Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part V

We headed north from Sedona on a scenic winding road following Oak Creek Canyon and  often had a view of Oak Creek itself as the road wound around the mountains beside it.  There were some bed and breakfasts tucked away from the road with tree covered drives that looked very inviting.  It was another sunny and beautiful day for a great vacation that seemed longer because of the changing climates, landscapes, elevations, and ground cover.  Then we began to see a lot of tall and leafy trees, but as we got closer to Flagstaff, we saw more pine trees. We could still see varied rock formations and rocky hillsides and as we climbed the hills and small mountains, we looked down into valleys.

photo taken from the entrance to Slide Rock State Park

It was only a two hour drive and we made only one stop at a scenic lookout for some pictures.  At this stop were several vendors selling jewelry and some wood carvings.  We made some small purchases and I oohed and awed over the scenery as we took more photos.  Soon we were on the outskirts of Flagstaff.   Since this was the best jumping off point for touring  the Grand Canyon,  hotels and restaurants were everywhere and we found an easy place for lunch, Cracker Barrel.

photo taken from the scenic lookout

Afterwards, Wei drove us to the town center where we made a stop at the Visitor's Center and picked up some brochures.  The Visitor's Center was in the same building as the old train station.  From here we could look up one of the main streets to a major intersection with old hotels and many restaurants, shops, and galleries.  It looked inviting, and like many a small town with lots of tourists.   I expected that Flagstaff would be a lively place as it is a college town, home to Northern Arizona University.  We would revisit it on the last day of our vacation.  At first glance, it seemed like an interesting place and worthy of a few hours of exploration. ( So we will save this visit for Kaleidoscope, Part VI, which will be the last in this series and then the blog will return to life in Japan.)

But the time had come to leave the town center and check into the Woodlands, our hotel of choice for the last 3 days of our vacation.  It was also time to bid adieu to our very good friend and guide, Wei.  He had been a superior guide and driver, but first of all friend, and our shared memories over the past years in Japan and then brief meetings in the east U.S. would now make those little facets intertwine in that kaleidoscope of moments then and now, good memories to fall in place suddenly while thinking of something else that may or may not relate to Phoenix, fry bread, cactus, Chihuly glass, roadrunners, Gambel's quail, Sedona, a whole lot of rocks, and now Flagstaff.  It had been a great 4 days!

The Woodlands was a nice hotel, large and spacious and comfortable rooms, although ours had no view, looking at a wall some feet away, with a corner view of a pool off to the right.  But we weren't spending much time there so it did not matter.  We explored about the hotel, checked the lobby's computers for emails and took a break in our room before a light dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants.  It was pricey, not memorable, but we were tired and did not care.  We had a BIG day coming up ahead of us.  Finally, we were heading to the Grand Canyon.  And we would need to get up fairly early to make sure and have a good breakfast, pack sun screen and snacks to go along, and be prepared as we were going on an all day tour.   No turning back for what I might forget.

Are you one of those people who takes two tries to get out the door?  I don't know why, but it seems I have to get a block away to remember toothbrushes, or toothpaste, or some other more important item.  I should just plan to take a trip around the block to jog my memory.  And I do make lists!

We got a really comfy night's sleep and woke up ready to GO!  I had researched the entire trip using mostly the Internet, and some AAA books for places and high points once we got there.  I had found All Star Tours that offered all day trips to the Grand Canyon and had called and asked them many questions that satisfied me  this would be a good way to see a lot and have very little responsibility.  They would pick us up and drop us off right at the hotel, and they provided a picnic lunch.

We were down in the lobby ahead of time and our driver and guide picked us up in about 15 minutes.  We were leaving about 9 a.m., heading north and around and about scenic roads to the canyon for some 80 miles.  Stops were comfortably scheduled to provide bathrooms, the shuttle van was very comfy with an aisle down the middle and single seats to either side.  We were a cozy group of 10 and our guide John was young, enthusiastic, and enjoyed pointing out details of interest on the way.  It was a very good thing he had the energy he did, because getting in and out and driving all day, and trying so hard to take everything in was really draining.  Perhaps the sun and elevation had a lot to do with that.

