Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas...

Can you believe this blog will mark it's first anniversary in just over a week?! Wow! So much has happened in the past twelve months. It's been fun, for sure, and I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as we've enjoyed writing it.

This weekend is Christmas and we're expecting snow here in Sedona. My Mother-In-Law has joined us and we've been spending time with her (currently) Southwestern cousins. It's been such a treat to hear stories about past generations that we've never heard. Long forgotten memories sometimes bubble to the surface, resulting in peels of laughter. Just sitting and observing their connections and interactions is pure joy. It's a privilege to be able to share this adventure with family we rarely have the opportunity to see.

As for our explorations, last weekend our family drove to Page, AZ to visit Antelope Canyon. This is one of those destinations my daughter and I found on Pinterest that we HAD to visit. The pictures just looked too beautiful and other-worldly to be real! So on Sunday we all hopped in the car and drove to the spot where the Navajo tour guides were to meet us. You can hike there, but we decided this trip would be more enjoyable for everyone if we were able to get there in a reasonable amount of time and have someone who was familiar with the place tell us about it.

It was pretty cold, so the mittens I bought in Alaska were put to good use. Did you know the Navajo and Apache people here in the Southwest are related to the Athabascan people in Alaska? Yep! You can even find similarities in their languages!  

There are also similarities in their beautiful beadwork. This is a hair clip I purchased in Page. So many hours of work! I love the colors and design.

Leo, our guide, met us by the Jeeps and drove us out to the upper canyon. It was more of a very tall, narrow hallway through the sandstone mountain, which is technically a canyon, but it was different from what I had imagined from the pictures I'd seen. Sunlight pours in through the top and spotlights all the colorful layers in the walls. Photographers who know all about light and camera settings are able to capture magnificent pictures of this place. If you happen to be a photographer like me (not a professional), these are closer to the pictures you may find on your camera.

Leo, our guide.

See the fist punching through the wall?

How about the heart?

It's one of those places where you don't want to talk. You just want to take in everything around you. I highly recommend going! There's an upper canyon and a lower canyon and you can visit both. A word to the wise though, do your homework and don't try to go during monsoon season. Everything you see above is filled with strong flood currents during that time. No one is allowed near it.

National Geographic tried drilling holes into the sides of the canyon to set up very expensive camera equipment. They were supposed to capture what happens when the flash floods pour in... Let's just say all that's left of that project are the holes in the wall...Oops. So much for "leave no trace"!

Here are some shots from outside the canyon.

 The landscapes here in Arizona vary quite a bit. These are some shots we took from the car between Page and Flagstaff. Just thought you might like to see some of the variety. In Sedona, we mostly see the red rocks. I'll post about those next week after we take the Pink Jeep Tour.

No matter where you happen to be this weekend, and who you may be spending your time with, the Schmidt family wishes each of you a very merry Christmas!

- Jen

The Innerworkings of "Away"

Thanks to you, our blog has now reached over 2,100 hits and we haven't even left yet! That's amazing! Thank you all!

Things are winding down for the school year here. I've just scheduled the end of the year testing for our youngest. This is our first year homeschooling, so we're still figuring things out. Which test is best? Which tests are approved for our state? How are they administered? Fortunately we have a bunch of experienced families who are happy to give advice and point us in the right direction.

This past week, our youngest and I took a tour of one of the larger wastewater treatment facilities in the area, the South Treatment Plant in Renton, WA.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/About/System/South.aspx

It didn't smell half as bad as I thought it might and they have a garden next door called "Waterworks Garden". It features trails, native plants, wildlife, and public art. I love the idea of something unpleasant working to make something beautiful.

Here's a picture of our youngest by a pond at the treatment facility. He really liked the art pieces.

My husband and I saw "The Blue Man Group" once in Las Vegas. In part of their slideshow they said that all trash, sewage, and everything else unpleasant, goes to the same place once it leaves our sight- "Away".... which is all too true in most peoples minds. Sad. Well, my son and I were able explore part of "Away" and it was really cool. The tour guide started with a presentation of how our sewage system works and how different countries around the world handle their sanitation. The kids were given different kinds of "trash" and they sorted it according to how it would be disposed of. Did you know that we (North America) have a pretty good handle on how to treat our human waste, but all the chemicals and misc. items that go down the gutters in the street just flow directly out to the oceans? It's scary how much pollution we really create. It's time to find a solution for our pollution!

I won't go into the gritty details of what we saw and how the sewage is separated and treated, but it is really interesting. I'll just give you a few main points:
- City water is only in your house for seconds before moving on.

- Because there is so much water, sewage is diluted and doesn't even remotely resemble what you see in your toilet when it arrives at the treatment plant.

- The sewage is filtered and then goes through three or four stages before it reaches the point where it is treated and then flows out into the ocean to be naturally recycled (evaporation, rain, etc.)

The infrastructure of a system like this is a marvel. Really!  There are a ton of jobs that make this facility run effectively.

Our youngest was especially impressed with the control room and the lab.

After the tour, we visited the local big brand store for trailer organization items. I've spent several days planning the most efficient way to pack our trailer. I'd like to bring everything we need without the worry of tripping over obstacles or the fear of items being thrown everywhere while in transit. Once I get everything in place, I'll show you some of the tricks I've employed.

Our daughter was considering writing this weeks post, but life got in the way. You'll hear from her soon, I promise.  In the meantime, 35 days to go....

- Jen