hooping in phoenix

in a park i was riding through i found a couple of women hooping. it was a regular class led by one of them. i sat for a while observing them and then went and introduced myself. i was told i could hang out and play with a hoop if i liked. i did and found some pleasure in it. this time i noticed how the hoop massages the body. feels so nice. there are not many ways to work out and get a massage at the same time.
they were listening to some nice music from a device, but i took over for a while with the mbira at the end of the session. i think it makes great hooping music. they enjoyed it and one of them tried playing while hooping. it is possible!

when i went to use the public restroom in old town scottsdale i met a guy outside of it who spoke with me for a while. his name is salvador martinez and he prays every morning and evening for everyone, good and bad people alike. he says we are coming into a particularly dangerous time and we need those prayers.

a little farther along, right near the civic center library, i found a little vegetable garden! the first plant i noticed was the red chard, with it's deep red stems and shiny leaves. while i was hanging out there i corrected a couple of folks who misidentified it as rhubarb. there was also a beautiful center piece of italian parsley! i didn't have much for lunch, so i was grateful for this sustenance. i noticed a lot of other folks taking note of this unusual sight in public space. redical!
one of my missions today was to find a community garden in phoenix! i have not been able to find info online about any major projects. cool to just come accross this one, and basically right where i was dropped off by my rideshare!

this gaudy sculpture is right accross from the garden. love indeed. it is all we need.