Highlights of the trip to Phoenix

For about the last 40 miles or so of my escape from Minnesota, I met scattered slippery places, many of which were significant and white knuckle producing.  All went well then until entering New Mexico, where a mix of sleet and snow began to fall.  An early stop in Tucumcari, where I almost stayed two nights, kept me from running into the really bad roads west of there.  Left there about noon the next day and had no trouble getting to and through Albuquerque, from where I headed straight south.  A longer (much longer) route down almost to Las Cruces, NM, that was well worth the time.  Even if it didn't save me white knuckle driving in the mountains around Flagstaff, it provided me with the most spectacular and beautiful sunset I've ever seen, and an equally lovely, though more subdued, sunrise the next morning.  As for the roads out of Flagstaff, I felt that if they were slippery, going off the road on a mountain would be terrifying.  As I recall, the roads around mountains have ditches that are much, much deeper than the ditches along the midwestern highways which are my normal venue.

Arrived safe and sound in Phoenix on Saturday, the 19th.  Have had a lovely Christmas with family, have attended the Lessons and Carols Service at my church, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and have sung Christmas Eve service with the choir there.  I was so touched that the director, having organized the choir music, had already designated folder number 16 for me.  It is nice to belong and especially nice to belong to a choir.