Buddies

This past weekend Jackson hosted a friend for a few days.  Ms. Yager lives down the street and her and Jackson get along swimmingly.  Yager is certainly one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met and a pleasure to entertain while her parents were competing among the top echelon of BBQers in Vegas.  Sometimes getting two dogs together can be a challenge with toys/bones, but Jackson seems perfectly content to share his toys.  Sure he can give a look or two like he's letting us know that she has something of his, but never once does he get territorial, even over his food!

Walks were a breeze with both dogs.  With Jackson off leash and Yager leading the way on her extend-o-leash they just trotted right along, one behind the other. Yager has an affinity, or perhaps curiosity, for kitties so we were careful to keep them separated while inside.  However, at times when Sydney would sneak out of the back room she would slink around with such ninja skill that Yager never even noticed her.

Since Yager's visit, when Jackson and I are headed home on our walks he starts down the path to Yager's house as if asking for a quick visit.  Despite my inability to get a good picture together I think it was a nice visit had by all.

Last day of Physical Therapy!

Friday May 6th I was officially discharged from physical therapy.  I've been going three times a week, then down to two times a week, then down to once a week since the week after Thanksgiving. I started out with a pathetic range of motion (15 degrees was the lowest range) and with the help of my physical terrorist, excuse me, therapist, I'm close to full range of motion.  I still have limits, such as the inability to hold my arm straight up, it tends to lean at a 7degree angle, and notice strange moments of inflexibility, such as when I lay on my back with my hands behind my head, my left arm lays flat on the ground while my right arm remains suspended about 4 inches up.  In addition to improved range of motion, I am pain free for the most part, am no longer limited in my daily routine and armed with exercises will continue to improve both flexibility and strengthening

However, having just expressed my delight in progress, on my last appointment I was given a new exercise which made me aware of a movement that I am too weak/tight to take on with much success.  Using a small medicine ball and an angled trampoline in front of me I'm suppose to hold my right arm at a right angle from my shoulder and toss the ball down/catch the ball maintaining that L shaped bend in my arm.  Kind of like if you moved Barbie's arm to shoulder level then waved to Ken in a forward, backward instead of side to side motion.  The movement isn't a common movement for anyone really, but given my disrepair it was/is a bit of a struggle.  I have to fight the urge to be disappointed in my lack of strength and remember that I'm still in the process of recovery.  The PT assistant working with me was very new, not one I'd worked with before and when I expressed my surprise at the difficulty I was having and the lack of ability to properly make the movement she just kept yammering on about getting past the challenge.  Thanks honey.   I tuned her out since my effort required quite a bit of concentration and nearly, unintentionally, I swear, hit her head with a medicine ball as it came flying off the trampoline with a wicked right curve, way past my reach.

I really do appreciate all that my Physical Therapist has helped me with and the progress that's been made, but now comes the challenge of keeping up with my exercises.  The day I can throw the ball for Mr. Jackson without looking like a goober, flinging it with my wrist, will surely be the next benchmark in my progress. 

Last day in Vegas (Part III)

We played Vegas tourists our last day in town by walking/busing our way up and down the strip. The weather had warmed and the wind had finally died down making Sunday a lovely day for a ton of outdoor touring.









NY NY was our first stop since its directly across from the MGM grand. The impressive exterior was matched by an impressive, albeit stereotypical, NY City interior complete with NY style deli, mini megatrons/Time Square and building facade interior painting.  Moving right along we made our way back outside to head to what I consider one of the tackiest looking casinos on the strip, Excalibur.  I say tacky, but I was determined to get a picture with it, and can honestly say the city would certainly be missing a key component of tchotchke if they ever took away this eyesore.  We made an exceptionally fast loop through the casino but were sure to notice the massive playing-card-kings-heads used for pillar decorations.  Its the little things that bring a touch of class. 

