Summer is Over

Summer is practically over now. I am back to my normal schedule. This past summer was very busy and I have neglected my blog. The summer was spent in traveling, doing things with the family, and getting some of the medical issues of the family resolved.

My husband and I were in Las Vegas meeting up with his long-lost elementary school friend and the friend's family. That was a very good trip. It was great reminiscing old times and what they did as children and adolescents. A couple of weeks after that, our family was in Northern California near the Sierra Nevada Mountains, just north of Lake Tahoe. We had never been to that region before. It showed us how big and varied the State of California is. We all had a wonderful time.

My husband and I just got back from Denmark after helping our son settled in his Kollegium (dorm) in Copenhagen. He is going to spend his college junior year studying there. My husband had spent some time in Copenhagen after college, years ago. So there again we met up with some of his old friends, whom he has not seen in many many years. We had some very friendly, thoughtful, and joyous times together.

Now we are back in sunny Arizona. It was great to see old friends, whom you have not seen for many years, eat different foods, and experience a somewhat different culture, but it is also great to be home. Lots of things have happened in Southern Arizona over the summer. The most regrettable is that so many shops, grocery stores, and restaurants have closed because of the economy. In the area where we live, a solid middle and upper middle class neighborhood, there are many houses that are in short sale or foreclosure. One does not have to be an economist to see what ripple effects all these are having in the county, the state, and the country.

On a happier note, our daughter seems to have decided to return to the Tucson area to work after getting her Masters of Social Work degree next May. Our son is doing well in Copenhagen and is making new friends and learning many new things about Danish history and culture and European economics and literature. We are getting re-acquainted with our friends and neighbors. We started going back to our old haunts for example, Gee's Garden restaurant for dim sum on the weekend. We have also went to Dove Mountain Grill and Jax Kitchen for dinner. We enjoyed our dinners at both restaurants. Next week we are planning to take advantage of Tucson Restaurant Week and go to a few more area restaurants that have special package offers for that week. We are also getting ready to attend some of the events at the Tucson Culinary Festival running from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4. Stay tuned for the latest news and events!!!