Autumn Vacation October 2013

Bill had never been to Yosemite, so back in April we planned a trip there for late October. But when the time arrived and we headed out, so did a big storm that dropped snow in the Sierra.

We attempted to venture to Sequoia and King's Canyon, but were turned back when we tried to claim our reservations there.

OK, so Plan B - we turned around, got lost in Fresno (not fun), and stayed overnight near the Yosemite south entrance, thinking that once the storm passed and the sun appeared, we could enter the park. Yes, the storm passed, and yes, the sun appeared. But unless we were willing to carry chains or lie about having them, we couldn't enter. 

We considered our options and decided to bag the planned vacation and instead go to my favorite spot on the coast - Morro Bay.

Bill and Raven in front of Morro Rock and Pacific Ocean

En route, we saw lots of produce in the San Juaquin Valley, and my idea of CA - the golden rolling hills, spotted with oaks.

No, it wasn't the vacation that we had planned, but it was a great trip. And great to be back home.

Oregon trip Sep 2013

I first went to Bend to visit with my long-time friend Cynthia, her husband John, and their dog Lizzie.

Here are Cyn and me at dinner

Cyn, Lizzie, and I went to Gearhart at the coast to meet up with Carol, whom I hadn't seen for many years. Among other things, we went to the Farmer's Market in Astoria, where we saw some exceptional produce and crafts.

The next day, we stopped at Warrenton (near Astoria) to buy some fab fish, and have a group photo - and even color coordinated!

We stopped somewhere en route for a stretch break, and to capture these pics

Flag vacation July 2013

Thanks to some friends who gifted us with a week in their timeshare, we enjoyed a week's vacation in Flagstaff. In addition to enjoying cooler temperatures, we visited places in the area. Here are some pics.

We first went to a meadow and pond on the AZ SnowBowl Road.

Here's Bill looking at flowers at the start of the hike.

A view of San Francisco Peaks

And here's the first view of the meadow.

A close-up of the pond.

Wildflowers were blooming!

Butterflies on thistle

When we were heading back to Flag, we saw elk on HWY 180.

Another day, we went to the Grand Canyon. 

Here's Lookout Studio, where Bill used to work.

Here's a great view of the storm on the North Rim

View of canyon from one of the many overlooks.

And the Watchtower

Our final trip was to Walnut Canyon, home of 300+ ancient dwellings, like these. The challenge here was going down then up 300 stairs. The reward was being able to walk into one of the dwellings.

Kitchen renovation finished

This year's project was renovating the kitchen. Here's the set of "before" pics:



View on entering kitchen...





...and looking to the right.



The surface of the laminate (probably Formica) was damaged by 25+ years of scratches and missing color pattern. The biggest issue was the too-light color was merciless in its pronouncement of any speck of dirt, and I am NOT a fastidious cleaner.

After mulling over various options, I settled on Silestone(tm), a manufactured quartz, color Black Canyon http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/ I thought it would be too dark, but I took home a bunch of samples, and this one seemed to work best with the cabinets. Here's the result.

I also painted the walls a more vivid color to highlight the new surface, updated the electrical outlets, extended the back splash by the sink, and replaced the sink, faucet, and door pulls. Here's the new view out the window, with a better sense of the paint color.





I love my new kitchen!

Thailand and Cambodia - 12Dec2009 - 1Jan2010

Précis – a restorative and transforming trip

I left Arizona during a near-record cold snap (18 degrees F at 3 a.m.) to visit Jackie, who teaches English in Thailand, and visit selected sites (see map at

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=106095363253729920413.00047a3770b48a2a7e767&t=h&z=6 ).

Jackie found me from the hoards of those emerging from the plane to board a bus for Koh Chang, about a four hours southeast.

What a great way to start the trip – Warm air! Warm water! Beaches! Swimming! Snorkeling!

Jackie and

me on Lonely Beach.

Our next stop was Siem Reap, Cambodia as a base to explore Angkor Wat and environs. I loved the jungle temples, with trees growing in, around, and through them. I still can’t articulate what shifted within me or how. All I can say is that of the 350+ photos I took on the trip, 200+ were of these temples.

Then on to Jackie’s village.

Here are the teachers at one of the schools where she teaches. The gals are holding candy canes that I brought as a gift. Folks sure loved these, after a brief intro on what they were and how to unwrap.