As you all know we went to Arizona for our vacation last month, and it was great. Our flight out was good, but because of delays we arrived very late at night, so our first meal in AZ was at Denny's. Next morning we got up and had a good breakfast before we hit the road. One thing we noted right off the bat was how friendly everyone was. That continued throughout the entire trip.
The trip north to Sedona was really beautiful. The landscape kept changing as we climbed in elevation. I think that Phoenix is about 2500 feet. Sedona is about 4500, and the Grand Canyon is about 7000+. Flagstaff is 8000. The temperature changed too. As we approached Sedona the mountain formations made a definite change to the red rocks, and the shapes were unique. The particles are actually gray white, but are covered with an iron oxide (rust).
The Johnsons' live in a beautiful modern home nestled among trees, shrubs, and various plants. There is no lawn as we know it. Piglike creatures called javelinas walk through their yard. The living room has a breathtaking view of Thunder Mountain, ansd in front of the window is the baby grand which Craig played for us various times. Their hospitality was awesome. The meals that they served were of 5 star quality. And of course the conversations that we had were something that we will recall for a long time. It is wonderful to have such good friends.
Our trips were many. Of course the Grand Canyon simply knocks your socks off. Even when you see it you can hardly comprehend its immensity, let alone its beauty. We have always wanted to see the Indian ruins of the west, and did we ever see them! Montezuma's Castle was surprisingly well preserved. When Craig and Sue showed us the ruins where he volunteers we saw ruins up close, including pictographs. Some were up to 9000 years old. Canyon DeChelly was different but defintely inspiring as well.
Craig and Sue incorporated us into their lives and we met their friends. Charlie went to a Lions Club dinner with Craig and later in the week climbed with him and some of his friends. Sue and Marion went out to eat with one of Sue's friends. We also had some great Mexican food.
Later in the week we bade Sue and Craig adios and headed for the Navajo Indian reservation where John and Elizabeth Waterman reside with their lovely little girl Kristine. We had a really good time eating and talking with them. Kristine is a really smart little kid (she likes Marion a lot more than Charlie). Unfortunately things were not really good for Elizabeth on the next morning. We haven't heard how things turned out.
Finally we returned to Phoenix and caught up with Chuck and Margaret Blow. What a grand experience. Again we experienced some very gracious hosts. They served us a wonderful dinner, but the stories we heard about Marion and her family really filled in a lot of blanks for Charlie. Grandma Ives, I think, was a very nice lady with a good sense of humor. She expected things to be done right, but was not prone to losing her temper.
Anyways, we did get home again. They got to know us at the Houston airport, but would just as soon forget about Charlie. That is a story for another time.
A little sidenote. We went in February 2006. Grandpa Smith went through Phoenix in 1928. Can you imagine what that must have been like? Think of the size of the city, roads, cars, lack of phones and computers. I enjoyed thinking about seeing some of the same things he might have seen nearly 80 years ago.
That is it for this blog, but be ready in a few days and I will do one about our trip to Marissa's white coat ceremony.
I can't seem to get to the pictures, so I will send this and try to move them to where I can get them and send them forward.
