A Weekend with Jutta

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Jutta and Caroline standing in front of the Welcome to California state shield near Blythe and the Arizona border.

On the way to California for the weekend, we pass the Welcome to California state shield near Blythe and the Arizona border. We are going to Disneyland on Saturday, much to Caroline’s surprise.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Hadley Orchard in California

On the way over, we had to stop for a break, that kind of break, and seeing we were here, why not pick up some yummy dates at Hadley’s? For dinner, we ate at Mix Bowl Cafe, our absolute favorite Thai food place we have ever been to. Mix Bowl is a neon-lit, pop music-filled, late-night joint we stumbled upon years ago, located at 1520 Indian Hill Blvd in Pomona, California. Overnight, we stayed at the Anaheim Stardust as we have on many previous occasions.

Heard Museum

JWise Photo of the Day

A Katsina doll of Hopi design at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Jutta and I went to the Heard Museum this morning. To our great surprise, the museum has undergone a dramatic renovation.

Pottery at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

The new layout has cost about $8 million, but it looks as though the money was well spent.

Figurines at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Two new short films about the native people of the Colorado River and the Havasupai are shown on demand, and a longer 45-minute film about native culture is shown continuously. A media center offers electronic research.

Sandal at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

A new garden with native plants is underway. Other parts of the museum are still being renovated, but don’t let that stop you from visiting; the Heard has gone from nice to absolutely great.

Beaded jewelry at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Update: in 2023, I refreshed this post with four new photos that I took back during this visit and updated the top image that was the original that accompanied the post. The text is all original.

Giant Robot in the Mail

JWise Photo of the Day

Our subscription to Giant Robot magazine arrived today. Giant Robot is a favorite of both Caroline and I

Giant Robot magazine is a favorite for both Caroline and me. Sadly, it only comes out about four times a year. They have a store in Los Angeles that we have been wanting to visit for years but have yet to stop by; there is even a restaurant now.

GR features reviews on interesting Asian films, interviews with Asian directors and actors, artists, and musicians, toymakers, an odd recipe here and there, and some useful, even entertaining information on Asian culture in every zine. Matter of fact, visit their website right now to read a short story about Stephen Chow in America for the premiere of Kung Fu Hustle.

National Parks we Visited on Vacation

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Brochures from the National Parks we visited on our vacation.

Our vacation covered a lot of landmarks, including these 12 National Parks and Monuments. After having visited more than 120 facilities, we have collected a crate of these brochures, sadly, budget cuts are going to trim how many brochures the parks are sent to a mere 5000 – imagine that the Grand Canyon has millions of visitors every year. Missing from the photo are brochures for Pt. Reyes National Seashore and the Grand Teton National Park.