Monday, September 17, 2007

Welcome to my Neighborhood!!!


Kathleen is hosting this feature today and I'm so excited to see everyone's neighborhoods. I almost didn't make it in time to post, I had two cysts aspirated from my left wrist this morning so I'm typing kind of slow and in pain. I didn't want to miss out though, so here I am :)

To see more neighborhoods, head on over to Kathleen's blog.

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Welcome to LUKE AFB in Glendale, Arizona

Well come on in to my house, I have some Honey Lemon Tea and some blender pie fresh out of the oven for you.


As you all know we've moved here just two months ago so we don't really know anyone or anything.

We're a military family and we live on a base in Glendale, Arizona. Just like many other military bases it's a place where you feel a true sense of family and community, you're safe inside the gates, your children play outside until late and you sometimes feel like you live in a different world.

As the U.S. Air Force’s largest fighter wing and the only active duty F-16 training base in the world, Luke Air Force Base plays a critical role in protecting America’s freedom and security. And with over 8,000 employees and a financial impact of nearly $2 billion annually, Luke Air Force Base is key to the state of Arizona’s economic viability.

The base is separated into two sections, the housing, commissary and school etc on one side and then across the road, and through another gate, you have the actual working part of the base, the squadrons and post office, library etc.

As always with military bases, there's construction going on, they're always trying to update housing areas and so we moved in and that same week we had demolition going on across the street.

The houses on the right side, behind that black fencing, have all been torn down.

Huge Palm Tree in my front yard.....the roads here are full of palm trees, which I found so weird being that it's Arizona and so dry, it's funny seeing cactus and palm trees all together LOL


My house is in front of the white truck, and down the street you can see the school.


Now if you go out the housing gate and through the other one, you are on the "working" side of the base. This is where all the squadrons, flightline etc is located.



Surrounding the base you can find Sonic, McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and a couple other food places and then if you drive in either direction away from the base, you find all the bigger stores, Target and Walmart, Kohls, Shopping Malls etc.

Glendale is also home to the Phoenix Cardinal Stadium which is just 5 minutes from where we live.



There's the Historic Downtown Glendale which is littered with Antique stores enough to drive you crazy.....



Now if you like sight seeing, then you may want to go check out the Historic Sahuaro Ranch, it's only about 5 minutes from us....This park is unique with it's historic ranch buildings and its recreational park areas. Visitors can picnic, play on the playgrounds, visit with chickens, view peacocks, explore the old ranch grounds or play a ball game.

If you're a bookaholic like I AM, then you may want to check out the Glendale Public Library, it's HUGE. Seriously, it's like stepping into a Barnes and Noble or Borders, they even have their books set up on shelves like them. They also have a big Booksale section where you can pick up tons of books for as little as 25c.

If you're looking for some family fun, then the best place to head to is the Rawhide Steakhouse and Western Town, if you're brave enough you can even try Rattlesnake for lunch. I can't claim that honor because I ate it without knowing what it was LMAO




There's plenty of Ghost Towns around to visit too and then there's the wonderful Phoenix Zoo and Wildlife Zoo etc. Lots to do in this town!!!

Thanks for dropping by, I hope you enjoyed the tour. God Bless!!

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your tour in the southwest. Oh and thank you so much for the wonderful treat to begin with! :)
Blessings on your new neighborhood!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your tour. and the pie was yummy!
and I hope your pain goes away.
have a good monday.
hugs tasha

Jen said...

I always feel at home when visiting you....I loved your tour. I need to try the blender pie!

Ms. Kathleen said...

I grew up on an Air Base in So Cal so this really made me homesick. I LOVED the desert (it was my playground for six years), loved the palm trees... This is just so awesome! I so enjoyed this visit.

Thank you for participating in my Welcome to My Neighborhood. God Bless You!

Barb said...

Wow, Sandra. For someone who's only lived there two months, you've done a great job of sharing your new neighborhood with us.

You know, my husband was born in Utah but when he was about 10, his family relocated to Scottsdale. And he basically grew up there, so when he and I first married, he took me to Arizona.

I, too, was amazed at the cactus/palm tree combination. LOL

You wouldn't think it would work, but it does and I've always thought Arizona was just a beautiful place to live.

I admire you if you can conquer the heat, but it's still a really beautiful "neighborhood."

