diners, drive-ins & dives #17: La Piazza Al Forno

We realized we hadn't tried any new Guy Fieri Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives recently and decided to remedy that this summer. Back in July, while we were in historic downtown Glendale to attend an outdoor concert, we ate dinner at a quaint corner pizzeria - La Piazza Al Forno.

Guy and the DDD crew visited this family owned and run pizzaria back in 2008. We have visited some DDD places years after Guy had been there only to discover fame went to their head and it was a dismal experience. Happily, that was not the case at La Piazza Al Forno. The service was fantastic and the food was even better!

We started with Bruschette - "Toasted bread topped with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs" or "Heavenly Bread" as I called it! We used to think that an Italian place we frequented years ago in Calgary, Alberta, Canada had the best bruschetta we ever had but now that honor goes to La Piazza Al Forno. Unfortunately, we were so hungry and it looked so good that I completely forgot to take a photo.

Their pizzas are more personal size so we each got one. It should be no surprise that Richard got the Italian Stallion Meat Pie with four kinds of meat, San Marzano tomatoes and house made mozzarella cheese. It was quite delish! And I had the Dolce Diavolo ("Sweet Devil") with San Marzano tomatoes, house made mozzarella, sopressata (a kind of pepperoni), Calabrian chilis (a small red chili grown only in Calabria, Italy), basil and honey. It was like drinking a glass of really good wine - the flavors blend together yet each retains their uniqueness. No doubt about it, it is my all-time favorite pizza!

Delizioso!!!!!!

La Piazza Al Forno is just over 30 miles from our house - and well worth the drive! I can't wait to go back. Two thumbs up!!

lovin' summer #11... and the end

When you live in a desert, rain is like dessert... with whipped cream and a cherry on top. And this summer the Valley of the Sun had slightly more rain than average! I love watching a good rainstorm... and I especially love the way the desert air smells when it's over. It may not happen often, but it's worth the wait!

It amuses me that a scant quarter-inch of rain becomes the lead news story on all local channels with multiple reporters covering "the storm!" But, to be fair, rain in the desert is news and we all share it via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We send our kids outside to play in the rain and the puddles. We even dance around in the rain. Why? Because it's something different and it's fun.

This post marks the end of my "Lovin' Summer" series for this summer. I know. It is officially summer until September 22nd when fall begins. At least that's what my calendar says. Retailers, of course, think fall begins in July when they clear out the summer stuff and put out fall/winter things. In my mind, summer is over right after Labor Day when all the kids are back in school, football season begins and, perhaps most importantly, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are available.

Looking - sometimes REALLY hard - for things to be thankful about summer helped me focus on what's positive about it rather than on what I don't always like about it -namely, the heat. It helped me appreciate things that only happen during the summer. It reminded me that with the heat comes fun things.

And speaking of the heat, the hottest day of the summer in Phoenix was June 29th with a record-breaking 119 degrees. And with an average humidity of just 14%, it was a very dry heat! I always like to get the worst out of the way at the beginning. The coolest high temperature occurred July 21st with a mere 87 degrees. Of course, the average humidity that day was 75%! Yeah, not so pleasant.

But even so....

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #10

Everyone knows that Arizona summers are blistering hot. We find ways to endure it - we stay in air-conditioned buildings, we swim ... a lot, our kids play indoors a good part of the summer, we take a longer vacation somewhere else - and it doesn't seem so bad. But by August everyone is tired of the scorching heat and it's time for a weekend getaway to cool country.

This year we actually took TWO weekend getaways in August - one to Flagstaff and later one to the north rim of the Grand Canyon with friends. While the south rim is open year round, the north rim is 1000 feet higher in elevation and is closed during the winter making it the perfect summertime retreat.

The pristine views are awe-inspiring.

The north rim is my favorite place to view the canyon. The considerably longer drive from the valley and at least ten degree cooler temperatures (from the south rim) make it less crowded than the south rim - a huge plus in my book. The higher elevation (8800 feet!) means there are more pine trees and more "green" in general than the south rim which has some pine trees but also a lot of high desert vegetation. And then there are the views - absolutely spectacular and much different than the south rim. You would think it would be like walking around to the other side of the swimming pool and looking in - not all that different. But because of the 1000-foot elevation difference and the way the inner canyons run, it is a totally different view.

We were treated to a fabulous thunderstorm the day we were there. What produced an extended downpour (and, I'm sure, some flash flooding) in the middle of the canyon gave us just a few sprinkles. 

If you get tired of the spectacular views inside the canyon, simply turn around and feast your eyes on the lush greenery and pretty wildflowers growing everywhere.

After dinner we hiked out to a lookout point to watch sunset. The sky changed from blue to a million shades of red and orange over the course of about 30 minutes as the sun dipped lower and lower toward the horizon. At the same time, rocks on the east side of the canyon were lit up in vibrant shades of pink and purple. 

I love that God uses the gigantic, extra jumbo pack of crayons and not the 16 crayon box most of us use!

After "sunset," when the sun is completely below the horizon, comes "twilight" which has three distinct phases each lasting about 30 minutes. Then it is officially "nighttime." Many people leave as soon as the sun has set but there is still more to the show for those who stay. We hiked back to the lodge during twilight as we didn't bring flashlights. What an incredible encore!

This was shot during the second phase of twilight (called nautical twilight). Robust pinks and purples shot across a blue canvas - exquisite! 

We did a couple of virtual geocaches at the Grand Canyon. Most National Parks don't allow physical geocaches so geocachers came up with virtual ones where you answer questions about a cache site using the coordinates they give or take a photo of something there showing you found it. Virtual geocaches are usually historic and often educational with interesting information included in the geocache description online. On the way home, however, we were ready for some serious hunting and found four geocaches. If nothing else, it makes us get out of the car and stretch our legs!

The one on the right was a typical cache - a camo'd container hidden under a log. But the one on the left was very clever using a tape measure (retractable) attached to a string that you had to pull to bring the cache down. You never know what you're gonna get until you find it!

We had a most enjoyable getaway as we spent some time with friends and escaped the heat for a couple of days. Although we do several during the summer,  we hardly ever do a weekend getaway during the winter.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #9

When our kids were young, they looked forward to spending  four or five days every summer staying with their grandparents, both of whom lived in the same area we did. I knew they enjoyed it but I didn't realize until this summer how much the grandparents enjoyed it.

