All Organic...

After dancing on Friday night with the gals...

Well, OK...not so much dancing as putting the feet up and relaxing with both Ms. Dina and Megan under the summer night sky and lit candles all about, I was off to visit the sandman. I had lovely fantasies of waking up for early morning yoga, but decided to sleep through instead (which I almost did, but I usually get a lovely wake up call from my sweetie around that time, which is the perfect way to wake up in the morning) After that, I was up and at 'em...

You see, Megan and I had an early morning date.

A date to go to the farmer's market up here...

The farmer's market used to be right downtown one street over from Snap Snap, but some funeral home and a law office that wasn't open on that street, complained about the parking problem when they closed half of the street from 6 - noonish...on Saturdays. I'm not sure what the Funeral home's problem was (I mean, I wouldn't think that their clients necessarily needed the parking anymore, since where they're going they're probably not driving so much as floating around with wings and strumming stringed instruments...and the parking for the rest of the alive people? Well...they seems to have been issued these nifty little signs they get to put up wherever they want whenever they have services...and I don't see anyone else being able to complain that they're taking up the parking spaces, on regular business days even...) Or the Law Office (seeing as they have a huge parking lot which they kindly block off during the weekend, restricting usage...and did I mention they weren't open anyway?) But whatever...this then has forced the farmer's market to relocate. Well, sadly the downtown lost this wonderful attraction to the parking lot of Yavapai College instead. Which means that I haven't really gotten out there as much as I used to...

Of course, after be-bopping around with both Megan and her wonderful husband Matthew this Saturday morning, I decided that I absolutely have to remedy this. And since I started this new diet anyway, I am eating so many more fresh vegetables and fruits than I used to...

While we were walking around checking out all the offerings of the local (and sometimes not so local) vendors, I noticed a little girl standing close to me at the tomato stand. She was staring off into the distance with one of her hands in a huge pile of brightly colored cherry tomatoes...she was gently caressing them with a small satisfied smile on her face, letting them fall through her fingers with a very dreamy look in her eyes as she was doing so...the tomatoes were pert and warm...freshly picked and about as aromatic as a tomato can be. I realized with an amazing amount of clarity right in that moment how important it is for children, and possibly all sizes of humans, to have this connection with things grown from the Earth...I've often found that for me, both the smell and texture that soil has when you turn it over or run your hands through it, or the individual and often subtle scent that each living growing plant gives off when you brush against them are very therapeutic to the human condition...being able to dig into soil and tend to plants is usually a very relaxing past time. Farmer's Markets may actually be as close to growing your own food as a lot of people get nowadays (I mean, being in AZ and not having a huge flat clear lot...plus a lot of pine trees here at Foolsewoode, I don't have a vegetable garden anymore...My ex and I used to have a huge garden years ago) I, in fact grew up with my mother and father growing huge gardens in California...maybe because they were hippies...but maybe because it was so easy to grow things in California...I just remember they were both very very good at growing things.

Plus? I am a total tomato junkie. As I've gotten older I've found that pesticides seem to be freely sprayed on everything, making it so that I can't eat all tomatoes...only organic or hydroponic...the rest just tear my stomach up. My mother tells the story of me at a young age (3 perhaps) when she would let me play outside in the huge backyard...when it was time to find me, she usually only had to look in one place...the middle of the tomato garden, stuffing cherry tomatoes into my mouth as fast as I could with the seeds and juice dripping down my chin and neck and covering the front of my striped overalls. To me, there are not many things much closer to heaven then a fresh ripe tomato picked off the vine, still warm from the sun's rays (well...to be fair, I think the ocean's nice too...and so is spending time at the Airstream) I watched the little girl at the tomato booth out of the corner of my eye for just a few moments before I caved into her subtle suggestion...and decided to run my hands through the box of colorful red, yellow, orange and purple cherry tomatoes as well and pick out enough to fill a small container for myself to take home. I immediately turned to Megan after buying the tomatoes and said,

"You do realize that we're going to be lucky if we make it to the car with these..."

I also bought scallions, leeks (which I also dearly love), purple roasting onions, orange and yellow carrots, basil, sweet corn, and a head of garlic that is so aromatic, juicy, and fresh that it surprised me a little bit when I cut into it. I almost bought some Zucchini blossoms as well because I've been wanting to try them...maybe stuffed? I'm not too sure, I will have to look up some recipes before next weekend. Since the rest of Saturday was spent napping, reading and watching movies...there was no more going out of the house and I treated myself to an amazing dinner...

Potato and onion Pierogies with olive oil, leeks, garlic...fresh tomatoes and scallions topped with a bit of a soy Italian shredded cheese mix...It was divine. Truly gourmet and one of the tastiest meals I've had in quite some time, the flavors perfectly complimented each other...

I'm off to make a salad now that includes the raw sweet corn and almost everything else that I can think of, including the organic mustard greens and zucchini that have been hanging around the refrigerator here as well...

I am very lucky...

I am truly spoiled.

Buried Alive...

Under the pile of my life.

Well...that was the scene yesterday if you happened to walk into Snap Snap beginning at a rousing 8:30 am...and ending...well not ending really. I met with a supplier/friend early early, and spent the rest of the day pricing clothes, only taking a break to lean against the pile for lunch...well, and to help customers...I didn't even turn my MacBook on until just an hour ago (that would be over 24 hours in case you're counting...did you miss me??)

