Supafly.com

This morning Candyce and I drove past a beautiful Mid-Century Modern home on 44th Street north of Camelback Road in the Arcadia / Paradise Valley area.

I looked online to find some more information, and I was happy to find stunning photography of the home. What I like about the house is the freshened interior with thoughtful details that make the home both modern and livable. Don’t get me wrong, a glass and steel structure with minimal furniture looks great in a magazine, but it’s torture to live in. That’s why mod homes like this one are so desirable.

By the way, if you’re interested in buying the house, it can be yours for $849,000.

Last weekend Candyce treated me to an official 30th birthday present–a trip to the White Mountains in Eastern Arizona. It was as magical of a white Christmas you can have this side of heaven. The cabin was stunning (thanks Megan!) and comfortable. Candyce made my favorite food and beverages, including Bobby Flay’s favorite jalapeno cheese grits. We ate like a king and queen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In between we listened to Christmas music and sipped coffee.

Here are some photos from the weekend, including many from when we played outside…

For those who are interested, I snapped those photos with my week-old camera, the Canon PowerShot SD 880 IS. This is the pocket digital camera I’ve been waiting for:  small but still takes excellent photos. Plus, it has a wide angle lens, which allows me to capture more engaging scenes.

Shouldn’t They Have Closed This Road?

The drive home turned out to be difficult and frightening. The 50 mile stretch between Show Low and Payson is wilderness, so even in the best weather it’s a little unnerving to drive. There are no gas stations, no restaurants, no nothing. It was all about steep inclines and declines, snow and ice. Had I known the danger we’d encounter, I would have never have left Show Low.

In normal conditions, you can make that stretch of the trip in less than an hour. But it took us two-and-a-half hours, and every minute was horrible. We saw two wrecks, one of which was a semi truck that had spun out of control, tore through guard rail, and then flipped upside down in the snow-covered median. We crawled past the thrashed truck illuminated by the spinning lights of a police car. It was a terrible thing to see.

And how do you deal with these semi trucks? At first I was happy to follow a pack of  trucks because they carved a good path for my own wheels. But having a big truck behind me was claustrophobic. Twice I crawled down the mountain side to see the headlights in my rear-view mirror growing stronger brighter and closer. Was he sliding? Has he lost control of his truck? For a full hour I tried to maintain a healthy space between the semi in front of me and the semi behind me. It’s not enough to keep your own car on the road–you have anticipate everyone else on the road.

I believe that was the most persistently scary thing I’ve encountered as an adult. In between Payson and Phoenix the snow turned to rain and all Candyce and I could do was to gush about how relieved we were to be alive. It was surreal to eat pizza and watch the end of the Suns’ game in the comfort of our own home. Because just two hours before, we didn’t know if we’d be alive.

We got up early the next morning to go to Mass to thank God for taking care of us. It’s crazy how an experience like that can weld a close relationship even tighter. We hug each other more than we did last week.

The news is buzzing around town that Raja Bell is no longer a member of the Phoenix Suns. This is what was published on azcentral.com this afternoon:

The Suns acquired dynamic shooting guard Jason Richardson today in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats that will also bring second-year forward Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft choice to the Suns in exchange for shooting guard Raja Bell, forward Boris Diaw and rookie point guard Sean Singletary.

Raja Bell will be missed. He’s a hard working and down-to-earth player who is very good with the fans. Everyone I know who likes the Suns thinks that given the opportunity, they would become good friends with Raja and his family. Some would say this is the delusion that all sports fans share, but they’re missing the fact that fans rarely connect with the players on the court. Does anyone remember who went with Shawn Marion to Miami in the big trade for Shaq a mere 10 months ago?

Exactly.

As for Boris Diaw… He had a great year in Phoenix shortly after he was acquired from Atlanta–the same year he was awarded the Most Improved Player in the league. Since then his impact on the team is unclear. Commentators love to gush praises about his versatility, but it’s hard for a fan to connect with a player if he’s terrified of shooting the ball. I like a good passer as much as anyone else, but after a few years of watching Boris in a Suns jersey, he starts too look like an overpaid coward. In contrast, Raja Bell was an underpaid warrior. You could see his passion for the game and his desire to win everytime he stepped onto the court. He wanted the victory as much as the fans.

That is why I wasn’t surprised to see the results of the Arizona Republic poll this afternoon that 34% will miss Raja, and only 3% will miss Boris Diaw.

It’s too early to know how Richardson and Dudley will fit into Steve Kerr and Terry Porter’s blueprint for a championship. But it’s clear that today the city of Phoenix has lost one of it’s hometown favorites. So Raja if you are reading, know that the city will welcome you back when you’re ready to retire from basketball get involved in the community. My wife told me that she would like to have your family over for dinner.

*Answer: Marcus Banks, the $4,000,000/yr bench warmer

Jonathan from RED Modern Furniture came by my house and picked up my swanky Danish lounge chair last week, unofficially marking the end of my decade-long obsession with mid-century modern furniture. Without apology, I can now describe the style of my living spaces between Transitional and Restoration Hardware. I almost want to take time to expound, but I don’t have the time and I’m almost positive I’ve lost interest in this paragraph.

Instead, let’s talk about *the new hotness* that is the intersection of Central Avenue and Camelback Road. I haven’t been to that part of town months, but it seems like anything new and cool that I read about is within a stone’s throw of those cross streets. There are several clothing boutiques, Lola Tapas & Coffee Bar, Red Hot Robot, Stinkweeds Record Exchange, and the aformentioned RED Modern Furniture. Each of those spots are interesting for scrappy scenesters, but there’s not enough gloss to encourage the Y.U.P.s to come out after dark.

But that could soon change. The old Katz Deli (never heard of it till yesterday) was purchased by LGO and will open as Postino Central in January. That’s good news for uptown Phoenicians who tired of migrating to the Biltmore for a classy night out.

If you are fan of the Food Network show Diners Drive-ins and Dives and you live in the lovely P-H-X, then you should go to Los Toquitos at Elliot and 48th by 12:30 this afternoon. I called the restuarant this morning, and it’s the real deal.  If you go, tell Guy Fieri I said hello.