My goodness, it is April already?

30 April, Tues:  HEY!  My goodness, April is it gone already?  The Smooch Smooches followed their usual routine to include: shipping stuff back to the lake house, breakfast, Zainey's for the LAST yogurt of our stay in Sedona.  Rear tire has slow leak - 5# in five weeks; five pounds added, birds fed leaving extra bird food with neighbor, haircut (A WHAT?  I been good!),More packing, hiked the Ridge Trail,  Shower and dinner at the Barking Frog with Michelle and Ron, a fun, fun couple.  She, the Harley driver and he, the passenger; she, a public speaker (wellness), he, a Master's level nurse., living out of  a small trailer pulled behind the bike that includes  a queen size bed and two dogs.  Now that we will live a similar lifestyle, Cynthia had many questions!  OH what fun.   The recycling is almost ready - the bags are almost  packed and the computer is almost packed ...  now?  Pack the computer ... now? NOW???  HEY!  Gimme back the  computer....... please... I want the computer; please!  Grrr! G'bye!

View of Flagstaff

View from Ridge Trail

Additional view from Ridge Trail

And yet another view!  

29 April - Mon:  Woke up at 1:30 AM - wide awake at 2:30 with packing in mind; up and about to recycle.  About 5 AM fed the hummingbirds and spotted (smelled) 5 javelin browsing about the lawn.  WHEW!  They stink.   Cynthia arose about 9:30 to a lovely and pleasant day.  Temperatures increased mightily to noon.  The wait staff (especially Claudia) at Red's says they are will miss us greatly.  Returned the boots to Aerostitch by UPS, enjoyed a 32 ozs. frozen yogurt at Zainey's, dropped off recycling. E-mail is caught up so the computer will be packed tomorrow for our departure to the Grand Canyon and Zion on Wednesday morning.  Updating the blog will be by Ipad.  Late afternoon we hiked the Secret Slick Rock Trail.  Cynthia slipped on loose rock but survived; a yellow-black-blue-greeen bruise is anticipated on her left calf.  Take small steps on clean rock!  Then guess who slid?

28 April -  Christ Lutheran 8:30 AM service:  Cynthia assisted with communion.  Ron immediately noticed her hesitation  to say, "The Body of Christ given for you" as he approached first in line.   She enjoys ministry.  Terrific sermon.   After breakfast at Red's  frozen yogurt seemed like a good thing.  62 ozs.?  On top of egg white veggie omelets with the hottest chili powder made???  There is no room for dinner.  Worked on receipts while Cynthia is working on Bankston genealogy.  Walked for a couple of hours on Oak Creek Trail talking to Ed Kellett the entire time.

27 Apr, Sat: The Smooch Smooches hiked Soldier's Pass Trail - 4 miles RT.   A cute young couple approached while we were resting on a log at the junction of Brins Mesa and Soldier's Pass Trail.  An offer was extended to let them sit on our log.  They opted not to do that but with huge smiles accepted a caramel.  Cynthia hiked on ahead, but, the guy looked like he could use a few pointers to keep love alive.  Catching up with Cynthia, "Guess what I told that couple?"  Cynthia knew immediately, "Guys can never say I love you too much; it only took 60 years to learn how much girlies love fleurs. " Girlies also panic too easily:  The gate closed promptly at 6:00 PM with us inside at the trailhead.  With utmost confidence we drove up to the gate and it opened immediately. Did Ron whisper, "Smooch Smooch?"  (Don't tell Cynthia the gate has an electric eye to allow for late exits.  OHHH those baked sweet potato french fries are goooood at the Olde Sedona Bar and Grill!

Rosy Day!

Sinkhole 1880; additional sinking 1989

View from Soldier's Pass Trail

Cameras Can;t Capture Such Grandeur

Top of the Trail!

