Put it where the sun don't shine.

I'm sure you have heard that phrase, and maybe even used it yourself.
I will get to that in a while.
On Wed. Peggie, Jane, and I got up at the crack of mid-morning, ate breakfast, and managed to be on the road by around 10:00. Our destination, the Verde Valley. We explained to Jane that the interstate to Phoenix does not pass through the most beautiful part of the state. Our apologies to Eloy, but admit it, scenic photographers and painters are staying away in droves. I don't recall when Arizona Highways did a photo essay on this area.
However, from Anthem on north, the scenery is once again beautiful. As we climbed up Black Canyon, we pointed out "the last saguaro" growing just below the rim on the left side of the highway. We made a quick stop at Lake Montezuma to say hi to Amy, then on to Sedona for the red rocks and Tlquepaque. The spelling is probably wrong, but you either know what I mean or don't, and spelling won't change that. Then we drove out toward Boynton Canyon and returned to Lake Montezuma via Cornville.
On Thursday, Amy joined us as we headed to Sunset Crater, Wupatki, and Grand Falls. My "old farts' pass" got us in for free. The ranger manning the desk was happy to have someone to talk to. We found a book of Arizona themed mazes for a little girl we know in New York. The weather was typical. Sunny, cloudless skies and temps in the 60's. Couldn't have been better. No crowds, no rattlesnakes, no mosquitoes, no sweat. Amy's memory kicked in and she remembered all she had learned while rangering so we got the guided tour of Wupatki.
The blowhole by the ball court was mildly active, exhaling cool air from the depths of the cavern. The visitor center had two very large pots on display that had recently been found, intact, just outside the park. But they had moved all the stored pots someplace else, so the one we found near Sunset Crater in college wasn't there. Again, the ranger on duty seemed pleased to see and to visit with people who showed interest in her park.
We found our way to Grand Falls, even though they have changed the access road since we were last there.
The Little Colorado was running a trickle of chocolate water, so we got a good viewing.
It was a pleasant, sunny, light sweater kind of day. But there was heavy ice buildup around the edge of the pool at the bottom of the falls. It was obvious to us that we had never been there in January before, because the low angle of the sun made for permanent shadow in the canyon, which we did not remember. There was piled debris caught in the ice under the shadow. So that must be the place where people put those unwanted things "where the sun don't shine."
We decided that ice skating on uneven ground would not be fun, so we stayed on the rim. We got back to Flagstaff for a nice dinner and drove back to Lake Montezuma in the dark. We did not kill any elk on the road, but spotted four carcasses left by some more luckless drivers.
On Friday, we visited and had lunch and Rocky Road Pie with Mom and Margie. Dave came home for lunch while we were there, also. Gloria, Mom's homecare provider was working her last day, so we got to say goodbye to her. Then we headed home by way of the Mogollon Rim. On our way down we kept a watch for "the first saguaro." Peggie spotted it just before Punkin Center. It was late, so we had dinner in Globe at El Rey and came the rest of the way in the dark. Our luck held, and we did not kill any skunks going over Pinal Mountain and into Dripping Springs Valley. We just had enough time to play the tape (actually a digital recording) of the UofA vs UCLA game before bedtime. The Wildcats won. Good.

Recall our flexibility...

Long time readers know that we have had to be flexible in our scheduling from time to time.
Jane is here, so even more flexibility is requred.
Peggie and Jane were able to do everything at the quilt show in just one day. While they were gone I got the Brazilian street lamp mounted over the peninsula counter between the kitchen and family room. I also mounted two more shelves in the office where we will display family photos.
So we decided to let the whirlwind blow and set out for Globe. We headed up hwy 77, passed through Catalina, past Oracle, past the turnoff to San Manuel and down the grade to Mammoth. Jane says, "Salmon Well?"
We said, "yeah, San Manuel." "Why is there a town called Salmon Well?" "No, San Man Well, San as in Spanish for saint." We must speak more clearly.

