For Labor Day weekend I flew to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my Aunts Pam and Elaine. Unfortunately MJ couldn’t come along due to work obligations, but it was otherwise fortuitous timing as my cousin Chet, Elaine’s son, was about to launch his military career by heading out to Army boot camp on Tuesday. I was also able to visit with my uncle Keith, Pam’s husband, who is struggling with terminal cancer before he gets too ill.
I took a flight out on Friday night and my cousin picked me up at the airport shortly after 11PM. Due to my uncle’s illness we decided that I should stay with Elaine and it ended up working out really well.
Saturday morning I had breakfast at Tryst Cafe where I met up with Sandi and BJ, friends who I knew from Philadelphia but who had moved to Phoenix several years prior. We’ve kept in touch online but as always it was great catching up in person, and the breakfast was great.
Cactuses are cool, but the weather was not. It was peaking over 110F every day I was there, much hotter than is typical for Labor Day weekend. Turns out I had arrived at the tail end of one of their hottest summers on record. Lucky me, just like visiting Philly in July when the heat index was 120F!
That afternoon we spent looking for a cool way to pass the time and ended up at the theater to see Apollo 18. After, we swung by the grocery store to pick up some dinner and bring it over to my Aunt Pam’s. She has a small yorkie terrier and a sun conure, and as animals always do with people who are afriad of them the sun conure decided I was her best friend all weekend. I still don’t like birds and even on Monday after her sitting on me a lot I was still a little nervious, but she wasn’t all that bad. After dinner my aunts and I headed over to a local hotel bar where we enjoyed drinks, chips and great conversation.
Sunday morning Elaine and I got up early to grab some breakfast at my beloved Dunkin’ Donuts (there aren’t any in California!) and then head over to the Phoenix Zoo before it got too hot out.
It was still quite hot, already close to 90F when we arrived shortly after 9AM, but it was a wonderful zoo visit in spite of the heat.
I was able to see an ocelot! Important not only because it’s a beautiful cat, but the animal in the release codename for the 11.10 Ubuntu release (Oneiric Ocelot).
I also rode a camel!
Around noon I headed over to my Aunt Pam’s to do some shopping, as we had decided the night before to make a couple of my father’s recipes. That night we’d have his potato salad and some burgers we picked up at Whole Foods. The plan for Monday night was to make his Sauerbraten. I’ve made the potato salad before but I’d never attempted the sauerbraten because “I don’t really cook” – a comment that followed me the whole weekend. My aunts had me make the tomato and balsamic salad and even gave me a turn with the meat grinder as we were making some burgers for Sunday evening dinner. Me, grinding meat! Crazy. It was a great dinner though. In the late evening we headed out to the pool for a relaxing dip once the sun had gone down.
I spent Monday morning with my Aunt Elaine and cousin Chet. After breakfast we headed over to Pam’s to help set up a hospital bed in the living room for my Uncle Keith. I spent the afternoon there, and even took a couple hours to relax by the pool with my Nook (in a ziplock bag!). I even managed to stay out of the sun and avoid getting burned.
That evening Elaine, Pam and I enjoyed my father’s Sauerbraten. So many memories came back with the first mouthful, I’ll definitely need to make it at home some time. With the sauerbraten we also had mashed potatoes and due to a great purchasing mistake, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage. Earlier in the day Pam had me run out to the store to get some red cabbage and without thinking about it I picked up a full head of fresh red cabbage. My aunt, who makes yogurt, pickles and mayonnaise from scratch, had intended for me to pick up some prepared cabbage, oops! So I found the Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage recipe online and we were all delightfully surprised at how amazing it turned out. I ate a lot at that dinner.
My flight out of Phoenix was shortly after 10PM Monday night, and I was treated by a First Class upgrade – my first upgrade on my own (usually when I get upgraded it’s because I’m traveling with MJ and he’s got higher frequent flyer status than I do)! I was back home in cool San Francisco shortly after midnight and MJ was at the airport to greet me.
Amazing weekend, and with Phoenix being so close I hope I can make it out more often. We’ll have to see what our Thanksgiving plans look like…
