Another Arizona Day With The Lost Dutchman Visiting Saloons, Bordellos & Tortilla Flat

Lulu's Bordello's Guide To Women Of The 1800s

Today I am exhausted again, by mid-afternoon, due to driving I don't know how many hundreds of miles of scenic wonderland.

The first tourist attraction of the day was something called a 99 Cent Store. I got Foster Grant sunglasses for 99 cents. And my dad got lost.

Eventually my mom and I were able to locate my lost dad.

My dad. A Lost Dutchman. Which became sort of the theme for the day.

The destination today was Tortilla Flat. On the way to Tortilla Flat we stopped at the Goldfield Ghost Town and visited Lulu's Bordello, among other attractions.

Back in its 1890s heyday, Goldfield was the proud home to 3 saloons, a brewery, a school and a general store, in addition to Lulu's Bordello and other enterprises.

Goldmine Ghost Town Warning Sign

I used to know a Madame who called herself Lulu. I am fairly certain the Goldfield Lulu is a different Lulu, but, I have no way of knowing this for certain.

When the nearby goldmines petered out, so did Goldfield, til its revival as a Ghost Town.

You can ride a mine train, go on underground mine tours, buy souvenirs and among many other things, go to the Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon and have yourself a cooling Sarsaparilla libation, which is what my mom and dad and I did.

Usually mom and dad don't go in saloons and consume adult libations, but today an exception was made, since I was the designated driver.

Goldfield Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon

Continuing on past Goldfield, in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains, those mountains being the location of the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine, the road to Tortilla Flat was an even better twisting and turning, up and down roller coaster ride than yesterday's drive up and down South Mountain.

Eventually a lake came into view. This lake is the result of the Mormon Flat Dam damming the Salt River, creating Canyon Lake.

Several lakes in this area are the result of damming the Salt River, including the biggest result of the damming, Roosevelt Lake. We did not make it as far as Roosevelt Lake, today, due to the fact that the road to that location is not paved and we are not fans of gravel roads over treacherous terrain.

Outside The Tortilla Flat Restaurant & Saloon
Where A Visiting Texan Has Been Hanged

Near the shores of Canyon Lake is where you find Tortilla Flat. Tortilla Flat is the only remaining stagecoach stop, in existence, along the famed Apache Trail. The road to Tortilla Flat, and beyond, follows the famed Apache Trail.

Drive this difficult road in modern day vehicular comfort and imagine what a ride on the Apache Trail must have been like in a stagecoach.

The Tortilla Flat name allegedly came about when some cowboys were celebrating a successful cattle drive from Globe to Phoenix. The cowboys did a bit too much celebrating, maybe at one of the Goldfield saloons, and forgot to get supplies.

By the time the cowboys made camp, at the flat mesa near present day Tortilla Flat, all they had to cook with was some flour. Some cowboys of Vaquero derivation knew how to make tortillas, and proceeded to do so. And thus, where I had lunch today, became known as Tortilla Flat.

Tortilla Flat Restroom Out Of Order

Tortilla Flat was overrun with visitors today. License plates from all over America. Three times we were behind a car from Washington. One from Alaska. Several from Canada.

You numbskulls, in Fort Worth, reading this, who don't know what a real tourist attraction looks like, well, you see out of state visitors at a real tourist attraction. A tourist attraction is not a sporting goods store with only locals in the parking lot.

Mom and dad and I had ourselves a real fun lunch today at the Superstition Restaurant & Saloon in Tortilla Flat. None of us had tortillas. Although mom did have a Taco Salad Grande that was in a fried tortilla bowl.

I've never spent so much time with my mom and dad, in saloons, as I did today.

The drive back to our homeport, from Tortilla Flat, seemed to go way faster than the drive there. Possibly due to opting to use freeways. We stopped at my sister's, on our way back to Sun Lakes. There we learned that one of my nephew's has leveled egregious accusations of malfeasance at my sister and myself, accusations made without a shred of evidence.

Another fun day in Arizona, so far.

I have no idea what they've got planned to do to me tomorrow, except for Spaghetti at my sister's house with my nephews. Since my youngest nephew is constitutionally unable to consume any food item that is not white or brown I don't know how red tomato sauce is disguised in my sister's Spaghetti. Should be interesting.

The 3rd Tuesday Of March Dawns Clear & Cold In Sun Lakes Arizona

Gazing skyward from my current primary viewing portal on the outer world on this 3rd Tuesday of the 3rd month of 2012 I can see a crescent moon and no clouds.

