Phoenix Area Getaway

Yes, it's hotter than blazes in Phoenix at this time of year, but my friend Lois is there for a few weeks and I decided to make a short visit to spend time with her.

As always, we did a lot of shopping.

On one of our three days, we headed to Cave Creek, an Old West town about 25 miles north of Phoenix. Cave Creek has one main street which is the main route through town.

Our first stop was at The Town Dump, a store that one of Lois's friends likes and which describes itself as "A wild and crazy store" that meanders inside and outside and is piled high with decorative items, pottery, and lots of southwestern "stuff."

Next stop was at Valerie's Furniture and Accents, where Lois has bought many of the decorative items for her Arozona home. We all found things to buy here.

Our next stop was for lunch at Tonto bar & Grill at the Rancho Mañana Resort and Golf Course.

Tonto has a beautiful dining patio that overlooks the mountains and which is kept comfortable even in today's over-100 degree weather with overhead fans.

Both Shiela and Lois ordered 8-ounce burgers which looked amazingly delicious.

I chose a meal-sized salad from the creative Salad menu.

First you decide what kind do salad you want. And then you top that salad with an Accompaniment.

I chose the Cowboy Cobb salad and topped it with Crispy Crackling Calamari Rings.

While delicious, my salad was so enormous I couldn't finish it.

Despite the large servings, I'd certainly return to Tonto for another meal. The food is fresh, well prepared and delicious. And the setting is lovely and relaxing.

We made one final shopping stop in Cave Creek at Buffalo Biil's to look at cactus sculptures for Lois's atrium. They had several that she might be buying.

Our very last stop was in the next town, Carefree, at the Adelante Gallery, a lovely art gallery that features art by local artists.

And so ends a carefree day in Arizona.