Flagstaff and Winslow tour (32nd anniversary trip)

PJ heading through Hart Prairie (around 8500' elevation here per trail guide)

Patricia and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on May 24.  We took a short road trip to two familiar places (each visited just last year):  Flagstaff (2011 trip here) and Winslow (2011 trip here).  We do love touring around Arizona together.

PJ in the distance, one of the many beautiful public spaces at La Posada

In Flagstaff - we concentrate on the downtown restaurants and on hiking.  Revisited Criollo Latin Kitchen for lunch; visited Brix on the actual day of our anniversary (very good but not great); had dinner for the first time at Tinderbox and we had a fantastic meal - PJ had duck prepared three ways, mine was a sugar-cured leg of venison with blackberries, blueberries, cherry chutney atop grits - really one of the very top meals we've ever had.  As far as hiking - we were looking for something interesting but not too challenging - drove up into Hart Prairie (often featured in the "fall color" issues of Arizona Highways) - this may be beautiful in fall, the trail indeed was nice, but we can find better hiking spots.  Plus the wind kicked up too much.

PJ (again in the distance) at overlook, Little Painted Desert

In Winslow - we concentrate on the hotel (the fabulous La Posada) and the in-hotel restaurant (John Sharpe's equally fabulous Turquoise Room).  Notwithstanding that Winslow is not much of a town and that the area doesn't offer all that much in the way of hiking etc. - we will be back here.  We find the place evocative, captivating, or something.  It helps a great deal to have read this biography of Mary Colter, the hotel's architect (book purchased last year; it includes lots of information about Fred Harvey etc.)  The thoroughness and care of the hotel restoration is astonishing - every detail was considered - every time we walk through the expansive public spaces and gardens we notice something extra.  The art gallery (all works by redeveloper's wife) adds quite a bit of interest.

wildflowers in pretty desolate environment; Little Painted Desert

And then there are the trains - we aren't really of a generation of train buffs, but part of the charm here is that the restored railroad hotel sits a few hundred feet north of one of the few remaining busy railroad tracks in this part of the world - about 100 trains a day go by, including two passenger train stops.  In this setting - it's really neat.

La Posada main entrance from the street (this side was the back entrance when trains ruled)

And thinking back to 19th century authors etc. - trains in general were a defining change for people - first opened up vistas and minds in a way no other form of transportation has or will.  There's good reason literature, songs and hobos often revolved around trains.  Airplanes and cars affected transportation, but they were just differences in degree - not differences in kind.  (Try Anna Karenina, for example.)

sitting, chatting, watching the fairly regular train traffic . . . La Posada

The Turquoise room is a marvel - we had six meals in two days there (just like last year), each a delight (just like last year).  I think my favorite was the lamb posole at lunch; but my duck and elk dinners were right there.  Not to mention the bread pudding for breakfast.  As nice as the hotel is, I think we would feel less strongly about it if the restaurant wasn't so good.

"Sunken garden," La Posada

entrance to "sunken garden," La Posada

Mion art gallery, La Posada. 

We ventured out to the Painted Desert for the first time - we were surprised at how easily accessible at least this portion is from Winslow, and at how great it looked (even in mid-day - this clearly would be best at sunrise or sunset).  Fun.

view of La Posada lobby (from just inside south entrance (opening toward the tracks))

breakfast at Turquoise Room

odd fellow, observed on Hart Prairie trail

"staircase" consisting of railroad ties leading down from overlook; very poor condition; Little Painted Desert

Great trip, great anniversary, great wife.

18 out of 279 in eight minutes (Phantom Ranch)

Hard to believe it's already been five years (to the day) since we were last down at Phantom Ranch (discussed here, here, here, and here).   I am obsessed with Grand Canyon and its ilk and would love to visit far more often.  Not sure how to solve for this.

