Oct 11-13; Breakfast ~ Poker ~ Hiking Clubs

Oct 11-Sunday;

3 photos; Rae & I amongst the flowers over my worktable; Mousy dead in the bucket; my fav' paint, raw umber 'dead'-dried out since I bought it years ago (lesson learned!)

AM: Jerome breakfast club;

• I was fortunate in being invited to this morning's breakfast held at the Powder Box Church, a renovated & gorgeously decorated home built out of the former church built by the Mexican's with scavenged dynamite powder boxes at the copper mine.
• Joanne & her hubby 'Buddy' are looking after the place whilst the owners are travelling in Europe; breathtakingly beautiful ...and an inspiring age old solid, feisty spirit that was felt. http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc23668.php
• Joanne's lovely 15 year old neighbor,Gloria, who is studying "Agriculture" in highschool set the table and cooked everything - great delicious job!
• they give me tips for how to deal with the mountain lions ( not cougar). Yes they are around. Last week a 'cat' broke through someone's screen door to grab the cat!) > make myself BIG and make a lot of noise & DON'T RUN! Other scary creatures of the area that were discussed for the benefit of my naive Canadian self: scorpions and black widow spiders...so besides the beauty ...there's some care and respect to be had in these parts!
• such great people to get to know!

PM;

• Laundry; Mama you would be proud!...I kept thinking. I washed & hung my laundry after putting up a laundry line across my backyard
• tied it to the iron beam sticking out from the garage over to the back-porch pole; thought I tied it taut enough until the wet sheets fluttered in the wind grazing the patio stones!--untied it and grappled with the weight of WET sheets!! had to wind it around my hands to yank it in...good thing I'm doing weights at the gym I say...
• and Sketched; All those whites looked so beautiful fluttering in the wind...so I sat on the stairs and sketched until...it was time to drive down before the gym closed
• "Gesegnete MahlZeit" Thanksgiving CALL with Rae, Mai, Imre and Jennifer & Sam! So sweet..when I texted Rae earlier that morning to call me up at the Thanksgiving dinner during 'Gesegnete Mahzeit' he informed me that it was already a done deal at the Buchans and there would not be another one at the Hartels ( they had theirs the same time as the Buchan dinner with Papa & the Gaudet family!) awww... So there they were at the Sarvari's calling me in at the start of dinner -GREAT!! & SO GREAT to hear them all!!
• I HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR: Having this opportunity to be here in Arizona ~ An amazing big family & friends; which, although we miss each other, is so totally supportive of me being here, cheering me on; and my new friends here, which are so supportive, friendly and welcoming me as I explore this beautiful mountain and the wonderful lands surrounding me here!
• Bicycled... down Jerome mountain (when I found the gym closed): a fast- windy- scary 5-10 minutes! ....and rode back up - a slow - windy - scary 50 minutes!!...rode about 1/2 the hill...walked the rest where the sharp curves/ no visibility was...the sun went down pretty fast-what a work out!! Felt good..but I promise to not do that again: no shoulder, too many cars; and according to Karen upstairs, alot of people coming home after drinking in Jerome or Prescott over the mountain...NOT taking that chance again! Karen & I will ride to Sedona soon; a 20 mile gentle uphill ride with a WIDE paved shoulder and down hill back to Cottonwood.

Oct. 12 ~ Monday;

AM;

• Gym for aerobics class and weights work-out..2 hours - good sweat!
• fruit & veggie grocery shop at the local Health food store
• ACE hardware store for cupboard brackets - they had the right ones!

PM;

• after lunch; I listen to Annie Lennox & fix the cupboard & work on photos for creating PICASA folders and have a...
• read & 2 hour long nap- wow! I guess I needed that!

Eve; Ladies Poker night: I make hummus and a veggie tray for the occasion. Karen drives me down to Lisa & Anne's place by the river. 'Mary', the feisty Jerome business woman who owns the Kaleidoscope store, cleans us out!! (with 3's & 4's!!) in the 1st 1/2 hour...how else do you think I managed to have this crazy business?...selling Kaleidoscopes of all things...!" A hilarious evenings of gossip and major laughter- my cheeks hurt!

