Fourth Avenue Street Fair and Traffic

This morning we were up and out to go to the 4th Avenue street fair.  It runs Friday through Sunday.  We always go on Friday because generally there are fewer people.  Today, it was really crowded.  And it was really crowded with snow birds (aka old people of the north).   We we stunned at the number of elderly and the size of the crowds.  The festival must have changed their advertising strategy.

We mainly go to watch the people and look at the food vendors.  This vendor had a table set up with what he had on offer for the crowds.  I think all but one item has been boiled in deep fat.

There are additional bad food choices to be made.  My favorite at this tent is shark on a stick as well as deep fat fried everything.

I don’t know what cuts of meat were on this spit.  I do know it wasn’t brisket because a member of the crowd tried to tell the gentleman in the red and black shirt that it was brisket.  The red and black shirt guy told him in no uncertain terms that brisket is flat, and these are round.  Not brisket!

There are always street performers.  This man was singing, playing the guitar and moving his feet so that the bears were also playing their instruments.  He wasn’t as good as the guy that used to be there with the kazoo.

After perambulating through the street fair we split a tri-tip sandwich, for which they were charging $10.  I’m glad we split it and didn’t buy two.  It was no bueno.  Very little taste and very chewy.  So, we’ve had our tri-tip and we don’t have to do that again.

We walked through the new neighborhood in Tucson.  It is just as lovely as ever. 

Look at the perfection of that front door.  The colors are just sublime.  However, the area is still bordered by a high crime neighborhood, possible future housing for UofA students, and now the new regional headquarters for Caterpillar, as well as a new retail complex, and more apartments.  I think I could put up with all of it except the high crime and the UofA students.  Most of the new housing in Tucson looks like mud huts, I just do not like the new construction.  We continue to ponder our fates and our exit strategy.

We then went to the northern Costco for something else to do.  The traffic up north was unbelievable.  We have never seen the lineup for the south bound freeway from Orange Grove that bad.  Costco was packed as well.  After we left to go home I checked Google maps for traffic, and it was the dried blood red color everywhere.  What the heck?????  It was 2:45 in the afternoon, why weren’t these people at work?  This weekend is going to be bad, fortunately we have sufficient food to make it until Monday.  Ajo is one of the major east-west routes through south Tucson and it will be closed ALL WEEKEND.  Going anywhere is just going to be a bear.  You can see the construction crane off in the distance.

Jim continues to improve.  Getting harpooned in the groin rather than in the wrist is a longer recovery.  He spent several hours on his feet today; discomfort was down stamina was up.  We are encouraged.