I'm not done pricing yet.

No, I'm not.

I have more hours of pricing ahead of me today...and cleaning this place up and whipping it into shape for the weekend, for my mother to be here (I'm like one of those people who clean before the maid comes...not that I'm comparing my mother to a maid) So I can enjoy the weekend...I'm planning on resting and catching up with myself as well (I spent a while this morning after hopping to the gym, cleaning the house so that I don't have to worry about that this weekend as well...now, if I fold the laundry and change the sheets on the bed, we're big time here)

I'm kicking off the weekend in style with a little soiree at Foolsewoode...it's time to utilize that outdoor porch of mine...time to light up the candelier, break open one of those dusty bottles of wine, and strike up the band...get my summer entertaining on.

After all, It's been a long time since I've danced...

Surely there will be dancing there?

I know there will be candles and laughter...

And lots and lots of relaxation.

Wordless Wednesday...

Get Your Kicks...

On route 66...

Sunday dawned quite early, and groggily by my standards...usually I'm up that early but as this was such a busy weekend, I'm not exactly sure how much more sleep would have been required to make me feel both rested and non-puffy-eyed (the 2 hour nap in the afternoon helped to make a dent) Rich told me I looked cute, but I'm not too sure...

Rich has been talking about shooting certain things on Old Route 66 for some time now, and we being here in Arizona happen to have some parts of the Mother Highway still intact and considered destination spots as the residents of these little places are fighting to hang on to their corner of America. One of these spots is Seligman...which by road trip standards, is right up the street from Prescott...and yes, I've never been (honestly, what was I doing here in AZ before Rich came along?)

This is such a cute town...full of Old Route 66 gems, including historic cafes and several curios shops...one which has a ton of new/old stock for decorations: Vintage original Maybeline make-up, Kodak cameras, car decals...advertisements for Coppertone and Film...you name it! And a lot of the old shipping boxes they came in, there were a million things to see...It smelled wonderfully old as well...I was in heaven. It also made me want to collect more things vintage...Only it's not that easy to find these things anymore.

We stopped to have lunch at the historic Delgadillos Snow Cap Drive-In...apparently the original owner died a couple of years ago, but he was quite a character...telling jokes and swiping customers wallets only to turn around and give out their change to other customers. I can't say that I missed that particularly...

I did miss drinking a vanilla malt though...but I made up for it by indulging in the wonderful crinkle fries instead. I know, a small concession for neither of us being able to drink dairy...and promised instead to make Rich and I some vanilla malts with Soy Dream soon instead.

There were so many wonderful signs decorating the cafe...I was dying to see them all lit up in their neon glory (neon has steadily been disappearing from Arizona for quite some time now...which is a shame. To loose all the things that distinguishes this part of American history because someone thinks its gaudy? It's very sad indeed.) There was so much to look at on the cafe...Rich pointed out a sign that made us both giggle...you see apparently they serve "Dead Chicken" and I was busy chuckling over the sign that said "Cheeseburgers...With Cheese..."

Seligman was apparently one of the places that inspired the sets for the animated Disney movie Cars...and true to the movie Cars, when they put the interstate highway through Arizona, the locals that were used to 9,000 people coming through daily, watched the traffic totally stop as they came into the streets and realized that the world was now passing them by...


In back of the Snow Cap Drive-In, someone parked a bunch of vintage cars and painted them to look like the cars in the movie...we loved it. There were also several vintage cars parked along the main drag in town, and in the businesses including 2 Edsels! I mean, whoa...where else are you going to find this many cars used purely for the enjoyment of display? I loved it!!

It really was like walking back in time for a bit...reliving a bit of nostalgia, for a time that neither of us were on the planet, but have heard about, read about, and seen pictures of. Almost instantly after you turn off I-17 to Old Route 66, you start to spy the Burma Shave signs. Now, I happened to know about Burma Shave, but Rich did not...and I watched him be a little amazed at the 5 sign rhymes and sayings. Amazement turned to delight as we both watched eagerly for the next set so we could read them outloud and laugh...they are located both in and out of the town all along the old Route 66. They are quite witty, and I was just floored that they still have them up (I suspect that they are reproductions...but, can you see the care that's been taken to make this a fun destination? Plus, if you click those links up there you can see how many years that Burma Shave was making these witty quips and what they all are...there were some great ones!) As we were leaving Seligman, Rich decided that it would be fun to stop every few feet and photograph an entire series...which had us both laughing and giddy...parking along the mostly deserted highway and running back and forth...yeah, this is the stuff we love...we're dorks, it's how we roll (I'll save that series for tomorrow)

This road trip was so entertaining...we had long meaningful conversations, sang songs and watched the world pass by, with no time-line holding us to a specific schedule. This kind of driving makes me want to drive and see more of the USA...I want to drive the parts of Route 66 that are left, and relive that part of Americana, before it's totally gone...it's disappearing, and with gas prices rising, we were both wondering how long it will survive. Most of these places rely heavily on tourists that want to see this part of American history.

I remember taking a trip with my sister and father years ago with found us touring Indian ruins in this part of the country. We were up towards the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert and there was signs for miles about "The Thing!" What was it? Come see it!! We didn't, and that still bothers me in the back of my mind...We saw the tepee village motel (a bunch of tepees that you could stay in for the night...let's go Rich!) Heck, when I lived in Flagstaff, which still has Route 66 running right through it, there used to be a wonderful hotel called Andy Womaks Flamingo Motor Hotel...It was breathtaking, with a larger than life neon flamingo...we always swore we would stay there someday. They tore it down and built a Barnes and Noble.

