lady driving a pink convertible in scottsdale arizonaOne of the things I envisioned about Arizona was the idea that it was flooded with senior citizens driving the streets.  Now I am one.  People have that same idea for Florida since these are two popular retirement states.  It’s funny how I was actually worried a bit after being picked up at the airport during my first visit. I figured the drive to my parent’s house would be like trying to avoid a bumper car situation.

bumper cars

Now that we've moved to Arizona, I've noticed that people are speedsters out here at all ages.  Even if you drive over the speed limit, most drivers want to pass you up!

Visiting Mom with my son

My Dad was already gone. Mom was alone, so it was always nice when family and friends would visit her. My oldest son was almost as apprehensive about flying as I was, so the two of us were a good match. Unfortunately, I needed an aisle seat and he preferred a window. On the flight into Arizona, we sat together. On the flight back we chose our preferred seats and a poor gentleman sat between us, sometimes having to be part of our conversation.

fear of flying to scottsdale arizona

Prior to the trip, we discussed our fear of flying and joked about it. Everything went fine and we arrived at Mom’s house in Mesa, AZ with no problems. Mom had bad knees and we knew we wanted to do some things without her and she understood. She let us borrow her big caddy. She thought I was driving it.

But as soon as we turned the corner in her cul-de-sac, we switched seats. I hate to drive and my son loves to, so it worked out. I just don’t think Mom would understand as he was still her “little grandson.” He was about 25 at the time. 

Funny thing is, he turned a corner normally and the rear bumper fell off!  He put it in the trunk and I guess he was able to get it back on later.  I don't remember, but I have a feeling my Mom did something when she was driving and it was never put back on properly.

I’ll go into our travels in later posts. I wouldn’t have thought traveling with my son could be so much fun, but we have a lot in common.

Mom Almost Killed Us!

When all three of us would go out together, Mom would drive. As we’re driving somewhere, Mom makes a left turn in front of an oncoming truck! I screamed, “What are you doing?!” She slammed on the breaks and screamed back, “I don’t know!

my mom almost turned in front of a truck in scottsdale az

I can't believe we survived - I guess it just wasn't our time to go.  My son and I joked about how we couldn’t wait to get back on a plane - because it was so much safer! The jokes kept coming about how smooth the flight was and that we didn’t have to worry about a geriatric flying in the sky.

My fears of seniors driving in AZ were validated, by my own mother. I was able to order my first senior citizen meal over my New Year’s Eve trip to Scottsdale this year. I better stop making jokes about “us.”

Posted by Judy Orr on
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