Now, if only the sun would begin behaving appropriately and heat this currently cold Valley of the Sun to something above 12 degrees above freezing I would appreciate it.

The only cold weather clothes I left Texas with were the long pants I was wearing and a long sleeved shirt.

But, on the bright side, I am not shivering as bad as the last time I was in Tacoma during the frigid summer of 2008.

Throughout the day and night, yesterday, I was getting reports and  photos of the major storm that was striking the Dallas/Fort Worth zone with heavy rain and lightning. Near as I can tell I missed the first strong storm in a long while in my current home zone.

I do not know what is planned for today, except for a Wake. Apparently, when you live in a retirement community attending Wakes is a big part of the social calendar, requiring the production of copious amounts of food.

The sun has now completely arrived to begin it much needed heating duty, yet somehow we have managed to lose a degree.

I do not know if my swimming suit is going to get wet in any of the Sun Lakes pools. It is starting to seem like the only time my swimming suit is going to get wet is when I get in my sister's swimming pool to settle a bet that she tricked me into losing with her wily, casino-honed, gambling ways.

Driving The Phoenix South Mountain Road Looking For Whitey, Taco Bell & More Turkey Legs

The Roller Coaster Road On South Mountain

Well, I have had myself another exhausting multi-mile day in Arizona and I still have hours to go before this day ends.

I am hopeful there will be no more miles to go today.

This morning, a short while after I returned from a jog around Sun Lakes, I was informed I had 10 minutes before we were departing for the South Mountain Park Preserve.

South Mountain Park Preserve covers over 16,000 acres, making it the biggest city park in America. There are 51 miles of primary trails for horse riding, mountain biking and hiking. Plus many more miles of less than primary trails for additional adventurizing.

South Mountain's Dobbins Lookout At 2,330 Elevation

It is sort of not the easiest thing in the world to impress me.

South Mountain Park Preserve impressed me greatly today.

Did I mention there is no admission charge?

Are you listening Fort Worth? Phoenix does not charge an admission fee to the largest city park in America. Unlike Fort Worth's Nature Preserve, which began charging an admission charge a few years ago.

I did the driving today, with my dad being the backseat navigator, until, hours later, when we were back in Chandler, where my mom took over the navigating duties.

In The Dobbins Lookout Looking At Phoenix Far Below

The road up South Mountain is paved and in excellent shape. The road twists and turns, up and downs, making it a very fun roller coaster ride, better than yesterday's roller coaster ride.

The road leads to three different lookouts looking out in three different directions.

At one point, on the way down, a pair of mountain bikers zipped along at high speed, on a treacherous looking trail, above us. The trails are a bit rocky, not slick rock sandstone high traction type trails. I tried to get pictures of the mountain bikers, but that did not work out. Seeing those guys mountain biking made me want to mountain bike.

Scorpion Gulch Is At The Entry To
South Mountain Preserve Park

I'd love to return to South Mountain and spend a day, or two, hiking. I don't think that will happen on this trip.

When we left South Mountain we spent a very short amount of time looking for the Mystery Castle before continuing on to find food.

We were unable to locate any of those cool McDonald's Restaurants we've been finding the past few days and instead found something called Taco Bell where we had something called a Gordito Combo. This came with a bag of Doritos. I think this place may catch on. Those Doritos were delicious.

After leaving Taco Bell I was in the mood for some more Mexican culture, so my dad navigated me to the town of Guadalupe. Apparently most Anglo things are banned in Guadalupe, including the aforementioned McDonald's. I rather liked the small town of Guadalupe. I felt like I'd left Arizona and had crossed the southern border.

Leaving Guadalupe mom mentioned my nephew JR, saying he worked in the area and I should drop in and surprise him. Keep in mind dad was still navigating. Apparently, we were nowhere near where JR worked, when mom suggested we were. Dad then directed me to drive many miles north, past the very cool downtown of Tempe, and then to Cowtown Skateboard where my nephew runs the store's online operations.

You in Fort Worth reading this, Cowtown Skateboard has nothing to do with the Cowtown known as Fort Worth. Years ago when I was told JR got a job at Cowtown Skateboard, I thought this meant he was moving to Fort Worth.

I walked in to JR's store where a guy asked if he could help me. I told him who I needed to see, sounding as ominous as I could. The guy led me to the back of the store, then walked ahead of me and said "Whitey, some law enforcement dude needs to talk to you."

I have no idea why the kid thought I was law enforcement or why my nephew is called Whitey.

