What does a workamper do all day anyway?

Soooooo, just so ya know, today is July 31st, and we have left the Refuge.  (Insert frowny face here, and yes, it was a bit more emotional than we/I had anticipated.)  But, since I hadn't really been keeping you up to date while we were ON the Refuge, I thought I would share a bit of what we were doing during the time of self-isolation and quarantine.  (Jennifer, please be patient, you've already seen most of these photos, but none of our friends have...)   Btw, let's all welcome our Volunteer Coordinator to the blog - hellloooo, Jennifer!  And Candice, too...our neighbor from Crystal River, FL, whom we miss dearly - howdy, Girlfriend, 'sup??!!  Ok, let's get back to work now...  So, the Refuge Visitor Center has been closed since mid or end of March (can't remember, and it really doesn't matter, it's been quite a while now), and the staff has mostly been working from home.  I say mostly, 'cuz if you're a fireman or maintenance specialist, it's darned near impossible to telecommute, and so they have been coming onsite to do their work.  However....their work does not include making things presentable and pretty, sooooo, that falls to the volunteers! The Russian Sage bush is way overgrown and the butterfly garden is full of weeds, so off to work we go! 

And here is the railing - all poopy and chipped, and just generally not pretty.  Since I have to use it to get up the steps, I wanted to spiff it up some.

And so, we waited till a Friday night, prepped it with our fancy recycled box spatter shields, and our spray painter extraordinaire got busy.

When all was said and done, it was shiny and looked brand new!

The next morning we trucked on over to Marble Falls, about 23 miles away (only 11, if you go by crow), and picked me up a hand pruner to make it easier for me to work in the flower bed.  That's the closest Lowes Home Improvement store, and the ACE Hardware that is in Lago Vista doesn't have a pruner worth a dime.  We know, 'cuz we bought the one they had, and pardon my French, but it sucked.  It got returned the day after it was purchased.  While we were at Lowes, we found a rack of scrawny, half-dead, dried up tomato plants.  For a dime each.  Ever searching for the perfect homegrown tomato (yes, STILL), Driver just couldn't resist.  We came home with two!  And a couple bags of compost and dirt.  There was a discarded pallet on the burn pile, so we salvaged that and turned it into a planter box.

And planted our 20 cent tomato plants.

Later that night, we still had some energy left, so we signed up for a Zoom square dance.  This would be our second one, so, thankfully, we were better than before.  We still had a time or two where we stepped out of camera range, and while muted, we had a discussion about where our phantom corners should have been.  Darn those phantoms, they could sure use a few lessons!  LOL, probably us, too, ya think?

Remember that Quilt of Valor I did a dedication block for?  If you don't just click on that there link, and you'll go right to the post that contains the original block.  I'll wait.  Well, apparently, it, and its quilt, turned out so well, the maker was tasked with recreating the whole thing for another Veteran.  In a month's time. So she sent me some more fabric, and as soon as it was received, I whipped out this little puppy.  I thought maybe we should change up the motif at the top, to more accurately reflect the land-based Army, rather than the ocean waves of the Navy, but she said the stars and scrolls were find, so who am I to argue.  Besides, I still had all the threads selected and readily available, so, BAM, plug in the new dude's name, and Save and stitch away.

The next day, or maybe another day, I don't really remember, but it was a working day, so it was Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, we decided we were going to work on an area of the Refuge that was open to the public, but was about 15 miles from our campsite area.  To get there, we traveled down Cow Creek Road, and we got to see this beauty.  

and a baby....

So, you see here, there is a sign posted, suggesting that the area behind the sign was closed to the public.  No trails were here at Shin Oak Observation Deck.  This area is basically just a gazebo to shelter the crowds from the hot sun or sporadic rain showers that might pop up.  The area is dedicated to the Black Capped Vireo, a small and endangered songbird that nests exclusively in this area of central Texas. People come from all over the world to catch a glimpse of this shy little bird.  We never did see or hear one. 

But, we did fix it so that people would know to stay out of their territory.

While we were there, we got to see one of the Prickly Pear flowers up close and personal.  (Actually, Driver got REALLY up close and personal with one of the prickly parts, and it's a good thing I have tweezers.....)

This is how we found the boardwalk to the Observation Deck...

And this is how we left it...

This is how the parking lot looked when we arrived (you see all that trash around the edge??)...

And this is how it looked after we did our thing...

Back up at Warbler Vista, another area that is open to the public, we found another hidden sign....that we uncovered...

And, again, back at the Visitor Center, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the hedge trimmer to take care of these bushes around the foundation...

It was hard, strenuous work...

but so very rewarding in the end...