26 Apr, Fri.  Another marvelous day; funny details to be added to the blog if we remember if we find time.  Photos of the past four days  are uploaded to Picasa:
https://picasaweb.google.com/113780268026608859160/April262013
Roses are a riot of colors!  Smooch Smooch reported a stress free ride into Sedona.  Lovely visit with more new best friends over breakfast at Red's followed by visits with more best friends eating yogurt at Zainey's.   Cynthia went to Verizon's so Ron could scarf down that yogurt!   A retired nurse from the MIT infirmary, now living here part of the year, was fun!  Linda Goldenstein at the Goldenstein Gallery was standing outdoors  looking like she needed  conversation.  She, too, lived in Santa Fe for several years.  From there - we first hiked Fay Canyon, then onto Boynton Pass Trail to check the century plants.  Another full moon tonight draws out the New Age-ers  meditating to the accompaniment of  drums. Some extra security at Enchantment due to the McCain Leadership Institute Forum tonight that included Joe Biden speaking on democracy.  We quickly dismissed the idea of dining at Enchantment!   The dinner at New Frontier's is always good: organic veggies ... stopped at Basha's for jelly beans after dinner, Safeway for bird seed, and returned home to a box from Aerostitch.  NEW BOOTS!  But, the toe box is uncomfortable; back they go; we shall shop at a Red Wing boot store. e full moon tonight the New Age-ers  are meditating accompanied by drums.

25 Apr., Thurs: Bear Mountain - the toughest, most challenging hike (so they say).   The 1.2 miles we did took a mere 2.5 hours to reach the halfway point or the second plateau. Incredible views.  The return trip took an hour.  A hiker (in great form) flew past us on the ascent,  but stopped to chat on the descent;  Bear Mountain is his favorite trail; he hikes it every five days.  The first 900 foot ascent plus  boulders make this trail so time consuming and challenging.  We did not attempt the remaining 800 feet upwards, described by the hiker as the toughest part.   Another glorious day accompanied by a feeling of accomplishment,  hunger pangs, sore feet and thirst.  Extreme thirst.  The cabernet and dinner at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill was very pleasant.  Thanks to the manager for seating us on the outdoor balcony despite lack of servers; Ron helped him out.  See photos of the full moon rising over Cathedral Rock on Picasa link pasted above on 26 April https://picasaweb.google.com/113780268026608859160/April262013

24 Apr, Wed:  Sedona is it.  The views are  magnificent from every corner.  Our circle of friends increases from the wait staff at our favorite restaurants to the hikers we meet on the trails.  5000 best friends in Sedona; plus, the 5000 tourists on the trails that quickly become best friends.   Because we enjoy Sedona so much, we booked a month in the fall for a return visit.    After a 32 ozs. Zainey's frozen yogurt we climbed Doe Mountain.  It is a gorgeous hike -  not so difficult as yesterday's on Devil's Bridge.  Once reaching the mesa overlooking Boynton Canyon we luxuriated in the splendid  360 degree views.  (See picturtomorrow).   From there we returned to Boynton Canyon Trail to check on Century Plant #1 and #2.  They are growing indeed.  Dinner tonight at the Barking Frog was marvelous followed by a lovely sunset walk along Oak Creek.  Cynthia was surprised to read Ron's Registration in the hiking book, "I love you Smooch Smooch!" met gallery owners Linda Goldenstein..

Cynthia had a horseback riding accident a few years ago (thrown 30 feet from a race horse, smashing her pelvis and lots of ribs).  Almost fully recovered, she struggles with balance at times and is easily startled.  This was not true before the accident.  Now that we have had two spills on the bike, her fear has increased.   Accelerating or quick turns on the motorcycle is frightening.  Exposure climbing  is uncomfortable.  The hike down today and the ride back into Sedona were much more comfortable.  By the end of the summer all will be well.