Oct 13, Tuesday:

AM;

• Got a 6:30am call from Anita, excited that I joined a gym & encouraging me ...just as I was looking at the cabbage soup diet copy I had brought with me..."Make sure you eat enough Protein!" ...yup timing is everything :-)
• Packed my hiking lunch - with Protein! & went to the Gym.
• 5 of us drove up in Sandy's car for a great 3 hour hike in the Red Rock State Park- great views & workout!
• Yahoo!! - My ankles were just fine! Lunched on one of the beautiful outlook points ( no photographs-take my word for it!).... got to know some fine local women who love hiking! We going to meet every Tuesday after the weights fitness class with Lori.

PM;

• built 5 frames for stretching canvas ( need staples for my staple gun!)
• gesso-ed the wood panels I bought. Tomorrow...Sedona and hardware store!
• set-up the mouse traps with just a tiny tease of almond butter "make them work for it!" & "Don't clean the trap-the more 'groady' -the better!" tips for catching the tricky 'Mousy' from the breakfast gang.

October 10; Verde Canyon Train Ride

Clarkdale; Took the 9am Verde Train this morning; www.verdecanyonrr.com

• bought a coach ticket ..didn't even use it because I was on the observation car outside under a canopy the whole time taking in the HUGE gorgeous vistas of the changing scenary of the canyon and surrounding area
• 1st we drove through the slag heap from the old Copper mine when they processed the copper HUGE- rusting & falling apart iron wall fencing that held it in..this train was built to transport all the copper from that mine in Jerome
• then on we drove along the Verde River to more inspiring sites: ranches & rock caves, home of the indigenous peoples, a bald eagle flying over us and then the eagle's nest; a trestle bridge- over the joining of 3 different river canyons
• gradually we drove further down into the huge deep floor of the canyon - river running beside the train..occasional cow drinking from river..interesting geological rock formations from volcanic eruption & earth movements, and then...
• my camera's lens got stuck 1/2 way through the trip-darn!
• the deserted Perkinsville Ranch & the blown up water tower from the movie shoot, 'How the West was Won' was the end of the line.
• AND if you are interested here is the link to the story about how the Perkins Family started the ranch that was the start of this 'Train station':http://www.sharlot.org/archives/history/dayspast/text/2002_08_04.shtml
• as the train was leaving the station there was this wash line with 4 pairs of jeans hanging in the Arizona sunshine - so cute.. so manly...must have belong to the brakeman...and no camera! So I drew it of course :-)
• 2 little girls, Elliana and Natalie, were interested in what I was drawing so I shared my paper, watercolor crayons & pencils and we had fun creating art together; the parents were so appreciative; one bought me an icecream sandwich and another brought me a bottle of water.
• Octoberfest was taking place at the station when the train returned so of course I joined in the celebrations; I couldn't be in Kitchener with the Haertel gang at Oktoberfest; so I was with them in spirit; eating a bratwurst & saurkraut with a live band.

Cottonwood;

• The day ended updating my blog at the Safeway in Cottonwood ( Village below Jerome)..except there was no plug for my computer at their Starbucks cafe my laptop died I moved to the Electronic scooter parking lot & used their socket..sitting on a scooter- hah! The manager walked by.." I guess we better install some sockets in the Starbucks area!"
• took a cooked turkey thigh home with me for my own little Thanksgiving dinner!

