One of our good friends lives in San Diego, and we were looking forward to seeing him and staying at his house for our second "leisure week".
When I say leisure here, I really mean it.
We opened the huge front door, and walked into the foyer. As soon as we were in, I remembered everything from five years back almost instantly. I knew exactly where the kitchen, living room, weight room, all four bedrooms and their bathrooms were. I guess it's like riding a bike with some places. Especially this one. Even the outside was magnificent! The swimming pool was big enough to house a dolphin comfortably, and the private tennis court...well, that's really all I have to say! It's private for gosh sakes! We were there for a couple hours by ourselves, when Mr. Keith walked in unexpectedly. "Hello everyone!" He threw his arms out as if to say "Ta-da! I'm here!" Despite that he swooped in from a side door, and surprised us all, I thought it was a pretty grand entrance. But hey, he's a grand guy, so why not? Mr. Keith is a hunter, and a good one at that. Every time we sat down to dinner, there was always a story to go along with whatever wild animal we were about to eat. I think I ate more meat in five days than I have in five years! Boar sausage, deer burgers, elk burgers, you name it, he'd shot it.
On Sunday, we all piled into two cars. Mr. Keith found out that I had gotten my license and asked if I would like to chauffeur him to church while the other car followed. He drives a BMW. Do I have to say anything else? It was a really smooth ride. After church we ate lunch at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and watched the World Cup right there while we ate. Wahoo!!! Go Spain!!!
We went on two hikes while we were in San Diego. The first one was seven miles long, and the last one was only two and a half. The first one was really pretty, but I loved the second one, because at the end was the Pacific Ocean! The beach itself was nice, and we played in the waves for at least thirty minutes before heading back up.
One of San Diego's crowning glories is Balboa Park. It is 1,200 acres of gorgeous buildings from the turn of the twentieth century. It almost feels like a small town in itself. We went two days in a row, in order to cover a substantial amount of museums and other buildings. The first day we ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant called El Prado. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was great, and the waitress was the best! The second day, we went to the zoo and ate at a place called the Sabertooth Cafe....I'm embarrassed to even call it a cafe. The food was less than satisfactory, and on top of that, it only cost about twenty dollars less than the fabulous meal we had eaten the day before. It was bad. Anyway, there are way better places to eat in San Diego. We are headed to Yosemite National Park!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Phoenix and Jerome, AZ
Yes, I know, it's been awhile.
The past few weeks have been leisurely ones for us. The first week was spent in swelteringly dry Phoenix, Arizona. On the way there, the heat was amplified by the fact that the Steed's air conditioner had broken again. It turned out to be the same problem it had before, so when we got there, we immediately found another AAA guy to fix it. In the mean time, we rented a really nice car and drove it all over. It's a good thing rental places charge by day and not by miles! We went to a small mining town called Jerome, about a two-hour drive north of Phoenix. And what a drive! It was a potential "up-chuck" road. It seemed like every five minutes we would see another car pulled over on the treacherously narrow shoulder. By the time we got to Jerome, it was already five o'clock, and most of the stores and museums had already closed. As a two-hour drive can sometimes "do you in", we were looking for a bathroom, and followed the public restroom signs to a little museum that appeared to still be open. Upon entering, a loud voice greeted us. "Ooooohhh soooorrry, we're just closing!" The tall, skinny guy with big eyes was obviously expecting us to ask about the museum. "Can we just use the restroom real' quick?". Really, who is going to turn down a mother and three children from a potty break? "Suuure, absoluuutely, go ahead." When we walked out of the bathroom, we asked the man where he recommended we eat dinner. He told us the name of some place (which I've forgotten), and sent us off with the instruction, "Tell 'em Maaaansel sentchaaa!" ....Wait...Mansel?! Who names their kid Mansel?
I can't remember how we decided on our next move, but we sure didn't go where Mansel had sent us.
At the top of the town --Jerome is built into the side of a mountain, so there really is a top and bottom--is a historic hotel called The Grand Hotel. Let me tell you, the only thing grand about this hotel is the view. The place is supposed to be haunted, and after eating dessert in the restaurant there, I'm not surprised it is. We might have been better off taking Mansel's advice. Jerome has its weirdness going on, but I'd be lying if I said it has no charm at all. It's definitely a cute town, and if we had spent a little more time there, I'm sure I could tell a redeeming food story or two.
We left Jerome only about an hour and a half after we got there, and drove back down the mountain, only this time we took the highway back to Phoenix. Despite the blazing weather, I love this city, and it has once again proved to be an excellent stop on our travels. For the whole week we were there, we stayed at my mom's aunt and uncle's house. It was really nice to have our own beds and be able to relax a bit more than usual. I was a little sad to pack up and leave, but I knew what was coming and that took the edge off. To be continued....
The past few weeks have been leisurely ones for us. The first week was spent in swelteringly dry Phoenix, Arizona. On the way there, the heat was amplified by the fact that the Steed's air conditioner had broken again. It turned out to be the same problem it had before, so when we got there, we immediately found another AAA guy to fix it. In the mean time, we rented a really nice car and drove it all over. It's a good thing rental places charge by day and not by miles! We went to a small mining town called Jerome, about a two-hour drive north of Phoenix. And what a drive! It was a potential "up-chuck" road. It seemed like every five minutes we would see another car pulled over on the treacherously narrow shoulder. By the time we got to Jerome, it was already five o'clock, and most of the stores and museums had already closed. As a two-hour drive can sometimes "do you in", we were looking for a bathroom, and followed the public restroom signs to a little museum that appeared to still be open. Upon entering, a loud voice greeted us. "Ooooohhh soooorrry, we're just closing!" The tall, skinny guy with big eyes was obviously expecting us to ask about the museum. "Can we just use the restroom real' quick?". Really, who is going to turn down a mother and three children from a potty break? "Suuure, absoluuutely, go ahead." When we walked out of the bathroom, we asked the man where he recommended we eat dinner. He told us the name of some place (which I've forgotten), and sent us off with the instruction, "Tell 'em Maaaansel sentchaaa!" ....Wait...Mansel?! Who names their kid Mansel?
I can't remember how we decided on our next move, but we sure didn't go where Mansel had sent us.
At the top of the town --Jerome is built into the side of a mountain, so there really is a top and bottom--is a historic hotel called The Grand Hotel. Let me tell you, the only thing grand about this hotel is the view. The place is supposed to be haunted, and after eating dessert in the restaurant there, I'm not surprised it is. We might have been better off taking Mansel's advice. Jerome has its weirdness going on, but I'd be lying if I said it has no charm at all. It's definitely a cute town, and if we had spent a little more time there, I'm sure I could tell a redeeming food story or two.
We left Jerome only about an hour and a half after we got there, and drove back down the mountain, only this time we took the highway back to Phoenix. Despite the blazing weather, I love this city, and it has once again proved to be an excellent stop on our travels. For the whole week we were there, we stayed at my mom's aunt and uncle's house. It was really nice to have our own beds and be able to relax a bit more than usual. I was a little sad to pack up and leave, but I knew what was coming and that took the edge off. To be continued....
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