Our oldest grandchild, Christopher, flew home with us after our visit to his house and spent the first two weeks of August here at our house. Although he visited us while we were living in Maryland three years ago, this was his first solo visit to our home in Arizona and he was VERY excited. So were we.

Christopher wanted to spend A LOT of time in the pool, see some Arizona sights and just spend time with us. He would also celebrate his tenth birthday while he was here so he wanted a little family party. We wanted to spend lots of time with him and spoil him just a bit - we are, after all, grandparents!

I remember my mother and my mother-in-law telling me how helpful and polite our children were when they stayed with them. Sometimes I wondered whose children they had and what had they done with mine. But now it was my turn to experience the grandparent end as Christopher helped me with household chores like taking out the trash, emptying the dishwasher and vacuuming the tile as his mother wondered who this helpful and cooperative child was we had at our house. I let a lot of my chores slide while he was here but having help with the bare necessities meant we had more time to play and have fun. To do things like...

Christopher dramatically improved his swimming skills as well as learned to snorkel... but not before getting several mouthfuls of water. And, of course, sometimes it's good to just relax!

.... and, of course...

We saw THREE movies (Despicable Me 2, Planes and Smurfs 2 - all good flicks!). We tried out a new (to me) coffee place where Christopher had his first (decaf) mocha - definitely something he wants to do again! We both like to do jigsaw puzzles and he picked out a challenging (ages 12 and up) 250-piece puzzle. We had a great time working on it together and finished it the day before he left!

After seeing Despicable Me 2, Christopher decided he wanted to make Minion cupcakes for his birthday party. HE found a recipe online and we went to work. Actually, the only thing I did was put the cupcake pans in and out of the oven and frost the cupcakes - he did everything else!

Aren't they cute? He had a family swim party to celebrate his 10th birthday here and then another party once he got home. 

Seeing some Arizona sights was a high priority for Christopher... we wanted to escape the heat for a weekend... so we headed up to Flagstaff to do some exploring. He REALLY likes the song Route 66 (Chuck Berry) and we listened to it many times in the car and finally opened up the sunroof and blasted the song, singing at the top of our voices, as we drove along a portion of Route 66. Then we drove through Winona ("You'll see Amarillo...Gallup, New Mexico... Flagstaff, Arizona and don't forget Winona...") just to see where it was... and to say we've been there. After all, how many 5th graders living on the east coast can make that claim? 

Meteor Crater was a hit (what 10-year old boy doesn't like stuff from outer space crashing into the earth?) as was Bearizona. The ski lift ride up San Francisco Mountain  was a little scary for both Christopher and me, but we persevered and loved the view from the top. A trip isn't complete without picking up a few geocaches - after all, what 10-year old boy doesn't like searching for treasure?

We spent two weeks making memories and really getting to know our oldest grandson. It was a very special time for us and could only happen during the summer!

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

50 shades of summer - july

I know this is the third week of August and I am just now posting my July activities. August has been busy, busy, busy with all kinds of fun things. But more on that later!

July was also a very busy month with a holiday weekend and a vacation to North Carolina but I still was able to get ten items crossed off my list. Activites were a little more varied this month - trying a new fruit, watching a couple of movies and shooting Peeps, to name a few.

Several activities this month were solitary ones that took me back to my childhood. I have loved writing letters (and receiving them!) since I was a child. Email, text messaging and free long distance phone calls have all but eliminated that pastime and finding stationery (not note cards) was, not surprisingly, difficult. I finally found some I liked online (because stationery stores are also a thing of the past... sigh...) and wrote a letter (#14) to a friend of mine who is in her 80's and not able to get out much. Although I send her cards somewhat regularly, this was the first, but hopefully not the last, letter I've mailed her.

Although I still have some puzzles I enjoyed doing when I was younger, I bought a special jigsaw puzzle to put together - a 1000-piece puzzle in the shape of the state of Arizona with iconic Arizona places and things as part of the picture - which took us about a week to complete (#3). Of course there was a saguaro cactus, a roadrunner, a gila monster, the Grand Canyon, Indian ruins, golf courses and the like but imagine my surprise when a Green Bay Packer player appeared in the middle of my puzzle (and not on the picture on the box!)! An email to the company cleared up the mystery; it was a misprint and the puzzle was pulled and is no longer sold. Yippee - I have a limited edition!!

From the time I was about eight until I left home to get married, I loved to sit on the patio with my dad and watch a summer rain storm - thunder was a bonus. As the years have passed, I have taken less and less time to just sit and watch a storm which is why it was on my list (#41). We had a doozy of a rainstorm on July 16th and I watched it for over an hour as I sipped my iced tea on the patio. I enjoyed the melodic plink... plink... plink and later the swoosh of the water pouring out of the downspout. I embraced the cool drops on my skin as I moved some pool toys to a more secure spot. When the rain stopped, I could smell the sweet, clean scent that comes after a desert rain. And when I thought it couldn't get any better, I was treated to a most fabulous sunset (#9) that I watched for 20 minutes. It was a truly outstanding way to spend a late afternoon!

Lots of retailers promote Christmas in July but we found Christmas in July in two unexpected places. The new fruit I tried (#6) was a Santa Claus melon (of the muskmelon family), a football-shaped melon with a very thick green-striped rind and creamy white flesh. It is a sweet melon with a distinctive flavor that tastes a little bit like a casaba melon - quite delicious. In the US they are grown in California and Arizona and are harvested from June to October with July being peak season. So why the name Santa Claus? Because they keep until Christmas! We also went to an outdoor concert (#12) in Glendale on a hot July evening. The Glendale Summer Band just finished their 47th season and is the longest-running community band in Arizona. Musicians from middle schools, high schools, colleges and adults of all ages and professions join together to perform eight concerts in June and July. I loved watching a young trumpeter and two old-timers animatedly talk about the music they were about to perform with each learning something from the other. The concert we attended was a tribute to the music of the movies and held the audience captive for over an hour! So where was Christmas? For their encore, they played a tune with Stars and Stripes Forever and Jingle Bells merged together. We could discern each song separately, yet it was together in a new song. Amazing!

