Sedona has a reputation for attracting crystal-seeking New-Agers (and there's nothing wrong with that), but don't go to Sedona for the vortexes. Go to Sedona for the scenery and the ancient Native American history.
Dan and I set off to Sedona with son #4 and his wife, who had organized a Pink Jeep tour for us, and we spent the day taking in the scenery. Dan bought himself a couple of dirt shirts with Southwest designs on them, and I liked the look of them so much, I had to buy a couple as well. If you aren't familiar with dirt shirts, they're T-shirts dyed in the local mud. They come out a gorgeous russet color (like the one my son is wearing).
We strolled down the main streets, looking for kachinas for me (Native American dolls that represent different dancers) and cold drinks. I love how the city has ordinances that make developers comply with building designs that blend with the natural environment. Nothing garish or ugly here. Despite the calendar saying it was the end of September, temperatures were well over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Our water bottles came in very handy!
After a stroll through the shops, it was time for our Pink Jeep tour, led by our intrepid driver and tour guide, Jason. We had signed up for the Ancient American ruins tour, and headed out into the bush. We zoomed past celebrity homes and found ourselves into wide open ranch land, surrounded by red rocks. It was stunning!
The Native American dwellings were built into the native rock using mud brick and rocks. In their day, they would have looked like a somewhat modern apartment building, with rooms built on top of each other. Built high into the native rock to keep away enemies and predators, I could just imagine what it would have been like to live here, off the harsh land. Life expectancy was around 40 years (less for women.) Each clan marked its presence with a shield with an animal icon painted on the rock face. Around us were petroglyphs - paintings of animals on the rocks: deer, coyote, and coatis. Some people think that the natives, by drawing on the rocks, ascribed some kind of magical hold over these animals, as they were food sources, but part of me likes to think that they just liked to replicate what they saw in nature, to their abodes, much like many of us do today.
It was a fascinating tour, although hot and thirsty work, walking to and around the site. I left only reluctantly, although it did mean that I got to see more red rock and bush on the way back to base. I leave some photos of the day for you to enjoy.
Upon our arrival to Tucson, we loaded up the car (after a quick shower) and headed north towards Flagstaff. No flight recovery time for us - we were on the go. We were going to see the Grand Canyon!
I was concerned that we hadn't allowed for much time on the site, but, as it turned out, the timing was perfect. We arrived late in the afternoon and witnessed the changing colors of the canyon. First, beiges, pinks and gold, and then turning to darker blues and purples as the sun descended. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought that I was looking at a painting, and I can well understand the inspiration for "Southwest" colors. I never before thought of the Grand Canyon as a spiritual place, but, once there, my insignificant humanness became emphasised and I felt humbled by what my eyes beheld.
We walked the rim of the canyon for a few hours, did a bit of local shopping, and then returned again for sunset. To say that the Grand Canyon is magnificent, is an understatement. This "hole in the ground" hides millions of years of history. It's at once a hostile environment that still manages to teem with life. While we were there, we saw desert rats, eagles, and elk. At dusk, the elk came out to forage for food and they took my breath away. I've never seen such a magnificent animal in all my life. Too see bull elks in the wild made me think of my pagan ancestors who revered the wild stag. At that moment, I understood why.
The whole trip turned out to be an amazing experience, one that I hope to repeat in my lifetime.
Dan's company put on a bash for all of its employees yesterday. The silly season has begun.
Dan's boss is a generous guy. He foot the bill for an extravagant buffet dinner and hotel rooms for his employees plus one guest. Dan and I were looking forward to a bit of festivity and dressed accordingly. We are unabashed Christmas Fools.
The food was pretty good (lots of fresh seafood), the bar was Open, and there was a live band that covered such modern classics as "Satisfaction" and "Mama Mia." We spent the night chatting with the company office manager and one of her friends. I got to meet Dan's boss's grown kids. But other than that, there wasn't a whole lot of mixing going on - and nothing remotely resembling the holiday season. The place wasn't even decorated, and while I had a nice time with Dan and the other two women - it was just a night out - with a motel room so that no one had to drive home intoxicated.
Dan's boss disappeared at some point during the evening. It was a little surreal. I didn't get much sleep and today I feel a bit like a zombie. Which just proves to me - the holiday spirit doesn't come from a bottle.
Name: Melanie O. Home: Durham, North Carolina, United States About Me: Female, American health and beauty-conscious professional who has rekindled a childhood love of dolls. See my profile...
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Dan's company put on a bash for all of its employees yesterday. The silly season has begun.
