Wow! Just Wow!

Saturday we went to Crescent Moon Park outside of Sedona. Sedona is evidently a center of great spirituality, and now I see why. The scenery is breathtaking! The red sandstone has been eroded into cathedrals and spires, and the quiet little river at the foot of these monuments is a divine oasis of greenery.  

 The pioneers built a waterwheel and a mill here. Imagine the labor necessary to create this in the middle of no damn where. It's days of travel by horse and wagon through seriously stinking desert to get nails and iron. and the timber would have been hewn without power tools. Have you ever seen two men working a misery whip? It's a long two-man saw sometimes used to cut logs into boards. It's aptly named.

The river flows over plates of sandstone, and local families were all around, picnicking in the shade and playing in the water. It was peaceful. It was full of life. We all took our shoes and socks off and sat on a slope of sandstone with our feet in the water. Miss M. started splashing and her mom said, "Don't splash anyone." Miss M. looked cunning and splashed me. I grinned evilly and said, "Do you really want to start a splash war with me, little girl?" She giggled, and dashed a spray of water at me. I kicked a wave back over her, startling her so much that she sat down and got her shorts wet. No one gave her any sympathy, so she quietly got up and sat on the dry stone, leaving little wet butt prints.

MA little further down the trail we found a place where some well-balanced person s had been stacking rocks. Does anyone know what this is all about? We instinctively all added our own stacks. A way to say, "I was here."

My stack wanted to be near the water.

 We were all hungry, and headed back to the car. on the way back we saw a fledgling Red Tail Hawk perched on a branch, calling for Momma to come feed him. The parents were back in the tree, coaxing him to spread his wings again and try just a little harder to get to the nest. Soon, he will be flying all over the park, hunting for his own food, and in no time at all he will mate and raise his own fledglings.

A Buddhist nun and some friends enjoying the scenery and the vibes.

We feasted at "Steak and Stuff" and were tended to by the sweetest waiter. It was 2:30 by the time we headed home. We lay around the house watching MASH reruns and digesting the food and the experiences. I stepped outside just before dinner. The sunrises and sunsets are perfect here.