I’ve been back in the Valley for a few months and hopefully can begin regularly posting.

Everyone knows the Phoenix metropolitan area is a fantastic location for golf and we have some of the best courses in the nation (world?).

Those courses are out of my league. :)

I just started playing this summer and realized what a great opportunity Central Phoenix provides to beginning golfers.

I began playing every Monday afternoon at the Encanto executive 9 hole course on 17th Avenue and Encanto. If it isn’t the most unpretentious golf course in the metro area it has to be close. Our foursome usually plays a round in about an hour; a single golfer or a quick pair can play it in 45 minutes. Where else could I take a break from work to play golf in the afternoon?

Summer rates are under $9 for a round and you can replay the course all day for free. It’s a great place for kids and anyone, like myself, doesn’t have the kind of game or the time to justify drop $80 on a round of golf.

Here are some pictures from another blogger.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve posted but I’ll be back in town for awhile and will try to pick up the pace.

What’s new with me? My roof!

Remember the storm at the end of last August? Those 85 mile-per-hour winds removed the roof of both my office and parts of my house.

But it may have been for the better. The storm did damage to the roof and the inside of the house. I was already planning on re-carpeting my the living room and replacing the 70’s style wood planning in the large room at the back of my house.

Some of the damage to the room with wood paneling:

Sample of wood paneling:

Because my contractor could not match the 70’s style wood paneling with anything from the 21st century, I’m getting a break on replacing the wood paneling in the entire room! Goodbye 1976!

I’d like to recommend my contractors and insurance adjuster on Metblogs but I’d like to ask their permission first. Both were fantastic, especially considering how busy they were following the storm. I did use a tool online which gave me a pretty good perspective as to the quotes I would be receiving from contractors. Build Centric gave me free online quotes for both the interior paint job I’ll need completed and carpet installation.

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The weather, at the time of this writing, is about 82 degrees. 82 degrees people!!! It’s time to go outside.

The beauty of living here lies in all the great opportunities for hiking. Unfortunately I’m not willing to brave the heat or wake up at the crack of dawn to do it so you won’t find me on the trails until cool weather hits. I’m preparing to hike the Grand Canyon in March and am significantly out of shape. The last 3 weekends I’ve gone to Piestewa - not to hike the peak but the surrounding trails. Today there was a cool breeze - it was lovely.

If you are a beginner or out of shape I would suggest the Mohave trail. It has a nice incline and the summitt has a nice view of the city. It’s a relatively easy climb but the feeling of accomplishment when I finished it was good. Up and back is just under a mile. I vow there will be pictures - I keep forgetting to take my camera. But maybe that will just encourage you to go yourself…

Hiking is the quintessential Phoenix outdoor pastime. The views are amazing and the weather is right. So, get out there!

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On September 1st, a Metblogs founder, Sean Bonner, issued a clarion call for writers to illuminate this fine desert oasis we live in.
Three people answered the call. I was first, then Melinda joined, followed by Elmocho, also known as Chris and my partner. Between the three of us, we have managed to bring some life back to a wonderful resource that was floundering.

We need more help, though. Reply to the original post and come join us. The water is fine. I see, hear, and experience things everyday that I would love to blog about, but I run out of time.

The Valley is a great place to live. It frustrates me that we don’t seem to have the cohesive identity or pride of home that I see in other cities. We have things to do and places to go that are very much unique to the desert, and this is an opportunity to highlight some.

So what would you, the reader, like to see? Leave us a comment and we will make an effort!

Lake Pleasant in June by Chris Seggerman

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Downtown Voices Coalition is a group of about 90 stakeholders that work on issues affecting downtown Phoenix. They had a recent article on their web site about Dwell Magazine naming Phoenix Exurbs such as Verrado and Anthem (I think my home turf of Goodyear counts as well) as some of the “Worst in the US”.

The quote that caught my eye? Unrefinery.com had this to say about the recognition:

We hesitate to even call Phoenix a city; the decentralized home turf of Allied Waste would be best described as a 400-square-mile monument to sprawl, water waste, traffic bottlenecks, and crystal meth. Urban planning sometimes seems esoteric, but Phoenix offers a real-world reminder of why we need it.

Thoughts?

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The local news stations are all a-buzz. Conversations are happening around the dinner table and at the water cooler. People are stopping each other and asking if they have heard the news.

What is the event that has people so interested? Not politics, not the economy, but…
Rain!

Other desert regions may be similar, but in my experience Phoenicians reaction to the promise of rainy days is fairly unique.

Rain is rare enough that we take pictures

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My Partner and I did take our 14 year old to Edgefest this weekend, as we planned. It was about what I expected: hot, tiring, no shade, great bands, lots of activities. The food was expensive, but we planned for that. What we did not plan for was that water was $4 a 20-ounce bottle.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not expect free water, but when the temperature is over 100 degrees out, I expect it to be reasonably priced. We ended up not drinking nearly enough, and all told, we calculated that we spent $100 of the $150 we had with us on water and ice. I would love to know how many people they had to treat for dehydration. The Dos Gringos booth had $2 waters for a while, and we bought those until they ran out and started selling the $4 waters. I think my best investment was a $3 iced spray bottle from a vendor. Unfortunately I lost it during the Gogol Bordello show when a crowd surfer fell on me. The joys of an excellent punk show.

