The Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona
Photo by DYY Wanda, Liz, Nihkil Jye (aka Baby Nickel J) and I celebrated our forefathers' birthdays by spending a chi-filled weekend at Sedona, AZ. We stayed at this spot. Hot Mamma hooked up the accommodations.
We wined and dined at our cabin, thanks to Chef Blu-tooth who never fails to satisfy our ravenous appetites. She made lamb chops, an asparagus/brocolli medley and rice pilaf. You can get the recipe from her cookbook that will come out soon, courtesy of DYY Publishing.
Photo by DYYBehind my girls and Baby Nickel is the Vortex. Wanda commented all day how she felt the spirtual and gravitational pull of the Vortex. As beautiful as the Vortex was, I felt nothing. I was just glad I didn't combust, or be sacrified to the Vortex by new age hippies.
I still connected with my spiritual side, however. Here I am paying homage to the indigenous peoples of the Southwest. They are my heroes; I am their humble servant.
On route back to Phoenix, I spotted a CRACKER BARREL Restaurant off the side of the highway. This brought back many memories of Urbana, Illinois. I recall the hearty prairie food they serve, and the kitchy canteen next to the dining area. I convinced the girls to try it out. I told them it is GOOD.
Okay, so I was wrong. The girls immediately grew suspicious of the place once they read the menu... chicken fried chicken, fried okras, fried dumplins, fried hashbrown casserole... even fried apples. I think they finally decided the Cracker was on crack when they learned about the coca-cola cake... as gross as that may sound, I regret not ordering it.
I began to wonder... has the quality of food diminished or have my taste buds become refined? I feel the same way about IHOP, which was such a treat in the past but now I find repulsive. I hope this is not true for my other favorite pit stop, Perkins Restaurant... may the bread bowl salad live forever!
Sorry for getting you ladies and Baby Nickel sick and greasy. But what a memorable experience, right? I bet you'll never forget that image of the cook in the kitchen with his long beard tucked into a hair net. At least the staff at the Cracker are hygenic.