23 Apr, Tues;  UP and AWAY - off to breakfast filled with energy!  By one  PM we were embarked on the Devil's Bridge Trail - 4.5 miles RT filled with blooming cactus and century plants.  We met thirty best friends en route who were quite engaged by the Century Plant Hiking Guide.  Ron discovered a rodent on the rocks across the cavern; upon closer look it was a log.  With the aid of binoculars it became part of a fallen arch.  And he thinks Cynthia is silly when her imagination finds  creature like images in the rock formations.  Bummer, Cynthia got scared sliding on the loose rock on the last difficult climb before reaching Devil's Bridg; she FROZE in place waiting for the century plant trail guide to assist her back down the rocks to sit in a safe place.  Once she was safely ensconced on a boulder, he ventured up and onto Devil's Bridge sending back instructions to a threesome to tell her he fell off the bridge.

After dinner at the Olde Sedona Grill, with a stop at Basha's searching for Vit A and MSM, we returned to admire our happy hummingbirds; the gorgeous roses blooming in abundance (thanks to  Ron's watering).  The cottonwood fluff is covering the ground like snow.

Century Plant Trail Guide 

Baby Barrel Cactus Blooming

Zainey's Fat Free - Sugar Free - 32 Ozs Delight

Roses Blooming on Cottage Porch Side

22 Apr, Mon:  We slept until noon.  Worn out, we did not hike after breakfast; but, instead enjoyed a 32 ozs. Zainey's frozen yogurt.  Nor did we go to Sedona for dinner.  Instead, we walked along Oak Creek until it became too dark.  We dialogued way into the night over  genealogy questions that have been puzzling; an interesting and probable theory developed out of the evening's research.

21 Apr, Sun: Early worship service with the Lutheran Campus Ministry assisting and preaching.  One of the young men delivered a provocative sermon on the baptism of the Eunuch by Philip in the book of Acts.  Eunuchs were not allowed baptism by Jewish law; baptism was a demonstration of the far reaching love of Jesus Christ.  In light of the despicable acts of the past week, how do we then love like Jesus?

Breakfast at Nick's followed by the Mescal Trail Hike around Mescal Mountain was 5 miles.  We spotted a garden snake, wore ourselves out, followed by dinner at the Barking Frog.  Has the century plant grown taller? They are supposed to grow a foot a day. Three days in a row we have encountered the flautist; today, we heard him play from atop the vortex.

20 Apr, Sat:  By noon-thirty we were en route to the Deadman's Pass Trailhead off Boynton Canyon Road.  Our first task was to photograph Century Plant #1 to see how much it grew overnight.  You be the judge.

Conversation continued with various and sundry hikers, especially when they recognized the MIT cap that replaced the one lost ... somewhere.  The trail was 2.4 RT - with the add-on of about one mile further on Long Canyon Road  totaling 3.4 miles in 3.5 hours.  On the Long Canyon Trail  we  encountered a former  MIT student, a friendly photographer off to study native American ruins.  He likes motorcycles, too.  Today's trail was easy to moderate while the sun was beastly hot outbound; it cooled off inbound to the trail head.

Dinner at the Olde Sedona Bar and Grill was the usual  delicious fish steamed with veggies in parchment paper, sweet potato "fries" that were baked instead of frying, salads without dressing.

In Walgreen's we encountered the fellow who gave Cynthia the stone heart yesterday.  We were eager to know if he was the flautist that climbs to the top of the vista to play.  YES.  He was indeed.

 Cynthia could not find her knit cap; believing it lost at the trailhead we opted to drive back yet tonight in hopes someone would turn it in.  Zainey's seemed a likely stop for frozen yogurt while we waited for the sun to set in the west.  A friendly motorcycle safety officer was treating his wife to yogurt, too.  IMAGINE the conversation!!!

A unique blooming cactus caught our eye... .

19 Apr, Fri:  We were vortexed today.  Yes.  VORTEXED.   After checking on the Century Plants that grow a foot a day, we took the Boynton Vista Trail up to one of Sedona's famous vortex (es).  The first  metaphysical seeking person, (a photographer from Cheyenne, WY) said this particular vortex had both male and female energy but combined.  She was quite captivated by Ron's talkative spirit describing him as a vortex.  A local second seeker said it was male and female but not combined as he handed Cynthia a heart shaped stone.  Ron thinks he is looking for a wife.   Cynthia will take the stone to her aunt's 90th birthday party in May.   Two young gutsy girls climbed high up the mountain and scampered down nimble-footed.   We survived without any mystical experience.  Dinner  at the Natural Food Market was once again very fine, organic raw veggies and steamed Opah fish.  Cynthia had great news that she will be a great grandmother for the first time. Cynthia's daughter Julie watched the ultrasound and declared the pattern indicates extreme intelligence.  Granddaughter Corrie is an MA  therapist;  Alan,  completes his MA in architecture from A&M in three weeks.   They are in training to become missionaries in East China leaving in February for three years.