This kind of thing should be illegal...Were destroying American history for chain stores...were becoming homogenized.

It makes me sad to think that this part of our history may soon be gone, and the only way we'll be seeing it is in books and movies (I have a few books waiting for me at the library about the Mother Highway as we speak...I want to map this out) We talked about how most cars have DVD players in them, or most kids have iPods or GameBoys...which takes you out of the experience of a true road trip...the chance to talk and know your family, sing songs together, annoy each other, or just stare out the window and imagine life...thinking through the big things.

Then again, it may cut down on the ever popular, "are we there yet?!?!"

That phrase was not uttered one time on our trip on Sunday...Not once.

Fast Cars and Expensive Yo-Yo's...

Phew.

Now that was a weekend...as a matter of fact, I packed so much into the last 2 days (well, almost 3 if you count Friday night as a day) that it may take me an entire week to blog about what went on...so, you'd better just pull up a chair and plan to stay a while.
(thank you cardata.com for the Corvette photo)

As you may remember me mentioning, my 20 year high school reunion was this weekend, and I had planned not to go, as I found the cost prohibiting (that and I'm wanting to spend all that dough on the girls weekend out in a few weeks...because that's how I roll) Well...after my high school friends started arriving in town, I received a few calls...and decided that I would try to stay up late Friday night and jump downtown to meet up with everyone after the cocktail evening...Luckily I was at the Airstream, and Rich was committed to helping me stay up.

It worked...and I saw a lot of old friends later that night.

The next morning I woke up early with a sleep hangover (that would be lack of sleep as I got home at about midnight...without even drinking any alcoholic beverages...yawn) with plans to go to both yoga and the farmers market with Megan...but, those plans changed when I got a call from my friend Shaker inviting me out to breakfast.

After catching up, we decided to attend the family picnic together...he wanted to drive. Apparently there was some horrible mix-up at the rental car agency which resulted in him getting a bright yellow convertible Corvette to drive for the weekend. Well, there's nothing wrong with that, now is there? I felt all Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion pulling up to the picnic and was about to tell everyone that I had invented Post-It's, when I realized that most of the people I was seeing were people that had known what I've been doing since high school...so that wouldn't work. They also told me that I should just come to the big event at the reunion that night after dinner was served...

So, what the heck?! I mean, I'm up for an adventure...sneaking into the reunion...which is when I roped both Dina and Charlie in as well.

Seeing as Charlie and I graduated the same year, and people were asking about him...they were immediately included in on our evil plans. Oh yes, did I mention that Rich was jumping at the chance to come to the reunion as well? (He was, which surprised me, seeing as he didn't even go to his own reunion...having him there was wonderful...not only did I have my very own personal photographer and paparazzi, but I got to introduce him to my crew...oh we girls had fun at school) There were also several people that have been reading our blogs that we didn't know about before the reunion...One friend (Hi Chris!! It was so great to see you again!!) accidentally found my blog through Rich after researching HDR photos...and my friend Rene has been following both of us for quite some time...and they both wanted to meet Rich...

It was also perfect to have Rich there, because the four of us could only stay for about an hour (Charlie and Dina because of the sitter...Rich and I because we had big plans for Sunday that started early in the morning) and Rich kept me on track (and I swear, that is not my beer I'm holding up there...honestly, I was holding it for a friend, I couldn't both drink and visit with everyone)

It seems like one hour was the perfect time to catch up with everyone that I could remember knowing in high school that was at the party...we had the largest graduating class to go through at the time (450...I know, a very small number compared to other places) and not a lot of people came back for this reunion...and every once in a while I saw someone that I couldn't remember knowing...the band that performed that night was actually Kurt King's band, and they were good, but a little loud. I was wishing that there was some 80's music to go along with the evening, but it was not to be (although the band played some Black Sabbath and ACDC...but sadly, no Depeche Mode or Tears For Fears)

As you can see, I am wearing my glasses in these pictures as well...which is quite unusual for me to do in pictures...but, I didn't remember to take them off, and besides, if I had? I probably would not have recognized a whole lot of other people...and I may have hurt myself bumping into things, or embarrassed myself by talking to chairs...

So, there's that.

There were several people we missed a lot: Amy McG, Suzie, Shawna, Doug, Arthur, Chris Lane, Chris Cupcha, Gretchen...and a whole slew of others...and there were a few Hottie McHottersons that were pointed out to me (yes, they were also cute in high school) but I think I was with the cutest guy there...

Also, the most forgiving one after I unsuccessfully juggled some of Rich's lenses at the wedding we were photographing...I scared myself to death as I watched the bag I was carrying open up and then I watched the lenses roll away onto a concrete floor, and I didn't feel any better after picking one up and heard the sickening tinkle of broken glass either (it was only a shattered filter...thank all that is holy...go team filter...and on a lens that Rich hardly uses, so he was totally calm about it...can you tell that I still feel horrible about it??? I just know how important Rich's photography equipment is to him and I would never intentionally do anything to damage it, or anyone's belongings for that matter, plus? Photography things are quite expensive to replace) I was on the verge of tears for quite some time before the reunion while also nursing a continuous sinking feeling that wouldn't go away and Rich jollied me out of it by letting me know that everyone has accidents and I was still a great assistant, and of course we will still be a team in the future. It is so reassuring to know that even though we enjoy spending time together, after looking at the pictures we took, we make also make a great photo team (I will be buying him a new filter as well before our next gig...although he let me make it up to him immediately by buying a soy pizza for dinner) We got some wonderful shots of the wedding...and finished in time to eat and change and run downtown, as we kind of had the matchy-matchy outfits going on...white shirt, tan skirt and black shoes...well, except that I was technically wearing the skirt, and Rich opted to wear pants (although, you know he has the legs to pull off a skirt!) and since Rich had remarked earlier that we looked like the hired help (or more like the waitstaff) we decided to dress a bit differently for the reunion...cause' we had to represent...