Jane really appreciated the saguaro forest along the San Pedro valley. She kept seeing personality in them like seeing animals in clouds. She even saw a dancing pair. We stopped for pictures, where I pointed out the hedgehog cactus hiding in the bushes, and Jane switched from open toed sandals to hard shoes.

We also stopped at the Crescent Ranch and discovered even more rusty things for Peggie to dye fabric with. We stopped at the Ray open pit to watch the matchbox dumptrucks moving in and out.
The pit was about four times more active than I have seen it in recent years. Good for the economy!
We had to stop for pictures of the hoodoos near the tunnel in Queen Creek. Jane saw people and dragons in the rocks.
In Globe, we had lunch at El Rey (our favorite Oracle eatery, and on Arizona Highways top 25) and went to several antique stores in Globe and Miami. We found a good light globe for our Brazilian street lamp.

Winter visitors

Last week Greg and Amy Welden came for a very brief visit. We always love to see them. This visit was spoiled when Greg beat me at chess. I hate when that happens. Otherwise, we had a good time. They are shopping for an armoir in Mexican style, so we went to some likely shops. They didn't buy anything, but we bought a bowl stand, a switch plate, and went back later to get an antique Brazilian street lamp we saw, which will go in our family room/kitchen. It is expensive to have Greg and Amy as guests.

Now Jane Seesz is here.

We love Jane. Jane Seesz. See Jane. See Jane Seesz.
For the next two days Peggie and Jane will be at the Tucson Quilt Show. Then we have some appointments. After that, we will take Jane on a whirlwind tour of Arizona. It has been thirty years since she was here. We will show her how much the Grand Canyon has eroded, how the saguaros have grown, and some big holes in the ground where copper used to be. Jane will see a lot. See Jane take pictures. She will see how the rocks in Sedona have all rusted to a nice red color. Jane will not see all the wildflowers. It is winter. Jane is from Sitka, Alaska, and originally from Minnesota. She doesn't recognize Arizona winter. She just bought new sunglasses. She had to change to a short-sleeve shirt before we went outside today. We will tell her to dress in shorts and t-shirt for the Grand Canyon. That will be a good joke. See Jane shiver. See Bill and Peggie laughing. Ha Ha Ha

Arigato gozaimasu

Joining families from two cultures has been just one of the benefits of Greg and Tomoko getting married. Although we don't get to see Tomoko's parents, Takafumi and Sumie Uchino, very often, we do have a good time trying to communicate with gestures and pictures and much use of our dictionaries when we do get together. We all enjoy looking at the pictures on Greg and Tomoko's blog--pictures from New York, Japan and Arizona. It keeps us connected.

The Uchinos recently arranged for us to receive delicious organic fruits. Our first package arrived at Christmas and included a nice assortment of dried fruits. We received another package a few days ago, an assortment of citrus fruits that is also very, very tasty. The picture above is just a sampling. If you hurry and come see us you may be lucky enough to get a taste. We really appreciate this kind gift.

This has also been a very fun month as I've received a wide assortment of fabrics from many friends in celebration of my 60th birthday. Yikes, is that really possible--60? Bill was hoping that I would receive 60 fat quarters and I'm almost embarrassed to say I've received many more. You'll notice I said almost embarrassed. I must admit I'm really ENJOYING these goodies.

I've just received these beautiful fabrics from Takafumi and Sumie. Takafumi loves to play golf and Sumie's love of music certainly stand out in their choices. Fun and beauty are reflected in the others too and I am thrilled to include the fabrics in my projects and remember their kindness.

Thank you to all my family and friends who have sent me fabrics. It's easy to match the person and the fabric. What a wonderful assortment of people I have in my life. I love you all.

Arigato goazaimasu/Thank you very much.

There is an elephant in the room.

