Roof Top Tour

I was up on mom's roof yesterday. 4 times! Have I ever told you that I don't like heights? Well, I don't. I was as nervous as a cat (whatever that means...I didn't like it one bit) I stepped in spots that seemed soft, ACH! There was an antenna up there to avoid. And some sort of cable. It was only maybe 15 ft. off the ground. If I fell, I would probably only break something.
But, Mom is having her roof touched up. These flat roofs here in AZ don't get much rain on them, but when they do it's not a good idea for puddles to sit up there. Her neighbors Shirley and Marty had a leak early in the summer while they were gone and it ruined quite a bit of stuff in their house. So much so they had to move everything not damaged, out, put it in storage, and move into temporary quarters themselves. Then wait 2 months while repairmen came in and fixed everything. That was enough for mom to see what was what on HER roof. So this roofer guy whom she hired, insisted that I come up and look at what he was doing. Like I might actually know something. I really want to trust this guy. But, I've heard too many horror stories about the unscrupulous. But would I know if the crack he was talking about was really significant? Or the hole in the swamp cooler-what did that mean. Or how about the lack of drains, or the comparison to the neighbor's roofs-that I could clearly see now. How about all the rust flakes and soaked insulation in the swamp cooler? Did that mean what he said it did? Sheesh, I have no idea. It's back to trust. Where is Ron when I need him? I should have been paying attention to all things mechanical these last 30+ years. But I must say, I had an unusual roof top tour that I've never done before. Time will tell.

Random list of all things Arizona

Here's a list for you that relates to this state and (sort of)my visit:

a swimming pool built just for the old folks to walk in. With a current too. (How does that work?)
upscale shopping malls with mist devices to cool down those walking outside.
coyote on the streets in the early morning hours
red/orange sunrise that gives way quickly to blazing hot skies.
gas prices 3.31 per gallon unless you use your credit card, then it's 3.41
Lots and lots of very friendly seniors. (and not h.s. seniors either)
Political ads on tv for the local sheriff and county attorney races.
Vote for xxxx propositons. Who in the world knows what all those numbers stand for? 101,105,207, blah blah blah.
talk about air quality. (it's bad here folks)
Where is all this traffic headed to and from?

Arizona

Sunny Arizona. It is living up to its billing! At least it's not as hot as it has been all summer. Today's temperatures only reached 99. For me, that's nice. An early morning walk, then a swim saw temperatures only in the 70's. I am stretching out my summer days. Very nice.
Jon, the pilot, has arrived. He is a nice surprise for my mother. We will be making a Trader Joe's run later tonight and he will take everything back with him since he doesn't have to worry about paying for a checked bag on an airline. Or getting jam through security for that matter.
This extra week off for me has been a very pleasant surprise. I will enjoy the extra reading, swimming, sleeping that I will be able to get in before the new job starts. So plan on some quiet, boring reads from my blog this week. No excitement from here. That's good.