He had two coolers of drinks packed for us as well as bags of pretzels and chips and kept encouraging us to drink more than usual because of the elevation.  We all took part in helping ourselves to the beverages, soda and water, and didn't hesitate to ask John questions.  He had a lot of great answers, was very knowledgeable about geology, the canyon, and the entire area.  He had been in the area for a couple of years after being on the move for several years before.  When he came to Flagstaff he found what he was looking for and settled down.  He is an active member of the community and works both as a driving guide and as a guide on hikes down into the canyon.  He was making a case that Flagstaff was more than what it appeared as we had driven through it.

Our tour hit several stops along the rim, including one where John could sight in the spotting scope on the pack mules taking tourists down into the canyon on a trail that has been in use for years.  He told us the mules were put in training carrying just supplies for 3 years before they would be trusted enough to carry passengers down the steep path.

 
At another stop he sighted in some rafts pulled onto the beach where they stopped for a lunch break.   Tourists were every where at the canyon, at the top looking over, at the bottom looking up, and on hikes and mules going up and down.  Since it's over 200 miles long, 1 mile deep, and 10-18 miles across at various places. it did not seem crowded at all.  Of course, we were touring in mid-May, so summer would certainly see many more visitors.There was ample parking at each scenic sight along the south rim where we were taken, and most places had restrooms and/or gift shops, picnic tables and lots of seating both along the rim or along paths from the parking areas to the rim itself.

Rafting the canyon can be on varied length trips, 3 days to two weeks.  The park regulates the groups authorized to do the tours and how many tourists are rafting at a given time.  The two week trips can do the length of most of the canyon, and I think they would allow the most intimate way to know this natural world wonder.  

The stops we were making from Flagstaff along the South Rim were the most popular because they offered the best access to roads, and the hotels, and restaurants back in Flagstaff and also Williamson.  We could see incredible sights, but it was only a small area of the whole canyon that was accessible.  The North Rim which we could see on the other side is also available for sight seeing, but has one main lodge run by the park, is much less developed and the roads and all access are only open in summer. To  reach the North Rim from Flagstaff it is over 200 miles, so it is easy to see why most visitors see the South Rim areas only when the distance is about 80 miles. 

It was a marvelous day, pleasant temperatures, sun, blue sky, and birds, mostly vultures and ravens soaring on all the drafts created by the canyon.  We saw one helicopter, another way to tour the canyon.  We met people from around the world, Germany, Brazil and Italy to name a few.  It is a huge draw far and wide.  We were in awe of the size of the place, width across and depth, and as far to right or left as we could see there were more crevices and barren peaks colored in earthy reds, browns, grays, and yellows.  It was a place best described by pictures that cannot do it justice, but I will try.

The Colorado River offers sulky blue colors amidst the earthy tones.

Rafts could be seen on the beach with the use of a scope.

I hope you can understand that I have not gone into many facts about this place.  From my bit of reading and the brochures the canyon was formed over millions of years from erosion as the Colorado River ran through it.  But even standing right there it is very hard to comprehend other than to know there is no other name for this place but the GRAND CANYON.

We were worn out by the long day and the dazzling sights.  We decided to treat ourselves to the Sakura Japanese Restaurant in our hotel, where the food is grilled right in front of you by a talented chef.  We enjoyed our meal of shrimp and steak with veggies and rice, split a strawberry shortcake dessert and called it a night.  One more full day was left of our vacation and we would spend it in Flagstaff.  Check it out later in Kaleidoscope, Part VI. 

Please feel free to leave comments.  They can be in Japanese or other languages.  I will find a translation.  Thank you for reading my blog!
 

Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part IV

We were going into the second week of our vacation as Wei drove us north from Phoenix toward Sedona, Arizona.  A quick breakfast left us with an early but leisurely beginning.  The sun was out and already getting hot.  One advantage to heading north was that we would leave the desert behind us and climb in elevation into more pleasant, cooler weather.

We took the highway to get out of town and then wound onto a more scenic route to our destination.  We saw some hillsides of tall, shapely saguaro cactus and watched as they slowly but surely were replaced with scrub brush and small pines.  The mountains of northern Arizona were getting closer and rolling hillsides were becoming more mountainous.  I would miss the cactus but I would not miss the heat.

