Wordless Wednesday - When Hell Freezes Over

Wordless Wednesday - Cloudy With a Chance

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A Foggy Day in Phoenix

We've had some real desert-style winter in Phoenix recently. Our temperatures dropped into the low 20s on New Year's Eve and we even had some actual snowflakes in parts of town. We've had some bushes and trees freeze to the point that they've turned completely brown and will, hopefully, live on after it warms up and they've been trimmed back. A lot of people cover their landscaping with sheets and towels in an effort to hold in some of the heat and protect from the freeze. I know to all you folks who shovel your way out every morning this sounds like a walk in the park, but it is definitely unusual for this part of the country.

On the morning of Friday, December 17th, we woke up to some strange looking fog and these pictures are so surreal considering we're usually bathed in sunshine, I just had to share them with you. These are color photos - I did not manipulate them at all - and the first three shots were taken in the back yard at 8:28 a.m. ...

I walked out the front door one minute later and it was brightening up just a little as you look down the street, although you can't see a thing at the end of the block and there are houses there ...

Then in the back yard one more time at 8:30 a.m. where the fog was lifting and we could start to see some actual color ...

So that's what a foggy day in Phoenix looks like over a two to three minute period.

Wordless Wednesday - Stormy Weather

Wordless Wednesday

Old Fashioned Soda Fountain

On Sunday, the 4th of July, we met up with Hubby's brother and his sweetie for lunch at MacAlpine's Soda Fountain in Phoenix. It's been there since 1928 and still sports the original fixtures.

There was a juke box playing oldies and so many smile-inducing antiques -- I loves me some nostalgia! In addition to antiques on display in the restaurant, they have an antiques and treasures shop. We were all pointing and telling stories about things like our old metal lunch boxes ...

Counter seating was available, but we took a table in the back. I had a fantastic egg salad sandwich with Hawaiian cole slaw and Hubby ordered the special -- a meatloaf sandwich and a cup of cream of broccoli soup. It was delicious and the service was great.

There were fun old things to look at everywhere ...

Now who wouldn't want this phone booth in their home? Of course, in this day and age it would be for cell phones ...

But, come on, this is a soda fountain so you know what we were really there for ...

Hubby and I split this banana split, one of his favorite childhood treats -- words cannot even begin to express ...

Then we went home and passed out like we'd been on a bender. It was a lovely day and a pretty lazy weekend!

Yard Work

Spring yard cleaning ...

Mexican Speed Bump

Now doesn't that sound like a cocktail you might have with chips and salsa? In fact, it is a government-backed invention in Mexico created to slow traffic. I read about this Smart Speed Bump in the Arizona Republic recently and it seems like a good idea.

Decano Industries in Toluca, Mexico, has created a speed bump that measures the force of impact from a vehicle, falling flat if it is moving at or below the speed limit. If the vehicle is going too fast, the speed bump remains raised.

Apparently, it is rugged, requires no electricity, costs about $1,500 for a single lane and will last approximately 10 years with an annual maintenance cost of only $50.

When we moved to Phoenix, we noticed that drivers really fly on these streets. It finally dawned on me why this is ... there aren't many potholes to speak of which allows for much higher speeds. The nice weather and lack of snow and plows and salt leave the streets in pretty good shape year-round. The mountain town we came from had potholes the size of a car -- or at least it felt like it when you hit one.

So far, photo radar has been the answer to slowing down speeders here. Maybe, once Mexico has completed their patent and started manufacturing the Smart Speed Bump, we'll have a test run in Phoenix.

Prelude to the Holidays

I've always considered "the Holidays" to be the stretch of fall and winter encompassing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. As a child growing up in areas with four seasons, Labor Day signaled the end of summer, school started with the purchase of new winter clothes, and we were off on a hard ride through fall eagerly anticipating costumes and trick or treating.

Living in Phoenix,  the one thing I really miss about the four seasons is fall. I miss the trees turning colors and the cooler temperatures. Although we'll be back up to 99 degrees on Friday (10/16), we've been fortunate to have some beautiful fall weather for this area already with temps in the low 80s.

