Wed - Mar 7/12

Up a 7 am to do the final prep for Catherine's visit.

Enterprise "Picked us up" a few minutes after 9 pm as scheduled. Our "Toad" (auto we tow behind the motorhome) is a Honda Del Sol. It is a 2 seat sports car. When guests come they have to rent a car to do any sightseeing together. We have learnt to reserve ahead. That way we get much better rates and are guaranteed a car. I returned the driver to Enterprise and filled out the forms. The rates were now way higher ($88 a day) for the next 3 weeks and all their cars were rented for that period. This is probably the same for all rental companies. He had a large waiting list (in case anyone cancelled) and a half dozen calls just while I was there.

Being I was first out this morning I had a choice so I went with the Nissan Sentra. We had this model as a rental a few years ago in California and it was great. This was their newest car in the stable - barely a few weeks in service and still with "temp" licence plates.

With that out of the way we were free to leave and do the laundry. It wasn't crowded and we only needed three "Ladybugs" to mark our washers and dryers and they were all in a row. We go at lunch time as it is usually not crowded at that time. With about 40 machines you can have items all over the place when it is busy. This is when the magnetic "Ladybugs" I made really help us remember which washers and dryers are contain our items. I tried the printable magnetic sheets but they eventually warped with the heat from the dryer doors and didn't stick anymore. Any fridge magnet would do the same job.

We took the recycling with us and did it at the same time as the laundry. The dumpsters are close to the laundry area as is the post office boxes which I checked at the same time. There is always a jigsaw puzzle on a table in the laundry room in various stages of completion. I managed to contribute a small section to the group effort before it was time to transfer washer loads to the dryers. The time really goes by quickly when doing a puzzle. The advantage of a laundry room this size is that it is 4 times faster doing when using several machine at once.

We rested in the afternoon after lunch while watching TV. Today was windy and cool ( low 60's F) so we passed on the pool. It will be back in the 80's F by the weekend.

Catherine called to say her flight will be delayed by a few hours as they wait for another plane to fly in to Detroit. Their plane was having mechanical problems. This changed our original plans only slightly.

We decided to leave a little earlier - at 6 pm - to go to the airport area. It was still rush hour; however, most of the flow would be coming East and we were heading West. It was heavy; but no slow spots through on US-60. Our first destination was the "Cornish Pasty Co.".

The interior resembles an English Pub. The bar runs on forever. They serve a large variety of both draught (draft) and bottled beers as well as the usual mixed drinks and normal fare. We were lucky to get the last two seats in the house (at the bar), Those after us became part of the waiting list. The tables were open ended with booth "community"seats where everyone joined anyone - pub style.

The "Pasty" originated in Cornwall (England - not Cornwall, Ontario - our home town) in the 1200's. It was a food staple for the miners that worked the nearly 2000 tin mines in the area. Meat, veggies and cheese, etc. of all types were encased in pastry dough. There was a thick, crimped "handle" that the miners could grasp while eating. This was important as their hands were often covered with arsenic from the mine. They would discard the "handle" when done eating the contents and shell. There was a belief that the discarded handles satisfied the mine "ghosts". Traditional "Pasties" had different fillings at each end. One was "substantial" while the other was "sweet". The "sweet" end was marked with an initial so they knew which end to start at - leave the "sweet" end for dessert! In the 1880's, when the tin mines died out, "Pasties" crossed the ocean with the Cornish miners who immigrated to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to work in the copper mines.

Charlotte order the "Shepherd's (Cottage) Pie" Pasty which comes with either ground (minted) lamb or seasoned ground beef, peas, carrots, grilled onions, mashed potatoes, cheddar and a side of gravy.. She chose the beef. I decided on "Bangers & Mash" which contained homemade pork and sage sausage, grilled onions and mashed with a side of red wine gravy. Of course, both were wrapped in a pastry covering......Delicious!

Our next stop was the Harkins Theatre in the Arizona Mills Mall complex. To fill the extra few hours that Catherine's flight was delayed we decided to take in a movie. The Academy Award winning "The Artist" was our choice. The jury is still out ....

We went to one of the two "Cell Phone" Parking Lots at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This is a great option. No charge - 30 minutes (unless your flight - like ours - is delayed) - remain in your car - parking. A large screen shows the incoming flight flight number; carrier; departing city; arrival terminal and status. When the status changes to "Ready For Pickup" from "Enroute" it is just a short drive to the indicated arrival terminal to pick up your passenger(s). Of course, they can call you on their cell phone which is a good idea as the incoming passengers can depart to the South or North side of the terminal. Catherine said "North" so Charlotte went into the terminal to locate her and bring her to the "South" side where I was waiting. Three hours late; but here and safe!

The return on the Loop 202 was quick and easy with almost no traffic (after 1 am).

The adventure (for Catherine) begins!