Plus? Apparently attempting to use someones camera lenses as expensive yo-yo's tends to make one sweat a lot...

and it would have worked if I knew how to tie knots!!

(Too early to joke? Yeah...I think so, I still have that sinking feeling...ugh)

Rain...Yo...

Last night on the way to the gym I found myself driving through a rainstorm. This would be the same rainstorm that not only hurled pea sized hail into Snap Snap that afternoon, it was also the same storm that made the electricity go out as well.

It was only for 5 minutes, but...it was indeed out.

I decided to brave the rain that was still pouring down out of the sky and go for some afternoon cardio and yoga (it's inside, so I was safe from all the thunder and lightning that was still surrounding us) On the last road I turn down before I get to the gym I saw a young man struggling as he was walking through the rain. Well, he was actually trying to strut all cool like...acting as if walking in a downpour was an everyday thing. But, as I was passing him I noticed a few things:

• He was wearing a zip up hoodie...he was not wearing the hood.
• He did have a hat on...but it was backwards with the brim on the back of his head.
• He was wearing big baggy pants with about 2 feet of very wet denim material dragging out behind him.

I was chuckling to myself a bit. Here he was, in a downpour, walking outside with all the things on his person to protect him from the elements...only homie wasn't willing to use any of them. I'm thinking it was in the name of fashion (Now, that's dedication to the cause) but I'm not sure...

I'm sitting at Foolsewoode right now looking out at the dark clouds again today...listening to the thunder. I know I will be bringing the umbrella to work...and I'll use it when I'm out walking.

My 20th high school reunion is this weekend, and I've decided not to go. I thought the cost was prohibitive (specially since Ms. D and I are off to our big weekend soon...I thought the money would be better spent in Sephora or Anthropologie instead) Plus? Rich and I are shooting a wedding tomorrow night...and I'm using that as a happy excuse not to go. I keep waiting to feel bad about not going, but I actually don't. I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends from high school, and if they're in town, they all know where to find me (plus? I've heard of a party and I know where to find everyone after the events if I'm so inclined)

I hope you all have an amazing weekend...

A Walk in The Dells...

Last evening, after reading and chuckling to all of your comments about Crocs (I think we've got divided yay's and nay's...as to be expected, but you guys are all good sports and we all have different tastes in footwear, which makes it that much more exciting to foot watch) I popped out to the Airstream for a little evening visit.

Rich had decided to host a little hike into The Dells for Josh and invited me to come along. Well, I hate to miss the chance for even more exercise during the day...OK, actually I haven't been out hiking in The Dells with Rich for quite some time, as we've been quite busy this summertime.

So, out into The Dells we went.

It was quite cloudy in the distance, so it looked as if someone was getting rain...which made it nice and cool for all the hopping around on the rocks we did...which didn't keep me from sweating.

It also made me wonder with all the working out I do at the gym...why in heavens name was I huffing and puffing so much scaling all these rocks?

good grief.

Rich was trying his best to reassure me that working out in the gym is different. I don't know though...I still sweat and huff and puff as much...whatever.

We made it back to the Airstream just in time to witness a wonderful sunset. I suppose I could be tired of the sunsets here, but honestly? I haven't seem to see many this year...and with all the busyness it was a wonderful treat...

good friends, rock hopping...sunsets...

Who could ask for more?


(see more pics at my Flickr)

Eavesdropping...

Synopsis: Sometimes you've just got to wonder why you choose your particular career.

Setting: Random Resale Clothing Store
*downtown*

Wife: "Do you think _______ (insert appropriate picky teenager's name whom all of a sudden has more taste than anyone else in the known world here) would like this top?"

Husband: "I don't know...I really don't...I guess I just don't know about those things anymore..."

Clothing Store Owner: (using her inside the head voice) (and her inside the head roll-of the-eyes) Well, let's see here...you're wearing green crocs and by the smell of it...a bottle of self-tanning lotion, so in this instance, I'm thinking the young lady in question may be right.

I know these are popular shoes...and I may have just offended someone...but, as these are described as beach clogs and we're in Arizona, far from water...I just wonder. Plastic enclosed shoes in the desert seem like a strange choice for footwear to me...yes, I see that they have air holes, but unless you're using them to store snakes, I still wonder about the plastic-ness...although they come in a range of rainbow colors...

I suppose though, one should be happy that the man was not wearing those little charms in them.

Wet Weather Behavior...

The monsoons have officially started.

Ok, I don't watch the news, so I'm not quite sure if that's accurate, but according to me? The monsoons have officially started.

Let the happy rain dances begin! Not that I actually dance in the rain...

