ROAD TRIP ACROSS ARIZONA IN 2013 - MURALS - FROM MY ARCHIVES

I have shared these before but as it has been a long time, some of you may not have seen them and those who have, I hope you don't mind me showing them again. The information below this post was added yesterday. 

Going through our old photos the other day, I came across the smiling lady again. I had always wanted to identify who the mural painter was. Try as I might at the time and many, many searches online later, I never found out who it was. On a whim I decided to try again and technology being what it is, I found the painter's name.

Today's photos are from our road trip across country in 2013. We were driving through Arizona and in the distance, I saw what I thought was a smiling face looking up at all those clouds floating by.  It really was a phenomenal day for sky-watching. I thought my eyes were playing tricks but as we got closer, I could see very clearly. 

When a person smiles at me or I see a person smiling at others, I find myself smiling too, and this lovely mural painted on a building out in the desert, had the same effect. I could also see there were what I thought were wolves on the side. No, not wolves. The following is the only explanation I could find, this time.

"The painting depicts a local Navajo resident named Stephanie, whose portrait was blown up larger-than-life and wheat-pasted onto an abandoned roadside building - or home - locally known as "JR's House". Because the artist, Chip Thomas, often incorporates local wildlife, livestock, and community members into his expansive desert murals, it is easy for travelers to blend different installations together in memory."

This fabulous art is called "Stephanie on JR's House."

As we drove through that area we came across other buildings with different scenes on each wall.  

Added note: I also put this photo into the Google ‘camera’ in its search engine. More wonderful murals can be seen here.  As described, “The mural is entitled “Bluebird Diner” or “Blue Bird Diner Revelation,” and was created by artist Gaia in 2012 as part of the Painted Desert Project. It is located in the Painted Desert on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The artwork depicts a stylized bird on the left and a hand with a beam of light on the right.”

These artists brought us great joy as we traveled on this very long road, and we were mesmerized. 

The old buildings had been turned into incredible works of art, but my favorite will always be the smiling face looking up at that beautiful sky.

Chip Thomas is the artist of the smiling lady. He is a family physician, born in 1957 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He arrived at the Navajo Nation in 1987 to fulfil a medical scholarship obligation and stayed for over three decades, transforming his clinical practice and documentary photography into an impactful public art movement. You can read more about him here and here.

This particular art piece is located on an abandoned building within the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The piece is part of The Painted Desert Project, a public art initiative that connects street artists with communities on the Western Agency of the Navajo Nation. (I don't know how long any of these websites will remain current. Years down the road they sometimes 'go away', but at the time of writing, you can see other artists on the project at this link.) The project was brought about for the aim of healing and community connection. The first link in this paragraph has the whole story and it is worth a read. Several links have been provided throughout my post.)

Finding out all this information while climbing down into one of my curiosity rabbit holes I fell into after all these years, was a delightful, mind-opening experience.

Thanks for visiting my post about Stephanie, 

Chip, the beautiful desert and State of Arizona. 

I hope your day is a great one.

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS FROM MONDAY, 11/11/24 to SUNDAY, 11/17/24

I made peace with the squirrels a long time ago, and now they are as welcome to me as the birds. I guess they were what I was thinking of when I put the above together in AI. It started me off on a journey, figuratively speaking. I am sharing other Autumn Angels in this post, as well as a few photos, some from my archives.

Monday - 11-11-24: (I am writing this on Tuesday the 12th.) I was way early for my appointment with the orthopedic doctor. We turned up 45 minutes ahead of the appointment, not sure why. It took us both by surprise. We always like to arrive early, but this was special. Traffic was very light and we got there without any delays. 

Good news is that I don't have to have any surgery for the time being. He injected my knee with I forget what, some kind of cortizone shot. Gregg has it all written down. The doctor said I will probably have to have surgery eventually, but this should do the trick for now. Huge sigh of relief from me. He looked at my x-rays and pointed things out, but I was in my zone and didn't take it all on board. Thankfully Gregg was there. He has a great memory and is a wiz at taking detailed notes, which he put together when we arrived home. The visit didn't last that long, okay with me. The doctor was very nice, a no-nonsense sort of chap, which was fine. I liked and appreciated him. He asked me various questions, where was the pain being the first and then manipulated my knee which frankly sent me through the roof, but he had to do what he had to do. I have to go back in three months when this shot wears off, to see how things are going and to reevaluate the surgery issue. He recommended me going to a physiotherapist and I was given a list at the desk of several places I could choose. One of the advantages of living in a highly populated area. I'll look through them and see which one is the closest. The rest of the day, if I don't write anything down, who knows, everything runs into a blur. I need my Grumpy Bear Mug today.

