One More Thing From Our Visit With Geogypsy

A while back, Gaelyn wrote about getting a deal on a pair of cut glass earrings. I admired them when she posted a picture of them on her blog.



When we were up there visiting last week, she gave them to me. I have to say, I adore them. They are clip ons, perfect for me because my ears aren't pierced. My maternal grandmother was from Austria, so I like to think that maybe someone I am related to had a hand in making them, and somehow they made their way to me after all these years.


You just never know. Thank you so much, Gaelyn!

To My Waitress

Darling, I know being a waitress is a hard job, that it is both physically and mentally exhausting. I know that when your co-workers don’t show up on a busy Saturday morning, and you are the only one working, that it can be hectic. But you know what? I really don’t want to hear how stressed you are. When you are taking my order, I am the ONLY customer you need to worry about at that exact moment.

Sweetheart,when you have customers who ask you questions about how the foods are prepared, you should pay attention. If you hear us ask if there is any wheat in a particular dish, it is NOT because we are testing you, or trying to make your life miserable. We ask those questions because we NEED to know. We shouldn’t have to tell you that if we eat even a few crumbs of wheat that we’ll have explosive diarrhea for three days, that all of our joints will ache and hurt for a week, that we’ll have a headache worse than your last hangover. All you need to know is that we asked that question, all the rest of it is TMI.

Honey, when you take my order, I would appreciate it very much if you would actually write down that I requested NO BUN on my hamburger. When you bring said hamburger to me, and it is sitting there all nice and pretty on that delicious looking bun, don’t give me any flack about asking you to bring me another one BECAUSE I CAN’T EAT WHEAT. Oh, and that thing you said to me about it being a POTATO roll? Read the ingredients label, sweetie. It still has WHEAT in it. And don’t look at ME like I’m stupid when I say that, because I HAVE BEEN READING LABELS FOR MORE YEARS THAN YOU HAVE EXISTED ON THIS PLANET!!!

And, Cutie, most of all, don’t be surprised when your tip is the bare minimum. Part of what I determine to be good service includes whether or not you actually listen to what I ask for. And part of it has to do with whether or not I can actually eat the food you set before me. I’m not talking about how the cook did his job, either. I get just as tired of telling you what I can’t eat as you are of hearing me say it.

Babydoll, I know you think that it is not your job to keep me from getting gluten on my plate, and I agree, it is not. That is MY responsibility. But since I have done the studying, and have educated myself, and know what I can and can not eat, when I relay that information to you by ordering my meal with no bread, you could at least give me the courtesy of paying attention. While my gluten intolerance is not life threatening, some food allergies can be. So, next time you get a customer who is asking lots of questions about food ingredients, pay attention. Please.

A Visit To Geogypsy, Part II

After we went to the Shrine of St. Joseph, Gaelyn said she wanted us to see another place called Noah's Ark. It is on the same road as the shrine. Of course we said "OK".


At first glance it looks like just a pile of rocks, but there is more to it than that. This is a place of modern day ruins, remnants of a castle that Alessio Carrarro, an Italian immigrant who had made his fortune in sheet metal in San Francisco, started building in the 1950's to entice his wife to come to Arizona to life. She wanted no part of living here, but he believed that if he could build a beautiful castle for her, that she would change her mind. Carrarro was the same guy who designed and built the Tovrea Castle in Phoenix.


It is amazing to think about building those stone walls and mixing all that cement on the steep cliffs, working around the large boulders there. He must have been one determined man.

When we got to the property and parked the truck, no one else was around. I asked Gaelyn if we would get in trouble if we climbed up to the castle, as we were on private property. She said she had been up there before, so up we went. Soon, the owner, Doug Campblin, joined us on the trail. That in itself was the second amazing thing about this place. He said he encourages visitors to Noah's Ark, because it was too unique not to share. He acted like a tour guide and gave us lots of history about the place. He was certainly a very gracious host.


Here's Gaelyn in the doorway of the castle.


Some of the window sashes and the door facings are still there.


This was really a castle, see that turret up there?


Me and FabGrandpa in front of the "octopus".


FabGrandpa surveying his kingdom.

There is our truck waaaayyyyy down there! yes, we really did climb all the way up. (and my legs hurt like heck the next day!)


A view from the top. These rocks are balanced precariously above the houses below.

The elephant. The reason the place is called Noah's Ark, is that there are a lot of large boulders that look like animals here. Someone long ago painted their names on them so you'd be sure to see them.


