Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
When the Tucson Gem + Mineral Society held their inaugural show in the 1970s, it was the first of its kind, welcoming both professionals and the public. It continues to be the largest gem and mineral show in the world!
Continue reading “10 Things to Know About Gem Shows in Tucson”
Phillip and I arrive at the date garden just as the sun has dipped low enough to begin turning green farm fields gold.
The weather is perfect, a string quartet is playing, and long tables set with fresh flowers have been placed underneath the palm trees.
This is Yuma’s Date Night. Held a few times a year, the evening includes a gourmet dinner by Chef Alex Trujillo with dates in every course, a drink ticket, live music, and a walking tour of Imperial Date Gardens, which hosts the event in conjunction with the Yuma Visitors Bureau (YVB).
Imperial Date Gardens is technically located in California. But it’s just 25 minutes from Downtown Yuma and part of the same agricultural region. As I’ve mentioned before, Yuma is so close to the California border, you can cross it by accident.
Mark Briones from the YVB welcomes everyone as they arrive, letting us know how the evening will go – and that there are date beer (!) samples at the bar.
Of course, we have to try that. Then we find seats, while servers make the rounds with appetizers.
Between bites of bruschetta, bacon-wrapped dates, and corn fritters, Phillip chats with the people sitting next to us. I watch the sky through the dark silhouettes of palm fronds, as it turns more intensely pink by the moment.
Before dinner is the tour, and it, fittingly, begins next to a date palm.
Imperial Date Gardens expert Raul Peraza shares the history of their acres and acres of trees, which are all descended from 9 that came from Morocco and were planted here in 1935.
He explains how they are hand pollinated and de-thorned by skilled workers on specialized cranes with a platform that wraps around the tree trunks, allowing them to access every side. The fruit is thinned and covered with bags to protect it without pesticides.
We move inside the warehouse where the dates are sorted, packed, and frozen. Since freezing doesn’t negatively affect the flavor or texture, any date you purchase has probably been previously frozen.
When we walk back outside, the sunset has given way to blue twilight. Our path is lit by string lights and our table by candlelight. The Silver Strings Quartet resumes playing a mix of classics and show tunes and pop songs.
Phillip goes to get us drinks. He brings me something pink he says is a margarita, but actually tastes like lemonade. (Did he pick up the wrong glass?)
We both prefer the date beer we had sampled earlier, Brother Dewey’s by College Street Brewhouse in Lake Havasu City, which is kinda crazy since I’m not usually even a beer drinker.
Each night has a fixed menu that typically remains the same all season. While they can accommodate for food allergies with advanced notice, the nature of eating a catered meal in the middle of a date grove means no one’s going to ask you how done you like your meat, for example.
The deal is basically that they just keep bringing you awesome food from a highly regarded chef. Besides the key ingredient of the dates, we had no idea what we’d be eating until after the tour when Chef Lucy Sedano came out to announce the menu.
First was an elegantly presented cucumber-spinach salad with dates, tomatoes, feta, and housemade vinaigrette.
For the entree, we’re served a full plate with both a pancetta-wrapped filet mignon in wine sauce and a marinated chicken breast, along with asparagus atop bleu cheese mashed potatoes.
It was followed by a delightful date bread pudding. The meal finished with a Kahlua date shake, served in a champagne flute.
Every bite was delicious. It got a little sweet (even for my sweet tooth), but definitely melt-in-your mouth good.
As people filter out, we were each given a small box of dates, so we could savor the tastes of the region a bit longer.
It was a gorgeous evening with amazing food and definitely worth the trip.
Imperial Date Gardens
Date Night Tickets
Edited to remove Bard Valley Date Growers Association, who is no longer part of the event.
We were guests of Yuma Visitors Bureau. Thank you to Linda Morgan, Steven Hennig, and the Visit Yuma team!
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Travelcraft Journal! (And the 350th post!) I thought we could take a look back on the past year in 4 places, 4 projects, and 9 videos.
First, let’s road trip to Pasadena in one minute. Of course, we’ll stop for date shakes on the way. Once we get there, we can visit the Norton Simon Museum and the jungle garden at the Huntington.
Video: Phoenix to Pasadena in one minute
Project: In honor of sea breezes and Santa Ana winds, make a mobile or wind chime!
Continue reading “Year Four in Nine Videos”
As far as I’m concerned, the annual Roosevelt Row Chile Pepper Festival is mostly an excuse to sample really delicious food from a bunch of Phoenix restaurants. The spicy selection includes items like tacos, stuffed chiles, donuts, desserts, and even beverages.
