Arizona - Day 2 - Grand Canyon

Our family traveled to Arizona for part of our spring break...we spent day 1 in Sedona, and on day 2 we woke up early and headed north to see the Grand Canyon. 

The last time I was there, I was 10 years old...

I took a lot of photos...but who wouldn't?  Thankfully the quality of my camera is better than the one used to take that photo of me when I was 10. We arrived at the entrance gate a little after 9 am and got into the park fairly quickly.  It was chilly, but sunny, and we decided to walk the rim trail to the village. 

There are so many places to stop and take in the majesty of the canyon. It really is unbelievable...and we only saw a small portion of it!

We intended to take the shuttle to see more of the canyon, but there were COVID limitations that prevented us from doing so. Instead we decided to head out and find something else to do. When we left the park (around 12:30), the cars were backed up for MILES trying to get in. I'm so glad we got there early!

Linking up with

 Wednesday Around the World,  My Corner of the World and Image-in-ing 

Arizona - Day 1 - Sedona

For spring break we decided to visit Arizona. It's an easy and cheap flight from Oregon, and we wanted to go somewhere warm and new. I traveled to Arizona when I was 10, but I don't remember much of that trip. 

We flew into Phoenix and drove up to Sedona for the first 3 nights. Unfortunately, there was a cold front that came through and our one and only full day in Sedona was cold, cloudy and rainy. In the end, I think the unfavorable weather played to our advantage. We were able to find easy parking for a quick scramble up Cathedral Rock....when we came down there were at least 10 cars waiting for a parking spot!

the famed Chapel of the Holy Cross as seen from my zoom lens while hiking up Cathedral Rock

the chapel again, this time standing right below it...

We also visited the arts shopping area called Tlaquepaque...designed after a city in Mexico. The sycamore trees and ivy growing on the buildings were amazing. 

I'm linking up with  Good, Random, Fun and Seasons

At My House

 

What a week! We had 3 opportunities to play live music and each one was special and unique. I knew I missed the experience of playing for others, but I didn't realize how much until we started our first tune at our first gig...all the emotions came rushing in and I got quite teary. I am hopeful this summer will bring more opportunities for us to play our music for others. 

It's spring! Our weather has cooled down a bit in the past couple days, but leaves are growing, flowers are blooming and buds are opening. 

I'm linking up with Garden Affair, Good, Random, Fun and Seasons

Happy St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day has gotten busier and busier for us as a Celtic band. Last year we had two gigs on the weekend before the 17th, and then another two scheduled for the big day. BUT....on the 16th everything closed because of COVID. 

And now it's been a whole year without live music. (there was the one gig we did in September, but other than that we've been out of commission). 

Tonight we are playing LIVE at a pretty big venue and we are excited. Hopefully it's just the first of many liver performances this year. 

our family band...Brigid's Crossing

Linking up with

 Wednesday Around the World,  My Corner of the World and Image-in-ing 

Some Favorite Things

 In this transition between winter and spring, here are a few of my favorite things...

morning sunshine

fresh flowers in the house

seeing pops of color as the early bloomers emerge

watching the trees and bushes come back to life

blue skies

bright colors - yellow, green, pink, purple

buds, birds and blooms

and this year I love seeing a return to school...

my kids are homeschooled, but I love knowing that the kids in our 

community are getting to return to the classroom 

I'm linking up with Garden Affair, Good, Random, Fun and Seasons