Tucson Day 5: Sabino Canyon

On Tuesday morning, the skies were sunny and blue as we arrived at Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. We took the shuttle up the canyon and normally it makes nine stops but recent flash floods had wiped out a portion of the road in the upper canyon, so Station #4 was as far as the shuttle could go. We got off and explored the area for a half hour or so. Saguaros peppered the steep canyon walls and bright green Cottonwoods lined the canyon stream.

We boarded another shuttle that took us to the Sabino Dam area. After completing our shuttle trip, we visited the gift shop, and bought some sunscreen for the game.

We returned to Tucson Electric Park for another spring training game, this time against the Chicago White Sox. Our seats were in the third row, near home plate and the Sox dugout.

A much more interesting game than Monday's, and the weather was a sunny 70° under bright blue skies and puffy white clouds. The Padres shut out the White Sox 5-0. Adrian Gonzales and Kevin Kousmanoff, as well as Trevor Hoffman, Jake Peavy and Chris Young were in China playing two exhibition games against the Dodgers. Adrian's brother, Edgar, drove in a run with a deep shot to right center. Khalil Greene also had a RBI. The infield consisted of Edgar at third, Khalil at shortstop, Tad Iguchi at second and Tony Clark at first--they turned an unbelievable five double plays (and barely missed a sixth), to thwart several White Sox rallies. Starter Will Ledesma pitched a fine four innings before giving way to a series of Padre relievers.

We sat next to a group of Chicago fans that were enthusiastic if not informed, with the exception of a white-haired woman who constantly corrected them with stats and expert commentary. Chicago Mgr. Ozzie Guillen and bench coach Joey Cora (both former Padre second basemen) sat directly in front of us (we were in the third row, to the left of the White Sox dugout). Ozzie is very interested in being the center of attention, and spent as much time looking into the stands as he did watching his layers on the field. A fine, fun day.

After the game it was time for a relaxing treatment at Lotus Massage. We arrived early and met with Flora and Steff, our masseuses, who took our information and then discussed the therapeutic techniques they would employ. Pennie and I had selected the "Hot Stone Couples Massage" so we could share the experience in the same room. We spent a quiet hour enjoying the warmth of the smooth stones and their firm, caring touch. The most difficult moment was getting off our tables when they were done--we wanted to nap for another day or two. We thanked them for their outstanding service and headed off to dinner at nearby Pastiche.

A nice quiet meal in the hip, upscale restaurant--Pastiche. Pennie had a glass of Sangiovese and I enjoyed my Gewürztraminer. We split the house salad, and I had the Cajun pasta with shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage, while Pennie had the rosemary-crusted pork tenderloin. Both were well prepared and nicely presented.

Since we would be returning to San Diego in the morning, Pennie wrote the following in the Alta Vista Guest Book:

Dear Gaila, Peter and Emma too,

Needless to say our stay in Tucson will never be forgotten! Our wedding was just the way we wanted it, lovely and intimate. And the "home" you provided for us here at Alta Vista has far exceeded our expectations.

So many ways to comfort and pamper! Others in this book have listed them, so we don't need to do that, but you've gone way beyond…the chilled Champagne when we came back at the end of our wedding day, the lovely card, the rose bouquet (from Mondo & Debbie), etc. We loved the little "wildlife" stuffed critters on our bed; each night our "zoo" grew. And thanks so much for the "Something Blue"! And I'm glad we could share our wedding cake with you.

So, we return to San Diego and our "real" life. But we will never forget the happy experience of being with you at Alta Vista.

Tom and Pennie

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Tucson Day 4: Raptor rapture

After a great quiche breakfast with Gaila, we departed for the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. It's more of an open air zoo than a museum, with an emphasis on natural environments for the animals. On the way we had a nice cell phone call with Mom. The weather was still much cooler--the high was 54° which was 20° below normal. The temperature will be about 69° tomorrow, much closer to what we expected.

We arrived at the AZ Sonora Desert Museum and everything was in bloom. We walked down to the Raptor Free Flight area with about 100+ kids and folks (it was Easter vacation). We secured a good viewing location near the front (which is another way of saying we played the “senior” card and pushed through the crowd).

