A Little Stitious

Growing up, I learned that there were certain things you did to avoid bad luck. Turn around if a black cat walked in front of your car, throw spilled salt over your shoulder three times, never walk under a ladder, and definitely never pick up a face down penny. As Michael Scott once said, “I’m not superstitious but I am a little stitious.”

My superstitious ways were learned from my dad. We spent hours debating Grant aka Mr. Factual. For Grant, things have to be rational and logical to make sense. Grant would ask us questions such as “Who gives the bad luck?” or “What if you owned a black cat?” I know it is  irrational, but my answer is simply, “I have no idea, but it only takes a second to throw spilled salt over your shoulder.” Superstitions was something I shared with my dad and no matter how much he tries, Grant will never change my mind, even if it is irrational and I know it.

Grant had been talking about a backpacking trip in southern Arizona for some time. When I eventually heard the name of the mountain range was the Superstition Mountains I was in. The Superstitions are located outside of Phoenix offering multiple hiking trails mere minutes from the city. We spent two days backpacking and soaking in the views trying avoid getting attacked by a cactus. The first night, we slept on a ridge overlooking Weavers Needle. Fortunately, we didn’t blow away with the strong winds. We continued to hike into the valley and found the perfect grassy camp spot among the desert thorns. We spent the day reading and admiring the features of Weavers Needle. Lhotse, of course, loves anytime spent in the mountains carrying his little pack. The nights were cold and the days were hot but we throughly enjoyed exploring the Superstitions.

Fortunately for us, my grandparents live about 30 minutes from the Superstitions. With open arms, they welcomed us into their immaculate home. We made sure Lhotse had a day at the spa getting cleaned up before he walked on their white carpets. The days were spent attending classes at the club, eating yummy foods, and beating them in cards! We enjoyed the perks of retirement life so much so, we prolonged our visit by three days.

While in the Superstitions, I didn’t spill any salt, see any black cats, or pick up any unlucky pennies. That is probably what contributed to Grant’s good photos!