Kala & I headed to Phoenix to visit friends & family during their normally epic springtime. We've definitely revived travel as we haven't been "home" to the Sonoran Desert for the pandemic years... and we've missed our buddies there. We flew down so didn't tote bikes & golf clubs and that informed our activities a smidge. We first rolled into the Karenowski & Jimmynowski digs to reconnect with K and her kids (Jeff & Michael - friends of Matt's from our time in PHX)... outdoor living, like at the Man Cave, is stellar.
The week prior was 10° cooler than normal for this time of year ~ and it was rainy then too. So, it's gonna be a Sonoran superbloom year and we headed out to Diamondback Cove at Bartlett Lk to catch the poppies and other flower blooms. Nothing yet is out from the cacti but the flowers & and flowering bushes were awesome. Too, you can see even more rain threatening and we saw some rarer pink and white poppies.
We had tasty foods at Karen's and great fine Italian out at Rusconi's. Then on Friday we caught up with Letha. We enjoyed meeting her friend Linda and dining on her fine pork tenderloin potato soup and snickerdoodles. We also introduced her to Ted Lasso, which she really enjoyed. The next day we were able to catch some very good Mexican food at Mexicana when we grabbed lunch with our old friend DavidK... always fun.
Back in the cave we enjoyed a favored IPA called Church Music and a spa soak as well as some D1 lax games Jimmy put on for me, which was very nice.
We awoke late the next day, shall we say. So, the ladies went awalkin' and I hung low with Jimmy and watched some more games. Sunday night we joined Jim & Susan in McCormick Ranch for regaling. It was a blast to see them (no pic). Monday we rousted my old mate Swish; we've only known each other 60+ years so yeah. We ate lunch @ Chop Box "where it all happens" at Tatum & Shea and enjoyed the all too short time with him.
That afternoon Letha was able to transport us south of South Mtn to our dear friends Steve & Anne. We aligned quickly over some stellar Gordon wine selections from their cave and then grabbed Italian from a local cafe. I did share some Real Life Lore stuff which Steve especially seemed to appreciate. We retired early for our 6:20am tee time @ The Foothills GC on Tuesday. Very nice, very early ~ Steve is literally now the only member at FH after a change in ownership and a hike in pricing ~ but at 22 years a member, he's family there. It was an awesome day with Steve and the temps hitting 80 and me on the struggle bus. That's not 'cause I didn't bring my gear, it's 'cause I don't have the skills. The ladies biked on a keen loop here in the south.
We had good salads for lunch at the Hilltop - a local eatery and bar. Later we were off to downtown Phoenix for excellent Mex food at Bario Cafe. Even the street art in this 'hood was stellar Mexican-influenced.
Wednesday I worked on the blog a bit while Steve hit another 80 and the ladies rode again. Then we hiked up Telegraph Pass through South Mtn (from the south side) and saw a bunch of cool blooms, including an early blooming hedgehog cactus and a weird yellow ball flower plant. It was a good hike past petroglyphs preceding a great lunch at Chelsea's Kitchen before we were dropped at the airport.
Awesome Sonoran Swing '23 ~ thanks everybody for hosting, driving, guiding, drinking, cooking, and living the vibe with us.
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