Lazy Saturdays

It's approaching summer in Las Vegas. We can tell, the wind has died down a little bit and we teased 90 degrees today. It won't be long before a 90 degree day will be considered cool, but for now, it's still a little on the warm side.

Saturday is our day. It may get busy, like last week with graduation, but usually we can carve out several hours just for the two of us. For our kids with children, eat your hearts out. For us it is usually the best few hours of the week. We don't do anything spectacular, just get out and relax together. We might go shopping, like we did yesterday, followed by a lunch, and then home. Mostly it is about getting out together.

The day started early with me taking a friend to the airport at 6:30 am and then home to wake JoAnn up so she could help me out cleaning the chapel. By 9:30 am we were done and ready to do a little shopping at Bass Pro Shops (sorry Olaf). On the way home we decided to find a new restaurant a friend of ours opened up. We knew generally where it was, but not exactly. We did know the name so we trolled through a couple of strip malls until we found it. We were rewarded with a wonderful time and meal.

First, we were the only people there, which worried us a little, but it is still their soft opening (DW Bistro). We met with Bryce, the co-owner and our friend and had an enjoyable patio lunch. In fact the food was soooo gooood we have designated it as our new "favorite" restaurant. JoAnn had a DW Nicoise – pan-seared fresh tuna, olives, haricot verts, red & white potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sliced egg, mango & Dijon champagne vinaigrette. It was a very tasty salad. And I had the DW BLT – stacked high, thick bacon, crispy shredded lettuce, tomato with chipotle mayo and they tell you when you order the bacon is Jalapeno bacon - and yes, it has a bite, but a good bite. The cook is from Jamaica and grew up in Albuquerque, so the food is unique. We were just so impressed with the food, how good the wait staff was, and the fact that Bryce spend an hour just visiting with us. Did I mention the fries were sweet potato fries - and they were really good!

But wait, it wasn't over. Bryce learned to cook scones when he lived in Ireland and he treated us to blueberry and raspberry scones that we thought were awesome. They were the lightest scones we had ever had. We will be taking our kids out to eat when they come. It's a great neighborhood restaurant and fits in with our other favorite, Frank and Fina's (Mexican where JoAnn gets the sweet potato enchilada)/

Along the Byways of Route 66

As my children know, I'm not big on stopping once I'm on the road, especially if I have a target in mind. However, as I've gotten older I have begun stopping more often. However, the most recent trip was time sensitive so we made good time. We spent a night in Flagstaff on the way to Albuquerque and decided we could make the drive home in a single day. It's less than 700 miles, so it is doable. And most of it is interstate so the going is good and if you leave early enough (like us) you miss about 4 to 5 hours of traffic. It also means you can quit earlier in the day.

If we don't have to be anywhere particularly early, then it is different, but we (okay me) still like to leave early. JoAnn can get a couple of more hours of sleep in, I put on the iPod and ear plugs and listen away.

Coming home from Albuquerque we were making good time and it seemed about time for gas and a restroom. We got off the interstate in Williams, AZ and noticed gas was $2.89 and I suggested we drive the half-mile into town to see if gas was cheaper. It was. We crossed the railroad tracks for the Grand Canyon Railroad and went into a nice little community. It was about 8:30 am so not much other than restaurants and gas stations were open. I found a gas station in the middle of a block sequestered between two buildings. You could access from one street and exit on another street. It was long and narrow and the pumps weren't close to the station.

That worked for me since gas was 40 cents a gallon cheaper. JoAnn got out to stretch her legs and we were right at the corner of a building so she indicated she was going for a walk. Usually gas stations aren't close to anything, but not this time. She came right back and said there was a store and she was going to check it out. I finished the gas, looked around the corner, saw it was a gift shop (or so I thought) and went down the the gas station to see what was inside. By the time I came back she was still gone. That's not like her. I peeked around the corner again (see below) and saw the gift shop. Well, I really hadn't looked close enough. It was a quilt shop. Okay, not big deal. We had done 2 in Albuquerque and so what could she possibly find here. I should know better, I've been taking her to quilt stores for years. Especially if it is a quilt shop open at 8:30 in the morning.

You may not be able to read the fine print, but it is the Quilter's Mercantile. That has got to mean whatever they sell costs a lot of money! The quilt in front of the store should have been a dead giveaway.

I won't tell you what it cost me to get out of there, but gas would have been cheaper at $2.85 a gallon.

All was not lost, however, I found a place to eat the next time we come to town. After all we are on the famous Route 66. Of course it means we will have to alter our driving habits, but we don't mind spending the evening in Flagstaff. I'm anxious to try out the Cruiser's Cafe 66.

You have got to admit that it looks classy. What's not to draw you into the cafe, except it's closed at 8:30 am.

Even if I'm not a Harley guy I think I can go for the food!

One last classy shot!