Next we hit up the Luxor to check out a falsely advertised free shark tank only to find it wasn't free at all.  Opting to spend money elsewhere we checked out the fish tank near the reception desk then continued onward along the strip to Paris.  Just like NY NY this casino's attention to exterior/iconic detail blows my mind.  How can you not love a massive Eiffel tower that is built into the ground level of the casino?  We dined on a fabulous lunch in Paris before hopping back on the bus to make our way to the Bellagio to check out its conservatory.    

Its interesting to observe the difference between the traditional casinos and their "flash-bam-pow" pizazz  vs the ritzier casinos which still have a bit of flash but in a refined beauty sort of a way.  Not to say one is better than the other, but the difference in ambiance between the Excalibur and the Bellagio is worlds apart.  Walking through the Bellagio we admired the somewhat whimsical entrance before making our way to the gorgeous array of flowers and, butterfly room on display in the conservatory.  Upon exiting the conservatory, to the right of all this natural beauty stood the worlds largest chocolate fountain.  The fountain consists of three, multi-level chocolate fountains, each pouring separate chocolates (white, milk and dark).  I am the first to admit I LOVE chocolate, but chocolate fountains just give me the heebee-jeebies. I couldn't bring myself to take any pictures of this record breaking creation because there is just something odd about that much flowing, and at times coagulated, chocolate.


Back on the road we again boarded the local bus and headed to an older part of town where the classic and "new-retro" neon signs are displayed in all their glory.  Although not fully enclosed, overhead was what might be considered a metal/mesh canopy designed to hold the lights which are a part of the nightly light show.  We were there mid afternoon so you really couldn't see any suggestions of said show. The considerably smaller casinos that lined the street, which had long ago been blocked off to car traffic, had quite less glam, lower ceilings and a considerably smokier atmosphere than their mega-vegas competitors up the road.  They also seem to cater to a bit of a different, biker/older crowed than the scantily clad drunken youth of up-town.  Interestingly enough, the older casinos of this area had less dressed cocktail waitresses compared to the MGM Grand's waitresses whose mini-suits, devoid of any femininity besides the short shorts, almost made them feel awkwardly out of place.

Having soaked in all the signs we could bare it was time to hop back on the bus for a quick stop at the MGM before heading to The Mirage for dinner and Love, a Beatles themed show by Cirque.  We enjoyed a frosty brew with our delicious burgers at BLT burger, which were fabulous, before taking in one last tourist experience before the show.  Jonathan's parent's made their way to the volcano, which I hear was terrific, and after hearing the "boom" of fake cannons, we ventured outside to view the Pirate Show at TI (The hip new re-branding of Treasure Island).  Not to be a party pooper, but I found the pirate show a little disappointing.  I was hoping for some good ole fashion pirate fighting and yes of course I could expect some sexy wench pirates, but it was almost all "sirens". Given the crowds I should have known better than to expect a cheeky, silly pirate show, but a bit disappointing nonetheless. 

Back inside we found our seats in the circular theater and enjoyed a beautiful show consisting of a rather unique mix of Beatles music, dance and acrobatics. Loved the authentic UK ushers! Seeing that we had to get up at 6:30 the next morning we called it an early evening around midnight and headed back to our rooms.

Our trip home was thankfully uneventful, despite the flame painted hearse appearing behind us in the middle of the desert after departing the city of sin.  We wound back through the Joshua Tree Scenic Highway and made it back to Phoenix in a little under 5 hours. Having dropped off Jonathan at work I picked up Mr. Jackson and made my way back home. I think its fair to say it was a good trip had by all, but as always its nice to be back home, reunited with the hairy family.

Viva Vegas Part II

Keeping with my routine I got up early Saturday morning and made my way to the gym for a run.  I found it a little strange to be meandering through the casino in my running ensemble, but felt even worse about those who would have to share the elevator with me after my workout.  As I neared the gym I passed a group of 4 guys, or rather 3 guys and their wobbly, can no longer walk on his own, making cat calls at any remote resemblance of a woman in the vicinity, buddy.  My day was off to a good start, but I doubt he could say the same.  