Tuesday - 11/12/24 - 8.16 p.m: it's late. I have been bad at getting this started so thought I ought to jot down a few things before going to bed. The good news is, even though the doctor said it might take three to five days for the shot to work, my knee feels a bit better. I am still walking slow and limping but I don't feel I need the cane. The dear man is skeptical and doesn’t want me to get ahead of myself. Who me? Yes you he said. I had told him if I felt like this maybe we could try a short walk around Green Springs next week. Again, he gave me a look as if to say, “We’ll see!” I am so looking forward to getting out to start walking, it's been a long time! 

Outside: I saw a naughty squirrel actually sitting on the top of Sophie Squirrel's head this afternoon. It stayed there for at least a minute looking at the top of the bench, as if weighing up how to jump to achieve the top level. He looked a young one. Maybe looking at his parents or older siblings doing the same thing and learning? He hopped onto the lower part of the table instead. 

Gregg was down the stairs first today and when he looked outside, the water fountain was laying on its side and the Kissing Bunnies were too. One of the flat feeders had fallen off the top and seed was scattered everywhere. He took a photo to show me as he immediately went outside and tidied up. (And you may know this if you read my Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder post.) The strange thing is neither of us heard anything. We must have been sleeping soundly.

One thing I have noticed is that they really do not like treading on the leaves and run between them or jump over them. They are very comical doing this. The leaves were swept up yesterday and the deck was clean but just as bad again, or I should say beautiful!  I truly love this time of the year. I certainly don't mind seeing them covering the deck, but the squirrels would be complaining if they could.

Later in the early evening I looked out and saw our blue-eyed kitty standing on the bottom ledge of the table, as still as a statue, looking towards the road. Kitty seems to be a regular visitor at the moment. As soon as I was spotted, kitty took off towards the steps and then suddenly stopped in his tracks, looked at me intently again and when I said "What are you doing here?" he put his paw out and said, "Please Sir, may I have more, how about those sardines no one is eating in your pantry?" (I am calling him Oliver.) What he actually did was run down the steps. Nope, not feeding you my little friend, I'm wise to your pleading eyes. Oh okay, come back! You can have the sardines in the pantry! Nope, nope, I cannot, no sardines for you, you need to go home. Not feeding you so you can use those pleading eyes all you want. I don't think your humans would appreciate me making you too welcome. And the sardines can go back in the pantry for another month or so, because if you get even as much as a whiff of those, you will never leave. And on that note...

Father and son are having a late lunch and some father-son time. I don't think sardines are on their menu.

I did a few exercises as I had several on sheets of paper given to me the other day at the other doctor's office. 

(Photo taken at Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum in Kanab, Utah in Summer 2013. The Lone Ranger and Gunsmoke shot scenes from here and many more.)

I actually watched some old westerns after talking about not turning on the TV during the day. It was the remote’s fault. Every time Gregg turns that remote off, it turns right back on and he has to turn it off again. Anyhow, I accidentally sat on it and it turned on the TV. Excellent excuse but true. I ran through a few channels and came across one where it shows nothing but old western shows. They go back years and years. I watched an episode of Tales of Wells Fargo and an Audie Murphy movie, all in black and white. Dad was a big fan. On one of our visits to Arlington National Cemetery years ago, I found Audie’s final resting place, took a picture and sent it to Dad. The only western Mum enjoyed was Cheyenne. Everything stopped for Clint Walker.

Wednesday - 11/13/24 - 8:04 p.m: not a lot going on today. We drove to McDonald’s for a cheeseburger and fries. No breakfast but this evening we had soup for dinner. Gregg opened a can of cream of mushroom soup, added another can of cream-style corn and mixed it in, along with Thai basil leaves left over and all gone now. He also made toasted cheese with mozzarella.  Simple, very tasty and fast and I complimented him on a no-fuss tasty meal. 

Tomorrow I am hoping to go with him to the store weather permitting as it is supposed to rain after 2:00 p.m. (I found a recipe we would both like.) Fingers crossed as I am eager to get out. This is a soup recipe loaded with vegetables. My knee is not giving me too much trouble and the shot seems to be working. When I move around it gets sore but I didn’t need the cane today. 

