Blogs from Phoenix, Arizona, United States, North America

Thanks to Keystone Environmental Ltd., Ann and I were sent on a luxury long weekend ascape to Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. We visited Old Town Scottsdale and the town of Carefree where we visited the Boulders Resort. We also took a drive to the town of Prescott and to the perched village of Jerome that looked clear across the plains towards the Grand Canyon. We headed up to the Red Rock Country near Sedona to see the famous layers of geology. We saw lots of vermilion rock formations including the Courthouse Rock, Bell Rock, Cathedral Rock and our favourite, the Snoopy Rock. Mostly, we soaked up the sunshine, hung out in the pool and took a nice break from the norm. Cheers!... read more

...makes Whitney anything but dull. Holy Spring Break, Batman!! Arizona (well, more accurately, Matthew) got most of my time in the States and it was much needed quality time with my love. I was able to see Grand Canyon University host two volleyball matches against Lindenwood University and watch Coach Werle in action. It was really heartwarming to watch how much his players respect and admire him and I enjoyed finally putting some faces with the names I often hear in his stories. In addition to my fill of volleyball, he and I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Scottsdale (which was beyond abstract and barely enjoyable) and resorted to happy hour at RnR restaurant near the Giants spring training stadium. Hiking Squaw Peak was a treat, although I thought I might have bloody lungs ... read more

As I cycled through the quiet streets of my parents' community near Phoenix, Arizona something felt off. I ran through a quick checklist in my mind. Brakes work? Check. Mirror adjusted properly? Check. Using the appropriate gear? Check. Then it hit me. As I gazed across the wide boulevard, the White Tank mountains visible on the horizon, there was nary a person to be seen. It was just me, pedaling solo, alone with my thoughts. Where were all the people? Where was the crush of humanity that ebbed and flowed around me as I wound my way through the streets of Beijing? It was eerie, strange, disconcerting....and wonderful. This would be the first of many lessons learned while adjusting back to life in the USA. It's a curious thing, really, getting reacquainted with the culture of ... read more

We've had a wonderful eight days in this delightful fake summer weather! It sprinkled the first day we were here, but the rest of the time (except for our last day...) has been warm (75 or so) and sunny. We have explored Walter and Cindy's neighborhood (a historic party of Phoenix), had Thanksgiving with Walter's family, climbed a local mountain with my friend Mary, shopped at Goodwill, driven to Tucson where we hiked and took scenic drives, visited Taliesen West and the Phoenix Art Museum, and had dinner with a wonderful family I met while teaching at Ardmore..... Phoenix has many interesting and historic neighborhoods, but it's still too big and spawling for me.... And I can't get accustomed to seeing the holiday decorations and lights in the middle of fake summer! It's just not right.... ... read more

Home at Last! Margie got home in Germany late Tuesday night and we left the following morning. It was great to see Margie with the Arizona tan that we missed by being in a rainy month of Germany. We took the 611 bus to the Hauptbohnof in Bonn and caught the 8:14 ICE high speed train to Frankfurt airport. Our journey home had a pleasant surprise when our tickets for the 10+ hour flight to Los Angeles on Lufthansa was upgraded to Business Class by a very nice ticket agent. When she handed us our boarding passes, she said: "Welcome to Lufthansa Business Class." The seats completely reclined and at 6 ft 6", I don't think I have ever been unable to reach the seat in front of me with my feet before. As we sat ... read more