Arriving in Arizona

Daniel and I have been enjoying the sunny weather in Mesa, Arizona for just about a week now. Our trip from New Mexico took about ten hours and went incredibly smooth compared to our last few trips! We had one burnt out headlight that Daniel easily changed and we had to take a couple of rests while climbing a mountain between Flagstaff and Phoenix but otherwise, it was smooth sailing. We arrived in Mesa on Tuesday morning and found our location; a giant backyard situated about a block from downtown, and settled in.

Angie & Daniel in front of pretty mountain range between Flagstaff and Phoenix.

Big Easy all situated in her current Mesa, AZ home.

The best part of being in the Phoenix area has got to be the warm weather. During the day, the weather has drifted between 68 degrees and 74. It doesn’t even get very cold at night, especially compared to the 15-degree night weather we experienced in Albuquerque. We love being able to slip on sandals and ride our bikes with out freezing our lungs to death.

Our first priority was, of course, to do some exploring. We spent the following few afternoons after our arrival walking around downtown, exploring the galleries, used bookshops, and even an antique store. Instead of your average paint-on-canvas galleries, we were surprised to find not just one, but two art toy stores. Art toys are a more recent medium of artistic expression, mostly originating from Japan. Essentially, the artist makes a mold of a toy that he/she wants and has them produced, typically in vinyl. The artist then takes the toy and paints it, adding clothes or accessories that make it unique. You may have one type of mold but the artist can turn it into multiple toys, like a ninja or a Cyclops. Oftentimes there are only 100-200 toys made of a certain variety, making them quite the collectible. The most famous of the companies that produces these toys is Kidrobot. We had the opportunity to meet one of the artists who makes toys for Kidrobot when he stopped at Lulubell Toy Bodega in downtown Mesa for his book tour. Huck Gee is probably one of the most famous art toy artists, known for his incredible attention to detail. Daniel, being of a fan of all art forms creative and unique, bought Huck Gee’s book and had him sign it. He was incredibly friendly and affable, leaving us very glad that we had the chance to meet him.

Angie holding an art toy (this is a mass produced one, not a super rare one).

Daniel and art toy artist, Huck Gee.

Another one of the cool places we have found so far is an Arizona chain of used bookstores called Bookmans Entertainment Exchange. They have everything from used books to used instruments as well as a yummy café with power outlets at every table so you never have to eye energy sources like a vulture, waiting for one to open up. Furthermore, their motto, “Good for your pocket, good for the planet,” really relates to our buying used and recycled ideology. The best part about this Bookmans store that really sets it apart from other book stores, though, is its electric car charging station right out front. It has a parking space reserved just for electric cars and a little green pole for them to plug into. We hadn’t seen any charging stations on our entire trip so far so we were pretty excited to see one!

On the green research side of our trip, we hope to interview a company that is involved in solar research soon. The last company we interviewed, Soilutions, was involved in composting in Albuquerque. We are trying to get a wide variety of information on many different topics since there are really an infinite number of ways that people can be green in today’s world. So far, we’ve been impressed with the landscaping in the Phoenix area; there are tons of cactus and small plants used to compliment the desert landscape. Furthermore, the public transportation is the best we’ve seen with a light rail train that runs from Mesa through downtown Phoenix for which you can get a pretty cheap monthly pass to ride. There is also a comprehensive bus system that supplements the train.

Our upcoming week looks promising with a mural in the works for Daniel and his dad coming to visit next weekend, perhaps we’ll even throw in a few pool games with some of our newfound Mesa friends. Stay tuned for some pictures of Daniel’s soon-to-be finished mural!