Oct 4th- Oct9th, Jerome: Getting Settled

Oct 4, Sunday, 1st day in my apartment

• Wake up to a gorgeous sunrise view of the valley.
• snoop around - check out the kitchen, living room, bathroom and the adjoining laundry room to the one side and the walk in closet to the other.
• Lots of windows! Every window has a view that is …gorgeous! And a cool sandstone patio with wicker chairs, a patio set and a big clay chiminea
• I unpack the car and put everything to the top of the stairs that go down to my apartment outside; and then take things down to the carpet in my living room ~ I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH I SQUEEZED INTO MY LITTLE INTEGRA!!!
• I clean the cupboards and closet and re-arrange things in here to suit my needs. Everything was pretty clean already-its amazing how the dust comes in with the windows open! She has a lot of books - I love snooping around other people’s books! I pick out some interesting ones I would want to read and look into and pack the rest away to make space for my books and art supplies. I also do 2 loads of laundry and have my closet looking all set for living it up here for the next 2 months!…have I got the right gear? What’s the weather going to be like?...
• End of the day ~ I am done moving in! Yeah!
• Time to go grocery shopping down in Cottonwood I get to the FoodCity for 8:30pm ….luckily they are open till 11pm. INTERESTING shopping experience…this place caters to the large Mexican population here in the vicinity- cool stuff and off course I am inspired to cook Mexican style; beans, avocados, salsa, hot pickled jalapeno peppers, real corn tortillas, small ones called Mini Rancheras and lots of veggies and fruits! I cook myself a great chicken and eggplant veggie medley …yum so hungry!

Oct 5, Monday; time to get organized:

• I go through all my bills and tally up what I all spent on the drive. I’m missing my favourite silver bracelet - not at the Parry Lodge L :-(
• After checking out the local yellow pages I make a deal with a Lori, the owner of a Cottonwood gym for 2 months.
• Afternoon: I visit the library in Jerome and visit Lisa’s office below to pick up a package from Rae- my new VISA and a yummy heart melting love poem folded into a bird-WOW! How can I concentrate at the computer after that?! Lisa tells me about all kinds of community events- a garage sale on Fri am and when I tell her I will be looking for a big pot and a blender she insists on getting that for me - super!
• Evening; I workout in the new gym…feels good! I’ve missed the weights! I talk to the guy at the desk and find out about a good bike shop in Old Cottonwood to fix my gears the won’t gear down. After working on my photos I hit the hay trying to watch TV..but screw up the clicker system and fall asleep!

Oct 6, Tuesday; Landscaping and town visit:

• I started working in the overgrown, rock covered garden and build wood for a fire in the chiminee with the wood I gathered.
• I ask the landlady if its ok to prune and for a rake - they only too happy!
• I go to town again to buy tickets for the Ghost tour on Friday evening and after the Historical Society & the little grocery shop were closed for lunch, I decide to have lunch at the famous Haunted Hamburger place- so good! I dispensed with the bun and had the baked potatoe and as many vegie fixing’s they offered at the Fixin’s bar….and their famous house Margarita! This was a late lunch at 3;45pm! Turned out to be dinner too…
• I build a big fire and as sparks begin to fly …I panicked! The garden and tall grasses all around is bone dry ---I race inside to get a the Brita jug of water and douse it! I call the local volunteer fire dept and leave a message to ask about the safety of these fires.
• I watch the Buffalo Girls movie from the library:..all about Calamity Jane( Christine - this is for you! ) & Annie Oakley, with Anjelica Houston, Melanie Griffiths & Reba McIntyre playing these roles ~ perfect to see because Buffalo Bill was part of the main story line.

