A cool morning in Anthem, and a lazy one at that. Friday, we decided to be slightly more active today. Our intent was to spend some time in the hot tub and then head out for a meal. Unfortunately, the hot tub decided to go on strike. It wouldn‘t heat, nor would the jets stay on for any length of time. Possible diagnosis is either a faulty igniter or pack rats nesting in the system. Either way we are out of luck. We regrouped and decided on a drive to downtown Phoenix for a tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden.
The garden features more than 1,500 tons of hand picked rock, stone footbridges, lanterns and more than 50 varieties of plants. It includes streams, a 12-foot waterfall, and a Koi pond with over 300 Koi fish. One of the main attractions at the Japanese Friendship Garden is the Japanese Tea House. 3.5 total acres with a koi pond that is 5/8 of an acre.The Koi pond holds 550,000 gallons of water and some of the Koi have been in the pond since the opening of the garden in 1996.
The Garden showcases more than 50 varieties of plants including two varieties of bamboo. The designers chose plant species that can withstand the rigors of a desert environment while still reflecting the serenity of a Japanese Garden. 1,500 tons of rock handpicked from quarries in Arizona near Jerome, Superior, Congress and Florence line the stream beds, walking paths, lake shore and main lake waterfall. It is a soothing and relaxing Garden and is designed for contemplation and rest.
We left the garden and then drove back towards Anthem, arriving at a First Watch restaurant at 1:00 for our noon lunch. We dined on eggs, sausage, hash browns and a sausage and biscuit plate that was as good as ever encountered. We were back at the old homestead by 3:00 and ready for some nap time or some reading time. As cocktail hour proceeded, Dell produced some huge steaks and fired up his grill. Karen prepped a salad and some boiled potatoes and we dined quietly as the sun set over the western mountains.
Saturday morning we cleaned our bodies and packed our bags. We departed Anthem around noon and drove to Cave Creek for our annual meal at The Horny Toad, a notorious burger place that we hit every time we are in the Phoenix area. We arrived at Sky Harbor Airport around three and bid goodbye to our friends and hosts. Another calming few days in the Phoenix area.
We boarded our flight to Burbank at 5:30 and settled in for the quick hop over the mountains and into the LA area. Ed, our eldest son, was there to meet us and we made the 20 minute drive to the apartment where Meg greeted us warmly with a ready cocktail and a home cooked meal in the oven. We petted Addison the dog, and fought off the constant attention from Millicent the cat. We caught up on life in general and dined on roast lamb, home fried potatoes and a wonderful arugula salad. Relaxed, we chatted into the night, watched the movie “American Fiction” which is up for some Academy awards then falling into our newest and third bed of the trip.
Sunday morning we arose to coffee and some reading time as we perused our Omaha World Herald (not much to read) and our Sunday New York Times.In the early evening, we headed into downtown Hollywood to meet Ed & Meg’s good friends Katie and Wayne at the legendary Musso & Frank Grill. This iconic restaurant was established at this location in 1919 and is dubbed the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. It is famous for its decor, its waiters dressed in their red cats white shirts and black bow ties and its food. Dubbed a “New York style” restaurant, it serves steaks, Welsh Rarebit, Lobster Thermidorian and other old style cuisine. It is famous for its Martinis and has an excellent wine list. It lived up to its reputation.
We enjoyed the Martinis, and dined on several steaks and grilled Branzini over rice. Dessert included some cheesecake and a strawberry tort that was enough for two. Many of you have seen Musso & Frank’s as it is featured in many movies and television shows. We remembered it as almost another character in the TV show, “The Kaminsky Method” starring Michael Douglas and Allan Arken. Also it is a frequent feature in the Harry Bosch series. We returned home and fell into bed, with true Hollywood memories.
Monday morning, we lazed around, read our newspapers and completed our daily puzzles while Ed and Meg worked (both from home.) At noon, Ed took us to lunch at the “Front Yard” restaurant, a part of the Garland Hotel, just around the corner from Universal Studios. No famous sightings but great food.
We returned and helped Ed pack his bags, as he had to leave at 4:00 to handle his teaching gig as an adjunct professor at Cal State LA, and then on to LAX for a “red eye” flight to New York where he is spending the rest of the week. With Meg, we walked a few blocks to the Idle Hour pub for some wine, burgers, flatbread and fried chicken fingers. A walk back, an attempt (only Deb did not fall asleep) to watch the new TV series “The Regime” with Kate Winslet and then crawled into bed to end the evening.
