Rant No. 5 - Baggers Revisited

Things have changed a lot in the two years since my original rant on Baggers, believe it or not some of those changes have been in the bagging world. Since I am trying to do what I can to go "GREEN", I have purchases reusable bags to do my shopping. Since I live in a place where the temperatures are more than any devil is made to endure, I have an insulated reusable bag that helps to keep my ice cream from total meltdown until I can drive the 5 minutes home. I do a lot of my shopping for essentials at Target. Enter Robin. Robin is a checker at Target, she seems to always be working on the days I shop there, or do I shop there because Robin is working? Robin is the absolute best checker/bagger EVER. Robin fits all my stuff like a puzzle into my reusable bags. Robin realizes that frozen goods would go in the insulated bag. Robin is cheerful and pleasant to each and every person that enters her line. Everyone is greeted by Robin as if she knows them personally. Now you may be thinking this is not a Rant at all and that I am truly out of my mind. Well let me tell you the rant is coming now -- Today I went to Target (Robin works Sunday afternoons) all was well in the bagging world. UNTIL I went to check out and Robin was missing from her lane, believe me there is a checker or two that I avoid like the plague, so I had to hunt for a suitable replacement. Well, there just wasn't one. I put my bags on the conveyor, insulated on top and then I properly place my purchases, frozen then cold then cans then toiletries, (let me just say Robin would never put toiletries in with food). Checker X proceeds to open one of my regular bags, and I oh so politely say to her "The black bag is insulated". Roll of the eyes from Checker X, but she opens it and starts throwing things in. Then she opens another bag and starts throwing in more frozen/cold. Well much to Mike's embarrassment as soon as she gives me the bags I open the insulated one and start rearranging so that all my frozen fits in it. I felt the eyes rolling from the beep beep beep of the register behind me. I just don't get what is so hard about packing a bag and truly wish someone somewhere could train checkers/baggers to just use a little common sense when bagging. This is not an isolated incident at all. I was doing my grocery shopping for Christmas at Safeway on the 23rd and I had some refrigerated items. Once again insulated bag given first, cold on the conveyor first and once again, insulated bag IGNORED. Then the bagger actually started laughing when she saw she had put my cold stuff in a regular bag and I had an insulated one. Well it was the "Season" and it was only 70 degrees out, so I didn't make her rearrange things, but if it had been summer, you can believe I would have.

Geocache Adventure #7

This adventure found us leaving early on a Sunday morning and the goal was to have Mike practice driving and to find cache along the way. I must note here that it is not easy to be the driver on a cache adventure. There are last minute screams of TURN LEFT NOW and TURN AROUND WE MISSED IT, so it can be very trying. We didn't go far from home (we were without the youngest of the Loftus4) but we found a nice park with quite a few cache in it. My newest favorite was the cache camouflaged with tree bark and set on a branch of the tree, but it required going into a space that was barely big enough to stand up. I probably don't need to mention that the thought of being in a small space with the possibility of snakes or other such desert like creatures falling on me creeps me out and this was no exception. We enjoyed the rest of our walk around the park and then found a couple near the library before heading back home. There was an "Alice in Wonderland" themed cache and it was a rather large mushroom and you tip it over and inside it was a storage container the size of a loaf of bread. Someone had left headphones in there for a trade item...Pat and Mike were not all that happy with me when I insisted that we couldn't take them. The spirit of the trade is that you leave something better than you take and well I don't think our rubber wristband was in that category. It was a nice morning and Mike did a great job driving!

Happy Birthday, William!

What a difference 12 years makes! My tiny little baby has turned into a funny, sweet and smart preteen. Where does the time go? William picked Joe's Crab Shack for his birthday dinner with the family, no big surprise there. This makes it at least three years in a row he has wanted crab legs for dinner. William received this Air Hockey table and he is having a lot of fun challenging everyone to try to beat him at his own game. Happy Birthday, William!!!

