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ROAD FOOD TO STOP FOR

  Road food runs from a bag of broccoli to the drive through. Unless you’re in Gallup New Mexico on Hwy 66. There you’ll find Oasis Mediterranean Restaurant. You’ll want to stop and here’s why:

POLLUTION SOLUTION = DILUTION? OR DISTRIBUTION

Who needs a pollution solution? We need a solution. How do we find a solution to pollution? Ask a guy in a bar after spending a week in the Arizona oven.

WORRIED WEATHERMAN BLUES

Worried weatherman? That’s what you get at the top end and the bottom end. It’s either hotter than a firecracker or colder than an ice cube. So everyone else can just relax, right?

HOT ENOUGH YET: A COOL REVIEW FOR RELIEF

Yes, it’s hot enough. It’s been too hot for a few days, so hot that people talk about moving to Arizona for a break. Snow Birds aren’t running from the cold in June, they’re running from the surprising heat cooking the Pacific Northwest. When a Heat Dome slams shut, the temps rise. Who’s ever heard […]

UNDERSTANDING PHOENIX FROM PORTLAND OREGON

Understanding Phoenix is easier if you have some kind of reference. Call it an urban reference. Phoenix is Big City big, but it’s more than that. Phoenix is the focal point of Arizona the way Portland is in Oregon. Not everyone enjoys that status, mostly those who don’t live in Portland or Phoenix. You’re either […]

FRIDAY MORNING PHOENIX FROM THE FIFTEENTH FLOOR

Friday morning in Phoenix was one empty street after another. I’m not complaining, but where was everybody? No dodging traffic, no waiting to cross a street. It felt abandoned, but maybe that’s normal during a pandemic?

WEAPONS FOR HOME DEFENSE: WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

    Home defense begins in the home, but you knew that. The real question of weapons and home defense starts with location, location, location.   I met a Portland man who bought a former crack house. Customers who didn’t get the press report on the crack wire crawled through his windows for a year. […]

DEADSPIN’S ‘WHY YOUR TEAM SUCKS’ IS NO WAY TO LEARN ABOUT ARIZONA

  Arizona is a lovely place. A little warmer than most, but still worth a visit. Deadspin’s annual take down of every team in the NFL paints a different picture. It’s supposed to be funny and sports related, something the rest of the world finds confusing. Football isn’t a world sport like soccer, like basketball. […]

CALLE 16 MURAL PROJECT AND BARRIO CAFE PHOENIX

Art, Food, Desert. Barrio Cafe To The Rescue. After rice and beans, chips and dips, what’s next in Mexican food? The Barrio Cafe. With a fusion of French influence, Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza writes a new book every night. The chapter I read came with the crew from 431 Stapley. It started in Mesa. “Did […]

BRIGHT NEW BUILDINGS FOR MODERN BUSINESS

Portland’s South Water Front Isn’t The Only Place Looking Good. The big boys are building in spite of the economic news. Names tell the story. Names like Morgan Stanley. The growth in this Tempe, Arizona neighborhood looks like something out of a Chinese city of the future. Both use a Field of Dreams plan: Build […]