View From Vortex

Ron and Metaphysical Seeker #!

18 Apr:  Cynthia and I enjoyed sleeping in until 10AM, as has been our typical pattern here.  Our individual colds seem to have returned and perhaps are causing our sleepiness.  After breakfast at Sedona Rouge Reds restaurant as usual, we returned the Gray Goose to Safeway before threading our way around the traffic circles to the Back O Beyond road and the Cathedral Rock trailhead.  Two traffic lights turned red just as we approached and my quick stops alarmed Cynthia.  Ever since our two "falls" Cynthia has been easily frightened by sudden stops and other quick motions.  She was a bit shaky until our hike was well started.  The hike along the Cathedral/Templeton trail to Red Rock Crossing was wonderfully pleasant and do-able - 2.5 miles RT in 2.5 hours.  On the other hand, Cynthia is in bed already at 8:27, and I'll be following soon.  We were told several times that the hike to the top of Cathedral Rock is not impossible although it is very demanding.  The views are reported to be spectacular.  Again we enjoyed the "fish in paper" entree for dinner at the Olde Sedona Bar and Grill.

View from the other side of Oak Creek

A Very Happy Man

Spectacular rock formations for 360 degrees in Boynton

17 Apr:  All too soon (6:30 AM this morning) our guests departed for Cleveland, OH.  By 6:32 we were back in bed.  What a fun pair - such a neat friendship to endure 40 years and counting.  We hope their flights went smoothly.  We made it to the restaurant in time to order "Breakfast for lunch."  Cynthia tells me that we arrived at the Boynton Canyon trailhead promptly at 2:30, so we can feel proud that we were able to hike the entire trail before dinner - about 4 miles in three hours.  It was fun to be on the trail we hiked so many times previously.  Hikers who had started in the morning reported enjoying snow flurries, but we missed that entirely.  Cynthia chose dinner at the Barking Frog.  In the middle of the night, the similarity of the Boston Marathon bombings to the West Bank terrorist bombings struck Ron, and he his mind became obsessed composing a letter to the editors of several newspapers.  At 2:00 AM he got up for a bowl of cereal and began researching "Muslim promotes killing" to discover that those Muslim crackpots do NOT reflect the mainstream any more than the abortion clinic bombers reflect Christian beliefs.

Interesting rock formation with moon upper right.  

Cliff dwelling (centered in photo)

View from the top of Boynton Canyon Trail

Ron teaching about new century plant sprout

Weirdos in the back seat had the best views.

Driver and front seat passenger were the best views.

Da hippy glass blower at woik.

16 Apr:  After devouring breakfast, we drove up to Jerome in Walter and Pam's rented convertible with the top down.  What a fun day!!!!  We had 1 PM luncheon reservations at the Grand Hotel in Jerome, so we parked below and sauntered through the candy store and artists gallery before finding one steep staircase and a switchback to get up to the hotel, plainly visible above us the entire trip.  Walt and Pam thoroughly enjoyed lunch outdoors and this artsy touristy reclaimed ghost town.  We spent a leisurely afternoon walking the streets and visiting the mine museum.  Amazing that Jerome became so huge so fast and in 60 years time became a ghost town.  More amazing that the artsy fartsy hippies bought properties and revitalized the town into an artist's mecca.  I especially enjoyed the unreformed, unadorned hippy glass blower, awesome craftsmanship.  We dined at the Olde Sedona Bar & Grill on a chilly, windy evening before sunset.

