John Wise

This pedestrian bridge crossing Greenway Parkway in Phoenix, Arizona is one of the nicest examples of such a contraption in our fair city. I have never seen anyone using it, but I am sure it must be used at some time or other or why would the state build such a thing? Matter of fact, rarely will one see a pedestrian at all on our streets. At our bus stops, it is just as likely the person waiting is not actually waiting for a bus but is using the bench to get some sleep. I have seen crazy people running down the street, not away from someone chasing them, but running for exercise – in this heat? Checking my memory I just can’t remember anyone walking that would make bridges such as this useful.

Unscrupulous lenders sold mama and papa bear an Adjustable Rate Mortgage on a McMansion in a gated community these Teddy Bears along with their adopted baby dragon from China should have never qualified for, leaving them homeless. In the heyday of the real estate boom, anything on two legs could qualify for a loan. Prices for homes were going to go up forever and ever like endless streams of a chocolate river running through the Willy Wonka factory. But then one day, like Hansel and Gretel, the uninformed consumer, our poor stuffed bears above, find themselves in the oven ready to be consumed not by the witch but by the even more fiendish banking system. Oh, the woe that befalls those with not much more than stuffing in their heads.

After years of wanting to stop for some Native American food at Arizona Native Frybread, we finally made the long drive to 1437 E. Main Street in Mesa, Arizona. The food was good, not great, but that has as much to do with me wanting to eat mutton and them serving lamb. Of course, lamb is more tolerable for the majority of non-Native American customers who might visit but for those of us who have had the real thing, mutton is the only way to go. Caroline was going to abstain from eating as she wasn’t really hungry until she had a bite of my frybread, also known to Caroline as “crack”. She was hooked immediately and had to get herself a Navajo Taco. Well, we must have been here at the exact right moment for my order, because it came up in 5 minutes, her taco took nearly 20 minutes before it was delivered. So, besides some mildly slow service, this place was well worth the long drive – yummers!

Not only are these dogs’ ears sunburned, but the guy on the right, his nose is fading off. Some people put bumper stickers on their cars, others put a fish with some smart Darwinistic slant or simply praise for their belief in the car. Today’s kids need street glow or stickers showing what might be under the hood, but for our neighbor here, she has stuffed animals and compared to some of the rude stuff I’ve been reading from other neighbors, this doesn’t seem all that bad.