Friday, June 22, 2007

WOW!!

The bougainvillea I promised to show you...

What else can you say about this place? I'm still here...I bet you thought I forgot to blog? Sorry...
We have been on the go since Tuesday. Yarn shops, Old Mining Towns, Red Rocks and of course the Grand Canyon has been on the list. Wednesday was a VERY long and tiring day!
I'm trying to devise a system of rating Yarn Shops, after reading January One the last couple days (here and here) I'm sort of weary of writing too much in my reviews, I don't want to get BLASTED for giving my opinion! I will tell you right now of the four Yarn Shops I've visited, 2 get very high marks, 1 gets a mediocre rating but only because they were in the middle of a move and I only saw a small portion of their stock, otherwise it would have been in the high range. The last one is very low on my list and lets just say it reminded me too much of my LYS. More to come on those later...
As for the scenery around here, it's pretty amazing that you can drive a short distance and be in a totally different landscape and climate!

(Remember this is a whirlwind trip) On our trip north to the Grand Canyon we stopped at the small town of Jerome, it's an old copper mining town that has found a regrowth of sorts in the arts. No...I didn't see or feel any ghosts. All kinds of artisans are living and working here. We met a guy who owns a turquoise jewelry shop...originally from Lexington, Kentucky! Though he's lived in Jerome for 20 years he does miss the greenery of The Bluegrass State!

Next we were on to Sedona and the Red Rock State Park



Where we saw views like this!

AMAZING...the beginning of the WOW-factor! What else can you say?
The city of Sedona is amazing, we just didn't have much time to stop if we wanted to make it to the Grand Canyon by sunset. Just like when we visited Wyoming 4 years ago--we left more reasons to come back!

Finally...



The GRAND CANYON....isn't it beautiful?! You really had to go through a lot to get to most of the spots along the way...fight crowds...and ride on really packed shuttle buses (for those who know me---not my cup of tea). Don't get me wrong I loved it, in fact, we met a family from Australia (Catherine in the Northern Territory). They were a lot of fun to chat with and knew where Toowoomba is, in fact he was born in Brisbane....are you with me Terri? Of all places they were staying in Los Angeles and driving US style for the first time! What a brave soul...and family! His wife thought it was funny when he turned the wipers on trying to shift the gears in the car! I think it's amazing he's driving around LA!

Okay...so....remember the scene in National Lampoon's Vacation when they are at the Grand Canyon? Come one go get the movie and fast forward to it...
Well...that's sort of the feeling you get, you're there you see it...you leave!
I know you are going to get tired of hearing about this trip but, I have so much more to share!

The agenda for today...we are going to a baseball game! The Diamondbacks are playing Baltimore!! So if you watch tonight I'll be wearing a bright orange Baltimore shirt...you know they always find the oddballs in the place...that would be me!
I will have knitting in hand (pun intended) so you might just see me on the tube!

That's all for now...

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

9 comments:

Nikki said...

wow... sounds like a great trip!!! I'm looking foward to hearing more :)

Mary said...

Very pretty! Keep on having fun so we can live vicariously through you! I've only seen the Grand Canyon from an airplane, so it's nice to see it from edge level.

Anonymous said...

How beautiful!! Everything - from the path to the spa to the edge of the Grand Canyon. So glad you're having fun!!

JakkiMitch said...

Thanks for sharing the AZ photos. I miss the red rocks and the low humidity of the "high plains desert" where I used to live out west.

Anonymous said...

I think the Grand Canyon is the most amazing place to visit. I was there about 30 years ago with my parents. The colours are awesome. And they change with the light at different times of the day. So cool. Glad you're having a great time!

Nana Sadie said...

What AMAZING photos! I've always wanted to go there...
Welcome home.
(((hugs)))

gourdongirl said...

Looks like you are having fun. looking forward to the next installment!

Susan said...

Hi Robin:

An Internet search brought me to your blog entry about the Ballinadee cardi you made with MaggiKnits Linen. I'm making a cardi with MK Linen right now. The ball band doesn't provide washing directions. Can you tell me whether/how you blocked the garment pieces before assembly and how you wash it? Thanks, Susan G susan905atearthlinkdahtnet

Dana said...

Your photos, Robin, were breathtaking and it sounds like you're having the time of your life! I'm so glad for you.

Did you find any neat & unique-to-Arizona yarns in the shops you visited?