15 Apr:  On the spur of the moment Walt abandoned his plan to drive all day to visit the Meteor Crater.  Instead, after breakfast at Reds, we hiked our usual trail along Oak Creek to the Secret Slick Rock Trail and back to the Creekside Cottage.  Walt & Pam thoroughly enjoyed the views, the creek, the hike and the flowers.  Nobody touched the poison ivy, and nobody got stabbed by inhospitable desert plants.  Dinner tonight at the Barking Frog was also wonderful, always marvelous.

But Pam wanted the symmetric pose.

I thought the coordinated pose was terrific.

14 Apr, Sun:  Beauty is all around us; we just need to recognize and appreciate this beauty with our God given senses.  We are missing out on the splendor of life when we long for something we don't have.  Instead, we can simply open our eyes to see, ears to hear, and our hearts to feel what we already have.   With grateful hearts, in the presence of beauty we "become"...  gifted and spiritually advanced souls.   Smooch.  AWWW.  Smooch smooch!  Walt and Pam arrived in the early evening and agreed that dinner and views at the Cha Ah Che restaurant at Enchantment were indeed enchanting.

13 Apr, Sat:  One of us slept until 12:30 while the other one was up having way too much fun on the computer.  After a late breakfast for lunch we stopped to eat Yogurt and raced to be home by 4 PM so we could get in a bit of a hike before we return for dinner.   And desserts.  Christ Lutheran serves a marvelous brunch between worship services so Cynthia bought a bunch of cake to bring.  Tomorrow Pam and Walter arrive mid-afternoon.  We have been making plans to limit the times we say I love you to only forty an hour.  We will have excuses for the noises  in the night.   Hummingbirds food preparation.  Reservations are made with Enchantment Resort for dinner in the evening.  They really need to stay an extra day because there are four restaurants to try.

12 Apr, Friday!  ONE YEAR AND ELEVEN MONTHS!  What fun is this!  We celebrate anniversaries with such joy,   we decided when we reach the two year mark we will celebrate each day.  The cleaning women cleaned, the birds are fed and photographed. We are fed and happy.

This is a link to more spring photos from the camera now posted on Picasa https://picasaweb.google.com/113780268026608859160/SpringInSouthTxToSedonaAZ

Sunset tonight:

Sedona Sunset 

The Photographer at Work

The photographer at Work!

And comes the following from Cynthia's cell phone taken today of the gorgeous wildflowers blooming in the desert following the rain a few nights ago:

And comes the following from Cynthia's cell phone taken today of the gorgeous wildflowers blooming in the desert following the rain a few nights ago:

The hummers are hungry

The desert is dry, dontca know!

11 Apr Thurs: Cannot believe how much we are sleeping!  After breakfast at Red's we came home to houseclean for the maid who comes to clean tomorrow.  One of us cleans enough for the maid to have work.  The other cleans to prevent the maid from stealing recycling thinking it is some kind of trash.   We had a good 1.5 hour hike before dinner at the Olde Sedona Bar and Grill


10 Apr, Wed: Sleepless night while obsessing about the spill.  Off to breakfast and in line through three traffic lights (or maybe a hundred; the traffic was slow) only to see a highway patrol motorcycle loaded on a wrecker. The officer was medi-vac-ed to Flagstaff with a broken nose and possibly nervous system injuries in his back.  We learned of two highway patrol officers riding side by side doing security for a big car auction at Enchantment this very morning. One of the officers hit the dirt and spilled; fortunately he is ok.  A Kawasaki biker dressed in leathers was pulling a three wheeled wagon with a brown standard poodle also dressed in black studded leather.  The dog has been owned a short time and already driven 20,000 miles.   Filled with boundless energy, we hiked to Chavez Ranch Road and continued up to Secret Slick Rock Trail; this is a neat trail that leads over to the Coconino National Forest right next to our cottage.  Total hiking time was 2.5 hours today.

Ron at Red Rock

Secret Slick Rock Trail

Cathedral Rock

Secret Slick Rock Trail

Gorgeous colors on this Hummer!!

