Sedona, AZ

Ironically, while we are writing a blog, we're actually very private people. It’s not that we keep secrets, it’s just that we prefer to keep everyone else in the dark. We have spent years perfecting the art of shining an occasional ray of light on a situation rather than trying to dim an already full blown spotlight. That being said, there have recently been some requests for a little more personality in these blog entries. In my case, introversion (pretty sure I made that word up) and the desire to please people are a package deal. Hopefully what follows will be dripping with the right dose of personality.

In a few short months we will be packing up and moving "Dentro Le Montagne", or "Into the Mountains" of Colorado. In anticipation of the move, Cameron and I have developed a CA exit strategy (actually just a pre-exit plan, but "exit strategy" makes it sound more respectable). Our plan is to visit as many "places of interest" as possible that are weekend accessible from So Cal. "Places of Interest" is all relative, I know, but one location on our list (as a couple) has always been Sedona, AZ. Reason? Not only is it the Vortex capital of the world, and breathtakingly beautiful, but Cameron and his family lived there for a short stint when he was a kid. Back to the ol' stompin' grounds we go...

Our three day vacation was mostly spent hiking, unintentionally not always on the trail. We trekked to Devil's Bridge, climbed Cathedral Rock, and tromped up to Broken Arrow and Chicken Point. No, we did not look at the hike guide and choose the most evil sounding adventures. "Sunset Site" just didn't offer the excitement we were looking for (not that we do not love a good sunset). When it was all said and done, we figured our walkabouts totaled 13-15 miles, none of which went unnoticed to our legs or feet. The phrase "my dogs are barking" was used more than once during our weekend getaway.

During one of the hikes, I was told by someone who appeared to be a guide of sorts, that I had a "natural sense for feminine healing." Both a strange and random compliment Cameron and I thought. The strange man then went on to explain how I had managed to stop on a rock platform that was situated between a triangle of trees with twisted stumps...an obvious feminine healing center of energy. Cameron and I both shrugged, continued on our way, and chalked my "sense" up to my natural ability to stop walking when I get tired and that usually happens at the top of a hill where I can see stuff. But that is just us...

An added bonus to the weekend was the opportunity to test out the Internet-learned techniques (I use this term loosely) with my new camera. Bear in mind that the camera is a 35mm so these images are scanned in and have lost some quality in so doing -- but hopefully you can still get a sense of some of the images from our weekend trip:

Some Cactoid looking object: Cathedral Rock:

In Living Color:

Whirlpool-O-Rock:

Cameron Climbed Stuff:

Chicken Point:

Water that Fell on Oak Creek:

Good thing Cameron was there to hold stuff down:

I took pictures of stuff:

Vortex (aka View):

A perfect mixture of ice, water, and rocks:

Slide Rock (not much sliding done on account of the brisk H2O): And because old habits die hard:

We would show pictures of the inside, but at this point it would just look like a fine bunch of lumber to those with no interest in blueprints.

"Dried In"

As of the 16th and January, the house is "dried in". The roofers found enough of a break in the weather to get the ice/water shield on the roof. We were told that siding is almost finished and plumbing and electrical are 80% complete. The front door is a custom fir craftsman style...thanks to Bill the Builder.

For me, the hodge-podge of colors is hard to look past. Cameron does a great job of squinting and thinking big picture. We are going to try to pick siding colors and wood stains that make the house look like it was meant to be there all along!