Thursday - 11/14/24 - 11:31 p.m: an even later start to the daily happenings.  I never did get out like I hoped. I was disappointed but still not quite up to it yet. I will continue to do the exercises I was given. The dear man was able to go before the rain started.  I have been thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, made a list and he picked up a few non-perishables. There was a recipe I came across on Threads for a corn casserole/pudding, whatever it was called. A practice run as it will be part of our Thanksgiving meal. I have made cornbread many times but not this, and we made it for dinner. It was great and big thumb’s up from both of us. Glad we made it before the day, as it took a lot longer than was said on the food video. (I mentioned all this on yesterday’s Monday morning post.)

I fixed myself a smoothie for breakfast and Gregg brought a bagel home for my lunch. Dinner was fast, as he also bought and fixed Bob Evans mashed potatoes, Brussels Sprouts from the freezer again, and a ready-cooked rosemary rotisserie chicken from the store, plus a small portion of this cornbread casserole which was excellent. There are leftovers for another day.

It rained continuously today. 

That’s all I have got.  It is turning into a food-fest. 

Friday - 11/15/24 - 10:36 p.m: My dear other half left this morning and spent most of the day out with our son. Son had some business in Maryland and it is always a fun journey there and back. They started off by having breakfast at a Silver Diner. I am not sure if the link shows the right location but it was somewhere in Maryland. It will give you an idea what the place looks like at least if you are not familiar with them. I was invited but am still not ready to spend all that time in a car. I can occupy myself well, no problem. When son was busy, his dad had fun looking around for a few hours. 

On the way back they were in stop-and-go rush-hour traffic all the way home. When my dear walked through the door, the first thing he said was I have a story to tell you but first I want to let you know everything is fine, we're both fine. So heck, my blood pressure went up there immediately and not to my 'we’re fine' place. He showed me - take a look at this - the inside of his lip. I shined a light and saw it was purple and puffy and yes, my eyes went wide. 

During this stop-and-go traffic, they had pulled up behind the car in front, quite safely, and then someone drove into the back of them. Gregg who was in the passenger seat, was trying to find a bit of information he had saved earlier on his cell phone, to tell our son about. He was peering quite close to see the screen, had the phone up to his face when they were rear ended. Fortunately, they were all going at a practical snail’s pace when it happened, but it still jerked the phone into his teeth. It was a lady who rear ended them and our son got out of the car to see if she was okay, and to look at any damage to the cars. She was very upset and apologetic. They exchanged insurance information and were soon on their way. They have one very sturdy rear bumper. There was hardly any damage done, only a few scratches, which will be taken care of once the insurance sorts itself out. The lady’s car had minimal damage and she was fine, just a little shaken up, with a story to tell that night, and like many of us who have had these hands on reminders, a lesson learned. All were thankful the traffic was going as slow as it was. A fat lip perhaps and I asked my dear if he had any loose teeth. No, he said, and we are all counting our blessings. (His mouth was feeling much better the next day when I asked him.)

(Photo also taken at Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum in Kanab in Utah in Summer 2013.)

So where was I when all this was going on?  Somewhere in the Old West. After sitting on the remote control yesterday and finding the western channel, I actually searched for the same channel today (I have broken my record for not watching TV during the day, two days in a row at least). I watched Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, Cheyenne and The Virginian, which is appropriate as today would have been my Dad’s 108th birthday. He and I used to watch these same westerns together when I was very young, both cheering the heroes on. Happy Birthday Dad! 

Saturday-11/16/24 - 5:12 p.m: it’s getting dark. All’s quiet out there. Gregg is watching a football game, and I am on my laptop. We went out for a ride earlier, stopped at ‘Chic fil A’ for a grilled chicken sandwich with waffle fries for me. I take my own water as I don’t like sodas. Gregg got his fried chicken sandwich with a side of macaroni and cheese, and a coke. We drove through a carwash nearby and our car is once again clean.  Even our mundane happenings go into this.

Sunday - 11/17/24 - Our son just left to pick up our daughter-in-law from work. Their work hours vary considerably. When he dropped her off, he arrived at 8.30-ish with my coffee in hand, and we visited for about three hours. We are looking forward to seeing them both on Thanksgiving.

2:30 p.m: Dear Other Half is at the supermarket.  When I said we should get the ingredients for making the soup and before I could say 'tomorrow', he was out the door in a flash. It is a beautifully sunny day today and I just checked, 60 degrees F. In one of our discussions earlier while son was still here, I was looking at the two of them talking about something or other, and once again their similarities hit me. Oh my gosh, I said, you two are so alike and they laughed. I remember my dear mother-in-law when she and I would listen to her eldest son and husband for a while, ending up with her saying let's get out of here Denise, they're like two big bags of wind. I think of this and chuckle every time I see my husband and son having a good old natter, and I hope my dear mother-in-law is smiling too. She was also a big western fan, and I watched the old shows with her on a Saturday morning. We used to visit frequently even though we lived up here in more or less the same area we live now, give or take a few miles.