Friends are important to us. The 4th of July is our annual Peep Shoot with our MR KLUD friends and, as always, we had a fabulous time shooting Peeps with our BB/pellet guns (#33). Later in the month, another friend hurt her back and I took dinner over to them (#37). While I had intended to pick a friend at random to take dinner to, this friend was picked for me!

Finally, we watched two movies that were released in July - Back To The Future (1985 and #26)) and Lone Ranger (2013 and #21). Back To The Future was every bit as fun now as it was 28 years ago! Although most of the critics did not like Lone Ranger, we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was especially fun to see the places in Canyon de Chelly that our Navajo guide showed us last year (he was a guide for the actors in the movie).

So far, I've completed 21 things on my list of 50 things to do this summer. You can see why August has been busy, busy, busy!! Stay tuned...

lovin' summer #8

So far all of our grandkids (also known as "my sweethearts") live across the country from us. We talk on the phone and have the occasional Skype visit to keep in touch but it's not the same as going to visit them in person.  I feel very fortunate to be able to visit them several times a year. We try to go once during the summer while they don't have school so we can spend A LOT of time doing all kinds of fun "kid" things.

We returned from just such a visit a little over a week ago. It was a time of running through the sprinklers (okay, I did NOT participate in this activity, but it was fun to watch the kids!), playing board games, reading books, making funny faces, swimming, coloring, including the kids in a favorite activity of ours - geocaching, listening to hundreds of stories (real and make-believe) and answering a zillion questions (my favorite ones were questions about what their mother was like as a child!).

Notes: No trespassing occurred while searching for this geocache and playing with your food is perfectly acceptable if Grandma says it's ok.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

history revisited

I just finished reading an interesting book in a genre I had never heard of before - alternate history or uchronia. It is a fictional genre in which a few true historical facts are altered yielding a completely different story. The book I read was "The Year of the Hangman" by Gary Blackwood, an excellent read! For more information about this genre and a list of over 3100 novels, stories, etc., visit Uchronia: The Alternate History List.

Everyone knows the real story of the American Revolution - that the colonies defeated the British and became an independent country, the United States of America. Blackman wrote a story about what might have happened if the British won and the colonists were pursued and hung as the traitors they were.

I won't give away the story but it made me think bout how different life would have been for our founding fathers. Many of them were landowners of considerable wealth. What if they lost everything and had to flee for their life? Ben Franklin invented many things (bifocals and the lightning rod, to name a few), established our first lending library and fire station, and founded the first nonreligious college (University of Pennsylvania) as well as helped establish our government. What would have happened if he moved to France when trouble between the colonies arose? George Washington became the Father of our country and shaped the office of the president. What if he had instead died a traitor?

And if all that happened, how different would our lives be over 200 years later? I might be enjoying a cuppa (tea, not coffee!) and scone (not muffin) as I anxiously awaited news of the new Royal Baby. Interesting to ponder...

something you'll want to catch

We recently watched an episode of "The Middle" (airs Wednesdays on ABC) where Sue, the middle child and only girl in the family, must come up with a hypothesis for her high school science class and then test and evaluate her findings. To add to the drama, Sue's teacher seems to dislike her immensely.

Sue, played by Eden Sher, is the epitome of the socially awkward high school girl - friendly and sweet to everyone but definitely dances to her own drum. While the other students in her science class have hypotheses that would rival those of biochemistry doctoral students, Sue's is more of the 5th grade science fair caliber - "Smiles are contagious."

I won't give away any more of the show but it got me to think about whether or not smiles ARE contagious. After all, yawns are. And laughing seems to be. So I conducted my own definitely unscientific experiment.

One very hot day in July, I went to the post office (some would say the crankiest place in town!), the bank, the gas station, Target and the grocery store. I smiled at every person I either had direct contact with (the bank teller, for example) or merely passed in an aisle or saw from afar (like at the gas station) and recorded whether or not they smiled back. When I tallied the results, I was both surprised and not surprised.

My results were both different and consistent with Sue's but you'll have to watch the episode to find out how. Out of 53 (yes, that's fifty-three!) people I smiled at, all but seven smiled back at me. Of the seven who did not, one was an elderly man who seemed pretty cranky (his wife did smile back, though) and six were young teenagers who looked at me like I was crazy - I definitely detected some eye-rolling! The 46 people who returned my smile ranged in age from toddlers to elderly, more females than males (although I did not keep track of gender for an accurate count).

I was not surprised that an overwhelming majority (87%) smiled back at me. I do believe that smiles are contagious and that the simple act of a smile can cheer someone up, turn their frown upside down or just let them know you noticed them. What did surprise me was that I encountered 53 people in the course of doing a few errands one afternoon. Wow! Fifty-three opportunities to possibly make a difference in someone's life, to let them know they were noticed.

And I bet YOU smiled just looking at all these sweet smiles!

This experiment has made me determined to be more aware of people around me (it's easy to withdraw into myself and not even notice people) and to smile at them. And I noticed that I was blessed when they smiled back - we had a brief moment of connection. In my book, that's a win-win situation!

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."  Proverbs 15:13

lovin' summer #7

Scientists make precise calculations to determine the summer solstice  and autumnal equinox - or the first day of summer and the first day of fall for us lay persons. In 2013, summer began on June 21st and autumn begins on September 22nd. But conventional wisdom has summer beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day. And using that definition of summer, there are four official (according to the United States Flag Code) summer flag-flying days.

Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is a day for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the US Armed Forces. Once known as Decoration Day, it began after the Civil War to commemorate Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that war as a means to unify the nation. Later, all Americans who died while serving their country were included.

Flag Day, June 14th, commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 establishing June 14th as Flag Day.

Independence Day, July 4th, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 declaring independence from Great Britain.

And finally, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.

Businesses and government buildings, of course, fly their flags every day. We fly our flag almost every day as do a few people in our neighborhood. But most people fly their flags only on the official flag-flying days. I love driving through our neighborhood and seeing so many flags flying. It is a visible sign that although we may differ in many things (race, ethnicity, politics, religion, age, moral beliefs and income to name a few), we are united in our love for our country. And I get to witness it four times in just over three months during the summer!