To escape the heavy crowds and utilize our close vicinity to an American engineering feat we drove over to the Hoover Dam.  I'll admit there was a lot more to see at the dam than I had originally expected.  We started our trip by taking the Power Plant Tour which started with a brief video on the dam's construction. The concrete that forms the dam was poured in blocks, some as large as 50 ft square by 5 ft tall.  Because of the block's size and the cement's curing needs, refrigeration pipes were installed which cooled the cement using water from the lake as well as water that had passed through a massive refrigeration unit.  This process allowed the cement to cure at a safe and reasonable speed which enabled the pouring of cement 24 hours a day for 7 days a week.  Our tour guide was quick to dispel the ongoing myth that there are dead bodies in the dam.
 
 Moving right along we took a 70 second elevator ride 530 feet down through the rock wall of Black Canyon to start tour of the Penstock Viewing area.  This viewing area is "atop one of the four 30-foot-diameter pipes that can transport nearly 90,000 gallons of water each second from Lake Mead to the dam's hydroelectric generators".  Despite the invitation to "take as many dam pictures as we wanted" I was still hesitant to pop the flash.  Didn't want to be disruptive, so here you can see the tunnel, with a slight blur, we walked in to get to and from the elevator. 

Taking another very short elevator ride up we entered the Power Plant generator area on the Nevada side.  The Nevada wing is 650 feet long and displays eight of the dam's 17 generators.  The floors of the entire power plant are a gorgeous terrazzo which was seen as creative back then and is currently very desirable in modern home decor. The tour guide mentioned the price of the terrazzo installation which was something like 1/12th the cost of what we were looking to pay to install the same material as our countertops in our kitchen.  Ok, maybe not that low, but the price was still lower than what you might expect to pay to finish an average home's floors today.  On another note, check out the mode of transportation about the plant. Tricycles surely make for an entertaining work day commute. 

 After our tour finished we walked through the visitors center before heading up to the observation deck for a lovely view of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the new bridge.  Much to Jonathan's architectural delight the Dam and its outlying buildings (original visitors center, restrooms, elevator towers) were all fashioned in Art Deco style. Sign font's, building curvature and even the sides of the theater chairs reflect Deco details.  Not only is the engineering impressive but the attention to detail and the depth of the dam's architectural/style richness make this site (since its not technically a National Park) a must see.

By this time the blood sugar was dipping and it was time to break for lunch.  In true experience-everything-like-the-tourist-I-love-being fashion Jonathan and I ordered the Dam dog for lunch.  While trying to decide between splitting the Dam dog vs each ordering our own hot dog I asked the cook to show me the difference. I wasn't expecting the mild feeling of indecency when he gyrated the sausage in the air, and was grateful when he put it back on the rotating grill wheels. Despite its relatively unappealing girth, it was a darn tasty hot dog, and it even came with a celebratory "I Ate A DAM DOG at Hover Dam" sticker.  A touch of class for sure.

Back outside we toured about, taking in nearly every sight possible.  We checked out the spill way on the Nevada side which is a black hole of a pipeline to help prevent flooding.  As we ever so slightly leaned over the wall to view the gaping hole we could hear the whooshing of water near the outlet of the 600 foot long pipe which at its max capacity can carry 200,000 sq ft of water per second!  We eventually made our way across the dam from Nevada to Arizona and back with many a photo in between.  
                                                                                                      

Armed with a new appreciation for the Hoover Dam, a ton of photos and a few souvenirs we made our way back to Vegas to get ready for the evening.  We headed to the Aria for a scrumptious, upscale modern take on Tapas before heading to see Viva Elvis by Cirque du Soleil.  Photography was not allowed in the theater during the show but I have no doubt this was a good thing.  The stage talent and choreography as well as the singing was meant to be taken in and enjoyed in the moment, not behind a camera.  I have a strange fascination with group dance and was amazed not only at the feats of acrobatics, gymnastics and dancing but loved the musical assortment and the overall presentation of Elvis' story.  I'm no die hard Elvis fan, but appreciate his music, what he did for the industry as a whole and I absolutely loved the show! I recommend this show to anyone who has an opportunity to see it. 

