Dance After Dark Photography

I was going to wait until I got back before editing any of my photos, but I had some free time today when, despite a promising 80-degree morning, the sun decided to bake the city once again.

That’s my favorite so far, and I think the reason is obvious. Prettier pictures below:

Sunset over the South Maricopa Mountain Wilderness

First Baptist Church, or what’s left of it after fire damage

Statue atop the Orpheum Theater

alt title: Phoenix update # who knows? I can’t be bothered to check.

I was entirely lazy this morning, so I sit here typing instead of walking around downtown Phoenix and taking photos of the Willow House like I intended. The original plan was to walk down there (about a mile), and then I found out that the AZ Irish Festival is also today and down the street from aforementioned coffee house. Trick is, I wanted to walk to the Willow House and take photos very early, like 7:00. Irish Fest gates open at 10:00.

In the end, I talked myself out of both. I have lots of time to get the photos of the Willow House. They’re moving in a week, but the building will be there regardless. When you see pictures, you’ll understand. As for the Irish Fest, I didn’t realize it was just a one-day affair. That doesn’t sound terribly impressive. It starts at 10:00, and we’re due in Casa Grande by 11:30. Maybe I’ll drop in this afternoon, when we come back from Casa Grande and Jenn goes to work. Festival is over at 5:00. Maybe not. I’m indifferent.

Much fun has been had, though! I already feel like I’ve had a few weeks of vacation, and I’m not even halfway there. I watched Mr. Show last night because Jenn keeps making references. I’d never heard of it, so I’m glad I dragged it out. It stars Bob Odenkirk and David Shaw with a metric ton of other comedians you’ll recognize. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, several of the folks now on the Sarah Silverman Show whose names I don’t know. I find my sense of humor warping. More and more I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable humor.

Okay, it’s time to start thinking about breakfast. Do I make the mesquite-smoked turkey breakfast burritos w/ avocado & muenster, or do I wait for Jenn to get up so we can get something on the way to Casa Grande? Decisions, decisions.

Awesome. I’m chilling at Ben’s house while he drops his son off at school. Last night Ben made Thai fried rice with deep-fried tofu chunks. Can you say fabulous? I can. I “helped” by getting in the way and not quite stirring the rice enough. I’m a very helpful person.

Pimpty Jr. is a great kid. We had a swordfight with foam tubes this morning, and he was very amused by my lightsaber sound effects. With no prompting at all, he calls me Skywalker. (Apparently that was his first reaction upon hearing my name, even prior to my arrival. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: The Force is strong with this one.)

I’m going to cut this relatively short so I can get out of Ben’s hair as soon as he gets back. I drove up into the South Mountain Wilderness last night just in time to catch the sunset. I didn’t quite get there early enough for the truly spectacular shots, but it was still a pretty sight. I wish I had a lens that could capture the full moon over the mountains. It looked immense, but of course in the camera it’s reduced to a pinpoint of light. I still don’t understand why that happens with lenses vs. the eye. I read an explanation once upon a time. Maybe it’s time to break out Wikipedia again.

One funny and annoying side note: I was taking a 2-minute exposure of Phoenix as seen from Dobbins Lookout. It was just long enough for a yutz and his family to walk into the center of the frame, take a snapshot with their camera’s built-in flash, and consequently put themselves into my picture. Without the flash, they wouldn’t have shown up at all. I got a lot of that, although I have to admit that headlights playing over the stonework of the lookout point pavilion-thingie made for a nice effect.

Jenn and I went to her friend Matt’s birthday party last night at Donovan’s, “the finest upscale steak and chophouse in Phoenix.” Let me tell you, that place was snazzy! I’ve never felt more like an awkward ugly duckling in my life. (heh) Very cool, though. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, and I enjoyed getting to meet & talk with all of the people at the party. (Thanks again for a great dinner, Jenn.)

After dinner we went to Charlie’s, which is what Cowboys in Orlando should be. I mean, there’s a hot pink neon “cowboys” sign out front. How is that not a gay bar? *grin* Charlie’s was far less flaming on the outside, much more so on the inside. Drag queens and muscle-bound bartenders with big cowboy hats were the norm. At this point my back was killing me from trying to keep proper posture at Donovan’s. I guess I did that to myself, but Donovan’s doesn’t strike me as an elbows-on-the-table kind of place. We ducked out of Charlie’s early on my account, but not before I got to meet some more of Jenn’s co-workers and friends.

