Day Trip

A bald eagle


It's not everyday you see one of these. I got a couple of quick pics with my telephoto lens.

Here's it is again

Payson, Arizona's elevation is just under 5,000 feet and is only a 90 minute drive from Phoenix. It is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest. First settled by prospectors and named after its benefactor Senator Payson from Chicago, eventually Payson became a sawmill town. It is small and picturesque and a place to escape the heat of Phoenix. There is a saloon on Main Street and a peek in revealed some cowboy-looking guys drinking beer and playing a hand of poker. The scene looked like a movie!
Here's the sign that was out front

My trip to Payson occurred several days ago. My traveling buddy, Carol, and I headed up to visit a friend of Carol's who was visiting her parents in Payson -- and their dog.

Payson dog

The sky at this elevation has a particular beauty and clarity

An interesting cloud formation

A beautiful park with a lake is where the residents congregate. The ducks and geese follow the people with bread.

Like this little girl




Here are some other scenes from Payson

Tierra Santa: Sedona photos

The Red Rocks of Sedona

More red rocks

I hiked up Bell Rock where I could see for miles a sweeping panorama of beauty

Magnificent




Sunset in Sedona

Awesome!

Beauty is everywhere in Sedona

Like here! A Sedona dog

More red rocks

Arizona!

I arrived in Arizona several days ago -- not sure when. I have totally lost track of time. Each day I woke up and decided at that time where to travel. Carol and I arrived in each town without hotel reservations because we were never quite sure where we were going to be at the end of each day. Talk about an adventure! Every minute has been just that. I am just starting to get settled in Scottsdale after which I will go into more detail about some of them in future blog posts. So, stay tuned.

First stop in Arizona was The Painted Desert. Here are some photos. I'll tell you more about it later.

The Painted Desert



The historic Inn in the Painted Desert

A pretty wall near the Inn

Lowell Observatory is in Flagstaff. This is where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto. The grounds, the view, and the vibe of this place are pure magic. I spoke with the groundskeeper who has worked there for 25 years. What a great job!

The entrance to Lowell Observatory. Astrologers will recognize these symbols.

The gate

Lowell Observatory



View from the grounds of Lowell

View outside of a cute shop in Flag. Flagstaff is an adorable town with interesting shops, restaurants and a University.

Back to Lowell



This is Percival

I'll write more tomorrow.

Albuquerque

Albuquerque sunset

In Albuquerque, Carol and I stayed with Caro's friends Kim, Greg and their child Bryce. Our visit there was relaxing. We visited with friends, I gave an intro to my Receive course for several people on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, Kim drove us into old town Albuquerque where we wandered around for the afternoon.

Photos from old town Albuquerque

Albuquerque door. Color is everywhere in the southwest and each door seems to be a different color, size, shape and design.

Kim and Greg's home



This is Bryce, Kim and Greg's child