HOLBROOK ARIZONA

 After leaving the park I headed into Holbrook where I'm spending the night.  I had noticed a quilt shop on my way through this morning.  So, I stopped at Painted Desert Quilts.  I found some old Alexander Henry prints that I had to buy.

Then I visited one of the many Rock Shops that I've seen all over this area.  They all have dinosaur statues in front, but this one had more than most.

Inside the yard there were piles of petrified rocks, from large to small.  I looked through one until I found two more rocks to take home.  I asked about where they come from and was told they come from private lands.  I had noticed a lot of homes in the area have lots of petrified tree rocks in their yards as decorations.

Holbrook is a small town.  There is a great old motel that features teepee rooms with vintage cars parked in front.  You just don't see these kind of places anymore.  They were fun.

I bought a salad (and ice cream because I earned it) for dinner and went to the hotel where I had reservations.

PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK

 I woke up eary in Tucson and set out on the road to the Petrified Forest National Park over a 300 mile drive starting in the dark.  But I was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.

I arrived at the park about 10:30 am and stopped at the Painted Desert Inn Visitor Center first.  I got maps and advice and, of course, my passport stamped.  I set out on the 22 mile drive through the park, stopping at points of interest.

Painted Desert Inn Visitors Center

My first stop in the park was the Painted Desert Overlook.

Next stop was Puerco Pueblo with ancestral homes and petroglyphs.

Next stop was the Blue Mesa.

Then on to the place I've wanted to go since I was young, the Crystal Forest.  It has a short loop walk through an area where the petrified trees lay all about to see.  They are a marvel.  The colors!

I stopped at the Visitors Center at the other end of the park and visited the gift shop where I bought my own little piece of the park to take home.  If you didn't know, I have been known to pick up rocks on our vacations in other places to bring home, and it's illegal to take rocks from the park.

LAST DAY OF WORKSHOP

 On this Friday, the last day of the workshop, we went around the table and looked at the work we had all been doing and talked about their own project with Lisa giving suggestions on directions to go, if wanted.  It was very informational.

I wanted to leave early and got a ride to the airport so I could get my rental car and make it to the other half of Saguaro National Park to get a passport stamp there.  I had gotten a ride to the Visitor Center that was next door to Tanque Verde and got my passport stamped there on Wednesday at lunch time.

Okay, it's hard to take a selfie when the sun is shining in your eyes and you can't see the picture on the phone.  But, I was very happy.

Lots of Saquaro cacti.

Then I drove back into Tucson where I spent the night.

THURSDAY BEADING

 I've been having such a great time here in Tucson at this Beading Workshop.  I continued to work on my Beading Sampler, learning new stitches.

WEDNESDAY IN TUCSON

 Today was another great day in the workshop learning new beading stitches and seeing the great sample our teacher Lisa Binkley brought to share.

We ended class at 3:30pm today and headed down into Kaffe Fassett's classroom which had chairs set up for a slide show with Kaffe and Brandon.  It was great hearing about Kaffe's journey in the art world.  And Brandon is always a hoot.

Later that evening we all treked down to have an outdoor Cowboy Cookout.  There was barbequed chicken, brisket and ribs.  There was also corn elote (which I've never had before and now it's a favorite), baked beans (delicious), corn bread, baked potatoes with all the fixings.  And, I don't know what all else.  For desert there was Blackberry Cobbler and Apple Cobbler, I had to try both.  There was a bar where you could get your favorite beverage.  And there was lemonade.  All accompanied by a live band and dancing and punctuated with lights strung over the fun.

GEM SHOW IN TUCSON

 Every year there is the biggest Gem and Jewelry Show in Tucson.  It takes over the whole town.  Our class left at 11:30, loaded into two vans and went into town to experience and look for treasures we could use in our beading.

We spent several hours in the Expo Center then loaded back into the vans and went to the African Village.  There were quite a few venders set up in a parking lot with tents and their wares.  They had cloth, fabrics, crafts, clothing, beads, furniture, artifacts, masks, statues, jewelry and much more.  This was a lot more fun because of all the beads.

TANQUE VERDE RANCH

 Tanque Verde Ranch, outside of Tucson, is a beautiful, wonderful place.  I was sharing a room that had two double beds and a nice shared bathroom.  My roommate Michelle and I got a long remarkably well (I was worried about that).  She was in a different workshop than me, about watercolor.  The weather was perfect during my stay, in the low 70's as a high.  A few mornings were a bit chilly, but it warmed up fast.

There are over a 100 horses here.  You can go on guided trail rides, take basic riding lessons and even groom a horse, all for extra charges.  There are also lots of other paid activities: yoga, meditation, axe throwing, fishing, pickleball, hiking and swimming, or relaxing in the jacuzzi.

The central area, between some of the rooms has a lot of trees that provide cooling shade.

This was our room, number 12

Here's what I did on this first day:

Enjoyed the sunrise

Enjoyed a breakfast

Got busy setting up in the classroom

I enjoyed learning the proper way to do some beading

At the end of the day I enjoyed going for a walk: