Phoenix Vacation
Day 4 - March 4, 2017

A pretty uneventful day. Patti and her husband had to get up early and go to work. I did not. I was up and down all morning reading, going back to sleep, reading some more, back to sleep. You know, the typical vacation day.

Patti got home around 1pm, and we headed out and ran some errands, then went to Rudy's BBQ and had a delicious lunch of brisket, turkey and pork ribs, along with potato salad and iced tea. Very satisfying, and to me it was a taste of home.

After lunch we headed to the local Safeway and picked up supplies for dinner tonight...spaghetti! I always enjoy making my mom's spaghetti sauce recipe as it's always a crowd pleaser. We got home and lounged around a bit and talked, and then I went and took a nap. More sleep? You bet!

After the nap, Patti and I began making dinner. We both chopped veggies and I began the sauce as Patti got the garlic bread ready. The pasta was boiled, the sauce was ladled, and the three of us had a great dinner together.

After dinner we started talking about various kinds of music we enjoy and played it via Bluetooth to a Bose receiver nearby. We played everything from Mozart and Vivaldi, to Mark O'Conner on the electric violin, to dance music, and more.

As they were getting ready for bed and an early morning tomorrow, I borrowed Patti's vehicle again and went back to the casino. I walked in with $200 and walked out with $350. As rare as it is for me to win anything, I got out quick while I was ahead.  I was maybe there for an hour.

So, as you can see, it was an easy day. Tomorrow we are going to lunch with Patti's mom who lives nearby, then going to an afternoon concert featuring the famous Concordia College Choir from Moorhead, Minnesota. Patti went to college there, and they are are on tour performing in various cities in the U.S. Afterwards we have been invited to join the choir for an invitation-only dinner.

That's what we have planned for our Sunday, and I'm looking forward to it all. I fly home to Houston Monday morning.

I'll update again tomorrow evening, so until then, have a great rest of the weekend!

Phoenix Vacation
Day 5 - March 5, 2017

My day didn't really get started until after noon. Patti and her husband got up early for church this morning, then arrived back home around 1pm. We soon departed to have lunch with Patti's mom Betty, who moved to Phoenix from Houston two years ago. Betty lives in a 60+ retirement neighborhood providing homes for seniors, and they are separated by the amount of care, if any, they may need. Betty is 90 and still going strong, so she is completely independent, still drives, and has a gusto for living that's amazing to witness. She has a beautiful home with all the amenities, 24-hour security, and much more, and she loves it. Well, they have dining rooms for the residents and their invited guests to enjoy, so we went to have lunch! Now, I know what you're thinking....lunch at a senior facility? I'm here to tell you that I was totally blown away by the facility, the food, and the service. We had a full buffet including various salads, fish and chicken entrees and numerous sides, freshly prepared omelets, and plenty of desserts to choose from! It was all delicious, and I was so pleased to see Betty enjoying where she lives, and being happy to be only ten minutes away from her daughter.

After lunch we headed about 30 minutes outside of Phoenix to Sun City, Arizona, and arrived at the American Lutheran Church for the 3:00pm performance of the Concordia College Choir. This amazing choir is based in Moorhead, Minnesota, and tours a particular region of the United States each year. I saw them in Houston five years ago, and now I get to see them again today! Patti was in this choir after high school and graduated in 1983, and if you ever have the opportunity to attend a concert by them, do so. You will be amazed. In fact, I want to alert all my interested friends in Houston that they will be performing there next year, and you are all invited to go with me!

After the performance, we were invited to attend a light dinner in the fellowship hall of the church. It was great fun visiting with the talented young men and women in the choir as we all sat and broke bread together. There were numerous times during the lunch that they would stand and sing for various reasons like thanking the kitchen staff for the lunch, as well as a blessing of the meal before we ate. Here they were all around us, singing in beautiful harmony, and in full voice, and it nearly makes you weep on how beautiful it is. Chills, and nearly tears, from me and others.