Oct 7, Wed; gorgeous sunrise ...and it rained last night

• AM ~ I paint---watercolor on my big new watercolor pad from Salt Lake City…so careful and tenuous though and when it came time to clean up the leftover paint I let loose!--the whole floor got covered with paintings on cheaper paper- fun! Now I want to paint BIG on canvas. This living room has to be changed to make room to get messy. I make a list for my next trip to town at Home Depot.
• PM ~ Gardening and building a stone stepping path to the lower garden- I love getting into the dirt and working with the rocks --so many interesting ones to play with for the rest of the day and watch out for the black widow spider after Ann warns me about them( sticky ugly web-shiny black-nocturnal. Ann who works at the vet in Jerome, stopped by to deliver humane mouse traps & some rakes; also warned me to wash my hands after cutting down the large trumpet plant on the patio - it is a locally used hallucinogen.
• The fire dept. calls back and tells me to make sure that the chiminea is not close to the house or grass and to put screening over the hole ...a to go ahead and enjoy!
• Lisa delivers a big pot and a blender! She helps me move the chiminea to the center of the patio.
• I make yummy lentil veggie soup that simmers while I’m gardening
• Sunset; I call it a day when it starts to get dark to avoid meeting Mrs Black Widow.
• "HISSSsss!!" ~ a scary sound of a big cat and I am reminded about Karen telling me that she heard a cougar in the evening _ YIKES- I look at the wire fence...about 7-8 feet tall...could the cougar jump over that? I retreat quickly to the safety of my 'Home'!!
• After some of that yummy lentil soup and working on the blog and photos; I walk past my exercise area to bed and stop...OK...better not skip these... and do some ab exercises on my mat ( trying to stick to the program Anita!)

Oct. 8,Thursday; Getting to know Cottonwood

• I go to gym for 730 am and work out till 10;05 am, after joining a Pilates/yoga class which was great! I heard some women talking after class about starting a regular hike on Tuesdays after class …so I invited myself along! My ankles are doing much better now and I’m gonna see if they can hack a hike!
• Home Depot ~ for small chunks of thin plywood to paint on and other do-dads…the man who cuts lumber comes out to help measure the car- no way- I need a truck (future request from my Jerome friends
• Then on the hunt for the bike shop…finally found it! Evan checked it out - cleaned & lubed it and found a little piece of string stuck inside the main gear hub…and didn’t charge me! When I told him about how I had a hard time to find the place he said they were thinking of putting a mural on the side of the wall…well you are talking to the right woman! And I promised to drop by in the next 2 days with one of my Streethaven mural cards.
• As I unload my goodies I see a white haired lady watering her plants on the next home above us on the hill; 'Julia' has lived there for 85 years! She has a rooster (I hear him every morning :-), and chickens and goats!
• After dinner I go to the library and end up staying till 10pm - Richard, a local volunteer was staying late to finish some chores- showed me where the back room was for tea & hot chocolate; " This is more than your library..its our community center" as we walk by a whole cool play area for kids. I catch up on my email and connect with loved ones, including a lovely long chat with Jennifer, who sent me the most sweetest ever photo of Alexia; when she was babysitting her in the am, they sent a photo of Alexia wishing 'GG' ( great grandfather) a Happy Birthday that she had written herself on the easel at home!

Oct 9th; What a Community!!

