Phoenix ... hot spot

Sunny Saturday dawned (September 1) and we lounged around drinking coffee. Joe wanted to go up near Prescott to look at a Cadillac engine for a 1948 Sedanette. Road trip … in a pick-up truck.

We had some breakfast and then gathered up some snacks and water, loaded ourselves into the vehicle and off we went. We got a late start, but it didn't matter as we had no reason to be home at any special time.

Out in the desert.  An urban laboratory?

Since Joe couldn't meet with the engine guy until later in the day, we did a side trip to a place called Arcosanti.

Arcosanti is a name that reflects both architecture and ecology. Started by Paolo Soleri (who passed in 2013 at the age of 93) in 1970, it's a design for a city that would use smaller amounts of land, housing people in dense, self-contained communities. The idea is to minimize the use of land and get away from wasting resources. The plan would house 5,000 people on 15 acres of land versus how we currently live with 5,000 people on 500 acres of land.

The place is surrounded by beauty.

You can go and spend the night and wander the grounds. 

The belief behind these people-dense communities is that the urban sprawl that now characterizes our country pulls people apart and wastes land that could be put to better use. The intent is to bring people closer together to create closer relationships, as well as a sense of community, and to keep the land open, either for agriculture, farming or conservation. The concept is quite interesting and there is a mock-up of what the community will look like when complete. However, at this point, more than 40 years later, it is only 5 percent along.

Some of it looks as though it's been around since the 70s.

This is what it should look like when finished.  It's a very ambitious undertaking.

The community is partially supported through the sale of wind chimes. These aren't ordinary wind chimes. They are unique, they are special. Many of them are for purposes … dolphins, horses, dogs. They mean friendship, conservation. It was a pleasure to look at all of them, and I liked so many. But I chose one that sounded to me like fairy laughter.

There are bells made from metal and others made from a ceramic.

Every bell is a thing of beauty.

Bells are everywhere and I can only imagine what it sounds like when there's a hard wind.

Inside and outside ... bells abound.

I preferred the metal chimes over the ceramic ones, but all were fun to see and beautiful in their own way.

It's a great setting and a lofty goal.  Maybe it will someday be completed.

And what else did we see? Cows. Sometimes you can't help but smile when you see them. They just look happy, or maybe the proper word is contented!!! There was one little calf who was getting a meal from his momma. When he looked up there was milk all over his face. Got milk? Perfect.

This little cow did not really appreciate having his meal interrupted.

But no one's got anything on him when it comes to the commercial, "Got milk?"

And there are always some cow tails out there, swinging around.  They're too funny, wagging their tails like a dog would.

And there's always room for another kind of cow tale.

Then we went to get Joe's engine … someplace in the middle of nowhere, but we found it. Just in time as it started to rain. But Verlie and I were in the truck, all cozy and dry.

It was a good day, finished at Red Lobster. Oh yeah.

On Sunday, we lounged around but decided to get moving. Target shooting was the order of the day. I've done a lot of things twice on my trips this year. Fun, fun, fun. And practice is always needed.

I like these indoor-shooting ranges.

Joe tried a couple of different firearms.

Practice may not make perfect, absolutely.  But it will sure put fear into someone if it ever becomes necessary.

And again, it was time to get ready to leave. I was sorting clothes to leave and bring home, readying Harlow the cop bike for a snooze until I return, organizing and packing. It's the same every trip, but it's always sad to prepare for the return home. However, in the words of the famous Dorothy, “there's no place like home, there's no place like home.”

There was quite a bit of ground covered on this trip ... some seeming to just go around and around and around.