Fun and Games Dept

Yesterday afternoon we decided to drive to Phoenix for a Sunday afternoon happy hour. I’m not up on any bar scene, but apparently the Nutowne Saloon in Phoenix, one of the oldest gay bars around, has recently re-opened so we decided to check it out.

We recognized one couple from our visit to Copper Cactus Resort early this summer so we chatted them up a bit. We really liked the vibe of the place and we’ll probably make the trek to Phoenix again to see what’s going on there once in a while.

My husband was kind enough to drive us home, but only after we stopped for a bite to eat at a local brewery just around the corner.

After some pizza and “disco chips” (loaded potato chips that were very decadently wonderful) we were on our way home.

I find Phoenix relatively easy to navigate and so does my husband. Since the freeways in Phoenix are relatively new, they were built to standards determined AFTER all the mistakes were made in cities across the U.S. when those freeways were built in the middle part of the 20th century.

Their gas is expensive, though.

Earl navigated his way along the 143 to the 10, and headed southeast to get us home to Tucson. I love the way my iPhone grabbed the colors in this night shot of the freeway.

Yesterday we went for a drive, aiming for a part of the state we hadn’t explored yet. We decided to head up toward Show Low, a bit of a drive to the high country, but I figured we’d see some scenic views and have a delightful time in our Jeep Cherokee.

Scenic views was an understatement.

Our ride took us up SR 77 to the northeast, and took us through Salt River Canyon.

The curvy, fairly steep route kept me on my toes as we made our way down to the bottom of the canyon and back up the other side. We also agreed we might have to have the brakes looked as there was a bit of a shake toward the end of their use, but once they cooled down everything was back to normal.

Show Low and nearby Pinetop-Lakeside are quaint recreational type towns. We stopped at the local casino but didn’t stay very long, as it seemed a little tired in decor and offerings. We then made our way across US 60 and the Mogollon Rim to Payson, where we stopped at their casino and spent a bit more time there. Country star Josh Turner was performing in a nearby court yard, so we enjoyed their concert special of a BBQ buffet inside and played casino games for a little bit.

After Payson we made a Beeline toward home on the appropriately named “Beeline Highway”, which is a curvy, twisty, hilly adventure, especially when driving at night with 55 year old eyes, but everything was fine. After around 450 miles round trip we were back home before midnight.

It’s been a long while since we did a long road trip together like this and we had a good time. I don’t think my husband is ready to drive all over the Great Plains with me chasing storms next spring but if I can deliver some scenery and some things to do instead of just driving, it’s all about the contentment.

Since my husband is retired and I am not, he has a little more time during the week to explore our fine city. The other day he mentioned a small park near our house that features a small lake and I was skeptical. I know there’s a small lake in a gated community just north of us, but that was the only year-round water feature I knew about. After all, we live in the Sonoran Desert.

We made our way to Lakeside Lake Park, where we enjoyed a nice afternoon stroll under the desert sun. It was well over 100ºF, so we actually made our way from shady spot to shady spot, but we did well, as neither of us showed any sign of sunburn by the end of the day.

It was quite lovely. I look forward to going back in cooler temperatures.

Yesterday my husband and I went on a wonderful flight from Tucson to Casa Grande and back. I had flown this route several times last year during my instrument training out of Ryan Airfield; this was one of the first times I got to actually see the scenery along the route. During instrument training we use “foggles”, or view limiting devices, so we can only see the instruments in the cockpit. We don’t get to see outside.

Earl took a bunch of photos that he’s shared on various social media outlets.

It’s getting hotter in the Sonoran Desert and the best time to fly at this time of year is in the early morning. After 10:00 a.m. or so thermals start rippling about and makes the ride a bit bumpy. We were back home and on the ground by 9:45 a.m. after the 150 mile (or so) round trip. We did a touch ‘n go at Casa Grande Municipal Airport before landing on runway 11R back at our home base of KTUS Tucson International.

I really like being based at KTUS. The procedures are a bit more inline with “big pilot” ways and it’s neat holding short for our turn to take off with a Southwest 737 right behind us.

We’re going up again in a couple weeks. I’m going to find us another fun destination.

I enjoy the vibe of Downtown Tucson. While not a particularly large downtown area, Tucson has some great little restaurants and has made some good decisions in reusing old storefronts and the like throughout the area.

We met our friend Mike at the local gay bar for a drink. Mike and Bubba have been together for a long while; Bubba works during the week but Mike was able to hang out for a bit. Earl enjoys his Piggly Wiggly shirt. I brought my beer gut, though I wasn’t drinking beer.

Afterwards Earl and I went to a place downtown called The Drunken Chicken. It’s a small location but has a great vibe about it. Earl decided to cover up his Piggly Wiggly tank top for dinner.

When we left it was quiet out and about. I guess that’s typical for the area on a Wednesday night.

We have an indoor pool. I was very excited when we bought a home with an indoor pool and spent many months swimming on a daily basis.

My body then decided I’d used up all my swimming tokens and now I break out in a light rash when I swim in our pool. No one else in the family has this issue, so my skin has just decided to do its own thing.

I now swim just once in a while.

The experience is enjoyable but I have to take an off-brand Benadryl for a couple of days afterward to cope with any itchiness.

It’s worth it.

My annual salary increase was a little larger than anticipated. When I received the news on Monday, I told my husband I’d like to have a date night at a local restaurant, and the night should include a bottle of champagne.

We had a very nice time at Charro Steak and Del Rey here in Tucson. Living on the outskirts of the city, it’s a 30 minute or so drive to the downtown area. I enjoy the vibe of Tucson’s downtown. It’s small but feels rather up and coming and I like the area.

Our reservation was for 18:30 and we were seated just before the restaurant seemingly filled to capacity. I understand the restaurant to be two restaurants that were combined into one; we took a peek to the other (behind the wall with the bar) and the same atmosphere seemed to continue on over there.

The food was delicious and our selections were rather decadent. This sort of activity is not something we can do every week, even with my higher than anticipated raise, but once in a great while is rather fun.

While I have historically enjoyed trying different craft beers, as I get older my stomach doesn’t enjoy beer as much as it used to. I also enjoy a good glass of wine, and adding some bubbles to the experience was a nice change of pace. Actually, I’m discovering I really like Champagne and Prosecco when the mood is right. Years ago I read that Larry Hagman enjoyed drinking Champagne while performing as Major Nelson on “I Dream of Jeannie”. I don’t think I could do that. Once in a while is just fine for me.

It was a lovely evening.

It was the second to last regular game of the season with the Tucson Roadrunners playing San Jose tonight. As one of the first 1500 fans in attendance, we both received Roadrunner bobble heads. Tomorrow night is fan appreciation night and it’ll probably be another raucous time.

We lost. Again. But we are in the playoffs. We’re holding off on purchasing playoff tickets until we see how the team does in the first round, which they’ll play away from home.

Marshall tagged along as we went to the Street Fair again this year. I don’t know the official name of the street fair but it takes place on Fourth Street Avenue. It’s a good time of year for this sort of thing; it’s not too hot and the vibe is friendly. I find the vibe to be friendly most of the time here in Tucson. I liked the laid back nature of this town.

We saw a few things of interest and had some good food. I had a beer while chatting with the folks in the neighborhood committee sponsoring the beer tent. The beer wore off quickly.

I stopped by a wet shaving supplies tent, but the man with the huge beard didn’t have much to say. I thought it was odd that he was selling shaving supplies but I’ll check out his website someday.

Overall we had a pleasant afternoon.