SIMPLY SPEAKING SEDONA IS AWESOME!

What a beautiful day for a drive - got an early start around 8:00 and off we were to Sedona. The scenery changed from dry desert and cactus - to green scrub bushes and red dirt. Then we turned the corner and ....

it simply took my breath away. It is like nothing I have seen anywhere before. It was so colourful and lovely. The red rocks are stunning and the landscape is unforgetable.

We stopped at a few spots to take pictures and then we went for lunch in a place that I can neither spell nor pronounce. Had deep fried pickles - Arizona style. They were good and certainly there was some jalapeno in there somewhere. There were lots of stores to wander around in and I did my best to leave a little money to say I had been in Sedona. There were some lovely local artists and artisans whose work was distributed and available in the local shops. It was a very wonderful time spent there. As we were leaving, there was this most beautiful house and a camera shot or two in between the wrought iron rungs of the magnificent fence was stunning. Here is a peek at part of the garden...

and yes that is the most beautiful lawn. I don't even want to think what his water bill must be - there were gladiolas and other plants that were familiar to me from the northwest - certainly a beautiful oasis in this baren, albeit beautiful part of the world. So hope you are all well...I am busy and happy and having a wonderful time. Oh and as for the movie last night....dinner and drinks in a reclining seat and popcorn all served to your seat.....and then a blanket and pillow and further reclining? All true and it was a very unique experience and the movie we saw was People Like Us and it was really good - so a 10 out of 10. See you soon!

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU....

This morning when I opened the blind....life was happening right outside the window! How amazing this is. I had to stand there and take pics while the oportunity was at hand. At first I saw a little bunny and then there was some movement over nearer the fence - a little gecko and then some bigger movement and it was a lizardy thing. When the two were facing each other, the larger one put on quite a show. Out of my bedroom at home, the only movement I see is the traffic on 160th - so this is quite a treat. I watched them for a while until they made there way though a drainage hole at the bottom of the adobe wall. Wow - I don't think I would get anything done if I lived here. You don't even have to leave the yard - there is so much going on.

Today, the pool will come in handy - I think that the temp will rise above 100. We don't have a lot planned today - we are picking up a quilt that Sharon had layered and quilted - that will be fun to visit a fellow quilter. Then a movie tonight in a theatre where you have you dinner and wine delivered to your seat and when you have finished your repast, they deliver a blanket, pillow and popcorn to your totally recling seat for the rest of the movie - I will tell you more about that experience tomorrow!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Today was another great day. We had a relaxing start and then it was grocery shopping. Of course it is always more interesting to shop away from home. Today was raining and cloudy - but definitely not cold. It was quite nice all day in the low 80's - yes back to Farenheit in the USA. Now at 9:00 at night it is 79 degrees outside and sooooo pleasant to sit and not a bug in sight - even better.

There is a plethora of birds here. The little quail are the most fun. Their little families are getting bigger - not the real babies that are fun to see, but still these families scurry around. They are capable of flying up to the top of the fence and then to flutter down, but you seldom see them other than on the ground and they are quite shy. Thanks to the amazing zoom on my new little camera, I was able to get a few good shots

The cactus are lovely too. It seems that I missed the desert in bloom, but there is still lots of colour. Amid the brown, tan, rust and ecru desert colours there is still beauty and colour. Can't wander into the desert as there are rattle snakes, spiders and scorpions about. So I take the pics I can wherever I see something that interests me.

Even out the bedroom window there is a lovely scene that greets me when I raise the shade. This is a lovely place. So with an afternoon of clothes shopping and a BBQ dinner - I am now ready to settle in to watch a bit of TV before off to bed - another adventure awaits tomorrow! Ciao for now!

BRAND NEW ADVENTURE IN ARIZONA

What a great way to start summer - a holiday. I am down in Scottsdale, Arizona for a week and although a hot time of the year to be here, I know it will be a a great visit. The temperature today is a cool 98 degrees and I say cool, cause it is cool by Arizona standards, but as for Vancouver? It is so wonderful and warm. I was on the same plane as my friends, Mike and Sharon, so we arrived here about 5:00 in the afternoon. We did go out for dinner and now we are planning some adventures this week. So far Sedona, shopping, DBack Baseball game, shopping, movie in a theatre where you have dinner, drink wine and then they give you a blanket and pillow and you watch the movie.....oh and did I mention shopping? There is a beautiful full moon tonight.

I haven't much to add yet, so I will leave you with this beautiful image taken in their backyard at 9:35 (yes it gets dark earlier in the evening here - farther south. Wanted to experiment with a night shot from my new Sony Camera - so far so good I say! Talk to you tomorrow!