Feb 15, 2011

arizona luv!

nov 30 038

arrival: thanksgiving day … rockin’ our rental car. we drove from phoenix to clarkdale (about two hours) and we were totally annoyed that we forgot our adapter so we could listen to the mp3s on our phones. we didn’t get girltalk but we got john tesh. with a radio that had a broken scan button, the pickins were slim.

we were greeted at dan and tina’s with SO MANY HUGS from everyone…it is probably my favorite memory of the whole trip! it made my heart so ~happy~! there was an enormous spread of food all over a large table and across the counters in the kitchen and dining room. it was fabulous to be amongst fellow vegetarians (and vegans) with so many options…i didn’t know where to start! i wish i could say more about what i ate, but i was truly distracted and ended up doing more socializing than eating. :) we couldn’t bring a casserole or pie, but we DID bring some oregon spirits in our luggage. i brought two bottles of wine, an erath pinot gris for jess and an argyle pinot noir for tina, and dan packed four twenty-twos for one lucky josh robbins (deschutes’ hop trip, HUB abominable, oakshire ill tempered gnome, and the ninkasi sleigher.)

we stayed with josh and jess in sedona. they have a hiking trail (sugar loaf/coffee pot) behind their place so on friday, after we met with hattie, kulas, and justin (a dear friend who drove up from phoenix AND surprised me) for some indian buffet brunch, dan and i took a walk and enjoyed the view…

nov 30 151 nov 30 069nov 30 073

nov 30 072

nov 30 041 nov 30 044

nov 30 051 nov 30 047

we got plenty of sunshine, despite forecasts for rain. i was more than happy to soak it all up even though my cheeks and ears were hot pink the rest of the trip. we had ideas about skipping over to prescott or flagstaff, but there were some late nights that called for afternoon naps! dan knows i can talk to tina on the phone for easily an hour or two (or three) so i don’t think he was surprised when she and hattie and i stayed up all night talking. :) this wild and crazy bunch closed the oak creek brewery in sedona saturday night:

nov 30 125

nov 30 123

nov 30 163 nov 30 168

when you’re up all night you need something to keep you up (and wake you up the next day)….i met the johnsons when they opened a coffeeshop in washington, so we got to know each other by just sitting together, drinking coffee, and talking about anything and everything…not just what is going on in our lives but art, history, politics, etc. anyway, you can bet they all know a thing or two about espresso. one of my favorite things in the world is a latte by dan johnson, and now, jess, when i’m sitting in their home. and it’s no surprise that jess and cabel (and now josh, i think) work at heart of sedona coffeehouse.

nov 30 132

nov 30 083 nov 30 135nov 30 140 nov 30 087

our last day there, sunday, we gathered for the bears game (soldier field WEST, yo!) and watched a storm cross the valley from dan and tina’s porch, and it even snowed a little bit for pax to enjoy~~! and THEN, later that night, dan and i finally got new tattoos! our selections were made ahead of time…we took a trip to our local stationary store, where i had us look at all of the cards. some exciting artwork and illustration is happening in letterpress studios! so, dan found mine and i found his... he got a forest floor as a band around his left calf, and i got a tree with a pink kite on my right forearm. :)

nov 30 149 nov 30 155 nov 30 153 nov 30 160 nov 30 156 nov 30 157

we returned to oregon on monday, a little sore but very happy. it has only been a few days but i already miss them all so much! i already want to plan another trip back! :p in the meantime, i keep looking at the photos and smiling. i have more, so i’ll add them to my new !* lovelies ~ album. :)

No comments: