Meeting Mysticism in Sedona

We got our first opportunity to hike today, choosing Cathedral Rock, a short but intense vertical climb offering great 360 views.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially venturing onto a narrow cliff for a better vantage point (below).  Wherever we go, we meet interesting people, probably because we're never in a hurry.  The gentleman who took this photo of us was either Dutch or Belgian.  He had a fancy camera and took a couple of different shots, taking extra time to frame them appropriately.  Such a friendly guy!

It's been 10 years since my last visit to Sedona.  In the years that have passed, I have tried to tell myself that it's like everywhere else in Arizona.  But it isn't.  The formations, the vivid, red shade of the rocks are unique.  I'm so glad we were able to re-visit here, even though it was a short stay.

Pictographs protected from the elements

In the afternoon, we decided to visit the Palatki Ruins, off Highway 29A, seven miles into the desert on rough, unpaved roads.  The road was no match for the trusty Ridgeline!

This area is nestled into tall, red rock cliffs with large overhangs that protect the 900-year-old cliff dwellings and pictographs from decay.  Not much is known about the various tribes who occupied this space.  Like other sites we've seen, this was a busy trade center, with as many as 2,000 occupants.  Shells from the Pacific coast were even found at the site!

Kathleen Cox

Pictographs were drawn here by several tribes at different times in history.

As we waited for the Ranger lecture on the cliff dwellings, I heard a couple talking to my left, near the edge of the area.  The  man said, nonchalantly, to the ranger, "Did you know you have a ghost?"  The ranger replied with an equal lack of enthusiasm, "Yes, I've heard that before."  The woman said, "It's an older man.  I asked him if he was a grandfather and he looked strangely at me and said, no, he was a guard. He said he was happy that the area is treated with respect."  I took this all in with great interest.  Ghosts are fascinating to me.  I asked the woman if she was sensitive to spirits and she said she was and we went on our way.

At the other end of the site are pictographs and a grotto.  A German couple strolled through the area, mostly unimpressed.  "Only 900 years old?  The aboriginal remains are 30,000 years old."  Geez, I thought, how can you make comparisons like that?  RBK noted that studying any culture from another age should be a unique experience.

About that time, we bumped into the same couple from the cliff dwellings, where she was quietly talking with her friend about a woman making a basket in the grotto.  I asked her if the woman knew she was there and she said that they had a nice, little chat about the basket-making but it wasn't anything too exciting.  We spoke for a little while about ourselves and she gave me her card.  She's an Alderian Life Coach, Spiritual Mentor and Transpersonal Hypnotist.  What a great experience to meet someone like this for the first time in my life.  Of course it would happen in Sedona!

Quick Santa Fe thoughts as we leave town

The covered wagon on display at our motel.  You cannot dislike a place that
serves cookies every afternoon.

Adorable sculpture for sale.  Almost bought it for my mom
for Mother's Day until I checked the price tag: $10,000.
Sorry, Mom!

Sublime Santa Fe

Pecos multi-tribe settlement near Santa Fe.
Home to nearly 2,000 inhabitants
 prior to 1400.

Santa Fe is chock-full of pricey art galleries, steeped in Spanish and Native American history, and not too easy to navigate.  Santa Fe is a fascinating, quirky and culturally-rich city.  This is probably due to it's age (home to the oldest (1610) still-standing church in the US), and the fact that it was at different times a Native American settlement in 10,000 BC, then conquered by the Spanish in the mid-1600's, later part of Mexico and finally fought over in the Mexican-American war, gaining statehood in 1912.

A wonderful message painted on the wall of the Basilica of St. Francis

Miracle Staircase at Loretto Chapel.

Visiting the missions and chapels here during Holy Week was
a moving experience for both of us.  The crowds are light which leaves that impossible pause as you stand in the middle of a sacred place and wonder at the beauty and serenity around you.  The massive wooden structure in the photo below was shipped, section by section, from Spain in the early 1600's for St. Michael's Mission.  Also on display in the church is a large church bell from the 1400's which visitors could actually strike (I did this, naturally).  I imagined millions of villagers over hundreds of years in Spain and here in New Mexico hearing this same bell strike with important news and an urgency I'll never experience in a kind of life I'll never have.  I'm reminded often on this trip that we are all a part of a larger whole.  The human experience and the marvels and results of human passion bring us together.

All of these changes have created a diverse cultural base in which artists and bohemians thrive.  Restaurants tout "New Mexican" style cuisine, galleries proudly sell Native American art next to Contemporary works, architecture is a varied meld of Territorial, Pueblo and Northern New Mexican.  I think I'm still a little overwhelmed by what I've seen here.  I understand why they say Santa Fe requires repeated visits to truly understand it's complex roots.

