Thursday, November 10, 2011
Time to Pack!
It's time to switch gears and get back into Isla mode. After a morning appointment and some errands, I must start throwing some clothes in piles and deciding what to pack for our upcoming trip! Only a few more sleeps at home left. Here are some favorite photos from our happy place -- Isla Mujeres!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Lost!
Craig and I have been trying to get in better shape lately with long morning walks and bike rides, so when we were in Sedona, we decided to take a little hike in the Bell Rock area. The plan was to limit the walk/hike to about an hour since I was feeling a little punk.
Equipped with one bottle of water apiece, we decided to just hike to the backside of Bell Rock, turn around, and double back to the parking lot. About 20 minutes into the hike, Craig decided we really should climb Bell Rock. Uh, no! I could just see me scrambling up that slippery rock, slipping, and tearing the tiny thread of miniscus that holds my knee together. So as a compromise, we decided to loop around Bell Rock and back to the parking lot. After all, we both remembered seeing a Big Loop sign at a fork in the trail. Big Loop was evidently a trail that circled around the rock and back to the parking lot!
Well, we ass-umed wrong. We also assumed there would be good signage to lead us back to the parking lot. Wrong! The sign above was typical. I think it means the trail goes this way and that away?
I'll just cut to the chase. We ended up on a really big loop. My dad used to say you're never lost until you're out of gas. In terms of hiking in the desert, I think that wisdom translates to you're never lost until you're out of water and energy. By the two hour mark, I was out of water and stumbling up and down the rocky trail. The few directional signs we saw tended to give about as much info as the sign above. We were lost!
Sometime well after the two-hour mark, we came upon an older woman with her shoes off sitting on a rock in a dry stream bed. And of course, there was a fork in the trail with no indication as to which direction lead back to the parking lot. After staring at the sign for a few minutes, I decided to do the unthinkable. Ask for advice!
Uhhhh . . . excuse me. Do you happen to know which trail leads back to the Bell Rock Parking lot?
The Sage of Sedona answered in her folksy accent -- Oooooooohhhhhhh, come on now!
No really, we're out of water and need to get back to the Bell Rock parking lot.
Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh, come on now!
The Sage seemed to be passing some sort of judgement on our desire to reach the destination as opposed to just enjoying the journey. She reminded me of the troll on the bridge in Sesame Street. Before you can pass by me, questions you must answer three.
A bit desperate, I explained once again that we were lost, had hiked much farther than we were prepared to, and REALLY needed to get back to our car.
Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, come on now!
By then, I think I was glaring at her. After blathering something about the joys of hiking in the vortex, she finally threw us a bone and offered that both trails eventually led back to the parking lot. Alrighty there! And once again, I dared to ask her which way was the shortest.
Can you guess her answer? Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh, come on now!
By that time, thirsty and with my knee throbbing, I was ready to grab the Sage by the throat and shake the answer out of her, but we decided she actually might be insane and decided to just go it on our own. After another 20 minutes of hiking, we finally caught sight of a parking lot in the distance.
We planned to pick up a local trail map on our way out of the hotel, but the concierge had them under lock and key and we didn't want to wait in a line from a tour bus to get one. So we set out with the assumption that there would be posted maps of specific trails and distances at the trailhead parking lot.
You know what they say about assuming! After we'd paid our $5 for the parking permit at the trail head, we realized there was no trail map posted for the area. Oops! We then rationalized that we'd hiked here before some years back and it would not be a problem. How hard could it be!
You know what they say about assuming! After we'd paid our $5 for the parking permit at the trail head, we realized there was no trail map posted for the area. Oops! We then rationalized that we'd hiked here before some years back and it would not be a problem. How hard could it be!
Equipped with one bottle of water apiece, we decided to just hike to the backside of Bell Rock, turn around, and double back to the parking lot. About 20 minutes into the hike, Craig decided we really should climb Bell Rock. Uh, no! I could just see me scrambling up that slippery rock, slipping, and tearing the tiny thread of miniscus that holds my knee together. So as a compromise, we decided to loop around Bell Rock and back to the parking lot. After all, we both remembered seeing a Big Loop sign at a fork in the trail. Big Loop was evidently a trail that circled around the rock and back to the parking lot!
