What more could you ask than to be in the Phoenix area for the Cub's 2009 Spring Training opening day!
After having no luck finding any baseball postcards in the area stores around Scottsdale, Chuck drove Fred and me out to Mesa to HoHoKam Park, winter home of the Chicago Cubs, to see if we could pick up some postcards on opening day. Dropping us off across the street from the ballpark, the stadium gate keepers were
kind enough to let us inside the Stadium to the gift shop even though we weren't going to go to the game. Chuck circled around the park in the car while we shopped. After finding the postcards we were after, we called Chuck on the cellphone to tell him we were ready to go and he swooped back in to pick us up in front of the stadium a little while later.It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day for a ballgame with the temperature in the low 80's.
The Cubs opened the season against the Dodgers. And the Cubs won 5-3!
Lets keep our fingers crossed that the Cubs will shine in 2009???
Eating out...Sprinkles Cupcakes & Oregano's Pizza
A few days before our departure, Joanne's son, Chuck Parker, arrived back in
Scottsdale after spending several weeks in California. As there were a few speciality food establishments we wanted to check out, we waited for Chuck's return to try them out. One was a place called 'Sprinkles Cupcakes,' which was a short distance from Joanne's place, and features a large selection of flavored gourmet cupcakes. As these cupcakes are like mini-decorated cakes, we each carefully made our choice from the menu and took them home to savor and devour. Of course, each had to be displayed for picture taking before we enjoyed every heavenly morsel.
The other eating establishment we had been anxious to try was Oregano's Pizza. As there are two locations of this pizza chain in Scottsdale, we chose the one in Old Scottsdale. We went for an early evening dining time and had no problem being seated immediately. As Chuck had eatten there before, he advised us on what salad to order to go with the pizza of our choice. The salad was out of this world and the pizza was one of the best I've ever had...and I've had a few. I loved the place and it will definitely be on my return list when I am back in Scottsdale again.
Big Scare in Scottsdale
The Sunday morning before we left Scottsdale was the day we decided to take a drive to downtown Phoenix to look around. With Fred at the wheel, we set out on our much awaited trip to see the sights and sounds of downtown Phoenix. With the grand old Pal
ms lining both sides of the streets, we marveled at the Southwestern flair of the city. After driving the streets and seeing the large buildings, we decided it was time to stop and get out of the car for awhile and get a bit to eat. We passed several eating establishments and finally decided on a Jack In the Box that was conveniently located on a corner of Central Street.
We went in, placed our orders and took a table seat near the door. After eating our sandwiches, we decided to take some pictures of the grand old Palm trees that lined the street and parking lot. After pictures, we climbed back in the car for our return drive back to Scottsdale. Joanne wanted us to take a different route back so she could show us some old homes in the area and we also decided to stop at a Trader Joe's to pick up some items for dinner.
After our leisurely drive back, we turned into Trader Joe's and as we were getting out to go inside to do our shopping, I discovered I DIDN'T HAVE MY PURSE! Immediately all the doors flew open, as well as the trunk lid, as we started searching the car inside and out for my purse, which our frantic search did not turn up. I knew I had my purse at Jack In the Box and that I had hung it on the back of my seat. So we jumped back in the car and headed back to Phoenix and the Jack In the Box. Joanne called Directory Assistance to get a phone number for the restaurant only to be told there were two located in Phoenix and we weren't sure which one we had visited. She then found her sales receipt with a phone number and I immediately started calling the number, only to get a busy signal. This went on for the whole 30-40 minute trip back to the restaurant.
My heart was pounding as all my ID, money, credit cards, cell phone and other personal items were in that purse. Luckily, Fred had gotten to know the city well enough to be able to quickly navigate his w
ay around and with little traffic, he got us back to the restuarant in record time. As we came to a screeching halt in the parking lot, Fred and I ran inside while Joanne started searching the garbage cans and looking around the areas where we had taken pictures. I first went to the table where we had sat and 'no purse.' Then I went to the fast order counter and asked the order taker if a black purse had been turned it. In response I got a very blank look and my heart sank as I thought, 'Oh, brother.' About that time, the young lady who had waited on us and taken our order appeared with a smile and asked if I was looking for a purse! She said she had found it on the back of the chair right after we left and she couldn't catch us. She had it in the safe and would get it for me. As she disappeared to the back to retrieve it, I was so relieved, I was shaking. After getting it back, I tried to give her a reward but she said she couldn't take anything and that it was against company policy. So I thanked her profusely and got her address so I could send her a gift of appreciation, which I did after we returned home from our trip. There are certainly Angels in Phoenix.
A Visit to Old Tucson
Upon reaching Tucson, we made a stop at a Denney's restaurant for brunch and shortly after arriving, Joanne got a surprise phone call from cousin Mary Ann (Sturm) Craig, who was on a return trip from California to Indiana, and had stopped off at her sister's, Barbara (Sturm) Macon's home in Colorado Springs, CO.
After brunch, we made the short drive from Tucson to Old Tucson and m
ade our way to the Grand Hotel for a short film about Old Tucson and then attended many different scheduled events of the day, including several shoot outs and dance hall revues. It was a fun and relaxing day where we enjoyed all the fabulous actors who recreated life in 'the Ole Wild West' that took us back to life in another time and place. We will long remember our day spent at the, "Hollywood in the Dessert in Tucson, Arizona!"Road Trip to Scottsdale, AZ.
Taking Joanne Klitzing up on her invitation to come visit her in Scottsdale, AZ., Fred and I left Carbondale on Saturday evening, February 14th, after a Saluki basketball game. We grabbed a sub at Subway (great Valentine's Dinner) in Murphysboro and headed
on to Rolla, MO., where we stayed the night. The next morning we awoke to snow flurries and hurriedly left town hoping to make Amarillo, TX that evening. Luckily, we drove out of the snowy weather and continued on without any problems. After arriving in Amarillo, we found a Cracker Barrel down the road from our motel and after a much needed meal, turned in for the evening.Our destination on Monday was Santa Fe, New Mexico, which we made in ample time to enjoy a short walk to the Old Santa Fe area to look around. We found a quaint Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a leisurely late afternoon meal. As I had only been walking without the 'Moon Boot' for a couple weeks, I found the cobbled stone streets and walk ways a little treacherous on my poor old, mending, right ankle. Our lodging reservations were at an Inn in the Old Santa Fe area of town and we found the place quite interesting as the Inn was actually three houses that had been connected by hallway type passages that adjoined the buildings together. Our plan was to spend two nights in Santa Fe and then drive on to about Flagstaff and spend our last night on the road there. However, we received a call that Fred's cousin, Gary Moehle, was not d
oing well after suffering a major stroke so we decided to drive straight through from Santa Fe to Scottsdale on Wednesday so we would be close to an airport incase we needed to fly back home. That leg of the trip went smoothly and we arrived in wonderful Scottsdale about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. A glimpse of Old Camelback as we came in on the 101 was a welcoming sight as we made our way to Winfield Place on Chapparel Road, where Joanne was waiting for us with a home cooked meal ready for us to sit down to eat, complete with a home made pie for dessert! Ahh, Scottsdale, what a nice winter break.
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