On the way up to Page Shana expressed a desire to alter our schedule to include one night in Page instead of driving back after dinner. After some discussion I agreed, and we set about planning another activity to see more of the area. I had seen pictures of Antelope canyon, but had not thought that we had time for a visit. Since we were staying through the next day I suggested that it would be a good place to go. To visit there you have to go with a Navajo Guide, and tours are scheduled at selected times. Luckily it was still early in the season and we had no trouble getting set up for a tour. We used Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, and went in a Suburban with our guide in a group of eight. The canyon is every bit as beautiful as it appears in photographs, and the small size of our group made it a very
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Our Visit to Page Arizona
On the way up to Page Shana expressed a desire to alter our schedule to include one night in Page instead of driving back after dinner. After some discussion I agreed, and we set about planning another activity to see more of the area. I had seen pictures of Antelope canyon, but had not thought that we had time for a visit. Since we were staying through the next day I suggested that it would be a good place to go. To visit there you have to go with a Navajo Guide, and tours are scheduled at selected times. Luckily it was still early in the season and we had no trouble getting set up for a tour. We used Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, and went in a Suburban with our guide in a group of eight. The canyon is every bit as beautiful as it appears in photographs, and the small size of our group made it a very
Saturday, May 30, 2009
At the Grand Canyon
We fixed a big campsite breakfast, then off to the Grand Canyon Lodge we went, to give Shana her first view of the Grand Canyon. From the park gate to the door of the Lodge you don't see the canyon until you walk across the lobby and go downstairs. The downstairs lounge has beautiful 180 degree floor to ceiling windows and is a great place for your first look at the canyon - so dramatic
and so worth planning for Shana's first view to be this one! We hung around the lodge for a bit, then went out for a walk to Bright Angel Point. This was an ideal first walk as the entire .75 mile is paved, and you are rewarded at the end with a lovely panoramic view. On the down side, it's also one of the few places on the North Rim where you can get any cell phone reception, so lots of people were taking advantage of it.
After having lunch at the lodge we went back to the campsite to nap. Shana went into the tent and I took over her amazing lounge chair with my book to nap. Just as I was settling down our neighbors started up an afternoon musicale. He was noodling around with his guitar, and thereby attracted the attention of another camper with a fiddle, who invited the guy with a banjo...Ultimately they had two fiddles, a dulcimer, two guitars, a banjo and a harp. They played until dark. If I had not been so tired I would have enjoyed them very much because they really did sound good. As is was I was mentally cursing them and calling them the Celtic Pretension Society and wishing them anywhere else. We ended up going back to the lodge to watch the sunset and enjoy a good beer in (relative) quiet. I was too tired for dinner, and went right to bed when we returned to camp.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tales From the Road Part Two
In addition the the colorful formations, there were some ruins and interesting petroglyphs to see. While we drove around to various viewpoints we enjoyed our leftovers from the previous day's lunch at the Big Texan. Shana shared her sandwich with one of the local Ravens.
The Petrified Forest was a treat. Not only were the logs beautiful and interesting, but we were lucky enough to see a few pronghorn antelope. I knew they lived there, but they are generally pretty shy and often you don't get a glimpse. They are also the fastest land animal in the New World, so if they don't like the look of you they can get out of view in a hurry. We lingered in that area for a while - there's a nice trail that winds around and lets you get a good look around. We left in the nick of time - we barely got the tent up before dark - in fact I finished staking out the fly in the dark. It was a long day, and we were glad to be settling down.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tales from the Road Part One
At least I did manage to get a picture of one of the fire extinguishers at the Best Western nearest Old Town tarted up to look like a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Every one I saw in the hotel was so displayed, without apparent irony. We walked down to Old Town to enjoy a good dinner at the Church Street Cafe, and headed out early the next morning.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Back From the Depths
Well, maybe not the total depths, but I am back from my Grand Canyon vacation. A casual examination tells me that we arrived back in Oklahoma City with all equipment intact, if filthy. Our initial packing was careful and Shana's midweek reorganization kept everything under control, but the last two days were rainy, so packing was more casual and loads of stuff is just plain grubby.
