Sunrise with Crescent Moon, Palm and Grapefruit Tree Blues: Thursday, February 8th!

If you devote your life to seeking revenge, first dig two graves. -Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE)

Up at 7:00 am, my internal alarm clock holding me in good stead. Crept into the kitchen, so as not to wake anyone else and then onto the back patio, through Henryk's office, to enjoy the start of the sunrise. There is a golf course beyond the back fence and a grounds keeper was on a mower manicuring the nearbye green. Looking up at their grapefruit tree, laden with fruit, I caught a glimpse of the crescent moon over its top branches and a huge palm. Will squeeze my own fresh grapefruit juice for breakfast. Such is The Good Life in Sun City, Arizona!

Everyone is up now and Louise is preparing breakfast, scrambled eggs, with peppers and mushrooms, and bacon. Henryk is doing a bit of spraying for weeds while Lady Dar is sipping her morning tea, basking in the sun. Must away as I have to pick grapefruit!

Looking forward to seeing you soon. When were you expecting to get here??
We'll be out Sat am and may no back before 12. You could go for a short walk if you plan to be here before that?? bye Gill Hi Jack Rabbit and Fillipo! Trust you are both well. I imagine we will leave Sun City around 10:00 am on Saturday morning. According to Google Maps drive should take an hour and forty-five minutes so we will probably be near your place around noon, +/-. Don't worry about being home as we can certainly entertain ourselves until you return. That being said, please send along your street address in Sedona. We have your phone number but not your house address. Thanks. Fondestos from Lady Dar, sipping her morning tea, basking in the sun. Must away as I have to pick grapefruit! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Arrivederci Palm Desert; Hello Sun City; liquid breakfast in waiting!

Hi there! Here is our address...it's in the Village of Oak Creek (ie not Sedona) which you'll get to before Sedona on Hwy 179. Maps following...You have the correct phone # - it's a cell phone and we'll have it with us when shopping on Saturday morning in case you call! Cheers. Phil Hi Cartographer Fillipo! Thanks so much for both the address and maps. Much appreciated. Should be a pretty easy drive Saturday morning. Have already filled up gas tank and won't take long to load car so I'm pretty sure we'll be on the road by 10:00 pm. Looking forward to discovering Oak Creek and seeing you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Grapefruit picked this morning for juice at breakfast; Louise and Henryk, with Lady Dar, at Viewpoint Lake near the Recreation Center; some of the photographs, paintings, artists and dancers from the ArtWalk; Art critics with plastic wine glasses and plonk! Louise and Henryk advising Albert on his latest theory! Creative use of truck parts! Who is looking at what? Enjoyed a full day yesterday as we started out, after breakfast, taking golf carts, (regular form of transportation around neighbourhoods here in Sun City!), a few blocks to an estate sale. These are regular occurrences here, apparently, and we were not immune from buying either! Lady Dar picked up a set of small dishes for hors d'oeuvres while I pounced on a brand new Japanese knife, still in its original case. Big find was a Samsung monitor for $25. I would like to have two screens back home. Friend Henryk looked it up and it is about $167 in Canada. He hooked it up to his computer when we were back at their house and everything works.

Next to have a tour of the various recreational facilities which they have access to living in Sun City. I believe that there are seven of different sizes and with different sets of facilities, whether swimming pools, well-equipped gyms, bowling alleys, pool halls, shuffle-board halls, lawn bowling, etc. Of particular interest were the over 116 craft workshops. We only visited about five: ceramic, glass, silver jewelry, wood and metal working shops. All run and staffed by volunteers. Almost every piece of equipment and tool required for each craft and each workshop has a sales shop where one can buy items produced. 
 

Prices are just high enough to cover cost of materials and slight overhead so extremely reasonable. Most of the works display wonderful aesthetically pleasing designs, no matter the medium. If one is looking for souvenirs, other than a T-shirt or some other mass-produced trinket, these sales shops offer truly remarkable pieces. Henryk has already availed himself of both the metal and wood shops as he has done a fair bit of work on their lovely home. He mentioned that often the volunteers were more than happy to do much of the work, on a given project, a  table, for example, for him simply because they simply enjoyed whatever they were doing and had time to offer help and advice. Everyone was extremely welcoming and we often found ourselves chatting with fellow Canadians, although this is really not surprising, of course, given difference in climates!
 

Back home I grabbed a quick sandwich and then suited up for a ride. Knew I wanted to explore a bit more of the development across W Union Hills Drive so I followed N Conestoga Drive which took me there. Spent the next hour and a half criss-crossing the grid until I had a fairly good idea of how each of the main streets were connected, noting roofs being replaced or landscaping, of one sort or another, being undertaken. Even rode by a section of homes surrounded by grass, not a common sight as most of the yards, both front and back use gravel or crushed stone for ground cover. At any rate, weather was wonderful, just enough of a breeze to be comfortable although day was not blisteringly hot.
 

