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).