Phoenix with Junie

Every once in a while I see really cheap plane tickets to Phoenix, and my first thought is, "We could go visit my brother Kenneth!" And my second thought is, "We could have those fish tacos again." I don't know what it was about that taco place we tried in Phoenix several years ago. Maybe just that it was really hot and the lemonade slushies tasted so good? Or that I am already predisposed to like fish tacos, so if they're above average I like them disproportionately? But I remember them with a fond sigh every time I think of Phoenix.

At any rate, plane tickets to Phoenix were $38 (!!), Junie had been complaining nonstop (hee hee, not really, but she had mentioned it several times) about how she was the ONLY one of the children who hadn't ever been on a plane [besides Goldie, but Junie never admits that, because I went to Russia when I was pregnant with Goldie and Junie says that counts]—and Kenneth and Sheila said we could stay at their house, so—we went!

It was really sweet how Goldie and Daisy reacted when I told them we were going to take Junie on a tiny trip. They could have been envious or resentful or annoyed. But they were only thrilled and excited. Daisy immediately started planning out how we could keep it a total surprise. She and Goldie would pack Junie's suitcase secretly while Junie was babysitting another family. And we'd load it in the car before she got home. And then the night of the trip we would tell Junie we were going to get ice cream and ask if she and Sebastian wanted to come. And then Daisy would ask if she could come, and act really disappointed when we said no. And then Seb would take us to the airport instead of the ice cream store. It was all surprisingly devious and it went like clockwork! When we got to the airport Junie was so surprised and confused. Even as we handed her her backpack and started walking in, she was saying, "Is the ice cream store in the airport?" It was late at night, she was wearing Goldie's shoes (ha! We didn't plan for her grabbing the wrong shoes as we went out the door!), and she said it felt like she was in the strangest dream.

At first we weren't sitting together (allowing me to get a picture of this guy, my favorite guy. I love his matter-of-fact gaze at the camera) but the flight wasn't very full so we ended up being able to move into the same row. That was fun. Junie loved the takeoff!

Then it's a really short flight to Phoenix. You feel like you've barely left when they're already saying it's time to land. We landed after midnight and got off the plane, then we had to go find our rental car (through Turo; have you used it? It's like Airbnb for cars) in the airport parking, and our guy had messaged us a picture of the car but not where it was parked. So while we waited for his reply, we roamed through the rows of multiple 9-level parking garages seeing if we'd come across it. We didn't. Finally we got through to him and drove to Kenneth's house!

We had so much fun seeing Kenneth and Sheila (and Andy, when he wasn't working). We'd never been to this house before and Junie was very happy to find that they have a swimming pool!

They also have a "cold plunge" which we finally got brave enough to try. I used to get in the ice bath after cross-country practice in high school, and I remember well that shock and ache of cold as you first get in, but after a few minutes you go numb and then it feels kind of good. I only ever stood up or sat on the edge of the ice bath, to immerse my legs. This cold plunge felt similar, but you get all the way in like a bath! It was SO cold! I think it's 47º or something. You just keep gasping and gasping and trying to catch your breath and you can't. But Sheila can stay really calm when she gets in, and force herself to breathe slowly and regularly for the two or three minutes she stays in. Junie and I didn't make it quite that long! We were proud of ourselves for doing it at all, though. It has all kinds of health benefits, according to Sheila!

After the cold plunge the swimming pool felt SO good (it had been a little chilly before)

We got to see their growing garden and new fruit trees. Kenneth has always loved gardening, and Sheila actually got her Master Gardener certification and works at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension. They have a great yard!

Kenneth and Andy made us the best dinner on Sunday while Junie and I sat outside and talked to Sheila. Their mashed potatoes were some of the best we've ever had! And the carrots too! For other meals, we had Sheila's sourdough waffles, bacon, yogurt and granola, charcuterie board, and the best homemade apple pie. It was all so good!

We left a very definite winter in Utah to come to these bright blue skies and perfect 72º weather. It always feels so unreal to experience a sudden climate change like that! We've never been to Phoenix during the summer when it's 120º, so as far as we know the weather there is always perfect!

Because Junie loves fish and pigs, we were talking about what a half-pig, half-fish would look like, and Junie couldn't rest until she had drawn all the possible configurations of such an animal. My favorite is the top right, with the fish face and the pig trotters!

We went to the Aquarium (it has a play on words in its name which I can't recall at the moment—the Fish-arium or something) and it was in a little shopping complex which seemed like it was trying to be a "destination" of sorts. Lots of statues around, and photo-taking spots. 

The aquarium itself was fun. VERY expensive, we never in a thousand years could have taken ALL the kids there, but since it was just Junie we decided to go. This is how only children get spoiled, I suppose, but Junie is in no danger of that, middle child that she is! We liked these suspended fishbowls in the lobby.

The bathroom is cool! You have a view into the shark tank above the sinks!

