Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Awesome

Another overused word - but "awesome" is the only word that appropriately describes the Grand Canyon. As many times as we've seen it, the Canyon never fails to inspire awe - perhaps expressed best by listening to tourists from all over the world as they approach the rim - the collective gasps and "wows" in many languages say it all... not to mention the two little Japanese ladies who were singing to the Canyon, complete with dramatic hand gestures.

We reminisced a bit about our Grand Canyon hike with Todd & Bonnie - we walked down unmaintained trails to the bottom of the canyon - with Dick wearing Hush Puppies(!) Then we slept a dreamless sleep on the warm rocks beside the mighty Colorado... with the help of the bottle of cognac we had schlepped down with us. Those were the days...

Our stop at the Canyon took a little longer than we anticipated (although well worth it) and then our drive across the Navajo Nation to Durango took waaaaaay longer than we thought it would - but it has to be one of the most amazing drives on earth. Every shade of purple, green, yellow, orange, red and pink, against the blue blue sky... sometimes it looks like a moonscape of rippled dunes, sometimes a pinnacle standing alone on the desert - then there's Ship Rock (looks just like a ship!) and other wind sculptures that are mind blowing in their complexity - topped by a precariously balanced rock. The names of the towns evoke memories as well as some giggles... Cameron, Tuba City, Kayenta, Mexican Water - we even saw what we termed the Jewish Steak House - Yippee Kai Ai Oi...

In Durango today with Ben and Birgitta - hopefully some horseback riding ahead!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sunday at the Vortex

I'm not sure about Sedona's reputation as a "power spot", but this picturesque place sure provided some big fun for our family on Sunday!

On Saturday, we watched Logan's Little League Game wearing four layers of clothing and bundled in three blankets that my compassionate niece Danika provided... cold temperatures and freezing winds just about did us in, but we hung in there 'til the end. Unfortunately, L's team lost, but it was fun to see the kids gain confidence and perform better as the game went on - plus, he had the biggest cheering section - there were 8 of us (counting family and friends) rooting on the Dodgers!

However, we needed some thawing out on Sunday, and Sedona provided the perfect opportunity. Basking in the sun, under the protective gaze of the super-charged rocks, we warmed ourselves to the bone. And then, of course, ate ice cream in Sedona before the drive back to Flagstaff through Oak Creek Canyon - green poplars, silver sycamores and the burbling creek below the old stone resorts.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Bummer...

Lesson learned: never follow a major truck down the freeway - because you can't see what's ahead of the truck... as in a huge blown truck tire that we hit on I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix... tore the spoiler off poor Mini and did some damage to her compressor, radiator and undercarriage as well. The good news? It was driveable and we were within an hour of the only Mini dealership in Arizona. The folks at Mini of Scottsdale were incredible - our rep, Devin, handled the damages and the insurance company (we don't want to talk about them) with aplomb and had us on our way by Friday.

Meanwhile, we drove our rental car to Tempe and spent the evening with our friend Roni, who is a culinary school graduate - served us luscious tapas and wine... with every sip, bite and bit of conversation, the hassles of the day disappeared. We missed her husband, Rob, who is (I hope I get this right) the Executive Director of the Sustainability Institute at ASU and was traveling on a politically important trip... and Roni was on her way to (where else?) Miami Beach to enjoy a reunion with college friends.

An uneventful drive to Flagstaff and we're here at my brother's enjoying Wii and Little League games... more to come.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Wild Wild West!

Three days in funky and wonderful Bisbee, Arizona with our friends Jim and Sara, plus their dogs Omar, Lucky Mo, Dylan Thomas and a visiting pug named Maude. I remember Bisbee from my college days in Tucson as an historic Phelps Dodge mining town... but was mostly interested in the bars in those days (!) In my mellower old age, I'm loving the gingerbread houses climbing the hills, the local artists, the local characters and the incredibly beautiful "sky islands" in the Chiricahua National Forest.

What a great community - town tennis courts are never locked, there's a minor league baseball field, 4th of July fireworks and a soap box derby, and miles and miles of hiking trails through high desert, mountains, and lush forests. Last night we were going to drive a few miles to Mexico for dinner, but chickened out when Jim mentioned that there had been a gun battle in front of the restaurant a while back... visited the old Gadsen Hotel in Douglas where there's still a crack in the stairs from the time Pancho Villa rode his horse up to his room - that was wild enough for us.

