PHOENIX
We found a cooking
class on-line in Phoenix. So we decided to find some other things to do in
Phoenix and make a day of it!
Sweet
Basil Gourmetware & Cooking School
The cooking class
was in a kitchen store much like Williams-Sonoma. The kitchen was in the back
in a space that could accommodate 26 students. We signed up for a hands-on
class where we would each have to prepare a recipe that would be part of a
large feast to enjoy at the end of class. Chef Stephanie Riley was entertaining
and the menu was delicious: Sticky Bake Japanese Chicken Wings with Cool
Cucumber Salad; Turkey Sliders with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes on
Pretzel Rolls (prepared by Chef Sharon); Bacon wrapped BBQ Shrimp; Buttery
Butternut Squash (prepared by Chef Mike); Creamy Chipotle Macaroni &
Cheese; Brie stuffed with Blue Cheese & Apricot Jam wrapped in flaky
Pastry; and Bacon Risotto with Garlic Bread Fantastique. Dessert was Nutella
Brownie Bites! Sharon has already made the chicken wings, cucumber salad,
squash and mac and cheese, some of our favorites!
Hall of
Flame Fire Museum in Scottsdale, AZ
Mike had heard of
this museum and so we had planned to visit whenever we were in Arizona. Today
was the day! The museum is housed in a plain single-story building, but the
inside houses nearly 300 years of mechanized firefighting history. The Hall of
Flame contains one of the largest collections of antique fire engines,
firefighting gear, and auxiliary equipment in the United States. Most of the
equipment is in pristine condition.
George F. Getz,
Jr, founder of the Hall of Flame, was in his mid-40s and a successful
businessman when his fascination with fire engines and firefighting equipment
began. On Christmas morning, 1955, his present wasn’t under the family
Christmas tree. Instead it was sitting
in his driveway: a 1924 Type 12 American LaFrance pumper fire engine. His wife,
Olive bought it for him. He eventually acquired other antique and historic
pieces of firefighting equipment, and by 1961 he needed a warehouse to store it
all. In 1970, he and his family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona with his
collection and in 1974 the Hall of Flame opened. His collection has grown to
include fire engines and equipment from the United States, Japan, and Europe
dating from 1725 to 1969.
Mechanical
firefighting inventions can be traced to the early 1700s. One of the first pieces of equipment was the
Newsham Hand Pumper, built in 1725 in England. The Newsham pumper could spray
80 gallons of water onto a fire at the rate of 60 strokes per minute, about
five times the rate of a modern garden hose. That doesn’t sound like much, but
before its arrival, bucket brigades were the only resort.
The isles of the
museum follow the evolution of early firefighting equipment, from small
hand-drawn pumpers to more efficient horse-drawn chemical wagons and large,
steam-powered pumpers.
One of the largest
pieces of equipment in any modern fire department is its aerial ladder truck.
The concept dates to the 1880s, and the collection includes a Babcock aerial
ladder truck. This unit has a seat and steering wheel on the trailer, so a
second driver can turn the rear wheels. This was necessary to maneuver through
narrow city streets and turn sharp corners.
The National
Firefighting Hall of Heroes recognizes firefighters decorated for acts of
heroism and remembers those firefighters who have died in the line of duty
since 1981. The 2001 attack on the World Trade Center is specially memorialized
in a depiction of an American Quarter Horse with boots turned backward in its
saddle’s stirrups. The name and photo of each officer and firefighter killed is
displayed, as is a piece of steel from one of the World Trade Center buildings.
Frank
Lloyd Wright House in Scottsdale
Sharon always
wanted to be an architect, but she discovered how much she admired architecture
too late in life to go to school for it. Instead she photographs architecture
that intrigues her. She especially enjoys touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.
So while we were in Arizona we wanted to tour Taliesin West which is a National
Historic Landmark and was Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home, school and studio
from 1937-1959, located on 600 acres of dramatic desert. Taliesin West shows
Wright’s brilliant ability to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces. It was
magnificent – recognized as one of Wright’s greatest achievements and as one of
the world’s greatest architectural masterpieces.
Wright and his
apprentices built Taliesin West out of the stone and sand that surrounded them
in the Sonoran Desert at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. Many of those
apprentices (“the Fellowship”) who worked and lived alongside Wright still live
at Taliesin West, as do the current students and faculty of the Frank Lloyd
Wright School of Architecture – making Taliesin West an ongoing, vibrant
community.
In addition to
Taliesin West, we have now seen the Rosenbaum House in Florence, AL, and
Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. There are more than 30 historic sites
across the United States which are on our bucket list!
Trip Home
to Sarasota
We flew home to
Sarasota for two weeks over Easter for our annual doctor appointments and we so
enjoyed our time with friends and family. It was a whirlwind of a trip! During
our trip we were able to fit in our annual visit to St. Augustine and stayed a
few days at our favorite B&B – The Cedar House Inn. In June of 2009, armed with rose colored
glasses and blind faith, Cyndi Humphrey embraced Cedar House Inn which became
her labor of love. We have been enjoying this lovely place and Cyndi’s
delicious breakfasts for several years to celebrate our anniversary since St.
Augustine represents our “first date.” We highly recommend making the Cedar
House Inn your special place to stay in St. Augustine! And be sure to ask for Cyndi's Breakfast Reimagined cookbook! Visit www.cedarhouseinn.com. While we were there we toured the Flagler College which was undergoing renovations, the local distillery at The Ice Plant (great place to eat too), and took a trolley tour, getting off at some of our favorite stops.
Coming soon, our next blog in Williams, AZ as we head north.
Mike & Sharon