We do tee up an effort every now and then to get organized for a large-group return trip.  One problem is Phantom Ranch's overwhelming international popularity - combined with a somewhat archaic "first come-first served" fax system.  You have no chance unless you hit the "send" button on your fax machine at exactly midnight of the first day of the month in which you wish to hike in the ensuing year.  (Large group reservations for October 2011 are opened on October 1, 2010, for example).

The below email shows our last effort - I was trying to arrange things for October 2011.  Started at midnight 10/1/10.  Constant busy signals before I got through - way too late.  My contact told me via the below email they received 279 faxes and immediately filled all 18 large group spots.

Maybe autumn 2013??

Sampling of 2007 photos follows (many more via links in first sentence of this post) (click any photo to access enlargements of all):

reception at the Rim - evening prior to hiking

ready to head down South Kaibab trail

down, down, down . . .

card-playing at the canteen at Phantom Ranch

sunflower fire

This was interesting (though not as interesting as last year's weather phenomenon).

I have my personal neighborhood watch program underway on a daily basis - because my office has a great vantage point to the north and east, also because I'm nosy.

Early this afternoon, I became vaguely aware of a cloud formation to the NE that didn't look quite right.  Seemed too early in the year for a t'storm to be brewing in Mogollon Rim country, plus the formation was odd.  I wasn't aware that any above-ground nuclear testing had been scheduled.  I finally remembered that there was a pretty significant wildfire up toward Payson.

Ah, that's it - this is smoke from a 4500 acre (and growing) fire.  Photo taken from home office, with mobile phone.

echo

I have all sorts of thoughts about policy and politics.  But they generally aren't sufficiently coherent to do much more with than to muse about things from time to time.  And occasionally get into a conversation with folks, but that often doesn't go very far either.  I do believe that policy and politics matter; that it is possible to change the character of a nation over time via policy; etc.; yet many basic themes do endure.

Reading Robert Penn Warren's "All the King's Men" (1946), the echo from our current divider-in-chief was unmistakable.  Southern demagogue Willie Stark is making his first run for governor.  This being his first run, he is not yet a fully-developed demagogue.  Willie has a carefully thought-out tax plan that balances various competing interests; he presents this to the voters at various speeches; he is ignored, because absorbing policy nuances would require some thought and effort from the voters.

Jack Burden (newspaperman assigned to cover Willie's campaign) tries to straighten out Willie as to his approach:  "Maybe you try to tell 'em too much.  It breaks down their brain cells."

"Looks like they'd want to hear about taxes, though," [Stark] said.

"You tell 'em too much.  Just tell 'em you're gonna soak the fat boys, and forget the rest of the tax stuff."

**sigh**

ASU law school graduation (this generation might be done with school?)

Nedda and Paul Jr; 5/3/12.  (Nadia photo) 
Last day of school for this generation, I think.

Starting in fall 1986, we've had between one and five children in school and working along through the so-familiar academic calendar.

But - after well-nigh 26 years - this could be the end.  PJr and Nedda graduated from law school today.  No other school plans on the horizon, as far as I know.

List of schools:

• Liberty Elementary (N, C, K)
• St. Thomas the Apostle (N, C, K, EP, PJr)
• Cocopah middle school (K, PJr)
• Chaparral high school (N, C, K, EP, PJr)
• St. Mary's College (N)
• ASU (N, C, PJr)
• U of A (K, EP)

By the way, today's law school commencement was quite a nice affair.  Sandra Day O'Connor - for whom the ASU law school was named - gave a fine speech.  PJr and Nedda both graduated with honors.

Sandra Day O'Connor speech.

Also nice:  Saeed and Mina treated to a most excellent after-meal at the Persian Room, it was a great conclusion to the event.  (I drank doogh (دوغ‎ dūgh) for my first time - neat, I read that this drink goes back to classical Persia.)  Also, Patrick had shown up unexpectedly this morning (rerouting flight from CA to Seattle), which was quite the nice move.  Had a euchre game or two before he was whisked back to the airport.  PJ and I won, of course.

1st day our children attended school . . . Nicole at kindergarten, 9/3/86.