Come To This Land Of Sunshine

In case you missed my last week adventure, David

and I went to Moab, Utah.  I posted it on

Facebook.....my first honest post of something we did.

If interested check it out there.

I can't download videos to this blog.  :(

 

But have no fear.....we took off Saturday on

our quads.  We met up with my brother, Jeff,

and my friend and sister in law, Tammy.

 

Jeff took us west of Salt River.  The roads

were a bit narrow at times and angled to

the edge a bit for me but I finally got

my feet under me and really enjoyed the day.

 

I know not everyone likes to look at

these scenic pictures (yawn)  but I

just can't get over how beautiful

these off the road scenes are.

Thanks, Jeff, for taking us!

 

Filling the tanks.

Just some Arizona red rock. 

 Salt River.

 

 Jeff was a mad man on this quad.

Tammy said it didn't bother her at all.

She does feel like she is on the back

of an elephant though.

 

 The man who can't stay home on Saturday.

 

Jeff: thinking he might try to make

it up the cliff. 

 

 If you enlarge this photo and focus

on the center you can see a horizontal

line.  That is the bridge at the bottom

of Salt River.  Gives you some perspective

as to where we were.

 

 When I am on my quad my mind loves it.

The blender turns off and I just choose what

I think about.  Although, I kept singing

"Where are you going, my little one, little one."

Why???

 

 Bigfoot is up there somewhere.

 

 Four Peaks.

Watching me wherever I go!!!

 

 Someday I am getting a better camera

or phone.  These places are so beautiful.

But I know you can't tell.

 

Arizona Cyprus.

It was a huge tree with

Ewoks or Hobbits living in it.

Maggie

It has been four months since Boo died.

I wasn't sure if I could take another dog.

But here we are!  Heidi found Maggie

on a penny paper online in the valley.

 

She is a Goldendoodle:  Golden Retriever

and Poodle.  We are getting used to

each other.  Not to difficult.  She is a

nice dog!  She is only 1.5 years old so

she is more active than Boo.  But she

is smart and learns easy.  She came

house broken.....99% of what makes

her welcome.

 

I have been reading online to learn how

dogs think or what it takes to train them.

We have been walking on a leash and

learning who gets to walk in the door first.

More to come.

 

I think she is still wondering what

is going on and who are these people

and what house is this. 

 Sure I will go with you.

 What was I thinking!!

Bad hair cut.  She doesn't shed!!!!

She is quiet like Boo.  I like that.



Gilbert Temple cultural event

People who know David and I know that

we are generally not very "cultured people".

We knew that this huge cultural event

preceding the dedication of the Gilbert Temple

was last night and we could view it online.

 

What we didn't know was if we were going

to watch it.  It had that word "cultural"

in it.  But we felt a responsibility to

support it. 

 

OK~I cried.  It really touched me.  All those

young men and young women.  They were

wonderful!  It was inspiring and beautiful...

even in all that rain. 

 

Loved it. 

Parker P

My granddaughter, Parker Lee, turned eight

and was baptized last Sunday evening on

her birthday.  Jill and John offered to buy

me a ticket to come out a week ahead and

spend time with them.  It was a very generous

offer and I took it!

 

I do try and be a good grandma.  It is

harder to do that when there are lots

of miles keeping us apart.  This was

the first time I have gone and just

been with them for a regular week.

I got to watch them when Jill and

John had responsibilities.  I went with

Jill to drop them off and pick them

up from school.  Quinn had a fiddle

concert and Parker had a gymnastics

meet that I was able to attend. 

Paisley drug me all over the house. I

just got to be Grandma Trish. 

 

I finally studied a map of Conway.

My anxiety level was greatly

reduced once I oriented myself.

My problem started when I flew

into Little Rock at night.  I got

turned around and it has taken

nearly 4 years to see the sun

come up in the east.  It didn't

help the there is no rhyme or

reason to so many of the streets.

 

 Like Father ~ Like Son



 This is Parker making a wish before

she blew out her Eight Is Great candle.

Jill called her to the table and

she was just going to blow out her candle

and somebody said to make a wish and

she just got this "magic is going to happen"

look on her face.  I loved it.

 You can never have too many pictures

with grandchildren's faces in them.

 Quinn tried to be patient and teach

me to play chess.  Honestly, I really

liked playing.  I even won a game.

I didn't know I had cornered the

king until John came to see how it

was going.  It was too much for Quinn

to try and teach me and then get

beat by me.  He asked Parker to

play after that. 

 When a chess game is on

the dog is out.  Their boxer,

Ruby, kills me.  Kills them too....

but in a different way.  One day

she will settle down.

