Destinations Detours and Dreams

Microdwelling Exhibit: How Little Space Do You Need?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 13:57:00 +0000

This past summer my husband and I downsized. We sold, donated or discarded more stuff than we now own. Even at that, we still have more space and stuff than we need. I know we could manage in a smaller space than we downsized to, but I'm not sure how well we'd manage with the small spaces advocated by the tiny house movement. Microdwelling 2015, an exhibition of owner-built and human-inhabited micro-dwellings at the Shemer Art Center and Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, provided an interesting look into small house living and alternative construction techniques.
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Sailing Saguaro Lake on the Desert Belle

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 14:29:00 +0000

Arizona has many lakes, most of which are man-made, formed by the creation of dams and reservoirs. Saguaro Lake, approximately 40 miles east of Phoenix, is one such lake, created by the construction of Stewart Mountain Dam on the Salt River. The lake is about 110 feet deep at its deepest point and has over 22 miles of shoreline, home to several different ecosystems. A ninety-minute narrated cruise on the Desert Belle is a great way to explore the lake and its ecosystems.
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Snowbirds Dancing in Mesa

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 13:56:00 +0000

Band setting up

A sandwich board sign at the entrance to the gated 55+ community announces Dance Tonight 7 p.m. My husband and I drive up to the gate. We tell the guard we are here for the dance and he waves us through. It is not quite 6:30, but we know these dances fill up. We don't want to scramble for seats amid a full ballroom.
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History Lives at Tubac Presidio

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 15:55:00 +0000

Tubac, a small town in southern Arizona, has a long and rich history. That history is preserved and on display at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park in the heart of town. The park was dedicated in 1958 as Arizona's first State Park.

A presidio is a Spanish military fort or headquarters. The Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac was established in 1752, making Tubac the first European settlement in what is now Arizona. In 1775, soldier and explorer Captain Juan Bautista de Anza II set out for Tubac across country to establish a settlement in the San Francisco Bay area. That journey emptied Tubac of most of its residents. Apache raids drove other away and the presidio was moved to Tucson.

Exploring Historic Yuma

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:14:00 +0000

Yuma is a city of just over 90,000 people on the southwestern edge of the state of Arizona near the borders of California and Mexico. It is home to a number of snowbirds in the winter. And it attracts overnight guests from other parts of the state. These visitors are often en route to Los Algodones, Mexico for dental or medical work or for shopping. Many stay at hotels just off the Interstate and never explore what the Yuma area has to offer. Many miss the stories of the historic downtown area.
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Going Gypsy: A Review and an Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 13:35:00 +0000

What do you think when you hear about a couple selling their house and travelling the globe? Perhaps, like me, you are a little envious. Perhaps, also like me, you doubt you would be able to live like that and wonder how one starts off on that kind of lifestyle in the first place. In Going Gypsy, David and Veronica James tell their story about becoming full-time travellers with no fixed address.

David and Veronica raised three children, affectionately referred to as Piglet, Decibel and The Boy. When the youngest went off to college, they began thinking about what to do with the rest of their lives.
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Tubac Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 15:05:00 +0000

Tubac, a small town along the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona with a population of a little over 1,000 people and a history dating back 300 years, describes itself as a destination for the arts. Every year in early February, it hosts the Tubac Festival of the Arts. The 56th Annual Festival in 2015 became my opportunity to visit the town and the festival.
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You Do Not Have Mail

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 14:31:00 +0000

I recently read an article listing ten things that would no longer exist ten years from now. One item on the list was postal service. I suppose it is possible postal service will disappear within ten years, but at the moment, even though I have transferred most of my bills and statements to email, I still rely on the postal service.

For snowbirds like myself, who spend several months of the winter in warmer climates, decisions need to be made about how to handle mail during those months. To date, I have chosen to have my mail forwarded to my winter address.
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Yuma Prison Museum: Hell Hole or Country Club?

