Come Away with Me

We were sitting on this patio when a very young couple walked by

and we commented to each other about how they looked like kids.

Could we have looked like that when we first came upon this place 

on a road trip almost four decades ago?

We have gotten to the age where we can't help but reminisce about the changes 

we have seen - in this our beloved little oasis in the desert -

not only in this growing city, but also in our circumstances . . .

from young vagabonds in frayed cut offs . . . 

to carting toddlers with us into a small motel room . . .

to school-aged kids packed tight in the backseat of the car, overjoyed about spring break . . .

to a quick flight to be away while grieving the death of a parent . . .

to teenagers bringing friends along . . .

to young adults fitting in a few days between college or work . . .

to overlapping time with our young families . . .

and, for now, back to the two of us!
Precious scenes run through my mind for every season.

Had we known so many years ago . . .

we may have found a permanent address here . . .

But as it is, we have enjoyed the mystery of a different place

and leaving all the care of it to the owners once we leave.

The unique thing about this desert is that it feeds from an underground aquifer

enabling some of the most beautiful flowering plants and trees to flourish.
I never tire of the landscaped medians with the cardboard-cut-out looking mountains as a backdrop.

Some would miss the beach . . .
and we love that too . . .

but the beauty of the desert with nary a drop of rain
has surely become a definition of rest for us.