When Whitey saw it was me he stood up, gave me a hug and showed me photos of his girl friends. We then walked outside so Whitey could see his grandma and grandpa. Whitey informed us he would be seeing us on Wednesday. My mom, dad and me had not been informed of this, til Whitey told us.

Soon we left Whitey and headed back to Chandler where my mom took over navigating. This led us to the biggest Sprouts Farmers Market I ever been in, where I was able to find yet one more illusive turkey leg.

Then it was back on the road again, til we stopped at a Basha grocery store to hunt for Tillamook Vintage Extra Sharp White Cheese. This cheese had previously proved as illusive as the formerly illusive turkey legs. But my mom has determined that I have some sort of preternatural knack for finding illusive products in grocery stores.

This once again proved true when I located the illusive Tillamook cheese.

After getting the cheese we were on the fast track back to Sun Lakes, but not before passing the multi-billion dollar Intel project, with its world's tallest Japanese cranes. My mom is my info source for the Intel facts.

From Intel on I was able to navigate to my mom and dad's homeport with no additional directional assistance.

I have no idea where I will be driving tomorrow. I suspect turkey leg hunting will happen at some point in the day.

The 3rd Monday Of March Dawns Cold In The Valley Of The Sun

The view from my current primary viewing portal on the outer world is drier than yesterday on this 3rd Monday of the 3rd month of 2012.

It is 46 degrees, right now, a few minutes before the arrival of the sun in the Valley of the Sun, where it was so cold last night I added a blanket.

Meanwhile, somewhere between 900 and a 1000 miles to the east, at my former location that is not in any sort of Valley of the Sun, it is 69 degrees heading to a high today of 80.

The high at my location in Arizona is scheduled to be 59 today. With rain. My former location is also predicted to get rain today. A lot of it. Combined with lightning and thunder.

I have no idea what the locals have in store for me today. I am fairly certain that this morning will not bring a fresh suggestion that we head towards the Grand Canyon.

I also am fairly certain I will not be going swimming today, unless I do so at my sister's, so I can clear an unfortunate bet that I lost.

A Rainy Sunday Drive With My Mom & Dad Looking For Turkey Legs & A Giant Fountain

Mom Navigating Heading North In A Rainstorm

The theme for today in Arizona is rain. A lot of rain. Torrential downpour type rain.

Because of the stormy weather my mom thought it'd be fun to drive north towards the Grand Canyon and go to Jerome and Prescott.

I checked the weather conditions for Jerome and Prescott and found both to be freezing with heavy snow and a Severe Winter Weather Warning.

So, the plan to head towards northern Arizona was altered to going on a hunt for an illusive turkey leg and then to Fountain Hills to see one of the world's tallest fountains.

The Fountain Hill Fountain In Dormant Mode

We were not long on the road when we came to the Wal-Mart Supercenter. We walked in, after a lengthy hunt for a close to the door parking space, to find turkey legs, already cooked, in the deli. I told my mom and dad I'd walk ahead to find the raw turkey legs.

A short time later I was walking back to my mom and dad with an armful of the formerly illusive turkey legs. After determining which of the turkey legs I was holding were the biggest, we purchased them and continued on our way.

After what seemed a short while we were in the desert. Soon we were at Fountain Hills. It was raining hard. We had trouble finding the fountain. Had the fountain been spouting water I suspect we could have found it. At its highest the fountain spouts well over 500 feet.

The Roller Coaster Ride Into A Zion Like Canyon

I tried calling my sister to ask if she knew where the fountain was. She was not answering. So, I went into McDonald's and asked the first person I saw. He pointed me towards the road we had just been on. That road led us to the fountain which was not scheduled to erupt for another 45 minutes.

So, we continued on our way. Further north.

I was totally bum puzzled. It looked to me that we had mountains to our left and to our right. How could going north get us going back south, towards Phoenix?

After awhile my bum puzzlement was alleviated when we came to a road that led us towards Saguaro Lake and behind the mountains, which I had thought, erroneously, were a barrier.

Saguaros Near Saguaro Lake
With A Snowy Mountain Background

This two lane mountain highway was the wildest road ride I have ridden in a long time. Without my mom being able to actively monitor my dad's speed he seems to push right to the edge of the limit. And maybe a bit beyond.

Soon the scenery reminded me very much of Zion National Park. I had not eye witnessed such scenic scenery in a long time, not since the last time I was in Washington.

