Wow! Our first week in the desert and it’s been one non-stop party; visiting all the touristy places by day and all the hot night spots after sundown.
Shortly after we arrived at our home away from home. It was Christy's birthday so why am I getting the hugs?
Actually, that’s a bunch of bunk. I’m embarrassed to report that Linda and I have mostly been laying low trying to heal up. A few days before we left, I developed one of those colds that presents itself through a recurring clump of mucus (sorry) that forms about halfway down the windpipe. It causes a tickle that can only be freed by persistent, often involuntary, coughing which eventually becomes incredibly annoying and hurts. Hurts a lot. . Each hack sends a separate but equal jolt of pain to the forehead and ribcage that’s enough to buckle you over. I killed off a couple bottles of Tussin with codeine, a few hundred cough drops and lots of Advil trying to end my agony. Meanwhile, Linda’s mobility has been drastically limited because of dropping something on her foot which, as is typical for people of our advanced age, turned her entire instep a lovely shade of purple and limited her footwear options to a pair of Dearfoams slippers she picked up at Wallyworld. Her foot is getting better (more of a yellowish green now) and she’s able to wear her tennies for a few hours at a time. But, now she’s caught my cold. For her it’s a cough, runny nose and a voice that makes her sound like Ernestine the phone operator on Laugh In. (One ringy dingy) So, nobody’s called the cops on us yet for excessive rowdiness but wait until next week when we’re back to 100%.
We did find time to do a bit of shopping the other day followed by a perfectly lovely afternoon here at a place called VU for obvious reasons.
The food and grown up beverages are pretty spendy but it’s worth every penny to just sit out on the patio and drink-in the delicious wine and magnificent views which of course includes my lovely but ailing travel companion.
Also, whether we’re feeling up to it or not, there are two other priority places here in Fountain Hills we absolutely must visit upon arrival. First is the American Legion club where our desert daughter, Christy, is a member in good standing. She was invited by her neighbors years ago to be their guest and really liked the place because of the nice people there and the fact that smoking was allowed. In order to join herself, she had to submit the service record of her great grandfather who served in World War I. Through the Legion, Linda and I have gotten to know those same people and been invited to their functions including golf every Wednesday. The other must-go-to stop is Pei Wei Asian restaurant. I’ve mentioned this place before but it is absolutely the best tasting Asian cuisine I’ve ever had..and I like Szechuan in Sioux Falls a LOT. I know, I wrote here a few weeks ago about the abundance of Chinese restaurants at home but if a Pei Wei, or its parent company P.F. Chang’s, were to come to town, I’d be one delirious diner.
Speaking of food; one of the local TV stations down here does a cooking segment which reminded me a lot of “Monday Menu” we used to feature on Keloland’s Early News. I used to look forward to that segment each week as did a lot of our viewers although I believe many of them tuned in not so much for the recipes as to see Angela and my reactions when we tasted what guests had prepared.
Hey, that’s an idea for a blog; memories of the most delightful and most disgusting foods we were forced to consume on Monday Menu. Stay Tuned.