This is the barn where the post-race wine tasting was held when we spent the morning at Windmill Winery in Florence, AZ .
I’m a sucker for string lights.
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April Photo: Barn
Yuma Favorites: Part 1
Since we arrived after dark, our first glimpse of the view out our window at Candlewood Suites Yuma was the sunrise lighting up puffy clouds and vibrant green farm fields. It was downright gorgeous.
Phillip needed to be at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma base at 0700, I got the coffeemaker going, and we got ready to head out.
On Base
Phillip, who is nearing the end of his seminary master’s program, had arranged to shadow a military chaplain in Yuma for a day. I’d meet back up with him, the chaplains, and a couple of their wives for lunch and a quick tour of the base.
The rest of the day, my mission would be to learn about this desert city in the southwesternmost corner of Arizona.
MCAS Yuma is typically closed to civilians, but they do hold an open house event once a year. It alternates between an air show and something called the Patriot Festival that features local bands, an obstacle course, singing competitions, and bouncy castles.
Art
Pottery
I found a couple pottery shops in the Brinley Avenue Historic District on the North End of town.
I visited Tomkins Pottery, which was filled with fabulous work by artist-owners Neely and George Tomkins. Their dog Joe helps them run the shop, and they also work out of the studio in back. A green honey/sugar bowl followed us home, but, really, I’d love one of everything there.
Across the street is Colorado River Pottery, the shop and studio of Jan Bentley.
Yuma Art Center
The Yuma Art Center has galleries to exhibit local art and is also an event space.
Historic Yuma Theatre
The Theatre next door has been a performance venue since 1912. It currently features plays, concerts, film screenings, workshops, and choir concerts – with two Art Deco mermaid murals always in the audience.
Artist Co-op
On the other side of the Theatre is the United Building, home of the North End Artist Co-op.
We met artists Larry Yanez, who was installing his art in one of the big storefront windows, and Judy Phillips, who graciously stopped what she was doing to answer questions and give us a full tour of the space, all the way back to the metal trash cans used for making raku pottery.
The co-op itself has 13 members, who are all local artists (many of them art educators) but they offer classes open to anyone. On Saturdays, members without their own studio space can come and work, share information and materials, and use the kilns and other tools.
Jazz
The Yuma Jazz Company quintet performs regularly around Yuma:
- The Village Area at Yuma Palms Regional Center – free open-air concerts on a grassy area in the middle of the mall on winter/spring Thursday nights
- Patio at Julieanna’s – Friday nights November to April (reservations recommended)
- Lutes Summer Jazz Series (inside) – Friday nights in summer
Yuma Suite-y
I was super relieved when Phillip called to say one of the chaplains would give him a ride back to the hotel, because I was already there – kicked back in the recliner with a glass of wine – and not ready to move.
Candlewood Suites
The deal with Candlewood Suites is they’re an extended stay hotel designed for the type of do-it-yourselfers who probably clean up before housekeeping comes and would rather make breakfast exactly the way they want it than take their chances at a buffet.
So Candlewood Suites offers weekly housekeeping, a free laundromat, and full kitchens stocked with cooking/serving essentials. They have a bunch of stuff you can borrow if you’re looking for something beyond what’s in your room – crockpots, blenders, board games, wine glasses, movies, and barbecue tools for the grills on the patio. You can even purchase food onsite in the “Candlewood Cupboard.” It’s always open and operates on a self-pay/honor system.
Anyway, all that to say, we definitely could’ve just holed up in our room for the evening. But we had heard great things about a restaurant called Julieanna’s, so I pried myself out of the recliner, and we went to check it out.
It was worth it.
Julieanna’s
The locals we talked to raved about Julieanna’s Patio Cafe. It has a romantic yet relaxed atmosphere and a tropical motif. There are cozy booths inside and an expansive patio outside with mosaic tabletops, a macaw perch area, and a peacock strolling around.
The menu includes a selection of seafood entrees and appetizers, tasty-looking salads, as well as sandwiches and burgers. I ordered salmon served with sautéed spinach and heirloom tomatoes. In.sane.ly. good. Phillip opted for a classic French dip, which I can confirm was also delicious.
The servers were friendly, helpful, and accommodating without being overbearing.
Music
By the time we arrived, the macaws had already gone home for the day, and the Yuma Jazz Company was getting ready for their set on the patio. The peacock would randomly chime in while they played – so funny!
We enjoyed the quintet’s performance. They played several of their own compositions and gave a little background about what inspired each one, which made you feel more acquainted with new songs. It was all great except for a few too many reminders about the tip jar. After about the fifth one, I was rooting for more peacock cries.
Sunshine
Earlier in the day, I had made a wrong turn and ended up at a place called Catherine’s Cupcakery. So a chocolate strawberry cupcake was waiting for us in our room. Maybe it wasn’t really a wrong turn.
Back in the hotel lobby, we flipped through a couple of the fat binders of DVD selections and chose Little Miss Sunshine. (Why have I not seen that before?! So good.)
Settling in with our movie and cupcake was a great way to wind down from of our first day exploring Yuma.
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Part 2 is coming up in 2 weeks! In our next installment, we look for a museum gift shop without a museum, accidentally go to California, visit a date farm, and drive home through the Kofa wilderness. And, yes, there will be more Yuma puns! Yuma-ght as well get used to them!
Our stay was courtesy of IHG/Candlewood Suites Yuma. Opinions are my own and so are the puns. Pretty sure they don’t endorse those.