Well, I did once...naked. Yes you read that right...Naked. Without a stitch of clothing or anything else on me. What? I was young and in amazing shape. Oh wait, no...

No...It was the middle of the night...totally dark, and I may have been delirious with sleep.

Whatever the case was, it felt amazing, dancing around in the middle of the street, the rain falling down on my skin. Well, until I noticed the street light that I was dancing under was on and effectively acting as a spotlight...The skinny dipping in the ocean is a story we shall save for another time.

Lately though, I'm a bit more tame when I see the rain. Don't get me wrong, living in Arizona has that effect on you...a bit of free water falling from the sky? It's dance worthy...only lately I've been finding myself stuck at various retail places around town when the downpour hits. I'm in a store and all of a sudden I notice a whole lot of extra noise and stop to think to myself, "my the air conditioning is noisy" and then it occurs to me that it may be just a bit more than that (well, and the thunder usually tips me off as well...can't put anything by me) And, then I stand at the glass door and watch as all hell breaks loose and the swirling eddies flow by the door carrying bits of dirt, trash and rocks with them (yes rocks...we're still a bit rural here...well, that and with all the sunshine people tend to landscape a lot with crushed granite opting out of maintaining lawns and such) all ankle deep water...

And wouldn't you know it? My umbrella is in the car...the one over there with the windows cracked 2 inches on each side? Yup, that's mine. 28 years in one place and I still can't get the hang of the weather (of course, you can hardly blame me, as for the last 28 years, I have consistently listened to the words "...wow this is unusual weather" come out of someones mouth on a weekly basis...I'm still waiting for the regular usual weather) When I walk into these stores the skies are filled with white fluffy clouds, 15 minutes later? The monsoon storms blow in...and then dump enough rain down to make me regret wearing my new cute silver Born ballet slippers (even though that little girl with the pigtails went running by me shouting, "cute shoes!!!" not 5 minutes before) and I now find myself having to "waste" 15-30 minutes of time in a store so I don't drown when I step off the sidewalk (which inevitably makes me browse and then I spend more money)

I would take my shoes off and wade to the car, pushing my way through the throngs of people that huddle outside trying not to get wet (you'd think that we lived in the town that spawned the Wicked Witch of the West and these people will just melt if they happened to get wet) but alas, my feet are tender...and you never know what debris you're going to find yourself slogging through.

Case in point...when I was a teenager, I owned a Volkswagen Bug. A real Bug, not one of these new fangled versions...but the kind that had large vents in the back over the engine that would leak rain onto my cylanoid making it wet, thus rendering the car not-startable? Yeah...high class, me in the rain taking apart my carburetor so I could wipe the damp off of it so I could leave work...Not to mention what would happen if I put the accelerator all the way to the floor and the accelerator cable either broke or slipped out. I replaced a lot of those (which was fine unless you count the cable casing under the car was rusted out and chances were I would be feeding the thing through and it would end up on the pavement...It actually helped if you taped it to the old one if you could find the right end and feed it through that way...can you imagine how happy I was once I bought a car that actually started each time I tried it? I didn't even know I'd been holding my breath each time I got into the bug and tried to drive)

Anywho...I was waiting to make a left hand turn out of Baskin Robbins after visiting a friend (this may have been when my weight started to become an issue...I mean, free ice cream?!?) and the inside of the windshield used to fog up quite badly, rendering it nearly impossible to see out of the car to drive (no defrost. no horn either...) so, there I was sitting, with the window rolled down on my side so I could pull out during a break in the traffic seeing as the windshield was smeary from all the fog and me wiping it...and a large truck went screaming by, hit the incredibly large puddle that I was sitting next to, which threw a huge wave of water into the car. I couldn't roll the window up fast enough (no electric windows here) and I also happened to be looking the direction of the wall of water...enough to witness time slow down before I got hit full force in the face. Which left me spluttering...and picking leaves and sticks out of my mouth (most likely due to the openness of the horrified "O" I was making right before I got hit) and wiping dirt and mud off of my face and out of my eyes...which was all well and good, only I was on a lunch break from work.

So, that was nice.

But, I've learned my lesson and wade gingerly through the ankle deep water now...and watch for large puddles and speeding trucks...Oh, and I close my mouth too.

It Was A 3-Day Weekend...

Which means I totally cleaned the house from top to bottom!

Yeah...right.

Actually, I ran around to bar-b-q's all weekend...the way it's going? If I expand my "fan" base...I'll never have to pay for or cook my own food again. It's like dating the whole world. sigh.

I spent Friday the 4th of July, with Rich (enjoying both of our day's off together) running here and there...finally curling up at the Airstream for a nap. Well, that was me anyway...Rich stayed up and watched a movie. He's exhausted...which is why I was a little surprised that he didn't lay down next to me and take a snooze...he'd been talking about taking a nap since before going to bed the night before.

This is what grown up adults do you know, plan out their next naps.

He said that he sometimes feels like he has to entertain me when I'm at the Airstream. Weeellll...he put on a movie I didn't want to watch, so I picked up the book I brought with me (because I'm totally devouring Jen Lancaster's books in quick succession) and I read that until I had to pick my head up off the book (I was also afraid of drooling and sticking the pages together) and staggered back to the bed where I flopped down and was out for a while...I'm not sure what kind of entertainment I required either when I was reading or sleeping, or became an adult for that matter...but there you have it. Rich is so tired he's apparently delirious.

