back
October 12, 2010

Back.

Trip: Great. Travel was decent both ways; I was leery of flying Southwest, but it turned out fine. The "persons of size" policy and the eccentricities of seating turned out to be non-issues, and the ticket price, "bags fly free" policy, and the aggressive on-time policy were all much to my advantage. Going out, we were 45 minutes early. Coming home, there was one empty seat on the entire plane--and it was next to me! Guess no one wanted to sit between the big fat broad and the guy who smelled like he'd had a few. (I didn't care if he smelt of beer; I'm the one who waved him into the window seat. He was a very nice guy and reminded me of my bro-in-law, P.) And we put up the armrests and were comfortable all the way home.

Food: Indian Food that was sublime, Chinese food that was sublime (Little Shanghai, on East Indian School Rd), bruschetta that was beyond sublime, A BLT at Scott's Generations Deli that almost made me weep, and (of course)a hot fudge sundae from Mary Coyle's.

And something I can't link to--my aunt's incomparable home cooking. While I was there, she made pork roast, meatloaf, sticky buns, refrigerator pickles, and peppermint ice cream, among other delicacies.

Birthday Cake: the one with yellow flowers and chocolate drizzles shown here. It's a "Lemon Shadow Cake"; layers of white and chocolate cake, separated by layers of lemon curd and buttercream frosting. And it said Happy Birthday to me on top! Served with people I love singing "Happy Birthday", blowing out of candles, and a birthday card containing a fifty--as if they hadn't already given me the absolute time of my life. (I believe in being gracious enough to give people the gift of accepting their generosity, but this bunch stretches it almost to the breaking point!)

Family: Spending time with my cousin, just the two of us, was as enjoyable as it was long-overdue. This was the first time in our lives we were able to pull it off, and she's 43. As a bonus, going out for dinner with just her and her husband was the cherry on the sundae. Basking in the pure and undiluted unconditional love of my uncle brought joy to my heart, as it always does. Being showered with excesses and generally spoiled rotten by my wonderful Auntie does something for me that I can't explain, but it is something my spirit needs, and gets nowhere else. And as for The Boy (my cousin's son), I adore him. He's definitely my kind of 10-year-old. Bright, cute, funny, and well-brought-up.

Goodies: Lots of loot from two different bead stores--Al's Beads and Silver in Phoenix, and Double Joy Beads in Scottsdale. Also from Al's : TWO gorgeous silver pendants--one with inlaid blue opal, and one with inlaid lavendar opal and a trilliant-cut amethyst.

A Takeya tea maker and a sumptuous selection of teas from the amazing Fleur de Teas.

Chocolates from See's (a family tradition, and one I can wholeheartedly endorse).

Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar, Regular EVOO, Meyer Lemon-Infused EVOO, Artichoke and Garlic Tapanade and Olive Oil Crackers, Green Olives stuffed with Maytag Blue Cheese, threefold Mexican vanilla paste, and Lavender-Rose Olive Oil Body Butter--all from the Queen Creek Olive Mill.

Maple Pepper and Spicy Cranberry-Cherry Relish, from Terra Verde Farms, at the Phoenix Farmer's Market. (Courtesy of my cousin, who made an early morning run the day I left.)

Unexpected items of interest: Torrential rains that followed us from Apache Junction to Northeast Phoenix. My cousin starting an adventure with the words "I wonder what would happen if we turned right, instead of left". The spectacular full rainbow that appeared to Cousin and myself when we were lost in the desert (see adventure, above), and guided us back to familiar territory. The Cooking Channel taping a show at the olive mill. The full-on, batshit loony crazy lady at the Sky Harbor security checkpoint. Getting to be the one to check The Boy's homework--and impressing him with my intelligence (NOT EASY!). Finding out Phoenix has more places to get fantastic soup than you would ever believe. Falling in LOVE with the beautiful Fry's supermarket that my cousin-in-law helped to design. Being able to help my aunt sort out her missing credit card muddle, so she was able to get it back, and not have to cancel it. Putting magnet clasp converters on her favorite necklaces so she can put them on without waiting for her daughter to come over and help her.