Fall into Flag

We went up to Flagstaff to see the Fall colors. Most people think of Arizona as lacking in seasonal changes. However, Fall colour in Flagstaff is very predictable. The 2nd weekend in October brings the height of color. The green of this aspen grove is changed almost overnight into a beautiful yellow roofed outdoor cathedral.
Something about walking through through that beautiful grove, brings back other Fall hikes. Hiking with Star in Zion a couple years ago, driving through aspen groves around San Francisco Peaks, walking through our Rim Aspen grove when the kids were little, it goes on and on. I remember the last hike with my Dad which was in Oak Creek Canyon North Fork. We didn't know yet that his melanoma was back. We really really enjoyed that hike, spending time together with the leaves falling all around.
A family we met playing on a "bouncy pole". The little blond guy asked me to join them and I did. He didn't buy me calling it a horse, stating that horses don't bonce.
This cute kid was climbing up onto this felled aspen. He was probably 5 or 6 feet above the ground and having the time of his life.
Our Flagstaff neighbor, Barbara joined us on our hike.
Green, blue, yellow and white together for quite a picture.
One of the mother trees in the grove
This is the first aspen we saw
So many leaves on the ground, but most of them still on the trees. In one to two weeks the trees will all be bare. Glad we got to enjoy them!

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