Mission of San Xavier

I did some sight seeing in the desert Southwest before I went to Randolph Park to smack some tennis balls. The visit to the Mission at San Xavier, south of Tucson, was interesting and enlightening. The Spanish owned and controlled this area until the Gadsden Purchase in 1854 made it USA territory. This mission was established in 1699 and the church built in the 1780's. The missions were an important part of the Spanish control over the native Americans who had lived here for thousands of years.

Part of the day was spent on a ten mile bike ride on a borrowed bike and wearing a borrowed helmet. Rich lives about two and a half miles from Saguaro National Park, named for the prevalent cactus type, which appears to be everywhere. The ride was a little hilly and it took me a while to get used to the shift mechanism, but in the end, worth the effort. This was taken outside the park after an up and down ride through the picnic areas. There were no mountain lions to be seen, but there were cacti and various other wild creatures not seen elsewhere. My total mileage in Arizona reached double figures.

Javalinas. They have found a home in Rich's front yard. These two were napping when we encountered them and didn't mind the photo taking. They are somewhat protected by cactus here and are relatively tame. They are native creatures and not wild hogs. I took several other photos of members or this band of javalinas that numbers about 15.

The tennis went pretty well. I've played twice at the site of the tourney and it's beginning to feel like I'll be able to play here. My first match is Saturday afternoon against a team from the Pacific Northwest Region. The rest of the team gets here on Wednesday and Thursday. More tennis for TTT tomorrow, just to be sure that I'm ready.