Arizona - Day One

This year's CLBA Pacific Region's Biennial Convention was in Phoenix this year. It was a great excuse to go back to Arizona for the first time in 15 years. And the perfect time of year!

When we arrived at 10:45pm on Monday night the flight attendant said it was 88 degrees. I was sure she had to be mistaken until we walked out on the gangplank. Nope it really was 88 degrees!

We stayed at Ronda and Brian Clark's house in Glendale. Ronda was on the servant team while we were working there. It was so fun to see her again and get to meet her husband and two daughters, Chloe and Hannah (or Snowy and Banana... LOL). 

But first we had to make a stop at Fry's (Kroger's version of Fred Meyers). The giant bank of solar panels worked well for shade as well as power...

The projected high was 92, so we decided to skip hiking for the first day and go to Chandler and check out all our old haunts. 

First we went to Arizona Mills, the mall we always went to during the hot weather. Just the place for letting little boys walk out some energy where it wasn't quite so hot. Like most malls in America, Arizona Mills was no longer in its former glory. Even our favorite Krispy Kreme was out of business. But at least the Rainforest Cafe was still there. :)

We went down town where YM and The Rock Church offices were...

After doing a bit of wandering, we were ready for a homemade mango chili pop. 

For a light lunch we went to The Perches Brewery. All the birds and the pretty patio were better than the food or the beer... :( 

Next we headed out of town to find our old house. That was a bit trickier than we thought it would be. Mostly because it was a lot further out of town than we thought it was. Turns out, Cooper Commons is still a little bit in the middle of nowhere thanks to butting right up to the reservation. But it hadn't changed a whole lot in 15 years...

The boys and I spent a whole lot of time in this library and the one downtown. It was just like going back in time to walk through the door...

The only place we probably spent more time was Chandler-Gilbert Community College: our meeting place for The Rock Church. Unlike the library, it had changed a whole lot!

By this time it had climbed up to 96 degrees! It was time to cool off with a much better beer at San Tam Brewing back in downtown Chandler...

We ended the day having dinner at Miles Kolman's house and getting to meet his wife Sarah and two daughters. How did we get so old in only 15 years??? ;)

Gone With The Wind

In our search for "all things Atlanta", lunch at The Varsity seemed like a must.

The world's largest drive-in opened in 1928 and now can handle 600 cars and seat 800 inside, which is good because on Georgia Tech home game days they have 30,000 visitors! 

Apparently they are pretty busy even on a normal day...

Two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili are made from scratch daily.

Our Atlanta History Center admission also included the Margaret Mitchell House and since we'd paid for it, we went...

This is where she lived in the 1920s while writing Gone With the Wind. She affectionately called their little apartment "the Dump." 

I didn't think it was a dump, It was adorable!

The book was published in 1936, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and it was made into an Academy Award winning movie in 1939.

the caption reads that more people came out to cheer Clark Gable than fought in the Battle of Atlanta

Margaret Mitchell said that she was shocked when she learned that the South had lost the Civil War. When she heard people talk of it growing up, she always assumed they had won. 

I liked the building next door that I took a picture of it, too...

Then it was a rush to the airport and our flight home...

Swan House

The last house we visited was the palatial Swan House, a southern-style mansion built in 1928 with numerous rooms and surrounded by manicured gardens and fountains. There were also costumed interpreters to answer questions and relate the history of the Inman's family home.

Walking in the door, guests are greeted by a grand winding staircase...

At the base of the stairs was a little nook just for the phone...

The sitting room, library and dining room all entered off the foyer...

The details were amazing! From detailed molding work to paint colors to hand-painted wallpapers...

My favorite rooms were the kitchen and larder! Everything was perfect from the dishes to the appliances. I would love to go back in time for a kitchen like this!

The refrigerator was absolutely spectacular and even had the original owner's manual!

Upstairs were the bedrooms...

And full bathrooms...

The master suite had a rather opulent closet/dressing room/master bath...

The back staircase led all the way up to the servant's quarter's with the best view in the house!

After exiting, we stumbled upon this delightful little playhouse at the back of the house...

I can see why it is such a popular (and expensive) venue for weddings...