Grand Canyon May 2015

In May, Mike and Sue and Larry and I headed for the North Rim (elevation 8200 ft.) of the Grand Canyon for a two night stay before the guys walked the 25 miles to the South Rim (7200 ft.) while Sue and I drove 220 miles (approximately five hours) from the North Rim to the South Rim.  Sue and I delivered them to the North Kaibab trail head at 5 a.m. for them to begin their adventure and arrived at the South Rim at around 2:30 p.m.  We marvel at the large number of tourists encountered on the South Rim versus the North Rim.

The guys (and there used to be five of them) started hiking the Grand Canyon by hiking rim-rim-rim meaning they hiked from the South Rim to the North Rim in one day and reversed the hike the following day for a total of approximately 50 miles.  Larry has done that hike eight times.  Sometime during those eight years, the guys got smarter and figured out they should spend at least one night on the North Rim before hiking back to the South Rim.  The distance is 10 miles as the crow flies.

Larry and Mike are the two left that "want" to do this type of hike out of the original five and have limited the hike to just the South Rim to North Rim two times.  We spend at least two nights at the North Rim.  This is the first time Larry and Mike have hike from the North Rim to the South Rim.  They've done the hike in as little as nine hours and as much as 13 hours (with extenuating circumstances).

We had a wonderful time meeting different people and enjoying some of the other hiking trails and weather!  We were rained and snowed on.  This is the third time we've been able to get reservations at the North Rim for opening weekend.  The North Rim is closed from October - May due to weather.  It is a very special time to be able to stay.

This picture is of Humphrey's peak outside of Flagstaff.  I took the picture on our way to the Grand Canyon.

This picture was taken on the road to Page at Lake Powell.  It recently reopened after having been closed for a couple of years due to a land slide so we took the slight detour to enjoy the view.  This looks to the Vermillion Cliffs and shows the beginning of the Grand Canyon.

This is a picture from Navajo bridge of the Colorado river.  This is the beginning portion of river rafting trips on the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. 

 

 

 



The picture below is of Humphrey's peak as seen from the North Rim.  It was a cloudy, chilly day and therefore not giving us the colors we are used to seeing when at the Grand Canyon.

 

 

We enjoyed a drive and some hiking to take advantage of the many different vistas.

This picture is of Angel's Window.

 

We met some nice people from Napa so they took our picture and we took theirs - such nice people on the North Rim.





 

Another view point of Angel's Window.

 

I had a tripod for this picture.  What a treat for us - snow in May in Arizona!

 

 

 

 

 



We went for a hike, in the rain, and encountered what we think was a grouse.  I still have to look up what it might be.  We're thinking there was a nest nearby because he/she didn't like us being there.

The Aspen just starting to leaf out were pretty.

The day the guys left for their hike was beautiful, cool and sunny.  Another great trip to the Grand Canyon!

Spring in the Desert

Larry's mom Dorothy arrived for a visit in February and his sister Linda from Wichita and brother Wayne and his daughter Sophi from Portland were all able to come for a long weekend visit while she was here.

Friends Virginia and Dennis traveled from Lake Havasu to visit us allowing for our first ever picture of us, them and Mike and Sue.

 

We were able to make it to Bartlett Lake for some spring flower enjoying and kayaking!

Speaking of spring flowers...the desert is in bloom.  I love this time of year!

Larry throws bird seed on the ground for the Quail and turns out Javelina like bird seed too! so we've seen a lot more of them than usual.

March returned Dorothy to Wichita and I soon joined her.  About a week after Dorothy left, I flew to Wichita and Linda and I drove Dorothy back to her home in Harrison by way of Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney.  We remained in Harrison for a few days and reversed our trip but skipped Lincoln and Omaha.  I'm not sure how many miles we put in but it was a great road trip and allowed us to see nieces and nephews and a whole lot more of Nebraska and Kansas than I care to see in the winter!

Larry and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary on April 17th.  We were living in Battle Mountain, Nevada, and were married in the Methodist church in Chadron by Larry's dad.  Our wedding was a simple gathering of friends and family celebrating the official joining of our lives.  Oh the places we've gone since then!

Our next trip takes us to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in May with friends Mike and Sue - always look forward to that trip! 

