ARIZONA WITH LOVE

(Click on the pictures to see larger size and eliminate the words over the pictures, should you have that problem.  You can then watch it in a slide show)

 ARIZONA WITH LOVE

A morning drive to St. George

Enjoying an afternoon in the temple

Four, packed for Arizona

Stopping for the Wire Canyon slot hike

Lovely slivers of golden light

Bouncing on the tunnel walls

And to our eyes

Route 66

Winslow Arizona

Elegant old Spanish hotel with

The hollyhock garden courtyard

Ornate iron gates and rusty metal animals

A little taste of lovely bread pudding

Painted desert, glowing in the sun

Petrified forest walk

Pressing forward in a stiff wind

Reading Addie Hamblin’s story on the road

Awed by her life of love and service

Anticipating Alpine

Grandmother Iris’s birthplace

Jacob Hamblin’s burial spot

Where it all began

Up the canyon through the tall pines to Alpine

Eerie red sky

Dull light and smoke

A fire in the forest

40,000 acres burn in 2 days

Evacuating Alpine

Find the cemetery, at least

A look at Jacob’s resting place

Clear skies encircle the little burial plot

Reading all the names amid fallen pine needles

Serenity there

Disappointment, I wanted more of Alpine

A peek at Eager

Cedar trees and Sage

Also once home to the Hamblin Clan

A giant, awesome explosion cloud over the forest fire

Wow!

On to Snowflake

And the precious little temple on a hill

A session with Viki

Peace and joy

Quaint little Jerome

Artsy city on a hillside

Earrings for Maren

Lunch at the old Palace Inn,  Prescott

Old cars and Dog fair

Sedona at last

Surprise red bluff setting

A visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright hillside chapel

Happy to unload for a week

Hot tub, card games, cooking again

Pasta, chicken, grilled tomatoes and Lava cakes

Morning walk at Red Rock Crossing

Ahhhh’s abound

Millions of rocks for millions of cairns

Shallow broad stream

Flowing over rusty colored slickrock

Cathedral  Rock

Rising in the clear blue like a giant castle

Climbing the sheer sandstone cliffs to a view of the world

Not too old to climb yet, but

Sore thighs are the price we pay

Dinner at the Elote Café

Recommended by friends

Arrive at 4:30, queue until 5:00 PM seating

Beautiful presentation, tasty food with a Southwest flare

Recipe book for me

Chef Smedstad coming to sign my book

Can’t wait to cook from it

Grasshopper point hike

Viki swims with phone and float away money ($15)

Lots of galleries but not to satisfy me

Call of the Canyon hike on a cool pristine morning

3 hours of glorious red rock vistas, numerous stream crossings and

Sparkling reflections of sky, stone and wildflowers

 Might be the most beautiful hike ever

Afternoon at Slide Rock

Natures waterslide with all the spills and thrills

Mike and Steve mustering nerve to slide

Finally, zip off to screams and laughs

We women wade

A sweet day for families with children

Cathedral Rock on fire at sunset

Reflections shimmer in the stream below

Dual red images steal my heart

Desire for another sundown here

Last hike, climbing briskly to the Eagle overlook

Back across bridge covered waterways with

Firecracker green grasses in the Red Rock State Park

Windrush Gallery, my kind of art, finally

Paintings to inspire me

A straight shot home, 11 long hours

Finish reading the Hamblin story as the miles melt away

Humbled by this family’s amazing experiences

Wish I could turn it into a novel

Goodby,  sweet Arizona