Seattle, WA

Once again got the opportunity to go to Seattle for work.  It was great to connect with my Northwest counterparts, rejuvenate, and explore with some co-workers.  After being pampered in first class, we arrived early afternoon and decided to take the ferry out to Bainbridge Island.

We explored around the town and stopped at a tasting room for Eagle Harbor winery.  The wines were very good and enjoyed learning about them and how they were made



 

 The ferry ride itself was spectacular.  The sky was clear with beautiful sunsets and great views

of Mount Rainier.  No, no plans to hike it.  I was good to get myself from the "Sound" up the hill to the hotel.  Damn those streets are steep.  Living at 7000 feet was not as much help as one would think. 

 The port at Bainbridge.  We went and explored the beach.  Unfortunately, did not have a ton of time but it was great to get our feet in the sand and water if even for  just a short time

Great view of Seattle from the Ferry.  I love cityscapes.  

We even managed to make it to Pike's Market and grabbed a Paroshki before heading to our meetings for the day. 

Another great trip to Seattle.  Super happy that I was able to mix work with pleasure.  Thanks to Julie and Kevin and the Grays for making the effort to come and see me. 

Ashfork/Seligman, AZ

Yesterday, I decided to head out to Ashfork and Seligman to visit a coworker, see her new home, take Shakti to visit with her mom Juniper and meet some K-9 friends.  I've always just driven past and had not done much exploring in this area.  As you can see there is a lot going on here : )

But, seriously I do think it's good for the soul to get away from pavement, the sidewalks, the shops, businesses and people and just enjoy nature, soak in the sun and breath in the smells of the land.
Hard to know if they recognized each other.  They do say that dogs do imprint on one another and she definitely did not sit like this with anyone else.

Mother and daughter.  Both beautiful dogs.  Was fun to see them together.  And no- Shakti is not part Rottweiler.  In fact her daddy is just a light colored if not lighter than her momma and is a Black Mouth Cur/Catahula mix. 

 

The house sits on 40 acres of land in Ashfork.  Soon to be a working farm complete with pigs, goats, and cows.   I love being able to see so much land for miles and miles.  Check out all those Junipers

They look like shrubs, but the Juniper actually stands pretty tall.  According to Wikipedia 66'-131' tall.  Juniper berries are used for flavoring various dishes including gin.  (definitely not my favorite)

 

All this land was great for Shakti to run around with her mom and the rest of her mom's family Tank, Barret, and Pearl.  No worries I will get a post up about the dogs visit on Shakti's blog page www.bringingupshakti.blogspot.com

 

As for the humans we also ventured over to Seligman for some lunch.  Seligman is a small town that sits on Old Route 66.  The town has quite the character and I'm told can get very busy at certain times of year.

 

 Main street Seligman.

 These Mannequins are hysterical.  What is going on here? Seriously, you got the ladies flirting and waving the men shooting each other in the windows behind them.

 A few of the sights around town. 

Seligman jail.  By the size of this I would guess that there weren't a ton of crimes being committed or they found other ways to deal with criminals in 1860.

We ate lunch at the Roadkill Café "you kill it we grill it" fortunately they have a variety on their menu and do not require a person to supply their food. 

Had a great time.  Was fun to get out and explore in my "backyard"  Hope people will come and visit.



 





Colorado River Rafting, Grand Canyon AZ

Just finished 8 days "roughing it" on a Grand Canyon Expeditions river trip.  Yes, we slept out side under some awesome stars.

I can't take credit for this photo, but gives an idea of the AZ night sky.  And bathroom facilities were, well non-existent.  Nothing like having a tour of boats come around the corner once you have dropped your drawers.  But besides that we really had it made.  The crew, Adam and Emily our Guides, and Kate and Robby our Swampers.  (Yes, I trusted my sister and her friends to take me down the river and they did great.  ) Really pampered us with great meals.  Including Mexican food, steak, brownies and champagne.

 Emily and Kate working hard to make lunch

 my dry sack for the week.  Everyone was given one of these to keep their belongings in.

Getting ready to start our on our adventure.  I was told I looked like I was going to a "woods Kegger."  One of the many fashions of the river

We started off at Lee's Ferry.  You can see Grand Canyon right up ahead.  Actually officially Marble Canyon that leads into Grand Canyon



Emily and Robby.  2 boats, and 24 passengers.  Good luck guys

 Working our way into the depths of the canyon

 

 Beautiful blue skies

June 3rd was 24yrs since my dad passed away.  It was nice that Kate, my mom, and I got to spend the time together and in the Grand Canyon a place that was very dear to him and have little remembrance for him and Sara

 There were so many beautiful shots it was hard to choose which to use on here

 Kate and Robby working hard

 Great spot for some lunch

 Sisters

 Family

 Getting some spray from a water fall

 The "Little Colorado" we were fortunate that this was not muddy when we were here.  There were some fun natural rock slide areas that we played in

 Doing some exploring in a side canyon.  Don't let the long clothing fool you.  It was warm! Just trying to protect ourselves from the sun

Adam and Kate getting their crew safely thru some rapids

 Water fall

Another group.  Great idea with the umbrellas

 Bridge to Phantom Ranch. Not a good idea to hike in the summer.  It is hot!!

Red Wall Cavern.  Didn't look so big from the river, but was huge. 

On the speed boat and on our way out of the canyon and towards Lake Mead.  Great trip.  8 days, approx. 278 miles, numerous rapids, and tons of fun. 

 





Verde Valley, N. AZ

Sunday. Funday.  Happy 100th birthday to the National Park System.  Mom, Audra and I decided to celebrate by taking advantage of the free admission being offered this week.  Fortunate to have such varying places so close to home.

 Montezuma's Well. 15million gallons of Natural spring water is fed into the well daily.  It is believed that people have inhabited this area for 10,000 years.  You may be able to spot some cliff dwellings on the far side of the lake.

Water.  Guessing that the water from Montezuma's Well would give you a fierce case of Montezumas' Revenge.

 Something about being in such a dry climate that makes any water an Oasis.  Tempting to not just jump in.  Probably a good thing I didn't go in the middle of summer.  I probably would have stripped down and been in the water before I had a chance to think about it.

They found a rattlesnake. Smart idea to have the snakes head inclosed.  I've seen some rattlesnake bites and it's not pretty.  Good luck ladies,  glad you are holding the snake and not me.

 Montezuma's Castle.  1100-1425 AD comprised of approx. 20 rooms and took over 3 centuries to build.  It's pretty neat that such a huge structure still exists after all these years and is so accessible to get to. 

 Tuzigoot.  Another Native American structure found in the Verde Valley.  Had over 100 rooms.  Curious how hard it was to get in and out of this structure in it's hayday. 3 parks, no fees.  Really can't complain about that.  We ended the day by going to Jerome.  An old copper mining town that is now a fun community with restaurants, artist shops and plenty of tourists.

 Exploring the town.

 Apparently the population of Jerome is 454 which is hard to believe with the number of cars and people around. 

Would be fun to go back and do one of the tours again.  It has been quite a few years since I have been.

Looking out from Jerome.  Check out that clear, blue AZ sky.  A beautiful day for some sightseeing.