Geocache Adventure #6

This adventure kept us much closer to home. The weather is starting to cooperate just a little bit and so we left early on a Sunday morning to do some local caches. We traveled at most 10 miles south of homebase and then looped around back home. First stop was a cache that was on a fire hydrant, it took a bit of looking around, never expected it to be so small but I guess that is what a nano is. Second stop was another one just as small. Our favorite cache of the day was the one that looked like a sprinkler. Seriously looked like a sprinkler. Mike "found" it then said no, then said yes then no. Is it? Isn't it? YES it was. Very fun and certainly explains how you can hide something in plain sight. A couple of the caches took us to Modern Day Ghost Towns - subdivisions abandoned because of the economy. These were fun to poke around at and I am saving my pictures of them for another post. We even ended up at Panda Express where William found the flashlight that was a cache. So many clever people out there hiding things for others amusement. The fountain at the Queen Creek library was really nice looking and the entire area was so perfect for checking out a book, sitting in the sunshine and reading. One that we didn't find was at a historical site in Queen Creek the Desert Wells Stage Stop. There are even old posts there to hitch your horse to. That one is going to require a second try for finding the cache. Geocaching has certainly taken us to places right near where we live, as well as further away, that we might never have taken the time to see or go to if not on our quest for a cache.

On the road to Tortilla Flat

To get to Tortilla Flat involves a lot of winding and curving along a road that at times you wonder if you would fit with a car passing by. Then there are the one lane bridges that you have to take turns using, let's just say not everyone knows how to play fair. It is a popular road and heavily traveled especially on holiday weekends. The road leads to Canyon Lake and if you stay on past Tortilla Flat goes to Roosevelt Lake. Motorcyclists love to travel in this area and Tortilla Flat is a popular resting place along the road. We have gone out here one other time and never past Tortilla Flat. Basically this is a two building town. They have a shop that sells souvenirs and ice cream and then there is the cafe/saloon. The bar stools are actual saddles. It is all very old and rustic, a fun place to visit but not too many people live here. I believe the population is 6. The journey to Tortilla Flat is a very scenic one, traveling through National Forest Property and past Canyon Lake. It was a beautiful day and nice to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

Geocaching Adventure #5

This next adventure found Pat and me on the road with Frizzle. It is Labor Day and a couple of someones can't give up their "day off" for a little fun. So be it. We cached our way to Tortilla Flat. A lot of our time was spent on National Forest property, searching for caches. We had a good time, learned a lot about the art of hiding a cache with magnets. Yes, magnets! Who would have thought, but it sure helps to know little things like that when you are searching and searching and can't imagine where it is. We also ran into one of those attacking cacti, UGH I don't like them they get you and won't let go and then you have stickers all over you. Well this time it was Pat's shoe they got and let me just say those stickers do not come out easily.

Tucson or Bust!

Some interesting things to see on our trip to Tucson. There was the skeleton of what I don't know, but I am thinking I am glad whatever it was, wasn't alive when I ventured on that dirt road. There are the weeping palms, which I mistakenly refer to as the weeping willows - I loved my willow tree and well guess it was on my mind. (note to self: make a willow tree post) There is the abandoned not to be built any time soon subdivision that the weeping palms are welcoming you to. There is the now requisite religious sign. There are the fancy underpasses in Tucson all colorful and welcoming, and the not so uncommon totally dry river. Then there is Frizzle driving home. Apparently after my driving "incident" on the move here, it has been decided Frizzle would be a better driver than me.

Geocache Adventure #4

This adventure took us towards Tucson. We decided to try to stop along the way to look for caches instead of waiting for our destination to start looking. Our first stop was in the Casa Grande area - anyway it was a dud of a stop for us. Apparently we are still very beginners and need to stay away from the micro cache until we gain more experience or something. Next stop was on a road towards the Saguaro National Forest. Last stop we made was in the Tucson city limits. The Loftus4 were down to Loftus3 and even then the 3 is questionable as one young one was having major allergy issues, and never got out of the car to help look. Frizzle was his usual help, and constantly had to be pulled out of trees. He is never afraid to climb a tree to look for cache, just has trouble getting down again. We found five cache on this gorgeous Sunday, had a look around at University of Arizona, a quick lunch at the local Sports Pub and it was time to head back home. A good day, being out in the sun always tires me and a nap was in order when we arrived home.

Geocache mini-Adventure #1

Biggest cache container yet - a five-gallon paint can!

The Geocaching mini-Adventures will probably be just Pat and me checking out cache in the area. We are starting to receive resistance from the other other two members of the Loftus4 team. So we decided to try some local cache to get more in touch with our inner-geocaching spirits. Out of five stops we found 3, probably could have found 5 but I have a heat tolerance and since it is still well over 100 degrees in this area, I can only look around for so long, before I melt. Tomorrow we are off to Tucson to search for cache.