Previously, I mentioned Wei had volunteered to take a couple of days off work and drive us to Sedona and then beyond to Flagstaff.  I thought it was wonderfully generous of him, but he also told us he loved to visit both places.  He liked seeing the differences between the desert in his city and the small towns in the higher elevations covered with both deciduous trees and evergreens.  He told us that we would look for a local native that had a fry bread stand along the way for a mid point snack.

We found the fry bread stand along the road.  It was a simple set up.  Again, fry bread is a flour concoction of native Indians' recipes, and it is crispy on the outside after being fried like a pancake or a funnel cake.  These didn't have the restaurant meat toppings.  Instead there were only two choices, powdered sugar or sugar/cinnamon mix.  We took one of each and shared them - truly tasty, and a great snack.  We were also more than halfway to our destination now.

We had left the fry bread stand when we saw a scenic area and got out to look around.  We had barely returned to the car and started off, when Wei yelled, "Roadrunner!"  Toshiro was excitedly talking too, and even though he was in the back seat,  had been able to spot him off to the left shoulder, standing on the side of the road.  But I could not see him until he took off right across the road in front of all of us.  We were all really thrilled to see this speedy bird and I know Wei was glad to finally log his first sighting.  The bird of so many cartoons as we grew up, I must note that no coyote was in sight.

The roadrunner is not real clear, but we finally all saw it.

Soon the famous rock formations were also starting to appear gradually, each one a different shape, unique and totally stunning.  I had only heard about Sedona a few years before, but everyone that ever mentioned it since then has said, "If you go to the Grand Canyon, you MUST go to see Sedona."  I was pretty certain that I would be glad I followed that advice.

Since it was not the weekend and still mid May, there were not quite as many tourists and it did not seem too crowded.  We pulled into the Visitors' Center outside of town and gathered some info, already snapping our first scenic photos of the red rocks.  And while we were there, ran right into a couple from Maryland that we had met on the train.  It's always fun to travel and run into someone you know!   Armed with maps and brochures, we headed into town to check into our hotel and find some lunch.

We could see now why everyone said, "Don't miss Sedona!"

The formation in the center is named Bell Rock. 

As we were nearing town, we saw the first main tourist attraction, Chapel of the Holy Cross and decided it would be a good idea to stop now rather than make the trek back south of town later.  It was easily visible from the road and had a most commanding view over the valley below it.  There was available parking and then a walk up the hill.  Volunteers were driving golf carts down the incline and picking up those who were not comfortable with the climb.  It was a welcoming place and well organized.  The climb proved short but scenic as it wound up to the top of the rock it was built into with some plantings and a walkway with railings where it neared the steep edges.  There were benches for taking a break and taking in breathtaking vistas in all directions.  But right in front of us was the outcrop of the tall, windowed, but stark design of glass, stone, concrete and steel that certainly fit into its surroundings.

The view from the climb going up from the parking lot.

Awe inspiring scenery surrounds the church.

Chapel of the Holy Cross sits high and pretty in Sedona, Arizona.

A wall of windows behind the altar allows for spiritual communion to those of any faith.

Going to church is a personal thing for me.   Sometimes I can find my spiritual needs met better by being alone outside than in a building meant for that purpose.  But I never pass up a chance to ask that my family be blessed, and kept healthy and out of danger.   I took my time inside and out and thoroughly enjoyed my quiet time with God.  A steady stream of tourists were going in and out and walking around, but it was not so busy that one could not think quiet thoughts and say a prayer or two.  We took many photos of the beautiful scenery on the outside of the church and went on our way.

Taken with the telephoto as we stepped out of the church.

This variety of cactus had both yellow and pink flowers on it.

Our hotel would be the Cedars Resort of Sedona, nothing particularly fancy and really a hotel not a resort, but roomy and very comfortable and clean.  It was high above Oak Creek which we could see from our balcony.  We looked through a treed,  steep slope down to the edges of the meandering stream.  Gorgeous rock formations were framed by the sky as a backdrop beyond the trees.  It was a wonderful view.  We could hear the creek, and get all the breeze of fresh air coming right into the room. And it was pleasantly cool.

