Joshua trees at Joshua Tree National Park
After a couple nights in Indio we continued along our desert tour.
If you have never been to Joshua Tree you must make a trip.
Gorgeous scenery that changes drastically every few miles.

Many of the shots here were drive bys taken through dusty car windows,
which I thought ended up  adding an
interesting dimension to the desert vapor vibe.

Mushroom rock with teeth in the jumbo rock section of the park.

Our friend Andi, a recent transplant to the Scottsdale area,
said it was monsoon season, or so she was told,
which could explain these incredible clouds lurking above the freeway
as we passed through Phoenix on route to Sedona.

Although we arrived in Sedona past dark
and could only feel (coolish breeze even though it was in the 90′s at 10pm)
and smell (ahh evergreen) its breathtaking beauty,
this is the view we woke up to that first ride into town for coffee.

Staking temporary claim on a patch of lava at
Airport Mesa Vortex  -  apparently the best place around for sunsets.
Obviously it didn’t disappoint.

West Fork Trail of Oak Creek
We did about a 4.5 mile moderate intensity hike along the river
our second day in Sedona,
and although again, the temp rose well past 90 F. we were shaded comfortably
with pine and refreshed by a lovely breeze the entire way.

Montezuma Castle National Monument
A fascinating 1/3 mile loop trail that shares
the extraordinary creation of the Sinagua people.

Tuzigoot National Monument
More wonders from the Sinagua people.
Along with experiencing the ruins,
we were fortunate enough to enjoy the company of several red tailed hawks watching over head, a sky full of captivating clouds, and stunning views of green lushness just beyond the monument.

Jerome Cemetery, where the boys were on a Geocache hunt.
It was quite peaceful with this spectacular view.
We weren’t finding the ghosts particularly malevolent,
it was more they really didn’t seem to care that we were there.

Abandoned buildings in the
center of town – an old hotel perhaps…

Make a wish…

Loved Jerome. For one who is not fond of heights
it was an interesting ride up the hill to get there, but well worth the trip.

Sunset Crater Volcano
One of my favorite spots along the way – felt like being on another planet.

And now for the canyon of all canyons…

Javelina

Boynton Canyon Vortex
Back in Sedona..

Back on the road towards home on Route 66.
Longer ride but we would have missed so much if we just went on the freeway.

Seligman, Arizona

One of many roadside memorials sadly seen along the way.

Wild burros of Oatman

Windmill heaven

Incredible journey all the way around.
Go take a road trip – best way to get into the nooks and crannies
of those unknown to you places not far from where you live.

Meeting new friends in the most unlikely places.

In the seemingly endless pursuit of clearer vision,
it may just be that all that’s required is to embrace the muddiness,
all the saturated colors and variable textures,
remove present lenses, and snap on some new and improved filters
simply by opening our hearts.
When we venture forth from a place of love, we are enabled
to see through any murkiness and extract only gold.

The alchemy of love…
the universal solvent, the key to all that is.

Ahhhh, così morbido….

…vorrei abbracciarti, tornate…

…sei così tranquilla, così bella..

Intriguing how one appearing so delicately downy
can simultaneously possess the natural resilience and strength
required to withstand the likes of harsh waters during hard winters,
periodic lack of food, all sorts of precipitation, insufficient shelter…
No soft on the outside with warm gooey centers here –
more like innards of steel, slate and nails.
Appearances can be befuddling and contradictory.
What may at first notice seem hard, cold and calculating 
can actually encase a great deal of warmth, compassion and openness.
So does your outer textural integrity betray the you of your inner world,
or is your inner composition reflected in the
you you are perceived to be at first glance?

My neighbor is a peacock.
He lives just two blocks down.
The first time I caught a glimpse of him,
I nearly hit the ground.
His beauty takes my breath away,
his grace gives me delight,
but nothing could have impressed me more
then when this bird took flight.
He landed on a roof top that was three stories high.
It seemed my pretty peacock friend was a wee bit shy.
I stopped a man walking down the street and told him
“Hey, check out this sight.”
He followed my gaze, turned back eyes ablaze, and said,
“Yeah, I know he keeps me up all night.”

The Red Balloon Is Here! The Red Balloon Is Here!
I found myself squealing with unprecedented youthful delight.
He at his computer, unimpressed replies – “oh that’s nice honey”
and without pause goes back to what he was doing.
Awaking with a tinge of blue hovering around my disposition this morning,
with sponge in hand and sink graced with the remains of last nights dinner,
I stood contemplating the future events of my day,
when all of a sudden it bounced right in front of my window.
That is when the forementioned squealing commenced as I watched it
hop (not drift) along my neighbors side yard.
A rather choppy flight and not appearing to be in any particular hurry despite the slightly assertive wind.
I ran to the next window to see where it was headed and found it was stuck under a cypress tree.
It seemed to be held in tightly by the branches, and I stepped away to get my camera.
A few seconds later, all ready to take a good shot, it was gone and no where to be seen.
Swiftly I navigated around the internal periphery of my house
looking out every window to see if I could spot it, but it was nowhere to be found.
I am accepting this gift of levity and taking it as a sweet and gentle reminder
to get out of my head, get outside and light-heartedly bounce around a bit – see where the day takes me.
Thanks for the inspiration, powers that be…

Every year in the beginning of summer our entire elementary school would await the day
our teacher would announce that we would be seeing ‘The Red Balloon.’
This announcement was not only deeply anticipated because we enjoyed the movie so much,
but it’s viewing was also a sure sign that in a matter of days we would be free to fly off on our respective adventures wherever the summer should take us.

Did they ever play this movie in class at your school?

Spent the weekend in Dallas with my dear friend Kris and
we found ourselves tip toeing through the most extraordinary array of tulips
we had ever laid our eyes upon.
They say everything’s bigger in Texas and that sentiment surely rang true here.
With the over 500,000 spring blooming bulbs
put into creating this breathtakingly elaborate display,
the efforts from all involved were obviously monumental.
If you ‘re in the neighborhood you must experience this visual feast at the
Fiesta de las Flores – now until April 11, 2010.
So many varieties and colors – who knew?
(Well, besides all you wonderful Dutch folks out there…)

We particularly liked the fuzzy ones…

Perfect weather with just the right amount of sunshine
making every blossom simply explode.
We definitely could have used additional adjectives though -
the frequently heard “Wow, that’s beautiful…just gorgeous…simply stunning…” was insufficient.
No English words really seemed to bring the experience justice –
Maybe one might be best off just reveling in the remarkability of it all,
remarks being superfluous.

So many gorgeous little faces…

Louis is back in the saddle again biking for a cure with
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training.
Please visit his site to learn more about the program and to make a donation,
or maybe you are ready to join him on the ride – 100 miles of gorgeous
Lake Tahoe scenery with a fun group of truly inspirational folks.
So go check it out, there’s still time to get involved
with this life transforming experience!

Another way to contribute is to shop on his Amazon.com affiliate store
for your books and electronics.
He will pass on to the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
the entire referral fee received from Amazon (4%-6% of every purchase).
So start shopping here. Thank you for your support!