I did a little meandering today. Not quite an early start, but I headed out around noon. Picked up some sushi and a couple cans of cider at AJ's. I did an aimless drift kind of drive after that. Caught a highway north, then west, then cut off at a random exit. There are some nice mountains, but they're the same mountains I've seen for years. Lovely, but nothing special. (And a little hazier than usual today, anyway.)

I made a turn and suddenly realized I was still thickly in the 'burbs, because there before me stood a massive shopping complex. Lowe's, Panda Express, Circuit City. They had a Cost Plus so I popped in to check, and lo and behold... they had British Marmite! It's a teeny tiny jar, but that's okay. They also had a slew of Vegemite, so I now have a readily available supply and can quit worrying that I'll run out.

After a few more random direction shifts, I aimed back toward town. I stopped into the camera shop on the way and drooled at a 50mm macro lens. The price was not even slightly competitive, which kills me. I'd rather support independent, local retailers... but should I pay $40 more to do so? Maybe. Except when the stodgy old salesman gives me a, “Hello there, young child. You've lost your mummy, haven't you?” vibe. (Stop projecting your insecurities onto salespeople, Adam.) (Okay.)

Ramble-ramble-ramble. My last stop was at Steele Indian School Park. I've drifted into the park before to check it out, and it looked cool but I was never in the mood to actually lay about. Equipped with the new telephoto lens, I decided this time to take a slow walk around the main areas and see what I could see.

And I saw that I love my new lens! Not only can I frame shots more easily, I can capture photos of unwitting victims citizens from afar. On top of getting a few shots I really like, I discovered the rather obvious fact that the historical buildings within Steele Indian School Park are the original Indian School. If you live in Arizona and didn't grow up here, you probably thought the street name, “Indian School,” was a bit odd. But then you heard about Hohokam Expressway and Squaw Peak Highway- and suddenly, Indian School Road sounded completely normal.

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