Back down to earth, a new variety of birdseed was put out. The crows are enjoying the peanuts. They are quite orderly and nothing is amiss, though I did see one dive-bombing a squirrel the other day, trying to get him to go so that he could take his turn. It happened at least three times, a very interesting sight and have never seen it before. Squirrel in top bird feeder, two crows standing on the side patiently waiting, flash of wings flapping over squirrel’s head on two or three passes from the third crow. Squirrel did not budge until he was good and ready. He finished eating and nonchalantly left. He is also the one who chases other squirrels away when they try to feed. I have begun to recognize personalities, and I really do need to get out of this house, says I rolling my eyes up to the ceiling along with a smile.

I have finished my latest jigsaw puzzle on my iPad.

And with that, so ends another Around and About post.  

SOMETIMES I GROW WEARY...

Sometimes I grow weary of the days, with all their fits and starts.  I want to climb some old gray mountain, slowly, taking the rest of my life to do it, resting often, sleeping, under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.  I want to see how many stars are still in the sky that we have smothered for years now, a century at least. I want to look back at everything, forgiving it all, and peaceful, knowing the last thing there is to know.  All that urgency!  Not what the earth is about!  How silent the trees, their poetry being of  themselves only.  I want to take slow steps and think appropriate thoughts.  In ten thousand years, maybe, a piece of the mountain will fall."

~Mary Oliver~

Swan: Poems and Prose Poems

(My photo was taken at Lake McDonald,

Glacier National Park in Montana, USA, several years’ ago.)

REVISITING A DAY ON A ROAD TRIP IN AUGUST 2013

Today I chose an old blog post to share when we were on a road trip.  This was from Sunday, August 18th, 2013.   In the evenings just before going to sleep after a day's travel, I wrote my diary entry.  It's a bit long but it is a day I remember well and enjoyed revisiting.  I hope you will too.

"At 8:30 AM we left the hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  When Gregg came out of the hotel to put the bags in the car, this is what greeted him.  

On the road at 8.56 a.m we have traveled 2,383 miles so far.

We stopped at a Whole Foods to purchase a ready-made sandwich to share and for a change instead of water, we bought a cream soda for me and a cherry soda for Gregg.  Also, sour cream and onion potato chips.  I also picked up Pineapple and Strawberry Greek yogurt and a small container of fruit.  Whatever we have left over we put back in the ice-chest and it makes a nice snack later on in the day.   We have enjoyed our picnics along the way.  

The ice chest gets packed each morning and Gregg fills it up with ice from the hotel. We travel with lots of bottled water.  There were also some neat greeting cards at Whole Foods, one of which was a Road Runner.  When the lady cashier saw the card, she told me all about this comical bird.  She said they like to hang out at the mall!

At 9 AM we saw a car broken down and a police officer had stopped to help. The car had a humongous teddy bear tied to the top of the trunk.  I wish I had that photo!  

It's beautiful country out here. We are loving it!

In parts it gets very gusty and there are windsocks to show you how windy it can get, and to make people aware that they need to grab their wheels a little tighter.  We didn't have any problems.

When we get near a community the billboards start showing up miles before.  They make for interesting reading on a long journey.

When we started out it was 323 miles to Flagstaff, Arizona.  At 9.18 a.m. we have 295 miles to go.

10.19 a.m. Since we have been driving in the desert areas, I have noticed big boxes on the roofs of houses.  Gregg said they are called swamp coolers, a humidifier that puts moisture into the house.  The air is so dry out here.  My lips are feeling it and the Chapstick is always out.  I remember that from our last visit.

Saw a train at 10.20 a.m. with hundreds of cars carrying coal.  Three engines on the front and three engines on the back, the biggest one we have seen so far. 

 10.28 a.m.  just passed the continental divide at an elevation of 7275 feet.

10.45 a.m. It seems like we are in the middle of nowhere and we stop for gas.  We are actually only 17 miles east of Gallop, New Mexico. 

We met a raven looking for a handout.  At first I thought it was a crow, but you can click on this link where it describes the differences.

11.24 a.m. we went through Gallop.  Don't know much about it, must read up.

11.40 a.m. at 2540 miles into our journey we crossed into Arizona.

11.51 a.m.  passed sign elevation 6,000 feet.

Last time we drove across country was 31 years ago.

12.20 p.m.  Stopped at The Petrified National Forest and The Painted Desert.  The Visitor Center is always the first port of call.

