Arizona

Still

Would you believe that I am still the States, Texas this time, feeling sort of like Moses wandering around looking for the promised land?When I got to the Phoenix airport the lady checking me in told me my Covid 19 test had just expired but her boss waved me through saying that it wouldn’t be a problem since I had a French passport. She was so wrong. I went to the boarding gate in Dallas and the lady there ripped my ticket up and said I couldn’t board without a Covid test taken within 72 hours. By then there were five or six other unlucky souls. There were a couple of Africans which I think were French immigrants who got very loud trying to talk their way on board. The gate person said even if they put them on the plane, the French would send them right back. It isn’t the rules of American Airlines but of France. There was also a lady crying hysterically who didn’t get on either. I tried saying I had a French passport and surely they could test me in Paris. I told them I had the antibodies for Covid and they basically said, « Who cares? » They moved my reservation to the next day and gave me the name and address to a place that did covid tests with results in 15 minutes so my poor son drove me there, almost one hour each way-Dallas is huge. I got the test and paid $200!! So I go to the airport the next day and hand over my test results when the lady said, « This is the wrong test » Who knew there were two? No one would answer the phone at the lab so this time my poor daughter took me where they informed me they didn’t do the required test called PCR not sars and gave me the name of a lab that did but this was Sunday and they were closed. I wanted to make an appointment for early in the morning so I could get the 5:30 pm flight to Paris. The first one was at 3 in the afternoon so that was another flight missed. So I called the airline to change my flight to the next day and the lady said they couldn’t do it over the phone, that I would have to come to the airport in person. I went about 20 mintues before my covid appointment and the guy was on the phone so long finding out about my flight that I had to leave without any information on moving the day to return to Paris. I made him promise to call me (which he never did) and quickly drove to get yet another test. The website of the lab said I would have to pay $400 (!!!) to get quick reults. After the lady did the test she told me I didn’t need to pay that much as the test would be done in six hours or so anyway. So I make one more call to reservations to see why I had to come in person to change the day of my flight. The guy said that basically I no longer had a flight and would sort of have to start all over again and to get to the airport four hours early. I’m not too worried as the flights I did see boarding looked almost empty. So I won’t know until tomorrow afternoon if I’m going to miss my flight once again.

The only photo I took in Arizona other than some family shots.

I am now writing this in Paris. I got to the airport four hours before my flight and got my boarding pass in ten minutes. The ticket agent said France has become really tough and, in fact, no one with an American passport will be able to go to France at least until the end of the year, if not longer. So I made it back on a huge plane with only 20 people on board but I was told there was a lot of cargo. I don’t know how this will all end for the airlines but I believe they just got a big payout from the government. So-at least I am back.

The Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

On The Road Again

I am now in the States, Arizona in particular, starting with visiting my 94 year old Mother, who is doing remarkably well.

The sun setting from my airplane. I was flying from Texas to Arizona and had just nodded off when I heard the flight attendant asking for medical help. I sat up and there was a lady lying in the aisle next to my seat. She had passed out. I told the flight attendant that I was a retired nurse. I was all that there was on the plane and, luckily, not much was needed in the way of medical care. I felt her pulse and was happy to feel one. Just then she started vomiting so I turned her on her side. She was sort of in and out of it. The pilot decided to land in El Paso and she was taken off the plane. I think she was suffering from food poisoning but I could be wrong. Needless to say, my plane was late to Phoenix. If my luggage had arrived on time I could have gotten the next shuttle to Prescott but it didn’t show up for over an hour. By then I couldn’t face to 2 hour drive so I spent the night in a hotel.

The sunrise from my hotel room, obviously in Arizona.

The county courthouse is always decorated beautifully at Christmas.

Another view. All of the trees were covered in lights too.

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope it’s really great.

My Mom is now in Prescott, Arizona, a small city where I once went to high school. There’s not too much to do there but there are some gorgeous sunsets and intriguing landscape.

A golden sunset.

There are fires around the State and this is a controlled burn looking rather like a tornado as the sun sets.

I love the geology in the area.

This looks a bit like I am face to face to an elephant with an eyelash on the top right.

Seen in downtown Prescott. Where do people get these ideas?

A country sunset. I am staying with my nephew each night in a place called Chino Valley which used to be just ranches and is now quickly growing and will be a city soon I’m sure. Still lots of countryside though.

A dramatic sunset.

Finally

I have finally come to the end of my Paris postings. Our new apartment is being renovated and we can’t stay there so I have gone to the States where Maurice joined me later. I won’t be back to Paris until September. My first stop was to visit my mother in Arizona.

I was in Prescott, Arizona right as July 4th celebrations startd.

The Prescott Courthouse with a timeline in front of Prescott’s history.

A very old car I passed every day in the forest.

A type of wild poppy on the walk.

The Edge of Life

I am sitting in the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix eating a Smash Burger while waiting for my plane to Oakland and from there, to Paris. I can’t believe I am eating yet another burger. I didn’t have the time or energy to eat anything but takeout food, mostly Quarter Pounders or Biscuit with egg and sausage. I have finally left my Mom in the assisted living place. She was anxious and depressed but I think she will be better once I leave and decides to make a life for herself there. We will see. My nephew, her grandson, promised my Dad that he would look after Mom and he certainly does. I don’t know what I would do if he wasn’t there. Living in another country is great until family emergencies come up. Since Mom moved into her place she has done nothing but talk about a knick knack of a lion and a lamb that she wants. I gave it and many other things to Goodwill weeks ago when I didn’t think she would get back to the level she has. I even went back to see if I could find it and buy it but it wasn’t there. I’m hoping she forgets it. She’s very forgetful but really zeros on things every once in a while.

A sunset with a landmark called Thumb Butte which I once lived near to.

A pretty blooming bush in front of my Mom’s new place.

This has been around for years. It was there when we first moved to Prescott in the 60’s. It’s what they call a motor court, an old type of motel, and I read there are only 30 left, an old type of Americana. I wondered why it hadn’t been torn down and replaced with something new and stylish but I was told it has asbestos in it and the cost of tearing it down and cleaning up the site makes it prohibitslly expensive. Maybe a good thing!

Mom

I am in Arizona until Wednesday getting Mom settled in her new place. It’s a hard adjustment to make and everyone here would rather be in their home but it’s safe. There is a group dining room but Mom would rather eat in her place by herself than join them. She’s very outgoing and talkative so I find this strange and it might be part of her condition. The nurses and aids always like her and one lady called her a « firecracker ».