sunny arizona

 I am going to play a little catch-up today, sharing some pictures from the trip we took earlier in January.  We traveled with our "kids" to Arizona for a week's stay at Sedona Summit resort (in Sedona!).  Quite a few years ago, probably 20, we purchased a timeshare unit at a resort in Cozumel, Mexico.  The kids were at an age when travel was becoming more fun and educational, so we thought it would help us accomplish our wish to take them to more places.  At the time, we weren't quite sure if what we were getting was going to prove to be a wise decision, or one we would regret.  We didn't know anyone else who had made such a purchase, so we were kind of flying by the seat of our pants.  (Where does that expression come from?)

Dan, Brita and Ben enjoyed a hike with me!

Well, it has turned out to be one of our better choices for our family, and I am happy to say we are still reaping the benefits.  We were able to get 2 large 2-bedroom units in the same building for all of us to stay in.  Because little Ian sometimes has trouble sleeping in new places, I wanted him and his parents to get the most out of the trip and they occupied one of the units.  Dan and ourselves shared the other unit.  The kitchens were fully equipped, and due to the fact that Ian came down with Influenza B, we prepared most of our own meals instead of eating out as much.  The resort was located not far from an easy hiking trail, and when Ian finally started feeling better it was a nice outing for him.  We had a great view of the red rock mountains in the distance, and several mornings watched pretty hot air balloons floating there.

Making use of the panorama feature on my camera!  Taken from the airport above Sedona, with some of the nearby mountains in the background.

 We also enjoyed 2 days in Phoenix, visiting with Bob's brother and his wife, Art and Sharon.  They moved there 9 years ago, and I have to say that even though I know it gets pretty darn hot in the summer, I can understand why they, and many others, choose to live there for retirement.

We got to visit the Botanical Gardens and see the Chihuly glass exhibit--

 I am so glad we did!  I have seen pictures of the works of art made by Chihuly, but never saw them up close and personal.  I always found them fascinating, and after viewing the film about him and his work, they are even more so.  Those big squiggly things, like the red and yellow above, are assembled by a team under the direction of Chihuly.  All of those curlycues are individual tubes stuck onto pegs protruding from the center post.  I wonder how they do in a storm??

The picture below reminds me so much of things we did "back in the day", taking the kids to National Parks, monuments, and historic locations.  This was at Tuzigoot National Monument.

From there we drove to Jerome, a quirky little town perched on the side of a mountain.  It's worth the drive if you are ever near there, and a good place for a meal is the Haunted Hamburger.  This was an old mining town, and most of the buildings look like they were built somewhat haphazardly many years ago, and could slide down the hill at any time!  I guess if they are still standing, they can be considered stable.  Just driving the winding, steep road to Jerome and back is an experience in itself, and not good for the faint of heart!

That's all of the travelogue for now!  More quilts soon to come!

Vacation fun

We are still down in AZ, enjoying the fact that it is snowing back at home and we aren't there (for once!).

Today we are over in the little town of Clarkdale to take a scenic ride on this train. 

Yesterday it was much sunnier and we hiked to a place called Devil's Bridge. We'll, actually I sort of chickened out and stopped below this rock formation while Bob continued a little farther. I am not a big fan of heights!

And when back at our cozy little spot, I have a little time with needle and thread to work on an applecore sample. 

Time to sign off--all aboard!

time out

 Squeezed in between our Thanksgiving holiday and commencing the Christmas season, we (Bob and I) have snuck away for a little vacation.  Someplace warm!  We are visiting Sedona, AZ, for a week of basically doing whatever we choose to do!  It's not very often that we get the chance to do that, so I have been trying to take a bunch of pictures so I can always remember what it feels like!

So far we have had temperate weather and mostly sunny skies.  Just right for some great short hikes in the surrounding areas.  There is a plethora of trails around here, so there is no shortage of outings.  Yesterday we took a trail that crossed back and forth over a creek bed--

It is dry at the moment, but only about 1 week ago they had a heavy rain and this would have been full of water then.  The effects of the erosion were easy to see.  Glad we could get around without waders!

We haven't really seen very much wildlife here, other than ravens and this little guy--

He seems to have staked out his territory near the entrance to our unit, and just watches us go around him!  He's really little and helpless, so we are fine with sharing our roomy space with him!  