Not long after leaving the wild scenic wonderland we were back in semi-civilization in the form of Apache Junction. Apache Junction turned into another town and then another and then another and eventually we were back in Chandler and then our home port in Sun Lakes.

When we left Sun Lakes, this morning, the rain was falling hard. When we returned to Sun Lakes, hours later, the rain was falling even harder.

A meatloaf was waiting for us in the oven. Soon a late Sunday lunch was on the table. Along with the meatloaf  we had baked spuds with sour cream, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, green salad, tomatoes, fruit salad and lemon meringue pie. This type diet is how I grew up. Is it any wonder I have an eating disorder?

Texas Provided The Humor Today At Church In Arizona

Sun Lakes United Methodist Church

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.

I have now attended church for the first time in this century.

My church attendance, prior to this century, occurred in the last decade of the last century at a Rock 'n Roll Church in Portland, Oregon.

Today's church in Arizona was not a Rock 'n Roll Church.

Instead of Rock 'n Roll it was the Sun Lakes United Methodist Church, which today was under the control of the United Methodist Women.

The sermon was delivered by Nancy Wilsen.

No, not the singer from the Rock 'n Roll duo known as Heart. The Heart singer's last name is spelled "Wilson."

Today's sermon was the first time I recollect actually ever listening to a sermon. Back in the Presbyterian days, of my long ago youth, I did no sermon listening. I just prayed for it to be over.

Today's sermon was quite good. And amusing.

At the start of the sermon Texas was mentioned. Preacher Wilsen asked if there was anyone from Texas in the congregation. There were a couple hands raised. Preacher Wilsen then apologized, in advance, to the Texans, for the joke she was about to tell.

Apparently 3 Texas boys attending Texas A & M met an untimely end. Upon reaching St. Peter's Gate the trio sauntered in without waiting for permission to enter.

St. Peter stopped the boys and asked them where they thought they were going.

To Heaven the boys replied.

You must prove yourselves worthy first, Peter told them, by answering a question.

Can all of us get in if one of us gets the answer right? one of the boys asked.

St. Peter thought about it and decided, considering that they were Texans from Texas A & M, he'd cut them some slack and if one got the question right, they'd all get into Heaven.

What is Easter? asked St. Peter.

The first Texas boy said, "Dang, that's that time when that fat man in a red suit with a beard flies around with reindeer giving away stuff."

Wrong, said Peter.

The next boy said, "That's that day when you give hearts and candy to your girl friend."

Wrong again.

Last chance, the third boy said, "That's when Jesus came out of his tomb."

"You are right," St. Peter said, "off to Heaven you go."

The two boys heaped praise on the boy who got the answer right, to which that boy said, "And I didn't even get to the part where Jesus sees if he casts a shadow, or not, to learn if spring will come early or winter will last another 6 weeks."

In church this Texas joke seemed very amusing. Typing it out, not so much.

There were only two awkward moments in church. One was when anyone who was a newcomer was asked to stand and introduce themselves. Apparently I got a bit long-winded.

The other awkward moment came when everyone was told to greet anyone who was in their vicinity. It seemed to me that mayhem momentarily ensued. My mom apologized, saying she should have warned me about that part.

My favorite part of the sermon came when Preacher Wilsen began to say the Lord's Prayer. God, who in the Methodist Church apparently is a woman, kept interrupting the Preacher. I could not tell how this was being done. I wondered if Preacher Wilsen was a ventriloquist.

Later, at the Post-Church McDonald's, others, who had been in attendance, joined me in wondering how the Voice of God was done, also wondering if Preacher Wilsen was an excellent ventriloquist.

I fear the mystery of God speaking is going to one of those eternal mysteries, the answer to which, may never be known. By me.

My sister and my favorite brother-in-law were supposed to meet us at the Post-Church McDonald's, but they did not show up. We were all quite perplexed by their absence.

Up Early On A Rainy Sunday In Arizona Thinking About Becoming A Methodist

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this 3rd Sunday of the 3rd month of 2012 you might be able to tell I am up well before the sun in the Valley of the Sun.

But,  you can not likely tell that the Valley of the Sun is getting drenched with a rare Sonoran Desert rainstorm.

Wind stressed the fronds of the palm trees almost all day Saturday. And then sometime in the middle of last night I started hearing that soothing pitter patter noise that raindrops specialize in.

Currently it is 47 degrees at my location.

At my former home location, north of being deep in the heart of Texas, it is 20 degrees warmer. Snow is apparently falling in the mountains that surround the Valley of the Sun. I have no idea if, when Sunday lights up, it will reveal a white fringe on the distant peaks.

