Cafecito, Yuma

I arrived late for church at St. Luke’s.  I was on California Pacific time for Winterhaven and didn’t check Yuma Mountain time. I missed communion and arrived late for dinner. I hoped they’d have some leftovers for us late arrivals but it doesn’t work that way.  Jesus is all in the present. . Several people told me that the service began at 10:30.  When I said it was 1030 in my time zone, one beautiful woman responded, ‘welcome from California.’  She grasped the difficulty.  The priest who’d blessed Madigan last Sunday was again welcoming.   I was fine and with the time stayed for coffee. I chatted dogs with Michael and talked to two lovely ladies, feeling connected.

After we rode to the  Old Town.  Each year I’ve been to Yuma these last three I’ve come for coffee at Cafecito.  What a truly adorable place. There’s a very pleasant indoor coffee shop but what makes this place truly spectacular is the outdoor garden. The individualized tables of mosaic, metal and wood are there own works of art standing in the midst of  a variety of cacti , southern foliages and happy little song birds.  A beautiful hummingbird kindly u danced in front of me much taken by the red flowers beside my table. Truly heaven on earth. 

The staff are funky.  The music inside was contemporary. I didn’t recognize it but thankfully it was music. So much of what I hear to day doesn’t seem so me as such.  

There are so many gorgeous women here but the men they are with are distinctly masculine. Handsome warrior sorts.  I’m an ectomorph. These are definitely mesomorphs and endomorphs. One fellow with a beautiful buxom lovely and child looked like he’d stopped a whole line of football players in his younger years.  It could be the US Marine Air Base or just Arizona men annd beautiful women,  that western tradition that one sees here more represented ,than in the more ambiguous and often effete coastal groups.  Lots of country and less urban culture.  My Vespa this year is far more distinctive than my Harley was last year. There’s a lot of well dressed Mexican businessman sorts. Salma Hayek with Danny Trejo and Antonio Banderas would fit right in. There’s  that kind of charm and uniqueness. 

I have several medical friends in Arizona, a sexy brilliant physician in Tucson and another in Phoenix. One psychiatrist friend has retired and doesn’t tell anyone that he was a psychiatrist. A fellow psychiatrist friend visited him and said his sculptures were amazing.  “He just tells everyone he’s an a rtist and they accept him as that.”  I saw this ex psychiatrist now artist friend for the first time in a year on a zoom meeting.  We registered we were getting older. I’d first met him yesterday, a quarter century ago.  Time is like that.  

I’m glad Cafecito is here.  Most people are meeting in twos and fours with some tables of 6 or more. There are tet a tet posturing of shared gossip or intimacy. Lots of family laughter in larger groups.  Babies in state of the art strollers. I’m expecting Tesla to join the market any day.  There are few loners like me talking to computers or phones.  It’s an amazingly interesting place. I feel at ease here.  Madigan though is bored. As self anppointed sheriff he just barked at a passing waiter. The waiter was calling out names for the food he was bringing. Madigan was probably saying “here, here’.  I had a deleicions open faced advocado and tiny tomato dish.  It serves food my long decease aunt who served in the Canadian embassy in Washington during WWII would have liked.  She loved finger food and elegance. 

While Madigan was distracted with the passing waiter he missed an old grey bearded black lab who arrived with his master.   It’s not often another dog gets past his nasil radar. The sun is warm and the sky is blue.  

When Laura was here with me last year we had spaghetti and lasagna down the street.  That was a memorable meal with beautiful company.  Laura was looking like Meg Ryan that day,  happy  to be away from work in vacation mode.  We had a good time visiting nearby  Los Algadones,  buying jewelry from Sandra and seeing the St. Thomas Dentists recommended by Ivy League friend Sandra Ford.

The whole street that Cafecito’s is on has tourist attractions,   little gift shops and such..  Right now it’s Sunday, There’s food but not the same shopping opportunities. 

Madigan has been surprisingly patient.  It’s time we left this little bit of paradise.  Time to mount the Vespa, our modern day steed.  

 

 

East Van Roasters

East Van Roasters is a delightful little store where the finest of people make chocolate and sell coffee. The coffee is delicious. I’m sold.  The chocolates are to die for. I’m sold.  The atmosphere is almost as delicious.  A wonderful addition to the community. 

Axum Ethiopian Restaurant

Ever since Ethiopian nurses cared so lovingly for my mother in her final days, have I wanted to know more about these people and their country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia. It's taken 2 years till I've actually eaten at an Ethiopian Restaurant despite passing the Axum on dozens of occasions and saying to whoever was with me, "I really want to eat at that restaurant." http://foodpages.ca/axum-ethiopian-restaurant. It's right on East Hastings at Clark.

Well, tonight I got my chance. It was well worth the wait. The cozy little restaurant was bright with light and colour. The beautiful hostess and chef welcomed us warmly. The menu was vegetarian and meat with chicken, lamb and beef. We started with fresh mango drinks and when it came time to order quickly were asked, "Is this your first time eating Ethiopian." "Well, yes. " Beaming with pride and pleasure, our delightful ambassador told us all we needed to know about what was in store for us.

Not long after we placed our order, the feast began. There was this huge piece of dough almost like an extra extra large pizza base and the spicy lamb and spicy beef we ordered with the mixed vegetarian was poured all over this. Then these little rolled up towels of bread I'd thought at first were for cleaning up served for handling the food. Tearing off bits of them like cloth I used this unique bread to pick up mouthful of exquisite food and literally stuff my face.

Laura used a spoon and ladled her delicacies onto the bread. I was having far too good a time eating with my right hand that I ask the hostess if we had to use the spoon. "Whatever you want," the handsome man with her said, "We like to experience the food with our hands as well in Ethiopia". So I went on with my wanton ways while Laura continued to use her spoon and daintily wipe her lips with one of the many napkins.

All the while people came and went with take out. "This really would be good as take out for watching a movie, " Laura said. "For sure," I answered, hardly looking up.

I was amazed at the beef and loved the potatoes and spinach. The lamb, always my favourite was actually surpassed by the extraordinary spicy marinaded beef. It's not curry. It's something utterly unlike anything I'd eatten before. Ethiopian. And wonderful.

"It's all good for you too," Laura said.

I was busy with my fingers and glorying in the taste and the full feeling growing in my body. Too involved to be thinking about anything else but the next bite. Soon I was literally glowing and with a contented smile pushed myself back from the table stretching my legs, I admitted "I can't have another bite."

The only thing I can say against the Ethiopians is that their chairs don't become recliners. That's the only thing I needed at the end of that meal.

It was only $40 for a feast. There was enough left over for both of us to have another meal for lunch. Our hostess had it all packed up for us to take away when we thanked her praising the food and chef. "I'm so glad you enjoyed our food, " she said.

"We'll be back". Laura said.

And that, we will!