Back to Mesa...Again

What I miss least about Mesa: the summer temperatures!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Going to Mesa was not in my plans for yesterday, but here I am. The tenants in the house we inherited had not vacated the premises by Monday morning, as ordered by the judge, so that meant going back to the Valley to address the issue. Thankfully, that same evening I  was able to book three nights in the only available unit at the WorldMark resort in nearby Scottsdale (twenty minutes from the Mesa house), and I quickly packed for a six-day stay, hoping in the rush that I didn't forget anything I'd need.

The original plan for our entire family was to drive to Mesa tomorrow (Thursday), the day of Jacob's arrival. The kids and Mark had arranged to take Thursday and Friday off so we can all be there to greet Jacob and help him move in. Unfortunately, since they were all scheduled to work Tuesday and Wednesday, this early start of the trip was going to have to be made on my own, alone.

I left Lakeside at 6:00 Tuesday morning and arrived in Mesa at 8:45. My first stop was at the glass company I hired a week ago to fix the broken front window of the Mesa house by this Friday, but they still hadn't taken the measurements or ordered the glass for the job. I'm quite frustrated, since I hired them early enough to complete the job on time, but now that isn't going to happen. They're finally coming to take the measurements tomorrow afternoon, which means the window won't be replaced until sometime next week.

Next, I cruised by the Mesa house to see if it was still occupied. There were two vehicles parked in front and piles of stuff in the yard yet to be moved. From there, I drove straight to West Mesa Justice Court and filed for a Writ of Restitution. This eviction has been costly, about $300 so far. Today, the constable called and arranged to meet me at the house tomorrow afternoon, to force the eviction and return possession to me. I hope all the tenants will finally be gone by then so no "force" will be needed.

May 29, 2018: Signs of occupancy still there on Tuesday morning.

Once court was taken care of, I went to Bass Pro Shop to find an adapter for my electric ice chest. Instead, I left the store with two new shirts I really liked. Then I went to lunch at Carl's Jr. for my beloved Super Star lettuce wrap. It was 11:00 by that time, five hours since I'd eaten breakfast before leaving home.

Right about that time, Mark's aunt called me, in a tizzy, exclaiming, "You need to do something!" Oh no, more drama. It seems that the twenty-something son of one of the tenants had decided he was not going to move out of the house with the others, and no one could make him. In his mind, it was his house, not ours, so he was refusing to leave. I told Wilma not to worry. I had no intention of engaging this young man. If he was still there when the constable showed up, he would be removed.

Somehow, the facts got distorted and the young man's mother (the original tenant) was told that I'd threatened to "call the cops on him," which upset her. Angrily, she told Wilma she was coming to get him and make him leave. I hope she was successful. My fondest wish is that the house will be empty tomorrow and this will all be over. While I have no problem with standing up for myself, I do try to remain rational and avoid the drama whenever possible. It stresses me out too much!

However, the young man's behavior does explain why the front window didn't get measured and ordered last week. The glass techs showed up on Thursday, but they were turned away by a young man who assured them, "There's no broken window here." Guess who? Even last week he was doing his best to sabotage us! (Nonetheless, once the plot was discovered, the glass company should have made an extra effort to get this matter taken care of on time.) 

The rest of the tenants (five adults altogether) claim to be moved out, although no one has turned over the house keys yet. They legally return possession to me, as the court ordered, when the keys are in my hands. I hope the transition goes smoothly tomorrow.

My parents' Mesa home from March 1980 to May 1990.

The little trees my dad planted 38 years ago are now huge!

Check-in time at the Scottsdale resort is 3:00, so after handling the court matter yesterday, I still had a few hours to fill and nowhere to just hang out. Yesterday's temperature hit 103 degrees before 1:00, limiting my options, since I had food in my ice-less ice chest that I didn't want baking in the back of my car too long with the engine turned off. The chest keeps food cool by using the car's battery.

Then it occurred to me that it had been many years since I revisited the places in Mesa that were once meaningful to me. So I started out with a drive-by "shooting" (via camera) of the house my parents, siblings, and I once lived in. LeRoy, Karla, Jeff, Darryl, and I were all still single when our family relocated from Yorba Linda, California, to Mesa, Arizona, in early March 1980. I lived in that house for nine years, until June 1989, when Mark and I got married. My parents sold the house and temporarily moved to Utah almost a year later.

The church in Mesa where our family attended 39th Ward.

From there, I moved on to other personal points of interest throughout the town, such as the LDS stake building where our family attended church and served in various callings.

Westwood High School, where I taught for nine years.

And the high school where I worked as an instructional aide from August 1980 to January 1989, and then returned to do my student teaching during the spring 1990 semester. Some may wonder why I sometimes say I was a teacher for 27 years and other times that I've been an educator for 37 years. This is why. I was a certificated teacher at Blue Ridge High School in Lakeside for 27 years; however, prior to my graduation from ASU I was part of the educational team at Westwood High in Mesa, delivering direct instruction to students on a daily basis. In fact, it was those experiences that inspired me to return to college in 1985 and earn my teaching degree.

The credit union where I cashed my paychecks.

The credit union on the corner near our house was well-known to me, back in the days before I discovered direct deposit. I remember waiting in a long line after school every other Friday.

The LDS temple in Mesa, where I served as an ordinance worker.

One of my most precious memories was serving as an ordinance worker in the Mesa temple, from November 1983 to December 1985. After my first college semester, I reluctantly had to ask for a release. Working full time and taking a full load of classes was overwhelming, but I can truly say: Best two years of my life!

Now, sadly, the temple is surrounded by opaque green fencing, closed to both the public and members while it undergoes a major renovation project until 2020. It was built in 1927, 91 years ago, so I guess it's time for an overhaul.