Well, we ass-umed wrong. We also assumed there would be good signage to lead us back to the parking lot. Wrong! The sign above was typical. I think it means the trail goes this way and that away?
I'll just cut to the chase. We ended up on a really big loop. My dad used to say you're never lost until you're out of gas. In terms of hiking in the desert, I think that wisdom translates to you're never lost until you're out of water and energy. By the two hour mark, I was out of water and stumbling up and down the rocky trail. The few directional signs we saw tended to give about as much info as the sign above. We were lost!
Sometime well after the two-hour mark, we came upon an older woman with her shoes off sitting on a rock in a dry stream bed. And of course, there was a fork in the trail with no indication as to which direction lead back to the parking lot. After staring at the sign for a few minutes, I decided to do the unthinkable. Ask for advice!
Uhhhh . . . excuse me. Do you happen to know which trail leads back to the Bell Rock Parking lot?
The Sage of Sedona answered in her folksy accent -- Oooooooohhhhhhh, come on now!
No really, we're out of water and need to get back to the Bell Rock parking lot.
Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh, come on now!
The Sage seemed to be passing some sort of judgement on our desire to reach the destination as opposed to just enjoying the journey. She reminded me of the troll on the bridge in Sesame Street. Before you can pass by me, questions you must answer three.
A bit desperate, I explained once again that we were lost, had hiked much farther than we were prepared to, and REALLY needed to get back to our car.
Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, come on now!
By then, I think I was glaring at her. After blathering something about the joys of hiking in the vortex, she finally threw us a bone and offered that both trails eventually led back to the parking lot. Alrighty there! And once again, I dared to ask her which way was the shortest.
Can you guess her answer? Oooooooooohhhhhhhhh, come on now!
By that time, thirsty and with my knee throbbing, I was ready to grab the Sage by the throat and shake the answer out of her, but we decided she actually might be insane and decided to just go it on our own. After another 20 minutes of hiking, we finally caught sight of a parking lot in the distance.
Instead of our little one hour walk around Bell Rock in the foreground, we ended up doing the BIG Loop around both of these huge rocks. Almost three hours later and at least four and a half miles on the trail, our dogs were barkin'!
Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, come on now!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Senor Hermit Crab
A post this last week on Notes from Paradise explained all about hermit crabs. I had no idea! By the way, if you haven't bookmarked this blog, you need to! Lynda's blog is listed on my sidebar, or you can click on this link: http://lynda-notesfromparadise.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-heck-is-that.html.
The post made me wonder if a video I took in June of a hermit crab on the pool ledge at Luna Turquesa had anything to do with Lynda's Crab-i-tat? Maybe Senor Hermit Crab was newly outfitted, or maybe he needed to drag that torpedo he's trailing over there and trade up!
Way back in May 2008, I noticed this cute little sign at the house next door to Luna Turquesa. At the time, I had no idea who lived there, but now I know!
Here's the video of Senor Hermit Crab! I promise no hermit crabs were injured during the filming of this video!
The post made me wonder if a video I took in June of a hermit crab on the pool ledge at Luna Turquesa had anything to do with Lynda's Crab-i-tat? Maybe Senor Hermit Crab was newly outfitted, or maybe he needed to drag that torpedo he's trailing over there and trade up!
Way back in May 2008, I noticed this cute little sign at the house next door to Luna Turquesa. At the time, I had no idea who lived there, but now I know!
Here's the video of Senor Hermit Crab! I promise no hermit crabs were injured during the filming of this video!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Mile High Club
Okay, that title's a little misleading, but we'll see how many hits this post gets! As always, one of the highlights of our road trip to the Sedona area was the food. We found the coolest place to eat in Jerome, Arizona on our trip. The Mile High Club!
The Mile High Club, located in an historic building in downtown Jerome, features a retro airline theme.
Craig and I both ordered the Fried Chicken Cobb Salads with chipotle ranch dressing. The photo doesn't really do it justice! Yum!
