TUESDAY TRAVELS

A couple of characters on the street in Puerto Vallarta.

Bearded Baseball Steve and I when he came to visit me at the coast.

I don't know why we are both leaning forward.

Maybe our photographer was a midget.

BIG BIRD

The house finches abound in our area and they love our bird bath.

Even the ever-vigilant yard cat doesn't frighten them off.

But one invader can knock them off their perch.

The one of a pair of damnable mourning doves that show up and even my waving and banging on the window won't drive him off.

PASSAGES

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reportedly has told his team management that he is retiring and the formal announcement will come tomorrow.

He leaves as a champion, having won the 50th Super Bowl earlier this year.

Another passage today - Nancy Reagan died at the age of 94.

She was known for her love of the color red and for the adoring gazes she kept on her husband, the late President Ronald Reagan.

The years took a toll on Mrs. Reagan, as they do on all of us.

This photograph was taken on her 94th birthday, last July.

And finally, there's New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who condemned Donald Trump as not fit for the job of President before he dropped out of the race and endorsed him.

So it goes.

NEW LIFE

My neighbor Jenny's cherry tree is absolutely perfect right now.

And the redbud outside my window also has enlivened my view in the past couple of days.

Spring and Fall are the best times of year for trees to show their stuff.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

After watching the Slime-a-Thon last night . . . that is, the latest Republican Presidential debate . . . and a long night's sleep, I'm up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready for a new day.

Apparently a lot of people are saying "and a new country."

But let's ignore all that and get on with the business of the day - HUMOR!

And I mean it.

Thanks once again to my many contributors that make my work easier and allow me to say "Keep Laughing, Gentle Readers!"

Here, kitty-kitty.

(oh, no)

SCOTTSDALE

Today I made my third trip to the Big Valley in the past approximate two weeks.

First was the trip to the Stanley, North Dakota picnic in Mesa.

Then Monday I went to Phoenix for some t.v. business and a tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Today it was Scottsdale, accompanied by SWMBO.

We made our annual visit to the Celebration of Fine Art, a very strictly juried show of about 100 artists from around the country.

The artists themselves are on hand for the two-month-long show and are happy to talk with attendees, as well as to sell their art if you're so inclined.

It is easily the finest art show I've ever attended.

From there we proceeded to The Vig at McCormick Ranch for lunch.

Judy had chosen it after seeing it featured on a local dining show on television.

We started with martinis from the beautiful bar with a mirror reflecting the stone walls next to our booth.

And then we chose our lunch from the appetizer section of the menu.

Believe it or not this plate of Nachos del Norte was an appetizer!

The plate of pork, refried beans, melted white cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, green onions, olives and sour cream over housemade tortilla chips easily filled both of us.

(Of course we had to accompany them with a couple of beers - a Guinness for milady and a Four Peaks Kiltlifter Scottish Ale for me.)

There is a wide wine selection at the Vig as well.

For dessert we chose one more item from the appetizer menu.

Oh, no, it wasn't only those scraps of arugula.

It was Medjol dates stuffed with goat cheese and smoked almonds, wrapped with bacon in a balsamic reduction sauce.

We loved the art show.

But lunch was beyond compare.

THE JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP GARDEN

Tucked away in a 3+ acre area of Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix is Ro Ho En, the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix.

A caretaker told me it's one of the city's best kept secrets.

It's a serene area in the heart of a mega-city.

One can lose their cares and worries as the sidewalks take you in a winding fashion around a large koi pond, over bridges, through small forests, listening to only the sound of rushing water and birds singing.

The mini-park . . for that's what it is . . was built over a period of years as a joint project between leaders from Phoenix and Himeji, Japan . . which are sister cities.

Architects and builders from Himeji came to the desert clime of Phoenix to design and build the garden.

It took ten years as the joint delegations tested the soil, inspected foliage and found huge boulders to bring to the site.

The garden was opened in 2002.

And in case my duck-hunting pal from North Dakota is wondering . . yes there are many resident ducks here.

But he might want to avoid the ferocious Shachi, a mythical fish with the face of a tiger.

The monuments and sculptures were all donated by the city of Himeji.

Some are less fearsome than Shachi.

I spotted what I took to be a cormorant, sunning himself on a rock.

And the koi pond, which was originally stocked with the fish from Japan, is now home to many new generations.

When we lived in Mexico, Gentle Readers, we had a ficus plant . . a slender, spindly thing that grew from a pot.

This is what happens when you plant one in the ground in Phoenix where the climate allows it to grow year-round.

Now we come to the sad part of the story.

Both of the caretakers I met were quietly grieving about what has risen just adjacent to the garden to the south.

A huge multi-story condominium complex has been erected within feet of the border of the garden.

It's height eliminates the southern sun that used to shine down most of the day.

One day recently when there was a rare cold snap in Phoenix, the sprinklers had been going as usual and ICE formed on the walkways and grounds.

The caretakers, who love this calm space in an increasingly driven megalopolis, are saddened.

And so was I.

Ro Ho En. 

Ro is the Japanese word for heron, a bird symbol of Himeji.

Ho is the Japanese name for the mythical Phoenix bird, which rose from the ashes.

En is the Japanese word for Garden.

Visit if you are from Phoenix or visiting Phoenix.

It is worth your time.

It will calm you.