Adventure 204: Covered Wagon RV Park/Phoenix, AZ/Post H

Sunday egg surprise

Almost a week into our Phoenix experiment, our first Sunday led us to the service at Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral where we happened upon a High Mass complete with fifteen attendants, incense blessing both the altar before mass and the lectern before the gospel reading. Off to the side, dressed in somber black, the choir accompanied mass with Gregorian Chants (Their excellence resonated the praise of true believers and their layered harmonies could almost be seen wafting through the canopy of the darkened wood rafters above). Father preached on the passage of Jesus curing a leper, and his message centered on the idea of right relationships among men (Women, too). These relationships with one another, with community, and with God center on the idea of coming to grips with sin (As the leper did) in a way that asks (Begs, really) Jesus to save us. "The Devil," Father asserted, "wants us to hide our sin; he wants us to think that Jesus will reject us because of our 'sin disease'." The truth is somewhat different. Like the leper with the "skin disease", those who come humbly will not be denied. It was an ironic message given the stiffness of the formal High Mass ceremony, which by its very nature separates the congregation from the celebrants. Of our most recent Catholic experiences, both Judy and I prefer the more informal and welcoming service we experienced in Morro Bay. Having said that, I do embrace the message of humble penitence (Lord knows I could use a little humility). After church, I cooked our usual fried potato, peppers, onion, and egg surprise. Today, I added some still fresh basil, some ready to use goat cheese, and a few left over cherry tomatoes into the mix. Maybe it tastes so yummy because it's such a change from the thin gruel of our daily oatmeal. At any rate, it tasted good. After breakfast, I took in a fun hour watching Wisconsin beat Illinois. Bo Ryan is one of my favorite coaches, and getting to watch basketball without any interruptions is very pleasurable for me. After the game I spent three hours working on learning Master Kai Tung Ling's Tai Chi form (Just the moves, not the perfection). The highlight of our day was meeting Judy's cousin (Russ) and his wife (Kathy) for pizza at a local place called Oregano. The juke joint was jumping. We arrived a little early, put our name on the list, and still had to wait (Along with a herd of other faithfuls) about forty minutes for a table. As usual, we ate too much. We began by sharing a Pablo Picasso salad, accompanied by garlic bread and marinara sauce. Our waitress was excellent (I wanted the T-shirt she and the other servers were wearing. The back read: "Legalize Marinara"). Our sixteen inch pizza was served on thin, cracker crust which reminded me of the style our friends Kate and Richard served to us back home. We split the style in half: Half was called "Mama G's"; the other was called "One O". I should have taken notes because I can't really remember what the mixtures were except to say, "Mama Mia Kate Vida". It was that good. Then we went over the edge with a fresh baked cookie crust (Half chocolate chip; Half white chocolate macadamia nut topped with three large scoops of vanilla ice cream). I have no chance of catching the skinnies if I keep this social ramble rolling. I did manage 10, 976 steps today, which covers about one bite of the cookie crust. The food aside, we really enjoy Russ and Kathy. We told a few stories, remembered some past histories, and hoped for as many new experiences as we're granted. However, since I believe that no one is promised tomorrow, we were simply happy for our time together tonight because once again it means that life is good, especially today.

 Hand sewn pleated quilt of our Mother Mary.

 Each wing of the cross shaped church has these Cathedral sized windows (More than sixty feet).

 I've not seen a Christ figure so twisted on the cross as this one that hangs above an altar made of pure white marble.

 The cross in front of the Cathedral is lighted by bulbs as blue as the daytime sky.

 Jim Morrison once screamed, "You cannot petition the Lord with prayer." I loved you then and I love you now, Jim, but I must respectfully disagree.

 According to Russ, every outlet of this pizza chain is SRO.

 Russ and Kathy, transplanted Kansan's from Garden City

 Four more happy campers.

Tempting Vargas styled pinup girls papered the menus and the walls while Chicago Blues music blared over the loud speakers. I told you, "The juke joint was jumping."

 A long cheesy Italian loaf accompanied  by legal Marinara sauce.

 Thin crust. Hot, spicy, delicious.

Judy, demure and delicious as usual, started with one small piece. Her cool Stella Artois waits in the background. 

*I couldn't bear to photograph the cookie and ice cream (Actually, I forgot and since undocumented events never really happen, I'll just cover this one up with neglect).