Passing Through Oklahoma

Last night was spent in Oklahoma City.  It was warmer than Kansas City, for which I'm grateful, but it wasn't a warm, fuzzy experience to go back there after 14 years.  As RBK puts it, "I didn't get nostalgic, seeing it again."

Oklahoma is a curious place.  RBK and I lived there for 18 months when our kids were young.  This was shortly after the Oklahoma City bombing and folks were still reeling from the shock and loss a year or two afterward.  Driving through rural Oklahoma on this trip brought back strong memories of that time; even painful.  Living there was a difficult for our family, having moved several times in a few years and this move made all of us feel very out of place.  The photo to the right shows a typical pastoral scene there.  I found all the brown and gnarly trees depressing.

Since our time there, I've read about the collective consciousness of a region or country.  This theory asserts, among other things, that the history of a place is reflected in the consciousness of the people who reside there. The Trail of Tears, the Land Rush, the Dust Bowl of the 30's and the OKC bombings all occurred within a 160 year span in Oklahoma.  The spiritual part of me feels this collective heaviness when I'm in Oklahoma.  I feel sad when I'm there.  I see and feel it in the faces of the people I meet or pass:  in a store, restaurant, hotel or street.  When we lived there, we owned a beautiful home, worked hard to meet friends, yet I could not shake the feeling that I did not belong there.  My children felt this as well and my daughter still talks about living there as though she was a visitor--outside looking in.  We did not share the collective catastrophic experiences of the people of Oklahoma and this created a division between them and us.

RBK and I passed through this region today and it was a reminder of our family history.  Living there and experiencing this is a part of our family's collective consciousness.  I think of that time and am grateful for what it provides for me now:  a sense of belonging to Michigan and a love of home.  I'm reminded that "home," wherever and whatever that may be, is important to each one of us.  Today, I celebrate the passages of life that hopefully always bring us back to our home.

A beautiful spring day (somewhere)

Poor RBK spent a half hour removing snow from the truck after eight inches of snow fell in Kansas City.  He then suffered through a six hour drive to Oklahoma City, which featured a jack-knifed truck on the freeway, unevenly plowed lanes (or no plowing at all), and crazy slow drivers in small cars sliding all over the road.

Belle says, "Goodbye" to the Pioneers.

Once we reached OKC, we drove by our old house.  Can't believe how large the trees are! And how different the weather is here.  Daffodils and Bradford pears in bloom.

Everything's Up-to-Date - Guest Blogger Day

We've spent many hours watching "The Big Dance."  I was thrilled to win the big $5.00 pot.  Yes!  We are high rollers!

Here we have an autographed "Ridge Watson" bottle. This made me think of RBK and the Ridgeline Pioneers.
We just had to share this with him.

Belle and Chip being the little Disney characters from
"Beauty and the Beast" that they were meant to be.

Celebration Birthday Kosta Browne wine.
Dee-licious.

Napkins, courtesy of "Grace Designs."  Each of us had our own personal origami creation.  RBK's was a fan, Eric's was a bowtie, Anne's was a rose, I had a banana and Grace had a napkin.

I really want to mention that we managed to get in some doubles at Hallbrook.  Competition being fierce...RBK and Grace eventually edged out the favored and highly-qualified sister team of Ayo and Meaouw.

Gateway to the West

The model for all hotel desk clerks.

We experienced a pleasant and short drive to St. Louis.  Traveling less than five hours a day leaves one with spare energy upon reaching a destination.  Checking in at the Renaissance Grand, I met the gregarious Tyrus Sanders.  A fellow history buff, and Santa Fe native, Tyrus is proud of his hotel and the city of St. Louis and shared some interesting facts with me.  The famed arch was created in honor of Thomas Jefferson, who, as president of the US, orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase.  Jefferson was widely criticized for this political move, known as Jefferson's folly, but he added significant real estate and clout to our emerging nation.  With a disregard for the constitution, the purchase was not Jefferson's finest hour but rather his imperial moment.  St. Louis, a significant element in the purchase because of it's trading location on the Mississippi, became known as the gateway to the west.  Pioneers, traders and even Lewis & Clark stocked up in St. Louis before enduring a long and spartan journey to their destination.  Having read and enjoyed the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a kid, it's inspiring to follow in pioneer footsteps on our own journey to the west.

