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!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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.
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.
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...
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
* 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!
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!)
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!)
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