It’s Not Like We Were Lost

The front of the house has a covered patio/porch that is the length of the house with the front door in the middle.  I had purchased two wicker chairs and a short table for one side and wanted a metal bench for the other side.  Next door neighbor, Rita, had said I should go to The Dump at Cave Creek, about 45 minutes away, and she would gladly go with me.

We set out Wednesday afternoon.  We had been onto I17 for a good 30 minutes when Rita mentioned we should have come to the Cave Creek exit and hoped that she wasn’t getting me lost since it had been several years since she had been there.  Just as she mentioned this, we came to an intersection that had a restaurant known for its pies.  She remembered having stopped there many times after having gone to The Dump so we were on track, but she would call them to be sure.  They told her it was the Carefree Rd exit that we needed and yes it was after the town with the restaurant with the great pies.

We just kept talking away and finally she said that it just can’t be this far.  I had a map in the back seat so we took the next exit, Camp Verde, to check the map.  Yep, we missed the exit…by about 65 miles.  The person Rita spoke to must have thought we were coming from the north.

After we stopped laughing and Rita stopped feeling guilty we got ourselves turned around.  It was a nice scenic drive on a nice day, no harm no foul.  Gave me a little practice with mountain driving and it’s not like we were lost. 

 We finally got to The Dump at Cave Creek, but they only had metal benches with the seat made with ceramic tile.  I didn't care for those.  We were told to try another place on the other side of the town. 

That place had a really nice metal bench.  It had some character, not just straight lines or an ornate design, but it was over my budget.  Rita spotted a guy that look like he worked there and ask what their best price was.  He calls someone and tells us $225.  I was about to say $200 and Rita pipes in, “One seventy five; most she can spend is $175”.  He calls the person again and comes back with $180.  We stuck to the $175; he just turns and walks away.  Okay.  Whatever.  We leave to check the place next door. 

The place next door only had wooden and I didn't want wood.  Rita strikes up a conversation with the guy behind the counter telling him we came all this way with $175 cash and the guy next door wouldn't sell us a metal bench.  I start to look around while they keep talking.  Next thing I hear is her asking him if he also owned the place next door that had the metal bench.  He did!  I finally got a word in and said I have cash, not paying by check or credit card, cash.  He picks up a calculator, punches around on it, and finally says he’ll sell it for the $175.  Rita says, $175 out the door, nothing added.  He smiles and says $175 out the door.  Take a peek below for a picture of my perfect bench.

Below too is a map that shows were we should have turned off (way down by the 303 and Hwy 74) and where we turned around (up by Hwy 260).

Yes, it has been awhile and I'll get that photo updated someday.  Jack is no longer with me.  He died in April of 2013.  I sold the house, moved to Arizona.  Working part time and hope/need to for another two or three years.  I’m adjusting rather well if I do say so.

When we lived in Prague, I wrote what I called “observations” that were short notes of things that I notice.  In this post I’m doing the same for the things I’ve noticed around me since arriving.

--One evening I drove past the lawn bowling facility.  I actually made a u-turn to check if I saw what I thought I saw.  All the men were dressed in white head to toe.  Some in shorts, some in slacks, various caps, hats, shirt and shoe types, but everything in white.

--Around Easter the newscasters reminded adults not to place the Easter eggs under shrubs for the safety of the adult and the children because shrubs tend to be a natural habitat for snakes.

--House and auto insurance are about half what I was paying in Michigan.  That savings was somewhat offset by the cost of auto license which is about 50% higher.  Still, all three combined came in way under budget.

--Auto insurance policy has a Mexico addendum in capital letters and bold print which basically said if the car is within 25 miles of the Mexican border coverage gets very limited.

--It also has a section that states my or a relative’s pet would be covered, but not a pet belonging to a friend.

--The siren tower and radio tower in Sun City are camouflaged to look like palm trees and pine trees. 

--Coyotes are not uncommon.  They are very wary of humans so not a problem.  More about that later.

--There are golf carts and golf cars.  Most here are golf cars.  They are licensed, have brake and turn signals.  They can clip along easily at 30 mph.  It was strange to see one passing another.

--There are two settings on the light switch for the front house lights.  Move the switch all the way up to turn the light on and to the middle “alert” setting which flashes the porch light.  This is to assist the ambulance in locating your house.

--Lots of Michigan people.  Person at the license office actually lived in Kalamazoo until, as she put it, she wised up.  She moved there for love but eventually learned he wasn’t so great after all.  Receptionist where I purchased the front security screen door is from Owosso. House inspector was from somewhere in central Mich.  Handyman is from Saginaw area. Neighbor to south is from Ann Arbor, to the west is from Bloomfield Hills, to the northeast from Dearborn Heights.

--Garbage cans are in the ground near the end of the driveway. There is a lid that is on a hinge on one end and a handle on the other to lift open the lid.  Garbage is picked up twice a week.  Guys run around with big bins on wheels taking the can out of the ground at each house dumping contents into the their bin and trotting off to the next house eventually catching up to the garbage truck to empty their bin into the garbage truck and starting the process all over. 

--Mailbox at the duplex I rented when I first arrived was a mail slot through the garage.  Mail dropped into a big box in the garage.  I rather liked not having to go outside to collect mail, just out into the garage.  Mailman delivered the mail riding a bike.  He parks the truck, loads up the basket on the bike handles and off he goes.

--They have the Pure Michigan tourist ads on TV.  I’ve only seen Michigan and Utah being advertised as a tourist destination.

--I have conquered the feeling that I must be outdoors whenever possible.  That Midwest feeling of enjoy the nice weather before it’s gone.  It has sunk in that the weather is always good.  While the days are getting hotter, I am still able to have coffee on the patio in the morning, but after work will watch the news instead of feeling the need to be outdoors.

--Read a Mark Twain quote, “Be careful about reading health books.  You may die of misprint.”

--I watched a lady slowly drive past the duplex next to me, then mine, then the one on the other side.  She was obviously looking at the house numbers.  The one on the other side was the unit she was looking for.  She puts the car in reverse, backs into the driveway, but leaves the front of the car partially on the sidewalk area.  There is like ten feet behind her before the back of the car would come close to the garage door.  She just gets out and leaves the car right where it is thus making anyone walking down the sidewalk to go out around the front of her car.  Oy.

--Sales tax in Sun City and Sun City West is 6.3%.  In Surprise it’s 8.5 and Peoria 8.1.  Can make a difference when buying non-food items.

--TV as started warnings not to drive into sandstorms.  To pull over and stay put until it passes.

--This week they have half hour programs on the monsoon season which runs from late June until early September.  It’s not what I consider monsoon.  I think of monsoons as heavy rains almost every day.  Here it sounds like it might be a couple times a month, but a heavy downpour.

--They still have Sinclair gas stations.  Remember those?  They had the green dinosaur as their logo.

--I’m officially a q-tip – white hair and white shoes.