Going home

I came home from Sedona over the weekend. I already miss it. My last hike was in Red Rock State Park, a peaceful stroll along Oak Creek under the cottonwood trees. It was the Kisva Trail, which means "shady water" in the Hopi language.

The last sunset, viewed from the back deck of our rental house, was achingly gorgeous.

The drive back started with this steep, winding route along Highway 89 north through Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona up, up, up into Flagstaff. 

Then it was wide open, dramatic skies

for the next two days.

The final sunset was in Oregon near the Columbia River Gorge. Then onward for hours in the black of night, finally arriving home at 12:30 in the morning. 

Have a colorful day

Keith and Rachel time in the desert

My son and daughter-in-law have already come and gone -- not enough time with them for me. But I did finish piecing their tiny house quilt while they were out on a morning hike.

One of the first things Rachel did was to bake me a chocolate cake. It was a "wacky" cake, with no eggs or butter and the liquids being poured into three wells dug into the dry ingredients. It was sooooo good!

The next day we hit the trail to work off those calories. Here we are at the top of the Hiline Trail, with panoramic views all around.

The trail zigzags steeply up the side of the mountain, making it a favorite for mountain bikers. You can see some of them taking a break behind Keith.

That night was delicious food at Thai Spice. That's Keith's healthy salad.

The next day we hiked Broken Arrow to the lookout at Chicken Point. More fantastic views!

And the final hike was in Red Rocks State Park. Here we are at the summit of Eagle's Nest Trail. 

We started with a nice meander along Oak Creek, then hiked up, up, up.

A few more good meals, some Netflix, a fantastic sunset, and they were gone, back to their lives in Madison. Never enough time.

Have a colorful day

Happy Spring!

I've been trying to come up with a post for the first day of Spring, but the truth is it doesn't look very springlike here. It's cloudy, and even my sewing project is in Fall colors.

So I've pulled a few outdoor pictures from earlier in my trip to Sedona. The cactus and moss are both on Long Canyon Trail. Parts of the trail are open and sunny, but others are shaded in the cool depth of the canyon down by the creek.

It's my favorite trail, and the photo below is of me in my favorite spot in all of Sedona off of that trail. 

Here is the view from the living room and back deck of our rental house on a sunnier day. I love the peace and privacy.

And here is that sewing project. It's another tiny house quilt, but this one is for my son and his wife, who like rich, warm Fall colors. They get here late tonight, and I can't wait!

Happy Spring!

Sister time in Sedona

My time in Sedona with my sister Kathleen has come and gone too quickly, but we had a lot of laughs. Now she's back in Washington state.

Our first full day, we hiked the Bell Rock Trail and got lost on the way back. Neither one of us has a sense of direction, and despite all the signs we still got turned around. We finally stopped a guy on a mountain bike and he directed us back the way we had come, then we found a cafe and had cold drinks and  pastries.

Later, we stopped at the Amitabha Stupa, a Buddhist place of spiritual renewal. Prayer flags draped the path leading up to it.

On the way back home, we drove up to Airport Mesa and joined the crowds waiting for the sunset. At the moment that it sunk below the horizon, a big cheer erupted!

The next morning brought a different view, below, as we looked out onto the Verde Valley from the little town of Jerome perched high up on a mountainside. I cannot get enough of the big skies and clear air in the desert -- I think I was born to be a desert dweller.

First order of business after taking pictures was to find a cafe for coffee. Kathleen had an espresso and I had an iced mocha -- I think mine had a few more calories.

Jerome is a quirky little historic town filled with quirky characters. The van below belongs to one of the shop owners.

The book store looks out over the valley, as do the other businesses in town. There are a LOT of stairs!

When we were almost home (this was the last night of Kathleen's visit) we made a last-minute stop at our third mystical/magical/crystal/aura/tarot shop. I bought a strand of peridot chips -- one of my favorite colors -- and the shop keeper gave me this card to go with it. It wraps four times around my wrist as a bracelet, or I can wear it as a necklace. Perfect!

As we pulled into the driveway, the sun was just going down and I rushed onto the deck to get this shot. It was a good visit.

Have a colorful day

National Quilting Day

It's National Quilting Day -- thank goodness for Facebook and Instagram telling me these things -- so I thought I'd show you how my quilting has taken over the rental house here in Sedona. The dining room table is my cutting station, the sewing machine is set up on a table squeezed in by the window, my wool applique covers the coffee table, and the ironing board is around the corner behind the couch.

This is what I've been working on. It's a wall quilt for my daughter to brighten up her new digs! She picked the palette and I loved working with those cheery colors. Below is the assembly line setup.

I've always loved house quilts, so I took the next two pictures on our field trip to Phoenix quilt shops.

I was up at 4 a.m. eating peanut m&ms because that emotional "thing" that I've written about hit me again. In between crying jags, I stuffed candy into my mouth. Then I heated up comfort food dinner leftovers, Kraft macaroni and cheese. I stayed up to watch the sunrise so that I'd at least have some pretty pictures out of it, but the colors never came over the mountains. Oh well, it's another day. It's sunny, and my sister is flying in this afternoon and she always makes me laugh.

Have a colorful day

Phoenix field trip with Tie-Dye Judy

After two years, I finally hit the road again with Tie-Dye Judy for a fabric field trip to the Phoenix Valley yesterday! Yay!!!! The desert is my favorite habitat, and it was a glorious day of blue skies, balmy air, cactuses and quilts.

First stop was Sun Valley Quilts, then on to Mulqueen Sewing Center, 35th Ave. Fabric World Sew & Vac, and SAS Fabrics Super Store.

We saw a lot of Southwest quilt patterns and fabric. I bought some of these two green desert print batiks to work into a desert wall hanging.

Lunch with Judy is usually at a cute little cafe, but when she saw an In-N-Out Burger she went crazy with desire, so that's where we ate. It was my first time, and I loved the pictures that were hanging on the walls like this one:

I've always wanted to live where there are palm trees, so I had to take a picture of this one (or is that two) outside one of the quilt shops. Sigh.

And saguaro cactuses!

It wasn't all desert, though.

I found some yummy wool,

 ...  Kantha fabric on a bolt 

... and a wall of pom-pom trim.

We each bought one of these little battery-powered, rechargeable folding lights for $15. And the fabric and embroidery guide are Judy's purchases.

I also bought wool, rick rack and buttons for my wool applique. Can you tell that we love the same bright colors?

Judy has been doing a daily hand stitching meditation with a Facebook group this year, and she brought them down for me to see. This one is probably my favorite:

 We always have such a great time together ... I wish we lived closer. Here's to fabric friends!

 Have a colorful day