Vacation Fun

First, does this condo make me look fat?

Second, isn't it fun when somebody you know knows somebody and they claim they can get you an upgrade and, indeed, they get you a mega upgrade? This is the kitchen of the best room at the Valley Ho in Scottsdale. I'll bet anyway. It's the only one I ever had.

We are having a good time driving across vast parts of the Western U.S. looking for good food and fun.

I have been trying to figure out why I have been enjoying this vacation so much. It's not that we've done things all that exciting. It's more like just really getting away and putting off the things to do at home. We've been answering a lot of e-mail with variations of 'we will be back next week and then...." It's interesting to see what Santa Fe and Scottsdale are sort of about. And the great space between them and between Austin and here is interesting even in its sometimes emptiness.

The art galleries have been fun although I feel like I've been haunted by one artist. To explain: this guy is an artist who does Indians in bronze. Early in his career, almost thirty years ago, he was represented by a gallery in Austin. FFP did some work for them. We ended up with a couple of his pieces. Lovely bronzes. Of Indians. For a long time those pieces and a couple of others provided an eclectic counterpoint to our otherwise native-American-free art collection. A couple of years ago we had a surge of downsizing and found a dealer who managed to get us thirty or forty percent of what we'd paid for them. I knew that the artist had kept on going in his career, drifted away from simple patinas to all kinds of colored effects. In Santa Fe we'd mostly walk by the Indian 'stuff' and go into galleries with interesting contemporary art. But we were walking by this Canyon Road gallery and I saw a lot of Indian sculpture with intricate bead work and was about to pass by when I saw what I was sure was a Milt Kobayashi painting. I went in to look and it was a painting of his. Then I noticed that all these Indian sculptures were by this guy we had owned early in his career. Then we were on this street of galleries in Scottsdale and here were two monumental bronzes of Indians. Yep. You guessed it. The same guy's stuff. I felt like the guy was haunting me a little.

We've met a few people. An architect from Pittsburgh. A young couple living in Lubbock and loving it. An office manager for lawyers from Coronado, California. We haven't done much in the natural wonders and museums category. We did see a Jack Kerouac exhibit that was stunning. One doesn't expect that in the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe with the Indians sitting outside.

We always intend to exercise a bit when we are on vacation. Usually we just manage walking between meals and drinks. But on this trip we actually have managed to use the hotel gym four times. Two have been in the delightful gym at the Valley Ho (no, no, not that kind of hotel, think 1950's retro when it was a bit of word play on tallyho).

We've had some good food. Quality NMex food, fusion Japanese tapas, stuff like that. We've gotten to visit a good friend.

Good vacation so far. Wish me luck on the 'last gourmet meal' and the 'long drive homeward.'