We did have a lot of fun, but we learned some things. One of the main things is to not take a slightly geeky 14-year-old near the front of a Flogging Molly concert. Between the mosh pit that started up next to us and the crowd surfers, we could not keep him safe and ended up having to push out of the crowd and escape. The crowd was restless after the shows were delayed by a thunderstorm rolling through. In true Phoenician style, I welcomed the wind and was sad it brought no rain to cool things off.

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I have ridden Valley Metro’s Rapid line for more than two years. I take the I-17 Route, but the Rapid lines handle most of the freeways from various Park and Rides to downtown. Last week I noticed a new thing: handstraps of nylon bolted between compartments of the upper luggage rack.

Rapid buses look a little different than the average city street bus: Almost all the seats face forward, two to a row on either side of the center aisle. Two benchlike seats that can each hold about three people face towards the center aisle by the rear door. These can be folded up for wheelchair mounting. Behind that, there’s a little elevated area with more forward-facing seats. There are about six seats along the very back of the bus.

But that’s it. I don’t think they expected people standing in the center aisle. But we do!
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Many would say that the falling stock market, the increase in violence at home and abroad, the rising unemployment rate and the sheer multitude of natural disasters in the last few years are signs of the end of the world. While I do find those things alarming what really scares me is what I saw this past weekend at the Maricopa County Home and Garden Show….a deserted beer booth.

 It is a sad state of affairs when an average American cannot afford to buy a beer at a community event. I actually watched as one man walked up to the booth with hope in his eyes and asked, “How much for a beer?” and the woman behind the counter replied, “Seven dollars.” The poor man simply shook his head and walked away.

I was at the show working a booth for my employer, talking to people about ways to conserve energy and decrease their electric bill. There were not that many people at the event. I haven’t seen exact figures of attendance but I would be surprised if it was anywhere near the number of people who attended last year. Someone mentioned they had wanted to buy a large outdoor grill but that they weren’t able to finance it. Scary stuff. It’s one thing when these issues are a national problem and can be viewed from a distance. It’s another thing to see the effects of the economic crisis when it shows up at your front door.

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On August 28-29, powerful monsoon storms laid low the lone statue on the Arizona State Capitol Mall: That of World War One Ace Frank Luke Jr. for whom Luke Air Force Base is named. Gouges in the branch of a nearby palo verde indicated it probably smacked the statue right off its high pedestal.

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The title is from a song by Ceann called Almost Irish. The lyrics are pretty accurate to my situation as 3rd generation 1/2 Irish:

‘Cause I’m almost, I’m almost Irish
And I hope almost, is good enough for you
And I’m mostly, I’m mostly Irish
OK mostly I’m American it’s true
Maybe the little bit of Irish in me
Could be the little bit of Irish in you

What does this have to do with Phoenix? Because Phoenix has a large Irish population and a Celtic music scene.

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…in cities where they have grass. That said it appears that many cities are considered “greener” than Phoenix, 31 cities to be exact. Sustainlane.com has issued their 2008 rankings for sustainable cities and Phoenix did not score well. Out of the 50 most populous cities Phoenix was ranked 32nd.

There were 3 major categories: front-runners, hitting their stride, and trailing. In the first category, claiming the number 1 spot was Portland followed closely by San Francisco. Phoenix fell in the middle category due to the light rail project and water re-use. And the worst city on the list? Mesa, Az was ranked 50 out of 50. Pretty embarrassing.

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This Saturday, September 27, Schnepf Farms will once again host a major valley event. The Edge 103.9 is putting on Edgefest 2008 and I will be taking my 14 year old son, which is a bit overwhelming to think about.
If you have been reading my posts so far, you can tell I am a little bit outside the mainstream. I have eclectic tastes, but on the radio I tend to listen to mainly alternative. The Edge is pretty much the only alternative station left after several flag changes from the others. I am not thrilled about Adam Carolla in the morning, but as long as they keep the Ska Punk show, I will keep listening.
As for the show, my son is going to see the Flobots, I am going to see Gogol Bordello & Flogging Molly, and Chris is a fan of NOFX from way back.

I will have trouble making up my mind, because the line up is awesome:

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If you aren’t living in the heart of the city you might be wondering why other people choose to. Ten years ago the idea that young professionals, artists, and dare I say it - even hipsters - would be living in Central Phoenix was laughable at best. In retrospect it would now be considered prophetic. As more and more people move downtown and more businesses open to cater to them it’s becoming clear - Phoenix is on its way to becoming a great city to live in.

Still skeptical? You may want to check out Urban Affair this weekend. It opens Friday, Sept 26th, at the Phoenix Art Museum. It goes from 6 - 10 p.m. and features performances by Arizona Opera, Scorpius Dance Theatre, and other local musicians. There will be a progressive tasting menu highlighting local restaurants like Cibo, The Art of Soup, Breadfruit, and Urban Cookies. Tickets start at $30. If you want to feel like a rock star you can spring for a VIP ticket for $75 which includes a host bar.

If you’re like me and feel that $30 is a little pricey don’t dismay - here are my low or no cost suggestions for checking out the city this weekend: Read more

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On Saturday, September 6th, Fetish Falls in Tempe had a Party and I was there. Sometimes it is easy to forget that Arizona has this kind of scene.

Mask at Fetish Falls

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