 Quinn at his fiddle concert.  I have trouble

thinking fiddle players have "concerts".

I wish I could download the video.

He did so well.  And I just loved going

to this event.  It was part of the magic

of this trip.

 Grandpa Dave's date to the concert.

 

 Handsome family.

These guys are doing so good in

Arkansas.  They have good friends.  One of which,

told me that her mom was very happy that

she had a good friend in Jill.  Her mom lives

in New York.  I understand.

Parker at her meet. 

This was so fun to watch.

Parker just goes out there and

competes.  Back flips and

splits and beams and bars.

Just like it is what you are

supposed to do.

 

Jill told me I would be driven

crazy by the floor exercise

music.  Every girl that competes

uses the same routine so they all

use the same song.  30-40 times

a meet.  The song is still in my head!

Again, it was part of the magic

of the trip.

 

It was hard to say goodbye.

Love this family.

Americans With Disabilities Law.

It was 14 years ago that the Americans with Disabilities Law

was enacted.  For about 12.5 years I avoided ever

using the large stall at the end of the row in the

ladies bathroom.  Then I started observing the times

I was in a public bathroom and there were never

any handicapped girls heading in that

direction.  All you could hear in those

stalls were crickets. 

 

I started helping myself to the luxury

of those large stalls.  And, by the way, they were

95% cleaner than all other available stalls and

I never worried that there might be a

paper shortage.  (This,

obviously because, most woman think as I did~

these are only for women with disabilities so

please defer.)

 

Sooo...when I need to avail myself of a

public restroom this is how I approach it:

Check out the handicapped door and the

other needy women in the place if there

isn't a match then it is free game.

 

This doesn't work if a sweet little

old lady comes in after me.  I

learned that the hard way.

 

Am I bad.

Seahawks 43 - Broncos 8

We were invited to watch the Super Bowl at David's

good friend, Trent Keime's, home.  I had thought I

would just pass on it as I am trying to be better

at keeping the Sabbath Day holy.  Didn't happen.

Trent is this gregarious man that we just love.

We went to support him.  We had NO IDEA

that he would have his house set up like this.  He

had a projector on the wall, two flat screens

on the side and one more over the fireplace.

We just laughed when we walked through the

front door!  And then there was the food.  He

planned an event!!! 

 

As every one knows all

the TV's in the world would not have made that

game worth watching.  We ended up eating

and talking and eating and talking.

 

Thanks, Trent, for liking David!

 

 

Like Father LIke Son

 

This is my son, Tim's son Ben.

He fell asleep with his cap on.

Tim remembered a picture of him

asleep with a cap on.  We had a good

laugh linking them together.

 

Gone but not forgotten.

The post title makes me sound more noble than

I am.  It wasn't me that remembered to

care for this headstone of my dad's and my

stepmom, Beverly's.  Beverly's son, Dale, who

lives in Wisconsin called me and asked me

if I would go and refresh the flowers

on the grave site.  He would pay for the

flowers.  I was glad he asked.  This is not

something I think of. 

 

When Beverly was alive she would always

change out the flowers.  I went with her

several times to fix up their headstone

at Christmas time.  It is a genuine and sweet

thing to do.  

Tall Pines to the Desert

 

I don't know why I think anyone is interested

in David's and my little trips around Arizona.

When I die maybe it will help my family

remember to love this great state.

With all the recent national attention somebody

needs to acknowledge that it is much more

than a political hot spot.

 

This is the road off 260 going south to Young.

We took a wrong turn

just south of Young and didn't know quite

where we would end up but it was about

the same distance to turn around and go

back or keep going

and I wanted to get dinner at Ed's

La Casita in Globe. 

 

The map we had wasn't that helpful.

I am almost embarrassed to say because

we have GPS on our phones but we didn't

think about using them. Next time, right?

Dirt roads always remind me of my childhood.

And the childhood of my children.



Of course, Four Peaks made an appearance.

Really, as far as mountains go, these are ugly.

They just always are there wherever we go.

So I have to give them their honor.

As always, my camera cannot do justice to

beautiful scenery.  But I thought of the

the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

  Not that these look

like them in anyway but relatively speaking

these Arizona Mountains were every bit as

inspiring.



This canyon was gorgeous.  It is just east

of Roosevelt Lake.  If you don't get out and

drive you never know these places are here.

Hello Roosevelt Lake!  OK, I know this isn't

the most beautiful lake but I liked this view.

I held my breathe going over this old bridge.

It looked forgotten.  It is over Salt River as

it runs north into Roosevelt.

 

.....Where to go next.......