We met a lovely Quarter Horse called Trooper, 11 yrs. old.... 

and a very nice lady Park Ranger. Trooper was very gentle with this little girl from Germany.  

Gregg and I found a bench inside a quiet courtyard behind the center, where we started eating what we had put away for lunch, and who should start coming towards us but the Park Ranger and Trooper.  We had a lovely conversation with this lady.  We told her how much we admired Trooper being so gentle, and she said his previous owners didn't train him very well.  When she got him he was skittish and all over the place.  Now he is calm, gentle and most definitely a beautiful horse.  Later I asked her if I could stroke his neck.   When I spoke to him you could just tell he was paying full attention.  I sure wish I could remember the name of this very nice lady, but she is a credit to the park service, and so is Trooper for that matter.

Horses have the most soulful eyes don't you think?

Next stop overlooking the Painted Desert.  It is gorgeous!  We watched a girl run up the hill.

These people were waiting for her.  When she joined them they got in their car and drove away.

I was just amazed at the vastness of it all.

I shared the above photo before on this blog.

We stopped off at Rt. 66 and met a British couple from Newcastle (UK) called Michael and Patricia.  They were finishing a three-week driving tour of the United States and were going home on Tuesday.  They offered to take our photo, and we took one for them.  A young lady also came up to us (she was traveling with her family) and offered to take a photo of the four of us, thinking that we were traveling together because of our British accents.  

Here's the photo the English couple took of us....

and this is the one the young lady took with the English couple, when she thought we were traveling together.  We didn't like to disappoint her and say no, she was so kind to ask, and it is a nice memento.

Below is a photo of the young lady with her family, which I took while Gregg was taking a shot of them.  They told us they were traveling across country and were moving to Southern California to meet up with their Dad.  There was a friend traveling with them also.

That old car grill was actually attached to a concrete bench on the other side.  In the next photo there were kids who had just had their photo taken by their mother, with them sitting behind the wheel of the old rusted out car.  This was a busy stop.

The telephone poles in the background mark out where the old Rt. 66 used to be.

After everyone had gone, we were still enjoying the peacefulness of it all, and enjoying all that beautiful desert as far as the eye could see.  I spotted flowers and out came the camera again.

First is the Grey globemallow, also known as the Soft globemallow.  (Added note: Thanks plant app!  I didn't have this app up until a year ago, so I was able to add this information when transferring from my old blog.)  To continue, its botanical name is Sphaeralcea incana.  The leaves of this North American desert plant are a felted gray-green and the brilliant orange cup-shaped flowers contrast beautifully.  They appear in the Fall and its blooms attract butterflies and are valuable to native bees. I was surprised to learn that a hair rinse can be created from an infusion of this plant, to give the hair more body.  How about that then?  Always fascinated by these bits of trivia.

The yellow flowers are called Bitter sneezeweed.  It has other names, Sneezeweed, Bitterweed,Yellow sneezeweed, Fiveleaf sneezeweed, Yellow Bitterweed, Slender-leaved Sneezeweed, Fine-leaved sneezeweed and Yellow Dog fennel.  Botanical name Helenium amarum.  Bitter sneezeweed (Helenium amarum) is an annual bush that will grow from 10 to 20 inches tall. It has a strong odor and bitter taste. A member of the daisy family, it blooms in late spring or summer with yellow flowers that have brown centers. Blossoms appear at the top of the stem and attract bees and butterflies. Bitter sneezeweed is commonly found growing in fields and prairies.  My plant app said "your plant is very dry and needs watering"!

The last of the trio is California brittlebush, also known as California bush sunflower, Bush sunflower, California coast sunflower, and California encilia.  Botanical name Encelia californica.  It is a multi-stemmed, fast-growing shrub that grows best in full sunlight and sandy, well-drained soils.  The rich nectar from this species attracts bees and butterflies.  Since it is drought tolerant and easy to grow, it is often planted in gardens.  (I got good advice, again from the plant app, on how to take better care of all 'my' plants, that they all looked way too dry!)

The roads are very wavy, up and down and bumpy.  It is like riding a helter-skelter in parts.   Lots of fun!

and here are more ravens.

We saw them all over the place.  Definitely straggly-looking, and yet striking.  I could have sworn they were trailing us to the next destination.  They seemed to be following our car when I looked back, but as we gained speed they disappeared.

What do you think of those ravens Gregg?  

I can't leave without sharing some of those petrified logs.

If you want to find out more about the Petrified Forest you can go here.

We left this area at 3.00 p.m.

  

4.39 p.m. we reached the hotel for a night in Williams, Arizona."

That's it!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!