Wearing pants and long sleeve shirts!

We spent the past few days up in Flagstaff. What a change from 114 degrees in the shade! We arrived in Flagstaff, opened the windows and felt this wonderful, cool, cool breeze. Talk about a breath of fresh air, it was heavenly! Then it rained, not a lot for Flagstaff, but lots and lots by my dry Phoenix experience. I even got to put on long pants and a long sleeve shirt off and on all the few days we were there. I took this picture when we were hiking along side Schultz Creek. Understand this was mostly a dry creek bed, but was very green with many wildflowers. In Arizona we bestow the name creek on anything that has running water at any time during the year. It may be almost dry 99% of the time, but if water runs through it during a rain, it is a creek! This is a mountain creek so it is greener and wetter than most.
We also hiked the beginning of the Weatherford Trail which goes up to the top of San Francisco Peaks. However, we turned off after about a mile and walked through this beautiful Aspen grove. As we got close to the grove, I thought I heard running water! I thought for 2 seconds that maybe there is a little spring back here. I said, "Is that water", Jules said, "It is the leaves". The aspen were growing so close together that the leaves overhead sounded like running water. We were the only people back there and it was magical.




The blue flower on the left is lupine
The one on the right is Indian paintbrush.

Columbine, grows in moist, shady, green areas



The trail through the aspen grove

Grand Canyon with clouds

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." Anne Frank
"The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration." Claude Monet

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." Frank Lloyd Wright
"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." Helen Keller
"My profession is always to be alert, to find God in nature, to know God's lurking places, to attend to all the oratorios and the operas in nature." Henry David Thoreau

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you...
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." John Muir

"Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life." John Muir

Az trip with Auzzie cousins

This is Max and his daughter Maxine and Julian. They visited the last week in May. It worked out great because I was just out of school for the year and so we could take them around to see the Arizona sights. I have seen Max a lot over the years since I was young. He was in the US for part of his medical training, then he has always come back to travel, work, go to conferences etc. When he was younger he was into gymnastics. We kids loved him because he was funny and would always stand on his head upon request! I saw Maxine when she was young and they came through Phoenix and then saw her for short visits twice in Australia. However, this was the first time I really got to spend a lot of time with her and really enjoyed getting to know her better. She is a nurse also so we can compare working stories. This picture was taken at Montezuma's Castle
It was a cloudy day at the Grand Canyon which is great for pictures. We actually didn't get rained on. The rain was always in the distance.

This is Wapatki National Park
Max and Maxine at Sunset Crater

Happy July 4th to all

God bless America, land that I love!

North Rim of Grand Canyon 2007

I've been going through my old pictures and found these wonderful pictures from a trip we took with our friends Don and Connie and Chris and Mary to the North Rim in 2007. I decided they needed a showing so here are a few of the many from that trip. We are so blessed to be able to visit the Grand Canyon so much. I never tire of it! It was spring so there were many flowers. Maybe I'll put up some more of the flowers in my next blog.
Mary, Chris and Jules. I love this picture of Mary! I caught her in the middle of the best laugh.



This is the cabin Jules and I stayed in. It was right on the rim. No sleep walking allowed, because you only take about 5 big steps to the left and the edge is there. That reminds me that "edge" was Noel's first word. Noel, my nephew, is blind from birth. I was visiting my sister in Strawberry. Noel was on the bed and we were impressing upon him that he could fall off easily and showing him the edge. It must have made a big impression on him because we were saying,"Noel see, this is the edge" and he said "edge", his first word. We always said see and look and guided his hands to explore the object. Noel is now married working as a chemical engineer and living in a new house in Virginia.

Back to the front porch of our cabin at the North Rim. Here I am sitting on the rocking chair on the front porch of the cabin you see above.