Eric and I both woke up feeling sick. He still had a headache, and my allergies were still really bad. My nose hurt, because I was blowing it so much! It just ran and ran and my head was clogged. Nevertheless, I was going to FANGO DAY SPA for my spa treatments today and just hoped my nose didn’t run through it all. I took two Tylenol Cold caplets and they helped a lot.
Eric wasn’t going to ride, because he said his headache would just get worse, so he relaxed in the RV for a while, and then took a nice walk around Sedona, while I had my 50-minute massage by Faith (fabulous), my manicure and pedicure by Regina (wonderful), and my touch-up and trim by Lomisa (fantastic). I loved every minute. I was treated like royalty by everyone on the staff and it was just a luxurious, lovely day. I cannot recommend FANGO DAY SPA highly enough. It is truly a wonderful spa with a friendly, talented staff.
One thing I did learn, because I told the girls at FANGO DAY SPA that my allergies were so bad and my husband had a headache, was that the change in climate and the altitude of Sedona causes lots of people to have allergic reactions and to get headaches! Just our luck! We come to this beautiful paradise and both get sick! They said the secret was hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. They also said that people's skin gets dry as a bone and you have to moisturize much more than usual. I guess the humidity in New York serves some purpose!
Anyway, Eric came in at the end and got his hair cut (cut off, I should say, as he gets a #1 buzz cut, which is the next best thing to being totally bald!).
After that, we went over to a fabulous place for lunch called SPICES RESTAURANT, which not only had delicious food, but was decorated in such a delightful way that it was also a feast for the eyes!
My handsome husband right after his haircut at FANGO DAY SPA:
I had the Mediterranean Salad, which had grilled Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce and red peppers in a delicious vinaigrette dressing. Eric had the Chicken Mango salad, with oranges, mango, strawberries, almonds, and a bed of garden greens with a mango dressing. Very different! We finished it off with a piece of hot apple pie with ice cream and whipped cream. YUM!
After lunch, we headed over to WALGREENS to pick up some supplies, including DRIXORAL, which my dear friends, Geri and Larry, recommended. They said it would alleviate my allergy symptoms. Larry’s a doctor, so if he tells me to take something, I take it – doctor’s orders!
Then we headed to a SAFEWAY SUPERMARKET where, not only did they have a STARBUCKS, but I was able to get internet service in their parking lot. I got my decaf and Eric took a late afternoon ride around Sedona. I worked on yesterday’s blog and answered emails.
When Eric got back, we went into SAFEWAY to get something to eat to bring back to the campground, because we weren’t yet hungry, but knew we would be before the night was over. The campground is really in the middle of nowhere and there’s nothing for miles and miles. So, we got some sushi, which – for supermarket pre-made – was remarkably good! It certainly satisfied the sushi cravings we’ve had for the past two weeks.
Tomorrow we leave Sedona, which – except for not feeling too good – was really a great place to visit. The scenery never fails to amaze you. My sister, Lenae, took an award-winning photograph in Sedona. Now, I know why she was so inspired.
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Before I end today's blog, I want to share a story with you. I hope you remember our friends, Sergio, Lourdes, and Angela, who were so kind and generous to us when we visited them in New Orleans.
Sergio sent me an email explaining that October 2nd was a special day for him, because it marked the anniversary of his immigration from Cuba to America. I thought it was such a wonderful, touching story that everyone would enjoy reading it, so here it is, in Sergio's own words:
Today, Oct. 2nd, is always a bittersweet day. It is my anniversary of leaving Cuba...47 years ago. You'd think by now I would have forgotten...I always relive that day fully from the trip to the airport, to the long hours of being detained to the arrival in Miami. The events of that day are so fresh in my mind.
It was common practice in those days for Castro's "milicianos" (goons) to use scare tactics to Cubans leaving, so they would delay the plane for hours and go through all the baggage. My mother wore no jewelery, because surely it would have been confiscated, plus she was risking it big time- Her Supreme Court papers allowing her, as a judge to leave the country had been forged, otherwise they would not have let her escape.) The plane was detained for 4 hours.
Of course I knew nothing of this at the time, but I could sense the tension, my mother wringing her hands in anguish. My parents had planned that even if one was left behind, the other would leave with me to freedom. It wasn't until I was on the plane that I found out we would come live in the states, I left thinking we were visiting for two weeks...It is now even more bittersweet, given my parents are no longer with me. On days like today, I miss them so much it hurts, not talking to them and remembering with them. It is now just my story...
On the Pan Am plane, the stewardess gave me a muffin. It was only a 50 minute flight. I remember waving goodbye to Havana from the airplane window, the image is seared in my brain. Upon arrival, my parents applied for political asylum. We then took a taxi to Jimmy's house, where he had to pay the taxi driver from his savings since we had no dollars. A little while later, my grandmother, Jimmy's mother and Lily his sister arrived from the grocery store and there was a happy reunion. It was a Sunday and my uncle, Victor, arrived from New York where he had been on a business trip. Junior, JoAnne, Diana and Nuni were also there, and I was happy to be with them. I remember Jimmy talking about how he was for Kennedy, there was a furor about the upcoming presidential elections and who would win, I remember the adults talking about it and I was clueless at 8 years old. All I wanted was to visit the stores in Miami, I loved Woolworth's in Cuba "El Tencen" as we called it, and my father kept saying there was a "tencen" on every corner in Miami downtown, and he was right they had Woolworths, McCrory's, and Kress...I was in heaven.
A week later, I remember my dad bought me a little set of Marx toys, it was Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy and Sweepea inside tiny race cars, I was so happy, having lost all my toys in Cuba. I played so much with them... I still have the Popeye racer, all the other characters broke and were lost through the years, but I still have Popeye in perfect condition in our dining room curio, a trophy of sorts from that first visit to "el tencen" in Miami. More significantly for me a child's symbol of a new beginning in the USA.
Here is a picture of 8-year-old Sergio. His first photo taken in the United States, which actually came in those little plastic viewers that you have to hold up to your eye. Such a handsome boy:
