Grand Canyon

I have to say, I'm a little weary and not entirely up for blogging.  My belly is full of a tasty but not at all heavy dinner (typical for a conference meal!) from room service (not typical for a conference meal).  I've been doing work for meetings ahead.  It's my one night to myself.  And I kind of want to change into comfy clothes and watch a little more Letterkenny and get to bed earlier than last night when I was up late working on some thing for conference.

But you, my few and rare readers, deserve a little something, perhaps?

So, before things fade from my mind, let me dial back almost a week now.

Last Saturday, we headed out on the road.  Those two up front,

me in the back,

working away on a document with a tight deadline.  My head down much of the way, not seeing all of the scenery.  Oh, I got out of the car to stretch my legs in Barstow,

and again in Ludlow where we captured the glory of the old Route 66

before scarfing down a DQ lunch (in order of best to least good:  fries, chili dog, Blizzard). 

At some point we crossed the Colorado River

and were in Arizona.  I worked on until dark.  We arrived at the El Tovar,

a grand old national parks lodge/hotel barely in time for our dinner reservation, dropping our things in the suite,

eating a meal that was fine but not great, and then wandering a little in the lobby. 

And then it was time for bed.

If you have read the blog this past week, you'll know that Van got altitude sickness, and we decamped the next day to Phoenix (where I still am, days later and with days to come).  We did, however, drive west along the rim from the hotel toward Hermit's Rest, capturing some shots of the the magnificent setting before the clouds began to roll in. 

And yes, it was cold. 

Poor Van.

We didn't spend long at the rim.  It was soon off to Phoenix with me, yes, in the back seat doing work....

alma mater

I had some free time today to head out to Tempe and meet with a development officer for a tour of the Arizona State University campus and enjoy lunch.  Sorry, no photos.  I perhaps should have - it was only my second time visiting campus - but I didn't want to look too, well, something or other.  My third alma mater, though, not that I attended classes face to face in classrooms here.  Online only.  But I am still, thanks to my doctorate, a Sun Devil.  And, honestly?  Proud of that.

But I did bring along an ASU hoodie and cap for those chilly morning walks.

And I did buy another sweatshirt from the store at the downtown campus near my hotel.

Fork U, as they say!

Pizzeria Bianco

One night months back, Van and I were flipping through some streaming services, trying to figure out what to watch, and we landed somehow on part of an episode of Chef's Table.  The featured chef was Chris Bianco, someone I'd never heard of but who is kind of a big deal when it comes to pizza in the US.  And, it turned out, he is based in Phoenix.  I filed that away in the back of my mind.

I soldiered through chairing a couple of meetings online today, then wandered out of the hotel.  First stop:  a simple manicure.  I like to have that small treat before conference to look slightly professional.  Second stop:  Pizzeria Bianco in Heritage Square. 

A relatively short walk from the hotel, not too busy at all mid-afternoon.  I parked at one end of the bar, ordered a ginger beer,

and a pizza.   A short wait, and then a beautiful, piping hot pie was in front of me:  the Sonny Boy.

Friends, it was good.  Really good.  Like, I kind of want to go back, good.  We lost U Street Pizza in Pasadena last fall, and any pizza I have had since then has been kind of garbage, sorry to say.  Like, nice try, but nothing I want again.  I get the fuss over Bianco, and that was just the one visit.

I wonder if I can sneak over there another day while I am in Phoenix....

a getaway, curtailed

Hello from Phoenix!  It's been two nights here so far, and I have seven to go.  Ah yes, a long haul in Arizona.  Alas, not the long haul that we were hoping for.

I will post from the Grand Canyon, for sure, but what I cannot do is post from three nights there as planned.  We left after one night there because Van was having so much difficulty with the altitude and his sleep.  Conrad and I were unaffected, but Van was not doing well.  We were heading to Phoenix eventually, so we managed to get the hotel room two days early, and on Sunday we came on down.

And by the time we got here, I was not doing so great.

No, not altitude.  A stomach bug?  Mild food poisoning?  I spent all day yesterday in the hotel room

getting over it, missing dinner with a friend on Sunday night, missing out on Saguaro National Park yesterday.  But I did get work done.  Hooray?

I am better today.  Still being careful about what food I eat, but better.  I actually made it down to the lobby this morning with Conrad as he grabbed breakfast for him and Van.  Did I say Conrad?  I meant Conrun, clearly.

I will get myself showered and out on foot a bit today.  Dinner with other friends tonight.  Conrad and Van drive back to California tomorrow and leave me here for my conference.  And so, yes, I will be having a week that is essentially one small part of downtown Phoenix. 

Ah well.

Better photos to come, I promise.  Happy Tuesday, everyone, as much as you can given the awful regime that was just installed.

before we hit the road…

… breakfast at Amara!

Oh, and there was dinner to be had at Maestro last night.

I hate when I hear people say that it’s just a bunch of rich people who lost homes in the fire.  As if people of any income don’t deserve sympathy for such a loss.  Businesses were lost, too, and schools and places of worship and more.  The ripple effects in the community are huge.  Our favourite local restaurants are each seeing a dramatic hit to their usual traffic.  I am sure that stores and services are feeling the same.  The fires will have an impact on Pasadena, on the whole metro area, for a long time to come.

pink cone

The little girl was not feeling especially sociable on Tuesday when I was over at Van's doing some work, and that's unusual for her during the day.  I chalked it up to pain from her hips, something she deals with as she ages.

Later that night, Van messaged us.  Had I noticed Olive chewing on the fur and skin on a front leg?  No, not at all.  But she had been, it turns out, and she now had a bare area that was badly inflamed and perhaps even bleeding.  Off to the vet with her!

From what we learned, she had some sort of infection, the cause of which we still don't know.  And she was trying to cope with that the only way she knew how.  Poor girl.  Van got her taken care of, and she currently has some pills that she keeps avoiding eating.  Oh, and a new accessory:  a pink cone.

I don't think she will need it for long.  I didn't see her trying to get at the wound last night, happily.  But she may need it on her a little while longer.  And she endures it, patiently, good little Olive.  But ah, I can't wait for her to be better soon.

lilies

Just a pretty picture of some fragrant blooms in a vase on a small table by the front window.  It’s a quiet week as we gear up toward the next trip.  Enjoy some lilies!

an Amara Sunday morning

Our friends at Amara are safe and fine and serving up breakfast.  It was a delight to grab a Sunday morning there (instead of the usual Saturday) and have our favourites.  Make mine an arepa! 

And a decaf latte, of course.

And my, doesn't Conrad look cute?