Edited: References to “Candlewood” changed to “Candlewood Suites” for clarity and per the request of IHG Corporate Communications.
Free Outdoor Movies
I love the feel of free community events where anyone can be in the audience, like outdoor concerts or Ballet Under the Stars.
Outdoor movies are particularly interesting because they turn the whole movie viewing experience on its head. In the theater, it’s all about blocking out the surrounding environment – controlling light and sound so that nothing distracts from what’s on screen. Outdoors, the environment becomes part of the experience.
As a teenager, I saw the movie Twister at a drive-in while a monsoon storm was moving in, the wind gusting hard and the sky turning a surreal shade of orange. I’m pretty sure I thought it was a better movie than it actually was because of the natural drama around me. On the other hand, sometimes the sound isn’t good or something blocks your view or the people from the Portlandia sketch show up.
Do you ever go to free or outdoor movie events?
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Some places for free movies (inside or outside) here in Arizona…
May 2016:
- Tempe Kiwanis Park
- Sun City West Beardsley Park
- Chandler CinePark
Summer:
- Tucson Movies in the Park
Ongoing:
- 2nd Friday Nights Out – monthly in Downtown Mesa
- Phoenix libraries – Weekly Wednesday Afternoon Movies at Burton Barr and Classic Movie Thursdays at Agave.
- City Lights Movie Night – monthly at Cityscape (Double feature of Back to the Future I & II May 13)
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Chalkola Markers Review
I’m not that into chalk. It gets all over your fingers and dark clothing and erasing it makes you sneeze.
So when Chalkola contacted me about doing a review on markers that made to be a less-messy alternative to chalk, I was interested.
They sent me a pack of 10 Chalkola markers in neon colors (plus white, brown, and black) made to draw on chalkboards and other non-porous surfaces.
How They Write
The first time you use each marker, you need to shake it for awhile (they recommend 60 seconds, but I tried shorter times and that also worked), and then press up and down on scrap paper until you can see the ink. (You could actually do this on any surface you’re going to write on but there can be a little splattering when the ink first comes out.) You don’t need to repeat the whole shaking/pressing ritual after the first time.
I picked up the mail with my new markers on the way to a coffee shop and started doodling on paper I had with me. Not erasable, obviously, but they look great on paper. The ink seems to sit on top of it, rather than being absorbed like regular marker ink, so the colors even stand out brilliantly on dark backgrounds. They are much more vibrant and less smudgy than chalk.
How They Wipe Off
Using a wet cloth or paper towel, I was able to wipe the ink off most surfaces I tested. Some colors just required more elbow grease than others.
Oddly, it didn’t completely wipe off plastic film covering the acrylic I used in my gift guide video (so I just removed it and wrote directly on the acrylic instead – that wiped off perfectly). It didn’t work great with the chalkboard label I tried, but since actual chalk didn’t come off very well either, I think the issue is actually with the label.
Like with anything, you’ll want to test a small, inconspicuous corner before going crazy on a larger area.
The One that Didn’t Work
The record scratch moment came after I realized there were two markers I hadn’t used yet in my testing. When I shook the black marker to get it ready to use the first time, it sounded (and felt) a little different, like something was stuck maybe, and the ink never came out. I tried the last marker, the orange one, and had no problem. But I was never able to get the ink going on the black marker.
I looked at other online reviews, and this doesn’t seem to be a common problem with Chalkola markers, so maybe it was just a fluke. You can make a quality product and still have something go wrong with a single item.
Odds are you won’t have an issue. If you do, the markers are fulfilled by Amazon, so you should be able to make an exchange through Amazon.
Project Ideas
Here are some ideas I came up with for these wet-erase chalk markers.
Labeling:
- Ditch the Solo cups, and use real glasses/mugs for parties and allow guests to write their names on them.
- Blank travel-size bottles. (Shampoo, moisturizer, etc.) – The color may run a bit if used in the shower.
- Containers of leftovers.
- Jars of baking and spice mixes.
- Dishes you bring to potlucks – You can write what the food is (along with any dietary notes like vegetarian, gluten free, contains nuts, etc.) or just write your name so you get your container back.
- Items you’re photographing. I used these markers for my 2015 gift guide video.
Craft:
- Decorate and address envelopes.
- Add neon color to photos for scrapbooking or collage.
- Write on chalkboards or chalkboard-painted things.
- Decorate plates for special occasions.
Other:
- Write notes or reminders on your mirror.
- Write out menus, craft fair price lists, etc.
- Mark your route on laminated maps.
If you decide to give Chalkola Markers a try, here’s where to find them and a code for 20% off:
- 20% off on Amazon when you use code CHALK20A
- Amazon USA link
- Amazon UK link
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These markers were provided to me for review by Chalkola.
Coffee Sleeve Flower Press
I didn’t expect to be pressing flowers during this winter’s trip to Virginia, so I didn’t pack anything for that. But I ended up with a few rose petals from my cousin’s wedding I wanted to preserve.
I’d been wondering if a cardboard coffee sleeve could work as an on-the-go flower press, so I grabbed one from the hotel. Since the inside had ridges, I tore it at the seam and basically turned it inside out, sandwiching the petals between flat sides. It may not have been necessary, but I slipped another sleeve over the top just to help everything stay put. Then I clipped it all together with a hair clip.
It actually worked pretty well! I imagine you could also use binder clips or wedge the sleeve under something heavy in your suitcase to keep it flat. Another way to repurpose coffee sleeves for crafting!
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