We got down to the table and Laura introduces me as everyone
this is Biker Chick and Biker Chick this is everyone. Then, Laura went on to say what my actual
name was and that Biker was a nickname.
We sat down and then quite a few of the nuns introduced themselves to
me. We also found out that one of the
other nuns had started the rumor about there being an LDS Women’s group at the
hotel. She thought it was terribly
funny; nuns and their sense of humor.
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| Photo- Rossen House in downtown Phoenix. |
After breakfast, I was left to myself to fend as the nuns
and my friend Laura went off to their retreat.
I decided to head downtown to the Historic Heritage Square where I
purchased a tour ticket for the Rossen House.
It’s a house that was built in 1895 by a doctor and his wife. Amazingly, the house was all built within a 6
month period and had all of the modern conveniences of the time like; electric
lighting, phones, and hot & cold running water sinks in the upstairs
bedrooms. It was restored to its
original beauty and had been quite thee place in its day. The doctor had been the mayor of Phoenix at
the time it was built but they shortly moved out because they had over spent
most of their money. They ended up
renting it out to a newspaper man and later sold it.
But walking through that front door of the Rossen House was
really like taking a step back in time.
I was the only one on the tour and the lady was able to explain and
answer questions for me specifically which was wonderful. After the tour in the house she took me to
another building where she enthusiastically showed me pictures of the house in
the 1970’s before it had been restored.
She also showed me some pictures during the actual restoration
project. I found it all fascinating. I thanked her for her time at the end of the
tour.
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| Photo- A busy lunch spot in Phoenix is the Pizzeria Bianco. |
Next, I decided to go have lunch at a place on the square
called Pizzeria Bianco which was situated in an older 1929 building that had
housed the Baird Machine Shop at one time.
This pizzeria is equipped with a large wood burning brick oven. It was very busy but being one I was able to
find a place at the bar area to sit and order.
I must have arrived close enough to the time that a gentleman that was
next to me; because the next thing I know we are both getting menus and being
asked what we want to drink.
I looked at the guy next to me and said I think he (our
server) thinks we are here together. We
both tell the server that we are not together to which a couple of woman to my
right quickly tell me I’m not playing it right and that I should’ve let the
server assume and I could’ve gotten my lunch paid for. We all laugh and I order my drink. I ask the gals how large are their pizzas at
the restaurant to which they reply that they are 12”. Owf!
That’s a little much for one I think and I must have said too. The guy next to me orders the Wise Guy Pizza
which is wood roasted onion, smoked mozzarella, and fennel sausage which ends
up being what I wanted to order too.
I asked if he wants to share a pizza. He said yes, and we introduced
ourselves. Trace is his name and he’s a freelance
sports writer from Washington DC. He’s
covering some baseball in the area and once he says that the guy on his other
side starts talking his ear off for a few minutes. Trace eventually said he wanted to get back to
talking with his “lunch date” (ha-ha) and after Mr. Baseball fanatic leaves I
asked Trace if he felt like he’s having a working lunch. He laughed and said he could’ve stayed at the
ball park if he wanted to have that.
I asked Trace some questions and he told me about his wife
and his daughter who HATES baseball.
Then, I told him what I’m doing and told him a couple of quick
stories. He said that he would love to
do something like what I was doing but it would probably be one of those things
he talked about doing but never actual did.
The next thing I know he’s having me take the 2 extra pieces from the
pizza and has paying for our lunch wishing me luck on my trip. He also leans over and thanks the gals for
teaming the two of us together which gets a laugh as he walks out the
door. One of those gals asked me a couple
of questions and then I send off the parting shot that I DID end up with my
lunch being paid for after all. The gals
laughed as I went out the door.
I took the pizza left overs back to my car in the parking
garage and then walked over to the Arizona Science Center which looked very
interesting but they are having a scavenger hunt with tons of kids and its
terribly crowded and noisy. Naw! I thought to myself I really don’t want to do
this. I decided to take the pizza back
to the hotel and figure out things from there.
On the way back I notice that there’s a Heard Museum just two blocks
from the hotel. I jumped on line and
find out what it’s all about.
The Heard Museum is touted as being a masterpiece of
blending the American Native story from the first person perspective with
American Indian art. The real bonus was
that this gem was only a three block walking distance from the hotel. I walked over and paid for my entrance.
 |
| Photo- An inside courtyard just before the museum's entrance at Heard Museum. |
I just happened to time it that there was two docent
American Indian Natives giving a tour right after I got there. I followed through with their group. It was a really wonderful tour because the
two of them would blend in personal stories of personal experiences with their
families into the tour as they talked about certain areas within the museum as
they gave the tour together. They took
turns. It was a young girl who was of Pueblo
decent and a young man who I never did hear which tribe he was from. They would interpose some humor here and
there in their stories. Also some of the
other people asked some very good questions and I found it a very enlightening and
educational experience. After the tour,
I walked through some of the other areas of the museum that were not covered in
the tour. I also watched a film about a
girl’s coming of age ceremony. All too
soon it was closing time for the museum; 5pm had arrived.
I walked back to the hotel where I visited with Laura for a
short bit before she was off for another segment of her retreat. After she left, I ate left overs and then threw
on my bikini and went down to the hot tub.
I was hoping that I might run into some people down there. Nope!
There was no one down there but me.
I was feeling a bit lonely and was really hoping to have someone show up
that I could just talk with. It was really strange because it was like a rush of feeling lonely hit me; maybe it was a sense of being home sickness. I don't know but it was like a wall hit me and I just felt terribly, terribly lonely.
It was
almost an hour and no one else had come down to the hot tub. Still feeling lonely I tried calling my Aunt
but got no answer. Then, I tried a
couple of other friend’s numbers but no answer.
I didn’t want to go back up into the hotel room change and go to a bar
just so that I could have someone else to talk with. It’s funny because this was the loneliest I
have ever felt on this BIG Adventure so far.
I finally was feeling like a raisin from sitting in the hot tub for so
long and went back upstairs to watch a bit of TV.
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