Best of Phoenix + Miscellany

I always have good intentions about doing a recap but often "forget".  My favorite in Phoenix was the Musical Instrument Museum which has been open about 3 years and has 15,000 instruments from many countries.  This is from Africa - listening to the music from the audio headphones and then seeing the creativity involved in making the instruments was a revelation.  It reminds me of my childhood of making things on the farm out of anything lying around! Guitar out of an old oil can:

 The piano John Lennon used to compose Imagine - love that song and I do love the Beatles!  This note is copied from the Minnesota Historical Society page about them appearing in Bloomington at Metropolitan Stadium on August 21, 1965.  My mom immediately wrote a check for 2 tickets - $5.50 each, and we drove to the downtown post office to be sure we got the order in right away.  I had just moved to Minneapolis in March of 1965 and 4 of us girls lived together.  I remember talking about how we would like to go but did not think we could afford it.   Now I hear of tickets in the hundreds and even thousands of dollars!

 Great restaurant in Phoenix - owned by two young couples with great food.  We were able to sit outside which is hard to imagine as today we are in the midst of another winter storm.

 Beth and Jerry toasting us at their house and not they did not actually have the crown and tiara on their heads.  I am able to "adorn" photos with my photosaving site.  Too cute but not sure Jerry will think so.

 Beth sets a lovely table.  This is the little butter pat adorned with fresh lemon zest.  They sent me home witht 6 fresh lemons.  They said they could get 50 or more a day from the tree in their son's backyard.

 This might be hard to read but it is the plaque that was with the murder victims memorial plaques on the grounds of the AZ State Capitol.

 Another great picture.  Ross walking through a gate and yes, freedom is not free and people have to fight for it.

 A time capsule also on the grounds sealed December 7, 1976 (our Jenny was not quite 5 months old and Chris not quite 3 years old).  It is to be opened July 4, 2075 - doubt I will be there to see it!!

This and that:

• Golf carts have the right of way in the Sun Cities area of Phoenix.
• When at a Swap meet two older women coming toward us  stopped suddenly.  One said:  "Just a minute - I got tilted".  I could not help but smile at this.  The other took her arm, righted her and off they went to buy more junk.
• At my request we drove to the grounds of the 1920s luxury Arizona Biltmore hotel and then around that neighborhood.  I chose my favorite house and googling it said it is worth $4.9 million.
• Visited the Last Chance store walking distance from our hotel 4 times.  It is the final repository for everything from Nordstrom's including returns.
• Bedlam:  The word came from Bethlem (not a typo) Royal Hospital in London; Custody Care and Cure 1247-1997, 766 years old and popularly known as "Bedlam" for the insane.  Our Phoenix church sermon was about the prodigal son who lost everything and came crawling home to his father for forgiveness and also about a series of paintings about Tom Rakewell, a wealthy London guy who lost it all, went to prison and lost his mind ending up in Bedlam.
• Petroglyph vs Heiroglyph:  We saw Native American petroglyphs in AZ (rock carvings) and Egyptian heiroglyphs in Egypt (pictures on rock to represent words, sound, idea or story).
• Friends and Laughter:  Laughter is the Fountain of Youth, Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone, Laughter is the best medicine, Laughing lengthens your life, The sounds of roaring laughter is contagious in a good way.  If all of these have some truth my old friends and I should look about 18 and live to 800!!!!  
• With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come (Merchant of Venice) - William Shakespeare

Mit freundlichem Gruss - which means "Sincerely" in German - need to figure out Dutch.  I had a lovely reply to a restaurant reservation request for Amsterdam  in my email this morning.  Next trip..........