The Grand Canyon

The size and grandeur of the Grand Canyon defies description.  The first response is to take photos.  After a while, they begin to look alike so we have tried to give an impression of the place and tell a story when one is available.

We started in Tusayan, AZ, a few miles south of the park.  A free shuttle service is available with a purchased ticket to the park or the Golden Age card.

The shuttle bus dropped us off at the Visitor Center where more free shuttles moved people around the park.

Here a shuttle bus is dropping people off at Hermit's Rest, the farthest point on the loop.

This was our first glimpse of the canyon.  "Wow, look at that!" was our comment.

Another view from the south rim. Trails may be seen at the bottom of the canyon.  The Grand Canyon is one mile deep and 10 miles across at most points.  It is 277 miles long so we just viewed a tiny portion of the canyon. The temperature when we visited was about 68°F with a strong wind, hence the coats that we wore at times.  One mile below, the temperature would be 20° warmer.

The slash along the center of the the photo is the Bright Angel Trail.  A trail probably developed by Native Americans centuries ago was turned into a "Toll Trail" by Ralph Cameron about in 1900.  He charged a dollar to use the trail which was a goodly amount at that time since that amounts to about $20 in today's value.  The tolls were discontinued when the Grand Canyon National Park was established in 1926.  The trail is still in use today as figures may be seen.  Cameron went on to become one of Arizona's senators when it became a state in 1912.

The last stop on a route that had about a dozen places to view the Grand Canyon was Hermit's Rest.  It was built in 1914 and was the last stop for stage coaches bringing tourists. A foot trail, the Hermit Trail, continues from here and descends to the Colorado River at the base of the canyon.

It is difficult to get a front elevation shot of the building without the use of a drone taking photos as it is very near the canyon's rim.  It was named after Louis Boucher, an early prospector who helped develop the Hermit Trail.  The site now houses a gift shop and snack bar.  [And toilets which are only available as selected stops on the way to this place.]

Mary Jane Colter designed this building and supervised its construction.  Mary Coulter was born in Pittsburg, PA, in 1869.  The family moved around and settled in St. Paul, MN.  She became one of very few female architects and was educated in San Francisco, CA.  She returned to St. Paul for some years. The driver of the shuttle mentioned that she was a perfectionist and had soil piled up at the site of the Hermit's Rest.  Then rocks were placed on the soil pile in such a way that they were self-supporting when the soil was removed. Hence the shape of the fireplace. Mary Jane Colter went on to design many buildings in the park and also for the Santa Fe railroad.

This is a view of the canyon showing the Colorado River and one its 100 or so rapids along its length. This view was taken from Pima Point along the route.

The last chance for one of our photographers to take a photo.

A member of a group from the UK took this photo.  After inquiring about our European ancestry, he thought he heard a bit of the cockney accent in Sue's speech as one of her ancestors was born in Essex, England.

Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ

We flew to Phoenix arriving about noontime.  Then we started out for our Flagstaff location.

We had heard of the beautiful area around Sedona, AZ, so we left Phoenix on I-17 and then turned off to take this byway.  For a couple of mid-westerners, we were awestruck with the scenes around us.
We also went from about 1000 feet elevation to 7100 feet and a temperature drop of about 25° F.

 Sue took some iPhone photos that turned out good.  We noticed how the vegetation changed rapidly as we proceeded north where here were a lot of trees and then next to none.

Al climbed a few feet in a horse trail site and took these pictures.  Just beautiful!

A view from Sedona, AZ

A Mountain Wedding

We arrived in Georgia to attend the wedding of Erin and Mike.  Erin is the daughter of Al's niece Beth. 

A sign at at rest stop in Georgia.

A view of Dahlonega, Georgia.  How did you say you pronounce that?  Dah-LON-ega seems to be the correct or local way of saying it.  Probably open to interpretation.

Every town in the Mid to Deep South has a court house surrounded by stores and shops.  This one for Lumpkin County was built in 1836 and now is a museum.  Apparently there was gold in these hills for the word "gold" appears often in markers around town.

The ruins are of a school dormitory built by a niece of Andrew Carnegie along with a home which still stands apparently.  In 1928, the school and dormitory burned, leaving the beautiful stone foundations and chimneys as testament to a bygone era.
 History taken from the local website.  See http://www.kellumvalleyfarm.com/history/

Today it is a popular site for destination weddings.

 A view from the ruins.

The site and the musician is rehearsing.

The program was printed as a fan in expectation of very hot weather in late August.

Here are some folks trying out the fans.  Fortunately the temperatures were moderate and the rain that fell at lower elevations did not reach the event.

 This was the bus that could "not climb the hill to our motel" and we would have had to drive to another motel.  But in the end we drove ourselves to the event.

Really good h'orderves served.

The wedding party.

A toast to the bride and groom.

Hendersonville, NC

We went to Hendersonville, NC, to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of Mark and Jean.  Mark is the brother of Sue and we enjoyed the time there.

Here is the happy couple at a dinner at the Hubba Hubba barbeque joint in Flat Rock, NC, near Hendersonville. 

Here is the place for good barbeque.

The family gathers.

Jean receiving a special gift.  Ezra in front sees something really interesting.

Here is the whole gang doing the celebration.

The "green" is taking over the property where Mark and Jean live.

Altenburg, MO

Hamilton, Missouri and Missouri Star Quilters

On our way to the family reunion we had to stop in Hamilton, Missouri. This is the new center of attraction for many quilters currently. As we announced the destination of our trip, many women in Minnesota said "you must stop at Missouri Star Quilters in Hamilton".

So here is our model, Susan, showing off her trophy for the visit.

This is downtown Hamilton. Buildings like these were built all over the Midwest in the 1880s and 1890s. Many downtown areas have fallen into disrepair.

On this mural we can see the bragging points about Hamilton. It is the self proclaimed Quilt Town, USA and is the birthplace of JC Penney.

  Across the street we see similar buildings with a huge quilt mural. Most of the buildings on this street are owned by the proprietor of Missouri Star Quilters.

This is the inside of the original Penney's store. Each shop on the street has a different theme.

 What a bargain!

What do guys do when wives are shopping?  Here you see Mans-Land with the chairs, TVs and all kinds of relaxing methods.

 Here is Ariel with perhaps a dream of success. 

Look this up for a great story:
http://www.npr.org/2015/05/21/408452759/one-family-revitalizes-a-small-town-with-yes-quilts

The Tacoma Glass Museum

We visited the Glass Museum in downtown Tacoma.

The location of the Glass Museum is in an old manufacturing area with this building used for milling and now converted to lofts with a newer section in the back.  

This is is a view of the glass museum and this serves as a chimney for the "Hot Zone" where glass blowing demonstrations are given.

The glass blowing demonstration area.

Drawing glass from the furnace.  As a result of watching this demonstration, Al has signed up for a class in glass blowing near his home in Minnesota.

Samples of glass work by various artists done from the earliest years of the 20th century until present.

Examples of what can be done by artisans.  

A necklace of glass and gold.

Al will have to work many years to approach this level of craftsmanship.

A detail and the complete work of art.