The photo from my camera phone does not do the pizza justice. We tried Joe’s Farm Grill over in Gilbert for lunch today. I had the veggie pizza which was almost wonderful. A little too cheesy (yes, something can be too cheesy) for my taste, but topped with some very nice grilled veggies and greens. Presh had the BBQ Pork sandy (ala Joe’s other place) and we shared what was just about the best onion rings I have had in years. The grill is open for lunch and dinner and should do well here. I need to try the portabello mushroom burger next (Joe’s fave). The burgers look fancy and reports are that they are tasty in a “Fuddruckers” sort of way. Joe was on hand to greet folks. I meant to ask him where his old room was.

“SHAKE, RATTLE and ROLL”
A DISCUSSION OF EARTHQUAKES and THEIR EFFECTS ON DEVELOPMENT
Presented by: Dr. John L. Aho

Town of Gilbert, Town Council Chambers
50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85296

The presentation addresses recent of seismic activity with an emphasis on the most seismically active state-Alaska. The discussion is developed for the layman who has an interest in how earthquakes affect the built environment and addresses how damage investigations have played a roll in the development of state, national, and international building design and construction standards. The discussion will address why things fail during strong-motion earthquakes and examine the positive effects of earthquake risk mitigation.

Dr. John L. Aho
Retired Principal Project Manager & Vice President
CH2M HILL

Dr. Aho retired as a vice president and principal project manager with CH2M HILL. He holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Cornell University with an emphasis in structural engineering. He received an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree from the University of Alaska for his pioneering work in earthquake engineering. In 2004 he was awarded The Alaska Commendation Medal for his work in earthquake risk mitigation and received national recognition for his efforts in earthquake engineering research. He was involved as a project manager and/ or designer for over 300 major projects located throughout the State of Alaska. Prior to returning to Anchorage, his city of birth, he was a structural engineering professor at an Indiana university. Dr. Aho is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trainer in earthquake hazard mitigation of utility lifelines systems, an instructor in the Municipality of Anchorage’s post-earthquake damage assessment training, and past chairman of the Municipality of Anchorage Geotechnical Advisory Commission. He currently serves a Chairman of the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission and serves on the national Board of Directors for the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. He is Chairman of the Advisory Panel for the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation project on Seismic Microzonation in Anchorage and also serves a Chairman of the Alaska Advisory Committee for the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). He also serves as an ex-officio member of the ANSS Working Group. Dr. Aho has served on a National Science Foundation team that made yearly site visits to the nationally funded Southern California Earthquake Center to review their programs and to determine future levels of funding. He has given numerous presentations on issues relating to earthquake engineering, risk, and hazard mitigation. He was born in Anchorage and the son of a pioneer Alaska bush pilot.

You just finish building a new freeway. So, what do you do with the freeway’s water retention basin? If you are the Town of Gilbert, you build a dog park there. We went to the opening of the dog park last night and it was just about the coolest water retention basin I have ever seen.

I loved the dog beach. As did the hundreds of dogs who came out. Gilbert’s park has a tot lot (most cities ban children from dog parks – Chandler) as well as the usual cool doggie features. My favorite was the dog fountain hydrant thing. Which is your favorite dog park?

Number 8 – Presh’s Shopping Nirvana. You know this is why we moved here. Biltmore, Chandler Fashion, all of Scottsdale.

Counting down the top 30 things I (and Presh) love about Phoenix as we head towards our one year anniversary here at MetroBlogging PHX.