sophisticated buckaroos

Oh, and it continues, blogettes! Don't underestimate my family and our vacations ;). After horseback riding, we dropped off my brother at ASU for an overnight (read: to party) with a neighbor of ours who is currently a junior, and headed down to Old Scottsdale.

Old Scottsdale is adorable and quaint, and was most definitely created with tourists in mind. We explored for a bit and looked through the galleries before meeting my great aunt and her husband for a classic must-see, the Rusty Spur, one of the last real cowboy saloons.

Please note that my g-aunt is in her seventies... and they're both, obviously, awesome.

It was hardly dinner time, but it was happy hour, so we ordered a platter of nachos and another of crudités. I know a bar is not the first place you'd think of in search of vegetables, but no lie, these were some of the freshest I've ever had, especially the celery. Did you know it was possible to really love celery on it's own? Aw, I didn't used to think so either :).

Here are some of our drinks, (my dad's, my own, my mom's and my sister's,) from left to right. Not pictured are the classy glass glasses of wine that my g-aunt had and the Coors for my g-uncle.

"If it tastes good... it is trying to kill you!" Would you agree? I guess it all depends on what you like!

Afterwards, we went in search for a place worth of Deanna's birthday dinner. But , on our way there, we passed a horse lying in the middle of the street, unable to get up. They have horse buggies trotting around the square and this one had fallen. Watching the poor animal, I felt scared and humbled... and then, finally, I felt a wave of relief as it got its footing and was led slowly back to its stable. The crowd dissipated and we quietly continued on soon after.

Where we ended up, was Bravo Bistro. What did I think of it? Well, let's see, instead of bread and butter we were served hummus and flat bread. I was immediately and quite deliciously sold. And while I dominated the first food on our table, the Scottsdale locals ( my g-aunt/uncle) began to tell us all about their upcoming trip to Italy. They are going to Rome in April, having been in the Tuscany region just last year.

Funny how that is, I was there around that time as well. With our travels as my inspiration, I settled on a bottle of a Tuscan Chianti to drink with my meal. Oh and I shared, don't worry :).

My sister was in pasta heaven, but with our previous snacks and my devotion to our complimentary appetizer (look above), I just had a bowl of lentil soup and large house salad.

Hope you enjoyed Deanna's birthday as much as we did! The AZ recap wraps tomorrow, which means we've got destination reality coming up quickly. Take care, everyone!

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family."  -Anthony Brandt