And, speaking of rewards...remember back when I was making all those masks, and I got a kit of 50 from our MagneShade friends?  I had agreed to sew them all up and return some or all back to them in North Carolina.  Well, the kit came, and I put out a Facebook notice to all our friends that I would have masks available in a week or so, and just let me know how many they needed of blue or pink.  John and Lora asked for 2 (I'm pretty sure I made them 2 each, but it's been so long, I just can't say for sure) to be sent to them at Happy Trails, in Arizona.  They offered to pay me for them, but, since this whole project was a charity thing, I didn't feel right accepting money for the masks or shipping.  I suggested they just buy lunch for a cop or a bag of dog/cat food for their local animal shelter.  Well, in typical Lora fashion, she told me that there would be a surprise waiting for me at the Marble Falls Post Office when we arrived here.  It.Never.Came.  First we went there (remember, it's not even close!), TWICE, and there was never anything there....and finally, we started calling.  And calling..and calling.  And there was never anything there for us.  Eventually, Lora ordered another surprise for us, and lo and behold, this one ARRIVED. And, boy, what a surprise it was!  While we were in Sedona, AZ, we had the pleasure of tasting freshly-squeezed Prickly Pear lemonade, remember?  I rather liked it, Driver was on the fence about it. (but if you pressed him, he would admit to liking it better than the mineral water lemonade of Mineral Springs, CO) Well, now I can make my OWN Prickly Pear lemonade!  Or, pour the syrup over pancakes.  Or make my PBJs with the jelly she so generously sent.  Oh my, what a prize this surprise was!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lora and John!!

So now you've seen a little of what we did the first couple of weeks we were on the Refuge.  There's much more to be done, so stay tuned!

Stay well and safe out there!

Why are the rocks red? Sedona, AZ

Didja miss us??  We missed y'all, dear friends, but we have been busy going places and seeing things, so let's just buckle down and get busy sharing our journeys, shall we??  Who's this little guy?  Well, he's just the World's Largest Kokopelli, that's all.  Well, that's according to his foundation lettering anyway.  He's certainly the largest one *we* have ever seen!  But, what's a Kokopelli???  Well, Tripsavvy defines one as such:

According to a Hopi myth, Kokopelli's sack contained babies to be left with young women. At San Idelfonso, a Pueblo village, Kokopelli is thought to be a wandering minstrel with a sack of songs on his back who trades old songs for new. According to Navajo legend, Kokopelli is a God of harvest and plenty.

I guess those flying geese (see there, that's quilting terminology - and you haven't seen any fabric in MONTHS, so you must have thought I've forgotten everything about sewing!  And, so, maybe I have, that would certainly free up some dollars for fuel, wouldn't it?) are to represent his songs.  I dunno.  But, he could sure use a new coat of paint!  But then, as Greg Jones told us, don't suggest a plan unless you plan to stick around to implement it.

He's located close to the Interstate on-ramp, so naturally, we had to stop by and take his photo.  But then, we hit the road and went north, back up to Sedona.  I had been there ages ago, back when, well, just way back when, ok?  But all I remembered were driving by big red rocks.  There was no getting out, and there is certainly no photographic evidence of my ever being there.  And Driver had never been there before, so it sounded like a good idea. We stopped in at the Visitors' Center - as usual - to get our bearings, some suggestions and maybe even a map.  Maps are always handy to have, ya know?  We found ourselves getting quite the education and instead of some suggestions, we got about 3 days' worth of hikes, road trips and tours!  We quickly realized we would have to narrow our itinerary if we were going to see half of what was pointed out to us.

See that little bump that Dick is gazing at?  Directly left of center on this photo...

Here it is up close!  It's monstrous!  This is Bell Rock. Looks a little bit like the Liberty Bell.  

And straight across the canyon, is Courthouse Butte.

Dick wanted to take a little hike up to Bell Rock, and I agreed to go a ways, but only a LITTLE ways.  John Newby, you'd better get your hiking boots on, Dick wants to walk!  I think I had better get on the phone and set up an appointment with a neck & spine doc if I want to accompany him on these treks.  Just the night before, we had a rain storm - part of Monsoon 2019.  Yeah, that's what they call it.  I think Sedona got about 2 or 3 inches of rain, but it was enough to green everything up and leave water in the wash(es).

Next up was the Chapel of the Holy Cross, in memory of Marguerite Brunswig Staude.  She was a sculptor, philanthropist and devout Catholic, who, in 1932, was watching the construction of the Empire State Building.  She says, when viewed from a certain angle, a cross seemed to impose itself through the core of the structure, inspiring her to visualize the church.  Originally, she collaborated with Lloyd Wright, son of the very famous Frank variety, and they designed a cathedral, to be 500 ft high, and to be built in Budapest, on the banks of the Danube, in 1937.  Then the war intervened and put an end to that dream.

