Yesterday we were at Chile Acres and while the blog entry focused on my mother-in-law, my little cowgirl was out here too and this cute photo of her just had to find its way to my site.
Hike and Horse
The mother-in-law is in training and today’s exercise involves hiking up North Mountain near where we live. It’s not a long hike but it is a test to see how she feels after scaling this puny mountain. She makes it as high as the trail will let her go and is treated to a wonderfully clear view of the downtown Phoenix skyline. Jutta is in training for an attempt next month to hike into and more importantly, hike out of, the Grand Canyon.
Off the trail and on to another trail of sorts, the horse trail. It was time for another horseback riding lesson. First though we had to get my mother-in-law her first pair of blue jeans – $9 at Walmart. Caroline lent her a pair of boots, Celia supplied the hat and I offered an extra lift to get Jutta back into the saddle.
Mayor and Baseball
Left home early this morning to head into downtown Phoenix to the open-air market. The first stop was to stop in and say hi to Jimmy and Celia of Chile Acres, they are down here every Saturday selling eggs. As we walked around we crossed paths with the mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon. I stopped him so as to introduce my mother-in-law to our mayor. Jutta was quite surprised because had never met a mayor in all her years in Germany but come to America, and there they are just strolling through the market.
Our next stop was out in Glendale to take Jutta to her first-ever baseball game. And how else could she better appreciate America’s great past time? With a beer and hotdog, that’s how. Our seats were perfect just behind the catcher but between the three of us, we didn’t much have a clue as to what was really going on so after the third inning and enough beer and hotdogs we took off.
Kahekili
The last performance of the month for us to attend was at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Tonight featured a dance and music group from Hawaii that told the story through their performance of the great and sacred Maui chief Kahekili. Jutta attended the show with us and enjoyed the opportunity to see a slice of Pacific Islander life and mythology that is rarely if ever performed in Germany. These cultural moments that transport Caroline and me out of the drab confines of what would otherwise be a very boring city are mini lifesavers.
Almond Blossoms
Almonds blossoms in the Arizona desert, I would have never guessed this was possible.
Song and Dance
A busy day of entertainment was in store for us today. It all started out at the new football stadium in Glendale where a travel trade show was going on. During the course of the day, various groups of musicians and dancers took to the stage to perform but we were here for a group of Native Americans, playing flute, drum, singing pow wow, dancing the hoop dance and as this young man demonstrated, the chicken dance.
Later in the day, we headed over to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform. This a cappella group from South Africa is probably best known for their collaboration with Paul Simon on the song “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Feet” and while Paul didn’t join this all-male group of singers this evening, it was a thrill to have the opportunity to have seen these legends in the flesh.