Junie has always liked fish.

She re-created some of her fish-gazing pictures of yesteryear. She always did know how to make a good fishy noise!

This fish has a great mouth

We did end up visiting the Fish Taco place of memory…twice. It was as good as we remembered! Junie likes eating fish as well as looking at them. (I remember now that THIS was the point which spurred the fish-pig drawing. We were talking about how she likes fish, and pigs, and also likes eating fish, and pigs [bacon in particular] and she saw no contradiction in that. "It just makes me a fish-pig on the inside too," she said.)

Roasting marshmallows in the backyard

We liked how this little mountain was just right in the middle of a city

We went to the Phoenix Zoo and that was fun. Junie's favorite thing there was the tiger.

We saw a Blue Caw (for Gus)…

A playful rhinoceros (who would have thought?)…

Some noisy flamingos…

Another Caw (for Gus)…

A sleepy Sloth Bear (for Abe)…

An elephant (for Goldie)…

And my favorite were the monkeys! (For Seb, I guess, but I like monkeys too! I have come to love all the animals my kids love.) It was so cool here because you could go right into the enclosure with the spider monkeys! You go through a double set of doors kind of like when you're going into an aviary or a butterfly enclosure. And some zookeepers tell you not to hold your hand out to the monkeys and so forth. And then you get to just go in and wander around right by them, as they run across ropes and climb trees just over your head! It is really fun!

You can get quite close to them, and they have such cute little faces!

We saw this long-tongued giraffe

And best of all, in a bunch of the pens where the actual zoo animal was boringly sleeping, we saw…bunnies!

See them?

Cute little Arizona desert bunnies. Yay.

Near the zoo is the Desert Botanical Garden, and this was my favorite place. We went there ages ago when I was pregnant with Daisy. That's the last time our whole family visited Arizona! I always remember that trip because while we were there, my mom called to say my dad was dying, and we should hurry home. We cut our trip short, drove 10 hours across the desert while Kenneth flew on a plane above our heads, and made it to the hospital in time for all us kids to say our goodbyes. I can still remember how I felt, shaky and sad and disbelieving, as we drove. That was 16 years ago. I miss my dad!

The other thing I remember about that trip was how little Sebby loved Kenneth's citrus trees so much, and carried "yemons and yimes" with him everywhere he went, even on the trampoline!

But I also remember the Desert Botanical Gardens, which had a Chihuly Glass exhibit in them at the time. I loved the many types of cacti and the varied textures they added to the garden. It was really fun to go there again! It seemed like it had changed a lot over the years, but also maybe I just don't remember.

Little round cacti

Tall Saguaros. Sheila told me that these don't get their first arm until they are 75 years old!

I went to put a perfectly normal arm around Junie and she acted like I was going to tickle her to death.

We saw some bunnies here too!

More bally cactus

Junie having a little rest

There was an interesting exhibit in the gardens this time called "Magic Lanterns" or some such thing. The lanterns were sculptures with beautiful intricate cut-outs, and lights inside that shone out to show the delicate patterns. They were pretty in the daytime, but really at their best when it got dark.

The lanterns were so pretty once you could see their lights!

The shadows were just as beautiful as the lanterns themselves!

I don't know why Junie is making that evil face; I think the red light prompted it

Kenneth and Sheila met us at the gardens and we had dinner together, and then Kenneth tried to persuade us to walk again through the (now closed) gardens and see the lanterns in full darkness, and Sheila wouldn't because she is a rule-follower like me, and Junie wouldn't because she had been walking all day (in new shoes bought at Target that morning, because as you will recall, she had only brought Goldie's not-quite-right-sized ones) and was DONE, and finally we compromised by Kenneth and Sam taking a hasty jaunt through the closest few pathways while we girls waited nervously for them by the entrance. Good times.

Kenneth and Sheila have a pebble ice machine in their kitchen and it is glorious!

Before our flight home, we did some baptisms at the beautiful Gilbert temple.

And Junie did a cool ropes course near Kenneth and Sheila's house! She was so fearless, climbing around like a monkey over obstacles like rolling barrels and thin tightropes. Sam and I were very content just to watch and cheer her on!

Around the airport there were lots of these "Waymo" cars—you can't really see in the picture, but they just drive around by themselves with no driver! It is very unnerving to see them on the road next to you!

And that was our short but very fun trip with Junie. Whenever we get to spend one-on-one time with any of the kids (I suppose because we're not as preoccupied with managing crowds and breaking up arguments), we notice especially how fun and smart and enjoyable they are to be around. Junie was so delightful! She held her own in Balderdash and Code Names, carried on interesting conversations with Kenneth and Sheila, made funny observations about what we were seeing and doing, and just generally spread sweetness and light wherever we went. I'm so glad we got to have this little time with her—and she has already called upon us to repeat the adventure soon and often, if possible!