jubilation 71....kayaking the Tempe Town Lake

 I had one more morning to spend with Jenn and we spent it wisely, kayaking the Town Lake near the ASU campus.  It was close to deserted, warm, and great fun.   We topped it off with some delicious ice cream and Jenn made her way to Utah to finish her spring break.

 Corey and I had lunch at Cowboy Ciao with an old friend from Portland who was also attending the Conference.  I was expecting meat and baked beans, but was enamored with this Stetson chopped salad which is forever burned in my palatial memory.
Cowboy Ciao Stetson Salad

1 c. cooked Israelli couscous
1/2 c. diced Roma tomatoes
1/2 c. dried sweet corn
1 c. chopped arugula
1/2 c. Asiago cheese
1/4 c. dried currants
1/4 c. toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Arrange ingredients in separate rows on a large platter. Toss salad at the table, with the following dressing.

1/8 c. basil pesto
1/4 c. mayo
1 shallot
1/4 c. buttermilk
juice of one lemon
salt & pepper to taste

And this mushroom dish was fungdecious.

Take nine kinds of mushrooms - cremini, button, oyster, cepe, lobster, black trumpet, shiitake, morel and yellow foot - and drape them in ancho cream sauce over polenta, topped with avocado, tomato and cotija cheese.

 Corey and I decided that we were obligated as tourists to see downtown Phoenix before we left.  It too,  was almost deserted in an eerie sort of way.

 This singing nun made it even more surreal.

I don't know what these trees are, but they are all over the area and I have found myself expecting them to wrap their knobby branches around my neck and legs.  I didn't get a good picture capturing the human qualities of these trees.  I am seriously wondering if this town might be haunted. 

Maybe we missed the bustling center of the city.  More likely, we escaped the fate of many tourists who are transformed into gangly trees, screaming for help, unheard.