Still, other than walking into a craft store stacked to the rafters with fall colors in flowers, leaves and ribbons, it can be tough to get that fall feeling here. There is a wonderful traveling arts and crafts show, the Briar Patch Marketplace, that moves from school to school in the Valley on the weekends. They have over 100 exhibitors with all kinds of great products, many hand-made, for purchase. Here is the video clip from their website taken during a Christmas show in late November. Check out the ladies shopping in shorts and sandals -- that's Phoenix!

We did a family girls' day out last Sunday and five of us attended the Briar Patch. Myself, both of my daughters, granddaughter and step-granddaughter went and had the best time. We looked at every little thing. We read every hand-painted sign -- some of our favorites ...

• Who needs Halloween. I'm a witch all year.
• Kiss me good night every night.
• We've been through a lot together and most of it was your fault.
• Family ... started with two people falling in love.

Halfway through, we stopped and shared a couple of the delicious, enormous cinnamon rolls they sell. Just, yum! I gave the kids a small allowance to spend and they worked it, each getting 3 items for $10 -- an animal jewelry box with a necklace inside, Avon body paint soap and a peanut brittle cookie. They are pretty good little shoppers! Having promised myself (and hubby) that I would not bring home one more decoration for the house, since we are currently organizing and getting rid of stuff, I was able to wander through and just enjoy the atmosphere. My two granddaughters out front, giggling and inspecting everything; my two daughters walking behind, talking non-stop. It was absolutely perfect.


I did spend $5.00 on a package of peanut brittle for hubby made by Fresh From Rowie's in Glendale. This is one of his favorite treats that I've never even attempted to make. A woman who worked with him years ago is the grand master peanut brittle maker with an old family recipe. She makes it on the soft side so it melts in your mouth more than breaking your teeth. Hubby occasionally sees her during the holidays and I am always so glad because she gives him peanut brittle and cures his craving.

So we spent a lovely few hours at the craft fair, then had lunch at In-N-Out Burger. It was definitely not a low-fat day. But what a marvelous time and shopping at the craft fair sure helped kick me into the fall spirit.

A few years back, we spent a week on Cape Cod during September. The colors were just beginning to turn. I got a package of New England post cards to bring home. Here is one of my favorites ...

photo by james randklev

Sunset and MORE PAINTING!

Walked out into our front yard facing West yesterday evening and had to run for my camera. This sunset was just so beautiful I wanted to share it.



The good news is we are DONE PAINTING THE WALLS! We still have to do some touch up work. Our trim -- door frames and base boards -- is white so we have to even up some lines and fix some color smudges. But we are done with the major painting. Finished the last two rooms today, the laundry room and guest bathroom. I am dying to go get a new shower curtain that will look fabulous with the Spice Cake paint.

We've been doing our "Yay, the painting is done" happy dance around the house. It feels good!

Jury Duty

I received my summons for jury duty in Maricopa County Superior Court last month, to appear at 8:00 a.m. yesterday, Monday morning. As instructed, I called last Friday after 4:30 to check the status of my group and was told to call back again on Monday at 11:00 to see if they needed us in the afternoon.

Since I really didn't want to drive downtown and spend the afternoon there, I had done the Wishful Thinking Insurance Exercise that morning of being prepared to go -- showered, hair done, makeup applied. On my planet, this means I wouldn't get asked to appear. Because, you know, if I didn't get ready, they'd have required my presence for sure. Apparently, the Wishful Thinking Insurance Exercise fairies took yesterday off and I was told to appear at the courthouse at 1:00 p.m.

They actually make it pretty easy. Very clear instructions on how to get to the parking garage and where to catch the shuttle for the 5-block ride to the courthouse. There was a lot of standing in lines; first, for the shuttle; then, to go through security at the courthouse; then, to present your summons and register your presence in the jury assembly room. I was in the security line next to a woman who we shall call Chatty Cathy. At one point she asked me if I ever watched Andy Griffith. I looked at her and she said, "You know, the Andy Griffith Show." She said that Aunt Bea went to jury duty and everyone couldn't agree on the verdict so she baked brownies or something to try and steer the jury her way. Whatever!

