Window on Cherry Pie Lane

Thursday, February 10 – Our last big outing was to Tuzicoot(can be spelled either way) ruins and to Jerome. The ruins were very impressive. As you can see they are huge. Bigger than anything else we have seen here. This one has 110 rooms and you can actually go inside the tower which was too dark for photos. This is the only ruins we saw that had a source for water. I included that one shot with people in it to show how big this place is(2nd to the last). The location on top of a hill was really eye catching as you drove on the highway outside of Cottonwood. Now Jerome, was another story. Oh, yes, the view was interesting (Walter said spectacular) if you were brave enough to look, that is. But the trip up that mountainside was something I will never do again. What a tourist trap once we got there. We did have a wonderful lunch at the Haunted Hamburger though.  For dessert we had Carrot Cake and Boston Cream Pie – the biggest pieces of dessert you have ever seen. The parking was scary and it was very crowded. The way they built the houses on that hillside brought shivers down my back. I will post photos of Jerome tomorrow. Off to do some last minute shopping uptown.

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Wednesday, February 9 – Today is a very special day in Brooke’s life, her BIRTHDAY!! I wish I could be there to take her shopping. That will come when I get home. I miss you, Brooke, and I sure hope your day is fabulous.  Here is a shot of Shep saying, “Bring on the birthday cake!!!” Yum!!

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Tuesday, February 8 – It is actually Saturday night and I just finished shooting a spectacular sunset right out my door. I didn’t think it was going to be this nice or I would have gone up to the airport to shoot. You get the idea though, that the colors were awesome. The news man on TV just said they had a good sunset in Phoenix too. The first shot was just okay. I thought it was nice, but nothing special; the usual gold I have seen lately.  Shot it and went inside. I glanced out the kitchen window and noticed the color change on the clouds. Made a quick shot and waited a few minutes and here came the color. It seems that is how it is here. You never know if you are going to get color or not and then it doesn’t last very long. It disappeared as fast as it came.

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Monday, February 7 – I can not believe our time here in Sedona is almost over. It has been even better than I could have ever imagined. This is the place to come in the winter.  There is such a peaceful feeling here. I hate to think about heading back to the cold and snow. That is something I have not missed.  I found another house just down the road to rent for next year. We will have a big decision about which place to come to next year. This area is so nice and quiet; rural like at home. We definitely want to be out here. That is one thing we have taken the time to do; drive around to see which area of Sedona that we like best and this is it. I have chicken soup in the crockpot which is smelling delightful. Shep is begging to go on another hike today which we will do a little later, up to Bell Rock. We ate at the Heartline Cafe last week. It has great food and lots of atmosphere and is not what I think of as a cafe. Walter had the BLT and I had Barbecued Chicken. The desserts were fantastic as you can see – Strawberry Mousse and Carrot Cake. Yum.

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Sunday, February 6 – And now on to the Lower Canyon. I posted three shots that I took with the G11 already so you have a hint of what it is like down there. Those were as we entered, these are down at the bottom. This is the canyon where 11 people drowned some years ago when a flash flood came through. After being down there, I can understand how they could not get out. Since then, the family who owns it put ropes at the top that can be thrown down in just such an emergency. They say that it can rain miles away and cause a flash flood. So the fellows that check you in at the gate are supposed to keep current on the weather in the area. We were just escorted to the opening and turned loose all by ourselves. It was the most serene and spiritual place that I have ever been.  You do need to dress very warm and carry a flashlight to see the settings on your camera, as it is very dark. I can not wait to go back here. It was worth squeezing in (yikes, my claustrophobia) and climbing out 150 feet (yikes even more, my fear of heights. Enjoy.

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Saturday, February 5 – I finally got through all my Antelope Slot Canyon photos and here are some from the Upper Canyon. This is the one that you need a guide to go with. They drive you right to the front door, so to speak, which you see in the first pictures. The last photo shows what it looks like on the other side. These are in the order taken as we went through. You walk back through to get to the vehicle. It is a dry, sandy wash that they drive you through to get here. It is beautiful and wasn’t crowded when we were there. I have heard stories of photographers with tripods falling over each other in the busy season. What a rewarding experience!!

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Friday, February 4 – Walter took a ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad Wilderness Route Train last week. Something he has wanted to do ever since he heard about it from Curtis. I get way too motion sick to even have considered it. He thought it was pretty cool, especially the service in 1st class.  The regular cars were booked and now he is glad that they were. These shots are all courtesy of Walter. He had to drive to Cottonwood and then to Clarkdale to catch it, which isn’t very far away. It was a 4 hour ride that he really enjoyed.

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Thursday, February 3 – We noticed this huge tumbleweed just down the road from our house. They grow them big here. This area is very rural. We are surrounded by horses. The Horse Mesa Ranch is right next door and it even smells like home. Can’t beat that!! Went grocery shopping this afternoon and I am going to stay inside and keep warm tonight. It is supposed to be really cold tonight; around 15 degrees which is supposed to be a record. It is warmer in Montana, for a change.

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Wednesday, February 2 – Friday morning we got up bright and early to head out to the Wupatki ruins. We had to go by Cameron and stopped there for a rest and to look the gift shop over. This is truly the biggest tourist trap gift shop that I have even been in.  Walter was thrilled to see the Indian ruins and here are shots that the two of us took. As you can see this is a rather large one and has both a ball court and a community gathering circle with seating.  The brochure said that the rangers actually used to live in two of the rooms in that biggest house. This is a place that would photograph a whole lot better in the morning; too much glare. We drove to the Sunset Crater next. You could see a huge old lava flow that reminded me of Hawaii. It is chilly in Sedona tonight. Supposed to be around 17 degree tonight and tomorrow night. I heard that there is a freeze warning for Phoenix. Guess we are lucky, considering what east of us is getting.

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