Mountain Hike

Mike and went on a two hour mountain hike yesterday. Last week end we watched Everest, but I don't think that inspired us. Nope, that movie was about people risking their lives and the lives of others for no good reason.  Our hike didn't seem too risky, although there are bears and mountain lions up there.  Still, we were on a well traveled path so the risk was very, very low.

Anyway, It was a beautiful Fall day. Almost perfect, in fact.

Right away we had company.

I like this walk through rock. It's pretty cool inside!

I admired these little ferns that seem really, really determined to live. 

I told you is was pretty cool inside there!

I like rock. Doesn't everyone?  Really, there is a lot of beauty in most rocks.

I like sunshine, too.  I really like sunshine on rocks.

There were many places where we could look down to see how high we'd already hiked.  It made me feel pretty much like a jock.  Well, if most jocks huff and puff and hear their pulse pounding in their brains.

But the beauty up there was worth the effort!

Another beautiful vista.

I thought of my sister a lot as we hiked.  My sister can't walk and I sometimes feel guilty when I get to have these sorts of adventures. Then, I feel guilty when I don't use my legs as much as I could/should, knowing how much she would love to go on just one hike.  Just one.

Then, I feel guilty about feeling guilty.

So, I take lots of photos.  Tina, I hope you can kind of get the feel of a Fall day on the mountain.

Isn't that tree just stunning?

And I like water.  Sunshine. Rocks. Water.  Perfection.

More gold.

Gratitude. 

Day Trip to the Relatives

We woke up to a town covered in smoke today!. As bad as it was here this morning, I worry for those living closer to the Big fires.

Anyway...

Today I had the joy of riding with Maria (daughter) ...

and Eric (son-in-law) 

and my beautiful granddaughters for a trip to the town where my Mom lives.  It was a lovely time.

It was a really windy day up there but the girls wanted to be outside a lot anyway. 

Elise made a friend.

Cordelia got a lot of exercise! 

My sister came over. Elise and Cordy gave her lots of snuggles and she gave them both beautiful sweaters she had knit for them.

My niece, Stephanie, was in town. It is always great to see her. She graduated from college
this past Spring and is on the verge of some exciting changes.

We also got to see my nephew, Steven. Doesn't he look like a musician? Maybe that
is because he is. That kid can play a trumpet like nobody's business!

My Mom has a new puppy who was quite the hit. His name is Charlie and he is a fun little guy! 

My Mom and the girls had some mandatory fun in Mom's beautiful playhouse, AKA "she shed".
Looking at this photo I just want to say, "Isn't my Mom pretty?"

Conversation snippets from today:

When my Mom asked Elise what she expected to learn when she starts Preschool she quickly said she would learn about God and Heaven, then added that Grandma Rose is in heaven.  Everyone said, "Aaaaah."

Elise had a LOT to say today. During one long conversation with her she told me that "humans make sense and animals make sense but towels can't talk because they are not alive."  Ok, then.

Having a lot of grandmas can be confusing for little girls. Today Cordelia referred to me as "Plain Grandma".

When I repeated the term with a question mark in my voice she explained that I was a "non-great Grandma".  Funny little girl.

It has been a fun day!

Girl Time

After time in Mom's beautiful back yard, we moved inside for a girl's evening in.

 Our granddaughters enjoy getting rides with my sister, Tina. Her motorized wheelchair is quite intriguing to them.

We were happy to also get to spend some time with my sister's daughter, Stephanie.  Just so you know, she's not only a beautiful young woman but she's also a talented musician. It was fun to spend some time with her. 

 

Saguaro Lake

One of our days in Arizona we enjoyed a cruise... on water!  It's true! There are lakes in the middle of the Arizona desert and it turns out there are some not far from where we were staying in Mesa. Who knew?! Well, actually, Joe (brother-in-law) knew and at his suggestion we decided to go on a 90 minute cruise.

Now, if you've never traveled with someone in a wheelchair, you maybe haven't realized all the complications that can entail. We made sure ahead of time that this cruise was handicap accessible. There were many steps on the way down to the boat but there was a special route involving a hill, a long bumpy dock and a bit of faith to get Tina on the boat. Picture a boat tied to a dock. There is that gap between dock and boat that is kind of scary to walk across and I felt a bit nervous to push Tina's wheelchair over that opening. She, however, didn't show any fear at all. Being handicapped requires a good deal of courage I've learned.