The next festival is this weekend, so here’s the scoop!
You buy the number of tasting tickets and/or beer tokens you want at a table near the entrance – there’s no admission cost. Then you wander around the different booths and trade tastings for one or two tickets each. There’s also live music and market areas.
Proceeds raised help support the Growhouse Community Garden’s urban agriculture and education programs.
Last year, we went early, so we could go to Ballet Under the Stars afterwards. We bought our tasting tickets right as the festival opened, and there was practically no line. By the time we left, however, an hour or two in, a lot of people were waiting. Of course, it’s cooler later on. So…pick your battles, I guess.
If you can’t eat spicy food, this is probably not the festival for you. I mean, you could just go and enjoy the live music. But all the tastings range from mildly to make-you-cry hot.
A few of our favorites:
At one point, I was ready to douse the fire in my mouth, so I got a smoothie, which was deceptively sweet at first – then the sweet disappeared and the crazy burn kicked in. It was unexpected. Like the photobomb from the smoothie guy.
Although beverage-wise we stuck with water and a bottle of Mexican Coke (and that one mouth-searing smoothie), there’s also a beer garden and margarita station.
On the market side of the festival, there were a handful of community and artist booths.
I dug the collage work of the multitalented Keisha J. Jones, who also models and makes delicious baked goods!
At the Valley Permaculture Alliance (Trees Matter) booth, you could make newspaper seed-starter pots, which inspired a CraftHack project.
When the music started, we watched Flamenco por la Vida. They perform flamenco music and dance superbly.
Some of their adorable pint-sized students danced, as well.
This Saturday, Flamenco por la Vida will be on stage at 9pm. I’m not sure if students will be joining them or if that’s past their bedtime.
There are several other performances during the festival, as well as cooking demonstrations and pepper-eating contests.
The band Mariachi Luna de Mexico played after we’d left. In fact, they strode in like some kind of guitar-wielding posse, just as we were headed to the parking lot.
Wading through the Phoenix Comicon schedule can be a bit daunting, so I wanted to highlight some panels and events I thought you lovely maker geeks might be interested in.
I’ve asterisked the items that don’t require a Phoenix Comicon membership pass for anyone who can’t make it to the whole Con but still wants to be a part of the action.
For more recommendations on what to eat/drink/see around the Convention Center, check out our last post.
3pm Cosplay 101 – From Closet to Convention Floor – I love that this panel is about making your own costumes with what you already have!
*6:30pm Comi-PAWn Pet Parade – Probably the cutest event of the Con, pet lovers can bring their dogs in costume to the Herberger Theater patio to be part of a show and parade.
7:30pm The Phoenix Ultimate Geek Smackdown (PUGS) – preliminary round of the annual, hilarious geek debate tournament
*8pm Star Wars vs Star Trek – The Music of Deep Space – The Phoenix Symphony will be playing music from Star Wars and Star Trek films, and the audience will vote for their favorite franchise! (Event tickets required.)
1:30pm Making the Game: The Art, Design, and Imagination of Iconica – how to design your own tabletop game. (More info on Facebook.)
*4:30pm Geek Girl Brunch Phoenix: Comicon Meetup – cocktail hour with a group of geek girls who usually meet for brunch. (h/t friends Anne and Eileen)
7:30pm The Phoenix Ultimate Geek Smackdown (PUGS) – geek debate tournament finals
8pm Star Party with the Phoenix Astronomical Society – telescopes will be set up for star/planet-gazing
1:30pm Cosplay for All Sizes – modify costumes and patterns to work for your body
7:30pm Dancing for Everyone! – introductory-level English and Irish community set dances
10:30am Confessions of a Cosplay Boyfriend – trials and tribulations of being in a relationship with a female cosplayer
4:30pm Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest Preview – apparently, this year’s Fan Fest will be at a new venue and in October (instead of December). Hopefully, they’ll let us know what’s up. (And hopefully I’ll make it to Sunday afternoon.)
While the car show will stay on Third Street (full schedule under Phoenix Comicon “outdoor events.”), there will be a lot happening on Adams Street, as well.
This year, Phoenix Comicon is taking over Adams Street, where there will be live music, a party pavilion, San Tan Brewery beer garden, and food trucks.
What are you looking forward to?
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PS Travelcraft Journal turns 3 today! I’ll probably raise a celebratory glass – or spoon – at Comicon. Cheers to all of you for being a part of this community!