elements...

I've got another restaurant for you.  I really do.  You know how much I enjoy food and design, especially when they go together.  This new (to me) place has it in spades.  It was my first visit.

Elements is a restaurant at the luxury hotel/spa, Sanctuary, here in the valley.  It's not just anywhere in the valley, it's actually directly on the other side of the mountain from my house.  Seriously, if I had a bionic arm (I like to play this game), I could probably throw a rock from my front porch and it would land on the roof of Sanctuary (or at least somewhere near it).  Now, not a Jaime Sommers bionic arm, you understand, No.  I'm talking a really good 2010 type of bionic arm. Yep, and hey, if we're playing the game where I have an awesome 2010 bionic arm, then I'm also giving myself mad throwing skills, so that rock is going to land directly on the mat at the door of this restaurant.  Oh yes, restaurant, let's get back to that shall we?

WHY had I not been before?  Well my friend, that's the question isn't it?  What's important is, I have been now, and even better, I will be going back.  Ooh la la, yes I will.  Should we start with food or design?  Design I think, then we'll end with food 'cause, well, that's just better (and I haven't eaten yet today so if we start with food I might not finish).

Walk down the stairs past this fountain...

Look over to right and feel the stress start to melt away...

walk around and take a look a the pool area, this is the view you get from inside the restaurant...

I live on the other side of that part of the mountain.  That rock sticking up to the right is called "praying monk".  He's kind of a local celebrity.  I see him "praying" from the other side.  I like my view of him better I think.  It's good to see both sides of a person (or a rock) before you decide if you love them.  I love all the sides of Andrew Henry.  Whoops, back to the restaurant.  It's Monday, give me a break would ya.  This is a little seating area right as you walk in, the light was lovely...

The menu was exciting for me...

They had GLUTEN-FREE options!  Very exciting and quite surprising.  I didn't order from those options this time because that goat cheese frittata had my name written all over it.  It's just nice to know the options are starting to creep into menus.  Now,  before we get to the food, let's look at a few little designer touches.  Perfectly appointed little touches just tickle me.  S&P in a little ying/yang bowl with a spoon.  A tiny wooden spoon, you know the tiny makes me swoon.

Are you ready to eat?  Silly question no? 

The ONLY criticism I could possibly make is this...

No tiny jam jars to smuggle out this time!  A cute book of matches and adorable teabag/box might have walked out in my purse though.  Fabulous place don't you think?  

Hey, here's a randomy question.  Would you rather have a bionic arm, legs, eyes or ears?  Legs for me I think, and while we're at it, let's make 'em longer too!

camelback mountain...

Yesterday, on our tour (before the 4 year excavation, remodel, rebuild, whatever it was) of our home - the Pagoda, I mentioned Camelback mountain.  It's a beautiful mountain and it's famous.  That's right, it's on the "Here and Now" Monopoly game people.  Seriously famous. 

We don't just look at the mountain from the front porch.  Sometimes we climb it.  Andrew Henry climbs it about a million more times than I do (and he goes to the top).  I could explain my years of ankle problems, sprains and eventual surgery on the ankle last year but let's not get into that now.  Needless to say, I've never been to the top.  Last Saturday, in an effort to burn off all the Palm Springs calories, we decided to give my ankle it's first real workout.  Sunrise - we begin the climb.  This is our Valley of the Sun looking east from the mountain.  See all the mountains in the distance?  We really are a valley (and boy do we get the sun).

This is the same spot looking west.  See, more mountains.  That's a golf course in the foreground, the mountain is green right now, but not that green.

This is as far as I had been before.  It's my "turn around spot".  Lucky number 13 - the daughter's birthday after all. 

But, last Saturday, we didn't turn around, we kept going.  I started climbing an unfamiliar path.  I've been doing that a lot lately.  I like it.  I really, really do.  The flowers on the Ocotillo cactus point the way.  Seriously, they do, that's the direction we had to go.

This is the view I had never seen before (even MORE mountains).

This is the view on the south side of the mountain.  That's downtown Phoenix in the distance, on the right.  This is not the top of the mountain.  It looked a bit too steep for me from here on up.  It's the coming down that scares me the most.  I was okay with not going to the top.  I was happy with where I was.  I made a new "turn around point".  I did more than I had before.  I did more than I thought I could. 

This is the the top. 

Not that much farther really.  I might go up that last bit someday.  I might not.  I don't really care.  It was a beautiful day, I was with Andrew Henry and I climbed higher than I ever had.  I'm good with that.

Coming up:  Things I love Thursday of course!