We got in at about 12:30 — impressive in my book, but waaaaay early in everyone else’s. I’m used to going to bed between 9:00 and 11:00, so I get the feeling I’ll be fighting Pumpkin Syndrome for a few more days while I acclimate to the new schedule.

Today’s agenda is not to have an agenda, although my vague plans include wandering around downtown some more with a 50% chance of hiking in the afternoon. The scar on my ankle has been tightening over the past few weeks anyway, but being in this dry heat has accelerated the process. Walking hurts, but it helps too.

I’m killing a little time until Jenn gets off work and we head off to meet a local model named Stacey for a photo shoot. I’m also recovering from drinking Poor Man’s Black Velvet, Cuba Libra, and a very good margarita last night. It’s an odd mix, and I think the tequila has it in for me.

You’ll all be amused by my airport misadventures. My plane left Orlando at 2:41. Accordingly, I planned to be at the airport at 12:41. Unfortunately, I planned it so far in advance that I convinced myself the plane was leaving at 12:41 and I needed to be there at 10:41. On top of that, Daniel gave me a ride and we wound up being a little early for being early. I sat at the airport for about 4.5 hours. iPod, you are my salvation. (And thanks again, Daniel. You saved me a hell of a lot of money.)

Last night Jenn, Ben, and I went to Seamus McCaffrey’s for a late dinner. We had a feast of fried things: fish, chips, mushrooms, jalapeños, and zucchini. Pub food and vegetarians don’t get along well, and deep-friend was the only option. From there we walked to Burn to check out the goth night turned semi-raver. Cool people, but the music wasn’t entirely appealing. It was at Burn as someone checked out my t-shirt from a northern Georgia state park that I chimed in, “Tallulah Gorge is my stripper name.” Much amusement, at least on my part.

After Burn, we went to the Bikini Club. Talk about dive! I loved it, though. White-boy reggae DJ who didn’t quite nail the accent all the time, but everyone was having fun. It was proven that sometimes there can, in fact, be too much cowbell. Dawn the Bartender made the smoothest margarita I’ve ever had. No bite to it at all, and the tequila only hates me about 1/3 as much as it usually would the next day.

I went grocery shopping this morning. Just had a nice mesquite-smoked turkey & muenster sandwich, and the kitchen that was already clean is now gleaming. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the kitchen. I just started with one dish and couldn’t stop myself. I should seek professional help. In other news, we have chicken, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and sweet onions. I’m not sure if that’ll be dinner tonight or tomorrow, but it will be good. Jenn has fresh pasta in the fridge, and I plan to usurp it.

So! This is much more of an update than I expected to make on the entire trip. We’ll see how much more I’ll be able to share. I foresee a lot of free time.

P.S. Construction in downtown Phoenix can suck my balls.

Apparently, Tallulah Gorge is my stripper name.

Alrighty, folks. I’m checking out for about two weeks. I fly to Phoenix in a few hours. I’ll be back Nov 5th and back to work on the 7th. I may be online periodically while I’m out a-wanderin’, but I make no promises. Most of my time will be spent outside, and I get the feeling most of my inside-time will be spent in the kitchen. There’s a twice-weekly farmer’s market within a few blocks of Jenn’s place, and I’ve already spoken with Empty about working some culinary mojo.

And I’m off!

I haven’t written a real update in a while. I can’t say that I’ve been busy. I’ve just been frustrated and feeling uncommunicative. I’ll feel better on Friday, when I get paid. I bought my plane ticket for the trip to Phoenix, but then a few unexpected expenses used up my available cash.

I just read about “The Wave” at North Coyote Buttes in the Vermillion Cliffs-Paria Canyon Wilderness. You can see The Wave as a day hike, but access is limited to 20 people per day. I wish I’d known about this in April, since you have to apply months in advance to get the necessary permits.

On the upside, I’ve watched lots of movies lately. Here are some reviews:

Shoot ‘Em Up
I’ve become a big fan of Clive Owen since Sin City and Children of Men. This movie has the violence and stylish camera work of Sin City with several great lines and a few bad jokes thrown in. I didn’t realize this is the film version of the Postal video game, which made perfect sense afterward. Paul Giamatti plays a great bad guy — creepy, funny, and plagued by phone calls from his nagging wife. I went to the theater expecting to suspend disbelief, so I didn’t mind the over-the-top violence and some of the truly impossible sequences.

China Dragon
The horror! The absolute bad 80’s fight scene, terrible film quality & no storyline whatsoever HORROR! This film isn’t even worth mocking, it’s so bad.