Once again, so sad to leave our friends... after all these years, it's as if we've never been apart. Jim and Sara always share warm hearts, plenty of conversation (both silly and serious), great food, fun hikes and at least 3 loving doggies...

Saturday, April 18, 2009

New Mexico Dreamin'

Drove the high road from Taos to Santa Fe today... and on to Socorro. Images of New Mexico will stay with us...

* Handsome young Pueblo man, shining black ponytail, obsidian eyes, silver hatband on his black hat, leaning back on his heels in his bootcut jeans, talking on a cell phone in Taos Plaza

* The cook at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House who found yak roasts to serve visiting Tibetan monks... because her neighbor outside Taos grazes yaks in his pastures

* The little brown church at Sanctuario de Chimayo, where handicapped, injured or ill pilgrims use the dirt from the river bottom to heal themselves

* Panoramic views from the High Road - tall mountains shrouded in white snow, foothills in the middle distance, soft pink and dotted with sage, green fields where black horses graze. Reminds me of my mother's favorite Navajo prayer...

It is beautiful above me
It is beautiful below me
It is beautiful beside me
It is beautiful outside
It is beautiful inside
It is beautiful all around me

Friday, April 17, 2009

White on White

I opened the curtains this morning and actually said "Yikes!" (Yes, Nick - I said "Yikes!"...) because the scenery was completely white... sagebrush, mountains, roads, cars, buildings. What a wonderful world!

Did our best to play tourist today in spite of the snow - loved a visit to the Mabel Dodge Luhan House - the Casa de Gallo - such a gracious and graceful spot. People in Taos are so genuinely kind; everyone drives very slowly (even when it's not snowing) and they stop to let each other go first - and owners in the galleries always say "welcome" and "thanks for stopping in" even when they know you couldn't possibly afford their fabulous but costly art. I had a long chat with the cook at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House - and after an offer of tea and scones we were pretty much left alone to wander about this monument to the counterculture. Stieglitz and O'Keefe, DH Lawrence and Frieda, plus John Reed and other leftwing politicos used to come for conversation with Mabel - Dennis Hopper even owned the house in the '70's for a while.

Sitting in front of the fire, coffee in hand (spiked with some good Appleton rum), weightless clumps of snow melting and drifting down off the trees like feathers... what a wonderful world!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a dream...

...but today is Dick's birthday! So we've had a rip-roaring day so far, with more to come, I'm sure. We started the day with a visit to the Cadillac Ranch - ten Cadillacs buried grill-down in the Texas plains, installed by an artist's collective called the Ant Farm back in 1974... a great example of folk art at its best. While viewing the Cadillacs, we ran into a darling young girl named Britanny, who is touring the US with her mother promoting hugs! What a trip - after answering an interview question about our most meaningful hugs, we hugged and went on our way. Very sweet - and a great birthday treat.

As we left Amarillo, we passed Dumas, Texas - origin of that great country song "I'm a Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas" - the title of which never failed to crack up my own dear old Dad...

When we crossed the border into New Mexico, it was like a different world - the light is different - the sky is bluer - mountains grow up out of the plains and the sagebrush waves in the breezes... fabulous drive up to Taos. As soon as we checked into the Sagebrush Inn (old and charming - and cheap cheap cheap on hotels.com!) we went straight to Taos Pueblo, which is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. It never fails to take my breath away - the unmistakable fragrance of pinon smoke in the air, the blue blue sky and the snow still on the mountains... the wooden doors painted that perfect faded turquoise... we couldn't be anywhere else. The agency I used to work for did promotions for Taos and the surrounding communities (Angel Fire Ski Area, for one), and it's always held a special magic for me.

Enjoy the photos - we've had drinks by the fire and are planning our birthday dinner for tonight - it's supposed to snow tomorrow, so there may be more fireside chats to come. (This was written on April 16, but posted on April 17 - photos of snow to come!)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

King Tut, Margie and Other Friends...

Yes - we had some urban adventures in Dallas, including tennis with our niece Katie and a visit to the King Tut Exhibit at the Dallas Art Museum. Did we walk like Egyptians? Of course! Amazing artifacts, including a bronze chest engraved with depictions of activities around the palace that looked pretty much what we were doing at Lori and Charlie's - eating, drinking, and sharing family gossip.

