Trip recap conclusion

Now Phx and San Diego.

I snapped this one of the sunset just east of Flagstaff. Looks just like the Arizona state flag. Always a good sunset. Reminded us of the plenty of excellent sunsets we enjoyed on the deck of Chad's Phoenix house. Ah, good times.
Thanks to all who showed at the happy hour. I hope I didn't bore you all with our pictures of our travels. Mexican food and friends, always a good time. I met up with more friends later in the week. More and more food consumed. I am sure now I am full up on Mexican food. Especially good now that our lone Mexican food restaurant in Paris no longer has its Mexican national owner.
The tortilla and accompaning carnitas was from my absolute favorite restaurant of all, Old Town Mexican Cafe. Before you look it up, it is in San Diego, California. We had planned poorly in scheduling a trip to Arizona in August, not so smart. But we played our official Zonie cards and worked in a quick trip to San Diego. Zonie is the term referred to all Arizona visitors during the summer. It turns out all the state residents enjoy the beautiful weather and beaches of San Diego so much, the Diegans even cater to us and sell the Arizona Republic newspaper. Back to OTMC, the tortillas are why I am in love with this restaurant. The front of the restaurant is full of lovely ladies patting the dough and cooking the tortillas fresh. I almost wanted to capture one and bring her to Paris with me. I think they could serve rat tacos and I would pay top dollar just for the tortillas. I got a couple extra for breakfast the next morning. At one point you could buy dozens of the tortillas but now they can hardly keep up with demand. Someday, I will go there for instruction on how to make the tastiest tortillas of all time. Margaritas aren't half bad there either. I found this place years ago during a spring break trip and it is always on my agenda when I visit San Diego.
The fountain was a temporary site in San Diego. On our way back to the hotel after exploring the beaches of Mission and La Jolla, we encountered this gusher. Someone had smacked into a hydrant with his car and left this geyser of water. 2 blocks from our hotel. We all got rerouted to go all the way around. Even affected traffic on interstate 8 as drivers were slowing down to see the water fountain. Chad saw it still going and going later into the evening.
We returned to Phoenix to finish out our shopping list. So amazing to go into a grocery store at 10pm and number one find it open and number two find exactly what you are looking for. And the Salad dressing aisle, how amazing that many different kinds exist. I had an excellent shopping day and found everything I wanted in every store I went into. It was as if the shopping gods had heard my pleas. We saw our beloved Diamondbacks one last time for the trip. Another loss but still fun to see a game at Chase Field where I first met Chad. Ah, dewey, how sweet. Now home to Paris.
We got in later than expected. The plane out of Newark was a hour delayed, sitting on the tarmac waiting for air traffic to let our plane take off. Joy and fun. At least this plane had the on demand entertainment system. We got caught up on current films and some television shows. We had used Chad's elite status to get our luggage status upgraded. Turns out not so good. Chad's hardside bag arrived without its strap and a huge crack in the side. That was the only snag in getting home, thankfully.
We were well received on the street. Our pizza restauranteur welcomed us home. Always good to know the pizza guy on the street. Once home, we encountered a giant whiner in the cat. He played weasel where he goes up on his hind legs to reach out and get petted. Somehow Chad was able to escape the cat and go to the grocery store for restocking. My feet were too swollen after the flight and endless sitting to manage the trip. Getting old sucks. Luckily the Junior let us sleep thru the night after we cleaned the sheets of his cat hair. Turns out this weasel took over my side of the bed and left me a big pile of hair and a dent in the covers.
The weather today is cloudy and so much cooler than Arizona. A perfect day to rid the apartment of all the cat hair, dirty laundry and other assorted boring household events. Paris is rather quiet in August. I swear we can hear all the neighbors without the added general noise and traffic sounds. Time to pay bills and catch up on the French homework I didn't get done while on vacation.
Things I miss so far: giant laundry machines of the USA, my big lug of a dog (not sure how I feel about extending our expat experience if it means more time away from him), Blue Moon beer, the heat (what can I say, Native Arizonan) , and general feeling of convenience. Oh and pedicures. Forgot how good those feel!
Things I missed about Paris: fresh baguette, the cat (even after being so annoying at first), my own bed, vegetables (not sure I ate any in the States), the formality of daily life in France and feeling normal. Not to say I didn't feel normal in the States but definitely this is where we live and experience life, not a being on vacation feeling. I love to travel but I love coming home just as much.