There were several good things about this week:
Justin’s mother, Julie, putting together an incredible Thanksgiving dinner, and it was good to spend time up in crisp mountain air under a blanket of stars with the one I love.
Justin and I bumming around the endless highways of Tonto Basin in Julie’s Toyato Yaris, listening to whatever strains of The Doors or Death Cab that the weak radio signal could muster.
Shopping for French’s Fried Onions at a grocery/diner in middle of nowhere northern Arizona that looks like it came straight out of “Secret Window.”
Cold Arizona mornings that require an overcoat, and amazing blue and purple and magenta sunrises with clouds that look like they came straight out of Seattle. Death Cab’s album, “Plans” is the perfect accompaniment to my hot green tea on the morning drive.
Catching up with an old friend, Brenden, as he shows me the new place he just purchased with his boyfriend. His downtown Phoenix loft would put Fraiser Crane’s dwellings to shame. Then, catching up some more and discussing life while wandering aimlessly around Encanto Park for hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Finding my new old favorite place to spend time at when I’m not writing — a bookstore with a coffee shop, and I sit there with a $1.82 brew while browsing periodicals and books for free.
Spending nearly $40 on cold medicine on a biting Thursday morning, but being okay with that, because in the car is my Brand New cd, and the lyrics tell me that this is the season “for colds, and overcoats.”
Soon.
December 1, 2006 at 3:58 pm
How did you like the Yaris?
And where’s this sweet new bookstore?
HAve you been to the coffee shop at Agritopia?
December 1, 2006 at 4:23 pm
Hello.
The Yaris was really quite fun. It did feel like I was driving a Disneyland PeopleMover car, but in a good kind of way. It’s also much more solid then one would expect. But having no tachometer and having the speedometer in the middle of the counsel above the stereo was kinda weird …
This is not a new bookstore, it’s been around awhile and it’s very commerical. I still prefer Changing Hands in Tempe, but this one is much much closer to my dwellings.
Agritopia … can’t say I’ve heard of it, much less been there. Does it have free wi fi? I poop on coffee shops that don’t have free wi fi.
December 1, 2006 at 9:08 pm
Agritopia is a houseing community on Ray east of Val Vista. It’s like the Stepford Wives, but it’s in Gilbert. The guy who started Coffee Plantation, Joe’s Barbeque, etc started the planned community. Anyway, the coffee shop is beautiful. The scone I had was magnificent. The decaf coffee was terrible, but I did order it at ten or so in the morning. Perhaps I will give the espresso bar a try. Don’t know if there is wifi.
December 2, 2006 at 5:34 am
I just looked it up … seems interesting … but has a slightly creepy fundamentalist vibe to it. I love their web site though, because the three Mormon girls who run it say “Come on by! We’re open late!” The hours say 6pm on Weekdays, 8pm on Fri and Sat, and closed on Sunday? Late? Really? C’mon.
But the pastries do sound tempting.
December 2, 2006 at 5:07 pm
OOOhhh…send me the link!
December 2, 2006 at 6:59 pm
but on their door it says they are open til 10 on saturdays and fridays and til 8 on weekdays. and when you go there it doesnt have the kind of vibe you speak of…..which isn’t too say it doesn’t have a vibe….it’s kind of a Twin Peaks vibe….Twin Peaks meets the Desert….eh, you’re too young to have seen Twin Peaks, i think. what it’s got going for it is that it is beautiful. lots of old trees around the place and a huge rose garden out back. they have big fish bowl vases of multi-colored roses inside.
and there were guys with laptops in back, so maybe they have wifi.
December 5, 2006 at 5:51 am
It’s all about Counter Culture Cafe on 24th St and McDowell… Only 24 hour coffee house in phoenix mi amigo and it’s got a cool vibe to it.
May 3, 2007 at 5:51 am
As a resident of Agritopia and a past manager of the so-called organic farm there, I speak from experience…..and I must say that the comments here hit very close to the truth. The fundamentalist atmosphere IS creepy (I didn’t realize we’d be the only people NOT members of East Valley Christan Church when we bought)….but the coffee shop girls would be horrified to find out they’d been called Mormons….horrors! Mormons?!? They HATE Mormons!?! I especially love the Twin Peaks reference. Sooooo true.