The bear. He's looking down on the town of Yarnell.


Another view of the castle.


If you ever get to Yarnell, it is well worth the effort and time to visit Noah's Ark. Yarnell is on Highwy 89 between Wickenburg and Prescott, Arizona. And if you get to meet Doug, tell him FabGrandma sent you.

Check it Out! A Gluten Free Map!

Kelly over at Celiac Chicks has created a great Gluten Free Map! If you are a gluten free person, go over there and read about it, then click over and join the group. Go there and add all the places you know of that offer gluten free stuff. Whether it is a restaurant, a bakery, or a grocery store, add em in! We CAN help each other find a place to eat in this big ol world!

A Visit To Geogypsy, Part I

FabGrandpa had an appointment at the Veteran's Adminisiration Medical Center in Prescott for his yearly physical and bloodwork. Yarnell, where our friend Gaelyn lives, is about half way between where we live and where we were going, so we drove up there the day before his appointment and spent the night.

Before I get into the story of our visit, I will take a moment here to say that everything checked out ok for the Fab guy--his TSH for his thyroid was very good, his blood pressure was good so still no need for blood pressure meds (Dr. Singh, his endocrinologist in Atlanta, told me last year his bp was "borderline" and told me not feed him so much sausage, so we have cut down on it a lot!), no sign of that pesky cancer AT ALL. The did make an appoinment with an optamologist for them to look at his eye, because he has been having some trouble with it, but we think it is because of all the dust in the air out here in the desert. He had the same problem with in Texas. I'll update on that after we see that doc on Thursday.


Ok, where was I? Oh yeah:

The road to Yarnell goes right over that mountain:


At times, it looks like you are going to drive off into the sky:


The two directions of the road go on different paths, with the southbound down the mountain lanes on the upper road, and the northbound up the mountain lanes on the lower road.


This is looking out the window on the passenger side, at the road where we have been. I am glad I don't get car sick:


At the top of the mountain is Yarnell. It is like a littel paradise in the middle of Arizona. After seeing it I can understand why Gaelyn wants to live here in the winter months, even if they get snow from time to time. It is gorgeus. This is the yard between Gaelyn's 5th wheel and Berta's house:


This is the "Little House" where FabGrandpa and I spent the night. It was cozy and very comfortable. Thanks Gaelyn! and Thanks Berta! We really enjoyed our stay, our visit, and the company. We felt so special!


Gaelyn took us on the Grand Tour of Yarnell. This is the yard of one of their neighbors. He has lots of metal sculpture animals there.


One local attraction is the Shrine of St. Joseph. It has several statues of Jesus set amongst the huge rocks. It is a place for quiet meditation. Lots of people visit it.

There are several stone paths and stairways here that you can climb. Or you can just sit in the garden on a bench.

But, the best was yet to come! Check in tomorrow for Noah's Ark....

Forbidden Rice and Sauteed Kale

We drove up to Yarnell on Sunday afternoon and spent the night with Gaelyn, of Geogypsy because FabGrandpa had an appoinment at the VA in Prescott for his physical and yearly bloodwork. More about the trip tomorrow, but tonight I want to tell you about this yummo meal.

While in Prescott, we went to the Frontier Natural Foods store. Among other things that we bought, we got some Forbidden Rice and some lacinato kale. I have been reading about the forbidden rice on some vegetarian and gluten free forums that I read, and have been wanting to try it. But because it is relatively expensive, I didn't want to buy a one pound bag of it and then find out we didn't like it. To my delight and surprise, the bulk food section had some of it and also some Red Bhutanese rice. I got about a cup and a half of each one.

Our dinner tonight was the black forbidden rice, kale sauteed with garlic, and a nice tomato-fresh basil-fresh mozzarella salad. The rice was very good. It was not at all like the black wild rice, which I really don't like. It took a little longer than white rice to cook, about thirty minutes. The flavor was a little bit "nutty", but mild, and it had a little bit of "chew" to it, not exactly like al dente, but not as chewy as wild rice. We will be buying some more of it.

To cook the kale, I sliced it about a half inch thick in shreds, and steamed it for four and a half minutes in the microwave. Then I peeled and sliced up about half a head of garlic, and added it to about four tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. When the garlic had cooked for about three minutes, I added in the kale and sauteed for about four more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, and it was done. The kale was still a little chewy, too, but I think that really made up for there being no meat in this meal.

