Are Those Snow Clouds I See?

 

 

It felt cold enough to snow this weekend, which is to say it dipped below 40F here.  It did snow in the mountains, but not where I live.    Still, it was very chilly, especially for this time of year.    

 

       I love clouds.   The blue hole peeking through all the dark grey reminded me of our flying days.    If you could find a large hole (much larger than this one), it was fun to fly up through it and get on top of the cloud base.   Of course you had to be careful that there were lots of big holes so that they didn't close over and strand you on top! 

       On Saturday we went to Cave Creek to shop and explore.   It's a little higher elevation than here, and it was very chilly.   When it came time to eat lunch, I wanted to go to El Canto.    

 

      El Canto is my favorite Cave Creek Restaurant.   From the outside it's very plain, but inside it's wonderful.   You walk into a large garden that is hidden from the street by high walls.    In the center is a huge pond with ducks, geese, and turtles.   Tables line one side of the pond so you can eat outside while you watch all the wildlife.   Inside the building there are huge windows on one wall where a few lucky people can see the pond.

 

      Even though it was chilly, I wanted to eat outside next to the water.  I was certain it would warm up as the sun moved higher in the sky.   Plus there was a roof heater suspended near our table.    

 

       The ducks and geese put on a great show.   Even more fun were the little sparrows that came to our table looking for a handout.   They weren't disappointed.   We had a huge basket of tortilla chips that we were willing to secretly share with them.   One of the cutest of the little birds ate out of my hand!    

 

       Unfortunately the temperature kept dropping instead of climbing.  Not only did the sun not beam down on us, a cold breeze began to sweep through the courtyard.  The longer we sat, the colder we got.   We never complained, but apparently some other people did.   The staff began rolling out large space heaters and setting them around the porch.   One lucky table got a design that was new to me.   It actually had flames coming out of it like a mini-fire pit in a cylinder.   Very interesting as well as practical.       

 

       Of course I didn't have my camera so I didn't get any pictures of the ducks and birds or of the unusual space heater.   But if you check out the link to El Canto you can see pictures of the pond and a few of its inhabitants.  I can't wait to go back.   But I plan to bring a heavier jacket next time! 

 

       

 

        

 

 

 

 

 



A Trip to Cave Creek

Today we went to Cave Creek, a small artsy tourist town north of Phoenix.   We went to a lot of little shops and art galleries, all of which had beautiful things for sale.   My favorite stop was Roxie's, a boutique gift shop that supports animal rescues.    I think Roxie's might be an international group, but I'm not sure.  

The outside of the shop was bright and colorful.  Inside were purses, jewelry, and animal items of every description.  I found a couple of cute treasures here and supported a great cause, too.

We had lunch at the upscale Tonto Bar & Grill at Rancho Manana.   Their web page has inside pictures, but here are two from the entrance.

Lunch was delicious.  Instead of a traditional sandwich, Kent had two appetizers:  Grilled Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho soup and Tortilla-Crusted Crab Cakes.   I tasted his soup, and it was great.   I'm not usually fond of cold soup, but this was very tasty.    I had Mexican White Shrimp Tacos, which came with white corn tortillas and an avocada cream dip.   The ample quantity of shrimp were excellent--cooked in a lightly spicey ancho chili sauce with peppers and onions.    Excellent!

It was too hot for us to eat outside today, although there were a couple of people doing it.   The patio overlooks the golf course.  I'd like to come back in the fall and try it out.

I also visited Cosmopolitan Bead Shop, which is such a funny name for a village store.  But the beads were beautiful and the variety was awesome.  I bought two unique beads, one of which they made themselves.   I'm just learning to bead so kept my purchases small--to match my current skill level.   But I'm gaining on it so a return trip is a must.

Our last stop was at Frontier Town, a collection of shops that have a little bit of everything.   I supported the goats that I love by buying something at Udder Delight, the goat milk skin care store.  Next I found a great belt and a cool yellow top at Glory Bees.  After that I knew it was time to go home.   Too many tempting treasures in Cave Creek!