We checked in quickly and got the feel of the room, but headed out again, because we still had not had lunch.  Besides the red rocks, tourists are happy to seek out what is described "Sedona's visionary arts village ".  Tlaquepaque,  (sounds like Telawka-pawka), which was built to reflect the  tiled courtyards and plazas in Old Mexico, has shops, restaurants, beautiful fountains and an outdoor courtyard.  There was plenty of seating and birds like the beautiful yellow headed blackbird and hummingbirds all flit about from plantings to trees and trellises.

It was truly a wonderful and most beautiful place.  It was a dream of a fellow named Abe Miller to build it and he promised the former owner he would leave the sycamore trees on the grounds.  The parking lot is shaded from many trees and the courtyard areas offered intimacy yet openness.  Mr. Miller worked on this project in the 70's and went all over Mexico collecting pottery, tiles and wrought iron grill work to make the place look authentic.  It was completed in the early 80's.  Literature on the village says that throughout the year it is a place to visit not only for the arts but for many festivals, especially during the holidays.  When it first opened the artists came and opened shops, held open studios and many lived right on the premises above their shops. 

Beautiful fountains and tile work abound at Tlaquepaque.

Side entrance to the chapel.

The chapel can be used for small weddings.  What a wonderful place!

One of many, many beautiful shops.

We headed straight for the French restaurant Rene's to order some escargot as Wei told us he had not ever tried them before.  We wanted the French experience at appetizer prices, rather than the more expensive dinners that would be featured later, and that was the basis for ordering.  Two orders of escargot, a zucchini appetizer, a salad and a chicken salad on croissant proved very tasty and we just shared all of it.  Wei found that the snails were quite good, but unfortunately they were already pried out of the shell, so he will have to have that part of the experience another time.  I figure anything drowning in butter, garlic and parsley is worth eating.   We ate outside on a tiled terrace with the sound of water falling into a beautiful tiled fountain and the birds and foliage all around us.  It was heavenly.  I still don't understand the vortices, but I believe I found one at Rene's!

Rene's was the perfect choice for a light lunch.

Toshiro enjoyed our lunch  in front of the pretty tile work all around us.

Wei enjoyed his first taste of the French dish escargot.

After taking a walk into several of the shops admiring jewelry, hand blown glass, oil paintings and ceramics, we left to take a break back at our rooms to get ready and go out to see more rocks and the sunset from the airport mesa, and then have a late dinner.

We took some photos on the way to the airport mesa, the highest viewpoint in Sedona with lots of parking (and an airstrip).  There were about 100 other tourists up there with cameras ready, but the sunset itself was a non event.  Perhaps the air was too clear and cloudless skies prevented any drama.  Everyone left a little perplexed as to why they had made the trip for that specific time,  but with the pleasant weather and good views in all directions, many photos were still being taken.

Love to see the moon in the light of day.

Shadows playing on the rocks.

We chose a little western style restaurant with a home cooking sign and enjoyed too large platters of trout, pulled pork, and a chicken dish.  It was good but we were tired after being outside most of the day.  We took the leftovers back to the hotel, and Toshiro saved it for his breakfast the next morning.

After a good night's sleep the shops beckoned to Wei and Toshiro, who is always game for finding new galleries.  I chose to eat the hotel's continental breakfast of bagels and cream cheese on the balcony overlooking Oak Creek with binoculars and birdbooks at the ready.  When they returned from hunting down art work, we were ready to head for Flagstaff via a very scenic route.  The stay in wonderful Sedona had come to an end.
 

Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part III

The saga of traveling across the country to Los Angeles with ocean and palm trees to desert in the Southwest found us checking out of the resort in Chandler, Arizona to go up the road aways to nearby Phoenix.  We had another grand plan for the next two days.  A great friend I had met in Japan, who had taught in Kagoshima on the JET Program when I was there, had invited us to stay at his place for a couple of days.