That said, our journey is a bit cushier.  Tyrus informed me that a bridge tournament is being held in St. Louis all weekend and the hotel is at capacity, so the concierge lounge would be filled with other Marriott elites such as ourselves enjoying the afternoon reception and breakfast.  After walking about the city for an hour and working out in the hotel gym, we braced ourselves for the bridgies at happy hour.  Much to our surprise, we found the gathering not so much "happy" as bursting.  With food and expectant bridge players, that is.  There was a soup to nuts buffet!  Never, in 30 years of business travel, has RBK experienced a concierge afternoon reception like this one but devoid of alcohol.  The picture to the left shows the remains of a plate left by one of the bridgies.  Milk??  At 5:30 PM? Seriously???

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Zia's in "The Hill." This is the Italian neighborhood a few miles from downtown.  It appeared frozen in time and exactly as one might picture an ethnic community near the heart of a metropolitan area in the thirties and forties.  We were fascinated as we strolled the three blocks from our parked car to the restaurant.  Every home featured either a front porch or an area in the front yard to set up chairs and watch the world go by.

Time to climb into bed and contemplate stepping into the Great American frontier tomorrow.

Picasso Brings Our Trip to Life

Spent the afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago, specifically to see the Picasso exhibit.  What a fantastic start to our trip!  I never realized Picasso went through so many phases of expression.  Everyone knows of his cubist paintings.  RBK and I were curious as to how he came to create art in the radical manner he chose.  I'm not sure I know the answer to that but I really enjoyed viewing the hundreds of paintings, drawings and sculpture in the exhibit.  To the left is one of his earlier works, done in a classic style.    Below is an example of cubism.  I believe this piece is a representation of a seated woman, however, I cannot remember, exactly.

I was struck by his later works where all of the phases of his art melded together and found their own sometimes frantic level of expression.  In Picasso's own words, "There is a time in life, after one has worked a great deal, when forms come of their own accord, pictures come of their own accord.  Everything comes of its own accord, death, too."

 I was fascinated by the conversations I heard.  At one point in the exhibit, I followed a trio of 70-something women through a couple of galleries.  Says one, "Why would someone who could paint these beautiful works of art, also make these strange scribbly things.  They look like something you might have done by accident and then thrown in the garbage.  You certainly don't keep those things."  Picasso must have been in one of his surrealist automatism phases.  Art created in this style may be attributed to the sub-conscious and may reveal elements of the psyche that could be repressed.  I learned that he didn't feel he was a part of this movement but created in this style along with many other experimental styles simply to expand his creative world.  For for information, check out this link:

http://www.egodialogues.com/2012/surrealist-automatism/

The Art Institute of Chicago is home to many famous works of art.  I loved seeing folks from all over the world relating to American Gothic.  Fun fact:  Did you know that this is not a farmer couple but a farmer with his unmarried daughter?  

Ready to Go

The bags are packed, to-do lists completed, basement reno underway. While we're gone our lower level will become a home bar and media room which is an exciting and scary project to contract out in absentia. However, with an excellent contractor, I'm confident of returning to a dream come true instead of a nightmare.

The cabinets are being installed tomorrow morning. It's tempting to stick around until noon to see them go into place. But the open road beckons and the Chicago Art Institute is waiting for our arrival. Regrettably, I haven't been able to find a decent hotel room under $300 on the Magnificent Mile for tomorrow night even using Priceline. My last hope is the "Hotel Tonight" app tomorrow afternoon after 3 pm. Spontaneity--on the very first day. Kinda feeling good about that.

"Before" pictures of the lower level shown below.

There's No Turning Back

The deed has been done!  RBK has retired.  The crazy-fun party was last night at a local brewery.  How cool is that?!  Most retirees have their "reception" in a conference room at corporate.  This was much more fun!!!!

There was a caricature, a roast of the guest of honor, a large binder of photos and memorabilia, many gag gifts and a cake, a photographer, and 75 of his closest work friends.  Loved having both our kids with us for this celebration.  It was nice for them to see another side of us.

I've been thinking about those 30 years and what a team we have been all along the way.  From typing all the resumes and cover letters necessary to land the job on an IBM Selectric typewriter to all the natural disasters we endured in the seven corporate moves we made (a hurricane, an earthquake, two tornadoes, floods, a lightning strike, and countless blizzards).   Where did all those years go? (Geez, I sound like a geezer.)

Today was our very first day together as retirees.  It went well.  We did lots of semi-meaningless tasks that were far more fun with my teammate than they could ever be by myself.  Imagine the excitement of sitting in the AT&T store for 50 minutes waiting for an iPhone 5 to be activated, hitting Walgreen's for deodorant, looking at potential apartments for our daughter, picking up flooring samples and discussing whether to raise the wine cabinet off the floor in our new bar.  And tomorrow we begin organizing and packing for THE TRIP!!