Apr
03
2011

Let's Go To Maricopa For Lunch

Road Trippin', Teaks & Other Stuff

(Add / View Comments) (0)PhotosSunday, April 3, 2011 - 05:59:44 pm
(Posted Under: This Desert Life This Desert Life)
It's been a slow weekend. There were a few music endeavors we considered, none of which ended up happening, for different reasons. It's also been one of those rare weekends where we didn't have a gazillion things to do. That's been nice admittedly. Not something we're overly used to though.

It made my wife somewhat stir crazy today. Around midday the following conversation happened...

"I know this is ridiculous and we don't have to do it, but we should go to Teakwoods and split some nachos".

"You mean as opposed to any other aspect of our life that isn't ridiculous?".

She should know better. As rational and financially conscious as I am, it doesn't take much to sell me on anything involving Teakwoods. The weather this weekend has been really nice. Getting out in it, driving through the desert and then eating at Teakwoods sounded awesome to me.

Since Friday afternoon I've also been working on some updates to Hitter to support track and album metadata, at the moment particular to support marking songs as radio singles, for automatic generation of "singles" playlists accordingly. Over the past 15 years, trying to maintain and keep up to date a playlist of singles, well, just hasn't worked that great. So driving down the I-10 also made for a perfect opportunity to give my new definitive kick ass 'singles' playlist a try out.

Photobox ImageThe drive down to Maricopa was really nice. The wind was out in full force today, which made it a great day for dust devils out in the desert between Tempe and Maricopa. The trip down south was the selling point of the Maricopa location over Gilbert. Both were the same in terms of traveling time, but today was a day that called for getting out into the desert. Windows down, stereo up out on the open road.

Photobox ImageMaricopa Teakwoods was sweet and worth the trip down there. Just like Phoenix and Chandler locations, with it's own charm. The best aspects of this Teakwoods location: smaller two person booths, and free wi-fi. Yes, free wi-fi. Oh how I'd love both in Phoenix. Katie did suggest that if Phoenix had free wi-fi, I'd probably never leave. She has a point. Additionally, a cool feature of this Teakwoods were the candle chandeliers. I think that's something we need when we buy a house.

Photobox ImageOrdering had the usual Teakwoods problems. That is, being faced with having to choose one out of the five different things you want to eat. [biggrin] Teakwoods food is so awesome, we always want more to order than both our wallets and stomachs can handle. And as such, we probably hold the record for the couple that takes the longest to order there. Hey, it's how we roll. [wink] Y'know, we probably won't put half as much thought into where to send our kids to school as we do what to order at Teakwoods. (The scary reality is that that's actually not true, and we'd probably be better off if it was. I shudder to imagine how much of our lives we're going to loose when we cross that bridge!) I finally narrowed done my choice, and on the third time out server came to the booth, I went ahead and made Katie's mind up for her. I'm sure everyone involved appreciated it.

Before leaving we checked out the patio out the back. Again, a very cool setup. Cool bar and chimenia out there. Actually, just as inside had elements we'd want to replicate in our house, outside had quite a few too. Based on the good setup that both the Phoenix and Chandler locations have, I shouldn't be surprised at how cool the Maricopa one was, but I kinda was anyway.

After finishing what we came to Maricopa to do [wink], we stopped at the near by Fry's to look at their planter selection. This has been an ongoing task over at least the last month, if not longer, to find pots for our Madagascan Ocotillo and Totem Pole cactii. So it was pretty amazing that we easily found pots for each today. Quickly and painlessly. Which made for quite a productive trip down to Maricopa.

Rather than heading back north, we continued south to check out the extent of Maricopa. Not to suggest that there is that much past where Teakwoods is situated though. On the outskirts of town, I was hit with something, that I am often. Even after having lived here for an extended amount of time. The southwest is fucking amazing. It just is, plain and simple. Not everyone "gets" it. I can't even really make a guess at what percentage of people do. But I know that I'm one of them. The dusty outskirts of a small rural town, a beaten up adobe taco shack, a huge saguaro standing tall under an old faded metal sign. It's just damn cool, and I love it. There are certain places, and I'm sure there are many of them, that haven't been gentrified, and haven't been redeveloped by people wanting to have the midwest out here in the desert. The true southwest. Whenever you stumble across it, it takes absolutely no imagination whatsoever to be transported to 100 years ago and the wild west that is glorified in countless movies. Not in the usual "theme park" sort of way. But in a way where you feel that everything you see in the movies probably actually went down right where you are. Because, let's face it, it probably did. It's one thing to see it carefully constructed and romanticized about on the big screen. It's another to be out there, and it be a half an hour's drive from where you live. The moments when you get that, it really drives home that great B. Babb line: "the world is much wider than I was lead to believe". It sure is.

It's one of the reason why it doesn't take me much convincing to basically drive 30 mins and 25 miles just to go to lunch. When it comes to getting out in the desert, and excuse will do. Particularly if it means heading south. But more on that at a later date.

Heading back towards the valley, it was interesting noticing Camelback Mountain from that far south of Phoenix. I've come into Phoenix from the 10 plenty of times. This was certainly true when we were here looking for apartments, coming up from Casa Grande every day for a week. However, I've never really noticed Camelback from any further back that Guadalupe or Warner. From that far south, it was quite a sight. And emphasized how distinctive Camelback is. Even with Estrella and South Mountain on the horizon in the foreground, they can't really compete with Camelback, which commands the focus of your eye. It was also something seeing Camelback on the horizon like that. From back there, you couldn't tell that there was a big ass city in front of it. If you didn't know better, you wouldn't assume there was. That was pretty cool. The camera was on the back seat and I didn't feel like putting the effort in to fish it out from back there, but next time we're down that way that is a photo worth snapping.

All in all, I've got to say this has been a pretty good day.

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