Running Out of Time
I’d watch this again. The story was much better than I expect out of a kung fu/gun fu movie, and it was well-filmed. Andy Lau and Lau Ching Wan do a good job of creating the cat & mouse game between their characters that really drives the movie. This particular DVD conversion lost a little in the quality department, but it’s still great.

Kill Zone
OMG! OMG, this movie is so good I’ll actually say “OMG!” It’s corny as a truly good kung fu movie should be, but Donnie Yen plays a superbly-skilled cop going up against the A-list of bad guys. It culminates with a showdown against Sammo Hung. Admittedly, that face-off was my reason for renting this movie. I’d seen previews with a few snippets from that fight, but I have to say that the best fights were against the younger, lesser-known martial artists playing the henchmen. Very good movie. Nice story, fantastic fights, and well-filmed. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a lot of fun.

Thin Blue Line
This one’s a TV series starring Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling inspector. It’s definitely not high-brow comedy, but it’s certainly more accessible to Americans than Mr. Bean. I’m an Atkinson fan, aside from Mr. Bean, so I knew I’d like it. I didn’t expect all of the other characters to shine through so well. Great show. I highly recommend it. It’s like The Office with a badge.

Dead Reckoning
Humphrey Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, a WWII vet trying to unravel the mystery around his friend’s disappearance and death. Everyone knows I’m a Bogart fan, so of course I loved this movie. Some people say it’s an unoriginal addition to the film noir genre, but I still call it a classic.

Panic
William H. Macy in an unconventional role. He plays Alex, a seemingly normal guy with a typical life. Not even his wife & son know that he’s really a contract killer — a family business he inherited from his father (Donald Sutherland). Macy’s dismay at his profession becomes a full mid-life crisis when he’s hired to kill the therapist (John Ritter) who’s been helping him. Throw in Neve Campbell as a love interest, and you’ve got one unusual but excellent movie.

Central Station
I was reminded of this film while discussing movies with a Brazilian co-worker. I saw it 3 or 4 years ago and loved it, but I had forgotten the title. It’s in Portuguese, so beware of subtitles. Fernanda Montenegro stars as a woman who writes letters for a living, but who is so jaded that she often doesn’t even mail them. Against her wishes, she finds herself responsible for the welfare of a young boy whose mother is killed. The movie follows them as they travel in search of the boy’s father.

Kinky Boots
Based on a true story, this movie chronicles the humorous and touching efforts of Charlie Price as he struggles to find a niche market for the failing shoe factory he inherited from his father. Charlie wants to remain loyal to his father’s memory and the villagers who depend on the factory for employment, but his London high-life fiancée wants him to sell the place and return to her lifestyle. Enter Lola, the drag queen who inspires Charlie to make sexy women’s boots for men and turn his fortunes around. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a surprising and stunning performance as the female impersonator. I’d seen him in Serenity and Children of Men, but I never expected him to turn up in this kind of role.

Part II of What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I don’t mind a little zen driving with occasional checks of the map, but it was nice knowing that it was impossible to get lost. We took back roads for the trip from Savannah to Helen, GA. The GPS in our rented minivan came in handy, particularly when a covered bridge, a scenic route, or some other random little landmark inspired us to take an impromptu detour.

We got into Helen fairly early Tuesday afternoon, checking into the nicest and cheapest Comfort Inn I’ve ever seen. It was $51 a night, and the place was much nicer than either of the motels in Savannah and Greenville. I’d imagine it’s much more expensive in October, when they have an extended Oktoberfest and tourists descend on the town.

Tuesday afternoon we went to the Nacoochee Grill for dinner. I was very impressed by the food. We all liked their corn chowder. The cornmeal-dusted trout was excellent and very fresh, since it was caught in the river that flows through the town. The cornmeal comes from the Nora Mill Granary, just down the street. My entree was veal meatloaf. (I misread and thought it was venison at the time, but I’m looking at their menu online now.) It had smoked cheddar and jalapeños inside, which made it just about the best meatloaf I’ve ever had. I like to try something I’ll never see anywhere else, and in this case the experimentation definitely worked in my favor.

After dinner we wandered around the town. We spent some time in a glassblower’s shop, watching her create a few name plaques. We visited yet another candy store, though this time we stuck to the sugar-free selections. Downtown Helen, if you can call it downtown, consists of about 100 shops and restaurants packed into 3 short blocks. I can’t decide whether the alptown architecture is cute or cliché and forced. Either way, it’s fun to visit. I’d love the mountains, even if I didn’t like the town.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast at Hofer’s Bakery & Cafe. Hofer’s is the only place in town that serves breakfast, unless you count the Huddle House. (I don’t.) Sticking with my “try something new” philosophy, I had a cream cheese & scallion omelet.