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 14:23:00 +0000

On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma, Arizona and were locked into cells they had built themselves. Thus began the legend of the Yuma Territorial Prison. By 1907, the prison was severely overcrowded and there was no room left for expansion on Prison Hill. The prison closed in 1909. Inmates were moved to the prison at Florence, Arizona. Today the site is a museum and a state park. Visitors to Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park can view the remains of cell blocks, learn about the prison's history and and catch an eerie glimpse into life at the prison.
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Arizona Dates and Shakes

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 15:16:00 +0000

Visiting at least one date farm and tasting a date shake were part of my list of items to see and do on a trip to Yuma, Arizona. I'm happy to say I did both.

Dates may be the oldest cultivated fruit, with cultivation dating back thousands of years. Dates are a high energy food. Although they contain significant amounts of fruit sugar, they are nutrient rich and full of fibre.
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Long Distance Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:33:00 +0000

This is my third winter as a snowbird, someone who spends part or all of the winter away from home, escaping from the cold and snow to a warmer climate. A new online acquaintance of mine recently asked how I nurture friendships through the winter when I am far away from my friends. The question intrigued me and I have been thinking about it since.
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Los Algodones

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 14:57:00 +0000

Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico on the northeastern tip of Mexicali municipality has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years. Not because of beaches (there are none) or resorts, but because of inexpensive shopping, medical care and prescription medicines. Los Algodones is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 miles) west of Yuma, Arizona on the border with California. The official name of the town is Vicente Guerrero. Its population was listed as 5,474 in the 2010 Mexican census.
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Yuma Quartermaster Depot

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 14:55:00 +0000

The 10-acre Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park in Yuma, Arizona provides a peek into the history of Yuma at a time when it was an important U.S. Army supply station for forts in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. The U.S. Army Depot was in operation from the mid 1860s to the 1880s.
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Mesa Market Recreational Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 15:00:00 +0000

There are many things for a visitor to the greater Phoenix area to see and do: museums, art galleries, golf courses, hiking and scenic drives, to name a few. In the East Valley, one of the most visited attractions is none of these things. Mesa Market Swap Meet is a mile and a quarter of shopping lanes under a breezeway. It boasts 900 merchants and 1600 shops.
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Canadians and Hockey in the Desert

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 15:51:00 +0000

Last week I attended a favourite Arizona tourist destination for many Manitobans. It was not a museum, a car show, an art show, a scenic drive or hike, or even a golf course. It was an NHL hockey game - between the Winnipeg Jets and the Phoenix Coyotes.

Although the Winnipeg Jets play in Arizona only twice in the season, the games are popular with Manitobans. Some Manitobans escape the Canadian cold by wintering in Arizona and are already in the area. Others plan vacation time around hockey game dates.
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Ancient Heart of Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 15:16:00 +0000

Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park in Phoenix, Arizona is situated on a 1,500 year-old site left by the Hohokam culture. Its website invites you to explore the ancient heart of Phoenix.

Pueblo Grande began as a small settlement around AD 450 and grew to over 1500 people. It was one of the largest Hohokam settlements in the area. Today, the Museum provides information about the Hohokam people and their culture. Outside the Museum building, a trail guides visitors through the ruins of an ancient Hohokam settlement.
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Journey's End

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:12:00 +0000

I enjoy puzzles, especially crossword puzzles, but I like other types of puzzles as well: word games, brain teasers, and jigsaws.

Partway through a recent jigsaw, a friend asked what I was going to do with it when I finished. I know people who have mounted and framed completed jigsaw puzzles. That was not to be the case with this puzzle. I'd borrowed the puzzle from the clubhouse library of the community I am wintering in. When I completed the puzzle, I would take it apart, put it back in the box and return it to the clubhouse.
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Contemplating Cuba

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 15:20:00 +0000

Veradero Beach, Cuba

Since mid-December, when U.S. President Obama announced a decision to restore relations with Cuba, I've read a variety of articles, online and in print, about Cuba. Some expressed opinions, either for or against, about Obama's decision. Others speculated about what changes this decision might bring to Cuba. Others talked about travel to Cuba.

