Thanks, Peter for always bringing a sense of humor to our Fridays.
We will be in the 90s today with pop-up thunderstorms. Weather gal said it’s the third driest August on record here. Explains why I’ve had to make many trips with pots of water to take care of the elephant ears, ferns, blueberry sprout of a bush, and Asian jasmine. It has been my mini-track while healing from tendinitis.
Good morning, all. Another beautiful day here. Moscow brother hopes to come down today, a nice surprise for my dad and always a pleasure for us to see him.
Reading through the news–as best you can these days–on X, when I found this wonderful story about Billy Graham and a would-be assasin.. (Much better than “the news.”)
The header is Sedona, Arizona, Cathedral Rock, one of the most photographed spots in Arizona, though usually you see it reflected in a creek (on calendars and such). I got that classic reflection shot myself 25 or 30 years ago, and was looking for it on the trip I took in April.
I was in Arizona the last two weeks of April, my first visit since my mother’s funeral in October 2003. I flew into Phoenix and spent the night there, but drove up the next day to Sedona, where I had a hotel room for one night. Unfortunately my first two nights in Arizona I hardly slept at all, just an hour or two each night. And in Sedona I couldn’t find the spot that reflects this beauty–the flow of the creek has changed since I was last there, and it didn’t show a reflection in the same spot it did last time. I realized that I could probably walk the other way along the creek and catch it, but by that time, two sleepless nights were catching up to me, I’d already been out hiking with three cameras for a couple of hours (including very carefully crossing the creek with them), and I had a couple of hours to drive back to my housing for the night and wanted to make sure I was still alert and safe to drive.
Last time I visited Sedona (with my mom, two weeks before she died), one didn’t have to pay to park and photograph this scene. When I visited this time, I had a hard time finding the spot, when I finally got there I thought the clouds were making the scene too dark and I might not get good photos, and I was reluctant to pay for parking to get bad photos and then return in the morning and pay for parking again. The lady at the booth told me where I could go and get photos without having to pay.
Unfortunately I pulled over too soon. She talked about a “trail,” and I saw a little spot with two or three cars, and pulled over to take the trail. It wasn’t a bad little trail, and it had lots of lovely views. I was trying to get as close to this formation as I could while the light was good; it was moving toward sunset, I wasn’t carrying a flashlight, and I was going to have to come back through rocks and cactus to get back to my car. But I headed toward this spot, and for a few minutes I couldn’t see the rock formation at all, because another one blocked it.
I was coming around the rocks to get to where I would get a view of Cathedral Rock, and before I could see it, I heard people say “Oooh” from the other side of the formations I was passing, and I knew the sun must have hit this spot, so I hurried those last few yards, and came out to this view. (This weekend I will be entering this shot in a juried show, hoping to show it in November or December.)
As I walked back to my car, I had a couple of miles through aforementioned scenery, and had to get back while I could still see, but over my shoulder was a glorious Arizona sunset with multiple colors (pinks and purples and golds), my first Arizona sunset in 20 years and my first ever in Sedona, so I would walk a few yards and turn around and take a few more photos, then hurry a few more yards.
What is funny is that returning to my car, I drove a little farther on the road I was on, looking for a good spot to turn around. And I came to a spot with a few dozen cars and a wide open view of Cathedral Rock, which is probably what the lady at the booth was telling me about. To be honest I probably got better photos, since I had some foreground in my shots, but had I known about the open view I wouldn’t have tramped several miles through the desert for the view I did get.
The next morning I returned, after maybe an hour of sleep in a cute little hotel with a horribly grumpy manager, paid for parking, and couldn’t find the reflections but got some more shots with different foregrounds. I also had one view blocked for a while by a New Age guru who had taken a couple there for the spiritual vibes, and when I finally went down to the water anyway, she lectured me boldly about interrupting a “counseling” session. (No, it was a spiritual session, and it was public land and not her counseling office. I waited ten or fifteen minutes, and finally thought this is stupid. I haven’t visited Sedona for more than twenty years, I bought a plane ticket to fly across the country, paid for a hotel room overnight so I could come back in the morning, I paid to park here and visit here, I only have an hour before I need to get on the road, and some proponent of false religion can’t stand here and tell me I can’t go down to the water because it will ruin her clients’ spiritual vibes! Well, I prayed for all three of them several times over the rest of the day, and subsequent days, because I wanted her spiritual control over them to be blocked.)
This was my best view, though, in marvelous lighting. Even the clouds ended up just adding to the beauty, because they had rolled back a little in the hour or so before I got this shot.
The western US is breathtaking. (Utah was a favorite on the family car jaunts to Iowa and on later trips elsewhere I fell in love also with New Mexico/Colorado.)
Thanks Janice, that looks like an option although as he says, vines do encroach and I have plants and large flowering bushes I like surrounding the middle of the (dirt) yard. It’s all on hold for now (again).
