East Meets West at Matsuri of Arizona 2010

Konichiwa! If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, you might want to check out the 26th annual Matsuri of Arizona in downtown Phoenix. This festival of Japanese culture runs from 10:30am to 5:00pm on February 27th and 28th, 2010. It's a lot of fun for the whole family and the best part is that admission is free!

Both days feature a full schedule of events including exhibitions, live music and dance performances, and more! There are plenty of food booths to satisfy your appetite and of course, it's also a great place to see lots of interesting people. You can get more information about the event at: https://www.azmatsuri.org.

Here are some photos I took at Matsuri of Arizona on Saturday:

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Happy 98th Birthday, Arizona!

Most people think of February 14th as a day of roses and chocolate for their special someone, but it's also special day for Arizonans. On this day in 1912, President Taft signed the Arizona Statehood Act which admitted the Arizona Territory as the 48th state to join the United States of America.

The history of how Arizona became the 48th state is pretty interesting. The Arizona Republic [article no longer available] says that Arizona was originally supposed to become a state on February 12th in honor of Lincoln's birthday, but President Taft had to delay signing the bill because of a trip to New York.

The Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records website tells a different tale. According to their article The Road to Statehood, President Taft initially refused to sign the Arizona Statehood Act because of a clause in the state's constitution about permitting the recall of judges. With the clause removed, the president then signed the bill into law.

Once Arizona was officially a state, an election was held and the clause about permitting the recall of judges was added to the State Constitution anyway! Talk about sticking it to the man!

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A Sad State of Affairs in Arizona

I did not start this blog as a political soapbox to stand on regarding Arizona politics, and I'm not about to let it turn into that, either. However, it's kind of hard to ignore the news regarding Arizona's budget crisis. The more I hear about it, the more I realize what a sad state of affairs this is for Arizona.

In case you haven't turned on the TV or read a newspaper in the last couple of years, let me bring you up to speed on the subject. The State of Arizona makes money by collecting taxes from individuals, businesses, and on the sale of goods. All three sources of income have been hit hard as the home-buying frenzy of the past few years abruptly came to a halt.

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101 Things to Do in Phoenix

Nothing gets under my skin quite like the words "There's nothing to do in Phoenix." Whether you just arrived in town yesterday or you've lived here your whole life, I'm here to tell you that's simply not true. I find it very hard to believe that in a city this large and with this many people that there is truly "nothing" to do. As a matter of fact, there is so much going on that I put together this list of 101 Things to Do in Phoenix. Check it out:

1. Walk around one of 12+ indoor shopping malls.
2. Visit one of the 200+ public parks in the City of Phoenix.
3. Hike one of hundreds of different trails in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.
4. Catch live horse racing action at Turf Paradise.
5. Try your luck at one of six valley casinos.
6. Cruise on over to one of these great Phoenix car shows.
7. Visit one of Phoenix's 32 different "Points of Pride."
8. Visit Ro Ho En, the Japanese Friendship Garden.
9. Visit one of more than 50 museums in Central Arizona.
10. Attend a Phoenix Coyotes, Arizona Cardinals, or Phoenix Suns game.

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New River Wash Flowing Like Crazy

Record rainfall during the past several days has turned many dry washes around Phoenix into raging streams of mud, silt, and water! Check out these photos of New River Wash taken on Saturday afternoon near 83rd Avenue and Union Hills Road.

The bridge in the background carries Union Hills Road over the New River wash.

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