Summer of the Waffle

I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but somehow I ended up speculating on what would be the next food trend to follow fancified cupcakes and ostentatious donuts.

“Maybe waffles. Do you think waffles could be gourmet? Like will there be food trucks selling artisan waffles?”

Yes and yes, as it turns out.

There are now waffle trucks. And, here in Phoenix, there’s a waffle trailer that serves traditional Belgian liege waffles with the recipe, technique, and even sugar imported from Belgium.

The trailer is the latest venture of Chocolade van Brugge, the chocolate shop I was introduced to during the Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale. So there are all kinds of tempting topping options, including, of course, really good chocolate.

They’ve declared this The Summer of the Waffle and threw a party to kick it off, parking the trailer in Scottsdale’s Eldorado Park on a lovely May evening. Peixoto Coffee Roasters was there with big jars of iced coffee and cascara (coffee cherry tea) and their pour-over coffee setup. Hoot and Holler had organized the event and set the tables with beautiful flower arrangements.

We tried a mini waffle topped with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yep, that’s as awesome as it sounds. Our other mini waffle came with delicious dark chocolate, caramel, and more sea salt than I personally would’ve prefered – but I’m sure they’d lighten that up on request. I’d definitely order it again.

Peixoto did a decaf pour over for me, since it was late in the day. Ridiculously good. Did not taste like decaf. Phillip got an iced coffee, which he enjoyed (even though it kept him up). I like their iced coffee too. It’s my pre-CraftHack beverage of choice.

We got to meet and chat with the owners of both shops. Both are passionate about their craft and their ingredients. Both have come from other continents, bringing along their heritage and sharing a part of it with the Phoenix community.

Besides the waffle truck that’s a trailer, you can find Chocolade van Brugge waffles at their main location in Old Town Scottsdale, and they frequently do pop up shops in Downtown Chandler at Peixoto.

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Thank you to Peixoto, Chocolade Van Brugge, and Hoot and Holler for allowing us to be your guests at this event!

June 14, 2015July 24, 2016

Visit the Dinosaurs (They Won’t Bite)

From: Stephanie
To: Phillip
Date: April 22, 2014
Subject: I FOUND THE DINOSAURS!!

You know how when we go to California I’m always like “where are the dinosaurs?”, and you’re like “what?”

Well, add this to the list of things I was not making up: http://retroroadmap.com/spot/giant-dinosaurs-in-the-desert-cabazon-ca/

YEAH!!

We need to go visit them.

I misremembered the location of the life-sized T-Rex and Brontosaurus that had always been a landmark on childhood road trips to California, and I was beginning to think they’d gone extinct.

Clicking around on travel blogs one day, I ended up at Retro Roadmap, which happened to have a post about the Cabazon Dinosaurs right on the front page. It was the classic concrete odd couple I remembered – predator and prey permananetly locked in unmoving tension – about 15 miles outside Palm Springs. I was irrationally excited.

Obviously, this would be a mandatory stop on the way to Star Wars Celebration Anaheim.

After closing time, you can’t go inside or see the new “museum” of animatronic dinosaurs, but you can walk around outside and even picnic under the belly of the Brontosaurus. So we took silly photos, and I did that thing you do as you get older (hey, let’s face it, I’m old enough to have childhood memories of dinosaurs) of telling Phillip exactly what did and didn’t use to be there.

Then we lumbered down the road to hunt for date shakes.
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June 11, 2015July 27, 2022

Morning Hikes and Breakfast Bites

As midday temperatures rise, outdoor activities tend to get pushed out to the cooler edges of the day, when the sun is lower in the sky and less punishing.

So it was great to come across a list of shaded and/or shorter summer morning Phoenix hikes paired with local breakfast spots! The list came from a 2011 article* on the no-longer-existent Phoenix Metromix site. However, you can still read it on the Internet Archive.

The first few recommendations from Metromix (MM) are below, along with my notes.

MM reco #1: Echo Canyon (Camelback Mountain) Ramada Loop Trail + La Grande Orange

The Ramada Loop Trail is not on the Park map. Maybe it’s closed. Maybe they just forgot about it. Other sites also mention it, so I assume it actually exists.
Echo Canyon Bobbie’s Rock Trail is another short hike, which begins at the Summit/Echo Canyon Trailhead.
Dogs aren’t allowed in the Echo Canyon area.
I’m totally in favor of breakfast at La Grande Orange. Keep in mind, though, like the trailhead, it can get really busy on the weekends and parking gets tricky. (There is a valet in front of the restaurant.)

