Before I start telling you about the last couple of weeks I need to let you know about our Japanese family, our friends who joined us in Fiji. They live in Osaka and the village of Sanda just north of Osaka. This area, from what we see on the news, is still considered a safe zone. That being said we have not been able to phone or skype them and they have not returned our email. I am sure they are just fine but until I hear I will worry.
Shane and I have travelled to Japan three times and we love the country and the people we have met throughout our travels there. As we continue our journey here in the USA they are never far from our hearts and prayers.

Now to the good ole USA....

So many of our friends find this the place to vacation. Like a land locked cruise ship with more options, the Phoenix area beckons those from the frozen north. “Come, relax, spend money!”

If we were to join the masses one day I would hope we would be in a place like Sedona…..Red Rock and green vegetation….views and a small town feeling (well, when you get away from the tourist spots). Art galleries, good food and, of course, golf courses and spas.

Or maybe we could just stay on a golf course within walking distance of somewhere (anywhere!).

There are so many walled complexes in the middle of nowhere. Farmers fields with servicing hoping to catch the real estate boom that now sit like new age ghost towns. Dusty playgrounds sit unused behind the walls of a developers’ golden dream unfulfilled. In this twilight zone cotton is once again grown on reclaimed fields with lights, paved roads and servicing put in for (yet) another sprawling mall. The miles and miles of orange groves and cotton fields I remember from trips here in my youth are slowly being replaced by walled cities and commercial centers with “for lease” signs in the windows.

We are renting a home in Buckeye, Arizona, about one hour west of Phoenix on the busy I 10. It is a lovely home in one of those walled subdivisions in what was probably once a cotton field. Everyone here drives. There is no transit to the bigger centers and even the HOV lane sits mostly empty. Thousands of cars with only a driver and a lot of them are texting or phoning as you speed along at 75mph.

Am I complaining? Yes! I shouldn’t because we really have had a nice time but it just doesn’t seem like the kind of place I could get used to.

Just how much shopping can a person do?

The village of Buckeye is just a hundred stones throws past the “Hellsapoppin” Rodeo grounds which is a few hundred stones throws from where we are staying. Not within walking distance unless you like the dust and heat and the smell of the local feed lot. Downtown there is a City Hall, Library (with free WiFi and delightful employees), a Saloon (or 2), IGA, dry goods, and a cold liquor store. If you want some serious shopping or fine dining you have to drive to the local mall which is about a half hour from where we are staying. There is a great grocery store in this mall and I now am proud to say I have my very own Fry’s discount card. Saved us a lot of money over the two weeks!

Took a day trip to Sedona and another to Apache Junction and Fish Creek Canyon. Both of those trips were well worth it but took up the full day. Saw a couple of ball games (at least the ‘men’ did) and we all went to the Canucks game (yeahhhh we won in overtime!). Played some golf and baked in the hot sun. With the exception of the baking bit everything is a long drive from Buckeye.

We are going back to Sedona for an overnight trip so we can do some hiking & sightseeing without being rushed.

The desert is just starting to bloom. Earlier this winter a frost killed many domestic trees and froze the buds on the cacti. The result is a poor year for viewing the living desert. Guess that makes the few we see that much more enjoyable.

The desert north of Tuscon seemed to have a few more blooms…..we even managed to see a live (not road kill) road runner as well as a couple of coyotes in that area.

Speaking of Tuscon I forgot to mention that we toured Biosphere 2 the day we left. Originally built to see if man could survive in space, the structure is now home to a number of experiments mostly looking at soil studies, sustainability etc. I can’t begin to do the place justice in a blog so if you are interested look up their web site. Some quick facts to whet your interest….. Inside you will find an ocean, an orchard, a rain forest and a desert. The only thing they didn’t try to replicate was the frozen north. There is no way they could keep snow under the Arizona sun even with their air conditioners going full blast.

Part 2: I am writing this in a hotel room in Sedona. Deloy, Linda, Shane and I have had a wonderful day. Took lots of back roads, hundreds of pictures, ate a great dinner and have plans to do more hiking tomorrow before heading back to Buckeye.

We leave on Sunday to begin our trip back to LA and YinYin's wedding. Don't know when I will blog again but will let you know when I hear from Japan.