The Alberta Roamers' annual visit to the wonderful Organ Stop Pizza was very enjoyable. The huge wurlitzer and its symphonic stops delighted and thrilled all the listeners; the pizza, although quite good, is secondary to the wonderful sounds of this beautifully restored instrument. Organ Stop's Mighty Wurlitzer is one of the largest and finest theatre organs in the world today. Its nearly 6000 pipes, numerous percussions, and countless traps are masterfully presented by The Musical Staff who are world class musicians.
Two tours were planned and we chose the one to the Queen Creek Olive Mill. Twenty-five acres of olive trees produce and sustain an olive oil business, just outside Mesa AZ. The olive fruit ripens and is harvested in November and December; cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is produced within a few hours of picking. The Queen Creek Olive Mill is a family owned company that grows and presses olives for the production of high quality extra virgin olive oil from farm to table. The farming practices and the products offered exemplify dedication to the environment by using solar and no pesticides. Queen Creek is the only olive mill in Arizona. An interesting tour! Because we now know how black olives become "black", we will not eat another!
As usual, the sunsets at Usery Mountain Recreational Park in Mesa are gorgeous. Does this remind you of the Arizona licence plate? Peace and quiet, wonderful friends, terrific food (we Roamers love to eat and eat well, we do), fun geo-caching and hiking, lots of crafts, a competitive baseball game (Bill scored the tie-breaker, a homerun, but it was Spring training!) and sharing stories by the campfire, made for a wonderful week. Bill and I have volunteered to help organize the rally for 2012. Fun!
