Taking The Long Way Home

My dad had his 80th birthday yesterday. He's what we call a "young" 80. Still in good health, and still has all his marbles rolling around in his head. He's fun and funny, and just a great guy. My dad is my hero. Always has been. I guess it's that way for most daughters. I talked to him on the phone, after a day of running around in the heat at Zion . We took the shuttle from town into the park, and hopped off at several spots to take in the towering views, soak our feet in the Virgin River , sip iced coffee, and pick up some rich red dirt to make beads with. The whole time we were out, I kept saying, I have to get back and call my dad . So we decided to call it a day around 4:00. It was too dang hot to be anywhere but in the river anyway. I had a nice long chat with my dad (I still call him Daddy). He told me that he used to think 80 was old, but now it's no big deal. He says it's weird having that big number hanging around his neck. I guess 80, like 52 ...

Our last morning at Grand Canyon started early. We rolled out of bed at 6:30, hopped into our clothes, took the dogs out for a quick pee, grabbed our go-cups of coffee/tea, and headed for the rim, where we were met by a family of Desert Mountain Big Horn Sheep. We'd seen them far below the rim, dancing on the rocks like it was their living room floor. This was pretty great, to see them so close. I was glad we'd left the dogs "at home". We searched all the usual places for the young condor we'd seen the night before, but he seemed to have left the area. We were so happy to spot him, but were concerned that he was all alone, and didn't seem to know how to behave like a condor. He landed on a rock that was way to close to people. If a ranger had been around, they would have climbed out on the rocks and scared him off. They don't want them to get comfortable around humans, don't want them to trust us. We're not all trustworthy. Fortunately, everyone wh...

We have a new plan... Make plans, and plan to change them. We're leaving Grand Canyon several days early, and heading to Zion National Park in the morning. Hard to explain, but it's time to go. Zion wasn't in the "plan" at all, but somehow, now it is. It's another of our favorite places, and it's interesting that the highest part of Grand Canyon is the same elevation as the lowest part of Zion. We'll get some river time there, and will be looking up at the cliffs instead if down. Through the looking glass we go. The geology in these parts is pretty incredible. And speaking of incredible, I learned that the big old junipers that grow here can live 1400 years. Wow. And... this is the best tidbit yet... the most dangerous animals at Grand Canyon are... the squirrels! No fooling. They're so dependent on human handouts that they get really aggressive. They carry rabies and plague, so that makes them much more threatening than rattle snakes and elk, whic...

There was a weird feeling in the air all day yesterday. I tried to ignore it from the moment we heard the frantically blasting siren at 6AM, but I was on edge all day... no pun intended. Later in the afternoon we learned that someone had driven his car off the edge of the canyon early in the morning. We spotted the blue tarp just below the tree that the condors tend to roost in at night, and of course, no sign of the condors. They were likely in that tree when the car came crashing down the cliff. The tree itself wasn't damaged, so I'm sure they all flew for their lives. But where did they go? The North Rim maybe? Or Utah? Will they ever come back here? Will I ever know? That picture I posted yesterday, of my toes dangling over the rim seems in kind of poor taste now. But then, there are no lifeguards in the gene pool. I'm sad on so many levels. This whole thing just has me shaking my head, wondering what I can do... My first instinct in times of crisis is to do whatever I ...

I just took a couple of days to test the new traveling studio. With a few minor adjustments, it's working pretty well, and I'm pleased as punch with the first beads to come out of it. The Canyon influence is clear in many of them, and interestingly (to me anyway), is a fairly frequent "ocean reference". At first I thought, where the heck did that come from? And then I remembered - this part of the planet was once an ocean. Fossils of sea creatures are still found in the rocks here. Amazing. So it makes sense that I'm getting an "ocean vibe". It's also in my radar that we're headed for Monterey, CA at the end of the month. Deep currents often surface in beads... For those of you who are interested in the workings of a mobile studio, here are some pictures. There will be a few more little changes, but this is basically how it works. It's bare-bones and super simple. Low-tech even. But it works, and trust me, safety is very important to me. Thi...

I had a great birthday. But then, every day here is great... or should I say grand ? We drove east to the Watchtower, which looks like an ancient native structure, but was actually designed to look that way by Mary Colter in 1932. It's really beautiful, and offers a pretty spectacular view of the Colorado River. The inside of the building is wonderful too, but of course is filled with touristy crap. They sell necklaces and bracelets that are fake "Indian", fake "silver", fake "Troll Jewelry", with really bad (probably Chinese) lampwork beads. Guess I can't compete with that. I'll keep selling on my website! More cool architecture - the Hopi House in the Canyon Village. This one is filled with more artful crap, some actual art, and lots of turquoise and silver jewelry. I stay out of there mostly. I'm afraid I might accidentally buy something... Later in the afternoon, I felt brave enough to head down to check on the condors again. We saw wh...

Some days I like to leave my camera behind, so I can look at things without feeling the responsibility to record it all. It's a different kind of seeing when I know it's only for that moment. But yesterday we came across a free photography workshop offered by Canon, and that was just too cool to pass up. We walked the Canyon rim with our young instructor, Chuck, and our fabulous borrowed Canon cameras. I learned a lot, I think. Maybe some things I can use with my own, more humble Sony. I tested my new skills later in the afternoon, as we took the shuttle all the way to Hermit's Rest for some different views without too much hiking. My right ankle is kind of tweaked. Over-did it the first two days... This is my favorite picture of the day, although I shouldn't have been able to take it. Much of the wildlife here isn't all that wild anymore. Too many people feed the animals despite large signs prominently reminding us not to, and even threatening fines and prosecution...