Then we spent a day with our old friend Jerri, who lives in a charming house in East Dallas - we walked down Swiss Avenue and admired the fabulous old mansions dating from the 20's and 30's... lawns green, flowers blooming, like an English garden. We were accompanied by Margie, Jerri's new companion, who gave us immediate doggy kisses and became our new best friend. And the real "icing on the cake" was that Bobby (oops - now Robert) Bellamy, second only to Jerri as a raconteur, joined us for cocktails... lots of laughter about 30-year old exploits and youthful indiscretions... check out this article about his business at:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/lakewood/stories/DN-fdluxe_fobhome_1204fas.State.Edition1.4a59c24.html

After a tearful departure from Jerri's (tearful because we were sad to leave - also tearful because we shut her wrist in the automatic window of the car - ouch!) we drove past Memphis, Happy, Paris, and Hope, Texas to Amarillo... and tomorrow is Taos - so next post will be from chilly New Mexico.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Long, Tall Texans...

Happy Easter! We were sad to leave Nick and Andrea today (photos coming soon)... Teaching at Tarleton University in Stephenville, they are on a mission to bring liberal arts education and literature to Central Texas - and they're a most entertaining host and hostess. Went last night to Mary's Chicken Fried Steak - the one and only time I've ever enjoyed that dish - usually tastes like breaded mystery meat, but Mary's was divine... peppery gravy and Shiner Beer... mmmmmmm. Lest you think we've done nothing but eat, we did make an expedition to an old cemetery with Civil War era graves - and the confederate flags are stilling wavin', ya'll. The history of the county, from flu pandemics to an entire family wiped out in a car accident in the 50's, is reflected in that small plot of ground.

It's interesting to be in such an authentic place. I don't think I could live here, but I really admire the fact that there is a culture here that lives on despite the gentrification and "genericization" (if there is such a word) of much of the country. Note to Vikki: Lots of FoodSaver customers here - huntin', fishin' and livestock.

Today we're in Dallas with Dick's sister and her family, so we'll have some urban adventures to report shortly. Cheers!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Soul Food, Jalapeno Ice Cream, Tex Mex and Brats...

Sorry we haven't posted in a couple of days - we've been staying with friends, so we've had real people to talk to! Stayed with Dick's cousin Kathy and her husband Jerry in Austin - a great evening in their beautiful house - and now with our beloved friend Nick in Stephenville, Texas - Dairy Capitol of Texas...

We've been eating our way across the country - but great regional eats only. On our way out of New Orleans, we spent a day on the blue highways - took the Cajun Coast drive through charming old towns like Franklin and Jeanerette... ate at the L&M Bistro, which turned out to be the local soul food source. After I'd asked "what's a shrimp wrap" and Dick asked "what's a smothered pork chop?" the very sweet, patient young man waiting on us said, "Y'all aren't from around here, are you?" BTW - smothered pork chops are ambrosia... the afternoon included a pilgrimage to the Tabasco factory on Avery Island - saw the egret rookery with thousands of nesting birds, white against the blue sky - and the grand finale was - jalapeno ice cream! After a relaxing night in Lake Charles, Louisiana - resting our digestive systems - we literally ended up in hog heaven... Hinze's BBQ (tag line: "Put Some Pork on That Fork!") located somewhere between Houston and Austin. Chicken, ribs and three sides for $9.99 - now that's eatin'.

But wait - there's more! On our way from Austin to Stephenville, as we crawled past the Lonely L Longhorn Ranch and a vet's office that advertised "Rattlesnake Vaccine - $17", we found Eve's Cafe in Lampasas, Texas - home of real German cooking. The Texas Hill Country was settled by Germans, and their legacy lives on at Eve's. Bratwurst and sauerkraut, Westfalia Ham sandwich with horseradish - and after we found Nick's house, he took us to nirvana - the first great Tex Mex we've had in three years! So now we're going to get some Pepto Bismol and hit the sack - on to Dallas and some great deli food... Happy Easter/Passover to all!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Do ya know what it means to miss New Orleans?