• 7:30 am; Just as I'm climbing up the stairs to put the garbage out, I meet Karen, who is just calling me on my cell to ask if I want to go to the local garage sale up the hill ~ Sure thing!
• After she throws on a load of laundry ( shared space) & I finish bundling the trumpet vines in time for the garbage truck...PeeWee is put back in the house & off we go!
• The garage sale is right beside the Mine Museum; GREAT STUFF TO BROWSE THROUGH- I buy I a beautiful Mexican handwoven carpet, 2 vases, peeler, grate, and 3 CDs AND I meet lots of locals and Karen hooks me up with the 'Sunday Breakfast' group that she belongs to; about 12 of the locals take turns hosting breakfast on Sunday mornings.
• After we drive higher up into the center of town we park and walk up to the next street to the Historical Society building to buy our tickets for the 8pm Ghost walk tonight- it happens yearly on this weekend; the Story of Jennie Bauer and her murder.
• Karen then shows to the town's best shops and introduces me to a ton of people; The Kaleidoscope store, Nellie Bly (http://nellieblyscopes.com/home.html) is having a weekend of workshops with visiting artists - I sign up for a 9am course on Oct 24
• Next we meet a Belgian woman, Katrin, who runs the Connor Hotel in town with a cool shop on the main floor- She shares how she got to Jerome 16 years ago from Michigan, which is also where Karen is from originally . I love listening to everyone's stories h0w they ended up choosing to live here. Karen says her story is "fireside & glass of wine" kinda story!
• Next stop; Post Office, Karen shows me the Bulletin Board covered with notices about Happening scene in Jerome and area- lots!!
• A lot of the shops are closed, we are early but I get the low-down and snoop in the windows
• Final stop; we drop by the Visitor Center managed by a cool woman named Joanne; who used to be model, now a gorgeous, feisty, warm 60-something woman married to a woman married to a biker, who has a cool shop in town; Motorcycles are plenty around here! She is hosting this Sunday's brunch...and she tells us about the upcoming surprise birthday morning "Ride" for Katie Lee- this town is cool!!
• Home for taking care of things; I make a late breakfast for myself and have a nap- work on the blog for the pm and take care of some gardening- heat the soup up and prepare my first dinner with salad and cheese out on the patio; I invited Karen and Larry to pop by before we head up for the Ghost walk - they bring wine, apples and asiago cheese.
• 8 PM: a very well organized Ghost walk; all local volunteers who stage a historical and comical, and a tease of a show about: "Unscrupulous Madame Belgian Jennie,” a lady of questionable repute who amassed a fortune that made her the wealthiest woman in the Arizona Territory. Belgian Jennie, who was our guide, told the fascinating tale of her life and death in Jerome. The drama unfolded throughout the town of Jerome as the actors most of them, Jennie's girls escorted us around town locations significant to the story.
• We ended the evening at a local pub - I trying my 3rd Margarita that week..and the cheapest at $5...( the Mile High Inn wins the award for the best-this week!) and I heard Mary & Lance's story about how they got to Jerome; they used to live in Boulder CO! so we shared about that cool place. Mary is still working for the software co she and others created, from here in Jerome! Lance is an engineer designing automated machines in Clarkdale, also below the mountain. for a whole variety interesting tasks needed "out there".
• Home with a Margarita 'zip' , GORGEOUS stars out!! I do the dishes and hit the pillow!

Oct 3; Kanab to Jerome!

1. Kanab; I wake up to appreciate the fine place I landed in; Kanab and this part of Utah is one of the core areas for filming the Wild West movies. And where did all the stars and producers stay, eat & film??? …why… at the Parry Lodge! I stock up on fresh ice and pack up my gear & bike; I see the road where I was almost hit by a car as I parked in the night- I didn`t see that the hotel was right beside a side road; I thought I was on hotel property. ( yes an angel has my back) When I check out I look at all the photos of the stars: John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Roy & Dale Rogers, George Hamilton and Buddy Ebson to name a few.
2. The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park; The check-out clerk tells me its worth driving back 23 miles north to go see this place…so I listen to the locals and am I glad I did!! HUGE GIANT dunes …a large area of sand in behind a canyon. I take off my sandals and climb the highest dune…it’s a great workout climbing in earth that keeps moving away from you! I take videos of walking across the top of the dune .I love watching the movement of the sand around my feet & down the dune as I walk….but wait has the sun gotten to my eyes? - there’s diagnol shadows across the screenno-and my shutter gets stuck halfway because of sand in there…fortunately it becomes unstuck and I’m good to go! SNAP HAPPY ME!! I have taken hundreds of photos--it’s damn hard finding the essence of each day for this blog
3. HWY 89 east- time to hit the highway …no more stopping! ( ha!) Matilda tells me its another 4 hour drive…I finally smarten up though- she’s telling me the next turn-off is in 4 hours ..that’s Flagstaff. Its interesting to see what survives this dry climate; grasses- yucca plant-sage…yellow flowers.
4. Pink Cliffs, White Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs: yes...those are the actual names of the mountains in that area...See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Cliffs Just when I think I`ve experienced spectacular vistas …they get even more spectacular!! Driving down the highway towards Page has me blown away- these colored cliffs are gorgeous! - AND the blue SKY with cool puffs of clouds --with the ever long ribbon of highway in front of me…love it!
5. Lake Powell ; shortly after crossing the Arizona border (yah - getting closer!) around a bend and see this delicious turquoise HUGE Lake --- drum role…“gorgeous!” I find out later this is a man-made Lake much to the chagrin of the locals. I have a book in my apartment by, Katie Lee, a river runner of Glen Canyon before the water of the Colorado River was shut off at the Glen Canyon Dam and created this Lake Powell. Katie Lee lives in Jerome and is turning 90 on Oct 23...there’s a surprise planned for her at 8am that I will write about later ( wink-wink-nudge-nudge!!)
6. Glen Canyon Dam; stopped here to check out the heights of this dam and bridge-breathtaking!!!
7. Navajo Tribal Lands: after the Dam and the town of Page on the other side I drove on flat land knowing that I was near the edge of the canyon …saw dirt roads leading to it and I wondered if this is where they filmed the Thelma and Louise movie where they drove off the cliff. And then the road turns a slow downward curve …onto the edge of the canyon: and oh my lord! Drum roll please…