I  LOVE  SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #6

It started innocently enough three years ago. We spent 4th of July, 2011 in Payson with our MR KLUD friends. Doug and Ursi brought some Peeps and their BB/pellet gun. Mike and Richard set up a board on top of two saw horses while Doug got the "blind" ready. Then they arranged the Peeps on the board, assigned point values to them and we were ready. We played guys against gals (Laurie, Ursi and Kristin) and the gals won by a landslide! And they did the following year, too!

What started as just something to do while we were waiting for the fireworks that evening has turned into an annual competition. It prompted Mike and Richard to purchase their own BB/pellet guns so each couple can sight their own. Some people have even practiced during the year. And we all eagerly await the Annual Peep Shoot each summer on the 4th of July. After all, what is more patriotic than exercising our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms??

This year, during the 3rd Annual Peep Shoot, Mike and Laurie's son and daughter-in-law (Matt and Danielle) joined in the festivities. But despite having another good shot on our team, the guys claimed the title for the first time. Will there be a rematch next year? Absolutely!! In fact, Peep purchasing may have already begun...

The Third Annual Peep Shoot ~ July 4, 2013

To make things even more interesting this year, Doug threaded Peeps on a long thread, then tied the thread between the saw horse and a lawn mower handle (3rd photo down on the left). These Peeps moved in the wind and were much harder to shoot. They were also worth more points. 

I  LOVE  SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #5

Every child in elementary school in Arizona learns the 5 C's that Arizona is known for - cotton, cattle, citrus, copper and climate. I think a sixth one should be added - corn!

When I was growing up in the valley, I remember lots and lots of cotton fields and citrus orchards... but not many corn fields. Ironically, corn was grown in what is now Arizona by Native Americans centuries ago but as the country expanded westward, corn production slowed dramatically. In more recent times, corn production in Arizona has picked up although the state is not by any means a major producer. However, fields near our home that only ten or fifteen years ago were growing cotton are now growing corn. And I, for one, am loving it!

Local sweet corn is available at farmer's markets, vegetable stands and some grocery stores. My new favorite way to cook it is on the grill.

I enjoy the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth corn on the cob as often as I can during the summer because once summer's over, the corn is too!

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

lovin' summer #4

I used to think that growing roses were for "real gardeners," not an amateur like me. After I finally planted a rose bush several years ago, I realized that if you choose a hardy variety, growing roses is pretty fool-proof. It is a lovely surprise every summer when it blooms throughout the hot months - or at least the one I have does.

What a pretty bouquet!

This past week, an explosion of roses greeted me every time I passed my rose bush. I love seeing the colorful flowers in the summer - it gives the illusion of being cooler.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

50 shades of summer - june

June brought some unexpected challenges but I still was able to knock off eleven things on my 50 Shades of Summer list. Three involved cooking (#10, #13 and #19) and three more were movie watching (#18, #20 and #25). The remaining five were stand alone solo items (#11, #15, #29, #38 and #39).

Summer fun!

Planting my herb garden was the first thing I did because I wanted the plants to be established before the extreme heat hit. My basil, parsley, chives and mint are thriving and I am enjoying having fresh herbs when I need them. I also got great local produce at the Gilbert Farmer's Market. I will be going back often for "peaches and cream" (also called bi-colored) corn!

I have wanted to try homemade popsicles for some time. After purchasing a popsicle mold from Amazon and reading some recipes online I was ready to try my own - blueberry, peach, banana with vanilla yogurt. Oy vey! How could something good for you also taste soooo good?! Avocado seems to be a popular flavor - I may try those next just because it seems like an unlikely popsicle flavor. We had gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup of Mexican origin, on a hot evening - very refreshing! And I made avocado chicken salad (a new recipe!) to go with it. I will definitely be making that again!

I listened to a lot of great music (and some not so great!) deciding what to include in my "Summertime Playlist." I selected 17 tunes ranging from Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind" to the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" and Kenny Chesney's "Summertime." It is my new favorite playlist! Watching a live performance (Big Pete Pearson) at the Desert Botanical Garden reminded me how much I enjoy jazz and the corn fritters at Gertrude's before the concert were delicious.It was our first concert at the Garden but I'm quite sure it won't be our last!

The summer blockbuster, Jaws, was released on June 20, 1975 and we watched it again 38 years later on June 20th. Did you know that the most often quoted line of the movie ("We're gonna need a bigger boat!") was ad libbed by Roy Scheider who played Brody? And the movie was just as suspenseful this time as it was decades ago on the big screen! We were surprised to find a packed house when we saw Stories We Tell, a documentary, at the Camelview Theater and a considerably less than full house when we saw Man of Steel. I enjoyed both movies but thought Stories We Tell was a little slow.

I was surprised I only made it to one of the four coffee shops on my list. Grove Coffee is on the campus of The Grove Church on Gilbert Road. The coffee shop is cute, quiet, inviting and serves great coffee drinks. It's open seven days a week and is a well-kept secret!

That was June. I can't wait to see what fun things July brings...

lovin' summer #3

There is no denying that summertime in Arizona is hot. Usually by the end of June the really hot spell begins and typically lasts for at least the first couple of weeks of July. It is what ushers in our monsoon season where we get slightly cooler temperatures but higher humidity, thunderstorms, dust storms and, hopefully, some rain.

This week was the beginning of the really hot spell as temperatures in the valley climbed toward 120 degrees. Yesterday, the high in our backyard was 115 degrees - and today was even warmer.

Although it was quite toasty yesterday afternoon, it was a very pleasant 78 degrees at 6:00 in the morning as I sipped my coffee on the patio. No matter now hot it gets in the afternoon, I know it will be cooler in the morning.

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

they don't make 'em like they used to

My mother-in-law, whom everyone called Nona, was a girl during the Great Depression and learned many valuable lessons as she grew up. She would share these pearls of wisdom with us and we began to affectionately call them "Nona-isms." Things like "Don't buy something if you don't have money to pay for it" and "Don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish" (meaning if something is really cheap (in price), then it's most likely cheaply made and won't last) and "Always buy American when you can."

When my husband was a boy, he liked his clothes very soft with no rough edges and Nona liked a quality product at a reasonable price so Sears & Roebuck was where most of his clothes were purchased - everything from underwear to shirts and pants.