The jury assembly room kind of reminded me of the MVD. A big room with lots of chairs and people waiting around to get called. The woman who was working the microphone was great. She had a good sense of humor, did a pretty good job of pronouncing names and scolded a few times when people weren't responding "Here" loud enough as she called their names. She would say, "Okay, we have another bailiff here. When I call your name, say 'Here' and come up and get your number. Then stand on the white tile and follow your bailiff to whichever courtroom." They had TVs up all over the place and started the movie "Fever Pitch," starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore.

I took a paperback to pass the time. Hubby and I thought it was funny that I was reading "Abuse of Power" by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. It's a dirty cop story but a DA plays a prominent role. We thought if I made it all the way to the jury selection process, I should accidentally drop my book on the floor and when they saw the title they would just think Oh no, pass!

They sent about 8 groups through with various bailiffs. I think one group had about 46.5 people in it. I say .5 because I don't think Chatty Cathy was all there. A little before 3:00, they started reading names again, this time to come up and get your proof of attendance paperwork and be released to go. It was so gorgeous outside, I decided to walk the 5 blocks back to the parking garage and, apparently, a number of other jurors thought the same thing. I heard a man behind me say that he had been in the jury selection process for a trial they estimated would last 3 weeks. They finished at about juror #25 and his number was in the thirties. He sounded relieved.

So my very first time at jury duty was a big non-event. Since I didn't even make it to the jury selection process, I don't make the whopping $12.00 payment, just mileage reimbursement based on our zip code. Civic duty attempted!

Fall Weather in Phoenix

These past few days have been absolute heaven in Phoenix as the weather gods smile down upon us. Our high today will be only 84 degrees and there is a light breeze blowing.

Phoenix, AZ

Currently - 71°F

Today - High 84°F Low 62°F

Tomorrow -  Mostly Cloudy
Wednesday -  Intermittent Clouds

After the blazing summer months with non-stop temps over 110 degrees, this is the wonderful respite that we long for. I am planning to spend lots of time on the patio knitting and reading and contemplating my navel before summer rolls around again.

A Little Bit of Downtown Phoenix

We had tickets for the Arizona Home and Building Expo held at the Phoenix Convention Center this past weekend.

It was fun walking around talking to everyone. The redo of the Convention Center is amazing and gorgeous so I took a couple of photos as we were wandering back to the car.



St. Mary's Basilica sits just north of the Convention Center at 3rd Street and Monroe. It was completed in 1914 and is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Phoenix. And, yes, the sky really is that vibrant blue most of the time.



At 2nd Street and Monroe, one of our favorite places for performing arts is the Herberger Theater. “Dance” is the title of the group of bronze sculptures located outside the Herberger. They were created in the 1970s by Arizona sculptor John Henry Waddell.



We took the granddaughter to see "Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business" about 4 years ago. She has an impressive collection of June B. Jones books and the play was so much fun. When our girls were growing up, we took them to "Eleemosynary," a 3-woman play that was just phenomenal.


We've also seen some wonderful ballets there.



The Steele Pavilion at Herberger Theater is an art gallery showcasing Arizona artists.



This shot is the street in front of The Hyatt Regency. It's not in the picture, but this Hyatt is home to the Compass Room, Arizona's only revolving restaurant. You can see the round restaurant at the top of the photo on the Hyatt's website.  While you are eating, the restaurant very slowly revolves so the scenery outside your window is changing. The movement is barely noticeable but I will say I am notorious for motion sickness. I attended a luncheon meeting there once and sat "backwards" and by the end, I was so queasy. Just sayin' if you go and you don't have any dramamine, face forward!



It's still over 100 degrees here during the day, but it was nice out Sunday.