Day 55 on the Monterey Peninsula
Wild Goose Coffee House

Not much happening today. The weather is warm and locals are out walking their dogs and enjoying the nice warm weather. I began a part time job last week. I'm working a couple of nights a week and the location is near my home.

Yesterday I drove to Carmel to attend the Carmel Art Association BBQ and Auction. Read about and see some photos on my art web site at http://www.solasendero.com/. I also posted a short video clip on youtube. See below.

Photos: Downtown Carmel

Westgate, Baseball, Fountain Hills, Art, and the Mountains

It's Easter Sunday and all is well. Another Holiday spent on the road. Starbucks is open, and quiet. I've set up my "office" to get caught up on a few things.

I attended the Fountain Hills Art and Wine Affaire yesterday. Fountain Hills is a few minutes from Scottsdale as you go east toward the mountains. Fountain Hills is actually on the eastern slope of McDowell Mountain. After the festival I drove further east and north to see the McDowell Regional Park. I took a hike (doing what people usually tell me to do when I'm at Starbucks--"...take a hike, buddy,...I want your table."). The camp was full of RVs and tents for Easter weekend, so I was unable to stay the night.

I made a video and posted it on YouTube, below, of my trip there.

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On Friday, I went back to the site of the Super Bowl in Glendale: Westgate City Center. What a great place to hang out. I had lunch on the patio at the Fox Sports Grill. (See my video clip here.)

Notice the "Before" and "After" photos below. I took the first photo during a Super Bowl party when the plaza was packed with football fans.

"Before" during the Super Bowl:

"After" when I was there Friday:

Westgate City Center, the lower level plaza.

The photo below was taken by a L.A. Angels fan at the Rangers game Friday night.

Fountain Hills Art and Wine Affaire, Fountain Hills, Arizona

McDowell Mountain Regional Park, north of Fountain Hills

Day 221 on the road.

The Starbucks I’m at this morning is in the Casa Paloma Shopping Center in Chandler, just east of Interstate 10. For the second morning in a row I’ve walked the few blocks across the shopping center to the AJ’s Fine Foods grocery store, an upscale and chic “Whole Foods-like” place that features an outdoor patio, deli, and some of the freshest fruits and vegetables I’ve seen.

The deli at AJ’s was busy with soccer moms, bike riders, and young professionals wearing golf gear on their way to the local country club. I had to take a number and wait my turn. It’s one of the rare deli’s I’ve seen that had one of those numbering machines like you see at the Department of Transportation. I impatiently waited for my number to be flashed on the neon sign above the espresso machine so I could buy a muffin.

I counted ten people hanging around the counter area. A very attractive soccer mom was wheeling around a Gucci-designed baby carriage with sleeping child oblivious to the commotion she was causing by bumping and grinding her way to the front of the counter to view the selection of donuts, rolls, croissants, and other delicacies. When my number was called—I had number seven--she lied about her number and cut me off by telling the lady behind the counter, “I’m number six!.”

As I was contemplating this behavior, an elderly woman pushed her shopping cart past me and ran over my foot. Finally I was able to limp my way to the counter and purchase my pumpkin nut muffin. I survived the onslaught at AJ’s deli and returned to Starbucks and had breakfast in peace.

I’m on my way in a few a minutes to Fountain Hills, on the slope of the McDowell Mountains, to attend an art festival. Then I’ll do some writing later this afternoon and post some photos from my trip yesterday to the Westgate City Center. I also watched the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels last night in Surprise. By tomorrow I’ll have some new photos and video posted, so check back.

Scottsdale Arts Festival and Old Town Galleries

It's Monday morning and I'm trying to update by blog, though Blogger is having "upload issues", but I think I have finally finished adding the photos. They were uploaded to Photobucket instead of Blogger, so they may appear larger than usual (not a bad thing).

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday, with the weather absolutely perfect. I had breakfast and coffee at the Plantation Coffee shop and most of the people were talking about doing something outside. It was definitely not a day to stay indoors.

Luckily I had plans to attend the Scottsdale Art Festival in Old Town Scottsdale. The festival is over 30 years old, and hundreds of artists from around the country were going to be there. I parked easily enough in the Arts District. The Arts District contains numerous blocks of art galleries in Old Town, all near Main Street. To the east of Scottsdale Ave. on Main Street, near the city offices and the Performing Arts Center, the festival was underway.

The corner of Main Street and Scottsdale Ave. in the heart of Old Town.

The Ancient Arts Gallery in the Arts District. Very cool statues out front.

Looking east on Main Street, the Arts District. Both sides of the street are lined with fine art galleries.

I saw this bronze sculpture in a display window. God bless America.

As you walked toward the Festival in the city plaza, you could window shop for fine art. Many of the galleries were open, though most were closed since it was a Sunday. I don't know why an art gallery would be closed during the Festival, even on a Sunday.

The plaza near the Scottsdale City Offices.

I entered the Arts Festival here, and paid my $7 for a ticket.

The Festival had two live performance stages. This one was near the Food Court, so many were eating lunch and listening to the live bands.

This particular group was playing music from around the world using all kinds of weird instruments from Greece, Egypt, and the Middle East.

After I took the above shot, I had to go the Men's Room for some relief. I asked a security guard for directions to the nearest bathroom and she told me the Performing Arts Center was the best place. So I walked there in a semi-rush, if you get my meaning.

As luck would have it, the Men's Room inside the Performing Arts Center was hard to access due to a live performance of "Audio Ballerinas" which had just begun when I arrived.

If you'll notice, the Men's Room is to the right of the small tree, in the above photo. The performers of this "artistic performance" by four cute girls were in mid-stride making there way through the foyer toward the exit doors leading outside. I asked the guy next to me, "How can we go to the bathroom when it's center stage in some act?" He laughed, and cringed, because we both had to "go".

To be honest, the performance was really cool. An artist (can't remember his name) came up with this artistic "dance" where four girls slowly walk a path from upstairs, then through the foyer, then outside into the crowd. The girls were wearing a contraption around their waist that produced a weird king of monotone music, like something you would hear from the soundtrack of the movie "Blade Runners". They each had a rake on their shoulder, too.

Once they cleared the Men's Room, I finally made it inside. Since the girls were walking very, very slowly, one step at a time, in rhythm to the music, I returned just in time to see them continue their "dance" outside. They dropped their rakes on the concrete, and began to drag them in rhythm. I noticed that the rake was actually wired to their waist, and producing a very loud "screeching" sound as they dragged it along the sidewalk.

Notice the wires running from the rake, the speakers around the waist.

Once outside, they continued their slow pace into the crowd. Watching the reactions of the people to the strange performance and music was entertaining. Some laughed, some were in awe, some covered their ears. I was just thinking, "This is really cool." Each performer was in perfect unison with the others, each had no expression on their face.

When I left the Festival, I visited some of the "tourist" shops along the way back to the Arts District.