50 shades of summer - august (part 2)

The next five items we did in August on my 50 shades of summer list are places we visited. We spent an entire year traveling around the state of Arizona in 2012 but only one place on our summer list was out of town. It was fun to visit a new place and rediscover a couple of "old" ones.

Butterfly Wonderland (#50) in north Scottsdale opened in the spring of 2013 and features the largest butterfly pavilion in America. This was my first time to visit and I must admit it is pretty impressive! I watched brand new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and saw butterflies native to tropical rain forests. The only downside is that it is very humid - like dripping wet, hits-you-in-the-face-like-a-wet-blanket humid - inside the butterfly pavilion. Fortunately, you can walk in and out as many times as you'd like and see some of the other exhibits in between.

Yes, that's steam rising in the pavilion! I was told it is what gives the butterflies their vibrant color.

Nothing says summertime like watching a baseball game and I try to get to at least one Diamondbacks game every summer. I love that their ball field (Chase Field - although it will forever be BOB to me!) has a retractable roof which is closed in the hot part of the summer and I can watch the game in air-conditioned comfort! We rode the light rail (sorry, no photo!) and had dinner downtown (#30) at the ballpark  - a Windy City dog! MmmmMmmm!!

The Diamondbacks played the Padres the night we were there (8/28 and #16 on my list). Unfortunately, no amount of my cheering helped them and they lost 5-1.

The Grand Canyon is one of my favorite places in Arizona and we usually go to the South Rim because it is so much closer. This summer, a trip to the North Rim (#2) was in order. We went with friends of ours and introduced them to the wonders of the North Rim making it their favorite rim as well!

Mike, Laurie, Richard and I spent a weekend at the North Rim. It is the cooler (as in temperature, but also as in more rad!), greener, more vibrant rim - and my personal favorite! As an added bonus, it rained while we were there - nothing like watching the rain pour down in the middle of the canyon while you stay perfectly dry on the rim!

It had been more than five years since I was at the Arizona Museum of Natural History (#36) and it was an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Visiting a museum is a fun way to stay cool during the heat of the summer!  We enjoyed walking through the dinosaur, Native Americans in Arizona and Arizona animals exhibits. 

I think the "autosaurs" were my favorite dinosaurs. They are made entirely of recycled automobile parts! And, of course, Richard cannot resist "playing" with the more conventional dinosaurs!

 I highly recommend both exploring new places and going back to places you've been and liked. You never know when you'll find a new favorite! Establishments change things up periodically to keep visitors coming back and nature is constantly changing. Either way new adventures await you!

50 shades of summer - august (part 1)

As I alluded to in a much earlier post, August was busy until the very last minute as I frantically tried to finish the remaining TWENTY-NINE (yes, more than half!) items on my 50 Shades of Summer list. (Note to self for next summer - pace yourself!)

Did I get them all done? Yes, but with two asterisks - bet you can't guess which ones! Since there were so many left to do, I am breaking the accounting into several posts. And I promise not to wait several months between them! ;-)

So without further ado, here is the first batch... all about food!

Big chain coffee shops (read: Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, etc.) are everywhere and you know exactly what's on the menu. I have to admit, I frequent them fairly often but finding an independent coffee shop is a real treasure. I had four new-to-me coffee places on my list and visited three of them in August  - SoZo Coffee House (#28), Inside the Bungalow (#24) and Bold Roost (#34). I had a mocha at each one and they were all delicious. SoZo Coffee House has fabulous cookies and Inside the Bungalow has scrumptious homemade breakfast casseroles. Bold Roost has a limited breakfast and lunch menu but since I visited there in the late afternoon, I didn't eat anything. I am, however, looking forward to returning during a meal time.

Three different friends joined me on my coffee house adventures. I introduced my grandson, Christopher, to the wonderful world of mochas (decaf, of course!) which he enjoyed so much we went back to SoZo a second time! Inside the Bungalow (LL) is located in downtown Mesa and used to be Coffee Talk. Its whimsical interior makes it a fun place. Bold Roost (LR) in located in Gilbert in a strip center. The industrial decor gives it a workplace feel.