As we wrapped up our wonderful experience at the church today, we headed back to Phoenix with a beautiful desert sunset lighting our path. The air had a slight chill, and wisps of clouds blazed in orange and red, constantly changing in intensity as the sun set behind the mountains, and we couldn't keep our eyes off of it. A glorious day of music capped off by a glorious sunset. It doesn't get any better than that.

We got Betty home and said our goodbyes, then we proceeded back to our home for a relaxing evening of reflection on our past few days together, and wishing it wouldn't have to end, but all good things do. I head back to Houston tomorrow to be reunited with my own family and home. I'll be happy to see them all, and as I get back to a normal life, I will continue to miss my friends here in Phoenix because I've already started.

Thank you to everyone for sharing my story as a participant or a reader. Sometimes it's difficult to put into words the everyday extraordinary experiences that fulfill your life, but I've done my best, and I only hope I have convinced you what a luck man I am.

Phoenix Vacation
Day 3 - March 3, 2017

I got to sleep in a bit this morning as Patti had some meetings to attend, and I just relaxed around the house reading news and catching up on emails. Patti arrived a little after noon and we headed into central Phoenix for lunch. We decided to go to a local favorite named Durant's. It was recommended by a couple of friends in Houston, and Patti certainly knew of it, so off we went. The restaurant is very unassuming on the outside...almost dumpy. But inside? It was like walking back in time to the fifties with its very low lighting with a red hue, and the red felt wallpaper. The place was built in 1950, and it hasn't been touched since! The lights were so low it was hard to read the menu, but I did notice on the menu the request to not use cell phones in the restaurant, and only in the bar. Yeah, right. Everyone in there was all over their phones, and so were we. We both ordered the sliced sirloin steak lunch with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. It came with a salad and bread, but not just any bread. The bread was round and almost totally covered in a  mixture of olive oil, leeks and garlic, which also pooled in the bowl it arrived in. I'd never seen anything like that before, and it was surprisingly good. Lunch was soon served and it came with au jus and a creamy horseradish sauce. I kept glancing around the room looking for Sinatra to come waltzing by. That's how vintage, and somewhat mafioso, it was. A unique, yet delicious, experience.

We headed back to the house since Patti had some private music lessons to teach for a couple of hours (she is a professional opera singer and teaches voice and piano in her home), and since I had nothing to do and they needed the privacy, I borrowed her car and went to the casino less than ten minutes from the house. I played for about an hour and a half, bounced from machine to machine, and ended up losing about $40. Back to the house I went.

We then got cleaned up and headed back to Downtown Phoenix to attend the world premier of a brand new opera titled "Riders of the Purple Sage". If you recognize the title, the opera is based on the novel of the same name written by Zane Grey, and published in 1912. The composer is Craig Bohmler, who is originally from Houston, and has been a very close friend of Patti for over 30 years. The Librettist is Steven Mark Kohn, and he had to create the words for the opera singers from the book. Not an easy thing to do. It's a western themed show set in the late 1800's about the struggles and tensions of western settlers in Utah and the arrival of the Mormons and their hardline view of religion and non-violence. It is timely with what is currently going on in this country and our current struggles of hard line politics and religion, gun control vs gun rights, women's rights, etc. Remember I said it was written in 1912? It's still the same today, and this opera beautifully presents those conflicts, along with touching moments of young love, early death, and finding loved ones thought to have been killed or kidnapped. Yes, it's high drama, and the singing, stage sets and orchestration were magnificent.

I forgot to mention that an hour before the performance, the composer and librettist had a talk with the early arriving audience members about how it took them four years to make it all come together, and the struggles they faced along the way. After the show, a few invited guests, including us, were invited to a close-by cafe for an after party. Everyone was raving about the show, laughing, eating and drinking. We didn't leave until almost 1am!

We got home and Patti went straight to bed, quite exhausted, but mostly because she has to be up at 6:30am to go teach students at a remote location close by. I don't know how she keeps going and going, but she does. She is amazingly talented and a great teacher of voice and piano, and passionate about music.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we will have a late lunch and not much else until evening. We will either go see another concert, or just stay home and I will cook dinner. Plans will be discussed, and plans will be changed throughout the day, but it will be fun either way.