Within a few minutes a trainer appeared in the brush before us. Soon a Great Horned Owl flew into the area. The trainer fed the owl and it flew from branch to branch--the area was not enclosed.

Next was a large black crow that flew directly over the crowd--no more than five feet above our heads.






Finally, a spectacular Ferruginous Hawk. Ferruginous means 'rusty color' and refers to the birds rufous colored wings and legs. It was a very impressive display.

After the show, we continued on the path and saw a grey fox, an ocelot, two bobcats and other indigenous animals, such as prairie dogs. Finally, in the Gift Shop we bought three small pine-needle baskets.

We had great seats next to 1st base in Section 107, Row 4. Unfortunately, Pennie’s former student, Adrian Gonzalez, was not playing that day.

We were late in getting to our seats--bottom of the first inning--because the concession stand had only one person manning the hot dog, brats and Italian sausage grill. It took him 9 minutes to serve 11 people.

Shawn Estes was starting for the Padres and quickly fell behind 4-0. We left after six chilly innings. We have better seats for tomorrow's game (Section 111, Row 5) against the White Sox and the weather will be 15° warmer.

After the game, we drove the Guadalajara Grill to retrieve our wedding cake. We brought it back to Alta Vista and shared a slice with Gaila. She placed the top layer in the freezer that we will take back home and store for our first anniversary.

The parking lot at Kingfisher Bar and Grill was nearly full--unusual for a Monday night, but a good indicator. We were seated in a side room that was much more quiet than the main room. After selecting our wine, we shared Kingfisher's signature "Warm Cabbage Salad" with bacon, Gorgonzola and spicy walnuts. It was unique and very good. For our entrees, we both ordered Roasted Sea Bass with a Chipotle BBQ sauce. The Chipotle added heat to the Sea Bass, but not too much. The servers were all very attentive and friendly. We didn't stay for the live music as we were looking forward to a quiet evening and a good night's rest.


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Tuscon Day 3: Marriage and more

On Sunday morning, our wedding day, Peter prepared a special Mexican breakfast dish called Migas for us and the other guest-couple, Mondo & Debbie, who are both chefs in Chicago.

Here's a typical Migas recipe:

MIGAS
2 corn tortillas, cut in strips
4 Anaheim chiles, chopped
4-6 eggs
4 Roma tomatoes, cut in chunks
A handful cooked beans

(Peter also added chopped nopales--the leaves of the beaver-tail cactus-- to his version)

Fry the tortilla strips and peppers together until the peppers are fairly done and the strips are soft. Break eggs in a bowl and mix, as for scrambled eggs. Add tomatoes and beans to frying pan. Add eggs and stir to coat. When the eggs are cooked, it's done. Eat with more tortillas if you have them.

As we were leaving for our wedding, Gaila pleaded with the stubborn groom to wear something warmer than just shorts, a shirt and sandals. But nooooo, he insisted he would be fine. And of course, on the drive to Serendipity House, the weather began to get colder and the temperature dropped to a brisk 52° with dark clouds building in the west. Thundershowers were predicted for the afternoon, so we made a surgical strike at Target for sweat pants and a lightweight hooded jacket.

After changing into our wedding clothes, Michelle St. Rose, proprietor of Serendipity House, and her photographer-assistant began our ceremony. The setting was exactly what we wanted; small and intimate, just the two of us and the words we had chosen. We exchanged vows, and everyone was teary-eyed as we slipped on our beautiful rings. The ceremony ended with a nice, meaningful kiss, and we were married.

We moved to the adjoining room to cut the cake--yummy carrot cake with apricot filling, and arranged with Michelle to have the remaining cake delivered to the Guadalajara Grill where we would be having dinner that night. Michelle opened the champagne and offered each of us a fluted glass. We entwined our arms and enjoyed a sip as we toasted our love. We sat on the sofa for a few more photos, then went back into the main room to sign the marriage certificate.

After changing our outfits, we thanked Michelle for the perfect ceremony, and headed off to Tubac.