Kids dressed quite a bit differently when my husband was in elementary school than they do today. Girls wore dresses and boys wore button-up shirts and pants (usually jeans). My husband had quite a collection of button-up shirts but his very favorite one was this one...

Isn't he cute?

In fact, he loved it so much that he wore it for picture day in both 5th and 6th grade nearly 50 years ago! Nona once told me he wore the same five or six shirts - his favorites - every week. So that means this shirt was washed over 100 times while he had it. Then it was passed down to four nephews who each wore it quite a few times. 

One of the nephews, who now has a child of his own, recently told me he remembered wearing the shirt with great fondness - it was soooo soft! When all the nephews had outgrown it, the shirt was returned to us. We saved it for our children to wear... but they never did since we had daughters. So we put it away in case we had grandsons.

This year we gave the shirt to one of our grandsons. And he chose to wear it in the Spring Concert at his school.

And isn't he cute, too?

This shirt was worn by six BOYS over a 48-year span. And I wouldn't be surprised if at least one more grandson wears it. I think Nona most definitely got her money's worth out of this purchase. And I seriously doubt that a shirt purchased today would hold up as well. After all, we seem to live in a disposable world.

lovin' summer #2

I love, love, love summer fruits. Strawberries, nectarines, watermelon and plums all get two thumbs up from me. I like them cut up in fruit salad, speared on fruit kabobs, dipped in chocolate, grilled on the bbq, made into a smoothie or all by themselves.

But the fruit I most eagerly wait all year for are...

PEACHES!

Once the sweet, juicy peaches (preferably local) are available, it's time to make ...

PEACH ICE CREAM!

With only five ingredients, all of them pronounceable, natural and readily found in your kitchen, this ice cream is easy to make but tastes like you worked in the kitchen all day. It's the perfect cold treat on a hot summer night! 

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

foolish choices

Several months back I wrote a post about our trip to Shoshone Point at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and I promised a future post about the foolish things we observed people doing. As I pondered that more, I thought maybe I was rushing to judgment labeling these folks foolish... until I began reading a riveting book about Grand Canyon and the people who die there.

Michael Ghiglieri (a world-reknown ecologist, highly experienced white-water (including the Colorado River through Grand Canyon) raft guide and Grand Canyon National Park Ranger) and Tom Myers (an accomplished backcountry hiker/route finder, physician at Grand Canyon Clinic for over a decade and current medical director to Grand Canyon National Park) co-authored the compelling book, Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon in their quest to determine which of the nearly 700 recorded traumatic fatalities since the late 1800's could have been prevented and how. The book focuses on deaths inside the canyon, not those on the plateau surrounding the canyon. It's also important to note that while the canyon extends far beyond the National Park boundaries into Indian reservations, private land and public land, most of the deaths have occurred within the current National Park boundaries which makes sense since that's where millions of tourists congregate every year.

People die in Grand Canyon every year - some are health related (like random heart attacks or illness-related) but most are preventable - falls, drowning, dehydration, hyper- or hypothermia and such. Webster's Dictionary defines "accident" as "an unforeseeable incident." Given that definition, Ghiglieri and Myers assert that "traumatic death in the Grand Canyon is rarely an accident" and that, in fact, nearly all such deaths are "the result of decisions made by the victim and/or those responsible for that victim's safety." Wow! It's tragic enough to lose a loved one but even worse when it could have been prevented.

Ghiglieri and Myers divide their book into sections such as falls from the rim, falls inside the canyon, suicides, drownings, flash floods, etc. Since I have never been down in the canyon (nope, not ever) this post is limited to falls (excluding suicide) from the rim and the foolish things we observed on our last trip to Grand Canyon.

I was not too surprised to learn that nearly a quarter (21%) of victims of lethal falls from the rim were either taking a photograph or posing for a photograph. Everyone wants to capture that "award-winning photo" but what shocked me was how many people in close proximity to the rim walk around paying no attention to where their feet are as they look through the viewfinder of their camera to get that perfect shot or who back up without looking behind them first. The flip side of that is posing for a photograph and let's face it, Grand Canyon offers some pretty spectacular backdrops. The problem is when folks walk around or climb over a guard rail or barricade to get just a little closer or to jump from rock to rock. 

This girl (I'm guessing eighteen or twenty), after walking around a guard rail, jumped up and down while her mom took a photo of her from behind the guard rail. They were trying to get a photo with both of her feet off the ground. Her mom told her it would make "a great Facebook pic!" She is only about 18-inches from the edge and the drop is over 450 feet. Landing wrong on the loose gravel and slipping off the edge would not make for a happy photo.

Ghiglieri and Myers believe that most visitors to Grand Canyon have a 9-1-1 mentality meaning that if they are in trouble, they can simply dial 9-1-1 on their cell phone and help will immediately be available. This common notion is absolutely not true as cell service is spotty at best and rescue attempts can take hours or even days in inclement weather. 

The authors of the book don't mention it, but I also wonder if people no longer have a healthy fear of dangerous situations due in part to playing video games and watching action movies where the "hero" goes through combat, a car crash or falls off a building with not so much as a scratch on his body. 

This young man, after climbing over a guard rail, walked along a narrow ledge with a steep drop-off with his hands in his pockets. A slip on the loose gravel and he'd tumble down about 450 feet while he frantically tried to get his hands out of his pockets so he could grab something to stop his fall.

 Another phenomenon mentioned by Ghiglieri and Myers is that looking down into such an immense hole like the Grand Canyon very often produces disorientation and clumsiness in otherwise sure-footed, agile individuals. This may be due to a lack of depth perception when peering down into the canyon producing a vertigo-like response. Even experienced NP rangers and guides have difficulty judging distance into the canyon from the rim with any accuracy. 

This twenty-something guy "wins" the award for "Most Foolish Act." After climbing over a guard rail, he stood toe-to-rim with a vertical drop-off of over 100 feet. You can see him using his arms to maintain his balance. He stood there for less than a minute before backing up and walking away.

Not surprisingly, statistics reveal that 71% of rim fall victims are male and that the 20-29-year old age group is at greatest risk of falling off the rim. This is the same demographic that engages in risky behavior in other situations (like driving a car). With that said, more people have jumped or driven off the rims of Grand Canyon on purpose than have fallen off unintentionally.