It's now just after 2am, and I'm fading fast. See ya tomorrow!

Phoenix Vacation
Day 2 - March 2, 2017

Even though I was in a strange house, and sleeping in a strange bed, I slept like a rock! Travel can be exhausting, but also exhilarating.

Surprisingly, I was up at 8am, but it was the right time to get an early start heading north to Sedona, Arizona. We first went to Jack in the Box and got Breakfast Jacks, then to Costco to fill up the car, eventually heading north on Interstate 17. We encountered mostly flat prairie for the first hour passing exits for places named Bumble Bee and Crown King, and of course the occasional highway patrol officer. Even though the speed limit on the interstate is 75mph, and we were all doing about that speed, when drivers see a cop, they instinctively push the brakes to slow down. Really? I also noticed a tremendous amount of Saguaro (su-war-o) cactus everywhere. These are the tall standing cactus with multiple arms you would traditionally see in an old western movie, or a travel brochure to "visit the Wild West". The cactus can reach 45 feet tall, and that takes 200 years. They are protected by law, and it is illegal to damage them. A ten year old cactus may only be one and a half inches tall. An adult cactus is very heavy because they store water, and can weigh up to 8 tons. They won't bloom until they are 35 years old, and aren't considered an adult until they are 125 years old. This style of cactus' biggest threat is poachers.

Soon, we started climbing up the mountains. Phoenix is about 1100 feet in elevation. Sedona is a little over 6000 feet. That's a lot of climbing! As we climbed, the cactus began to disappear because of the thinner air, and the temperatures dropped quickly. We crested a range near Camp Verde and suddenly saw two of the San Francisco mountains beautifully reaching into the clear blue sky 80 miles ahead of us with their two snow-capped peaks glistening at 12,600 feet. Spectacular, but there was no shortage of spectacular views as we approached Sedona.

Twisting and turning on mountain roads, we finally encountered what makes Sedona very special, and that's the beautiful mountains and cliff faces glowing in the midday sun with various hues of red and orange. Some are jagged, some are smooth, all are beautiful. We stopped at just about every pull-off point and snapped a large amount of pictures on our phones and 35mm cameras. We attempted a couple of hiking trails, but couldn't go too far because of Patti's recent knee surgery.

Up on the side of a mountain in Sedona is Chapel of the Rock, a church actually built into the rock itself. We walked up the short pathway to the chapel, snapped more pictures of the mountain that towers very close and high above the church, then went inside. Candles were being lit, people were kneeling in prayer, and it was perfectly lovely.

The Breakfast Jacks didn't last long and we were then on the hunt for lunch. I asked Siri for the best Mexican food restaurant in town, and it recommended Javelina's Cantina. It, too, was built against the rocks, but now it seemed apparent that most places in Sedona were. When traveling, I have little hope of finding good Mexican food outside of Texas, and that's certainly what I expected here, but I was surprised that it was actually excellent! I had the Green Chile Pork Carnitas with rice and guacamole, and iced tea. The tea was a little on the weak side, but the food was so good, I didn't mind too much.

After lunch we drove slowly through town looking at all the little shops selling souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and lawn ornaments. A beautiful city, but we quickly learned that it's very expensive to live there. Prices above a million dollars are not unusual.

We were getting into mid-afternoon and decided to take the shorter way home as the sun was quickly heading west. Once again, we had to go over mountains, and decided to go via the mining town of Jerome, Arizona. Lots of haunted buildings and copper mines, and the ubiquitous "red light district" and saloons most early mining and railroad towns were famous for.

Up we went to a little over 7000 feet at the crest, and there was snow everywhere, and a lot of it! As I walked through the snow, Patti took pictures of me in awe of it all and holding the touristy snowball, and we laughed at all the little snowmen passers-by had created on the side of the road. The temperature at the top was 42 degrees, and I was in a short-sleeved t-shirt. Although the sun was bright and warm, I didn't stay outside very long.