When I had logged about 32 km I returned to Conestoga, circling a bit at the light on UHD and then I was back on home-turf, so to speak. Knew precisely where I needed to go to complete the goal I had set for the outing. Would have liked to clock 51 km but given the fact that we were off to Scottsdale around 5:00 pm, I had to be back in time for a quick shower and change. Still, I was very pleased with the outing and the AVG of 20.9 kph, as My legs are starting to feel stronger with each subsequent ride. Pulled up in front of the grapefruit tree in the back yard almost two hours after leaving. Map and Stats for ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2486960787#.Wn25GkAFCas.email

Gang were more or less ready to go by the time I'd showered and changed and we set off for the ArtWalk in Scottsdale, stopping at Harbour Freight, en route, an incredible hardware store Henryk regularly shops at. I had mentioned I was looking for a set of quick-release clamps and it turned out that they were on special, plus Henryk's 20% coupon! Picked up six, four regular and two long ones, all for $26, (roughly $32.79 CDN!). When I last looked at Rona, in Penticton, I think they were upwards of $17 and $35 respectively. Anyway, was absolutely delighted with purchases and even received a free, snazzy LED flashlight as part of the deal!

Then on to Scottsdale. Traffic was reasonably heavy until we crossed under I-10 and then, with rush hour almost over, it thinne dout considerably. Once near the Arts District we had to circle around for a few minutes to find a parking spot but once we did we were almost smack dab in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale. Had thought it might be quite cool, as it often is when the sun goes down, so we had brought along light jackets but when we hit the sidewalk it was as if there were gas heaters keeping the walkways toasty. We surmised that the bricks and concrete were radiating heat, having soaked it up earlier in day. Anyway, we were more than comfortable without sweaters or jackets.

These ArtWalks are held every Thursday but during this evening's event, Western Spirit, many of the galleries, restaurants and shops featured Western art, (whether traditional or contemporary), music and food. Of course many of the countless galleries which line the streets here, show paintings and sculptures by artists from around the world to just around the corner, such is the depth and breadth of the offerings. Much did not run to my particular taste but there were plenty that did. Some wonderful, wonderful photography, brilliantly comical carved wooden figures to a series of benches, by a lad of but 19, made from used car panels and pick-up truck tailgates. Marvelously creative and colourful and very functional to boot!

Quite a few of the galleries were offering wine so we usually had a glass in hand as we wandered up and down the streets, in and out of galleries, stopping to refill when empty, [Some of the bars were actually pouring fairly decent stuff, although a number offered Woodbridge and Yellow Tail but I was able to pawn them off on an unsuspecting Lady Dar!], and nibble on fresh fruit and cheese or an array of mixed nuts. Most pleasant indeed, as well as chatting with various gallery owners about their wares. Was most impressed with the couple who sold Navaho weavings, from blankets to rugs to runners. 
 

I almost feel over when I was told that all of their items were historical, one truly magnificent hanging, made in the 1880's, [others that we looked at, were from 1910 to 1920's and woven from different grades of wool, for example], the main pattern dyed with stunningly vibrant indigo. Was selling for $8,000 USD but given its age and mint condition, (The wife told me that such items were bought as art, by collectors at the time, so this accounted for the near pristine condition of their stock. She went on to say that they are now approached, five or six times a day, by people wanting to sell similar items as the original owners are dying off and, presumably, remaining family members are not interested in such possessions or simply need/want the cash.), a steal, at least in my eyes. Maybe I'll sell off my malt collection and come back!

Another fascinating gentleman, (probably in his '80's), was working on a large chair, outside one of the galleries. His signature, he told Lady Dar, in response to her question, was to carve a lizard into one part of the piece. This one was going to be on the chair seat. A number of his other works were displayed in the gallery and I particularly liked his delicately carved eagle, with slightly extended wings, although I was not taken, at all, with an even larger sculpture which featured various faces rising out of a large stump. Nevertheless, a terrific way to spend an evening. Close to 8:40 pm places were starting to shut down and we wanted to eat anyway so we popped into a Thai restaurant and had a delicious meal. 
 

Didn't even order wine as we'd had our fill earlier on. Once we'd paid the bill we took our "overlefts", (Lady Dar's eyes are always larger than her appetite, in spite of my protestations, Dear Reader!], and strolled back to the car. The temperature had dropped, somewhat, but it was still comfortably cool. 

Took the 101 back home and the freeway traffic was very light so it only took us about forty minutes and we were back in Sun City. Everyone was feeling a bit sleepy by then so we bade one another goodnight. Once I'd brushed and flossed I just plunked myself in bed, beside an already conked out Lady Dar. Full, full day, what with one thing and another, getting a bit of a taste and feel for both Sun City and Scottsdale.