The idea for the skyscraper church lay dormant for a few years, while the war raged, but, the urge to create a shrine in America remained strong.   After viewing a few European cathedrals, her plans changed a bit, but Lloyd Wright did not agree, and he refused to work with her further.  Undaunted, she found another architectural firm and scouted several locations in the Oak Creek Canyon, where she had a ranch, eventually settling on these twin spires, "solid as the Rock of Peter."  However, being government property, it practically took an act of Congress to receive a deed and building permit. Her good friend, Senator Barry Goldwater intervened on her behalf, and eventually, the church could proceed.  Plans were started in 1953 and completed in 1954, ground broken in April, 1955, and the structure was completed in April, 1956.  The Chapel was built as a memorial to the sculptor's parents, Lucien and Marguerite Brunswig.

The rock formation behind the Chapel appears to wrap around and cradle the Chapel, creating a Vortex of peace and tranquility.

Do you see that central spire?  It appears to be Madonna holding the baby Jesus, the other figures resemble praying nun, or perhaps, the Three Wise Men, and these formations influenced her choise of this site.

Inside, the church was Spartan, only 7 pews lined each side wall, with 2 long vertical banners hanging on each side wall. Surprisingly, there was a gift shop, however, it was closed until noon, for some unexpected and unexplained reason.  That's OK, we probably wouldn't have purchased anything anyway, and being in the basement, with a steep flight of steps, we probably wouldn't have gone down there, as that would mean we would have to come UP those steep steps.

 Can you see the eagle's head in the rock formation on this wall?  (It's dead center of the photo)

And, just in case you had any thoughts of climbing these 250 foot crags, we were instructed, in several languages (!), to stay off the rocks!  Though, they were nice about it, as they did say Please.

On the way up, we had seen several homemade signs indicating places to park for fresh pressed prickly pear lemonade, so, who could resist that?  Ha, actually, we were curious, never having tasted it before.

Not sure if Lincoln is Daddy or brother, but here is Jane, explaining to Dick how she makes the lemonade by scraping all the spines off the pears, then pureeing and straining the resulting juice.  I must say, it was tasty.  Different, for sure, but tasty.

Heading on up the road, we eventually got to the actual TOWN of Sedona.  I have absolutely NO recollection of any of it, and that's probably a good thing.  If I *had* remembered it, and the traffic had been so bad as it was this visit, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have come!  Oh my word.  We crept through town at a snail's pace, single file.  Through the lights, round-a-bouts and construction zones.  And parking!  HA!  There were lots of metered spaces, all full.  There were lots of free lots, all full.  We just kept on going, straight out of town.  That's ok, we didn't need any wine, beer, souvenirs or pottery.  

There was one area, Tlaquepaque, though, where we did manage to find a parking spot under the sycamores.  And what do ya know, just past the flute-playing dude, there was a Sweet Shop!  Ummmmmmmm, yeah, maybe yumm, but at $10 a pop for a turtle, we passed.  Yikes, $10 bucks a pop!  Are there really people that would pay that??

Anyway, the shopping area was quaint, all done in the Pueblo style, with courtyards and fountains all around, as well as lots of Mexican tiles.  But, again, we didn't need any huge bronze statues (tho, they WERE pretty), we need no rugs, no huge pottery planters, no wine, no overpriced jewelry, and we weren't hungry,  so we didn't hang around long!  Are we getting old or just boring??  

Moving on.....we drove on to Indian Garden.  You'd think there would be plants somewhere, right?  Nope.  Indian Garden is a store.  Actually, a little deli and market, and it backs right up to this rock group, where Indians used to grow their crops.

Across the street was Oak Creek, and it was crystal clear.  Probably really cold, too, as we were not far from the headwaters!

At this point, the only other thing northward we wanted to see had been Slide Rock.  Sounds inviting, especially on hot day, right?  Well, it's quite a bit up the road, and we weren't really suited (ha, I'm so punny) up for it, as we hadn't known about it until the Ranger told us....and we weren't prepared to pay the admission fee just go SEE it.  If we weren't gonna pay the $10 fee for a turtle, we surely weren't gonna spring that much (EACH!) for a chance to watch other people sliding down a rock in freezing cold spring water.  Sooo, we turned right around and went BACK through town, and ta-da!  Don't know where all that traffic went, but it was gone!  Yippee!   We accidentally drove right past the turnoff to the airport, where there was supposed to be a magnificent view of the valley, but, oh well.  It was getting kinda late, and one can only see but so many rocks, and pretty as they were.  

And, everywhere we went, we saw signs advising us not to "bust the crust" (sic) because it "was alive" and one simple footprint could take anywhere from 75 to 250  years to recover, depending on rainfall. Nope, didn't get photos any of those signs, but they were EVERYwhere.  And, just in case we were thinking of wandering off the path, Mother Nature provided her own warning material.  Yeah, we didn't challenge her.

Down the road some more, we did climb up a mesa to view Cathedral Rock (it's that "tiny" formation way far away, just over my head).  Another couple was kind enough to snap a photo for us.

And soooo, that concludes our visit to Sedona, Arizona.  Next up, Tuzigoot National Monument.  But not tonight!  😆 Till then, nightynight!