9 Apr, Tues:  SNOW!  We saw snow on the mountains while we froze en route to Sedona for breakfast.  Cynthia was mostly comfy in her heated Gerbings.  Ron waved barehanded broadly at an oncoming biker huddled behind his windshield to show off his MACHO, "I'm not cold, are you?"  The high is about 55 today.  BRRRAPRIL!  No frozen yogurt today, but we slowed down the return home drive by shopping at Safeway for munch edibles.  Cynthia is planning to make her "famous" cheese ball for Pam and Walter.   The hummingbirds (including a brilliant green one and a ruby-throated one are enjoying the feeder.  They ought to after someone in this family (not to mention names) got up out of the warmest bed at 2:00AM to boil water to make the food (bang, pounce pounce pounce, bang, slam).  Who me????  So -  home again we pulled into the parking space to make the three corner turn and tipped.  Ron went flying high to avoid landing on Cynthia with a rock and roll landing. Cynthia landed on her knees.  Shaken, but ok.  Bike is fine.   Fortunately, Cynthia trusts Ron's driving even if she won't let him turn around and talk to her anymore.

8 Apr, Mon:  This is the day of a BIG hike.  We don't know where but it will be early! Well -  we learned there will not be a hike early this morning when fierce winds knocked a tree limb on the roof of the house.   The air was dark with air-borne dust.  Rain was predicted but only appeared in a few tiny raindrops - just long enough to talk our selves into slipping into Zainey's for a 32 Ozs while we waited for the "storm" to pass.  The  frozen raspberry yogurt takes the place of lunch and mid afternoon snacks for a mere pittance of calories.  ZERO fat. ZERO sugar.  MUCHO delicioso.  We dined "in" on zero fat sourdough bread, cereals and fruits.  It rained during the night.

7 Apr, Sun:   It was pleasant sleeping last night; this morning is very cool. Christ Lutheran is on the far side of Sedona.  One of us is an alarmist about arriving at church on time: we were early!  The pastor's sermon was enjoyable  -- about humor.  We especially enjoy the after worship coffee hour with tasty treats  and most interesting folks to go with the coffee and treats:  "Mike" is a pilot;  next to him sat a 93 year old who flew B-52's in WWII where he was downed and rescued by a member of the French underground whom he later married!  Another delightful woman told us about being a Marine in WWII, and offered to help Cynthia meet anyone she wishes while here.   The pastor's wife is also a Pastor but Presbyterian with a very strong voice. Thanks to Richard G. in Cambridge who responded to our blog comments about being ill with his Mayo Clinic miracle cure for sinus and colds: gargle once a day with warm salt water.   Richard and his dog Jasper must move by the end of the month so he is searching for an apartment near Fresh Pond.  After Cynthia napped, we hiked to Chavez Road where we encountered three local law enforcement officers; one from Cape Cod recognized Ron's MIT cap calling it a Mitt cap and reported he is slowly reclaiming his r's.  Our conversation was very pleasant visit; they suggested we zerox our "Golden Age" passes for the bike since we cannot leave a pass displayed on the bike windshield. Ron enjoyed trail maintenance along the route but the clippers are not sharp enough.  Ron's passion for Sudoku has taken a new twist with the Ipad:  NOW the Sudoku is timed.  No more Sudoku.  The hummers were most enjoyable tonight.

Trail Maintenance Work is Never Done

Three is not meant to be - Don't you see!

Tale of Three Duckies - two He and a She

Fat Free/Sugar Free Zainey's 70 calories 32 ozs.

6 Apr, Sat:   It is indeed April already with April 2014 merely a year away!  Congratulations to Rachel who will be married in a year to this day.  We slept late once again; the hike lasted a couple of hours followed by dinner at the New Frontiers Natural Marketplace; it  was quite tasty including a vegan brownie with no oil or butter, sweetened with applesauce.  mmmm .


The humming birds are discovering the feeder on the house entertaining us with their brief appearances.  One has a peculiar ruff to his head feathers.  One is tiny and petite (this may be the girlie).