”SPECTACULAR” ~ OPEN ~ GIANT VISTA!!!

to more canyons below….

the land beyond where the Grand Canyon lies off in the distance…

SO HUGE …

We have no idea in our little Ontario how BIG the landscape can be.

Some Navajo Indians have set up tables in the blowing wind to sell their jewellery wares of turquoise and silver. I buy a necklace from ‘Mary’ after bartering the price down to $35 from 40.

8. Flagstone at Sunset; I log onto my laptop at the Safeway grocery store parking lot after the gas attendant checked my oil and gave me that tip. I find my landlord, Lisa’s address and number and call her up: “Great! We are on the Jerome Art Walk ~ call us when you`re in town..you are about an hour away!”

9. Jerome; After speeding down Hwy 17, a 4 lane highway, DOWNHILL, truck braking / gearing down warning signs all the way, bypassing Sedona and all the scenic towns on the way in the dark by moonlight; I turn off at Camp Verde and cross west again to Cottonwood and find the turnoff that goes uphill!! I am so excited I call Rae! He’s on his way to 230 on the 5th in NYC with the other coaches! I drive up the winding road wondering where my home away from home is... and land in the village, parking right opposite the Mile High Grill. I have their best Tequilla Margarita and a chicken Quesadilla, with homemade salsa--ahhhh! Yes, time to celebrate! Lisa and Anne, her partner and their friends walk in and join me. We have a great evening before Lisa and Ann drive me ‘home’…..down the hill to the 15miles/hour corner and then turn left up a small long gravel driveway running up the hill again…to the place at 987 Gulch School Road. I don’t unpack…just thank the ladies, bid good-bye and go to bed in my oh so cozy bed!

Oct 2; Salt Lake City to Kanab, Utah

Salt Lake City;

I have an early breakfast and leave this cozy Inn On the Hill B&B. New Ice for the cooler and off to the Oasis Cafe for a Special Mocha Latte & buy a talking book for the road trip at the neighboring book store. Some one was getting a Taro card reading whilst I was in there. I hit the Why 17 for a fast speedy drive south! Mountains to the left of - plains to the right...and Vegas is only 242 miles away!

Cove Fort; Drive off for gas and time for some back roading!

1. Fremont Indian State Park & Museum; I pulled off here to take a walk along a trail beside rock outcrops that had numerous Petroglyphs on them...most incised in the rock, through the red 'stain' on the rocks surface to reveal a lighter cream colored rock underneath which gave the image. Fremont Indians were agriculturalists who lived from about A.D. 400 to 1300. Here I am in 2009 looking at this art created so long ago..now that's a different kind of gallery! What tales these symobls tell ...it would be cool to time travel to know more. There's more details and photos on this link to the park: http://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/fremont/museum


2. Drive down the 89Hwy --hardly another soul on there! A few motorcyclists..stop at a stream & dip my toes in; its a cloudy light blue colour AND COLD! An interesting paw print on the waters edge...5 distinct fingers and pretty big ( will have to investigate)


3. The landscape is mountainous but more arrid....I come across a dead dear at the side of the road (2nd one on this trip) I stop and take a photo and give a blessing to this poor animal.