"The only genuine safety and protection for us against an accidental fall at Grand Canyon resides in our own personal common sense and careful behavior. Common sense about personal safety  cannot be legislated or insured by paved paths, warning signs, or guard rails. It must reside in the mind of the visitor."

~ Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon

lovin' summer #1

Summer in Arizona is an experience. It seems no matter how long you have lived here, summer always comes as a surprise. And typically we complain about it. About the heat. And the extremely dry weather making wildfires a reality. And about our higher electric bills. And then a bit later in the summer it's the monsoon storms. And having to fish patio furniture out of the pool after one of them. Or clean the pool after a haboob. Really, the list is endless.

I have decided that, for me,  this year will be different. No, I cannot control the weather (if only I could!) but I can control my attitude. And to that end, I have decided to find as many things to love about summer as I can.

So... to start the ball rolling...

I pass at least two school zones just about every time I leave my house. Not only do I not have to slow down for the school zones during the summer, there is also waaaaay less traffic around the schools, especially during drop-off and pick-up times. It's a DOUBLE BLESSING!!

I LOVE SUMMER!!!

50 shades of summer

I am a list-maker. I enjoy the challenge of completing all the things on my list. I had a fabulous time finishing my "100 Things in Arizona" list so I knew when I saw a photo that a Facebook friend reposted showing a handmade chart with 100 things to do with your child this summer that my challenge was on. I made a list of 50 things to do this summer... some are things I would do anyway, some are things I've always wanted to do but never made time to do, some are brand new things, and some are things I've done in the past. But ALL of them are fun things!

I'll report back at the end of each month (June, July and August) so you can see my progress. But don't just read about the fun I'm having - make your own list!

Fifty Shades of Summer

1. Make something with Phyllo Dough
2. Visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
3. Put a jigsaw puzzle together
4. Play a game of Scrabble
5. Make and hide a geocache
6. Try a new fruit
7. Make a valance for my office
8. Get a new cell phone
9. Watch the sunset
10. Make homemade popsicles
11. Meet a friend for coffee at Grove Coffee
12. Go to an outdoor concert in the park
13. Try a new recipe
14. Write a letter
15. Go to the Gilbert Farmer's Market
16. Try chicken and waffles - find the "best" place in the Valley
17. Watch an artsy movie at the Camelview Theater
18. Go to a baseball game
19. Make gazpacho for dinner
20. See Man of Steel in June
21. See The Lone Ranger in July
22. See 2 Guns in August
23. Make a Christmas ornament
24. Meet a friend for coffee at Inside the Bungalow
25. Movie Night! - Watch the 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws (6/20/75)
26. Movie Night! - Watch the 1985 summer blockbuster Back To The Future (7/3/85)
27. Movie Night! - Watch the 1966 summer blockbuster Fantastic Voyage (8/24/66)
28. Meet a friend for coffee at SoZo Coffeehouse
29. Plant an herb garden
30. Take the light rail downtown for dinner
31. Spend the whole day reading a book
32. Play a new card game with friends
33. Shoot Peeps
34. Meet a friend for coffee at The Bold Roost
35. Host a "Make Your Own Sundae" evening
36. Visit a museum
37. Take dinner to a friend
38. Make a "Summertime" playlist
39. Eat dinner at the Desert Botanical Garden and listen to a concert
40. Anonymously buy a stranger lunch
41. Sit on the patio and watch the rain
42. Go for a late night swim
43. Make S'Mores
44. Watch a sunrise
45. Eat breakfast for dinner
46. Crochet a blanket
47. Make homemade granola
48. Plant a pineapple
49. Paint pottery
50. Visit Butterfly Wonderland

5 more things to take geocaching

There is nothing like hunting around a desolate piece of landscape searching for an elusive geocache and then the feeling of elation and joy when you finally find it. Or the fun of developing covert skills in searching for a geocache in the middle of a crowded urban environment. We discovered geocaching a little over a year ago and quickly became addicted. I posted a general description of what it is and how much fun ensues in September, 2012 (you can read it here).

After finding 68 caches in all kinds of places, we've come up with a few more items to bring along.

1. INSECT REPELLANT - I have never been one to use insect repellant figuring a few mosquito bites never killed anyone. I have, however, reconsidered that notion after experiencing chigger bites last year. Chiggers are tiny wingless, six-legged pests (larvae) that grow up to become mites. They are found in wooded areas with berry patches or tall grasses and weeds in summer and fall. Although quite prevalent in the eastern part of the United States, they are also found sporadically in the western half. And their bite produces a most intensely itchy rash that quickly turns to blisters - and lasts for weeks. Note to self: AVOID CHIGGER BITES AT ALL COSTS!

I got these chigger bites, which are almost a month old and look a lot less "angry" than they did, while we were geocaching in southeastern Arizona. I don't go in the "woods" without insect repellant anymore!

2. WET WIPES - After sticking my hands in filthy places or running my fingers around the underneath side of a ledge only to find someone's ABC gum (GROSS, right?!), I've decided antibacterial wipes are a must. And I'm looking for a "Goo-Gone"-type wipe that would remove sticky sap from fingers.

Don't leave home without these! And if anyone knows of a "Goo-Gone"-type wipe, let me know! 

3. FLASHLIGHT - And no, your phone does not count! We have found that a small (but powerful) flashlight is helpful when looking in those tiny dark spots that cache owners like to stash their caches in, especially if they are creepy looking or look like they might be a "critter home." A larger flashlight is a must if you do geocaching at night.

Be sure to bring spare batteries, too!

4. TWEEZERS - There are two types of tweezers, flat and pointy. You want the pointy ones for two reasons. They are better for removing the inevitable splinter in your finger as well as the itty-bitty, teeny-tiny, tightly rolled sign-in log in micro caches. We have encountered a few that would be impossible to remove without tweezers and how sad would it be to find the very well-hidden cache but not be able to sign log?

This very clever cache is in southeast Arizona in a utility pole. Without tweezers, we would never have gotten the log out to sign - and that would be NO FUN!

5. FRIENDS - While friends are not essential to have with you when you're geocaching, they do make it more fun! And as with most things in life, an extra set of eyes or a different way to look at something is a definite plus.

