Garden Veggies

Garden Veggies
Made into tile for my stove backsplash

Portland Rose Garden

Portland Rose Garden
Mike and my 2 youngest sons Ian and Leif

Grandson Michael's Birthday 2014 throwing water balloons

Grandson Michael's Birthday 2014 throwing water balloons
With son Beau, Grandson Luke and his mom Jennifer

Maren

Maren
I cut this out of a wedding line. I must take more pictures of her.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

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