Lauren, Grandmother, Rachel 

5 Apr, Fri:   Cynthia's cousin Lee from Iowa was going to meet us for lunch today but cancelled yesterday; his father passed away;  he returned to Iowa.  Strange turn of events:  two days ago, Lee's  paternal cousin "happened " to walk past Cynthia's sister's flower garden in southern CA - and complimented her sister in a strong MN accent prompting her sister to ask questions.  They discovered they graduated from the same HS. She was visiting southern CA for the first time.   Lee's cousin is now en route to Iowa to sing at her uncle's funeral.  Small world.  We went to L'Auberge for lunch anyway.  The ambience was lovely; duckies bobbing  up and down in the waters of Oak Creek.  The staff was less than happy about our menu choices and brought the overly large salads with the entree - no attempt to dress up the five extra small pieces of fish.   It is challenging to know what to order.  Some restaurants serve huge portions and others tiny ones.  We thought this quite arrogant and don't plan to return.

L'Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek

4 Apr, Thurs.:  Great 2+ hour hike up Oak Creek into the canyon - across the creek and almost to the houses we could see from Chavez Canyon Road.  Dinner in the evening at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill outside on the terrace was pleasant.  A young girl with her father (we think) was shivering; Ron brought her his down jacket to wear).   Baked sweet potato fries (looks like french fry, but they are baked without any oil).  MMMMMM Delicious.  The days are short; we sleep until ten AM and are back in bed at 8 PM.  Soon we shall be well!

3 Apr, Sedona, AZ:  Today is a better day.  We cannot seem to get started until 10:30 AM but we did and that is a good thing.  Ron is feeling much less congested.   Neither of us have much energy.  After breakfast we walked to Chavez Road (about two hours RT) through the park, along Oak Creek and up the mountain in the hot, blazing, AZ sun stopping for shade breaks whenever one appeared.  En route we spotted the Blue Heron  - soooo close.  Cynthia will post a photo later.  The plan was to walk to the dead end of Chavez Road which is down several switchbacks  past some home sites; but the idea of returning UP UP UP that same road in the HOT AZ blazing sun was discouraging.  Considering that we are feeling better, we made reservations for dinner at Enchantment (Cha Ha Che) which has a dress code.  They do let us in after negotiations.  Tennis shoes are no-nos.   Cynthia's care package from Texas arrived with  cute shoes and western fashion jeans which passes Sedona dress code.

Great Blue Heron Hiding

2 Apr, Sedona Arizona: We are both still sick, and Cynthia slept late this AM.   It was challenging to leave the comfort of home, dress and drive into Sedona for breakfast at Red's; but we did and felt better by 1 PM followed by an hour's walk along Oak Creek in the shade;  what a surprise to  discover bear pooh on the path.   Interesting to see the water flowing in the canal.  When we returned to the cottage, we laid  outside in the sun behind the house.  Cynthia was soooo disappointed her new bathing suit was the wrong size;  toooo tight/short.  We met an animated and delightful couple from Michigan in the restaurant tonight who had been together 28 years but plan to divorce in six weeks. Perhaps one last vacation together?  Sad, yet it was fun to talk to them.  Still sick we are ready for bed.   Ron:  What about those mountain sheep en route to Silver City???????

Great Blue Heron

Intelligence at Work

 Great Blue Heron in Flight

Moon Rising Over Cathedral Rock

1 Apr: Immediately after breakfast today Cynthia mailed Sedona tourist brochures to Walter and found a hair salon next door to the post office.  I rode home solo, answered e-mails, and picked her up at 4PM to go to dinner.  That left us no time for a walk.  We've now eaten the salmon and halibut at the Barking Frog, and I'm guessing that we will continue eating there since Cynthia LOVES their salad.  The big news today is that the hummy birds are patronizing BOTH feeders and I've been able to focus on them with binoculars at a distance of 8 feet.  I got up early to pry the bases of the feeders apart and discovered mold in one & slime in the other.  Congratulations to Bro Dean Beatty for fourth place in the US 880  Masters Marathon.