Tubac is essentially an artist colony, with an area approximately three-square blocks filled with shops and galleries. We parked and entered a shop called La Esplendida where we purchased a yellow and blue vase for Gaila and Peter, as a gift for their kindness and generosity. The vase perfectly matched the decor of our room. We then explored about ten other shops and the main gallery that had a wonderful watercolor exhibition. In the gallery gift shop, Pennie found a woodcut of St Pascual, the patron saint of cooks, which she will add to her extensive collection of St Pascual items in our kitchen. Most of the shops had very high quality items; lots of paintings, sculptures, Oaxacan wood figurines, custom furniture, home decorations, pottery, painted tiles, paper flowers, and milagros. We had lunch and then purchased a bottle of J Lohr Chardonnay to go with the vase for Gaila & Peter.

After nearly four hours of shopping we were pretty tired and decided to return to Tucson. Since we were about an hour ahead of schedule, Pennie had the brilliant idea of stopping at Mission San Xavier del Bac on the way to save us a lengthy return trip on Tuesday.

Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson. The church with its massive dome and spires is a brilliant white, standing out against the ever-present brown of the surrounding desert. A portion of the mission's facade was hidden by scaffolding and was undergoing a restoration.

The interior was far more elaborate than any mission we've seen in California. The impressive main altar and both side altars were wood- carved, and three tiers high, with lots of gold-leaf adorning the various statues and domed ceiling.

It was raining lightly on our way to the Guadalajara Grill, and we could see that the afternoon thunderstorms had dusted the nearby Catalina Mountains with snow. We drove past a soccer field covered with hail just a few blocks from the restaurant.

Guadalajara Grill is small, crowded, and very popular. After being seated, Pennie enjoyed a Sangria, and Tom sipped a shot of Don Julio Añejo tequila. For dinner, Pennie ordered the Relleno Combo, while Tom had the Salmon con Rajas.

The specialty of the restaurant is their fresh salsa prepared to order at your table. You can specify mild, medium or spicy and in a few moments we were enjoying our nacho chips with the just-prepared salsa.

Three musicians--2 guitars and a bass--began warming up a few tables away. Ever the romantic, Tom went to them and requested a special song. In a few moments, they were at our table singing the lovely ballad Sin Ti (Without You). The music, fresh salsa and our meals made for a very enjoyable evening.

We realized when we got back to Alta Vista that we had left the Guadalajara Grill without our wedding cake! We called the restaurant and made arrangements to pick it up Monday afternoon. Then we ended this wonderful day with champagne and roses in our room provided by the ever-thoughtful Gaila.

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Tucson Day 2: How we roll

On Saturday, we planned to take a tour of historic Tucson. But our tour was not via your standard crowded bus or mini-van. No, it was on two wheels, with a post, handle bars and helmets. Our tour was on Segways--'cause that's how we rolled.

When we made the reservation, we thought it was for the 9am tour, but instead our tour was scheduled for 2pm. Denise and Stu, the proprietors of Segway of Tucson, graciously agreed to add us to their already full (7) group.

After 20 minutes learning how to control the Segway (very sensitive to the slightest movement of your feet or hips--it turned out to be much easier than we originally thought.

Though Stu provided lots of commentary throughout the tour, we were having so much fun on the Segways, we hardly heard a word he said.

By the end our lower legs were aching--try rocking on your feet for two hours--we only had two quick breaks, and the rest of the time we were balancing on the Segways. All in all, it was a terrific experience, and we'll do it again at the first opportunity.

We decided to forego our afternoon museum visits. Instead we had lunch on the patio at Delectables, the sandwich shop next to Segway of Tucson, then returned to our room at Alta Vista for a quiet siesta.

Our dinner reservations were for Wildflower, ranked as one of Tucson's top five restaurants, and a long drive from our B and B--21 miles--but more than worth it. Wildflower was packed--a good sign, and with good reason. After drinks in the bar we were seated next to a group of eight young women having a Bridezilla event. Every few minutes they would shout or cheer, as the bride-to-be would chug-a-lug another drink. Pennie ordered the Orange Roughy special, and I had the roast duck, both beautifully presented and both very tasty.

The five chefs preparing all of the meals were stationed across the dining room from us, and we became particularly impressed with the salad chef. He was so metculous with the plating and presentation of each new salad. We spoke to him later—his name was Mark Smith—and he told us he had 20 years experience in restaurant management.