MM reco #2: South Mountain Park Kiwanis Trail + Local Breeze (closed)**

You can hike at South Mountain with four-legged friends.
Phoenix Public Market Cafe has great breakfast and a dog-friendly patio.
September through May, we also like the nearby Farm at South Mountain.

MM reco #3: White Tanks Mountain Regional Park Mesquite Canyon and Willow Canyon Trails (loop) + Bobbie’s Café

The White Tank Mountain Regional Park’s website describes this 7-mile loop as “very difficult and not recommended for novice hikers, small children and pets.” Which does not sound like something I’m going to be attempting before breakfast.
There other hikes in the Park that are rated as less strenuous.
I haven’t been to Bobbie’s cafe. I do like hanging out at Ground Control when I’m on that side of town.

Bonus reco (from me): Lo Piano Bosque Habitat Canal Trail + Ncounter

The Canal Path is partially shaded, about .7 miles long, and is in this little stretch of nature that’s oddly close to the freeway.
From Curry, head south on Lake View Drive. You can either turn right immediately to park or keep going south and park in the shade under the freeway.
Ncounter has omelets – as well as other hearty breakfast options – and good coffee.

Finally, be safe out there and take lots of water with you! In fact, if you’re not used to very hot, dry climates, you might want to skip the Phoenix-area trails until about October. In the meantime, just head straight to breakfast.

Do you have a favorite hike/breakfast combo?

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*I wish the 2011 article had been called “7 Hikes for 7 Breakfasts.” But it was an article, not a 1950s musical.

**The former Local Breeze location is now The Vig, which serves brunch and opens daily at 10 or 11am.

Photos by me. Map via Google Maps.

June 8, 2015August 24, 2015

Puppet Maker

We were waiting to cross the street at a busy intersection when a maniacal laugh came from the center of the crowd.

It turned out to be coming from Salacious Crumb, the small monkey-lizard creature you may have seen hanging out with Jabba the Hut in Return of the Jedi.

Actually, it was a Salacious Crumb puppet, created by fellow Star Wars Celebration attendee Ian Martin.

Ian made the puppet from Latex and attached a sound board to the bottom, so he could make him laugh or shriek. I believe he said this was the first puppet he’s made. Impressive.

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Jun 5, 2015 at 7:40pm PDT

If you can’t see the short video I posted above of Salacious Crumb in action, you can find it on my Instagram.

Also, check out Ian’s YouTube channel for more on how he made the puppet.

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June 4, 2015June 7, 2015

Constructing Costumes, Characters, and Time-Traveling Cars

At Phoenix Comicon, I attended 5 panels where authors, cosplayers, and time-machine builders gave advice about their respective crafts.

Character Clothing

Four authors and a comic book artist shared about the role clothing plays in their works and what to keep in mind when you consider how your characters dress.

1. What Are They Wearing?:

Is the clothing functional in the environment? If not, make sure the character feels its effects. –Travis Hanson

Try making the costume of one of your characters and wearing it for day. Feel what it’s like to move around in what they wear. Sensory input can really inform your writing. –Leanna Renee Hieber

Cosplay

2. A Beginner’s Guide to Foam Smithing:

New cosplayers often start working with foam, because it’s fairly easy to work with and cheap. If something you try doesn’t work, you’re probably only out about 50 cents.

Foam doesn’t have to be something you move on from. You can incorporate many different materials into your costume. It also uses many of same tools as Sintra and other thermoplastics. [Check out the Tools and Materials list in our DIY Armor post.]

3. Cosplay Like a Pro: Less Stress, More Fun!

You notice the flaws of a costume you’ve been working on but others won’t. They see the overall picture.

Remember the 10-foot rule: your costume doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to look good from 10 feet away. If someone wants to get closer than that, that’s when you suddenly have a panel to rush off to.

4. We are ALL Wonder Women! with Heather Ann Cosplay, Stray Kat Cosplay, and Whitney.

Even if you feel you don’t look like the character or aren’t sure about your costume, you can feel like Wonder Woman. –Stray Kat Cosplay

Watching Wonder Woman inspired little girls that
they could stand up for themselves and others. –Whitney

Time Machine

Oliver and Terry Holler used parts they found and made to turn a DeLorean into a far out Back to the Future time machine. With it, they have traveled to all 50 states to fund raise for a future Parkinson’s Disease cure (a cause close to my heart because of my cousin Allison).

5. Back to the Future: Adventures in a DeLorean Time Machine:

The great thing about making something yourself is then you can fix it.

Money comes and goes. Time only goes.

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Thank you to Phoenix Comicon for providing media passes.

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