I looked at this fan a few times before realizing it'd been built to mimick the front of an old prop plane jutting out of the ceiling!
The Javelina Cantina in Sedona is another long-time favorite of ours. We're guilty of eating there at least two meals every trip. After ordering an amazing taco salad one day for lunch, we returned the following evening for the special -- the smoked chicken verde enchiladas topped with chipotle crema. We both only managed to finish half the entree, but it was amazing!
The food at the Javelina Cantina is always great, and the view from the dining area is equally amazing!
Okay, I'm definitely hungry now! Wonder what Craig's fixing me for lunch? (Nada.)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Sedona Colors
This whirligig sculpture with the majestic Red Rocks in the background is my fave!
The Big Clucker!
A way out West!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Dress Rehearsal
We've spent the last two days preparing for a roadtrip to the Midwest. It was not a journey we wanted to make right now, but something cropped up last minute that required our presence in Kansas. Specifically, there were buyers for my mother's house and it needed to be cleaned out pronto.
I was planning on switching my blog header to the vintage red Arizona truck and surprising blog readers with a Where in the World is Saby? expose. Perhaps some photos of Saby standing next to the Welcome to New Mexico or Welcome to Kansas sign? Or maybe a photo of Saby at the glamorous Rodeway Inn in Tucumcari, New Mexico that allows dogs in the room?
Anyway, I pulled myself out of bed very early this morning -- 4 a.m. -- to get the house in order. I even wrapped some Christmas gifts to drop off with my mom. We checked off chores from the list as we walked the dog, locked all the doors and windows, turned off the A/C, watered plants, loaded the car with our bags and Saby, pulled out of the driveway, pulled back in to make sure we'd unplugged the coffee pot, and finally were ready to head out on the highway.
Saby, in the meantime, bored with the wait, had rolled the back window on the Pilot all the way down and was hanging out the side with a big smile on her face. When we first adopted Saby, our son had warned us about that talent. We dismissed it as coincidence (having her paw in just the right place) until we noticed that yes, she DID have the ability to push the button and lower her window, usually when the car's barrelling down the freeway. So we know now to use the child locks on the windows.
But back to the story. We pulled out of the neighborhood once again and headed up Lindsay to the 202 Santan Freeway. Once we turned east, Craig and I admired the sunrise while Saby, with the window locked in the 1/3 down position, enjoyed the wind in her face. About 40 minutes later, just as we were exiting the interstate to head north out of Phoenix metro to Payson and points beyond, my cellphone rang. It was my brother. Roadtrip cancelled! The buyers changed their minds and the big clean out is postponed!
So we turned around and took the slow road home in the early morning rush. We left at 6:30 a.m. and pulled back in at 8:30 a.m. Once home, we decided to quickly unpack and get everything put away. As we unloaded all the stuff in from the car, Saby, still shaking with excitement in the laundry room trying to get back to the garage and car, gave us a puzzled disgusted look that said -- this has to be a stupid human trick!
After destroying all the evidence, Craig and I both collapsed for a few hours to recover from our whirlwind roadtrip. Unfortunately, this event was just a dress rehearsal for a required future trip, but we're glad to be back home again and more than a little relieved to postpone the ordeal.
I do think Saby's a little pissed off. She was really looking forward to all those cows, sheep, deer, horses, and various other animal sightings along the way! She hasn't been on a long roadtrip in three years.
Anyway, we're back. (After barely leaving.)
I was planning on switching my blog header to the vintage red Arizona truck and surprising blog readers with a Where in the World is Saby? expose. Perhaps some photos of Saby standing next to the Welcome to New Mexico or Welcome to Kansas sign? Or maybe a photo of Saby at the glamorous Rodeway Inn in Tucumcari, New Mexico that allows dogs in the room?
Anyway, I pulled myself out of bed very early this morning -- 4 a.m. -- to get the house in order. I even wrapped some Christmas gifts to drop off with my mom. We checked off chores from the list as we walked the dog, locked all the doors and windows, turned off the A/C, watered plants, loaded the car with our bags and Saby, pulled out of the driveway, pulled back in to make sure we'd unplugged the coffee pot, and finally were ready to head out on the highway.