Not all your friends will enjoy geocaching but when you find ones that do, your friendship will grow as you discover new places and talents.

I'm sure we'll find more things to add to our "Geocaching Essentials List" as we find more caches in different types of terrain. I'd love to hear what you think is essential - no sense in reinventing the wheel, as they say! Happy hunting!

gift... part three

As I was writing my last two posts, I began thinking about the intangible gifts we all enjoy. Things like a child laughing... or a beautiful sunset... or a fragrant flower.

Or watching whales frolic in the bay while the wind whips your hair across your face. Or bright flowers carpeting the desert floor as far as you can see. Or catching a glimpse of a butterfly sunning on a flower. Or seeing a rainbow so vivid and close you are sure there is a pot of gold within reach.

These gifts from God are given to us for our enjoyment. They are given to everyone, whether you believe in Him or not. Theologians call this common grace.

God has another, even greater, gift for us - the gift of salvation and eternal life through faith in the atoning blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Theologians call this saving grace. 

But unlike the other gifts, we must actively seek this gift - we must choose to accept it. Romans 10:9 says, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your  heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 

But this gift has an expiration date. Once we physically die, it is no longer available. The time to choose it, to accept this extraordinary gift, is now. Carefully consider it and make a conscious decision, not one from just doing nothing.

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:15

gift - part two

Do you have someone in your life that is impossible to find a gift for? My husband is that someone in my life. Several months ago I asked him what was on his birthday list. He hemmed and hawed before finally coming up with, "My sox are getting threadbare!" and "I need new wiper blades for my car." I agree that those things are important to have, but at this stage of our lives, they are not the kind of gifts I was looking to give my sweet hubby for his birthday. I was looking for a really special, knock-your-sox-off kind of gift.

My sweet hubby!

I asked myself what his favorite things are. That's easy - his family and his favorite amusement park. Hmmm. A family trip to his happy place? Naw... impossible to get everyone together at the same time right now. A framed photograph of us all there? Oh wait, we didn't take one of all of us when we were there five years ago. And then suddenly I remembered that a friend of ours is an artist... and the wheels began to turn.

April was a co-worker of my husband's (they are both engineers) for 20 years before she retired from that career and took up another one - art. She has been involved in art for most of her life, a hobby she loves and pursues. She now has time to actively cultivate a career in art and has become an award-winning watercolorist (The Art of April Rimpo).

I emailed April about the possibility and process of commissioning a painting. She was willing but needed more information from me as well as photographs depicting the scene I had in mind. This was easier said than done. I knew in my mind what I was looking for but didn't have photographs that were true to my vision. I sent her seven or eight photos with descriptions like "this but more muted colors and no pumpkins." In other words, like this but not. After our oldest daughter suggested we add our family to the painting, I also sent photos of everybody in completely different places.

April responded with three questions for me to answer: 1) Which of her paintings I like the best? 2) What colors do I associate with this place? and 3) What about her work draws me to it? After giving it some thought, I emailed her my responses. And then she went to work. You can read about her process in her blog post - it's really quite interesting. She used Photoshop to "sketch" out the painting and sent it to me to approve before paint ever touched watercolor paper. After seeing the "sketch," I could hardly wait to see the finished product!

The painting arrived in a few weeks rolled in a tube mailer. As I carefully unrolled it, my eyes got wide and a gasp escaped from my mouth. It was absolutely perfect and I knew my hubby would love it!

This section (the left third) of the painting has bystanders. What I think is funny is that they are real people who were in the photographs I sent April. It made me wonder if the people in other paintings I've seen are real people or figments of the artist's imagination.

This section (bottom right) of the painting shows our family. Although there isn't much facial detail, it is easy to pick out who's who! 

I got it framed and then painstakingly hid it under the guest room bed - I was certain he'd NEVER look there for anything! There was just one problem. His birthday was still two and a half months away! I wrapped both the painting and a dvd he wanted. And waited.

Finally, his birthday arrived. I put the wrapped dvd out alongside his card. After he opened them, I brought the painting out. He looked a little puzzled - like maybe he was wondering where his sox and wiper blades were.

I blurred parts of the painting due to copyright issues but you can get the feel of the painting and see the joy on my hubby's face.

But when he opened it, his eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across his face. And I knew it was exactly what he wanted. He just didn't know it!

gift - part one

As our children were growing up we tried to impress upon them that choosing a gift for someone is fun but also requires thought and should be something the recipient wants or needs. We also tried to step back and really let them choose the gifts they were giving. This led to some rather... um... interesting gifts over the years.

One Christmas our youngest daughter, who was six at the time, was very excited about her gift to me. For weeks she told me it would be my favorite gift of all time. My husband, who had taken her shopping, just smiled and nodded his head. I must admit I was very curious and couldn't wait to open her gift.

Imagine my surprise when I opened this...

She saw it advertised on television and just knew it would solve my dinner dilemma when I forgot to defrost something and we "had to" order take-out. According to the commercial, as well as the box it came in, Miracle Thaw "miraculously" defrosts frozen food in "minutes." 

I thanked her for the thoughtful gift and gave my husband "the look" that said we'd talk about it later. Actually, we laughed about it because my ruse to order take-out was now over.

I admit, I was skeptical. But I didn't want to hurt my daughter's feelings so I tried it. I put four frozen chicken breasts, flat side down as the directions said, on the Miracle Thaw and waited. Imagine my surprise when it worked! Okay, it certainly wasn't "miraculous" - there was no divine intervention and I'm quite certain there is a scientific reason for why it works - but in only 70 minutes, all four chicken breasts were completely thawed. Thinking it must be fluke or something, I tried it again... and again. And twenty years later, I am still using it. 

Sometimes we don't know what we need... but someone else might!

what next??

Nearly 40% of households in the US have at least one dog. People get a dog for a variety of reasons; to get more exercise is in the top three. I think that's a good thing since a recent Gallup study revealed that only 48% of Americans exercise regularly (at least three times per week) and that's UP from previous years.

Imagine my surprise disbelief dismay when I found this product advertised in the SkyMall Magazine recently.

What is it, you ask? It's a Go-Go Dog Pal, a remote controlled, 4WD toy "creature" for your dog to chase. It retails on their website for just $229.99 or you can save 99 cents and order it from SkyMall Magazine. According to the Go-Go Dog Pal website, you can "take a rest while your dog exercises."