Down the other side of the mountains we went, and within just a few minutes the snow was gone and the temperature started to rise quickly. By the time we got down into the Prescott Valley, the digital thermometer in the car said it was 71 degrees.

The sun was beginning to set as we hurried back to Phoenix. What a day! Perfect weather, beautiful scenery, amazing structures, and beautiful mountain views. It was the day I hoped it would be, and I was not disappointed. We got home and enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches and lovely conversation, and got sleepy.

With the blog entry written, I wish you a very good night.

Phoenix Vacation
Day 1 - March 1, 2017

6am. WAY too early for the alarm to go off for someone that routinely gets up at the crack of noon everyday. I work the late shift and usually go to bed about 1am. Ugh.

I left work early yesterday so I could get home and get some packing done preparing for my journey to Phoenix. I haven't been to Phoenix in a long time, and I'm really looking forward to this trip. My dear friend Patti and her husband Trevor are allowing me to stay at their home, which is very appreciated. In allowing me to stay with them, Patti's son volunteered to relinquish his bedroom for a few days, and he'll stay with his dad. He will be thanked!

Patti contacted me a couple of months ago saying that her good friend Craig had written a new opera called "Riders of the Purple Sage" based on the famous novel of the same name, and they are debuting it this Friday with the Phoenix Opera. What a wonderful treat!

I said goodbye to Lawrence, Desiree and Toby, and hurried to Hobby Airport for my 9am flight. It's foggy this morning, but I'm thankful the forecasted storms are nowhere to be seen. I got to the airport in plenty of time, and security was quick and easy. I grabbed a banana nut muffin and orange juice at the coffee shop and proceeded to Gate 50 for my Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix, with a brief stop in El Paso along the way. Once aboard the plane, I noticed something unusual. The plane was only about one-third full! This is a first. Every Southwest flight I've ever been on has always been packed. Not this one, and it's nice to have an entire row to myself! I guess El Paso and Phoenix are not popular destinations on a Wednesday. I also guess it would be inappropriate to stretch out across three seats for a needed nap. No pillow. No blankey. I'll just recline my seat and annoy the guy behind me.

It was a very smooth flight into El Paso and only bumpy as we descended near the mountains. Desert winds and mountains always make it rough. A brief change of passengers, except for the four of us continuing on to Phoenix, and we'll soon be on our way. Hey look....even fewer people on this flight! Maybe 30 people? Nice, but I'm still not going to lay out across the seats.

We arrived in Phoenix 45 minutes early, and all 30 of us were very glad to be here, mostly because the plane was incredibly cold. It was like a meat locker in there! The warm Arizona sun felt good as we stepped outside, even though it was 68 degrees. Low humidity was a refreshing change, and it only felt chilly in shaded areas. By the time I got off the plane and got to baggage claim, the bags arrived less than five minutes later. 30 people at a large baggage claim carousel meant no pushing or shoving, just a quick grab and we were all outta there in record time.

A few minutes later Patti picked my up in her Hyundai and we ended up circling the airport a couple of times trying to decide which way to go for lunch. It was humorous. We ended up going into Scottsdale and having lunch at a great pizza joint. We sat inside as the patio was in the shade, thereby chilly. After lunch we walked around and did some shopping, eventually driving north making a big loop around the area. About one hundred miles later, we arrived at her house. If you've never been to Arizona, the yards don't have grass. They have wildflowers, rock and sand. Lawnmowers are not prevalent in the desert.

At 6pm, Patti had to leave and attend church services since it's Ash Wednesday. I stayed at the house and relaxed, updated this entry, and napped. It's been a long day. She and her husband Trevor will both be home around 8:30pm, and dinner plans will be considered at that time.

So, it's been a great day, I'm happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow as we drive about two hours north to Sedona, Arizona, where I hear it's beautiful, and cold, since it's about 5000 feet higher in elevation than Phoenix. I promised Patti I wouldn't google pictures of Sedona...she wants it to be a surprise. I have a feeling I'll be taking a lot of pictures tomorrow. Goodnight!