Mesa General Hospital, where Sarah was born, is now abandoned.

I was stunned when I drove up to Mesa General Hospital, where Sarah was born in October 1989, to find only an empty shell. I had no idea the hospital had closed, exactly ten years ago this month, in May 2008. Due to difficulties during her birth, Sarah spent her first seven days in the hospital, and I spent six days there. The only thing that made it bearable to leave one day early, without my new baby in my arms, was the fact that our little apartment was, literally, right across a side street from the obstetrics wing! I walked back later that night to feed her.

I did cruise past that old, one-bedroom apartment at 444 N. LeSueur, where the living room was Sarah's nursery, but I came away without a photo. It was once a cute little place, but yesterday there were so many trashy cars parked on the road and so much piled garbage (like broken furniture) around all the buildings, that I couldn't even get a clear shot. And I was not getting out of the car! As I drove around the corner and passed the parking area, two men dressed in totally stereotypical drug-dealer/gangster-style clothes and blingy jewelry, lounging in the doors of their very expensive black cars, gave me a suspicious stare as I rolled by. I had the distinct impression I'd just interrupted something shady, so I didn't dare to show my camera! I wonder if losing the hospital precipitated the once-nice neighborhood's decline into slum-ness.

The light rail dissects Mesa's Main Street.

In some ways, Mesa has changed very little. It still has more of a small-town feel than the larger metro areas like Phoenix. It continues to be unusually well-kept for a town of its size. Yet, in other ways, there have been major changes. For instance, the Valley Metro Light Rail has taken over most of Main Street, and the downtown area surrounding it has largely been renovated. Most of it is quite nice these days.

The entrance to WorldMark Scottsdale.

When I completed my little tour, which lasted for more than an hour, I went over to visit with Mark's Aunt Wilma and her daughter, Mark's cousin Maryhelen. I spent about an hour with them yesterday before giving up on hearing from the glass company or the constable. Then it was time to check in at the resort.

The one-bedroom "suite" has just a small kitchenette.

I left the Mesa house at 2:15, and twenty minutes later I was in the lobby of the resort, getting myself checked in. The Scottsdale property is one of WorldMark's newer resorts, so I'd never been there before. It's quite nice. At this time, they only offer studios and one-bedroom units, although they are gearing up to add buildings offering larger units.

I never did use this little cook-top.

I was lucky to get into the resort at all. There are usually no units left to reserve when you try to get one the night before check-in. So I was blessed that they had just one one-bedroom "suite" left in their inventory. The suites are smaller and do not have a full  kitchen. The website stated that there would be only a mini-fridge and microwave, but I found that there was much more. Not only was there a two-burner cook-top, but the cupboards were filled with the spices and plates and cups and other amenities we enjoy in our usual WorldMark accommodations. Really, the biggest bummer was no dishwasher and no disposal, but hardly "roughing it."

The bedroom was full-size with the usual king-size bed.

Once I got everything hauled up the stairs to the suite, I got my stuff unloaded and put away before going to dinner at a nearby Chipotle's Mexican Grill, where I enjoyed a very large steak burrito. Then, exhausted from my early start (I'd been up since 3:50 a.m.) and the drama-induced emotional fatigue, I fell into the cushy bed and slept like a log until 6:45 this morning.

The bathroom was huge, with a shower...

I didn't request the "special needs" version of the suite, but that's what I got. You can see how spacious this bathroom is. I love it when that happens. These units have so much more space for wheelchairs and other equipment, it makes it very comfortable and roomy for everyone.

...and with a tub, too!

Today was much less busy than yesterday. In fact, I barely left the condo. In the morning, I attended an "informational presentation," which they always say isn't going to include a sales pitch, but always does. Although I will say that this time they didn't apply the pressure they have in the past, so it lasted thirty minutes instead of the usual two hours. (Really, how long does it take to say "No!") In return, they gave me a $100 American Express card. That was worth thirty minutes of my day!

A little balcony opens off the bedroom.

I made myself some deviled eggs for breakfast, using the boiled eggs and a jar of mayonnaise I brought from home yesterday. For lunch I had the leftover chips con queso from Chipotle's, plus a juicy, cold pickle and a bunch of strawberries. Fruit always sounds great when the weather is hot.

The view from my balcony.

The only other time I left today was to take myself out to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, a buffet that serves mostly salads and soups. It was good, but probably won't make my top twenty list.

My door at the top of the stairs.

The highlights of my day were the phone calls. Jacob called to tell me he'd arrived safely in Flagstaff. Mark called to see how things were going. I spoke to Wilma, who has been such a great help and is working on getting those house keys for me. And it was a thrill to hear from both the constable and the glass company today. It finally feels like things are moving forward.

Looking down the stairs from my front door.

Fortunately, I've never minded being alone or doing things by myself. I learned to be self-reliant during all those years as a single woman, before I finally got married at age thirty-four. I love being with my family and try to savor every moment when we're together, but I'm also able to cherish my alone time. However, I really did miss them desperately when I was hauling my suitcase and bags and ice chest up the stairs to my suite in the afternoon heat yesterday!

I brought fruit from home, because fruit is always good in hot weather!

So now I'm enjoying my last quiet night alone before my family rejoins me tomorrow. Jacob is safe in his Flagstaff hotel and will resume the final leg of his journey in the morning. Sarah, Dylan, Jake, and Mark will drive down from Lakeside in the morning. I expect we'll all be reunited by around noon.

Hopefully everything else will go smoothly, from the constable's arrival at the house to the glass company finally getting our window glass ordered. After that, life will get real busy as we roll up our sleeves and start taking back the house we love, filled with so many family memories!

The back side of Camelback Mountain, as seen from the resort tonight.

May 30, 2018