My mom and dad are going to church in a couple hours. Methodist. I have no idea what the methods of Methodists are. The last time I went to church, with mom and dad, it was to a Presbyterian church.

I did not bring with me my usual Sunday shirt and tie attire. I have been told the Methodist church is quite casual. And, unless someone else, of the congregation, has a visitor, I would likely be the youngest person in church. I do not remember ever being the youngest person in a church before.

I could go swimming now, if I wanted to. I have a swimming pass. All the pools in Sun Lakes are heated. At the main clubhouse there are multiple pools. I have yet to go swimming in any of them.

Hiking With My Sister To A Hole In The Rock In Papago Park In Phoenix

My Sister Gearing Up For The Hike To The Redrock Top

Does my sister look a bit reluctant regarding the idea of climbing the Papago Park redrock butte behind her, with the hole in the rock being the goal?

Papago Park is a hilly zone, primarily in Phoenix, but spreading into Tempe and Scottsdale.

Papago Park's redrock sandstone buttes make for an unusual feature inside a major city. In Papago Park you will also find the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Garden.

This is only 10 minutes from downtown Phoenix and attracts millions of visitors a year.

Arizona Hikers Trekking To The Top Of
The Butte With The Hole

My current hometown, Fort Worth, Texas, also has an unusual feature about 10 minutes from its downtown, called the Tandy Hills Natural Area. The Tandy Hills Natural Area does not attract millions of visitors a year. Nothing in Fort Worth attract millions of visitors a year.

Oh. I forgot about the sporting goods store, Cabela's, which sold Fort Worth a bill of non-sporting goods, promising, in exchange for tax breaks and other perks, to give Fort Worth the #1 tourist attraction in Texas.

I digress.

Kids Coming Through The Hole In The Rock

I was very surprised at the large number of little kids making the trek up the redrock butte to the hole in the rock.

In Papago Park, in addition to the trail to the top of the redrock butte you see in these pictures, there are many miles of other trails for hiking and biking.

I saw a lot of mountain bikers today, in Papago Park, which made me feel very nostalgic for Moab and my mountain bike.

From the Hole in the Rock you can see a white pyramid. This is known as Hunt's Tomb, due to this being the burial location for Arizona's first governor, George W. P Hunt. Since Arizona is currently celebrating its centennial of being a state, this would seem to indicate that Mr. Hunt became the governor of Arizona in 1912.

Kids Inside The Hole In The Rock

I have already mentioned my noticing the huge reduction in the number of balloon people that I am seeing in Arizona compared with all the balloon people I see in Texas.

This particular Saturday, in the urban zone of Phoenix, is instructive as to why there is such a big girth differential between the two states.

Today I would hazard to guess that there were likely no more than half a dozen people on Fort Worth's Tandy Hills. Granted, the Tandy Hills are not nearly as scenic as these redrock buttes in Papago Park, but that really does not explain the difference in outdoor activity levels.

My Sister Looking Through The Hole In The Rock

That difference in outdoor activity levels sure would seem to go a long way to explain why I'm experiencing the same thing I experienced the last time I had spent way too long in Texas and then flew to a skinnier part of the country to find myself thinking the people looked as if they've had the air let out of them

Today I saw 100s, maybe 1000s of people out and about, hiking, biking, boating, climbing. Every butte or hill we came upon, today, had people either hiking or biking, or both, on it. Including a very steep paved trail on something called A Mountain, in Tempe, near Lake Tempe and Arizona State University.

My sister's pedometer indicated by the end of today's trekking we had trekked about 4 miles. Much of that trekking involved elevations gains.

I do not know what is in store for me tomorrow. Church has been mentioned. My mom just came into my quarters to give me a church worthy shirt. Against my will I was fed dinner tonight. My mom was unsuccessful  in her turkey leg hunt. I have heard Sweet Tomatoes mentioned multiple times this evening as a possible dinner zone for Sunday. Along with my sister....

A Redrock Walk With Roadrunners Through The Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden

Phoenix Desert Botanic Garden Plant Sale

My sister and I arrived very early Saturday at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. The bi-annual plant sale was under way. By the time we left, a couple hours later, that throng of plant hunters had swelled far beyond the number you see in the picture.

Phoenicians seem to be early risers who like to be out and about, hiking, biking, walking and plant hunting, looking, for the most part, like people who have had the air let out of them, unlike most of the people I see at my regular location on the planet.

I can not remember the last time I enjoyed something as much as I did the walk through the Desert Botanical Garden.