July 23, 2016
Alaska Trip - Day 1

7:30am (Central) - I was right. Not much sleep, and that alarm going off at 4am was almost painful. I got about 4 hours of sleep, and I'm definitely dragging this morning. Otherwise, I was right on time arriving at Hobby Airport at 6am. Met my party, got the bags checked, ate a little something, and got through security quickly. Now we're just sitting at the gate waiting to board. We'll be on the plane for about 6 hours because we are stopping in Albuquerque on the way. Arrival in Seattle at 12:05pm local time. I usually can't sleep on planes, but as tired as I am, there's a good chance I will. That is, of course, if this flight isn't the Screaming Baby Express. I have my Bose noise-reduction headphones at the ready!

9:15am (Mountain) - Right on time into Albuquerque, and a very smooth flight. And thankfully, no screamers. People off, people on, and soon on our way to Seattle. It's sunny and 71 here. Nice. I'll be enjoying my banana nut muffin in lieu of peanuts during this segment. Yummy!

11:45am (Pacific) - Another very smooth segment, but we had a little screamer as we descended into Seattle. Luckily, he's in the very back, I'm in the very front. Perfect. We landed 20 minutes early, and typical for Seattle, it's very cloudy. Southwest has a great free TV service onboard, so I was able to catch up with the news. The signal was great and only stuttered a couple of times. Ain't technology great?

10:00pm - Finally settling down for the night. We had a lovely day here in Seattle looking around, but we didn't make it to the Pike's Market yet. We'll do that in the morning since it's very close to the cruise ship terminal. I took what was going to be a short nap that ended up being two hours! I was beat. We later had a delicious dinner at a local Italian restaurant, and enjoyed good conversation and making new friends. Gotta get up early, so off I go. We all look forward to getting aboard the ship tomorrow. So much to see, experience, and most importantly, EAT!

Friday, July 22, 2016

I'm feeling anxious. Not because anything is wrong, but because a lifelong goal of mine is coming to fruition starting tomorrow. I'm heading to Alaska, on a cruise, departing out of Seattle.

Since I was very young, I've had this strong draw to go to Alaska. I've never been able to explain why, it's just always been there. I've told family and friends all my life that if I ever make it there, I may not come back. Of course, I will come back since I have a job, home, and the usual adult responsibilities, but one day I may not.

Was I a gold miner in a previous life that struck it rich up there, or maybe a naturalist admiring the breathtaking beauty of that state? Whatever reason...I'm finally going.

Since Lawrence doesn't fly, he won't be joining me on this adventure, but I assured him that after we retire in a few years, we will go to Seattle via car or train and take our own cruise. I will be traveling with a group of friends that go on a bunch of cruises every year, so I will follow their lead on what to do and experience. I've been on cruises before, but always out of Galveston, and always to the Caribbean where it's always hot. Now I'm going north where it's almost always chilly. I've been watching the weather up there and it gets pretty cool during the night, even though we will have about 20 hours of daylight the whole time. That's gonna be weird.

My suite mate is a lady friend of mine that has never been on a cruise, and never been on a train, so I arranged this week and a half adventure to include the cruise, which has a train trip as a shore excursion, then when we arrive back in Seattle we will jump on Amtrak and ride along the Pacific Coast from Seattle down to Portland. We will fly home from there after a night's stay. We are both excited about the trip, but for different reasons, but I guess that's what adventures are all about. Although we will both see and experience the same things, we will react and feel different emotions as they happen.

I'm doing some laundry and getting ready to pack. I'm getting the cameras ready, and the electronics all charged up. I'm giving a lot of attention to the dog as I know she will miss me a lot while I'm gone, and I will miss her more.

My mother knew I always wanted to go to Alaska, and she always wanted me to go to Italy. It was her favorite destination, and I promised her I would someday. Maybe next year? I'll work on those plans when I get back.

I don't know if I will do a daily update or not. I'll have to see if the inspiration hits me, and if I have the time. I may write a daily report, but being that I will be on the ocean, I may not be able to post it every day. I'll also post a picture or two.

I have a feeling I won't get much sleep tonight.