Today was just about the most laid-back day we've had in Arizona yet- and that says a lot.

The one point of real excitement today was that Isaiah took his first real-live shower. Isaiah had accumulated a week's worth of hard playing dirt and frequent scrubbings with baby wipes and wet wash cloths was just no longer sufficient. If he was to be presentable for church this morning he had to have a shower (since there isn't a bathtub here).

I wasn't too worried about it, I figured once he'd had a shower he'd probably be wanting to take one every day. That did turn out to be the case, though it probably won't be happening when we get home. Our shower head at home is fixed instead of hand-held and removable like the one here. I strongly suspect that without the hand-held shower head, the prospect of a shower will be much less appealing to Isaiah since I won't be able to position it to match his height. One wrong move and he'll get water in his eyes and that will be the end of his shower phase until he's much taller.

After we got back from church, Dad barbecued some ribs and we had corn and home made scalloped potatoes to go with them. Later in the afternoon we paid a visit to some long-time friends of the family. I can remember visiting these folks when I was Isaiah's age. They are nice folks and we had a good time talking.

After that, well, after that was just another typical night at the exclusive mini-resort where we spent the past week. Earlier in the week we were talking about the place and my dad mentioned how fortunate and thankful he is to have been able to end up with such a place to live. It really is like a very small resort- private living quarters opening onto a beautiful scenic public area, perfect weather, good food, nightly entertainment (brought to us by the indoor/outdoor sound system), and good times with loved ones. It's hard to envision something better.

Tomorrow, though, after doing a couple of things we've been talking about all week but have put off till the last day, we're going home. It will be nice to get back to my own house and my own bed, to see our pets and all our friends and family back home, but after coming out west for the first time in five years we're talking about the need to return far sooner and more often than in the past.