He was taking over as floor manager next week, and he was working as the salad chef to get a feel for the requirements. All of our servers--a team of four--were very attentive and friendly. We shared the Key Lime pie with blueberry ice cream for dessert. Just as we were about to leave, they brought us an additional plate of chocolates and cookies as a way of apologizing for us having to put up with the raucous Bridezilla group next to us. We accepted, but told them it wasn't necessary--the entire dining experience more than offset the minor disturbance.

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Tucson Day 1: Off to Tucson

A funny thing happened on our way to a baseball game—

Pennie and Tom got married!

Each year, we travel to Phoenix or Peoria for Spring Training. The 2008 schedule revealed the Padres would be playing a couple of games in Tucson in mid-March. Never having been there, we discussed going to Tucson instead. We agreed it would be fun and began preparing our itinerary. On an Arizona web site, we noticed that the marriage license laws were the same as Nevada's--no waiting period, no blood tests etc., so it seemed to make sense that we could also get married while we were in Tucson.

We found a web site for a service called Serendipity House, which specializes in small, intimate weddings. They provide several options from simple to elaborate weddings. Since it would be just the two of us, we made arrangements for a simple ceremony including a cake, champagne, and a photographer.

The rest of the trip fell into place and we made reservations, bought tickets for several activities, and printed our complete Tucson itinerary.

The drive to the CA/AZ border was easy and uneventful. However, the desert between Yuma and Tucson was unexpectedly awash with various shades of green due to the recent spring rains.

As we entered Tucson, the major freeway (really, the ONLY freeway) US 10 was under construction, and Exits 254 through 259 were closed. No problem, we took the detour frontage road and, after hearing several annoyed "Recalculating!" comments from our Garmin GPS (we call her Greta), she had us back on track and in front of the Pima County Courthouse right on schedule. Danke schoen, Frau Greta!

When we asked the courthouse security officer where to get our marriage license, he told us (with a twinkle in his eye), "Drive about 15 miles east to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area and ask the guy who dresses like Smokey the Bear. He'll tell you to come back here and go down the corridor to the last office on the right." I'll be here all week, try the veal. :*)

In minutes we had our license and were on our way to check in at the Alta Vista Bed and Breakfast. Although it is located about 16 miles east of downtown Tucson, it was one of the highest ranked B and Bs in Tucson and we soon found out why.

The lovely desert setting, the accommodations, the amenities, but most of all the fantastic care and service provided by the innkeepers, Gaila and Peter Smith.

We stayed in the Santa Fe Room, a bright room with a King bed and a private bath with shower, and a spectacular view of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The room offers a VCR, satellite dish TV and an in-room microwave, refrigerator, and a romantic Kiva fireplace.

Here's more from the Alta Vista web site:

We love to pamper our guests! Welcome to our romantic and serene desert oasis. We are perched high upon a hill with award winning views of the mountains and valley below. Enjoy our gardens, birding and wildlife observation.

Great hiking trails at nearby Saguaro National Park East. Amenities include: pool, hot tub, fireplaces, wifi, romantic courtyard with fountain, hearty and healthy breakfasts, afternoon tea and homemade desserts.

We were rushing to meet our 6 pm dinner reservation at El Charro, so Gaila was unable to give us the tour of Alta Vista. She did however, make the best brownies ever which we enjoyed later as a late night snack. She and Peter were terrific hosts, always looking for ways to exceed our expectations.

El Charro, housed in an old stone building in the historic El Presidio District, is Tucson's oldest family-operated Mexican restaurant, and is legendary for its unusual Carne Seca.

We each had special Margaritas, and of course, the house specialty--Carne Seca--lean Angus beef sun-dried to perfection, shredded and grilled with green chile and onions, and served with guacamole, Pico de Charro salsa, arroz & frijoles refritos or Charros, and corn tortillas. Think of it as carnitas, except with dry shredded beef, and it was very, very good.

After dinner, we went to the Leo Rich Theatre to see a production of Cabaret. Although the theatre is housed in the new Tucson Convention Center complex, this was a fairly amateurish production. We considered leaving at intermission, but stayed for the funny Gorilla number--If You Could See Her in My Eyes. Afterwards, we let GPS Greta guide us out of downtown Tucson and east to Alta Vista.

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