Energized by the show we headed to one of the Bar Moderno for a libation.  Feeling the affects of their two hour time difference Jonathan's parents headed back to the casino while we stayed out for another beverage.  We made our way to an Irish pub style restaurant and in true 1:30 AM in Vegas style witnessed a rather weak girl fight.  Lots of fast taking, raised voices, finger pointing and an eventual scantily clad storm off, nothing too crazy.  Walking back to the casino we stopped for some alcohol soaking carbs and got a piece of pizza at one of the sketchiest food courts on the strip. While enjoying our slice we witnessed some visitors straight out of the south (you can tell them apart just like you can tell when someone is from Jersey) one of which could barely keep his eyes open while maintaining a firm grip on his 6 pack of corona.  Not sure how much fun he was having, but perhaps by mid day his black out will have erased the pain of the previous night.  Ah Vegas, how you never cease to entertain.

Viva Vegas Part I

I picked up Jonathan from work as early as he'd let me Friday afternoon and by 12:30 we were on our way to the city of sin.  Despite the occasional stop and go of US 60 (thanks to traffic lights) we were excited to be on the road until Jonathan turned down the radio to better hear the click, click click of what we were hoping, against all likely odds, was a rock.  Nope, as expected, this is what we found.  Such a lovely roofing nail, don't you agree?

Karma was certainly on our side because about 1/8th of a mile up the road we pulled into a Walmart Super Center, complete with tire center and an awesome tire guy.  Initially, due to the location of the nail and its perceived size, he was skeptical the tire could be repaired.  But after a little consideration, and perhaps some empathy for our situation, he decided to give it a shot.  He was hands down the hero of our day!  It only took him about 20 minutes to get the Mini on the lift, repair the tire and send us on our way, happy as little clams! Spending $10 was a heck of a lot nicer start to the trip than a $100+ special order tire.

About an hour later, just a few miles outside the center of Wickenburg we came across our second trip acquisition.  His name is Carl, and he is our welcoming Tiki to be placed in our urbanite walkway.  Despite all of the awesome tiki's this guy created Carl (whom we named, not the artist) is the ideal size, shape and image for our front walkway.  Carl doesn't make an appearance in this post, but will surely be seen during the walkway progress.

Anywho, back on the road we go. I hadn't expected the drive to be as hilly or as much of a climb in elevation but the Mini definitely got a workout.  Along our drive we enjoyed the Joshua tree scenic highway with the most Joshua trees I've ever seen in my entire life.Hence the highway's name.  I still cannot picture, even with squinted eyes, through a bug covered windshield how the person who named the trees saw a man reaching up to Jesus.  Perhaps this guys should have carried a little more water with him because he was clearly delirious. Strangely enough as soon as the Joshua trees dissipated the landscape became thick with Saguaros and scrubs with not one Joshua tree in site.

Nearing Vegas we drove over the new Hoover Dam bridge which was much appreciated for its convenience but greatly lacking in its scenic view, most likely for safety reasons.  I suppose that's what you get for driving a car commonly compared to that of the Flintstones. (Our return to the Hoover Dam will be discussed in Viva Vegas Part II).

After about 6 hours of driving we finally made it to Las Vegas!  I can't say the town is really the grandest site to see during the day, but alas we had arrived.  We met up with the Hupps, checked in, then headed up to our room on the 27th floor of the MGM Grand for a quick drop off of our bags before we made our way to dinner.  We enjoyed a fabulous seafood dinner then made a mad dash to see Steve Martin and his blue grass band.  However, it was only after we had arrived to the concert location that we learned the add at the MGM and the person who sold us the tickets was mistaken about the start time, which turned out to be an hour before we got there.  No worries, we're in Vegas, plenty to do. Refunded and ready to go we headed out to the strip and walked around for a bit.  We didn't stay out too long seeing that it was a good 50 degrees outside with a wind chill of just above freezing.  Ok, not literally just above freezing, but a 20 degree drop having come from Phoenix was pretty uncomfortable for this fragile flower.

