Penny Thoughts

Day 1 of 2022 b-day holiday is winding down, with a lovely sunset view over a yummy cocktail called Shout Out to the Bees… Reposado with lemon, orange blossom honey and bitters while waiting for shrimpies and hummus plate. Jeff the bartender also appeared with a happy birthday bourbon…I haven’t eaten all day so this is going to be interesting.

It was about 8 degrees when I woke up this morning, and around 11 when the plane finally took off. I at least had the good sense to get a spicy Bloody Mary into the bloodstream to warm up for the ride.

I treated myself to a first class ticket because why not and also because I’ll be sleeping through the redeye home so I wasn’t going to splurge on both directions. It’s going to be hard going back to steerage…oh the pampering and free drinks! And 2 free checked bags! A girl could get used to that lifestyle!

Enjoying free movies for a couple hours before realizing the blinds were down and I was possibly missing purple mountains majesty or some such landscapes. They don’t look purple from way up here, but they are stunning nonetheless.

Apparently this far south these are no longer considered the Rocky Mountains. Unfair.

Every now and then I would forgot the scale of what I was seeing, and would see a semi truck on one of the roads. It looked like a moving sliver of toothpick and I was brought back to the majesty of it all.

It was 65 degrees as I waited for my Lyft to the hotel. As most midwesterners do when visiting warmer climes in winter, I wondered why I live where the air hurts my face. It’s possible by the time I’m boarding a plane heading back to the blustery sorts of days, I will be seriously questioning my geographical life choices.

Let us pause a moment to drink in the gloriousness that is the elevator lobby of this hotel…

The hotel has photos all over the place with a focus on Alfred Hitchcock and a suite on the 12th floor called the Hitchcock Suite, and I finally learned why, after looking for the history of this Art Deco gem:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Building_(Phoenix,_Arizona)

Tomorrow’s agenda includes breakfast with a local friend who will probably try to sell me a house (and it will be hard to say no), a couple of museums in Phoenix and then the 2 hour drive up to Sedona.

One item on tomorrow’s to do list includes stopping wherever one stops in AZ to outfit the Portable Bar, my Dad’s traveling buddy since the early 60s. This trip is about way more than just my birthday, and I’ve brought several elements to have my Mom and Dad with me every mile.

Thanks for stopping by! More to come…