More and better entries on the Big Trip will follow, but pictures are already up and labeled on Flickr, so go take a peek. I'm pretty sure two or three canyon views are mislabeled, but I will get that cleaned up ASAP. They are still beautiful even if the names are wrong.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Yes, I Have Lists
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Dinner with The Spawn
Alex and Samantha joined me for dinner on Mothers' Day at my invitation. Sam came over early as she did not have supplies for making a card for me and hoped to make use of my craft stash. I had hoped to get a nice picture of Sam & Alex together while they were here, but as you can see, cooperation was in rather short supply.
Friday, May 08, 2009
An Old Sew and Sew
With some upholstery fabric I already had in my stash and a few fat quarters from the quilt shop around the corner I was ready to go. It took me most of the afternoon, but I ended up with a bag I think she'll love and that will hold the things she wants to take along with her. I double stitched the seams and generally made it as tough as I could because Rita has an amazing capacity to tear things up. The bag is lines with two different prints, with two smaller interior pockets. The exterior pockets are embellished with borders cut from the interior fabrics, embroidery with gold thread and beads. For some reason this detail is not showing up in the pictures. The rosettes on the front are made with both fabrics from the exterior pockets and centered with a knot from one of the interior fabrics. The straps are lined with the fabrics from the exterior pockets. Lots of detail, and it really came out the way I had hoped. The best thing about sewing projects is the instant gratification I get. Four hours of knitting would not have resulted in a finished item.
And even better - Shana is slipping over to the crafty side! She created a heat transfer on the computer to make Aunt Rita a T shirt for her birthday gift. I can hardly wait to see what her next project turns out to be.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Vivian came over after supper Saturday, and I made a tactical error settling her down for the night. I'd been putting her down in my crafts room because usually when she's here I have other
We had a fun time, including "Be Nice To The Dog" lessons, a shower followed by running through the house naked while is chased her, and intransigent demands for more and yet more bananas. She's becoming a little person with ideas of her own, and is experiencing some of the frustration of the fabled "terrible twos". Vivian has a lot to say and it's not always possible for me to understand her. Jumping up and down and screaming next to the bananas was pretty easy to figure out, though.
With only two weeks to go until vacation it's all Grand Canyon all the time around here. Now in addition to the basic list of equipment and a rough schedule of activities we've got the grocery list ready to be filled.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Rocky Mountain Sighs
I had my usual good visit. Richard and I went to the movies, to Starbucks, Target, and to his PT. It's easy to see why he's enjoying his therapy. In addition the good results he's getting, the clinic is staffed with some very cute young therapists. Very motivating indeed!
Mom and I went to Target, Starbucks, and the local yarn store. Mo
m's plan was to get in some walking to kick off her spring walking program, so one day we walked downtown to check our Deer Pants, a recently opened fiber arts store in downtown Brighton. We met the owner and she was good enough to show us around and demonstrate the wonders of a knitting machine. She's so personable, knowledgeable and friendly. I'll definitely add her store to my yearly plans. The store is really attractive, with exposed brick walls and a loft.
Since we had already had our yarn crawl in Brighton, Mom and I drove up to Golden for a visit to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum . Golden
was socked in with snow on Saturday, but by Tuesday there was not a speck to be seen. The quilt museum is rather small, just two galleries. As it turned out, it was just the right size for us. The quilts were so beautiful and so detailed that had there been more of them we'd have worn out our brains examining them. With a small number to see we could really appreciate the beauty and detail of each one. I had been hoping they would have some modern quilts on display. The ones they were showing the week we stopped in were very traditional, but I still enjoyed them very much. There was a little museum store just crammed with yummy things for us to resist. And resist we did. I had never been to Golden other than to tour the Coors Beer plant, so I was happy to visit downtown Golden. Mom and I enjoyed strolling around eating ice cream and window shopping.
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