Here's a scene from another hiking area--

These colorful cliffs and landscapes are such a contrast to our usual surroundings in MN, so they really catch our attention.

Today we drove up to the Grand Canyon, and witnessed a unique phenomenon.  The area has been experiencing an "inversion" which creates thick fog in the canyons, resulting in this--

It was like the whole canyon was full of fluffy cotton candy!  We didn't realize just how special this experience was until tonight when I was looking at headlines on the Yahoo homepage, and saw a picture and story about it!

By lunchtime, the fog was mostly lifted, and we had the usual magnificent views of this wonderful National Park.  I think I am adding 2 more things to my "bucket list"--an overnight at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon, and a Colorado River raft trip.  I would love to see the view of the canyon from way down there at the bottom!

on safari

Last Wednesday we spent the day on a safari adventure in Sedona, AZ. I say this because our destination was the Safari Shoppe in the Tlaquepaque center. This is the fine establishment of our niece, Ali, and her husband, Eben. This is the first time we were able to visit them since their move back to the US from Eben's homeland of South Africa. We are super happy to have them living within a more reachable distance. Art, Sharon, Ava, Tre, Bob and I made the trip from Phoenix to Sedona in the morning, then we enjoyed a tasty lunch with Ali and Eben before visiting their place of business.

Miracle of miracles, Bob picked out a new hat! I think Ali is fighting with him over his plastic!

No big deal, you might say. Until you see this--

the lucky fishing hat, stomped on, soaked, windblown, spat upon, well aged. And maybe retired? I will believe that when I see it!

Here you will see Eben and Art explaining the virtues of a good hat to little Tre--

I would love to return to Sedona for a longer visit when I am feeling up to some hiking and exploring. We were all suffering the effects of a nasty virus, which kind of slowed us down. But

that didn't detract from the beautiful views all around us. They say there are mystical forces in those hills, I wish we had found the ones that cure the common cold!

Ava was not deterred by any old bug, in fact, she was able to wrestle this bear for a ride!

We made it back home in one piece, ears plugged and popping for long after we touched down. We hope to return to the southwest again, with plans for even more fun!

the Arizona dessert

Some fun things we have been doing on our wonderful winter vacation in Arizona:

wandering around old Scottsdale, listening to musicians while enjoying a little green, green grass--

hiking up to these ancient ruins in the Tonto National Monument--

touring around the Theodore Roosevelt Lake and dam, although I thought this bridge was much prettier than any old dam!

driving (actually riding while Art was driving) over the Apache Trail, a long, winding, bumpy gravel road through the Mazatza Mountains east of Phoenix. This was a beautiful and rugged area of mountains, I suggest you try to get there, but only if you have a really good driver or enjoy maneuvering steep switchbacks!

cheering for Ava's soccer team (Ava is the daughter of our niece, Laura, and Rommel)

celebrating little brother Tre's first birthday!--

admiring the beauty of nature in this part of the world--

and getting to spend time with little Tre. Also visiting Pete in Tucson and dinner with Angie and Jake in Scottsdale. It has been so, so enjoyable, and so nice and warm!!

a change of scenery

Yesterday morning (Thursday) Bob and I loaded up our bags and headed south. This is what our thermometer said when we left the house:

Yes, -18.4! So it was with much joy that we stepped into the sunshine in Phoenix later in the morning. Brother-in-law Art picked us up and shuttled us to his home in Ahwatukee, an area of the city where he and his wife, Sharon, have lived for about 7 years. We have not visited here before, so we were overdue to see where this branch of the family migrated to. Their home is near the South Mt. park where we went for a hike in the late afternoon. It was a beautiful spot, so different in look and feel from our own home.

Today we drove further south to Tucson. We visited the Desert Museum, a very nice nature center that taught us everything we ever wanted to know about the plants and animals of this area. We are impressed with the cacti and long vistas all around. It has been a beautiful and sunny day, jeans and t-shirt weather. We also visited a huge open pit copper mine, and then explored a bit of the University of Arizona with our friend, Pete, who is a friend from back home and attends school here. The campus is beautiful, I wouldn't mind going back to school if I could do it under palm trees!

Pete directed us to a local favorite Mexican food spot for some delicious and authentic cuisine. It has been a very fun day, now ready for a good rest and more fun tomorrow!