March... “ing”

March 3rd, good friend from my weaving days (Shiomi), who is also a hiking, kayaking and pickleball friend arrived in the Phoenix area with her friend Sharon for a quick visit. We had fun playing pickleball (although they were in the Phoenix area to play in a Tennis Tournament) for several hours before grabbing a quick lunch before they headed northwest via car for their Journey to the Sacramento CA area.

Then “Memories from the Past” - It was Nov 1958 when I attended the Kingston Trio concert at Woodrow Wilson Jr High School in San Jose CA... a year after I graduated from High School. I purchased from them their first record album... which I brought to AZ with me this year, as they were in town. I had taped by ticket stub to the album back in ’58 and when I asked for their signatures they told me “you know, this is the original album for the Kingston Trio”. I said I know and I was there... This concert was also great (even though the original group from ’58 has been replaced over the years with newer members as others “passed” or became quite ill. Bob Shane (80 years old today-and on oxygen) still pops up at a concert now and then (as he did here in Phoenix) and has a great influence over the group today. The trio now consists of Bill Zorn, George Grove and Rick Dougherty (my favorite). This time I got all three signatures and a date on my album cover from those who have carried on the name of this fantastic style of music. The original Kingston Trio singly-handedly revolutionized folk and pop music in America.

A few days later a group of us met on the Bocci Ball Courts for a fun round-robin game for a couple of hours under the direction of Geo-caching friends, Bill and Kathy Mattish. After “awards” were presented to “winners and losers”, an even larger group gathered at their RV for “finger food”, “beverages” and “fun stories”. Everyone is in panic mode now as friends start to leave the resort and it’s a mad dash to get in one last visit with all our fabulous AZ friends from throughout the US and Canada.

Now it’s time to prepare for the close of our AZ Home, repack the 5th wheel and head home in a few days…