We have a 20-year secret love affair with New Orleans... N.O. is like the skanky girl your Mom told you not to hang around with, but you did anyway, because no one - no one! - had more fun. Through the past two decades, we have collected some amazing New Orleans memories:

* Going to Commander's Palace with a group that included Julia Child - Mrs. Brennan and the entire waitstaff was standing at attention by the gate to the restaurant when we arrived - handsome old waiters with their white serviettes over their arms... and they served us Sazeracs and champagne cocktails from silver trays in the garden...

* Visiting a voodoo priestess - my sister and I writing our wishes and placing them on an altar to Marie Laveaux - in a courtyard overrun with chickens and goats... all taking place a block from the soaring office towers on Canal Street...

* Dancing with fat old ladies, little kids and skinny guys in cowboy hats at a real Cajun fete de dieu at the old Tipitina's on Napoleon Street... everyone laughing, drinking and enjoying the music of Clifton Chenier...

* Renting an apartment on Dauphine Street and walking at sunrise to the French Market to pick up beignets for breakfast. Uncharacteristically peaceful - most of the revelers finally gone home to bed - and the streets gleaming from the recent passage of the streetsweeper - sharp smell of chicory coffee in the air.

All this and more - and yet we made a new discovery this trip - the old Ursuline Convent down by the Cathedral. Built in 1745, full of historic treasures, including a letter to the sisters from Thomas Jefferson, whose eloquent prose still jumps off the page two centuries later. Sitting in the quiet garden, companionable with sculptures and chirping birds - this is what it must have been like when New Orleans was just a small French town on a big muddy river.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The Macho Corridor

Hi, ya'll! We're in New Orleans, ready to set out on a stroll around the Quarter... but I have to tell you about the drive from Tallahassee to Mobile... I call it the Macho Corridor. But before I explain why, check it out - the two items below are actual billboards spotted along the way (I won't editorialize - I'll leave that to you):

It's a small world.
I know - I created it.
-- God

God, Guns and Guts
Made America Great

Whew! And in addition, there are more fireworks available along this route than possibly anywhere in the world - and the available roadside attractions include Don Garlitz Drag Car Museum, The Museum of Naval Aviation, The Museum of Sports Art, and the Armed Forces Museum. A fantasy drive for the macho man... as for my wimpy, girly self, I enjoyed the wildflowers growing along the freeway - yellow, purple, red, and white - absolutely amazing - flowering fruit trees and egrets and herons rising out of the swamp. So there was something for everybody today - including a shrimp Po Boy at a truck stop that was out of this world - then soft shelled crab when we got to N'Orleans... I'm taking a fried food break today. When we get some photos we'll post!

Monday, April 6, 2009

On the road again...

We did it... packed the damn pods, packed the Mini to the rooftop (so much for having the top down - we look like the Beverly Hillbillies) spent our last night in Boca at the luxurious digs of our friends Cathy & Bob, then hit the road on Sunday morning... sad to leave friends and fabulous weather... but excited for the adventures ahead. We have photos to post, but the writeandshoot team is currently the writeandsmoke team... our photographer is not yet prepared to dig into cyberworld and post the images. Can't pretend that the first day was exhilarating... although it was interesting to watch the terrain turn from tropical to "Old South"... green green green with gauzy moss hanging from the trees and kudzu in abundance. Our first night in Tallahassee was pleasant - actually found a cool little bistro - twinkly lights in the trees as we sat on the patio and a luscious Greek lamb burger - Edna Valley Syrah - very civilized.

I just opened up my Meditation book to a random page this morning, and here's what came up: "Each place you come to is unique, and it is all to be explored. But this is only possible if you travel light (!) without attachment to what has come before, without comparing, and without giving up. Faith means trusting the unfolding process of our lives. It is a willingness to let go of fears and attachments and open ourselves to the unknown in each new moment." Hmmm... next stop New Orleans - hope to have a new moment to share from that fascinating place. Cheers!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The "J" Word

Sorry about the cryptic reference to the "j" word in the last post -that has to do with the current over-use of the word "journey"... as in "my spiritual journey". My friend Kathy lives in Mill Valley, California, which in addition to being picturesque and delightful, tucked into the redwood studded foothills of Mt. Tam, is the virtual epicenter of self-absorption in the U.S. Believe me, the irony of someone who's writing a blog complaining about self-absorption is not lost on me... so when I use the word "journey", I mean it in the literal sense of travel, not as in a metaphorical life path...