Doc was dressed in this outfit. Had I known this outing would turn out so well I would have taken my camera, but Doc almost chickened out when he saw how crowded it was. It seems everyone has fallen in love with the new fast transit. It was packed. He had to think it over after we passed up one. We got on the second one and enjoyed a different way to get to Tempe, our University of Arizona college town. My daughter Ronda graduated from there, and Raymond took classes and I went with him a number of times to plays so I am pretty familiar with Mill Avenue where we got off the transit. It would go on out to Mesa.
We walked leisurely down Mill Avenue. Doc got a little testy when I said I was getting hungry so soon. He never gets hungry, and I thought I might have to settle for a little sandwich. But then we came to a very nice Chinese restaurant with a lovely outdoor patio. By the way it was in the seventies here, read it and weep. I was very surprised when frugal Doc decided we should eat lunch there. I ordered a tofu and vegetarian dish called Buddha's Feast, and he even ordered tofu and broccoli, and his tofu turned out to be deep fried, absolutely delicious. The brown rice was wonderful The sauces they brought to our table tasty. I drank hot green tea and Doc had two glasses of beer, first brown beer I have seen.
And surprise surprise Doc tipped the waitress very generously. I love that in a man when I am with him, being an old waitress. Ours looked like a little college girl earning some extra money. I am sure she appreciated it. She brought us take home containers, too. I was not going to waste a single speck. My vegetables were varied, asparagus, pea pods full of peas, mush room, carrot, broccoli with steamed tofu, cooked to absolute crunchy perfection.
Doc wanted us to go to a tiny park in back of the buildings lining the street on Mill Avenue where he said he used to go when he was homeless. There was a water fountain and three giant sculptured Jack Rabbits! I had no idea they were there nor do I know why jack rabbits.
So we not only got a long walk but food jumping with vitamins. What could be better? And we took the ride home on the transit in relative content. Doc insisted I take home all the leftovers some of which I ate for supper. That is actually the best out to dinner date Doc has ever treated me with, in fact, it is probably the first and only one. It did cost him but he did not complain. He promised I would never hear about what he spent again!