The articles brought back memories about my trip to Cuba almost eleven years ago. I starting looking through my photographs from my trip and, surprisingly, they didn't look significantly different than the more recent photos posted in those articles.
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2014 Year In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:32:00 +0000

As one year comes to an end and a new one approaches, many people take time to reflect on the year that was before making plans for the upcoming year. As I look back over my year of blogging, I discover many happy memories and am amazed the year has gone by so quickly.
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Staying Current During Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 15:28:00 +0000

Do you watch or pay attention to local news when you travel? Do you make an effort to keep up with news back home?

Learning what dominates local news in a destination one is visiting can provide insight into the place, its people, its politics and its culture. On short trips, I may not pay much attention, but if I am in a place for any length of time, I like to watch and read the news. Even the way in which global news is or isn't covered is telling.
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Cooking With Mesquite

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 14:17:00 +0000

Until I attended the Prickly Pear/Mesquite Festival at Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction, Arizona and attended a cooking class by Jean Groen, I'd been unaware of any culinary use for mesquite other than the smoky flavour added to foods when cooked over mesquite wood. At Jean's class I learned about mesquite flour and ways in which it can be used.

Mesquite are deciduous, drought-tolerant trees. Three varieties grow in the American southwest: honey, velvet and soybean. They have wide-spreading and deep-reaching root systems.
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Roam Mobility and the Canadian Snowbird

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 14:09:00 +0000

Staying connected via phone service can be a challenge for Canadians travelling in the U.S. This is particularly true for snowbirds, those who spend most of the winter in southern areas of the U.S.

Roaming charges make it prohibitive to use your Canadian cell phone. Some people purchase cheap phones and pay-as-you plans when they arrive at their destination in the U.S. If you have an unlocked phone, you can purchase a U.S. SIM card and plan. I've written about phone options for the Canadian snowbird before. See A Canadian Snowbird's Telephone Journey.

This winter I am trying out a service by Roam Mobility. One month into my winter stay, it is proving to be a cost-effective and viable option.
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Prickly Pear Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 15:48:00 +0000

The prickly pear cactus is prevalent in the American southwest deserts and was a common food source for American Indians. The prickly pear has three edible sections: the pad of the cactus, the petals of the flowers and the pear or fruit.

At the Prickly Pear/Mesquite Festival at Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction, Arizona, Jean Groen gave a cooking lecture, where I learned about the harvesting, preparation and cooking of the prickly pear fruit.
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Pierogi in the Desert

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 15:39:00 +0000

beaver choice restaurant in Mesa, Arizona tags itself as a Scandinavian, Polish, and Canadian kitchen. Some people may find that combination of ethnic cuisine odd. Having been born and bred in the Canadian prairie province of Manitoba, it makes perfect sense to me. Immigrants from several countries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have shaped the Manitoba of today. Scandinavian and Polish people were among those immigrants and many of their traditional foods have become part of Manitoba cuisine.

Restaurant owners, Hanna and Marek Gabrielsson, came to Arizona from Poland and Sweden via Canada. The menu include many Swedish dishes, including herring, Swedish meatballs, elk stew, gravalax, and Swedish hash, and many Polish dishes, including cabbage rolls, schnitzel, Polish hunter stew, and sausage. But I wasn't here to try any of those. I was here for Thursday night Eat All You Can Pierogi.
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You've Got Mail

noreply@blogger.com (Donna Janke) — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 14:41:00 +0000

Photo credit: Julie Edgley via Photo Pin cc

When is the last time you received a personal letter via regular mail? When is the last time you sent one?

The Internet and affordable long distance rates have reduced the need for old-fashioned letters. We communicate with those dear to us, near and far, via email, Skype, social media platforms, text and phone, a change likely welcomed with relief by those who hated writing letters.
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