Sycamore Canyon +

 

I feel like Arizona is the state of surprises. If you fly into Phoenix, you would be inclined to think that the state is a cactus filled desert, but if you drive less than 2 hours north you not only gain almost 7000 feet, but find yourself surrounded by pine trees and at the base of mountain peaks. I've now spent years in Flagstaff, but I feel like I've barely skimmed the surface of discovery. And there are special nuggets of wonder that I love to revisit periodically because they're just so spectacular. Sycamore Canyon is one of those nuggets. The 70 foot falls are a wonder of creation! And nearby are a network of large pools (ponds) which flow into one another; they were naturally formed and were the lifeline and home site of an entire village of native Americans at one point in time.

Note the rock climbers in the next two pictures! 

 

Not far from Sycamore Canyon is another of Arizona's gems: Keyhole Sink. It is a small box canyon tucked into the forest with a waterfall running through it. This fall is seasonal, but has apparently always been a source of water and provision for centuries. There are petroglyphs on several of the inner walls and one of the more badly worn petrogyphs shows the drawing of deer in the canyon and tribesmen hunters along the tops of the walls with their arrows drawn. 

Ice walking is the best

We just recently discovered a few other pit houses nearby our house. The boys and I were wandering one afternoon when Lochlan was a having a more more pitiful day. He cheered up once we started our adventure and seemed to enjoy our discoveries. 

Yesterday, a storm loomed and I could feel the tension in Lochlan from the moment he woke up. So, we headed out to meet our friends, the Loopers, for a walk and Lochlan's brothers set about distracting him with a hardy game of train. These boys are so wonderful! Lochlan loved it and was soon distracted from his grumpiness. 

We then grabbed some hamburgers and went to eat by my daddy's grave. Daddy was a famous hamburger lover and one of Burger King's most loved customers; Burger King actually sent our family a large wreath when he passed away. As we sat there and talked about my memories of him, Lochlan said, "Eat hamburger with Grandpa". I had a hard time fighting away the tears; I would love to sit down for lunch with him and my boys. I cannot imagine how much I would want to talk with him about. It would be a very long lunch. 

And then the storm came... 

We've continued growing plants in our greenhouse/indoor gardens and we're having more success than I originally anticipated. Last night a good portion of our dinner was "home grown". In January! Woohoo! We had fresh eggs from our chickens who are producing over a dozen a day right now. We had lettuce, basil, parsley, spinach and kale from our garden as well. We've been washing, drying, and grinding up the egg shells to use as fertilizer on our plants. We've been making a mineral tea and including several of our dried garden herbs for flavor. When we're finished with the tea we are using it as a compost/fertilizer as well. 

Alas, dawn has beckoned and our little house is glowing. Time to rise and shine... or at least get this day started.