The salad was made up ahead of time, and refrigerated. It was the other half of the head of garlic, diced up; a ball of fresh mozzarella, diced up; a can of diced tomotates drained, a few leaves of fresh basil cut up, salt and peppr to taste; and about a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix well and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Tomorrow I am going to try the Red Bhutanese rice with some pork shoulder steaks. And then I'll tell you the rest of the story about our trip to Prescott.

Forbidden rice may not save you from getting a mortgage bond.  But it will make you a favorite with everyone in your house. 

Taking Care of Bidness

Time for an oil change.

While I was waiting for them to finish the job, I was wandering around the shop taking pictures. The owner walked up behind me and said "HEY! you can't take pictures in here!" Then he laughed because he was just joking, but I jumped a mile.

All done and good for another 3000 miles.

Cactus Ranch Trailer Court

As soon as we got back from vacation, we hooked up the trailer and moved about 80 miles east to Morristown, Arizona. We had been looking at campgrounds in the area for a couple of months, and we liked the looks of this one. The fact that it only costs $185 per month and they only charge 11 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity made it that much more appealing. The tiny little office is cute, but no one is ever in there. The manager and his wife live in a mobile home in the back, and transact business there.


Our site is pretty flat, and has a nice concrete pad. There are no trees, but there are not many trees here at all. There is a large tree-like yucca plant in between our site and the one next door.

There are lots of native plants nicely landscaped around the park including saguaros and other cactii that I don't know the names of. There is actually a Cactus Nursery right next door to the campground that has seven acres of different species of cactus. Some of them are quite unusual.


These small cacti are in bloom all over the park. The flowers are about three inches in diameter, and there are lots of them.

Here is a picture of the yucca--those things get pretty big out here.

And as usual, the desert sunsets are gorgeous!

Vacation IV: The Last Day

On the last day of our vacation, we headed over to the Tijuana Estuary National Wildlife Refuge. It is the slough, or wetlands, formed where the Tijuana River flows into the Pacific Ocean. The Tijuana River is the border between California and Mexico.


When FabGrandpa was a kid, he and his brothers and friends would go there hunting for bait for fishing off the pier. It wasn't a park then. He said they learned where they could gently step their feet up and down, to make shrimp like creatures come up out of the mud. Those things, according to him, were the best bait around. They would also swim across the river to the Mexico side to body surf because the waves were better there.



Now there is a fence there, so you can't get to the other side. At the refuge, there are trails, and picnic area. The place is run by a co-operative of the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and California State Parks department. We couldn't go very far on the day we were there because there had been some damage to the roads and trails from a storm, but we did enjoy some fabulous views from the visitor center area.


All the flowers growing here are native to the area. The little white ones smelled sooo good!



Because of the variable wetness of the area due to the tides and scarce rain, there is quite a mix of vegetation.


After we left the estuary, we decided to drive over to Mission Valley to go to Best Buy. FabGrandpa has been wanting to buy the game Left for Dead, and they didn't have it at the National City store. They told us there were 20 copies of it at the other store. I wish I had taken some pictures of that area! Where I-8 goes through Mission Valley, the bridges are awesome! They are so high off the ground it is amazing. But, I am not a very good passenger when we are going fast in lots of traffic. I was so busy watching the traffic that I didn't have time to get the photos.


Since we were already on I-8, when we left the store, we kept going west on I-8 until we got to the end, and wound up driving through downtown San Diego. It is really a very lovely city. I did get a shot of one of the highway bridges there. I guess I am just weird that I like bridges.



Here is a shot of the downtown San Diego skyline as seen across the harbor. I love the contrast of all the boats against the tall buildings.



We saw Border Patrol EVERYWHERE! They seemed to be more of them than San Diego police cars. When we were on California 94, we passed one almost every mile.



Another picture of downtown San Diego. I just love this one because of the palm trees.


Every time we come to San Diego, we have to drive over the Coronado Bridge.

It is one of the longest, tallest bridges I have ever been on. This next picture is the view from the top of the bridge:

Looking back:

Looking ahead:

We drove through Coronado and past the Silver Strand State Park, and back into Imperial Beach. We ate a late lunch at El Tapatio, where I had shrimp that was stuffed with crab, wrapped with bacon, and baked. Very good!


This was the last sunset of the vacation. I hope we get to go back next year.