Hi everyone! I just had to share my weekend adventure, since it was somewhat
> bead-related. My birthday was yesterday (just ignore that, please) and
> my kids flew east Friday to spend 2 weeks with their Dad, so Mike and I took
> off Saturday for a short road trip north.
>
> First we headed to Prescott for their Pioneer Days craft show.
Unfortunately
traffic was insane and it was really hot there, so we cowered in the Jeep
> and came up with an alternate plan. Our next intended stop was in Sedona for
> a visit to a complex of galleries that Mike knew about but was new to me. We
> checked the map and found an interesting shortcut over an "unpaved" road.
> Oooooh yeah! Now you need to understand that years ago my folks had a cabin
> in a PA state forest area with tons of dirt fire roads and access to the
> Appalachian Trail. Over the years they had that place I managed to hit every
> mile of road at least twice, frequently more...and that was in my darling
> old Buick, not a 4WD. Needless to say, Mike pointed out this road and I was
> off like a shot.
>
> It was a gorgeous road! As soon as I get my digicam I'm heading back there
> to shoot pix. It winds through rolling hills and small canyons (some with
> recent fire damage) then through a tiny town called Cherry, then winds over
> the mountains that lead into the Verde Valley. We found a pullout with a
> short steep trail that led to a lookout for the entire valley. Absolutely
> breathtaking! And the wind was so strong it whooshed through the scrubby
> pines, mesquite and manzanita growing up there. In the northern distance you
> could see the shimmering red rocks of Sedona. Incredible! The road was only
> 18 miles long but took us almost an hour to cross...very slow going with
> lots of outside turns that were seriously lacking in guardrails, and those
> kinds of drops that make you go "oooooooh" and then get goosebumps. >
> We rambled through Cottonwood along another back road that gave us
> tantalizing glimpses of Red Rock Country. The sheer walls came closer and
> closer, until they towered over us. The variations in color are amazing.
> Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon are, to me, twice as beautiful as the Grand
> Canyon. It's smaller, more intimate and more imposing in a way. And oh the
> colors! Mike directed me to his objective, a group of Spanish-style
> buildings with several shops called Tlaquepaque. We had lunch at a
> microbrewery (mesquite chicken to die for!) then started drooling our way
> through the shops. Lovely jewelry, glass, photography, paintings and
> sculpture. Our favorite was a store that sells large bronze sculptures,
> primarily southwestern themed. They had many pieces that were still clay
> "works in progress" that were being pre-sold. I liked that idea a bunch. The
> artists are using wonderful patinas and enamels and other "extras" to really
> bring the pieces to life. One that stands out was an eagle captured at just
> the moment when he's caught a fish and is ascending from the water. Wow! >
> Mike nudged me several times about taking my jewelry up to some of the shops
> ("you belong here too"). That was such a treat to hear!
>
> We continued on to Flagstaff. Since it was a sort of spur of the moment trip
> we'd made no reservations. (Channeling my dad on that one.) We tried all the
> usual places and everyone was either booked or only had smoking rooms
> available (yuck). Soooo I said over the tracks! Got some weird looks from my
> sweetie but he didn't argue. We went to the older part of town, which is
> Historic Route 66, and found an older "motor inn" that looked like it was
> trapped in the "get your kicks on Route 66" age. It had "character". LOL I
> pointed out that you rarely got to sleep in a genuine piece of history that
> was clean, dimly lit and bug-free for a mere $32. Mike said he was surprised
> at how willing I was to "downgrade". Hehe I guess he has a few things to
> learn about me still. I laughed at us the next morning....we'd gotten a
> bottle of wine, some tasty cheeses, smoked salmon and crackers and nibbled
> while we watched a movie on TV. There we were, no kids, in a cheap motel on
> Route 66, and we fell asleep on each other's shoulders with the movie still
> on. Talk about getting old! I slept like a baby despite the freight trains
> whistling along all night. It was kinda comforting (I used to live near a
> freight yard).
>
> Okay, here comes the bead-related part. (Still with me?) We headed over to
> the Flagstaff Gem & Mineral show after a way-too-much breakfast at the
> Whistle Stop Diner (that got a few remarks from Mr. Grumpy LOL). It was a
> really nice, smallish show in a hotel ballroom. Some gorgeous ready-made
> jewelry with lots of stones. My favorite was some Mt. St. Helen's
> "emeralds"....rich green, very clear obsidian. Beeeeautiful! I decided to
> go native and concentrated on stones from AZ. Got a few malachite cabs, a
> matched pair of petrified wood teardrops, and some pretty jaspers and
> turquoises. We had a lot of fun talking to the vendors and found out about a
> lot of other future shows. Rock people are so friendly! I also got some nice
> bead strands in unakite, citrine, turquoise and mixed jaspers. Time to make
> more organic beads.
>
> After a few hours of sighing, we moved on to the Museum of Northern Arizona.
> They were having a special exhibit and craft show by Hopi Indians. They had
> demonstrators doing ceramics, basketry, silver work, weaving and kachina
> carving. I had a great chat with two of the silversmiths. It's really
> interesting that they are using traditional designs but taking them in very
> new directions. The museum is also beautiful, well designed and full of > treasures. >
> On the way home I think I got the nicest present of all. Mike told me how
> much fun I am to travel with! We both like having adventures and just
> going with the flow. Next weekend we're planning to head to Santa Fe. Can't
> wait to see what happens!
>
> --
> KarenK
> Desert Dreamer Designs
>formatting linkEbay Store:formatting linkJustBeads:formatting link>
>