Five Days in Maricopa AZ with - Jan and Dick Davis - Two Fellow Coal Crackers

Dick and Jan Davis - Coal Cracker's in Arizona

This Dwarf Auto Museum is a couple miles
from their house - but this is their first visit.

If you don't know who Jan and Dick Davis are - all I can say is "old money from Tamaqua." In the 50's and 60's - I grew up with the center of town being the Davis Funeral Home. I was usually in there every couple of months to mourn the death of a family member or friend. My Dad was a coal miner - and often his co-workers were laid out there dying much too soon from black lung disease - miners' asthma. 

Tom Davis ran the place and later in the 70's Dick took over when Dad and Mom retired and moved to Arizona. That is when Jan and Dick were our friends. Lulu met Jan when they joined La Leche League - simply "the breast feeders' union." Later - our kids were in a play group that included Jan Davis - Lulu - Marylou Zimmerman - and Jean Freed. We all kept touch when Jan and Dick followed the sun and set up business near Phoenix AZ. 

We all watched each other's kids grow up from afar - and got together on weddings and yes - funerals.  Now we are all retired - and we have chances to get together and just enjoy re-writing history. We look back on the good things - and lament the passing of old friends. 

Dick recently had a bout with cancer - and I have nothing but admiration for his attitude. He had just retired from a long career in the funeral industry. With plans to retire and eat all over the world - he had to settle for operations and treatments. But this has done nothing but cement together a great man with an attitude from heaven. He called last night with some very good news - a recent test came out with very good results. 

Dick and Jan live in Maricopa AZ. Their kids live in California. Dick's brothers live in San Francisco and Las Vegas. Maricopa is a new town about 20 miles south of Phoenix. Their home has an adobe look to it - with a beautiful desert garden with fireplace and hot tub. They drive two silver Toyota Priuses or is it Prii. The town is surrounded by Indian Reservations - their home's interior has a strong Indian motif. 

Thanks to the Indian Reservation - they have bountiful recreational facilities - places to eat - historic attractions - and a Harrah's Casino. 

Dick and Jan met our plane at the Phoenix Airport and they entertained us with non-stop touring - eating - and sightseeing. The time went by so fast - and just as we flew in late one night - 5 days later we were catching the early flight out of town and back to Tallahassee. What a great place to fight jet lag on our way home from the family get-together in Hawaii. 

Thanks to Dick's good news - we will getting together soon in Florida again this summer. We were hoping for Berlin - and I still am - but maybe that is pushing too hard. 

Drinks and Lunch at a cool Route 66 type pub.

The is one of the finest recreation centers I ever saw

Of course Dick had to chat up the life guard. He
still has the best gift of gab.

The Davis home - and their 2 Prius cars. I love desert
gardens.

Yes in the desert there are scorpions. In 5 days we did
not see a live one.

We were all very lucky at the casino.
It is 5 minutes from their house - but
they claim to never go there. 

Desert air is wonderful. In the winter it can be cold
at night - thus the outside fire.

We met in London and did our Beatles thing.
Now we were at the hot tub in Arizona.

Number One Rule - Don't pee in the hot tub.