Another Birthday!

I still have a full deck; I just shuffle slower now.

(Author Unknown)

Thank you, God, for allowing me to live long enough to see retirement and be young enough to enjoy it!

Antelope Canyon

Shake the sand out of your boots, the Southwest USA tour continues on to Antelope Canyon!

Antelope Canyon is one of the most visited and photographed slot canyons in the desert southwest. It is located on Navajo land outside of Page, Arizona. There are two separate sections that can be visited: the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Lower Antelope Canyon. Erosion of the Navajo sandstone, primarily due to flash flooding, carves out the walls. As a result, the rock passageways have a delicate flowing character.

We endured a wild ride in the back of a jeep to visit the upper canyon and received a sandblasting facial along the way. We had brought cloth sacks with us to put our cameras in during the ride, and we were glad that we did! Except for his driving, we enjoyed our patient and knowledgeable Navajo tour guide.

The canyon walls were a challenge to photograph without a tripod, but we managed to take some hauntingly beautiful pictures. Being immersed in the swirling walls of sandstone was like being transported to another world, filled with Indian spirits. This magical place was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

What will be the next adventure topic? Glen Canyon Dam!

Photo Challenge: Orange

I decided to participate in the latest Brenda Photo Challenge. The subject is ORANGE, picked by the current challenge hostess, Morning Coffee.

Even though we live in “Big Orange Country” for the University of Tennessee, we don’t decorate with orange. It is a scarce color here around the cottage, but I managed to find a few things.

Natural Orange - These marigolds line the flowerbed near to the garage. Summer is not complete without marigolds to cheer you!

Handmade Orange - A couple of years ago, I taught myself how to do needlepunch with this first project. I couldn’t resist the hopping bunny design, and it is cheerfully complimented with a bright background of orange bali fabric.

Vintage Orange - Little antique alphabet blocks come in handy for all kinds of impromptu signs!

Summer on a Plate

Fresh tomatoes (grown in a local county) + Fresh mozzarella cheese + Fresh basil (plucked right outside your door) + Fresh green onions + Basil vinaigrette sprinkled at the dinner table = Summer on a Plate

Absolutely divine!

More Daylily Blooms

Ready for more pictures of daylily blooms? I hope that the images of these beautiful flowers brighten your day!

Monument Valley

Tales from our Southwest USA vacation continue! Grab a comforting beverage and get ready to sit a spell because this post is a LONG one.

When you fly into Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, you are instantly reminded of old western movies, such as John Ford’s Stagecoach, starring John Wayne. The views were incredible from the air.

We were greeted at the little landing strip by a Navaho guide with a small bus. Our first stop was to see a traditional mud-packed hogan dwelling and a demonstration of Navaho rug making. The interior picture shows the log support structure. From the air, we were able to spot several hogans still being used today, though most of them are the more modern hexagonal ones with timber sides.

We were shuttled to several vantage points for taking pictures of the remarkable rock formations and shopping for Navajo jewelry. I concentrated on the photography and resisted the jewelry. OK, OK – I confess! I broke down and bought a necklace. But it was a bargain!

There was an older Navajo fellow with his horse stationed at John Ford Point. He would let tourists get on the horse for their picture, but he also rode out to the vantage point for the classic tourist “money shot” of Monument Valley. Who can resist taking lots of pictures of this scene, LOL?

We had a great time and wished we could have stayed longer. But the morning was history and we had to get back for a slot canyon tour in the afternoon. The return flight to Page gave us more memories of beautiful desert canyon views.

The next adventure topic will be a walk through Antelope Canyon. Oh my!

June is for Daylilies

We discovered hybrid daylilies many years ago and regard them as one of the best perennial flowers for the garden. They are about as “no muss, no fuss” as you can get with flowers! We’ve never had a problem with pests on them, and we rarely even fertilize the plants. They thrive, year after year, with little effort on our part. How can you beat that?

We divide the clumps up every 5-6 years and give extras away to friends. During the blooming season, we deadhead old blooms every couple of days so that the plants bloom longer and don’t put their energies into creating seed pods.

Here are some of beautiful blooms we are currently enjoying in our June flower gardens.

Something to Chew On

My sweet baboo went to the dentist today and had some laser surgery on his gums. Here’s hoping that he can sink his teeth back in to some local politicians and their cronies soon!

Rainbow Bridge National Monument

The saga of our Southwest USA trip continues!

