Friday, February 09, 2007

Mesa and Phoenix

Yesterday was a shopping day. Didn’t buy much, but we checked out the local places. We went to IKEA which is always a treat. Being full-timers, however, they have nothing there that would even fit into our lifestyle anymore. We did do some looking around, but that was it. Then it was onward to Arizona Mills. This is a mall that has a lot of outlets. We have been in other “Mills” before and this has to be one of the biggest. It was a nice, long walk around the entire complex which is shape like a big rectangle. I did find some shoes, but mostly we just got our exercise.

We have finally gotten nice weather. It fact, the sun gets downright hot during the afternoon. It starts off cool, in the 50’s, then starts warming up. We start off the day in shorts and that’s pretty much where we stay until the sun goes down. It gets cool fairly quickly and in the evening when we take the dogs out, we usually have to have a light jacket or sweatshirt.

Yesterday we ate at “Souper Salad” which is a different type of restaurant. It is just a large salad bar. There are some prepared salads and then the standard “build your own.” There are also homemade soups, a pasta bar and baked potato bar as well.

We went to the Mesa Marketplace this morning. It is like the Arizona marketplace in Yuma only much larger. Just a large flea market, but lots of stuff to look at. I found a few things I had been looking for, but again didn’t buy too much. It certainly makes a difference when you have to stick to the rule, “Something in. . . something out.” I got a duster for the high stuff in the motorhome so I don’t have to drag a stool around anymore. And I found a hairbrush. Something happened to my other one. Now how can you lose something in the motorhome. . . like a hairbrush? I think it had something to do with Terry, but I can’t be sure. At any rate, it is not in its “place.”

Wednesday we went to the Heard Museum. Phoenix is famous for this museum which is a collection of Native American memorabilia. I wouldn’t say the museum was a disappointment, but it isn’t what I expected. It is a display/collection of primarily one family. . . the Heard family. They were among the earliest and most prominent families in the Phoenix area and their home outgrew their collection, so they made a museum to house it all. There is a lot of jewelry and it is labeled as to the origin, etc. Lots of Kachina dolls, etc. My favorite parts of the museum were the ones which dealt with the Indian tribes of Arizona, their origins, what they were known for, etc. There was also a part devoted to the Indian boarding schools. During the 1800’s, Indian children were removed from their homes and taken away (many times across the country) to boarding schools in an attempt to assimilate them into the “white” culture. I found these parts of the museum to be the most interesting, but I felt they were much too small, so I will do some research on my own. It at least sparked my interest.

Last evening we got a call from Jeff and Sue, some friends we met at Escapade. They are passing through the area and we are going to meet them for supper tonight at “Souper Salad.” It will be fun to see them again.

Terry is doing better. He came down with a really nasty cold and has been fighting it for about a week. I believe he has turned the corner and is starting to feel better. He had been sleeping on the couch because he was up and down so much during the night. Then Neal had a seizure and we traded placed because he didn’t want to mess with him in the middle of the night. Everyone is doing better now and sleeping in their own beds.

Till next time. . .

Dale

No comments: