Illumination

Christmas songs are usually written about scenes with Rockwellian nostalgia. There's a certain image associated with this holiday that most of us are familiar with and many long for- trees, snow, sleds, mittens, garlands. I'm not sure what I expected this year, but being here in the American Southwest for the holidays has been a wonderful, and different, experience!

Last Saturday we joined the local Boy Scout troop to help set up for a tradition I'd never heard of. We helped set up over 6,000 luminaria at a local center for the arts called Tlaquepaque (tuh-lock-ay-pock-ay. It's a Mexican word that derives from Nahuatl and means "place above clay land".). Apparently this is a Christmas Eve tradition in Mexico and the American Southwest. People line their houses, driveways, and everything else with paper bags that have a little bit of sand in the bottom and tea lights placed on top. When everything is lit, it's breathtaking!

This is what it looked like when we were setting it up in the morning.

Tlaquepaque hosts an annual event called The Festival of Lights. Around 3pm people start to arrive, and as dusk approaches they all begin to light these luminaria. Not just a few designated people- everyone! The soft glow from the luminaria along the walkways gives way to the bright lighted stars and strings of lights overheard. Music from live musicians, bands, and choirs fills the alleyways and courtyards. Nativities and small displays are set up here and there. Shops are open. People are dancing and laughing. Warm cider is freely given out in paper cups. It's a feast for the senses and a festive gathering of community. It's different from what I'm used to (with our wind and rain, this would probably be a disaster!) but it embraces everything I imagine the Christmas spirit to be and it was a privilege to be able to participate in and witness it.

And this is what it looked like at night when everything was in full swing!

My oldest helped set up the cross! <3

This one is actually from the night before. The chapel was closed for the event. This man was the only one in the chapel playing Christmas songs on his guitar. The acoustics were magnificent and I could have listened to him all night!

The Boy Scout troop set up their own display. It was fun to see Santa in his tent. ;-)

We made the drive to Petrified Forest National Park  and the Painted Desert last week through old route 66. Of course, we had to spot a few fun landmarks...

The forest isn't covered in trees, like the name implies, but instead it looks closer to something you might see on another planet! In this landscape, trunks of trees litter the ground. They look like dead wood when you drive past them, but when you get closer, they are much, much more interesting!

Our younger two...

These trees were once floating in a swamp, where they absorbed minerals like silica. Over time the swamp dried up and these trees were petrified. They were transformed into stone and gems by the minerals. They may have been trees before, but now they are fascinatingly beautiful!!

The painted desert was no less amazing. To see all the colors and layers...well, I can see why there are so many artists here. It's inspiring! The various colors are due to the minerals in the rock layers.

This area is protected and is home to many fossils and dinosaur tracks, as well as petroglyphs left by people who have live here over it's long history. You can view them from several viewpoints. I'm happy to say that my husband brought my camera back after his last trip home, so I was able to use the zoom lens!! (HOORAY!!!)

We took our time and saw the Painted Desert Inn, which was built during the depression and furnished by local youth in the CCC Camps. Their masterful artwork is featured throughout the Inn, which is now a museum. I thought that was interesting because my husbands grandfather was also in a CCC camp in California during that time.

Oh! Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know that we finally saw a javelina! One trekked through our yard just a few days ago. It was about the size of our beagle. One more check off the list!

No! Not these ones!

This one!

Wishing you all a fantastic, non-harried week! And be sure to steer clear of the javelinas!

- Jen

Close Encounters

When I was a child, my family drove through Flagstaff one summer on our way to see family in Kansas. I have vague memories of traveling through the blazing desert sun in our old brown Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon (complete with rear-facing back seat and paneling on the sides) listening to the songs of the 80's. I'm sure I complained then, as most kids do, but I look back on that road trip fondly now. I have vague memories of roadside shops selling turquoise, silver, and giant belt buckles.  I remember seeing cigarette machines in front lobbies of local diners and motels. The exact details are lost to time, but the impressions remain, and they make me smile.

Being back in this part of Arizona as an adult has been a different experience. I find myself excitedly looking out the window to see what we'll discover and what I might remember. We try to spot things we wouldn't ordinarily see at home in the Pacific Northwest. I love talking to people who live here to get some sort of insight on what their daily normal is that's different from mine. Then I try to point them out for my kids, so they'll notice too.

Being here has been a lesson in changing preconceptions. We came to the Southwest thinking we might have to tread lightly to avoid scorpions. We thought we'd have to be careful of marauding javelinas or striking rattlesnakes. We envisioned dry, toasty days, and wide-brimmed hats. Needless to say, those fears were greatly exaggerated and inaccurate. Instead, we learned that scorpions tend to like the lower part of the state where it's warmer. Sedona has a cooler climate and we've been living in sweatshirts and coats. There is nary a rattlesnake to be seen at this time of year, in this locale, and javelina's do live in our neighborhood but we haven't seen one yet! Maybe it's because of our dogs?

Instead of finding what we anticipated, we've been discovering things we didn't. Things like how startlingly beautiful the scenery is here in Sedona every time you drive down the road. It's like a painting! Like how cacti naturally grow so that they almost resemble a forest. Like how amazingly huge the saguaro cactus is and how astonishingly long its growth cycle and lifespan are! Like how much we've missed having access to "real" Mexican food. We're enjoying ourselves, to be sure, and we've found a new appreciation for this part of the country.

Last weekend we started to explore beyond our own backyard and visited one of the tourist hot-spots, Meteor Crater. It's located just outside Flagstaff, so it isn't far from us. We were surprised to see cattle roaming on the roadside around the site. No fences or anything! It turns out the land surrounding the crater and the crater, itself, is all privately owned! The same family who owned the land when it was "discovered" owns it now and they run a cattle ranch around it.

We visited on a sunny, but windy day, and braved the elements to take the tour around the crater. It's a massive sight to behold and we learned that the terrain is so much like the moon that astronauts trained there for several missions. Outside the visitor building you can see a wall dedicated to them and a boiler plate from an Apollo test capsule.

Inside the building is an impressive museum explaining the history of the crater. How it was formed, how it became a tourist attraction, and things that have taken place around the site. It's all very interactive. You can view the site from the comfort of the building, or you can go outside on one of the viewing decks or take the free tour.

I would recommend the tour because the guide will show you and tell you about things you wouldn't ordinarily get to see and hear. Things like the ruins of a building on the edge of the crater where someone brought tourists at one time. Things like the shiny wing of a plane that crashed into the crater. Things like the cave that was built for people to take refuge from lightening storms. You just have to experience it for yourself to get the full effect!

Another thing I've mentioned before is that Arizona is famous for their energy vortexes and alien encounters. You'll find all kinds of shops that sell things like crystals and aura photos. With all this, you'll also find UFO themed restaurants and souvenir shops. My youngest son and I visited one of these places this week. He loved checking out all the alien decorations at the Red Planet Diner (also known as the E.T. Encounter Diner). We enjoyed milkshakes and the vintage sci-fi atmosphere.

I'll let you know if we see anything out of the ordinary while we're here. Who knows? That could be a whole other adventure! ;-)

- Jen