On our small plane flight over from Lake Powell to Monument Valley, we got to see the fabled Rainbow Bridge National Monument from the air. Tucked in the midst of the rugged, isolated canyons at the base of Navajo Mountain, the sandstone formation is the largest natural bridge in the world. Native Americans living in the region consider the bridge sacred. During the high water summer months, it can be reached by boat on Lake Powell.

From the base to the top of the arch, Rainbow Bridge is 290 feet, nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty. It spans 275 feet across the river that it straddles, and the arch top is 42 feet thick and 33 feet wide. Huge and beautiful!

The next chapter about our travel adventure will be the incredible Monument Valley. You will not want to miss that!

Lavender Harvest

The first 2008 lavender harvest has begun!

We grow mostly the Provence type of lavender in our flowerbeds. This is perhaps the best year ever for the plants. We had originally planted them in the rose garden about 10 years ago. But we quickly found out that they were not very happy in that location because it lacked good drainage. So we moved the plants to the bed near the garage entrance where there is a nice, gentle slope. They have thrived ever since their move.

I’m jumping into the stalks along with the big bumble bees, snipping away handfuls at a time. After I create the bundles, I put them on an old-fashioned drying rack set up in the garage. I’ll harvest the flower blossoms after the bundles dry.

I am also making a few lavender wands for my dresser drawers and to give away to friends. It’s not difficult to do the wands, just a little time consuming. I use assorted colors of 3/8” ribbon and 7 lavender stalks for each wand. I taught myself how to do it and you can too if you don’t know how! Here is an easy tutorial.

Thank Goodness for Electricity!

We had a bad summer storm last Saturday night. Lightning, winds, rain – the works! As luck would have it, the electrical power went out. Usually, it doesn’t stay off for very long. It had not come back on after a couple of hours, so we went out to investigate around the neighborhood. We found out that tree limbs had fallen on electrical lines throughout the area, and the utility worker crews were out fixing them, one by one. The power came back on later, and we were only inconvenienced for a little over four hours.

It is easy to take electricity for granted until it isn’t there. We also tend to forget what an incredible bargain it is. For example, our cable bill last month was twice the amount of our electrical bill. I know we could live easier without cable service than electricity! (And cable service isn’t worth a red cent without electricity, LOL!) When we figure out the daily unit cost for electrical power and what it buys us – lights, cold food and beverages, air conditioning – we are enormously grateful. What other commodity gives us so much for only a few dollars per day?

Yeah, yeah. I’m beginning to sound like a commercial for your local power company, aren’t I? Full disclosure time! I have a unique perspective because I worked for some power utilities most of my career. During one twelve-year period, I was an environmental auditor who visited all of the company’s power plants (fossil, nuclear, hydro) and supporting facilities (transmission lines, substations). So I got to see firsthand the staggering amount of work that goes into electricity production. It’s not pretty and the working conditions for the employees are not comfortable.

If the average person could see all the “magic” behind that little toggle switch or electrical outlet, perhaps they would have a better appreciation for instantaneous light and the juice that fuels their appliances and electronic toys. And, perhaps they would also not grumble as much when they open their monthly bill!

OK! The commercial is now over and I will resume my normal blog programming! LOL!

Lake Powell

Time for another chapter in our Southwest USA adventure!

After we left the Grand Canyon, the next stop was a comfortable, two-night stay at the Lake Powell Resort. The resort is located near Page, Arizona, and it served as a convenient home base for a jam-packed itinerary of sightseeing. Here are some pictures showing the aerial setting of the resort and a view from the grounds outside our room (thanks to a telephoto lens).

The Lake Powell area is a popular recreation area, and the landscape is uniquely stark and beautiful. Almost 3 million visitors a year flock here, taking part in boating, swimming, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, water skiing, hiking, and sightseeing. It is the second largest man-made lake in the U.S., created upon completion of the Glen Canyon Dam. Spanning Arizona and Utah, Lake Powell is 186 miles long and has 1960 miles of shoreline, which is longer than the entire west coast of the continental U.S.

But enough of the statistics, I know you want to see more pictures! It is quite one thing to see the surreal landscape on the ground, but the immensity of it all is confirmed from the air. We took the tour’s optional small plane flight over to see Monument Valley, and we saw some amazing Lake Powell terrain on the way. Check out these incredible views!