Hiking in Phoenix

I just got back from Phoenix, AZ for our company annual sales meeting. Except we couldn’t call it that, it was the North American Business Conference – apparently business meetings have some tax advantage that sales meetings don’t qualify for. Plus it was in Phoenix, during the summer solstice, and was 114 degrees out, with 5% humidity. Y’know the adage “it’s not the heat it’s the humidity”? They’re not kidding, it wasn’t the 114 searing heat that drove us inside, it was the soul-sucking lack of moisture. By the end I sounded like a long-term smoker, as the dryness made my voice raspy. Perfect for delivering 4 presentations!

Our hotel was at the base of Camelback Mountain, and I got up early one morning to hike it before work (and before it got too hot). 

The front desk guy gave me a 30 SPF lip balm, checked I had a bottle of water, and pointed me towards the trail head.  Based on everyone's admonitions to wear shoes because of the rocky gravel surface and big rocks of the trail, I started out in my Five Fingers toe shoes. And while I hike in the VA forests and run on asphalt barefoot, I've never been on the crushed rock of the southwest and thought I should play it safe. After about 5 min I thought - this sucks, my feet are sweaty and the finely crushed rock shifting underfoot makes me feel unsteady. I decided to see if being barefoot on the trail was on option. I peeled off my shoes, an effort not unlike slithering out of a wet swimsuit, and gingerly stood on the gravel, then took a few steps. A big smile broke out and I really started to have fun. Feeling my toes curl around big rocks for stability, the quiet barefootfall, and the pleasant warmth of the ground was fantastic. Plus it made me really proud that my feet could handle it, it was by far the most challenging surface I’ve attempted.

A couple people stopped me to ask about being barefoot, particularly how I was able to do it. A few just said wow, barefoot as they passed by, and one warned me about snakes. My response to that was that snakes out there make noise, and I'm used to copperheads and water moccasins. Plus, is really having my feet covered going to save my life? Like it might not just bite my ankle if I was stupid enough to provoke it? The best wildlife encounter was hearing an unfamiliar rapid birdsong that had a touch of frantic static to it. I looked up and there was a broad-tailed hummingbird sitting on a branch nearby singing his little heart out. After a while he flew a few humming circles around my head and took off.

I’d love to go on hikes like that again. It was such a great part of my trip. If…when…if… my parents retire to the southwest, I’m totally going to scope out the hiking opportunities.

New Orleans

I'm not much for taking pictures, and find it funny when I get home from a trip and the photos I have are not at all the things that were truly memorable. Because when I'm in the middle of living life, I forget to take a photo. I was in New Orleans last month, right when the river was feared to crest in the city, and before it got disgustingly hot. The first day, all I could do was marvel and how dirty and smelly it was. Seriously, even with my prior job and a dog with a penchant for rolling in small mammal corpses, I never encountered such a grotesque array of smells as I did on Bourbon St. And cockroaches roamed the sidewalks in the good part of town!

But there is something about NOLA. It really gets under your skin, and you can't help but want to return and experience more of it. My friend and I went shopping one afternoon on Magazine St. and stumbled into a movie set - Bruce Willis was in town filming a new movie called Lay the Favorite. He wasn't on site just then, but it was still cool. There's also so many neat old houses and unique sights.

The chimney tops on this house were fascinating. Speaking of beautiful places, we were lucky enough to stay at The Roosevelt Hotel, a newly restored turn of the century hotel. It's the best hotel I've ever stayed in, and had a lot of character that added to its charm. It even had a working brass letterbox. You could drop a letter in the slot on any floor and watch it fall to the lobby letterbox through the glass chute.

So many memories are jumbled - The Sazerac Bar, home of the official cocktail of New Orleans, which changed my view of classic cocktails forever. Riding the trolley, perhaps my favorite way to get around town. People watching was definitely high on the list. The unusual accents from many of the native people. This tree seemed so classic Louisiana to me, I had to stop for a photo.

Weird food experiments

A couple people have mentioned Kale Chips or Crispy Kale recently, going on about how un-healthy it tastes and how it's the perfect substitute for potato chips. It sounded easy enough to make - rip up kale and toss with olive oil and salt, then bake on a cookie sheet about 20 min. I bought a bag of curly kale at the farmers market this weekend to try. I got the garnish-style kale, rather than the somewhat scary dinosaur kale - just look at this picture and tell me it doesn't creep you out.

It was easy to make, although the kale tended to leap out of my bowl as I tossed it with oil. Perhaps because of the hyperbolic potential energy in the leaves? I baked it at 325 for 20 min, which turned out to be a touch too long. Still, it came out super crispy and instantly addictive. I ate probably a quart size bag without thinking.   The only problem I found is that it was too light and airy crispy. Once you bit a piece it exploded in your mouth into a puff of nothingness. As scary as the dinosaur kale looks, it might pack more tooth-wallop than the dainty-textured curly kale. But I'm definitely going to make it again, and if I ever go to a potluck I'll have to bring it as a snack for people. I think it would also be really good with spices instead of the salt. So, 3 cheers for food experimentation!

Barefoot in Chicago

I’m really starting to see the variability of TSA screening at different airports. At one airport the metal detectors were so sensitive it picked up the underwires in my bra. I will never forget the TSA agent asking “Ma’am, do you have any metal in your…chest area?” Whereas I walked through another airport’s metal detectors cleanly and only on the other side noticed just how much metal I had on my person. I had wondered if the pendant would set it off, as it’s a blacksmithed piece of solid iron. But apparently not. 

 

I was in Chicago recently and our hotel was right on the river. It was a great view from my room, with some famous landmarks visible. There’s a river walk path that people walked their dogs and run on during the day. I found enough time to run up to Lake Michigan and back. The wind coming off the lake was strong enough it made the run more challenging than expected, but at least it was pushing me along on the run back. It was interesting to note that each bridge is different underneath, it gave the run even more personality.

Walking down the street we passed a block-long Macy’s without much thought. Then at the corner I saw the old Marshall Fields cornerstone plaques and realized where I was. I remember as a kid we’d come to the city at Christmastime to see the Marshall Fields window displays. The entire block of windows was converted into sparkling animatronic Christmas windows. The whole block told a long story, but each window was unique. Street vendors sold hot roasted chestnuts in paper sacks to the crowds that stared at the windows. I’d probably love them now, but my kid palate wasn’t too impressed when my dad shared one with me. But even as a kid my mouth knew that Marshall Field’s Frango Mints were something special. So many childhood presents involved boxes of Frango Mints after mom gave me that first one from the small 15-piece box she bought herself. I know you can buy them at Macy’s now across the country, but seeing them in the window in the original Marshall Fields meant so much.

One good thing about going barefoot is it opens you up to a lot of entertainment that other people can only sit and jealously watch. Take these fountains for example. They were built seamlessly into the walkways of the lobby, and if you weren’t paying attention you could easily walk into one. Which in my mind means they were designed for exactly that. Off came the shoes and I happily splashed my feet in the half-inch of water while waiting for my colleague after the close of the exhibit hall at the convention center. The cold water felt really good after a full day on my feet. I sat alone along the back side of the benches so my feet plaffed in the water while everyone else crowded together on the dry side.