Apologies to all of you back home who are getting slammed with winter weather. The Sedona snow is gone, and we are having an absolutely beautiful week here in Arizona!
I’m not sad that we got to see the snow fall here. Having one cold and crappy week has made us infinitely more grateful for the mild temperatures now, and we’ve been getting outside as much as possible to enjoy. On Saturday morning, we took the girls to the Airport mesa for a scenic (albeit muddy) hike. Then later, we split up—Tony took Alayna to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park while Bella and I camped out at home for a girls’ day of sushi, mani/pedis, facials and chick flicks.
Sunday morning, we all went to Mass and brunch in Cottonwood before Tony finally got to put his fishing line in the water. No fish though—probably because of the river otters we saw swimming nearby. It was such a gorgeous day that I would have been content to sit by the creek for hours; the girls, however, were less than thrilled with that idea. So eventually we did go back into town to do some shopping before having a picnic at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Another highlight for Tony and Bella this week was the chance to take an off-road Pink Jeep tour along the Broken Arrow trail. (Layners and I were content to stay safely at home, cooking dinner and baking brownies.)
The rest of this week has been a mix of work and school, some yoga, some errands, some sitting outside with a book or a glass of wine. The javelinas have found our birdseed stash and like to come by around dusk to snarl for their supper. More than once, Tony has had to scare them off with walking sticks so that there’s some food left for the birds! We all clambered up scenic Cathedral Rock (Wednesday) and went to check out the amazing Slide Rock State Park (Thursday, where we ended up having the park to ourselves), as both days were too warm and sunny to sit indoors.
I thought perhaps that after almost a month in Sedona, the mountain views would cease to captivate me every day, but that’s just not the case. There is something about this area—it felt like home the moment we arrived, and every day I grow more reluctant to leave. What a comfort, though, to know that more adventures await down the road. A priority for me for next year will be to coordinate a ladies’ yoga retreat back to this area. Stay tuned! And stay warm, everyone!