Phoenix and west

Friday, January 22, 2016

41 degrees this morning with a beautiful sunrise as we rise and shine as well.  We drive a few blocks to a McDonalds for coffee – didn’t want to run the generator to make our own since we had so many “neighbors”.   No golden arches here, but a giant Ronald McDonald instead! 

This is obviously a meeting place for the local seniors as there more than 20 of them enjoying breakfast and visiting.We got a kick out of the front page of the local paper.

We decide to take care of a few chores this morning, so use our I-phone to locate a Jiffy Lube for an oil change.  Nice folks, they also fill our water tank for us., clean windows, check tires, vacuum, etc.  Next, we find a U-Haul spot that has propane and get that tank filled.

We have read about the Heard Museum, and make that our next stop.  It is filled with information and art of the Southwest Indian tribes, as well as some local artists.

We learn about the dozen or so different tribes, a little about their history and their status today.  There is quite an exhibit about the Indian Boarding Schools, where for 6 generations, indian children were taken from their homes and sent to schools as far away as Carlisle, PA. 

The intent was to “Americanize” them, cutting their hair, giving them American clothing and names, etc.  so that they would fit in and be productive citizens. There are many individuals' stories – some very sad and harsh, others positive with happy endings.

There was a large exhibit of work by Mexican artist Frida Kahco and husband Diego Rivera, some paintings but mainly photographs.

There were also exhibits of works of three generations of local women – Pablito, Helen and Margarete, who apparently had artistic genes.  Pablito did painting, 

Helen did painting as well but was particularly noted for beautiful copper etchings,  

and the granddaughter Margarete is also an artisit.

The “Home” portion of the museum features Indian artifacts and art, mostly from the US, but also from around the world.   Basketry, weaving, stunning pottery, statues, clothing, jewelry, and more.  A display of over 400  Katchina Dolls. originally owned by Barry Goldwater, was most impressive!

A sculpture garden and several interactive areas for children completed our tour.

After this, we decided a little workout would be good and found another LA Fitness which was almost identical to the one at home.  Very busy for 1:30 in the afternoon!

Showered and relaxed and decided to find some good food for dinner.  We headed back to 10 and west of town, stopping at Don Pancho’s in the town of Avondale for some authentic Mexican food. 

Back on I-10 for a bit, and then we took a side road to Salome’s Centennial Park to spend the night.  We arrived just as the sun was setting.  Read, relaxed and called it a night.We noted one man with a dog and a shovel heading into the desert - this is a rockhounding area, so we assume that is what he is doing, not killing and burying the dog! Most of the people camping here are long-term.  Many of the RV Parks in the area charge something like $150/month and many folks from Wisconsin, Montana, Canada, etc. come here for a few months in the winter.  Some have community centers and offer classes or dances, etc.  Others, like this one, are pretty basic.   Exceedingly quiet!