The caffiend has struck. You will now visit my site instead of this john wise character. Click my picture and submit to the genius of Mike D and Mike’s Murals. Don’t make me post a picture here every day threatening you – just go to my site.
Staring at the Sun
Today was the first day of spring and it’s late in this first day when I snapped this photo. Historically, it is colder than it should be But that’s ok as it’s going to get hotter than it should be, soon enough. This is the afternoon sun you want to avoid when driving west as it turns everything in front of you into a silhouette, blindingly bright made worse by dirty windshields. Those clouds dropped a little rain here and there. Maybe it snowed up north again. I heard that the ski runs of Flagstaff were to have opened this past Friday, I don’t really care, I don’t ski.
The Underside
This is a pachira leaf, seen from below. Pachira is more commonly known as the money tree. We have had ours for at least seven years now. When we bought this money tree it was not much more than a foot tall, today it is as tall as I am, at nearly six feet. From time to time a cat has nibbled its leaves, one of the three trees originally in the pot died, but since then the remaining two have done fine. Visiting cats thought it made a nice litter pan, not to our amusement though. It is said that this is a lucky plant, one of the feng shui plants. Maybe it is – I know Caroline and I enjoy that it has been with us for so long.
Angel Sweet
Angel Sweet Gelato in Chandler, Arizona on the corner of Dobson and Chandler Boulevard should be visited by every man, woman, and child in Arizona. This was another Seth Chadwick recommendation from his foody site Feasting in Phoenix. The friendly staff helped us sample no less than a dozen flavors and narrowed the choices down to eleven we would have liked to have purchased. Ultimately, Caroline went for a small cup of fruits of the forest (mixed berry) and panna cotta, while I took a medium cup with coffee, raspberry, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and panna cotta – the panna cotta (which might be compared to dulce de leche) is their best seller and often sold out. My greatest disappointment is that this place has been around for four years and this was the first we’d heard of it; suppose my waistline should be happy for this sad fact. The gelato is out of this world, just like back in Europe.
Lee’s Sandwiches
We made it out to Chandler, Arizona this weekend to try Lee’s Sandwiches on the corner of Dobson and Warner Roads. The tip to try Lee’s came from Seth Chadwick who blogs about restaurants in Arizona over at Feasting in Phoenix. His recommendation was a good one, with 10 inch long sandwiches served on freshly baked French baguettes costing a mere $2.50 each. My first choice wasn’t my favorite, I opted for the Special Combination not knowing I wasn’t looking at Mortadella, it was head cheese. I personally am not a fan of organ meat and so the flavor wasn’t my cup of tea. The manager gladly exchanged it for the grilled pork which was excellent – I still wish he’d let me pay for it as it was my mistake for not paying attention and at only $2.50 each I didn’t feel I was losing a lot of money.
On Wednesday when I pick up our Community Supported Agriculture grown veggies from the Little Farm in Gilbert I’ll be stopping here at Lee’s to pick up lunch for myself and a sandwich for Caroline. Sadly, this location is the only one in Arizona, but the manager said there are plans for more locations. Thanks, Seth for the great tip.
Big Screen
Caroline and I went to see the movie V for Vendetta on the Cine Capri screen at the Scottsdale 101 theater on the edge of Phoenix, Arizona, this evening. The movie is terrific, although I can’t see Matt Drudge or Rush Limbaugh recommending it to the right-wing zealots that comprise the majority of their whacky audiences. I didn’t listen to nor hear about Mr. Limbaugh throwing dirt on the film, though that would be keeping with his hateful agenda, the DrudgeReport was quick to feature snide and overly negative reviews of V for Vendetta the week prior to its release. While there are some plot holes and the dialogue begs for an attentive ear due to garbled script from behind the mask, the overall message of not allowing ourselves to be bowled over by bullying governments who would use fear and deception to control populations holds certain poignant timeliness of sorts.
The Cine Capri screen is a favorite of film aficionados as it is the largest traditional movie screen in Arizona. At 70-feet wide in a theater space holding 600 viewers, the Cine Capri at the Scottsdale 101 theaters is one of the best places to catch a flick.