Waiting for a callback from the doctor, I have this strained muscle that runs from my upper neck down to my shoulder that kicks up every so often — it came on again yesterday as I was working at the computer and by evening was just really painful. I was hoping it would ease up by this morning but that’s not the case, so called the dr for the prescription she’d provided before for this when I went in to see her in similar pain, probably about a year ago.
But I have the day off so that’s good. Just can’t get comfortable.
I have a cousin who lived in Sedona for the New Age ‘vibes.’ Sadly, she is very into that. It was a beautiful place in its own way. Very different from where most of us live.
~ Elections tempt us to think that the ultimate solutions to our problems can be found in one candidate or political party. But the gospel gives us a picture of reality—one that is more pessimistic and more optimistic at the same time. Because of our understanding of sin, we know that no political vision will ultimately satisfy or deliver. But because of the resurrection, we know that one day, all will be made new. This understanding can lower the temperature of our political discourse—it turns our vote into just a vote. And it can enable us to engage with our neighbor as a person to love and not an enemy to destroy. We can learn from our neighbors on our margins, though only God can be trusted with ultimate power and authority. ~
Home again. Had a lot of the road to myself as I was going away from Tahoe. My cabin had some steps down to it. first one step, then two and then four. You could walk around the one step, but I learned that I needed a hiking pole to help me with the others as my balance is not good. My friend left yesterday. So I had prayed for someone to help me today to get my things to my car. There were the steps and then a nice path that was steep in one spot. With my hiking pole it was going to take multiple trips. I got everything ready and then saw someone from house keeping outside. I opened the door to tell her that I had all of the linens ready for her. Then she asked if I needed help. amazing. I have been here for four days and only saw someone on that path when i arrived, and that fellow helped me too. So here I am leaving and this sweet gal quickly made four trips to my car and carried all of my things. I had even brought all of my ice packs which were very helpful.
I went to Carson City, just 10 miles out of my way and shopped Costco and Walmart. I had a list and found everything.
When I got home the outside lights were on, at 3:30, the screen door was open, the kitchen lights were on and there was a light on in the livingroom and the family room, also a window was open and a fan on. She got home about 15 minutes after I did. Oh, the trash can was also still at the end of the driveway from the trash pickup last Monday.
Wandering Views 
Beautiful picture of Arizona (or Utah) Monument Valley? Whichever.
Another Friday has arrived.
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What a gorgeous photo of God’s glorious creation!
Thanks, Peter for always bringing a sense of humor to our Fridays.
We will be in the 90s today with pop-up thunderstorms. Weather gal said it’s the third driest August on record here. Explains why I’ve had to make many trips with pots of water to take care of the elephant ears, ferns, blueberry sprout of a bush, and Asian jasmine. It has been my mini-track while healing from tendinitis.
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I think Dj was looking for a ground cover at one point. This is what son found:
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Good morning, all. Another beautiful day here. Moscow brother hopes to come down today, a nice surprise for my dad and always a pleasure for us to see him.
mumsee
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Reading through the news–as best you can these days–on X, when I found this wonderful story about Billy Graham and a would-be assasin.. (Much better than “the news.”)
https://x.com/Gyata_Ba_/status/1829165030799290548
LikeLiked by 1 person
The header is Sedona, Arizona, Cathedral Rock, one of the most photographed spots in Arizona, though usually you see it reflected in a creek (on calendars and such). I got that classic reflection shot myself 25 or 30 years ago, and was looking for it on the trip I took in April.
I was in Arizona the last two weeks of April, my first visit since my mother’s funeral in October 2003. I flew into Phoenix and spent the night there, but drove up the next day to Sedona, where I had a hotel room for one night. Unfortunately my first two nights in Arizona I hardly slept at all, just an hour or two each night. And in Sedona I couldn’t find the spot that reflects this beauty–the flow of the creek has changed since I was last there, and it didn’t show a reflection in the same spot it did last time. I realized that I could probably walk the other way along the creek and catch it, but by that time, two sleepless nights were catching up to me, I’d already been out hiking with three cameras for a couple of hours (including very carefully crossing the creek with them), and I had a couple of hours to drive back to my housing for the night and wanted to make sure I was still alert and safe to drive.
Last time I visited Sedona (with my mom, two weeks before she died), one didn’t have to pay to park and photograph this scene. When I visited this time, I had a hard time finding the spot, when I finally got there I thought the clouds were making the scene too dark and I might not get good photos, and I was reluctant to pay for parking to get bad photos and then return in the morning and pay for parking again. The lady at the booth told me where I could go and get photos without having to pay.
Unfortunately I pulled over too soon. She talked about a “trail,” and I saw a little spot with two or three cars, and pulled over to take the trail. It wasn’t a bad little trail, and it had lots of lovely views. I was trying to get as close to this formation as I could while the light was good; it was moving toward sunset, I wasn’t carrying a flashlight, and I was going to have to come back through rocks and cactus to get back to my car. But I headed toward this spot, and for a few minutes I couldn’t see the rock formation at all, because another one blocked it.