If you watch any TV news at all, you have heard about the shooting that killed six and wounded thirteen people in Tucson on Saturday. Because one of the wounded is Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, this tragic event is worldwide news. We thought, for the sake of our out of town friends, we should put something up.
We knew nothing until Casey called to make sure we were not involved. We wouldn't have turned on the TV until later in the afternoon to watch the UA basketball game. Because half the victims were transported to University Medical Center, both UA and Tucson city police were heavily tasked for security and traffic control. Both as a sign of respect, and because police officers who normally work at the basketball games were otherwise engaged, the game was postponed until Sunday.
The Safeway where the attack took place is not one we normally use. It is located at the busiest intersection in NW Tucson making ingress and egress difficult. We have two supermarkets closer and easier to use. However, we do stop there sometimes on our way home from somewhere else to use the Walgreen's, Safeway, or Beyond Bread eatery. It is normally inconvenient to go anywhere in Tucson from our house without using that intersection. Ina Road is the major E/W route, and Oracle Road is the major N/S route. Both roads were closed for hours as the Pima County Sheriff's Office and other agencies investigated the scene. I certainly hope that most or all of the people caught in the subsequent traffic snarl understood what was going on. We had had no intention of going out that day, anyway. We were glued to the TV for the rest of the day.
A nine-year-old girl was killed. She attended the same elementary school Casey went to. All information about her indicates that she was the best of the best. A loss for now, a loss for the future.
I want to acknowledge several brave people who subdued the gunman, preventing additional deaths and wounds to bystanders. The killer had 93 more rounds loaded into clips, ready to use. I fervently hope that professionals will be able to work with him to learn things that may help prevent others from carrying out such acts in the future. In virtually every such case, the gunman dies, usually by self-inflicted gun shot, or unavoidable police action. Then nobody ever knows why? Were there signs? Could anything have been done?
Congresswoman Giffords occupies the seat and the local office of her predecessor, Jim Kolbe. Casey was an intern with Kolbe several years ago. It was an intern who helped to staunch the blood flow from Giffords' wound while awaiting the arrival of EMTs.
Deep breath.
Thank you, God.

Tiny nail holes

The new year is a week old already. I point that out because time goes by without notice unless you are paying attention. Just saying.
Today I hung some art. I got seven pieces hung. (one art quilt, five paintings, and one engraving) I only had to move three of them because they didn't look right after all. Good thing nails only make tiny holes. Tomorrow I have to move another one about 1/4 inch, and hang six or seven others whose placement has been decided.
It took me most of the week to hang three shelves. They are shelves with no visible support. It was important to get them placed exactly right. They are hung using those plastic plugs for drywall screws. That means BIG holes, so you don't want to get them wrong. So I measured about ten times. The biggest delay came from wanting the shelves painted the same color as the walls. It took several days to get two coats all around because the cold moist air made for slow drying. We wanted the shelves for bowls that had previously been displayed inconspicuously. Now they POP, and look fabulous. And the shelves are inconspicuous instead!
Lest you think I work slowly, I have also oiled the roll top desk, theater seats, and half the library table, sanded and stained the stair bannisters (they now need varnish), emptied some boxes, (Peggie did a lot of that and arranged things in the office) read several books, and went to a movie. (True Grit)
We are almost back to normal. Remember that whole "all but the hem" business? Well, we're there. Then it is back to normal stuff, like get the yard back in shape, get the new radio into the truck, get the jeep in for the latest recall, yada yada yada. Normal stuff. And you thought retirement was easy.
But Jane is coming for a visit! And nothing will ever be normal again.

1-1-11

See? I was right. This is more than the year one. It is all ones! Can't wait until Veterans' Day this year. I bet you already can't book a church or wedding chapel for 11:00 am that day.
About an hour ago we checked temperatures in all the locations we usually monitor. We were colder than Japan, Skagway, Tempe, and White Plains. I know, I know, no sympathy from anyone in any of those locations. It is only fun because of its rarity. In a few days we will be right back to our glorious winter sunshine and mild temperatures. I would much rather shovel sunshine than snow any day.
Peggie tortured me all day today. She put a roast in the crockpot. The aromas filled the house and made my mouth water and my stomach growl. She wouldn't let me eat any until evening.
Spousal abuse of the first order. But it was really worth it. The roast was delicious. She replaced the potatoes with butternut squash and we didn't miss the spuds at all.