When planning travel and destinations Chris and Jay try to stay near friends to visit, when possible. Phoenix was one of those places. In fact, three friends lived there and having plenty of time to share with all three is always a scheduling problem, especially when those friends most always have their own lives and that terrible, 4-letter word: WORK to deal with. Thus it was with Matt & Sandy Hankerd. Matt was Jay’s 20th and last cook on his charter boat in the Caribbean and spent more than a year together both in charter and cruising Honduras and Belize and many fun adventures too numerous to mention. Matt now is an Assistant Manager of a very posh restaurant in Scottsdale so has a non-standard work-week. As luck would have it he was off on Tuesday and Wednesday as Chris and Jay were arriving. This good news was made even better by Matt wanting to show off his culinary skills by inviting the weary travelers to join them for dinners and fed them profusely for nearly the entire week they were there. The only downside was that Sandy was ill so Chris and Jay didn’t have near enough time to enjoy her company.
After Matt left the boat he attended the Culinary Institute in Scottsdale and though he never worked as a chef after that he loves to cook. Words simply cannot describe the scrumptious delights he can conjure up. Chris took notes and asked many questions while Matt created his gastronomical treats. Even Jay was attentive as Matt revealed many secrets to preparing incredible food. When Matt wasn’t cooking he played tour guide and showed them the local spots including the best place to watch landing F-16’s at Luke AFB and the best grocery stores and cheapest fuel.
An F-16 preparing to land at Luke AFB.
Although Jay’s back was somewhat improved by the Tucson traditional Chiropractor, there was no way he would be able to function normally without further professional help. The priority during the Phoenix visit was to find an A.R.T. (Active Release Therapy) Chiropractor that could actually correct the problem and get Jay back to one hundred percent. The frustration is that finding ART Chiro’s is difficult; there just aren’t many of them around. Four were found close to the RV Park in the Phoenix area and with the price of diesel near $4.00 per gallon finding one that was geographically desirable was imperative. The nearest one was on vacation but the next closest was available. Jay called and spoke to the most helpful Doctor's Assistant, Melissa, whose smile was evident in her voice, and happlily scheduled a Thursday appointment. Dr. Michael Jarembek (or Dr. J, of Phoenix Sports & Spinal Medicine www.phoenixssm.com, 602-212-1122) a young, strapping, good-natured guy who performed the most thorough skeletal examination Jay had ever had. Dr. J then proceeded to adjust things Jay didn’t even know he had; much less knew could be adjusted. When finished, Jay arose from the adjustment table as if a Phoenix being reborn and at least an inch taller. After witnessing the nearly magical results Chris immediately made an appointment for herself and they decided to stay in Phoenix an extra two days to allow time for more adjustments from this man with the magic hands. They even video-taped the next sessions so they would not make a mistake while doing the exercises and ART therapy Dr. J taught them to keep them in good shape for the summer of hiking that was scheduled. Between Matt’s food and Dr. J you can bet Chris and Jay will return when their summer activities are terminated in Utah and Montana.
The RV Park in Phoenix was chosen partly for its location but mostly for its price. It seems most RV parks in the area are set up for winter “snow-birds” with “frosty” prices to match and it turned out the park’s heated pool and hot-tub were perfect for jay to relax his tortured muscles as his back was healing itself.
As Chris was tending her garden, which travels with us, a rather well-fed Road-Runner paid her a visit walking right up to her and looking around. All was well as Chris got some photos of the bird until it flew up on the table with her herbs. All Chris could envision was the bird eating her garden that has had to endure creatures of all descriptions at all locations doing just that. Needless to say the Road-Runner was given a quick flying lesson as Chris chased it away with great enthusiasm. A few days later, as Jay’s former Commanding Officer from Houston, Dave Ciancaglini, visited for dinner, the bird dropped by for another visit. Dave informed Jay that the birds were carnivores and would probably not bother the plants. As if on cue the bird flew up onto the table and walked through all the planter boxes investigating what was there but then, showing no interest in the vegetation, flew away looking for a more pleasing hand out.
The visiting Road Runner.
Rounding out the triad of friends to visit with was a day spent with Tom Luttrell and Val Cialkowski who operated the Charter Boat “Prego” in the Virgin Islands when Jay lived there. They had become good friends over the years and Chris had met them several years ago when they were all in Colorado together. Jay only learned they had moved to Phoenix while in Tucson so it was an added plus to see them while there.
While traveling the country Chris wants to visit galleries that may show her work and there is one in Scottsdale that she has had contact with so a meeting with them was advantageous. It so happened that Matt’s restaurant was only a few blocks away and he wanted Chris and Jay to visit him there. Now chain restaurants aren’t usually on the list of places for them to patronize but they were completely blown away by the décor and quality of food. Grand Lux Café would rival any restaurant anywhere in the world and FORCED Chris and Jay to over-eat to the point they not only took doggie bags home but had to walk off dinner at a nearby mall before they could climb into Big Red for the journey back to the RV Park.
The Grand Lux Café, the restaurant where Matt works.
On Thursday, the 14th of April, the well-adjusted (chiropractically speaking) and stuffed (gastronomically speaking) travelers departed Phoenix heading to Sedona, AZ where the spring and summer of serious photo work was to begin.
No comments:
Post a Comment