MaryAlice Musings and More

The morning started slow with a soft breeze and big sun.  I got to be with the four legged's while their Mom's went out to golf.  We lounged, watched a little Sunday Morning political commentary and then off for a little inaugural dip in the pool.  It was cool and took a little bit to get body acclimated, I am not one who just jumps in, but then it was luxurious.  Full sun, a little breeze, floating around me and the little yellow ducky.  Sunday is good. Then a catch up call with family, more talking about the fabulous day that Luke and the rest of them had, as it became clear that Luke and his team were really finalists for the History Day Contest.  I am still smiling, there were literally thousands of entries to History Day.  Of course when you get that close to winning it all, it is a disappointment to come in to fourth place, but wow what an accomplishment. I went out to get my fingers and toes polished, have a little lunch and  take an afternoon stroll.  The spring

Today was a busy day in Minnesota,  Luke and his best buddy Max had to leave early this morning for the State Finals of History Day.  Luke and Max did a history board on the Tiananmen Square Uprising.  So off they went to set up,  meet with the judges and then rush off for their LaCrosse game.  They are both sophomores at Cretin-Durham High School in St. Paul and they not only do great History projects but they play Varsity LaCrosse.  Here are a few pictures of Luke: Luke loves to play Lacrosse.  He gave up hockey,  quit football, and he runs  Cross Country in the fall to increase his  Lacrosse skills.  Not only does he do these things well, but he just seems to have fun.  It is a joy to watch him grow and learn and try so many new things.  He dreams big and works hard. So as I was sitting, reading and writing this morning the texts were coming, first showing me their History Board,  then lacrosse shots, and then a text that said that the boys were in the FINALS...

It is hot in the valley today.  So I skipped a walk, as I couldn't pull myself out of bed very early this morning,  I woke up very early, but managed to get myself back to sleep and when I woke, yep it was hot!  I am not complaining, I am just acknowledging that I do not have good acclimation to the heat yet.  I had a few internet errands and phone calls to make today and spent the morning checking off things on my list and listening to Karen and Jen as they accomplished back to back conference calls. Mid afternoon Cindy, my cabin owner - Winslow going friend sent me a text and let me know that she had gotten an email letting her know that there was a fire in the area and what steps to take to start preparing if there needed to be an evacuation.  My dear friend Serafina (whose birthday is today) had her farmhouse burn to the ground 4 years ago,  fire can be unforgiving.  Cindy is asking for good wishes and prayers for the safety of people, animals and homes in northern Arizona.

You have been hearing about the Elk since my first sighting last Saturday night, but no pictures.  The Elk came late dusk or early dark, and my little I-Phone could not do the trick.  Last night there was a brief sighting,  the moon was bright and high, and there were no Elk later in the evening, and the motion lights never woke me in the night.  But, early this morning I woke up went to the bathroom an when I walked back into the bedroom (it was light out)  there was one BIG elk.  I grabbed my phone and sat quietly on the bed looking out the window, then there was another and then I realized there were several other Elk on my side of the fence....I was so excited to be able to get a picture!  Then there they were coming over to get a drink and then they walked right to the bird feeder that I could almost touch from the window!  I was so happy.  Please check out the video of the "Bird Feeder Scene".  I watched them for about a half an hour or more, then they moseye

A few visual moments from La Posada and my kiss on the corner as we were leaving Winslow, Arizona A Wednesday started out cool and sunny.  The trains come regularly at the back of  the grounds, there are over 100 trains that travel through Winslow each day, many carrying over 100 cars.  I liked the whistle an the clickety clack in the background.  I had the Dollar Pancake Special at breakfast and a Chai Latte!  It was very good,  and I love he place mats, replica's of what was used in the 30's and 40's in the restaurant.  I am a very visual person and I was just humming internally as every where I look at LaPosada it is beautiful.    After breakfast, I went out to the sunken garden and wrote a letter to Myah.  Myah is 18 today, it is such a gift to have an 18 year old grand daughter.  I got some stationery and an envelope from the front desk and wrote Myah a letter, I talked about getting the call, and driving to Burlington and getting on the