While waiting in line to catch a cab back to the MGM we chatted with a birthday girl who was kind enough to offer Jonathan's mom some of her drink.  How sweet.  My favorite part of the conversation was when she mentioned that she could no longer taste the alcohol which we were currently getting a contact buzz from.  I guess something has to keep you warm when you're half naked and its below 50 degrees : )

Day two to come shortly...

From Cravings to Construction

I've had a hankering for tacos for a while now so this past Saturday evening we went out with friends to try  Gallo Blanco.  The restaurant resides in first floor of a retro styled hotel named the Clarendon in mid town Phoenix and unfortunately I think they've spent more time/effort on their style than their food or their staff hiring.  Drinks were ok despite a difficult to track down bartender, and overall the food was good, not great but good. I'm pretty sure our presence was somehow inconveniencing the staff by the way they semi rushed us through the ordering processes and never once checked up on us.  But enough complaining, we had a great night out with friends and despite Jonathan eating 3/4 of the fish taco I ordered, my taco craving was satiated.

                                                              Sunday it was back to work in the front yard where we spent a few hours constructing the Urbanite walkway.  We managed to finish covering the drainage pipe last weekend (hooray!!) as well as install the pathway's metal edging and plant the walkway's Queen Victoria Agave accents.  Having laid out some recycled concrete blocks last week, just to check out the eventual finished product, we had all the supplies we needed to start the hardest part of the job, leveling and placement.  Before each massive chunk of concrete can be placed we have to dig about 2-4 inches of the hardest, rockiest dirt imaginable.  Pick axe, then shovel then occasionally refill makes for slow going progress. To add to the joy, not all of the blocks have the same thickness.
 

  

After placing quiet a few blocks we poured in a few bags of sand/cement/grout between the spaces, added water and ta-da!! we have the start of our walkway. We certainly have a long way to go, but with our new confidence and established construction pattern, the completion of the next 11/12ths will move right along.

Rude attire

Pregnancy is beautiful, unless you look preggers and your not.  After a few run ins with mirrors and even a video conference camera I've come to realize that my shirt has me shopping in the maternity isle even though I don't belong there.

The fabric itself is likely the first offender.  A light cotton blend sans structure is bound to hit and stop on places on the body where you don't want fabric getting stuck. Include an empire waist with a ribbon tied in the back that doesn't stay up where it should, and bad is now progressing to worse.  The ribbon tied in back causes the sides to slump a bit causing a perception that there is something under the font of the shirt lifting the shirt up and out.  The grand finally is the back of the shirt.  Because of the fabric weight and length it catches and semi bunches right at the top of my butt giving me the sway back appearance again as if I'm supporting a little buddy in front of me.

As tragic as this shirt sounds, I sill like it, however perhaps it will best serve it purpose under a blazer or sweater of some sort.  

Rainy day adventures

Not being keen on working in the rain Jonathan and I spent this past cold and rainy Saturday spring cleaning, painting and waiting to go bowl.  8:30 on the dot we loaded into the 4x2, the affectionate name for our friend's Jeep Cheroke, and made our way to Let it Roll.  Unlike the near desolate, 80s music bumpin, innocence of our last bowling trip, this time we were greeted by some chest thumping Snoop and a sea of people who opted for bowling instead the club.  Not having a reservation we were told our chances might be slim for a lane so we decided to take a seat and wait it out for a bit.

About 20 minutes into our pitcher of Stella we were called to our lane. Getting the bowling party started Matt transformed himself into Mr. Mustachio, with an artful application of a little shoe polish. Classy!  We rolled to The Chronic, a little Dre, a dash of Eminem, and paused mid way through our game, with the rest of the bowling alley, to judge a "Duggy" dance off.  Alternating girls then guys a small crowed dance-challenged each other eventually giving way to the crowds overwhelming support of the superior male dancers.  Talk about living in a bubble, when the DJ announced the Duggy I felt like a white person played by Dave Chappell.  "The Duggy, golly gee, what's that"?