We stopped at the Habersham Winery. I have a decidedly uncultured palate, and I freely admit it. We bought half a case of various sweet wines. We tried a nice riesling as well as muscadine wine and a muscadine blush blend.

Wednesday afternoon found us at Tallulah Gorge. I didn’t even go down into the gorge, and it was a harder trip than last time. Taking mom down to the observation areas in her wheelchair was a little difficult. Getting her back from the last one, with its extremely steep slope, was more than a little difficult. I had to take a break halfway up. Oops! We made it, though, and I’m glad she got to enjoy the view.

After Tallulah Gorge we stopped in Toccoa, GA. We were looking for Shirley’s Soul Food Cafe, as featured on Alton Brown’s Feasting On Asphalt. The cafe was closed, so we wound up eating at the City Buffet & Grill. The food was standard buffet fare, but our waitress Shantay was incredibly amusing. I think mom & grandma liked her just because she kept picking on me. Oddly enough, she’d just moved back to Toccoa after spending a few years here in Orlando.

By Wednesday evening we’d checked into our hotel in Greenville. We’ll save the rest of the story for Part III.

I don’t think I’ve written a composition like this since elementary school. Well, maybe not. Now that I think of it, I did write a tongue-in-cheek “what I did with my summer” essay in 7th grade. That was the year I fell out of a tree in my front yard and broke my collarbone, and the essay began with the line “I fell on my head.”

This year, thankfully, I neither fell on my head nor broke anything. My mother, my grandmother, and I took a road trip to Greenville, SC, to attend the annual Adair family reunion.  My great grandmother was Mettie Adair. The only memories I have of her are vague impressions and stories I’ve been told, but there are pictures of her with me as an infant. I’ve heard time and again how delighted she was with me because I was the smallest baby she’d ever seen. I was only 4lbs 5oz at birth. My, how things change.

We decided to take a long, ambling route to get to the reunion. We drove to Savannah on Sunday, July 29th, and we stayed there for a few days just wandering around the city. Sunday afternoon we ate lunch at the old Cotton Exchange on River Street. Like all of the other shops and restaurants along the Savannah River, the Cotton Exchange is a historic building that’s been renovated and only marginally redecorated. The exposed beams in the ceiling and the rough brick of the walls give the place an old world feel. The tables were old doors that had been heavily lacquered to make a smooth surface. Sit along the front wall, and you’re likely to sit next to a glassed-in doorway that once served as a loading dock.

After lunch we wandered along the cobblestones of River Street, visiting a few touristy shops at my mother’s insistence and by mutual accord spending about half an hour at the Savannah Candy Kitchen. They give free samples of their fresh-made pecan pralines and toffee. We bought a pound and a half of pralines, dividing it between the traditional and chocolate recipes. Of course, I’ve barely touched them because it’s almost pure sugar. They’re dangerous! Good, though.

On Monday we ate lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House, which is not your typical restaurant. You’re expected to bus your own dishes, just like when the place really was a boarding house, but the food and conversation are well worth the extra effort. You sit at a huge table with 10-12 other people. At our table, there were a few locals, a biker and his family from Orlando, and a group of friends who’d come down from Baltimore for the weekend. At $15 per person the lunch price is a little steep, but I’ve never had such good fried chicken, ham, and biscuits. Everyone raved over the rutabagas, though that’s not one of my favorite vegetables. You pass the dishes around the table, and the staff brings more whenever any particular dish runs out. My only suggestion would be that they keep a few handtrucks nearby to help get satiated customers out the door.

We spent the rest of Monday wandering along River Street again, this time stopping in the River Street Gallery. Mom embarrassed me by telling the lady behind the counter that my photos were much better than the ones on the wall. I apologized to the lady because, like the cooperative galleries in Orlando, it’s the artists themselves who run the place. Thankfully she wasn’t the photographer in question, but that was an awkward moment. I also talked to a young lady who makes ceramic corsets. For now they’re objets d’art made on a smaller scale, but she’s thinking about making wearable ceramic corsets. We talked a bit about an artist I somewhat-know in Oklahoma who does that now. Interesting conversation.

We left Savannah on Tuesday morning and headed northwest toward Helen, GA. No interstates! I’ll save the story of Helen and northeast Georgia for the next time.