I was coming around the rocks to get to where I would get a view of Cathedral Rock, and before I could see it, I heard people say “Oooh” from the other side of the formations I was passing, and I knew the sun must have hit this spot, so I hurried those last few yards, and came out to this view. (This weekend I will be entering this shot in a juried show, hoping to show it in November or December.)
As I walked back to my car, I had a couple of miles through aforementioned scenery, and had to get back while I could still see, but over my shoulder was a glorious Arizona sunset with multiple colors (pinks and purples and golds), my first Arizona sunset in 20 years and my first ever in Sedona, so I would walk a few yards and turn around and take a few more photos, then hurry a few more yards.
What is funny is that returning to my car, I drove a little farther on the road I was on, looking for a good spot to turn around. And I came to a spot with a few dozen cars and a wide open view of Cathedral Rock, which is probably what the lady at the booth was telling me about. To be honest I probably got better photos, since I had some foreground in my shots, but had I known about the open view I wouldn’t have tramped several miles through the desert for the view I did get.
The next morning I returned, after maybe an hour of sleep in a cute little hotel with a horribly grumpy manager, paid for parking, and couldn’t find the reflections but got some more shots with different foregrounds. I also had one view blocked for a while by a New Age guru who had taken a couple there for the spiritual vibes, and when I finally went down to the water anyway, she lectured me boldly about interrupting a “counseling” session. (No, it was a spiritual session, and it was public land and not her counseling office. I waited ten or fifteen minutes, and finally thought this is stupid. I haven’t visited Sedona for more than twenty years, I bought a plane ticket to fly across the country, paid for a hotel room overnight so I could come back in the morning, I paid to park here and visit here, I only have an hour before I need to get on the road, and some proponent of false religion can’t stand here and tell me I can’t go down to the water because it will ruin her clients’ spiritual vibes! Well, I prayed for all three of them several times over the rest of the day, and subsequent days, because I wanted her spiritual control over them to be blocked.)
This was my best view, though, in marvelous lighting. Even the clouds ended up just adding to the beauty, because they had rolled back a little in the hour or so before I got this shot.
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Beautiful photo, Cheryl.
The western US is breathtaking. (Utah was a favorite on the family car jaunts to Iowa and on later trips elsewhere I fell in love also with New Mexico/Colorado.)
Thanks Janice, that looks like an option although as he says, vines do encroach and I have plants and large flowering bushes I like surrounding the middle of the (dirt) yard. It’s all on hold for now (again).
Waiting for a callback from the doctor, I have this strained muscle that runs from my upper neck down to my shoulder that kicks up every so often — it came on again yesterday as I was working at the computer and by evening was just really painful. I was hoping it would ease up by this morning but that’s not the case, so called the dr for the prescription she’d provided before for this when I went in to see her in similar pain, probably about a year ago.
But I have the day off so that’s good. Just can’t get comfortable.
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https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-D742pP06o/?igsh=MTNobHZ5NWd1eG1kaA==
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I have a cousin who lived in Sedona for the New Age ‘vibes.’ Sadly, she is very into that. It was a beautiful place in its own way. Very different from where most of us live.
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The Keller Center email:
~ Elections tempt us to think that the ultimate solutions to our problems can be found in one candidate or political party. But the gospel gives us a picture of reality—one that is more pessimistic and more optimistic at the same time. Because of our understanding of sin, we know that no political vision will ultimately satisfy or deliver. But because of the resurrection, we know that one day, all will be made new. This understanding can lower the temperature of our political discourse—it turns our vote into just a vote. And it can enable us to engage with our neighbor as a person to love and not an enemy to destroy. We can learn from our neighbors on our margins, though only God can be trusted with ultimate power and authority. ~
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Home again. Had a lot of the road to myself as I was going away from Tahoe. My cabin had some steps down to it. first one step, then two and then four. You could walk around the one step, but I learned that I needed a hiking pole to help me with the others as my balance is not good. My friend left yesterday. So I had prayed for someone to help me today to get my things to my car. There were the steps and then a nice path that was steep in one spot. With my hiking pole it was going to take multiple trips. I got everything ready and then saw someone from house keeping outside. I opened the door to tell her that I had all of the linens ready for her. Then she asked if I needed help. amazing. I have been here for four days and only saw someone on that path when i arrived, and that fellow helped me too. So here I am leaving and this sweet gal quickly made four trips to my car and carried all of my things. I had even brought all of my ice packs which were very helpful.
I went to Carson City, just 10 miles out of my way and shopped Costco and Walmart. I had a list and found everything.
When I got home the outside lights were on, at 3:30, the screen door was open, the kitchen lights were on and there was a light on in the livingroom and the family room, also a window was open and a fan on. She got home about 15 minutes after I did. Oh, the trash can was also still at the end of the driveway from the trash pickup last Monday.
Jo
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Oh, Jo. Prayers for wisdom and patience. Also, thanksgiving for the help loading your car and the safe drive home.
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Sounds like a good and satisfying short get-away, Jo.
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Hey Jo, did you ever get to have a conversation about what you each need from each other?
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