Why We Live Where We Live

OK, so yesterday, in our hometown, it was "officially" the real, true, first day of Spring. I know, I know, we're about a month late, but yesterday felt like you knew we weren't going to have any more lousy weather (e.g., snow or rain) for bit, and that you could really get out and enjoy the town and its surroundings.

So here's how to spend a weekend, now that many of the students are in finals and are getting ready to leave, and the tourists haven't really gathered yet.

Saturday:

Sleep in until 8 am. Ye gads, I ain't slept that late in awhile. Get up, some tea now that I've eschewed the java, shower, girlfriend is over by ten am, and we're set to walk downtown and get some eats, preferably at the new creperie.

As we're walking, a couple of blocks down a friend - C - yells out a window for us to stop - and he'll join us. So it's 3 for breakfast now.

We get to the creperie, but they're not set up yet, so we wander to MartAnne's and, getting a table right away, we eat (hugely) there. It really is the best place for chorizo or chiliquillas early on.

After breakfast, we wander the few blocks of downtown, window shopping, while tourists are just starting to flood out of the hotels and hostels to join us. We catch a seat in front of the Christmas store and people watch, and then go listen to Jee-bus man (an itinerant preacher) shout out salvation in the town square. Hugely chuckle at the "For Rent" sign plastered in front of Renzi's office; you take laughs where you can get them, I guess.

Girlfriend has to work for a couple of hours, starting at 12:30, so we wander to the park next to the library, and sprawl on the grass, kicking off shoes, lounging and making pointed comments on the parks other denizens - the couple all dressed in white, the puppy dogs cruising by, and the dancer/martial art troupe practicing nearby (and by practicing I mean really doing a lot of stretching).

Girlfriend is at work, and friend C has decided to change into shorts, so we walk the 3 blocks to his house, and then return downtown, marveling at the great freakin' weather. We let the changing of the downtown streetlights guide our passage, and eventually find ourselves back at the park to wait for girlfriend, while we lie in the grass and snooze.

Girlfriend's work finished, we decide to head 3 blocks back to downtown and drink beers at a local brewery, on the outside patio. Luckily, we grab the local arts rag and find out that the downtown theater/concert hall is showing "CaddyShack" that evening in a new tradition of movie nights downtown, so we make a note to go.

Of course, we sit in the sun too long and have one too many beers, but, as friends stop by to visit and move on, we don't really worry.

Finally, we must grab some food, so after going home and getting cleaned up, we meet again downtown and we end up at the creperie for dinner before heading off to the movie house.

CaddyShack was as silly as ever, but the theater does have a full bar, so slugging down a cold one while watching Bill Murray's antics was well worth it. We even all got up and danced the gopher dance to Kenny Loggins at the end.

Finally C had to go off to meet other friends, and girlfriend and I were ready to crash, so we all went home.

Sunday:

Starts as a repeat of Saturday, up with girlfriend over by 10 am, only this time, we're packing everything on our backs.

It's a quick 15-mile sprint out of town and we're down in a local canyon, rock-hopping through the (dried-out) wash, climbing up and down the trail, and even venturing off-trail to climb through an amazing natural arch - which left us stranded for a few minutes until we butt-slid our way back down.

After and hour and a half and two miles of boulder hopping, we decide we're getting hungry and decide to head back, rather than walk all the way to Sedona. Good thing, too, because that's an over-nighter for sure, and we didn't have all our gear.

So we get home, get cleaned up, she goes to study and I go have a beer and do the shopping, and then we get together and have an absolutely fantastic dinner of grilled steak and spuds and a cucumber salad. Oh and beets, fresh beets from a friend. A-and, a lot of aloe vera lotion to help with sunburn.

That's our town. It may not be Lake Woebegone, but, it works for all of us. So, while the crew is enjoying themselves on the river this week, they'll be glad to know we're keeping up our enjoyment end right here in town, while we wait for their return.