Family in Chandler

It’s getting very close to time to hit the road again! We are looking forward to it, but it’s also a bit un-nerving. We are heading into an area we’ve never been before – Canada and Alaska – where we don’t know anyone and we don’t know exactly what to expect. But I guess that is the point of this lifestyle. Also, we have met some great folks here that we have to leave behind, which is hard to do. Leaving people was the hardest part about leaving the Illinois/Missouri area, and it continues to be the main drawback. Besides still missing everyone from the Midwest, now we will be missing some folks from Arizona. At some point that might be too much. But for now, we’ll continue to see new sights and have new experiences and share them with anyone who cares to read this blog.

Recently I realized that I have a cousin in Chandler, so I arranged to meet up with him on Saturday. I had to work Saturday morning and as I left work and headed home, it started to rain. But the rain was moving quickly through the area and as it moved out, I saw the most beautiful double rainbow imaginable! The main rainbow was so bright it almost looked like it was neon - it glowed with bright, vivid colors as if it was lit from within. And then there was a softer, lighter rainbow above that one. Both rainbows were completely visible from end to end – so beautiful! It made me think of someday seeing the rainbows surrounding God’s throne – now that will be really amazing!

Randy and I did get to visit with my cousin Chad later that day. Chad is a transplant from California and he is really in love with this area. It was great to visit with him and catch up on what’s going on in his life. He’s got a really good job and a lot of good friends here. He works in the seafood industry and was able to get us some great shrimp and scallops. Good thing we recently bought a small freezer!

For dinner we went to Joe’s Real BBQ. This is the sister restaurant of Joes’ Farm (see January 2), and it’s the original one. When we got there the line to order went from the back of the restaurant through the dining room and out the door. The line moved pretty fast, but people kept coming so that the line was was always out the door. We got the BBQ sampler so we could try the chicken, brisket, ribs and pulled pork, with sides of mac-and-cheese and beans. Randy does better BBQ, but it was all good and definitely worth having!

Yesterday some friends arranged to take us out, as a farewell gesture. Skip and Bev, Clyde and Nancy, Bob and Vicki and ourselves car-pooled into the Chandler area. We started at Santan Brewing Company. The best thing on their menu was the raspberry mushrooms, but they were out of those, so we all ordered appetizers to share and beer samplers (not me – I ordered my beloved Diet Coke!). At the end of the meal the waitress came by to say they had a new batch of mushrooms, so what the heck - we ordered those also! The restaurant was a fun place to visit. The bartender would occasionally ring a bell over the bar so we asked the waitress why he did that. She said everyday he made up a different reason, and today’s reason was Cougar Day – when he saw an older woman making moves on a younger man, he rang the bell. Of course it was suggested he ring the bell for me, since as everyone knows, Randy is 6 months younger than me!

Eventually we left there and walked down the street to the Kokopelli Winery. There everyone ordered wine or beer, except me – I ordered the chocolate port brownie. That was a quieter place and it was very relaxing to just sit around and talk with friends.

When we left there, we decided to get something (else!) to eat. So we drove to Keegan (a bit of a challenge – someone’s GPS lead us in the wrong direction and he will never live it down!). Randy and I split a burger and fries, which was very good. After more visiting and laughing, it was time to go home.

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