Food In Phoenix

When you go away for a long weekend or even a vacation many times food becomes a major focal point.

But living at the Grand Canyon going out to eat becomes almost a depressing experience. There are times I come home from work and my wife does not feel like cooking and you think, where do we go for food? McDonalds, Wendys or pizza? Not a lot of variety!

That is why when we leave the Canyon and go somewhere food becomes a big deal! And in Phoenix we had a lot to choose from. Here were a few of our favorite stops.
The first night we stopped and had dinner at On The Border. What an experience!
I had the Big Bordurrito. It was HUGE! And man was it good. A giant burrito stuffed with black beans, rice, and fajita steak. The flavor was out of this world.
Chick-Fil-A has become one of our favorites over the years and we "suffered" through two meals there on our Phoenix trip - breakfast and dinner. What can I say? It was tasty.
The last day we were there we found Einstein Bros Bagels and had a great breakfast. There is nothing like a bagel from there.
But their coffee can very easily become some of my favorite.
Yes. I saved the best for last - Abuellos'. We discovered this restaurant when we lived in Dallas. When we learned there was one in Phoenix we knew we had to go.
Yes, that is a lot of food! Three different enchiladas, a tamale, a chili relleno, a taco, and rice and beans. No, I did not eat all of it my self. I shared my food with my daughter, but I would not let her have my taco. I made her get her own. The food was amazing.

I must admit that Phoenix had a lot to offer food wise. I do know that our next trip down there Abuellos' will be on our list of stops. Hmm. What to order next.

Finding Music In Phoenix

There is nothing like finding new music on a trip to the "big city." At first you wonder if you will find anything at all, but as always, that is a risk that you take. The hunt is half the fun!

When we arrived in Phoenix we stopped at a bookstore on I17 that is part of Calvary Community Church. I had been told that it was a good bookstore (and I actually picked up a couple of good books). But there is always the question if they had any music that I was interested in.

The store was open when we got there and we wondered inside. As normal in a Christian bookstore the music was way in the back. Hmm. What gems would I find there?

Some good gems were found that day. Along with three good releases that I did not own I also picked up some Christmas music that was hitting the racks while we were there.

In my findings were:

• The Kry - Undone (2002)
• Starflyer 59 - My Island (2006)
• Ashley Cleveland - Before the Daylight's Shot
• Chris Tomlin - Glory In The Highest (Christmas cd) (2009)
• Maranatha! Music - Top 25 Christmas Songs (2010)
• Various Artists - Christmas All Around Us (2910)

On Friday afternoon we ended up at a Half Price Bookstore. At a Half Price you never know what you are going to find! Sometimes you find some pretty good stuff and other times you find that jewel of a cd that you had been looking for.

It is hard to see it in the picture above but on the far left side is a rack of vinyl! I was a good boy and did not spend anytime at all thumbing through the records. (They even had a section of 45 rpms. Man I was impressed!)

I narrowed down my purchase there to only four cds. The Eric Clapton puchase was one that I had really been looking for and was really glad to find.

• Eric Clapton - Just One Night (1980)
• Derek & the Dominoes - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
• John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow - (1985)
• Joy Electric - Old Wives Tales - (1996)

On Saturday morning we had gone to a mall and in our wondering around walked into Barnes & Noble. I normally do not find good stuff in the B&N music department and I almost did not go into that section. But I did and noticed a section of marked down music. So I began to thumb through and found two good pieces that I picked up.

• Santana - Abraxas (1970)
• Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980)

Over all I scored pretty well over the weekend. Finding good places to pick up good music in a strange town is always a lot of fun. Can't wait to do it again.

I Did Not Know. . .

I took a long weekend last week and headed down to Phoenix. Missy and I had never been real big on spending time there let alone spend a long weekend there. What struck me the most was the beauty.

I did not know that Phoenix had palm trees. They were everywhere and were beautiful. This is right outside our hotel window.
There is nothing like a rainbow. There were storms close by and even though we did not get any rain we at least got the benefit of a beautiful rainbow.
It was great to see palm trees and sequoia cactus' sharing the corner of many of the streets.
Phoenix was really enjoyable and we hope to return there again soon.

Hail Storm

Last week a massive hail storm hit the area. I could not believe the amount of hail that came through. In most areas it was about pea size or a little larger. But on the Hermit Road I was told it was about the diameter of a quarter.
So much hail came down that afterward it looked more like an ice storm had hit! On the Hermit Road (that would be the west side of Grand Canyon Park) the buses had to stop service and wait in bus stops until the hail began to melt. It had become very slick on the road and very deep.
It is amazing what weather can be like at 7,000 feet.

The Bell Rang and I Had to Answer the Call

Sometimes you wake up and the craving is there. You want a certain item to eat, or you want to hear a specific song, or maybe it is just to do a certain thing. I woke up like that the other day. I was off from work and I needed some Taco Bell.

Now remember I live 60 miles from the nearest Taco Bell. To eat at Taco Bell is a major feat in our household. And to go to Williams AZ one needs to justify that action with more than just lunch at the Bell.

So off to Williams we went. I ordered a burrito and the new XXL Chalupa. The question I had was not if they were any good but just how large is this thing? I found out.
This chalupa came out in its own box, not wrapped in paper like the other items on our tray. Then I opened the box and there he was.
He was pretty darn big! But how much larger than a normal chalupa was he?
My wife did not have the XXL Chalupa so I took her normal size challupa and sat him down next to mine. The new one is twice the size of the regular chalupa. And I must confess that it was pretty darn tasty!

Falls' Reminder

Fall is upon us here at the Grand Canyon and we see signs of it all around us. As the cooler temperatures begin to take hold and the plant life all around us begins to change I am reminded of one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

The grass withers,

the flowers fades,

But the Word of our God stands forever

Isaiah 40:8