Although everything is harder from a wheelchair, sometimes there are perks. That day it was nice that the captain let Tina and me board early. We got to sit right up front to enjoy the view!

The rest of the family had to wait in line.

Can you see them up there?

They eventually joined us and we all got good seats close together.

Sue and Joe (Mike's sister and her husband) were nearby.

For those readers who know them, 

don't you wonder why they don't age?

It's weird, really.

Sam was looking handsome.

As it turned out, this was a lovely way to spend a February afternoon.

The weather was perfect and the

views were stunning.

Our captain was quite informative.

He pointed out this rare saguaro cactus that had crested.

That is to say its arms had turned inward and were grown together. 

I was intrigued by this one that seemed to be growing straight out of the rock.

I never really thought of cactus as a lakeside kind of plant.

There were so many different colors and shapes in the rock formations.

Doesn't that look peaceful?

What a lovely afternoon...

Relaxing in the Sunshine

Not long ago Mike and I cooked up a plan to take my sister, Tina, away from winter for awhile. We picked her up from her home, just a few hours away from our own. We then drove to Rapid City, South Dakota and spent a pleasant evening in a hotel and relaxed a bit. The next morning we took to the skies and flew to Arizona in our search for the sun.

Tina gets around in a wheelchair. She does very well but I'm here to tell you that I think it must take a great deal of courage for her to go on such a trip. She has to submit herself to being strapped into a funny, skinny aisle wheelchair just to get to her seat on an airplane. It looked a bit scary to me! She handled it all with good grace, though.

We were visiting Mike's Mom (Carol) and one of his sisters (Sue) and her husband (Joe). They were so welcoming and gracious, they made Tina feel right at home. 

Early in the week Sue and I took Tina on a long walk around the neighborhood. When you are from Wyoming, it is such a treat to see all the things that grow in warm places! I think this was one of Tina's favorite types of cactus.

We all enjoyed this bottle brush flower.

There are a lot of these pretty little quails (I really don't know if that is what they are, but maybe?) around.

 I felt Tina needed to have her photograph taken by one of the pretty pool areas.

We didn't go swimming but maybe we should have.

There is even a ramp for a wheelchair to go easily down into the pool.

Maybe next time.

 Sue showed us this cool cactus.

Do you see it as a waving bunny?

When we walked back, we found Mike and Joe out enjoying the warm day as well.

While it was sub-zero in Wyoming...

...and while the Wyoming wind was howling...

We felt pretty fortunate to be relaxing in the sunshine.

Peaceful Anticipation

I don't know why, but yarn just fills me with a peaceful anticipation. A new skein of yarn...so nice! I love to feel it, squeeze it and plan a future for it. A skein of yarn is just full of potential.

I really, really love planning new crochet projects. I am usually dreaming up things for Wyoming Rose Boutique but this next project is more important. It is for my sister, Tina. It is not a secret; she knows about it. That is, she knows I am going to make some sort of poncho for her. She also knows it will be purple. She loves purple! But, she doesn't really know what it will look like as I don't know yet myself.

Yesterday Lisa left a comment that she wants to learn to crochet like me. Well, Lisa, here's how it goes for me. I mess around for quite some time as I try different crochet stitches. I look online and/or through crochet magazines and books. I pretty much never actually use a pattern. Even when I do, I find I keep changing it up. Often I study pictures of things that I like and then I try to figure out how it was made. It involves a lot of guessing. I admit that I often waste a lot of time before I even get going. Then, halfway through a project I think of ways I want to change it up.

So, I'm going to touch this yarn, squeeze it a bit and see if I can figure out what this purple yarn wants to be. I'll let you know how it goes!

Handicap Accessible?

My sister, Tina, has always been physically handicapped. Because of that, I grew up being aware that there were places she just could not easily access. It is wonderful that now so many places have made their businesses more handicapped accessible. It has made life a lot easier for her and others for whom mobility is a challenge.

I'm thinking not everyone quite understands this whole accessible thing, though. As it turns out, just putting up a sign saying a place is accessible does not make it so. I don't want you to think I'm just some weirdo that takes photos in bathrooms but I did it once again. I couldn't help myself! 

This is the view coming out of the women's restroom. Down and to the right goes to the restaurant. The other step up leads to the men's restroom.  Either way, it is a small passage, around a corner and with two steps involved.

This is the sign on the bathroom door.

Duh?!