Making s'mores (#43) proved to be a bit of a challenge since I really wanted to make them over a campfire and there are always fire restrictions during the summer. But persistence paid off. We walked over to a camping and picnic area across from the lodge where we stayed at Jacob Lake (during our Grand Canyon trip - a later post!) and noticed that they allowed campfires in their fire pits. The catch was we didn't have any firewood, I forgot to bring the marshmallow forks and it was closed for the day. While that might be enough to stop some people, it was not enough to stop me. As we walked around I realized the camper belonging to the camp host for the picnic area and campground was located nearby so I knocked on his door to ask if there was any way we could build a campfire and make s'mores. He was quite agreeable and even helped us get our campfire going. We purchased a bag of firewood from him, gathered some kindling, built a fire, sharpened twigs... and voilá! S'MORES!!!  

Graham Cracker + chocolate bar + roasted marshmallow + graham cracker on top = a gooey, sweet treat!

I had three foods left on my list that I needed to make: homemade granola (#47), breakfast for dinner (#45) and something (anything) made out of phyllo dough (#1). I like granola on my yogurt but don't like the high calorie count in store-bought ones so I looked for a recipe with minimal sugar and fat. I ended up combining two recipes and used rolled oats, flaxseed, a variety of chopped nuts, honey, orange juice, vegetable oil, cinnamon and cloves - and it was delish! Breakfast for dinner was a special treat when I was growing up.  Or at least I thought it was -  but in reality it was probably just a quick dinner when my mom was in a hurry. For my trip down memory lane I made eggs scrambled with spinach, mushrooms and cheese, toast and sliced peaches. It was every bit as good as I remembered it! All that was left was making something out of phyllo dough (paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough commonly used for making pastries). I had never used phyllo dough before despite it being on my "To Do" list for the last three years. I chose a recipe called Lusciously Nutty Holiday Logs but used pecans instead of walnuts. They were heavenly!! And easy to make!! And really, every day celebrates something so you could make them all year long!

Three tempting taste treats!

"Bon appetit!"

                ~ Julia Child

I'm back!!

I know I've been silent for awhile. Not literally, of course, but in my blog. I am, in fact, waaaaay behind in finishing up my "50 Shades of Summer" list from last summer. (The good news is I have finally finished all those posts and will be posting them in rather quick succession.)

So what exactly has kept me so busy? Living life.

September and October were months of unplanned but necessary time-eaters. I don't mean that in a negative way - the time-eaters had positive outcomes - but as there are only a finite number of hours in a day, unplanned time-eaters must take the place of something else. I try very hard not to waste time so I have very little "extra time." This is when I was reminded that prioritizing is essential in living life.

I was in North Carolina with our oldest daughter and her family for the entire month of November. I was there to "help" while they welcomed a new baby, turning their family of six into a family of seven (more on that in a later post!). It was while I was there that I was reminded that living life is often an adventure and usually a little hectic. And while we are living life it is sometimes necessary to let some things - even important things - slide for a time.

Christmas is always a busy season filled with more than the usual number of activities. This year was especially hectic as it was a shortened season with Thanksgiving being so late in November. But it was during this very busy and sometimes chaotic time that I was reminded that keeping traditions is part of living life and is good for our well-being.

Just two days after Christmas, before we even put away the Christmas decor, we were on our way to Hawaii for two weeks. It is important to take time to relax, recharge, and see and do different things. These opportunities are part of living life… and, as I discovered, they often require stepping outside your comfort zone, being courageous!

I realize everyone is busy living life. And it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of it all. I also realize I need to be more consistent in blogging if I intend to continue. After thinking about all the "lessons" I learned during these past few months, I came up with a plan.

Wacky Wednesday. Beginning February 5th, and every Wednesday after that,  I will post something just a little bit wacky or random. It might be an opinion on some current event or a weird product I found or a photo of something I saw or … well, the possibilities are practically endless. (I am sure some of the things I previously mentioned will appear there!) This will ensure I post something at least once a week.

Of course, I will still blog about the other things going on as I live life and walk by faith. And I hope you'll leave me a comment or two sharing your thoughts on this new plan.

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!!!