Queen Creek

This morning I went to deal with the Scottsdale Bureaucracy about the red light camera notice that arrived in the mail Saturday. No success yet, but this exquisitely irritating situation will cost time and money. I now drive like a granny. I plan to avoid Scottsdale.

We drove to Queen Creek in the afternoon to visit the Olive Mill. Another geezerfest. Queen Creek is way southeast of Phoenix, down where budget housing developments (Homes starting at $117,000!) are squeezing out the valley's last farms. Flat and seemingly endless, this grand valley is made for sprawl. And sprawl is what it's got. Most roads run north-south and east-west. Drive down any of these, city center or boondocks, and you'll pass huge blocks of vacant land. There's no real need to redevelop inside the city; apparently it's cheaper to just move farther out.

The weak economy has clearly hurt this region. Everywhere are shuttered businesses and "available" signs. I'll grab some pix.

We bought a bottle of olive oil and headed back, hitting another rain squall on the way. Watched the season end of "Men of a Certain Age," a great show.