MILLIE'S PANCAKE HAUS - TUCSON, AZ

I've eaten here quite a few times for brunch. They have always been a breakfast and lunch place only but that changed in December. Now they are open till 9pm for dinner on friday, saturday and sunday evenings. So we thought we'd give it a try.

They are near Pima and Tanque Verde right across the street from the miniature golf course.

We were the only diners till about 1/2 way through our meal and then another couple came in. I heard the waitress tell them that they were only the 3rd dinner people all evening but the Thursday before, they were very crowded.

We shared cabbage rolls and stuffed mushrooms though we wanted the pork loin sandwich which they ran out of. The mushrooms were pretty good; a tad too much stringy cheese on top but the herbed bread stuffing was really tasty.

And the cabbage rolls were excellent. I only ate the meat filling because my belly was still recovering - at this time the bloat was down to a 5 month pregnant size and not quite so taut with pain - from a bowl of charro beans the night before. They came with au gratin potatoes and steamed veggies which were over cooked. The dinner also came with a salad which was really big with cucumbers and carrots and red cabbage and tomatoes. We had the creamy garlic dressing which was delicious.

Millie's bakes their own bread and we got 2 slices of that. Its  good and brought back memories of all the loafs of wonderful bread Bill made pre-road trip. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

WILD

I liked this movie way more than i thought i would. I was prejudiced against it because she didn't complete the PCT and i didn't particularly care for her in my attempts to read the book. But Reese Witherspoon was very very good in this role.

The film is the story of Cheryl who decides to go on a long distance backpacking trip to get "her head together" and recover from her continuing grief over the death of her mother (Laura Dern) and a foray into heroin and an unwanted pregnancy and promiscuity and a divorce after 7 years of marriage.

The best parts were the trail segments which fortunately was the bulk of the movie. It really portrayed all the joys and pains and inconveniences of the trail; was a very accurate picture. and the scenery was amazing both the mountains and canyons but also the meadows and the continual rain in the Mt. Hood National Forest. And her encounters with other hikers or people along the trail was done extremely well.  The only jarring note in this was the blatant REI plug; not a subtle mention, not a passing glimpse of the  REI box which contained her new boots but something you would hear if you were watching an actual commercial.

I couldn't emotionally connect with her past angst and sorrow because the flashbacks were done in such a speed of light MTV fashion. Nothing was dwelled on for very long.

And the ending, naturally, was the completion of her trip at the Bridge of the Gods from Oregon to Washington. The last shot was Cheryl (Witherspoon) standing on the bridge mouthing psychological pop phrases of recovery and growth and enlightenment. I had trouble understanding just HOW all this hiking led to these insights.

However, in spite of all these bitches, it was a highly enjoyable and entertaining movie. Bill gave it an 8 and I gave it a 7. an 8.5 for the hiking sequences.

RINCON MARKET - TUCSON, AZ

This place is a combo of a small market, a deli, a hot food and breakfast cafeteria, a killer salad bar, a beer and wine bar,  and a homemade ice cream by Isabella section.

There are lots of tables scattered in 2 places and loads more on their long patio. What's neat about either sitting outside or just walking to the market is having to pass absolutely beautiful hanging flower baskets and huge pots and planters. I don't know who designs these blooms but they are incredibly breathtakingly gorgeous.

We were here for a lunch and wanted a salad. I tried to be careful and not put a lot of heavy stuff on my plate because you pay by the weight but it was hard to pass up all the delightful additives in addition to spinach, iceberg lettuce, spring mix, kale, butterball, etc. There was also lots of different types of salad dressings and toppers and there was also chicken to add and tofu and besides all the veggies and fruits  to pile on top of your lettuce base; there was potato salad and coleslaw and orzo and lentil salad and 4 bean salad and tortellini and macaroni salad, on and on and on.

and EVERYTHING was unimaginably fresh. so much so that we almost didn't mind paying $16 for our lunch.