Birthday Surprise Day 3 - Sunday (part 1- the long goodbye...)

For those of you who are interested in the book drawing, scroll down to the previous post to add a comment and get in the drawing (to be held Tues 7/22).

I thought I'd post a little bit more about my birthday weekend since the kids had to leave on Sunday, but Terry and I continued on till Monday night. I'll post it in pieces so you don't have so much to read in one sitting.

On Sunday Amy & Andrew had to head back to L.A. (7+ hour drive) and Kevin had to head back to Omaha (18+ hour drive). (I still can't believe they were all able to get there.) We all slept in a bit, then just got up, and went down to the restaurant at the hotel for breakfast. It was o.k., nothing special, so we were 0 for 2 for great breakfast places. Oh well, the dinner Saturday made up for it all.

Since the temps in Sedona were getting into the mid 90's in the afternoons, Terry and I decided to head up to Flagstaff for the last night. It's just about an hour north, but the temps are 10 to 20 degrees cooler since it's higher elevation. A & A and Kevin were both planning to head thru Flag on the way home, so we all drove in a caravan through Oak Creek Canyon and up to the Oak Creek Vista Overlook, then stopped to take a group photo and say our goodbyes.

By the way, I love the way our colors coordinated in the group photo. You'd think we had planned it, but we didn't.

We were so sad to see the kids go, not knowing exactly when we'll see them again. But we were so thankful that we had that precious time with them. You can see how sad Amy was in the photo below, and I think Kevin was wiping away tear. (just kidding) We had an amazing time!

Coming up next I'll post about our visits to Walnut Canyon and the Flagstaff Arboretum, so stay tuned...

I know I'm probably giving away any surprise, but I also posted all my favorite photos from the trip in a slideshow near the top of the right column. If you click on it, it will go to a new page and you can select the speed of viewing, etc. You'll see where we went on Sunday and Monday, but won't get the details until I post again.

SEDONA WEEKEND:

Here are some highlights from our trip to Sedona this weekend. While it was too early in the season to catch the fall colors, there were a few hints that it was on the way.

We drove down Oak Creek Canyon on Saturday and picked up some amazingly delicious Macintosh apples and fresh squeezed apple cider. There's just nothing like the fresh stuff. It tastes like someone's squeezing it fresh from the apple right into your mouth. Mmmmmm, absolutely scrumptious!
Early in the day we took a hike down the Brins Mesa Trail in Sedona. It was a really nice hike. We decided that it must be designated for women and their dogs, because that's mostly what we came across. We could tell that there was a storm coming in, so we didn't hang around too long.

One discovery that I made was my new branch! You'll see Terry holding it (and looking bewildered). I'm so excited that I finally found one just laying on the ground. No, I didn't violate the forest by breaking or cutting off a branch. I was determined to find one that God had already chosen for me. For those of you who don't remember, see my inspiration here from Santiagos restaurant in Bisbee. I've also seen them in magazines. Here's what I'm thinking...I'll hang it over the sofa in the living room and display an ever-changing art exhibit or other decorating items there. Think photos, greeting cards, Christmas ornaments, postcards, fall leaves, etc. I need to clean it up a bit, but I think it will be PERFECT! I'll post a picture once I get it up there. My loving husband was even willing to give up the trunk so we could get it home. It barely fit, but we made it with all the luggage in the back seat.

Later in the afternoon and into the evening we were blessed with a wonderful storm with thunder and lightening and all. Thank you God!

West Fork Trail
On Sunday we enjoyed a nearly perfect day of gorgeous weather, hiking the West Fork of Oak Creek. I don't remember ever going on this trail before, and I don't know why. It's so beautiful. Considering the fact that this trail has a parking lot all it's own, you can imagine how crowded it might get. The good news is that I think the storm the day before scared everyone away, so traffic on the path was relatively light. The photo of the stone wall is in an area with several decaying walls and buildings near the beginning of the trail. There's also an abandoned fireplace hearth, chicken coop and an apple orchard nearby. I'd love to hear the story behind these remains. Let me know if anyone knows it.

We also got a nice little treat in seeing this little bunch of reddish pink maple leaves...and so the season begins...can't wait!

And the reflection of the red rocks in the creek is simply spectacular. Click to enlarge these. They're much better in full screen.

And last but not least, Terry stopped the car for me on the way out of town so I could get some photos of the moon over the red rocks. I love taking pictures at this time of day, when it looks to the naked eye like it's too dark for them to turn out. It's amazing how much light the camera can capture.

Overall it was a precious weekend with my honey.