Different music, very different crowed, still a great time had by all.  Jane rocked out both games with some fantastic rolls, even beating Mr. Mustashio in round 1. When it came time for the speed roll Caleb was hands down the man of evening, sending that ball flying down the lane at over 20 mph!
                                                                                                           

Sunday I got up for a run before we drove north to age restricted, Sun City to pick up some white rock, and of course snap a few pictures.  Sun city is the original retirement community in Arizona and boy oh boy does its green painted rock still show it!.  We managed to snag an entire truck load of stone and despite its current muddy condition we're confident it will serve our walk way well.

Once home we got to work on finishing the setup of the drainage pipe and were delighted when it successfully drained into the back yard.  Filling in the trench required the sifting of our remaining rock to prevent hole plugging dirt and debris from affecting the pipe's drainage.  For the remainder of the day we again shoveled dirt and rock until we could take it no longer.  On the cusp of calling it a day, we were gifted with a lemon tree from friends down the street, so we pulled together our remaining energy dutifully planted our little citrus. Then we called it a day for real.

                                                                                                                                              

         

Yet another Sunday

A beautiful morning + newly reinstated health insurance = time for a 25 mile bike ride before we started our yard work. All was well until about 6 miles from home when Jonathan smashed into a chunk of asphalt with his bike tire. Insert familiar sputter and hiss of a flat tire.  After I disposed of the old tube and was returning to Jonathan's bike repair location I heard a not so comforting tube explosion. Apparently during the attempted inflation the tube jumped the rims causing a blowout. To add to the comedy of errors, the tube I had for back up wasn't the proper size and would do Jonathan no good.

Confident that on this morning Jonathan would make the ride home faster than I, he headed off on my bike to pick up the car while I sat with his broken ride in the pool parking lot of a hoity-toity private prep school. Entertainment during my wait was provided courtesy of a few dedicated swimmers. First a 2010 Mercedes SLK pulled in and parked.  The stylish driver attempted to enter the pool area, then upon reaching locked gates approached me to ask if I knew if the pool would be open today.  "Not sure, I don't live around here" I responded, to which she walked back towards the still locked gate.  Shortly there after an equally lovely 2009 Porsche Cayman S parked alongside the SLK in the completely empty parking lot. Mid conversation between the two drivers, a brand new 5 Series BMW pulled into the parking lot.  Yet another swimmer equally defeated upon figuring out the gate was locked.

Desperation had apparently set in, because when I looked towards the pool fence I noticed that, with some assistance from her trusty friend, the SLK driver was now sitting on the fence attempting a pool break-in.   Desperate times call for desperate measures indeed.  About a minute or two later I saw that the fence hopper had thought better of the situation and was back on the appropriate side of the fence.

Defeated, and with no life guards in sight they disband and drove off.  It wasn't until I was again alone in the lot that I realized during a good 4o minutes of mini drama no one had even bothered to ask the single female sitting next to her noticeably out of commission road bike which sat upside down sans a front tire, if she was ok and/or needed any assistance. Oh humanity, how you continue to entertain.

Back home we enjoyed breakfast, headed down the street to assist some friends equally consumed with home improvement tasks, then returned home to again work on the front yard. I started by tamping the west side dirt into a darn near perfect grade while Jonathan worked at removing a portion of block in our fence which would allow the front yard drainage pipe to drain into the back yard.  With the hole created we started the task of arranging the pipe so that it would drain from the front to the back. Something that should have been easy was of course, not quite so.  As we kept raising the pipe to maintain a decline towards the backyard we realized our current set up wasn't going to work. In order to keep our existing grade, and utilize the drainage pipe successfully we needed to lower the end point of the pipe. Luckily our friends down the street still had their rented jack hammer. 

 Taking turns we worked at funny angles to jack hammer a hole in the concrete footer to meet the needs of our drainage pipe. Thanks to the jack hammer we were able to create the hole in about 10-15 minutes flat.  Now that the drainage end of the pipe is so much lower we'll need to continue to dig out a good portion of the trench to maintain a steady decline towards the back. Today's pipe arrangement was a bit of a set back in our progress, but now that we've solved the issue, we'll continue making progress through out the week.

Did I mention this kind of dirty work?