What a great day.  Spent the early part of the morning watching the birds, getting my things in the car, stopping at the National Forest Service Visitor Center and then off to Winslow.  We arrived a little after noon at LaPosada !  Check in was 3 pm, but we brought our things to the reception desk and starting the amazing tour of every nook, granny, gallery and room!  I know you might be tired of reading about LaPosada, but I have to say that it is magical.  Please spend a little time on the website:  http://laposada.org/ They are lovingly and amazingly restoring and envisioning this Hotel into the future.  The artists are amazing,  the woman who is co-owner is really evocative and I enjoy her work (some is at the Smithsonian). Every place that your eyes rest is a treat.  And I am very happy to have this 24 hrs. at the Hotel.  I am already fantasizing next year's spring trip, and taking the train from Chicago to here, getting off for a couple of days before heading down to the va

Sometime after midnight I got up to go to the bathroom and when I went back into the bedroom the motion light went on and there on the cabin side of the fence was one big Elk,  my eyes adjusted and all of a sudden a could see a few more on the other side of the fence.  Then the Elk walked towards the window and headed right to the bird feeder that is just outside my window.  The motion light would go on and off and the Elk were unfazed.  When the light went off I would turn on my flashlight and watch more closely what was happening right before my eyes.  I only have my I-Phone for photo's and it is not good at zooming or adjustment to dark, but here are a few pic, not good but you get the idea of the Elk and Bird Feeder.  For the next hour I watched this Elk and then would scan the area to see if I could find any more Elk just hanging around.  I only saw the three, but they were having a fine time eating the alfalfa pellets and browsing in the moonlight.  At times I kept t

I just watched at least 16 Elk out of the dining room and bedroom window of Just Desserts Cabin!  I have been hearing about the Elk since before I arrived and during dinner I said, "we have to quit talking about the Elk, I want to see one!'   About one hour later, Cindy is gone from the dining room table, and the motion sensor light went on and Cindy came back into the dining room with a big flashlight and said there are Elk outside the window.  Sure enough we had thrown out food scraps and a bucket of alfalfa and a mineral block.  There they were --- at least 10, Cindy said go in your bedroom and look out the window and they were casually grazing and looking up at us, and moving slowly along.  It was majestic, such a gift.  We spent about a half an hour watching the Elk,  they were different sizes and every once in awhile they would just look right at window and seemed to say, yes we are here aren't you happy. Yes I am.  Elk, beautiful Elk.  Young, old, big and small.

What a day for a day dream...warm warm sun and just a whiff of a breeze a perfect any day but an absolutely perfect Sunday.  I woke up very early and watched the murder of crows eating the food that Cindy brought out for the animals,  it was in the very earliest of light and they were in charge and looking huge and very happy.  They were hop hop hopping around doing some kind of thankfulness for the food scraps or maybe a mating ritual who knows, not me!  But is was a fun show just before 5 a.m. this morning.  By 7 a.m. I knew there was no more resting for me, and I got up and started to prepare our Sunday Breakfast.  I made my favorite potatoes, boiled and then before done take out slice in half and brown on the stove top in olive oil.  Then I made a frittata. pushed the button for the coffee pot and brewed my tea!  Around 9 am the rest of the house stirred and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and good bird watching as we ate, laughed and shared stories. Then the porch becko

You could not ask for a more beautiful day in the Coconino National Forest.  The sky was the most beautiful blue,  the sun was shining bright, every once and a while  there were a few clouds floating by and the temperature was just right.  No weather weather is what I call this kind of day.  Quite a difference from when we arrived late yesterday afternoon.  We were cold!  The wind was blowing and the sky was grey. More friends arrived today at the cabin and there was an orchestrated effort to complete the "spring cleaning"  and it did get done!  I did take a walk in the "development" enjoyed seeing all the different types of cabins and a real treat was the community library was open, it is open 1 hour a week.  I found a book, heard a few stories about the library and picked out a book, you just take them and put them back in the book slot when you done!  I walked back to the cabin and  helped a little with the few tasks were lest and I then I slipped away f