March 13, 2005
Back from Flag. Had a quick trip up the hill with Kathy and Deena. Left on Saturday at about 11:30, got tired of the same ol' freeway, so we took a detour off the Black Canyon near Montezuma's Castle, stopped at Fat's Diner on the way to Cornville. Had a reuben sando and potato salad. The girls had breakfast. ($22 cash, includes tip). From there we took the Page Springs Road at Cornville and meandered up the creek and landed at the Page Springs Winery for a wine tasting (totally spontaneous. Saw the sign, nobody there, made a U-turn and went inside). Sat out on the deck and sampled four different wines ($5 for each person for the four tastes). Bought a nice bottle of cabernet ($30 biz account). Drove through Sedona drunk on our asses, flipping off the tourists and hitting several cats.

Just kidding, although the whole thing was very Sideways.

Went up Oak Creek Canyon. Very pretty drive. Lots of water in the creek. Got into Flag at about two, dropped off a box of True West magazines at the Quality Inn and then drove up Milton and checked into the Highland Country Inn. T. Bell got off work at three (he works at an Alternative Center where they help kids get off the mean streets of Flag) and he joined us. We kept asking him to get stuff off the Television and he finally saw the big, blow-up photo of him driving the lane at Foothills Academy which we had brought up and placed there for his amusement. We had a good laugh about that. At four we went over to lower San Francisco for a hippy Capoeira dance-a-thon ($8 per ticket). This is allegedly Brazilian jujitsu, created by slaves who told their Portuguese masters they were just dancing, when in fact they were practicing martial arts moves to kick certain bootie when the time came (evidently similar to the origins of the River Dance and, of course, the Watusi). One of Tommy's friends' girlfriend was one of the dancers, thus our attendance. What we had before our eyes was a whole bunch of Flagstaff hippies banging on bongos and sticks with various participants jumping in with high kicks and round house moves, all the while banging and shouting out Gary Glitterish gibberish. Needless to say this got real boring real fast. On the third "movement" I faked like I needed to get a glass of water, slipped outside and found a bar across the street called, appropriately The Joint. Went inside and talked the bartender into switching the TV over to the U of A-Washington game. Ordered a beer to be nice ($3 cash) and tipped out the dude $1. Tommy and the girls soon joined me and we watched the Cats go down in flames, losing a number one seed in the process.

Came back out onto the street at about 5:30 and the Capoeria confab across the street was still in full swing. We jumped in the Escape and I had Tommy drive (I had three beers under my belt) and we headed up old Route 66 looking for a new Mexican food place he had heard about. Found a hole-in-the-wall called inanely, El Mexicano Restaurante, and decided this name is either the stupidest and worst, or possibly the best name in the continental United States. Went in and we were the only customers (not a good sign), but the food was excellent. I had a special, Tomas had the fish tacos. Very good ($36 cash, plus $7 tip)

Got up this morning and walked down to Barnes & Noble and bought an Arizona Republic ($2 cash). The View section featured our Tucson train station shooting. I was disappointed. We gave them a whole bunch of art and a wonderful Gus Walker map and they only used one small spot illustration.

On the way home we took a detour at Cherry and jogged over to Dewey (15 miles out of the way) and had lunch at Young’s Farm. Very nice little restaurant. I had a chicken caesar and iced tea. Deena and I split their homemade apple pie a la ice cream ($34 plus $7 tip house account). Got home at about three. My kind of road trip. Lots of side trips and taking the roads less travelled, but as Jerry Seinfeld put it, "Sometimes the road less travelled is less travelled for a reason."

As soon as I got in I got a call from Thadd Turner who is in Scottsdale with David Carradine. He wanted me to come down to the Princess for drinks to talk about interviewing David and possibly do a feature on the movie they are currently filming out at the Mescal set. Declined, but I assured Thadd we’d cover his new movie.

Finished the Virgil and Allie portrait at about five. Need to whip out a Lozen portrait and several others this week. Anxious to get back to work.

“It is not the criminal things which are hardest to confess, but the ridiculous and shameful.”
—Rousseau

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