Just how lazy are we that we can't walk our dog or throw a ball for them to fetch? They say that a dog is man's best friend. That may be - but man isn't always a dog's best friend!

Kristin & Richard's Excellent Adventure (2012)

Bill & Ted had their excellent adventure in 1989; we had ours in 2012. After reading an article in the Arizona Republic (October 2011) with a list of 100 must-see things in Arizona,  I created my own list of 100 things to see and/or do in Arizona (see the list here) as a way to commemorate Arizona's centennial year in 2012. At the time I didn't think we would actually see ALL 100 things but it was something to shoot for and I would have considered seeing 56 (my age in 2012) a complete success. When we completed the 56th thing in May, I thought we might have a shot at finishing the list.

Most of the things on the list Richard and I did together, some we did with adventurous friends who were willing to drive out of the way to see something that might be great or might be bogus, and a few I did by myself. Of the 100 things we saw/did, only five got a "Thumbs Down" and two were "Sideways Thumbs" which means that 93% of them were "Thumbs Up" most excellent adventures!

For those keeping score, we traveled 11,365.6 miles by car on freeways, two lane highways, city streets, national park roads, Indian reservation roads, paved roads, "graded roads," and dirt roads. We were not surprised that the air filter on our car needed to be replaced when we were done! I completely wore out (as in it was torn on the folds and falling apart) THREE Arizona road maps from AAA- and yes, I'm old-fashioned and use a paper road map, not an app on my phone or a navigation system.

We visited all three national parks in Arizona, four bridges, nine historic homes, seven museums, seven DDD (Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) restaurants, and four historic hotels/motels. We rode on a ski lift, a hot air balloon, a glider, a train, a hummer that went rock climbing and Richard rode in a NASCAR race car. Are you seeing the adventure? Excellent!!

We tried to come up with a single favorite... and could not. We liked 93 things for different reasons. But just as Bill & Ted had to choose a few people throughout all of history to study and appreciate, we finally each chose five things. We made our lists independently and compared them after we were done. Not surprisingly, three of the five were the same for both of us. In no particular order, here they are:

Roy Purcell Murals in Chloride (#4) - Richard thought it was interesting to see how people put their own marks on things. Both ancient peoples and Roy Purcell in 1966 and graffiti artists or vandals (depending on your point of view) told a story on the huge boulders. I liked that a closet artist with a day job as a miner got his big break in art with these murals. The hike is pretty and the view from the top is beautiful.

Antelope Canyon (#18) - As Richard said, most people have seen a lot of photographs of Antelope Canyon (or other slot canyons) but you have to really experience them to appreciate their full beauty. Slot canyons are completely unlike any other canyon and well worth the trip to see one. Antelope Canyon is the one everyone talks about; it is crowded and we felt herded through like cattle. There are lots of other ones - we liked Secret Canyon (although it was not on my list).

Canyon de Chelly (#40) - Canyon de Chelly is not as enormous as the Grand Canyon or as popular as Antelope Canyon but it is most definitely one of Arizona's most bodacious treasures. Having a Navajo guide that shared stories about growing up in the canyon, how he learned to climb the canyon wall to get out and then seeing the cliff dwellings gave us a different perspective than you can get from viewing it topside.

While I wasn't shocked that we had several items in common, I also wasn't taken aback that we had a couple of different ones. Richard also liked:

Balloon Ride Over Arizona (#13) - This was something we both had wanted to do for a long time but Richard thought the height might be an issue. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the height did not bother him at all and the views from "up there" as you float along are most excellent! We saw a magnificent sunset, had a great landing followed by champagne and finger food. 

Wigwam Motel (#90) - The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook is right on Route 66 and was at one time the place to stay. For Richard, it was a nostalgic glimpse back in time when families made road trips together and stayed in small motels, not large resorts with every imaginable amenity. After all, it isn't every day you get to sleep in a concrete wigwam! An added bonus were the old classic cars hanging out in the parking lot that resembled characters from the movie Cars. And double bonus that Disney Pixar modeled the Cozy Cones Motel in Radiator Springs after the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook.

That just leaves the two other things on my list:

Wings Over Wilcox (#19) - I never, ever thought I'd be one of those people to get up before the crack of dawn to watch a bunch of birds. But WOW! Watching and hearing thousands of Sandhill Cranes (which are quite large) wake up and take flight in search of breakfast was most impressive. The sunrise was beauteous and the tour was well-done.

La Posada (#71) - Located in Winslow, La Posada is a beautiful resort but also so much more. It is rich in history, the stories of the people who have made it what it is are inspiring and the secret garden is heaven on earth. I hope to frequent it again... and again!

In the course of traveling over 11,000 miles, most of them together, we learned a few things that might be helpful as you plan and execute your excellent adventure. 

1. People do really stupid things. Do not be shocked; keep your cell phone handy so you can dial 911 quickly if need be. (This will be a blog post for another day.)
2. ALWAYS take snacks and water - even when you think you won't need them. This tip would have saved us a considerable amount of money as concessioners always charge waaaay more than is necessary.
3. Paper cups do NOT last forever. Throw them away before they leak liquid into your cupholders. 
4. Be sure to bring a roll of paper towels... to clean up said mess in #3.
5. Highway 89 in Arizona runs all over the state, sometimes parallel to itself. Don't bother trying to figure it out, just go with the flow, dude!
6. Excellent adventures are habit-forming. You may be quite sad when it ends.
7. You will encounter a prodigious number of people - TALK TO THEM! We learned a lot by talking to other tourists, shop-owners, restaurant servers and tour guides - everyone has something to share. 
8. SMILE! Remember you are ambassadors of your state - be helpful & polite.
9. Try the local cuisine. You can eat at chain places anywhere but this may be your only chance to have authentic Indian fry bread the way the Navajo eat it - with salt, not powdered sugar!
10. Be excellent to each other. Party on, dudes! (Okay, that was Ted & Bill's advice but it's still valid!)

As I left the 100th place (Tovrea Castle, which I toured by myself due to scheduling conflicts), I was sad. There was nothing left on my list to see. And then I realized that it was because "this has been a most excellent adventure!" And now it's time for a different one.