Saby, in the meantime, bored with the wait, had rolled the back window on the Pilot all the way down and was hanging out the side with a big smile on her face. When we first adopted Saby, our son had warned us about that talent. We dismissed it as coincidence (having her paw in just the right place) until we noticed that yes, she DID have the ability to push the button and lower her window, usually when the car's barrelling down the freeway. So we know now to use the child locks on the windows.
But back to the story. We pulled out of the neighborhood once again and headed up Lindsay to the 202 Santan Freeway. Once we turned east, Craig and I admired the sunrise while Saby, with the window locked in the 1/3 down position, enjoyed the wind in her face. About 40 minutes later, just as we were exiting the interstate to head north out of Phoenix metro to Payson and points beyond, my cellphone rang. It was my brother. Roadtrip cancelled! The buyers changed their minds and the big clean out is postponed!
So we turned around and took the slow road home in the early morning rush. We left at 6:30 a.m. and pulled back in at 8:30 a.m. Once home, we decided to quickly unpack and get everything put away. As we unloaded all the stuff in from the car, Saby, still shaking with excitement in the laundry room trying to get back to the garage and car, gave us a puzzled disgusted look that said -- this has to be a stupid human trick!
After destroying all the evidence, Craig and I both collapsed for a few hours to recover from our whirlwind roadtrip. Unfortunately, this event was just a dress rehearsal for a required future trip, but we're glad to be back home again and more than a little relieved to postpone the ordeal.
I do think Saby's a little pissed off. She was really looking forward to all those cows, sheep, deer, horses, and various other animal sightings along the way! She hasn't been on a long roadtrip in three years.
Anyway, we're back. (After barely leaving.)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Healed?
This morning, I got this message when I signed in on Blogger --Your browser is no longer supported by Blogger. Some parts of Blogger will not work and you may experience problems. If you are having problems, try Google Chrome. So evidently I was right -- Blogger did not like Internet Explorer 9.0. Or maybe the notice was just a tricky warning generated by cookies?
Since friends have suggested Google Chrome, I took another flying leap and now it's seems to be better. The games these internet companies play! (I think Blogger is part of Google.) But that's okay as long as everything works. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.
Halloween's almost gone, and I remembered what I'd forgotten. The barbed wire wreath! We've seen a few over the years and they were very pricey, so recently Craig rustled up some rusty barbed wire (yes, we're up to date on our DPT shots) and made me a wreath where I could hang my Halloween cat. He's a talent!
While we might have cleaned out the cache, we still have a big basket of candy waiting for the trick or treaters tonight. Our neighborhood is teaming with toddlers and elementary age kids, so maybe they'll eat the entire basket (so I don't have to).
Happy Halloween!
Since friends have suggested Google Chrome, I took another flying leap and now it's seems to be better. The games these internet companies play! (I think Blogger is part of Google.) But that's okay as long as everything works. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.
Halloween's almost gone, and I remembered what I'd forgotten. The barbed wire wreath! We've seen a few over the years and they were very pricey, so recently Craig rustled up some rusty barbed wire (yes, we're up to date on our DPT shots) and made me a wreath where I could hang my Halloween cat. He's a talent!
While we might have cleaned out the cache, we still have a big basket of candy waiting for the trick or treaters tonight. Our neighborhood is teaming with toddlers and elementary age kids, so maybe they'll eat the entire basket (so I don't have to).
Happy Halloween!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Curses! Foiled Again!
It's been the week of computer glitches. First it was AOL email. Internet Explorer kept shutting down my AOL email. Since I'm a techno-genius (joke!), I just took a flying leap and upgraded to IE 9.0 in hopes that a newer version would cure the AOL fiasco. Nope! After a suggestion from a friend (thanks Frank!), I was able to follow instructions off the web and change my Internet Explorer settings to finally fix the AOL problem. Knock on wood.
