Always Leave Room in the Car for Yarn

I’m always on the lookout for yarn. It’s just a subprocess that’s always running in my brain and I don’t bother trying to shut it down anymore. Just means that I find yarn in all the right and sometimes unexpected places, like on the way to the Grand Canyon. During our visit, the Bearded One and I took the slightly longer route to the Canyon through The Painted Dessert, The Kaibab National Forest, and the Navajo Nation. The national parks were desolate but once we entered the Nation, houses and road side shops and stands popped up frequently. At the Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise there was a wall full of Brown Sheep yarn. They had just about every color you could think of in wool/mohair single and I was not immune. I blame yarn fumes and several cramped days in the car. We found space in the back seat and headed on our way several skeins heavier. I’m still not sure what I’ll make with yarn but it’ll tell me eventually. 

Moral of the Story: Always leave room for yarn in the car. You never know where you’ll find a few skeins to take home with you.

The Grand Canyon

When driving across the Southwestern United States, you can’t just drive past the Grand Canyon. If you are anywhere in the state of Arizona, you visit the Grand Canyon. Detours be damned. The Bearded One and I followed this rule to the letter and were not disappointed. We were only able to spend a few short hours exploring the canyon rim but it was still a breath taking experience.  Yes, it was hot and, yes, it was bright but the majesty of this place cannot be denied. I want to go back to explore, hike, camp, and maybe even ride a mule. I want to lose myself in the power of that place.

I took quite a few photos while we were there but even amazing photographs can’t do the Grand Canyon justice. You have to go, stand on the edge and look into crags and valleys before finally casting your eyes on the horizon to really appreciate this place. When I stood on the edge I became aware of my place in the universe. I was and am very small but surrounded by wondrous things.   

My only advice: Go. Experience the Grand Canyon. You won’t be disappointed. Also, don’t forget the sun screen.

Crossing the Country

In the first week of June, The Bearded One and I shoved as much stuff into our car as possible and set out on a cross country drive for Los Angeles. We covered over 2,100 miles in 4 days through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California . It was eye opening to watch the countryside change from forests to plains to scrub and finally to desert. The thought that 150 years ago people managed to cross this land with wagons and oxen not just to survive but to prosper amazes me. The knowledge that people lived off these plains and deserts hundreds and thousands of years ago is completely mind blowing. It’s one thing to learn these facts in  school and something completely different when the truth, land, air, and storms swirl together around you.