Then he sputtered around and said something about Dysoning and cleaning the Airstream...but, he didn't want to wake me up.

???

I was promised a nap...

Plus? The weather turned all blustery and rainy, so it was the perfect afternoon for sleeping...After I managed to rouse myself (mostly because there was some strange rocking and noises going on...which I took to mean that Rich was outside covertly trying to wake me up by fiddling with the awning...but, it was really the awning blowing around in the insane storm winds) we found ourselves at an old neighbors of Rich's new home for a bar-b-q. We lasted approximately one hour...

Yes. Perfect views of the upcoming fireworks and we went home after one hour...while it was still light out. We're pretty much party animals.

I went to my mother's house...where I spent the rest of the evening jumping up and down trying to see the top half of the fireworks all while trying not to jump on snails, and trying to jump in between the raindrops. Rich went home and went to bed. I told him he should have taken a nap.

There were no pictures taken of the fireworks by either of us this year...

Saturday was more of the same...only Rich was entertaining people at work, and I was taking care of myself by taking myself out to eat and shop...which I considered very nice of me. I didn't mean to shop (I never do) but there were some crazy sales going on...I walked away with a couple of things that were quite cheap, as I had to remind myself that I am saving all of my money right now for Dina and I's Girls Weekend Out. That evening was the celebration for Charlie's birthday...

Dina and I went out early to pick up pizzas...she got one special for Rich and I at Nick and Willie's that had soy cheese on it even. We discovered that Nick and Willies has soy cheese available, and it makes us cry with joy because of the lactose problems we have (and yes, I know that the wheat isn't good either...but, as allergies go, wheat is lower on the list, and we don't eat it all the time) Rich ate before me (I was all smarty because I just started a new diet...and was saving mine for a bit later) when I walked back into the kitchen and all of the pizza was gone. Because some fools didn't realize that it was a special pizza. Luckily one Neanderthal of a man was busily stuffing one slice into his mouth and was greedily clutching the other in his free hand (all while slinging unchewed food and crumbs all over Dina's kitchen) when I said, "...aaaarrrgghh!! Where is the pizza that was in THIS box?!?!" and he reluctantly let me have the piece he hadn't started stuffing in his open mouth, while he went in search for more (and a plate hopefully...do these people eat on the outside?) I proceeded to put it on a plate and smooth it out so I could eat it....this was after I carried it around while crying. I love me some pizza you know. Here I was, ready to make the huge sacrifice and compromise my new diet (only a little bit though) and I was being thwarted...you can only imagine how devastated I was.

This diet is all about proper food combining, and is actually going to be really easy for me to follow, and pizza with just veggies is perfect...but as it was, this particular pizza did have pepperoni on it, so I was only going to have 2 small slices and then a whole lot of raw veggies. What a got was a wadded up piece of pizza with a lot of the toppings missing (I elected not to pick them off the floor or off the front of this guys shirt or chin) and a whole lot more raw veggies than I was planning on in the first place (I was even very good and ate no cake...Of course, after the pizza incident, I did have a drink so I'm sure that just canceled the no cake thing right out...but, with a small buzz these things become more tolerable)

I suppose I could take the high road here and say that someone was looking out for me so I could not compromise my new way of eating...I chose to take the road that let me simmer and mutter under my breath that perhaps people could have eaten a piece from the FOUR other pizzas that were floating around...two of which had just come out of the oven. While lovely, the soy cheese pizzas look nothing like regular pizza...the cheese melts all weird...I mean, it's great if you like the "taste" of cheese on a pizza, but the look is not the same.

Personally, you could leave the whole cheese business off and I would be fine. I never could understand why people think it's a big deal to not have mozzarella on pizza...mozzarella has a very neutral taste as far as cheeses go...I mean, if it was sharp cheddar, I could understand. Then again, I've had a bit of a prejudice against mozzarella after the time I went for calzones with my father, and I took a big bite and got half melted mozzarella stuck both in my mouth and half way down my throat, where it then rapidly hardened and expanded...making it impossible for me to get the bite of food back up into my mouth to chew, or chew the portion that was already in my mouth so I could swallow...but, right before I passed out (because I could not longer breathe with all the cheese taking up the orifices in my head) I managed to swallow the whole unchewed bite so I didn't have to make the sign for international choking at the table before I lost consciousness. We were at a lovely restaurant overlooking the ocean, and it would have been a shame to just die from a ton of cheese hardening half way down my throat (I also learned to be more dainty with my bites after this)

The new diet says I should carry both my own home made salad dressing around and raw vegetables "just in case" I'm going to go out on a limb and a add a black sharpie to that list as well...that way I can write my name on random bits of food that are special for those of us with food allergies. Because, you don't want to piss the girl off on the diet...nothing good can come of that.

Happy 4th Of July!

Have a festive and wonderful holiday!
I'm off to more bar-b-q's than you can imagine this weekend...
I'm also planning on grabbing some more photos of fireworks as well!
Happy 232 Birthday America!

"_______"

A meme as found over at Stiletto Heights yesterday. I love memes that have to do with my name because my name is so unusual (actually, one of the quotes I found says that my name isn't even in the top 10,000 for popular baby names...which is fine by me.) It usually makes for some fun when I type it in...especially like this:

1: Type in “[your name] needs” in the Google search:

Sadira needs love, too. ~Hikaru ...

(oh...it's true. Thank you Hikaru...)