4. Then the valley stretches out into plains - endless road and sky and plains and mountains on either side-Arrid browns, purple blues and grays and warm beiges... first just tumble weed and sage bushes and then grasslands with horses and cattle.


5. Bryce Canyon; OH MY GOSH! This was a spectacular surprise scene and experience-suddenly there are a few red rock out crops ...a curvy road into the park; a 25$ entrance fee...a warning sign to keep children away from the edge!!...and a trail to the edge of ...a most spacious peach colored canyon full of interesting sandy rock outcrops - AND HIGH. I'm there an hour before sunset ~ perfect timing. I venture down a path to get away from the crowds-yes-this is where everyone was! I find a spot and soak it all in. A crow perched itself just above me on the ledge of the cliff- for quite some time...cawed and then swooped down into the canyon. Gradually the moon became more noticeable; the air got colder and the sun hit the far away canyon tops; the warm yellow contrast, the dark orange canyon in the shadow of the setting sun with the deepening purple blue sky was gorgeous!


6. Kanab, UT; Parry Lodge 1 .5hrs later... after: checking out lodging in Bryce Canyon park(199$), the hotels outside of the park(Full or questionable); drove into a camp ground ..but chickened out; and then 1/2 hr north of Kanab, driving over something that freaked me out! A truck that had sped passed me was hit by a deer and I drove over their grill. Thank god I was driving slower - there were warning signs. The moon was so bright I could see the canyon walls on either side of the road in the moonlight...then just as tiredness hit, I came across the historical Parry Lodge! Cozy older place and perfect to rest. http://www.parrylodge.com/

OCt 1- Salt Lake City-taking a breather

Breakfast: Waffle with pecans, bananas and whipped cream ...and bacon. Yes the works! AND I LOVED it! Met a nice couple from Arizona who are here for 2 nights..

I decide to stay for 2 nights as well for a break in the constant travel mode and get spoiled & pampered in this place :-)

Noon: An organ recital in the Morman Tabernacle church- the acoustics were exquisite- the music inspiring! The music filled me up!

Temple Square ( just down the street from the B&B); is HUGE & busy with weddings; to the left in the door of main temple is a bride, dressed in a gold suit, kissing her groom surrounded by cameras; to the right ~a wedding party is having photos taken at the fountain. In the middIle ~ I'm getting directions from Glen, dressed in red satin vest, on his way to his bro's wedding! People are busy preparing for the " Fall Conference" for the Mormon church is this weekend.

Visited 4 Art Galleries; so great to immerse myself - each one a different experience

1. Salt Lake Art Center; www.slartcenter.org > two shows:

• Harmed is about loss: moral, financial and perhaps most disheartening, loss of faith in the corporate world.
• ALL AMERICAN: DEFINING OURSELVES IN A TIME OF CHANGE; a very powerful contemporary show- critical and moving works about their society.

As I leave the gallery; i muse how appropriate both shows were for my journey.

2. Pam, owner of the UTah ArtistHands gallery was very excited about my journey; pulled out a map to show a cool route to get to Flagstaff ; also offered to give me connections to her artists near Jerome that she knows

3. An Antique store; stuffed to the brim with paintings -old landscapes & portraits cracked oil paint finishes ...many historical paintings of the US hung amongst the huge variety of funky antique furniture & decorative pieces,,,owner is grumpy old man.

Note...while walking to this next gallery I came upon a Violin making school- full of young people hard at work with the Master! Cool!

