa Grande Ruins, which is located in Coolidge, AZ.  Georgia was able to join us on a tour of the ancient plaza and the Great House which was completed in 1350.  The dwellers of this vast compound were adept at viewing the moon, sun and stars and constructed crude window openings that would align with the the sun and moon during certain phases. Miraculously, their structure was erected only 4 degrees off true north.

Chris purchased a Night Sky Field Guild so he can better determine the constellations that shine with such clarity above us each evening. 

After an expertly barbequed pork loin, we joined neighbors Barb and Randy for some billiards and then shared a Skype visit with Johanna and Kyren before calling it a day.