2: Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search:

Sadira: Looks like I can’t create any more sand beasts. (picks up another scroll) Hmm. “How to Master the Shifting Sands of Time.” Interesting. ...

(finally...I can master the shifting sands of time...hahahaha)

3: Type in “[your name] does” in Google search:

Sadira does not age, nor can she be effected by mundane ...

(I don't know about that...)

4: Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search:

So far my husband likes them as well as he's liked anything I've ever suggested, but doesn't hate Sadira, or Fiona either. ...

(well, I don't know this guy...but, I'm glad he doesn't hate me)

5: Type in “[your name] goes to” in Google search:

Sadira goes to the beach...

(I would love that right about now...)

6: Type in “[your name] loves” in Google search:

Sadira Loves me T-Shirt

(Now, isn't that a little something we'd all like to display over our chests?)

7. Type in “[your name] eats” in Google search:

Sadira Eats Fire...

(well...I know I sometimes play with it, but I rarely eat it)

8: Type in “[your name] has” in Google search:

As she struggles to understand the meaning of true love, Sadira has to confront a past that she’d fought very hard to forget.

(oh dear, I'm sorry to say that hits that nail right on the head)

9: Type in “[your name] died” in Google Search:

Sadira died of old age in 2004.

(oh my...if I died in 2004 it wouldn't have been of old age...no matter how tired or old I think I am)

10: Type in “[your name] will” in Google search:

Princess Sadira will deal with them...personally. I think I speak for us all when I say, "AAAHHHHH!"

(yes, because if it's come to the point where I have to deal with anyone...be afraid. Be very afraid)

The Tourist...

Sunday.
The last Sunday in June. 2008

Sunday was spent tooling around the Northcountry with Tom. Rich was there, of course, who else better to drive the scooter (the name he's affectionately calling his Nissan Versa) and lead the tour, than the ultimate tour guide? Rich had been trying to talk us into another Arizona spot, but Tom chose Sedona. And really, why not? Sedona, like The Grand Canyon, is one of the more beautiful spots here in Arizona.

Arizona is so surprising...The desert one minute, red rocks the next...interlaced with delightful water features?

We found ourselves at a trail towards Cathedral Rock...winding in and out of hot sand, and cool trees...being chased along by the babbling brook...ahem. That sounds a bit like a story doesn't it?

OK...realistically? It was flipping hot...had to have been around 90something and it wasn't even near 10am yet. Yeah, it's Arizona, it's a dry heat, it's the summertime...blah blah blah.



When pulling into the non-manned fee-area of this particular park, and after scrambling for change to stuff into a park envelope...we scored a spot near the start of a trail, by the restrooms. There was an Asian couple standing there...Actually, to be more accurate, the wife was standing there holding a box of Kleenex in one hand, and a wad of dirty Kleenex in the other. Her job apparently was to hand fresh Kleenex to her husband who was staging an impromptu car was with a bottle of water and the box of Kleenex...he was standing on the bumper of his car just cleaning away.

The car was on.
There were children in it.

I am wondering if they were rolling their eyes? I'm also wondering why this woman didn't throw the wad of dirty Kleenex at this man? She could have later though, we didn't linger long...as it was I tried to shoot her a sympathetic look as I walked by (I was also trying not to laugh because I knew if I started, I would fall on the ground and be absolutely no good for further hiking...) I also looked towards Rich with new appreciation and a secret smile. Just recently, you see, I had looked at the hood of the scooter, and commented on some sort of splash of brown liquid that was sprayed all over side of the hood...

"What's that???" I say as I point at the hood of his brand new white car.

"Hmmmm...I don't know. Tree Stuff? Coffee?" he pauses to lick the end of his finger and then drag it over the offending stain, wiping a bit of the brown off the hood before wiping his now dirty finger on the inside of his shorts pocket, "Well, I don't know exactly...whatever it is, I hope it's not bad for the paint job..."

I suggested using a sheet from the box of Huggies wipes we carry with us to wipe the car down...before the stain sets (as if this is some sort of fancy silk garment) Rich pauses to sigh and looks at me as if I've lost my mind..."What? I mean, they have Shea Butter in them, wouldn't that act as a sort of good wax for the paint job?"

I had a small fleeting thought that maybe that man would wash our car for us while we're out hiking?

I'm just happy I wasn't found standing next to Rich with a box of premoistened Huggies wipes in one hand, and a bunch of dirty wipes in the other hand. It was too hot to stand in the sun wiping the car down...I'd rather get to that hike!

You'll be happy to know that most of the time, we found ourselves following a wonderful creek, so it was usually cooler than not. It's so beautiful in Sedona, especially when walking by the water and gazing at all the McMansions...making me question why we never lived here? I posed that exact question to my mother once and she said, "...because it was always expensive..." Well. That's true. So, we just visit a lot instead.

This hike houses one of Sedona's famed vortexes. This is a question that most people pose about Sedona, "Where are the vortexes?" or "I want to go to a vortex!!" I have heard both of these phrases uttered more times than I care to remember by impatient people in a loud demanding way, often accompanied by crossed arms, tapping feet, and out of state license plates. I would imagine that those who work with the public in Sedona probably wish they could throw them in a vortex...but, that's not what vortexes are for. They're for healing...apparently, and making one feel uplifted for days. People come from all over the world to hang out near these vortexes, but I'm telling you...it surely doesn't make them more patient/less rude in the crazy traffic of this tourist destination, or make people obey the "walk" sign when crossing the street (rather they sneak across all hunched over with a mad smile on their faces, thinking we can't possibly see them) maybe vortexes just makes you have this uncontrollable urge to wash your car with Kleenex?