I've long had an affection for redrock, developed long ago from my first exposure in Utah.

A Red Cardinal Standing Cactus Guard

The redrock in the Phoenix zone is like the Utah redrock on a small, yet very scenic scale. The Utah redrock has no saguaro cactus, that I am aware of. The Phoenix redrock, with its cactus, adds a real nice element to the basic redrock.

I saw several Roadrunners, aka Paisanos, running about today. I think the Paisanos may have been chasing the dozens of jackrabbits who scurried about chasing the dozens of quails.

Nothing seemed to be chasing the red cardinal you see in the picture perched on a cactus in front of a big mound of redrock.

The Desert Botanical Garden has around 65 acres of desert flora under cultivation, with over 50,000 plants.

When we first entered the garden my sister and I had the place, for the most part, to ourselves. That did not last long.

I don't remember if I've mentioned previously my interest in Native American culture.

Today I got to grind mesquite seeds in the Apache way. I do not know what I was supposed to make with my supply of ground up mesquite seeds. Maybe bread.

The above is an example of an Apache domicile. To me it looks as if this abode would be a bit of a fire hazard.

This particular Saguaro silhouetted against the Phoenix sky looks as if it may be making an obscene gesture. A lot of the Saguaros seem to be of a similar mind. I won't share the description my sister used for many of the various cactus shapes. Suffice to say it was a male oriented description. Maybe that would be better worded to say it was a description with a male orientation.

Let's leave the Desert Botanical Garden and go to another part of Papago Park to walk through a hole in the redrock in another blogging.

Saturday In Arizona Hiking Desert Botanical Gardens With Papago Park Holes In Rocks Declining To Hunt For Turkey Legs

Pedestrian Bridge Over Lake Tempe Dam

I have had me a day, so far, this Saturday, and it is only 3 in the afternoon, with a lot of hours left in the day. I'd take myself a nap if I were nap enabled, which I am not.

My sister took me away from my mom and dad's Sun Lakes abode about 7 this morning. Our destination was the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. More on the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden in a subsequent blogging.

After visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens we headed for another location in Papago Park, that being the hole in the rock. More on the hike to the hole in the rock in a subsequent blogging.

After hiking to the hole in the rock we left Papago Park to go visit my brother and sister-in-law's new location in Scottsdale. I rather liked it. Basically they live in Melrose Place, except in Scottsdale, not Los Angeles.

We left my brother's hungry, after not getting the pancakes that had been promised the night before.

So we headed to another of those cool restaurants called McDonald's. I had something called a Southern Spicy Chicken Sandwich and a Double Cheeseburger. I think I have the names right.

As my sister and I waited for our gourmet food we watched a very skinny lady blocking the drink bar whilst she squeezed the fat out of a couple dozen McNuggets. My sister grew impatient with the lack of access to the beverages and asked the skinny fat squeezer to move.

The skinny fat squeezer then told us her doctor told her she had a coronary condition and should try and squeeze all the fat she could out of her food. We watched as she cut the McNuggets into pieces with a knife and ate the pieces very furtively and bird-like.

It has been my observation that McDonald's attracts interesting customers.

The sequence of events that followed McDonald's I may have a bit confused. At some point after McDonald's we went to my youngest nephew's apartment and his big brother's house. The apartment was in Tempe, with the house being in Scottsdale, which leads me to think we may have gone to the house first.

In Tempe we walked across the new pedestrian bridge you see above. This bridge is above the new dam that replaced the failed dam that made Lake Tempe next to Arizona State University. You may remember that dam failing during bad flooding in Phoenix a year or two or three ago.

At some point, after walking across the bridge, I think we were in Mesa, where we dropped in on my favorite brother-in-law's sleeping mother. I've always found my favorite brother-in-law's sleeping mother to be very nice. But, she did not remember me.

Leaving Mesa we headed south, back to Chandler, where we drove by the Pacific Seafood Buffet. I've not been to a seafood buffet in a long while. Let alone a Pacific seafood buffet.

Eventually we were at the core of downtown Chandler, where my sister drove us around the Chandler town square. It was being festive due to St. Patrick's Day. This location sort of reminded me of Taos. Which makes sense, sort of, with New Mexico being the next state to the east.

Finally I was re-delivered to my mom and dad's in Chandler. My sister left and soon my mom was asking me if I wanted to ride with them to Maricopa to get a bougainvillea and turkey legs. I declined the offer.

I was too tired to go turkey leg hunting.