On the Road To, In and Around Sedona

We got a late start on our trip to Sedona/Oak Creek. I had a dentist appointment at 7 AM and expected to be done by 7:30, I mean all they had to do was superglue a couple crowns in my mouth, how hard could that be. At 8:30 after having my mouth open for 1.5 hours and almost swallowing one of those crowns I was done, finally! So it was closer to 9:30 by the time we left for our third adventure in geocaching. Check out the huge truck full of hay that for some reason had to cut in front of us on the highway going 75!!! OMG did I mention I get carsick? That didn't help at all.

One of the spots we went to for a cache was a Catholic church in Sedona, in a most gorgeous area with breathtaking views. We didn't actually go into the church, but the outside areas were really nice. They had multiple different sitting areas with these great stone benches and statues with candles, nice places for meditation, sitting and enjoying the purple mountains majesty and feeling the swirl of energy as the vortex surrounds you. (If you're into that) They also had the Stations of the Cross outside, going around the perimeter of the church and buildings. Very relaxing, very beautiful, a nice trip.

Geocache Adventure #3

For our third adventure we went to Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon. It is probably my favorite area in Arizona. I love the red rocks, the creek and canyon are gorgeous, and the weather is so much nicer. I had a list of approximately 12 caches to look for. Max accompanied us on this trip, which we all know thrills me to no end. NOT!!! First two finds were fairly quick and relatively easy thanks to my natural geocaching skills. Cache number 3 was a bit harder, it was IN the CREEK under a rock, somewhere.....we never actually found it, well I never got in the creek to look, but Pat, Mike and William searched for quite awhile. Which is why I was left on the road with Max yanking my leash, holding Frizzle the mascot (he didn't want to get wet), carrying my camera and tripod and a bunch of papers and that is when I took a tumble. Fell right down there in the road on my CAMERA, banged up my elbow and knee, hurt my entire left side and lived to tell the story. My camera lens died that day, but the camera is fine and we just had to use a telephoto for the rest of the day's pictures. Soon after, the 3 searchers came out of the creek, carrying a soaking wet PSP. Yep Mike had it in his pocket, guess he wasn't expecting to get wet in that creek. Lucky for him the PSP lived and the only casualty was my camera lens. Cache number 4 was on the creek bed somewhere on the other side of the bridge, William and Pat gave it a quick look and we left that area zero for two.

We drove into Sedona to regroup, stopped in a parking lot and realized that a cache location was right there, so we hunted for that, but no my natural instincts had been whacked out of me with the fall, so after a quick search we abandoned that one. Checking our coordinates we realized that we passed two other caches on the drive from the creek to Sedona, and no one felt like going back so press on we did. Next stop a parking lot of an abandoned storefront office building. Pretty quick find under a huge rock, on we go. One more find at a church parking lot and that made our four finds for the day. We did search for one other but couldn't find it, and then the final two we decided to skip, everyone was tired and they involved a hike into a more remote area.

We had a great time even though we didn't find all the caches we were looking for. The red rock mountains are really gorgeous and look different at all times of the day depending where the sun is. Every stop had breathtaking views and it was a great day to be outside. I definitely want to go back to that area to search for more cache. That creek one is on my mind to find! We had to skip Slide Rock State Park too as it was way too crowded, the parking lot was full and no more cars were being allowed in. It looks like a fun place to spend some time and I will get back there soon.

Prescott, AZ

Downtown Prescott was having a Whiskey Road Shootout, I am guessing a reenactment of some shootout from the Wild Wild West. William says they do a lot of that cowboy shooting, old town stuff out here and they sure do. I am not much into the wild wild west and shooting but people watching was in full swing. Doing a reenactment means dressing the part and these participants were having a great time in their costumes, shooting off guns and acting all western.

Prescott is Arizona's best preserved town with more than 600 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. There was an abandoned Motor Inn. It was really sad to see the building is such disrepair but you can just imagine all the people that have stayed there in the past when they were in the area for a vacation or just passing through. We saw some interesting "bumper stickers" throughout the town, I believe the pictures speak for themselves.

When was the last time you have seen a public phone booth on a street corner? Not sure if they don't have the network behind them up there or what but that was certainly something I haven't seen in a long, long time. The last couple pictures were taken from the window of the van going 75 on the Interstate . Enough said, lots of scenery to be seen.

