by Neena Strichart
Last week I told a bit about the sentimental road trip Mom and I took to Arizona last month. Today I will finish the story.
We headed out early on a Thursday morning with the car loaded to the gills with gluten-free snacks, beverages and boxes of memorabilia. Our first stop was in Cabazon for a quick dash through the outlet stores–we scored big at the Coldwater Creek boutique. Heading back out, we drove for hours before stopping for a break. Mom and I switched drivers a time or two–but I did most of the driving. Luckily for me, Mom doesn’t do much backseat driving.
We got into Tucson about 7:30 p.m. and quickly found our hotel. We had a bite of dinner and then checked in. Our room at the Country Inn & Suites was perfect. Besides a large room with two queen beds–we also had a sitting room–perfect for chatting and sorting through the memorabilia we were soon to part with.
Friday morning we sprung out of bed early, had a little breakfast and then headed downtown to the Tucson branch of the Arizona Historical Society. We had an appointment with librarian Jill McCleary, a lovely young woman who carefully and respectfully documented each item we presented. Most of the paperwork we brought were letters, photos and documents pertaining to the Pima County Sheriff’s Posse–an organization my father, Al Posner, was instrumental in forming back in the late ’40s. According to Jill, the historical society had very little information regarding the Posse, and she seemed quite pleased at our donation.
The next day we headed for San Manuel, another stop on our memorabilia mission. We met with ladies from the San Manuel Historical Society who couldn’t have been more cordial. They tape-recorded Mom telling stories about the beginnings of the town in the early ’50s–notably about my dad being the official weatherman for the area and how she started their library. As a special treat, one of the ladies took us over to their present library. Mom was quite impressed as she remembers starting the library by putting together bricks and boards for bookshelves in her office of the local dry cleaning/laundry establishment. We had a wonderful visit and are so grateful the folks taking possession of Mother’s prized treasures were so gracious and appreciative.
Besides all the business we tended to, we also had a chance to visit longtime friends in Tucson, Pomerene and Sierra Vista. We had a beautiful trip in spite of the heat–Mom kept reminding me “It’s a dry heat.” Yeah, well whatever–hot is hot! We made it home safe and sound and still speaking to one another. I look forward to our next adventure.
