Prescott generally gets 18" a year - most of it as snow in the winter. But the "monsoons" dump an inch or so in July. Of course, the year I show up to bask in the sun, the rain comes in Sept. Actually, we think Joyce, my mother-in-law might be to blame as it rained hard the week she was in Minnesota and she caught a cold there. Then when she came back to Arizona we got two weeks of thunderstorms. Total was 1.02". Still the brown hills burst into bright yellow, as actinea flowered.

Unfortunately, that cold of Joyce's got worse and finally after a week of hoping it would get better I finally convinced her to see a doctor. She was in a hospital within an hour, put onto oxygen and antibiotics for what was thought to be emphysema. She spent five days in and then was released home where an oxygen machine and 50 feet of tubing allowed her to go anywhere in the house. It was a good month before the oxygen wasn't needed anymore, and she was back to smoking. It was pneumonia that sent her to the hospital and I caught the virus from her, so a week after she went to see the doctor it was my turn. I didn't sink as low and was pretty much able to carry on but I did spend a lot of time in bed for the next six weeks. And that ended any thoughts of going to Minnesota to see my family.

After a lot of to-and-froing I decided to not buy a laptop computer. Instead I rented one for my final four weeks so that I could update my databases with eight months of information.

My sister, Angi, came from Houston for a weekend. She was very tired from a job that was demanding long hours, so needed a rest. So I ran her ragged. She arrived Friday night and we got back from Phoenix at midnight. Stayed up 'til lAM chatting with Joyce. She and Gail hit it off and became very good buddies immediately. Angi slept until 11AM. Lunch at Jack-in-the- Box and then it was off to Watson Lake where we climbed the granite outcrops a short ways and took in the beauty of the place. Almost as soon as we got back home it was up to the water tank to look at the antelope. After a late supper I tried to show her the video, but she fell asleep on me.

On Sunday we went to Sedona for lunch on an outside balcony at a very elegant restaurant with views of the red rock formations. Then we drove up Oak Creek Canyon, which is a fantastically beautiful stretch for l4miles. People think "desert" when you say Arizona. So to find this valley-laden canyon filled with trees. It is the number one spot for Phoenix crowd to head for in the summer heat. And even on a Sunday in Oct. it was very crowded. We went for a stroll along a side creek. Managed to get back through the mountains just at dark. Mexican restaurant with Joyce for supper. Then home to look at slides. Guess who fell asleep. Monday Joyce joined us for the two hour drive to Phoenix. Left her and her dog, Lucky, at her sister-in-law's while Angi and I had lunch and then off to the airport.

The main geographical feature in Prescott is Thumb Butte, which towers over the main sections of the city. So I just had to climb it. Less than an hour on an easy grade thru an educational trail which identifies and gives information about the various shrubs and trees. Once above the tree line the trail ends at a couple lookouts. But I wanted to get to the top of the rocky outcrop a further 70 feet straight up. My first attempt got me half-ways to the top, so I went back down to the trail and circled around and tried a second approach. This time I made it 2/3rds of the way when I ran out of easy rock and my arms and legs were beginning to go weak. So I settled into a crevice to eat my snack and rest. It was there that I noticed that if I were to go through the small tree I could continue and sure enough I made it to the top. What a feeling - I was the highest thing in Prescott.