Geocache Adventure #2

We decided to head to Prescott for our second adventure in geocaching. Prescott is about 90 miles northwest of homebase, so the temperature is a little cooler. The day was sunny, the time was early, the team was ready! We had quite a long list of possible caches to find. Even though we only ended up finding one, we had a good time hunting. We found the area on a few of them, but were unable to locate the cache due to locked roads or other obstacles keeping us from the final victory. Sometimes the little country roads fly by too fast and we are unable to safely turn or even notice that we missed a turn. We enjoyed the trip, it was a nice drive and we learn a little more about geocaching every time we go.

Cemetery and Altar

Roadside altar

We found this altar right on the roadside before entering Miami, AZ. It was pretty cool, someone has made the ultimate in roadside memorials and not a distracting roadside memorial. There was plenty of room to pull off the road, park and look around. People tacked pictures of their loved ones up inside and lit candles and left poems and other memorials. In Miami we found this cemetery that was really unique. The plots were sectioned off by cement slabs. Some had picket fences around them, some wrought iron, some had stone laid on the top and some were left plain. Grass doesn't grow that well so they were more dried grass and dirt. It was very interesting to walk around and see all the different gravesites. Sound a little creepy? Well it wasn't, it was fascinating. Oh, the things you will see!!!

Globe Hotshots

Smoke signals to lead us back??

No it was a forest fire!

Geocaching isn't just about the destination it is about the journey. When we were up on the mountainside at the ranch, we could see the smoke coming over the distant hills. I naturally thought it was the geocaching helpers sending us a smoke signal to get us back to the main road, nevermind that there was only one way in and one way out or the fact that we got in there with a GPS and apparently it would find our way out if we needed it to. No I was sure it was a "sign". When we got out on the road we saw the fires and the Globe Hotshots who were on the scene and keeping things under control. We are not sure if it was a random forest fire or a controlled burn, but either way it was my first forest fire and pretty amazing looking.

Geocaching Adventure #1

Team photo at find #2

We have found a new family activity and it is called Geocaching. Go here to learn more about it. Geocaching is basically a treasure hunt with a GPS. People hide containers (geocaches) and enter the coordinates, basic driving directions and other hints. You browse the website to find caches in the area you want to hunt, load it into your GPS and go on your treasure hunt. We decided to give it a try and had a blast searching for the caches. We headed to the Miami/Globe area and our first find was very easy and fun to get us started. It was what they call a cache and dash.

Team mascot "Frizzle" at find #1

Frizzle at find #2, he is a great hunter!

At the ranch where we found our 2nd cache.

Who says a minivan can't handle off-road driving?

Yes, we are way up near the clouds and that road down there is the only way out!

Our second find was a little more involved and turned out to be a 30 minute ride each way on that windy dirt road that led to a cattle round up. It was between 4,000 and 5,000 elevation and the views were gorgeous. We were totally secluded, didn't see another car until we were almost out, a truck was coming in. The land was a ranch and near our destination were corrals, an old shed and water trough for the cows. It was a lot of fun, and we will be planning another hunt soon.

Margaret's visit

A hummingbird was hanging about.
Margaret arrived on Saturday March 14th to visit for a week. First stop was the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly exhibit and also to enjoy the garden. The wildflowers were in full bloom and may I just say we saw more here than we did in our "Wildflower trip" last year. Not quite sure how I managed not to take any pictures of them, must have been enjoying their beauty. Margaret, Pat and I had a lovely day walking around and then we stopped for my favorite margaritas and appetizers at Z tejas.

Most of Margaret's visit was spent relaxing outside reading books and magazines and just enjoying a little warm weather. Mike and William were on spring break that week so she got to spend some time with the two of them. One early morning Margaret and I went to the Riparian Water Ranch in Gilbert to take a walk around and look for some wildlife. The cactus were in bloom and it was a very pleasant early morning walk before the heat of the day set in.

Mike, Grandma and William

Planning their escape, I think.

Zane Grey's cabin or at least a replica

On Friday all of us took a drive to Payson to see what there was to see. In a couple words - not too much - but it was a beautiful drive in the mountains, and we did go to the Rim Country Museum. Apparently Payson's claim to fame is that Zane Grey had a cabin there where he did a lot of his writing. They have a replica of his cabin and some other interesting artifacts. It was a beautiful day and a nice drive and somewhere we had never been, so it was worth the trip. The Rim is in that area somewhere, but I am not sure how soon I will be making that drive again as I was quite nauseated by the time we got there. I am not even sure what the Rim is but apparently it is something you should see if out that way and it looked to me like it involved more mountain roads and not headed towards home, so not this time.