Beard Be Gone

JWise Photo of the Day

Caroline Wise, Sonal Patel, and John Wise in Pheonix, Arizona July 18, 2008

Every 10 years curiosity grabs hold of me and I wonder what my face looks like under the beard and so it was upon coming home this evening that I reached for the beard trimmer and a razor and cut the hair from my face. NO – I do not like seeing myself this way. Something is missing. I feel as though I look like everyone else. Worse, it feels like a stranger is looking back at me from the mirror. This week will have been the last time before 2018 that I will shave. A great aspect of not shaving is the freedom from taking a razor-sharp piece of cold steel to my throat every day and scraping my face raw. I love my beard. Long live the beard.

Okra Flower

JWise Photo of the Day

The flower of the okra plant

I was briefly out on the farm this morning but lack of sleep and a holdover headache from the night before had me leaving early. Prior to making the long drive back to Phoenix, I was talking with Rob and Jerry who were digging up sweet potatoes next to the okra when I realized that okra flowers. While not a big deal, it is something I hadn’t known. It’s nice to be easily entertained by nature.

Khushbu

JWise Photo of the Day

Kushbu Patel, expectant mom and friend

This is mom-to-be Khushbu Patel, at her baby shower, we attended last night. Khushbu and her husband Saurin had invited us some years ago to their engagement and now here we were already going to their baby shower. The friends we have made in the Indian community and how they welcome Caroline and me stand out as an absolute high point in our lives here in Phoenix, Arizona.

Baby Shower

JWise Photo of the Day

Rinku Shah and Caroline Wise at Kushbu's baby shower in Phoenix, Arizona

This evening Caroline and I got dressed up to attend Khushbu and Saurin Patel’s baby shower. An Indian baby shower is not your average American shower mind you, this one had nearly 200 guests in attendance, was catered, and had live music until almost 1:00 in the morning. We only stayed until 10:00 pm since I was beat after getting up at 4:00 am to help open the farm stand out in Tonopah, but in the short few hours we were there we had a lot of fun. If you are wondering if that is Khushbu in the picture with Caroline: no it is not, this is our friend Rinku Shah. Kushbu was so busy greeting guests, giving a speech, handing out gifts, and leading dances that we never got the opportunity to get a nice photo of Caroline with Kushbu, so good old Rinku will have to do.

50/50

JWise Photo of the Day

Sunset over the White Tank mountains west of Phoenix, Arizona

Does this look like the sky from a weather report that says we have a 50/50 chance of monsoon storms? Not a chance. Today was a beautiful day, though, a bit humid, but under 100 degrees. Some heavy clouds drifted by throughout the earlier part of the day. At one point, off in the distance, rain could be seen falling to earth. By late afternoon it was clear that we wouldn’t have a storm in the evening anyway. Lightning was visible in the thunderheads down south; maybe we’ll be graced by another storm later tonight.

March of the Monsoon

JWise Photo of the Day

Monsoon storm approaching out of the north heading for Phoenix, Arizona

Approaching from the north, a monsoon moves towards Phoenix, Arizona. Late in the afternoon, the winds kicked up from the south and the clouds began to thicken and cover the sky. Long before the rain was seen, it was smelled. It took a few more hours before we would be hit by a ferocious downpour, followed by a spectacular lightning display that spidered and arched across the skies, illuminating the night for what seemed to be seconds at a time instead of the usual quick bolt, flash, and thunderous roar.