Dawn said...

It was fun to see your new home - I've never really visited a base before - well, when I was a teen I babysat at Offutt AFB in Omaha, but I didn't get out and about much!

Thanks for joining in - and for visiting my neighborhood.

The pie looks wonderful! How about a recipe??

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

You live out close to my brother and sister in law!! We have been out there several times of course!! From one Sandra to the other...thanks for the great tour of your home!!
Sandy

La Dolce Vita with LeAnn said...

The blender pie was so delicious, I do hope you will be posting the recipe sometime soon. Thanks for the tour, I live very close to the Military Base in Utah, we do have an F-16 Fighter Wing on our base as well. Stop by and say hello when you are in the neighborhood.

Susan said...

A very nice tour. Thanks for sharing with us.

Tammy said...

Loved the tour! My husband is ex-military and I've seen some bases in my time, but actually we never lived as a married couple on one. We always lived off base. But I remember all those hundreds of times he was on duty and I'd have to pass through the gate with my ID to have dinner with him on his ship! Ahh, memories! ;)

That pie looks scrumptious!

Anonymous said...

hi sandra,
i sent you a email...

Sue Seibert said...

Wow, looks like you've gotten to know your new neighborhood pretty well in two months. Thanks for the tour...and blessings to you and your family. Thanks for what you are doing for the rest of us!

Michelle said...

military bases all look the same don't they!? LOL or maybe it looks the same to me since I'm at a desert base too :)

Amanda said...

WOW! I enjoyed the tour of your neighborhood. It sounds great to be able to leave your kids outside to play till late.

Hyperactive Lu said...

So neat to see your town! :) Downtown looks so nice!

FarmHouse Style said...

Honey Lemon Tea sounds divine! I'll be right over. :-)
Thanks for sharing your neighborhood. It looks like there are lots of things to explore and do in your new town.
Hope to meet up with you again soon.
Rhonda

Susanne said...

Those palm trees are just amazing and beautiful! That's so nice for your kids that the school is just down the street!

gail@more than a song said...

Very nice! Looks like y'all have found some good places to see around there.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Thank you for the tour of Glendale. I haven't been to Arizona and most years one of my Uncle and Aunts usual goes down to Yuma for a brief stay.
But my Uncle just finish his cancer treatment and I don't know if they'll be going this winter.

The closes Air force base to us is "Fairchild" just outside of Spokane Washington.

Unknown said...

It looks like you are settling in nicely and getting to know your new neighborhood.

I think your temperatures are just as bad as ours are. But ... like they say, "it's a dry heat". Ha! My husband was in AZ a few weeks ago and he said this, "115 degrees at 9 p.m. is still 115 degrees at 9 p.m."

I'd have a hard time with that. But I do love all that you have to see and do. I'll go that air conditioned library with you any day :)

Susie Q said...

I loved seeing your neighborhood! I really enjoyed seeing all the different places and showing off my little neck of the woods!

We were military for 27 years...Bill retired from the Navy 2 years ago and still works at WPAFB as a contractor.
We were stationed on many AF bases too...have been to yous awhile ago!

I will be back to visit from time to time...come visit me when you can!

It was nice to *meet* you!

Hugs,
Sue

Mari said...

Great tour of the neighborhood. It's beautiful!

Donetta said...

Were are sorta neighbors, I am in Mesa.

Courtney said...

What a beautiful neighborhood 7 seems like so much to do. Can I come visit? LOL!

Unknown said...

I know you are not fond of the heat but my husband & I both love the west & esp. utah, arizona & all those States that are warm. I have never been on a Military base before so thanks for the tour...

Anonymous said...

My husband and I were in the Air Force, too, so I totally identified with your comments about the safe feeling you have on-base. I loved feeling safe in my neighborhood at all times. I also loved the sense of family with everyone. We miss that! Thanks for the tour, and for the memories!

Robin said...

Great tour. And thank you to you and your family for your service to our country. I hope Arizona will seem like home to you soon!
I just posted my tour - I hope you can come and visit.

Overwhelmed! said...

Ah, so that's where you live! I enjoyed your picture tour. Thanks for sharing! :)

My “Welcome to My Neighborhood” post is right here.

Renee said...

Loved the tour! Hope your feeling better.