On the health front, my April doctor appointment resulted in me starting oral drug therapy again - Temodar.  It is an easy therapy.  I take the drug for five days every 28 days with what seems to be only good side effects.

December 2014 & January 2015 Activities

We've now lived in the Phoenix area for, WOW!, almost four years!  I love it!  One of the things I particularly like about life in Phoenix is the opportunity to gather with our friends - especially the annual event of the Christmas baking exchange. 

We spent Christmas Eve and birthday #59 for me and Jim at Jim and Liz's home - I love our tradition of prime rib for our birthday dinner.

Friends Mike and Sue and Allison and Brian came to our home for dinner on New Year's Eve and we were treated to snow!  Made for some pretty pictures the following morning.  Happy New Year!!!!

Friends Virginia and Dennis from Chadron traveled to their "winter" home in Lake Havasu in
January so we headed their way to welcome them to Arizona and enjoy the balloon festival.

Friend Dan from Rapid City arrived in January for several days of golf.  For the most part, weather cooperated.  I guess we can be assured, it was better than in Rapid.


We did go to the Fleetwood Mac concert in early December - it was great! 

February will bring Larry's mom, Dorothy, for a five week visit.  His sister, Linda, from Wichita and brother Wayne and daughter Sophi from Portland will pop in for a long weekend visit as well. 

On the health front, looks like February will bring radiation therapy for me.  I continue to not be on the oral chemo drug.  However, there are a couple "spots" that have proved to be resistant to the oral chemo drug so we've decided to go the radiation route to see if we can eliminate those problem areas.  I'll most likely start the first part of February and last I understood, I'll receive 15 sessions covering three weeks.  I continue to feel great and feel like I'm doing great - I'm out hiking at least twice a week - what a blessing!

October & November Activities

Following our most excellent trip to Telluride to see fall colors, we acquired an Organ Pipe cactus from my brother Jim's yard.  Luckily Jim and Larry had the assistance of nephew Jimmy in retrieving the cactus from Jim's yard and replanting it in our yard. 

 

Does Larry look happy or what!

 

Over a long weekend, we traveled to Wichita to visit Larry's sister Linda, her husband Jeff, and Larry's mom Dorothy who had been there recovering from knee replacement surgery (and doing very well I may add).  In my focus to pack light for the long weekend trip, I found I had forgotten to bring my camera along so no good quality pictures to record the trip but must include this one we took with Larry's cell phone camera.

Upon our return to Arizona, Larry left for a business trip to Lima, Peru.  He was a keynote speaker at a conference so he celebrated turning another year older there - I missed him.  Friends and family came over when he returned and we celebrated his birthday then.

We gathered with friends in the far east valley for a pre-Thanksgiving potluck the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I do believe other parts of the country were experiencing winter weather while we enjoyed temperatures in the 70s!  I love winter in Arizona!!

 

Sue's mom, Dagny, from Iowa and Larry have their birthdays on the same day (November 13) so I had to get a picture of the both of them.  Dagny turned 90 - she looks great!  Larry is a little younger.  

We celebrated Thanksgiving at friends Mike and Sue's and were grateful we could join their family on that special day!

We've spent every Friday we've been in town this fall going to nephew Jimmy's high school football games and very much enjoyed those experiences culminating in playoffs and then the championship game the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Friends and family gathered to cheer the Sabercats (and Jimmy!) on.  They won!  We're already looking forward to next season when Jimmy will be a senior.  My has time flown - wasn't he just a little guy?

 

 

 

Interesting news on the health front.  The drug that is controlling the cancer, Temodar, can possibly cause leukemia down the line.  Therefore, since the cancer is in "control", my doctor suggested I take a rest from the drug for awhile - she referred to is as, "active monitoring of non-treatment".  So! after three years and two months, November was my first month in taking no medicine to treat the cancer!  I'll still see my doctor again in December for bloodwork and the scheduled three month scan.  The bloodwork and scan will determine whether I can take December off as well.  I'm not sure what to think...there is a certain comfort in taking a medicine that works and that old saying, if it isn't broke, don't fix it comes to mind.  I decided to go with the trust the expert factor. 

 

Oh, went to the Eagles concert with sister-in-law Liz because Larry was in Peru!  We had a great time - great concert.  Larry and I see Fleetwood Mac in December!