And now I'm dealing with Blogger gone nuts. Evidently, Blogger doesn't like Internet Explorer 9.0. Last night, I discovered I could no longer publish a post. I could create and edit with a few glitches, but that Publish Post button doesn't do anything now. After exploring the Blogger Problems forum, I was able to find a fix where I switch to the updated editor and that allows me to post. But the updated editor doesn't seem to allow me to customize photos, so I'm jockeying back and forth.
After all that tinkering, another problem has cropped up. My page is veeeeeerrrrryyyy slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. I tried cleaning out my cache, but that did nothing. Besides that, Craig and I have been doing a pretty good job of cleaning out the cash lately.
Curses! Foiled again! Here are a few more photos from my birthday roadtrip up north. The town of Jerome, Arizona really gets into Halloween!
And now I'm dealing with Blogger gone nuts. Evidently, Blogger doesn't like Internet Explorer 9.0. Last night, I discovered I could no longer publish a post. I could create and edit with a few glitches, but that Publish Post button doesn't do anything now. After exploring the Blogger Problems forum, I was able to find a fix where I switch to the updated editor and that allows me to post. But the updated editor doesn't seem to allow me to customize photos, so I'm jockeying back and forth.
After all that tinkering, another problem has cropped up. My page is veeeeeerrrrryyyy slooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. I tried cleaning out my cache, but that did nothing. Besides that, Craig and I have been doing a pretty good job of cleaning out the cash lately.
Curses! Foiled again! Here are a few more photos from my birthday roadtrip up north. The town of Jerome, Arizona really gets into Halloween!
Halloween characters at the House of Joy.
Miss Piggy masked for Halloween.
Cue Elvis! She's the Devil in Disguise!
Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A Little Rerun
The current hurricane has given me a few flashbacks about my little encounter a few years ago. I'm hoping Rina turns out much like Ida -- a fizzler. Best wishes to my favorite little island. I'm extremely impressed with the efficiency of this new administration and all the organization and prep that's taking place. Let's just hope it was all for naught and this Bad Girl turns out to be a non-event.
Here's the link. I look back on this now and ponder -- what the HELL was I thinking!
Here's the link. I look back on this now and ponder -- what the HELL was I thinking!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Tlaquepaque
Tlaquepaque, in Sedona, may just be one of the most beautiful shopping areas I've ever wandered through. Built in the 70's, the info says it's patterned after a traditional Mexican village, but I can't say I've ever been in a village that looks quite like it. (Maybe I need to travel to more Mexican villages!) The merchandise tends to be quite pricey, but it's a gorgeous place to stroll, take photos, and gaze at the art.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Rustic Garden Room
In Sedona this week, we visited one of our favorite shops while we were waiting to check into our hotel. The shop meanders forever, and back in a little corner, they have the most amazing rustic greenhouse room filled with succulents and cacti in interesting little pots. I wish I had a room like this in my house!
I have a collection of interesting antique art pottery packed away in boxes in my closets. Maybe it's time to pull those out and put them to use instead of keeping them pristine and hidden? They'll probably go for pennies at some estate sale if I ever decide to clean out (or God forbid croak), so I might as well enjoy them now!
Hopefully, I'll have an update to this post one of these days. It's on my list!
I have a collection of interesting antique art pottery packed away in boxes in my closets. Maybe it's time to pull those out and put them to use instead of keeping them pristine and hidden? They'll probably go for pennies at some estate sale if I ever decide to clean out (or God forbid croak), so I might as well enjoy them now!
Hopefully, I'll have an update to this post one of these days. It's on my list!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Beach or Desert?
As always, yesterday we arrived too early to check into our hotel in Sedona, so we decided to waste (that probably would be Craig's choice of verb?) some time in one of the local shopping areas. Just when I thought I'd switched gears from beach to desert high country, one of the first shops I passed had beads and shells on display. Two of my favorite things!
I couldn't leave without making a small purchase, so I decided on a Mexican sand dollar and some blue and white fish beads.
Later, back in the room, we sat on our balcony and took in the Red Rock views. These photos were taken right at dusk. That last one looks like a watercolor!
Hiking and touring are on today's agenda. (And maybe I'll waste some more time shopping?)
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