Monday, April 14, 2008

And the desert bloomed...

It was a great trip to Phoenix. Really nice to ride in a car that was ours (even if only for the weekend). On the way down I looked out the window and saw so much desert, I commented on how I could almost see Clint Eastwood and Shirley McClain riding by on a horse and a mule. (From Two Mules for Sister Sarah). Mike laughed. It was the tail end of the blooming, so there was an abundance of yellow flowers, which made me think of Mada. The song "Horse with no Name", tuned on in my head and I smiled as I made peace with the desert.

Met my sweet, kind, future father-in-law and his very sweet generous girlfriend. I laughed as I noticed little things that Mike does, his father does also. It was cute.

We went into Scottsdale. Nice town, kind of similar to St. Augustine with the many many galleries, restaurants, and tourist traps. My windows would go well in a couple of the galleries. Actually wished for a moment to have the supplies and stuff, but that part is done, time to move forward. We relaxed a lot at their home, I sat outside most of the time soaking in the hot weather and enjoyed it. What a first. Got a little sun, not too much. Mike and I shared my camera to take pictures of the various birds that came into the back yard. It's sits on the edge of a wash, they have bird feeders and a nicely constructed waterfall which draws the animals.

On our way home yesterday we stopped in Sedona. Pretty place. Way too crowded and it's not even 'season'. I'd love to get some of the beautiful dirt to make some pottery or paint. Found a great little restaurant overlooking the creek, sat outside and were able to smoke after we ate. Not very available here (or in Florida). Then stopped at Oak Creek Canyon to look at the overview. The twists and turns bothered me a bit as we climbed the mountain. Its the first time since I've been here my fear of heights really bothered me. The canyon there is so different, full of pines and dark rock, make me think of the Misty Mountains in the Hobbit. Caught some pictures of a pretty yellow butterfly (not an easy thing).

It was a really nice birthday weekend, a very memorable way to mark the 45th. It is nice to get 'home', though it's back to work today. Will download pics soon, though it's getting harder to tell which is Mike's or mine. He's been using the camera pretty much since the accident for several reasons, the main one is it makes my back pack way too heavy to carry with my shoulder. I tried it last week and sadly shook my head when I felt the twinges. Soon I will be able to again.

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