This particular vortex was marked with a healthy amount of cairns. I mean, I guess it was the vortex. Rich said it was, and I tend to believe him as I'm almost an Arizona native, and before I met him I hadn't seen half the places I have since we've been an item. While Rich is very well read about Arizona...I just usually find myself stumbling along stepping over snakes and accidentally discovering things instead. I didn't feel any different after hanging out at the vortex though...Sedona on a whole, has a very interesting energy, so it's kind of hard to tell.

I also made sure to take a picture of Tom and Rich...mostly because when we made the perfunctory stop for Tom to take a picture of Bell Rock (which is a necessity if you visit Sedona...they honestly check you on the way out of town to make sure that you've done this before they let you leave) I asked them if they wanted me to take a picture of the two of them? I mean, after all this is Rich's BFF...

Tom said, "...No...we're not chicks!"

This made me want to get a picture of the two of them together or die trying.

Must. Document. Tom's. Visit. To. Arizona.

snap.


I also got a shot of what I like to think of as Bush-Man-Rich...or Rich. Working.

I swear to all that is holy that I was just waiting for a Lion to jump out of the tree line and give him a big lick. Although, that would have been a bit unusual...but, we were near a vortex you must remember...one never knows. And that would have made for a great HDR shot!

snap.

And then there was the classic shot of I'm taking a picture of you taking a picture of him taking a picture...

snap again.


After all of us dipping our toes into the creek on multiple occasions, I think we may have all wanted a little swim. I haven't been in a bathing suit in front of anyone willingly since 2001...and we didn't have towels...so there you go. It was also getting quite crowded with people milling about the longer we stayed, and there were lots of young scantily clad girls hopping off rocks, pretending to be scared by spiders on the rocks, and wearing weird large dangling jewelry from their belly buttons...so you can understand if I was a little intimidated (although, this seems to be a regular thing at Water Places in Arizona)

• Rich just whistled a catchy tune from a favorite South Park episode instead...
• I prayed for the style of low-rise everything to please stop soon (while I hummed that stupid catchy tune under my breath)
  
• I'm not sure what Tom thought (although, he's from Florida, so I have the feeling he's seen such things before)

We eventually made it back to the car, which had not been washed off, but not before being crowded off the trail several times by people who refuse to practice etiquette and walk single file when they see other people coming towards them...I mean, we always walk single file when this happens, but most other people take it as a sign to buddy-up and give us a good elbow jab as they walk by. Then it was off to Jerome for a late lunch at the Haunted Hamburger before zipping home to the Airstream...and saying good-bye to Tom, for now...

I hope he enjoyed his visit...and I am looking forward to seeing him again, especially if his plane gets in on time and he can stay a while.

Saturday's Blog Party...

Ms. Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist had a rather large and fun Party over at her blog on Saturday...My, but Saturday was a big party day for me.

And don't cha' know that I took all these lovely pictures at the goings on over at Foolsewoode, and did not have time to post them ON the day of the party?

Why yes, I was that busy.

But, never to busy not to be able to join Ms. V (because she is a very favorite person of mine) and I needed an excuse to drag out my jewels...let's see...what sparkles shall I wear?

Which ones would you choose?

I really need to remember all the places I keep my fancy baubles...glass candy containers, vintage tins, boxes and drawers...not to mention the ones that I have slung over pictures and door knobs...

I think there's something to go with every outfit! I am going to wear the outfit that I'm wearing to the art opening tonight though...I want to get as much use out of that fancy number as I can get.

And, I've carefully set the table with my new fun and prized vintage tablecloth. Now, I'm not enamored of the colors per se...but, they do kind of pastel it up for the summer...and those Chinese lanterns just absolutely kill me...

And, I will be dragging out the vintage sodie pop...one must absolutely have bubbly at these sorts of things, don't you agree? I'm not sure that I will allow you to open one though, because then they wouldn't be as pretty to display...but, I will serve you some special punch instead...and this punch just might have some ice cream in it...

Did you also notice those two tiny bottles?

Well...let me tell you a little secret. Those are hostess gifts...because I hate to show up at a party without something special for the hostess. I bought them some time ago in my travels you see...they are actually tiny vintage Salt and Pepper bottles with a lovely picture that says Tucson Arizona on it...They were meant for her all along, I just thought this would be a perfect reason to give them to her! I will try to wrap them up and send them off soon...

Now, I think we shall use the linen monogrammed napkins...I actually collect monogrammed linens, and while my other's are packed away, I just aquired these from my wonderful mother...They have my initial on them. This is also the perfect time to get out my Madame and Monsieur napkin rings and blow the dust off of them...

That is also my special fortune telling cup...You can use it to read tea leaves...Now, I was figuring since it's been so hot, we could do Iced Tea Leaf Readings instead...I mean, if that was OK with you?

And, for the plates? I thought I would use my decadent hand painted china...OK, I'm just kidding, they are actually decorated tin plates...but I love them so. They match the pink and yellow pupcakes I made just perfectly...unfortunately I ate them all already, so...you'll just have to trust me!

Well, that's all for my part of the wonderful party...

Thank you for the invitation Ms. V...I had a lovely time!