4. Phillips- www.phillips-gallery.com I was enjoying the artwork of two very different painters when a Mother and daughter came into the Gallery; we spoke and I asked the girl which were her favourites...does she like art; Mother says, "oh, no,,,I'm not going to encourage her...I don't want her to be an artist - there's no money in that" That story is exactly why I am only now following my dream to paint, choosing other things to make money I end up talking to the director of the Gallery and she is actually one of the 2 artists showing in the current exhibition; she was encouraging me to do just what I am doing - have conversations with gallery owners & artists

These folks also were involved with The Golden Rule project; www.goldenruleproject.org

Next door I bought art supplies; frames for stretching my canvas ( still from Queen's days), gesso, HUGE sketch pads and a new brush.

Dinner: Eat at the Oasis Cafe after 6 mile walk: the "BLOCKS" are huge here. The best meal on my whole trip: Baked Salmon, with red sticky rice, a beet medley, and Asian coleslaw....with a glass of white wine. It was 5pm and the waiter looked at his watch when I added the order for the wine :-)

Evening: Back to the B&B to nap...and later pull myself away to

8pm Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Thursday practice- brings me back to my choir practice evenings and what it takes to make the sound so pure & inspiring! ...when they put it all together...MAGIC!

Late: night of downloading photos and connecting on the Internet at my desk overlooking State Street with the fireplace on....another Divine sleep at the Inn on the Hill

Sept 30; Craig, CO to Salt Lake City, Utah

The layout of the pics is not working.... Again..I had a glorious drive through plains/ grasslands and canyons to get to Salt Lake city. I drove through a snowstorm!! Freezing!! I took photos of course. WILD Gorgeous sky shots - HUGE VISTAS!!

• Woke up to hail hitting the window this am at the hotel. Saw the big coal fired Hydro plant; Craig Station

• i found their Emissions Data

  • 2006 CO₂ Emissions: 11,322,685 tons
  • 2006 SO₂ Emissions: 3,586 tons
  • 2006 SO₂ Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NO_x Emissions: 17,081 tons
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions: 130 lb.................scary
• drove for a while in the rain ....with GPS 'Matilda' not saying much all day 'cause it was one straight Hwy!
• Stopped for watching a herd of ANTELOPE ~ cool!...and sheep...and turned back when I passed an run down old cattle enclosure..the weathered wooden fence posts were interesting lines in the grass...so glad i did!
• sky got very dramatic..
• - It got VERY windy - tumble weeds blowing across highway. I saw bicyclist on road ...and just as I wondered how the hell is he able to ride out this wind~!.. he pulled out his thumb to hitch a ride. I picked him and his bike up...on the extra bike hitch; Chris was a 52 year old Dad riding all the way from Boulder ( flew in from Maine) to meet his daughter in Salt Lake City. I drove him 60 mile to Duchesne, where he will rest and trek off tomorrow. He will have a FREEZING ride!!
• Sage bushes everywhere-beautiful soft green dotted between the gold grasslands; which reminded me of the westerns and I kept imaging what it must have been like for the pioneers crossing with horses or on foot! HUGE OPEN SPACE!
• Strawberry Reservoir, east of Heber; HUGE & beautiful in the cold wind! waves with whitecaps and steam rising! It started SNOWING !
• Daniel's Summit Lodge; just west of the reservoir...BIG LOG HOUSE beautiful building on the crest of the mountain area- i stopped for tea and a Navajo Taco ( hot Chili & salad on a taco-so needed before heading in the snow storm-- oh so cozy --such a great idea- i was the only customer :-) saw a bear warning sign on the door coming in.
• Salt Lake City!! After driving through the snow storm in the mountains I drove down....down....down...earpopping drive down into the big valley before me were all the twinkling lights. Matilda go me t,o the beautiful Heritage B&B, "Inn on the Hill" overlooking SLC...they gave me a delux corner room with fireplace and a bed that could sleep our whole family! With the fireplace on I unpacked and settled into this grand "spoilicious" space. A GIANT Jacuzzi HOT bath - a comfy white terry cloth bathrobe...I was set! And after hopping up on the 4 poster bed, I sunk into a delicious sleep sandwiched between a down covered mattress and a down duvet. Ahhhh!