Glen Canyon Float Trip

It is overdue for another chapter in our Southwest USA adventure! Up next is the glorious float trip down the Colorado River. We enjoyed a peaceful 15-mile journey that started at the base of the Glen Canyon Dam and ended at Lees Ferry, Arizona. It was not a whitewater trip, involving screaming or wet underwear! We’ll leave such fearful voyages to others.

After traveling through the long and spooky tunnel to the base of the dam, we walked down to large, motorized pontoon rafts. We quickly departed and were soon staring upward at the vast sandstone cliffs and soaking in the amazing scenery. We could not have asked for better weather. Our river guide provided a lot of information about geology and Major John Wesley Powell’s exploration history. Quite frankly, I was more “in the moment” of enjoying the serene rafting experience, waving at friends in another raft, watching the fishermen, and taking some pictures.

We made a landing about halfway through the trip, and walked up a short trail to see some marvelous petroglyphs. The carvings were so primitive and precious!

After our brief stop, we continued on to the famous “Horseshoe Bend” area of the river. (Do a Google search for images taken from the bend’s overlook.) It is a popular place to take pictures from the canyon rim, but we had the unique opportunity to enjoy it at the bottom.

The landscape started to change dramatically as we approached historic Lees Ferry. As we left our rafts, we saw others getting ready for their whitewater trip down to Grand Canyon. No, thank you! I would rather have a peaceful rafting trip any day!

I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt! There are only two more chapters to go, so you will have to check back later for more incredible scenes. The next adventure will be Bryce Canyon National Park!

Fresh Basil Pesto

Our pot of basil is growing wonderfully, so hubby decided to whip up some fresh pesto. Here is a nice recipe for creating this tasty Italian sauce.

FRESH BASIL PESTO

2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper, plus more to taste

~2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bake the pine nuts on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Watch to make sure they don’t burn!) Cool.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly and gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency.

Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in the cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper to taste. Before adding the pesto to cooked pasta, add just a little pasta cooking liquid to help the pesto coat the pasta.

Notes: Fresh pesto will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, stored airtight. Store pine nuts in the freezer to prevent them from going rancid.

Noah’s Ark Stitchery - Kangaroos

I finished up another Noah’s Ark stitchery pattern as part of a block-of-the-month series – the kangaroos! This wee block is smaller than shown on your computer screen. It measures 2-1/4 inches square. So the stitching is tiny.

Lynette, a talented needle art designer from Australia, is graciously providing the free patterns on her delightful blog, Lynette Anderson Designs. I have a convenient link for you located on my right-hand navigation bar.

I am running a few months behind on my stitching. The block for the kangaroos was presented in June. I will be making the cows (May) and elephants (July) come to life next!

Summer Politics

I had planned to present another chapter in our Southwest USA adventure by now. I’m sorry, folks, but I am a bit distracted. We are currently embroiled in some pressing local and state issues during this political summer. My apologies for being a bit tardy!

I intend for this blog is to be lighthearted and fun, with a tiny dash of philosophy about life. We all need to have a little bit of frivolity in a world that comes up short in this trait! So I won’t bore you with the details. In addition to the time devoted to these issues, we are also taking care of the acreage, gardens, and landscaping here at Greyhavens cottage. I have some other posts already prepared and will be adding those instead this week.

Perspectives in the Life Bumps

A dear friend down in Houston, Texas, sent something to me today that I feel the need to share further. We get down in the dumps now and then because life isn’t going smoothly enough to our liking. (Raising my hand up very high.) But then, something comes along to put it all in perspective and reminds us that we need to look at the inevitable life bumps differently. It is time to turn the rock over and take a look at it from a different angle.

Some of my sweet readers have probably figured out by now that I am conservatively-minded. If you are not of the same persuasion, that is quite OK. (Life would be dull, indeed, if we were all alike.) To experience a poignant and profound perspective about cancer, I invite my readers to temporarily put aside any political viewpoints and read this compelling article by Tony Snow, who just died today.

Photo Challenge: Patriotism

Time for the latest Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Patriotism, picked by the current challenge hostess, Karen at Faith of a Single Mom. We didn’t attend any 4th of July celebrations this year, so I am presenting pictures from my personal archives for this challenge.

Furry Patriotism – Our old pooch, Buddy, was the epitome of the all-American dog. He was a Belgian Malinois with great European lineage and lazy ears. True to his breeding, he was smart as a whip, energetic, dignified, and always ready to serve and protect.

On July 4, 2000, I interrupted one of his gleeful outdoor romps to take a snapshot of him in front of a patriotic garden flag. He was five years old at the time and had a mountain of energy. He was rather impatient when I gave him the “sit-stay” command. Just behind me, to my right, was his large plastic ball, his favorite toy. See how he leans to the right and his eyes are NOT on me or the camera? He’s staring intently at the ball, ready to go charge it, and insanely bark at it in his doggy bliss. He was vibrating from excitement and whimpering his impatience. Good, old-fashioned American impatience.

It was a quick snap. One nanosecond after I said “all done”, he was no longer visible through the camera lens. ZOOM, off to play!

Handmade Patriotism - We have a lot of Americana folk art as part of our cottage décor. This is a stitchery that I created two years ago, coffee-stained, and fashioned into a mini-quilt. I stitched dark red seed beads around the picture border, added some star-shaped stitching in the background, and placed star pottery buttons at the corners. This patriotic folk quilt is hanging right next to my desk in my home office.

Historic Patriotism - We have visited Portland Head Light in previous vacations to Maine, and we couldn’t resist seeing it again during our 2006 New England trip. This historic lighthouse is located southeast of Portland, in the town of Cape Elizabeth. George Washington commissioned its construction and appointed its first keeper. Operational since 1791, the light has steadfastly helped protect the ships coming into Portland harbor through the years. Portland Head Light is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America.

Garden Bounty

As always, Farmer Jim is working hard this year to tend to our veggie gardens. He reports that the rows of corn in the lower garden (the far back yard) are coming along nicely and several large watermelons are growing down there. Meanwhile, the upper garden (in the side yard near the house) is already yielding fresh veggies every day. Here is this morning’s bounty picked by Farmer Jim: tomatoes, peppers, okra, summer squash (including a weird co-joined one!), and cucumbers.

Summertime eating, mm-mmm, good!