Wei came and picked us up at the hotel at check out time and our adventure started immediately.  We told him we were looking for roadrunners as we pulled away and headed north.  He was taking us to lunch where we would meet up with Takami, who lived on the other side of Phoenix.  Takami had also  taught on the JET Program in a small town on the east coast called Shibushi.  Wei had taught right in the city of Kagoshima and we had all met at seminars held by the program for assistant teachers.   

Takami and I learned quickly of Wei's generosity back there in Kagoshima.  He had taken us to show us his city apartment, and I can still see him reaching up high on a shelf where he kept his treasures, and bringing down Reese's cups to share with us.  Whether his mother had sent them in a care package or he had brought them back with him from a trip to the States, it was like giving us his coins of gold.  And thus our 20 year friendship had begun.  Wei and Takami still get together a few times a year and they have each been East to visit with us at various times over the years.  Now we finally had the chance to see in their hometown.

Lunch was a special treat as they wanted us to try the "Fry Bread House".  A favorite treat for both of them and a must try for visitors to the area, it is recommended by Native Indians and run by Native Indians.  Fry bread is authentic Native Indian food and in Arizona it is often topped with Mexican style chili fixings or taco fillings.  We all ordered slightly different versions of the large, puffed pancake looking round bread.  Fry bread is not sweet,  the texture is  crispy around the edges and the middle is similar to toast but more dense and moist.  Our orders were  topped with beef and or chorizo and lots of seasoning in a bit of sauce with cheese on the top.  They were large, delicious and filling.   The Fry House is a very casual restaurant, not a bit fancy, the kind of place where you know good food is the reason residents come back again and again, and visitors make a beeline for it.

It had been years since we had all been together and we caught up on our latest events, work, recent travels and summer plans.  A featured topic was the roadrunner and we were told not to expect them in the city, which we had surmised, although Takami said when she grew up on the outskirts of the city she used to see them all the time.  While we were at it, we planned our next day's events, a major tourist stop at the Botanical Garden in Phoenix in the morning, before the heat became too intense.  We said goodbye to Takami at the restaurant and went to unpack at Wei's house.

We were only there for a little while before his little family of quails visited the backyard.  They were Gambel's quails and their lovely colors of brown, gray ,black and cream were all visible with the binocs.  It was a wonderful sight, a new bird sighting and they became my favorites of the new birds I had seen on the trip.  Since we had had a heavy lunch, we agreed to to a soup and salad buffet nearby.  After checking up on the email and news on the computer, we opted for an early to bed, early to rise strategy.  Tomorrow's schedule would require an early start to beat the heat.

Morning came and we were ready for our adventure at the Botanical Gardens, water bottles, hats, sunscreen, the works, (camera, bird book and binocs, too)!  Besides meeting Takami and making the tour with our friends, the added bonus to our visit at this time was that a major work of hand-blown glass had been installed throughout the main trail by artist Dale Chihuly.  We were all looking forward to what would lie ahead. 

We paid for our admission, about $20.00 per person, and browsed through our brochures with a map of several trails.  We wandered through at a slow pace, trying to take in everything including the art, taking photos, and occasionally wandering down side trails.  Of course, my husband and I were impressed by the cactus, the hummingbirds and very small ground squirrels we saw in many of the bushes.  But we were all pleased with the colors, shapes and sizes of the glass installation.  It was fabulous.

Takami with Toshiro and me in front of the first sculpture.

 At one point near some brush my husband yelled "Roadrunner!"  Although I looked as quickly as I possibly could, I saw only the tail as he ran off into the brush.  I didn't hear a sound, not even a "meep, meep."  But he had surely left as quickly as the cartoon portrayed him. Wei and Takami
hadn' t even see him, and we found out that although Wei had lived many years in Phoenix, he had never seen one.  Toshiro's quick use of the camera yielded only a bush!  Elusive, yes, but the roadrunner existed; we had seen him with our own eyes.

We were only about a third of the way through at that point and it was already starting to get warm.  That is when we decided to do the main trail only and not go off on the many side trails the garden had to offer.   We mainly followed the Desert Loop Trail which I read is only about 1/3 mile long.  If I hadn't looked it up, I would have guessed a mile.

Dale Chihuly, your glass balloons are amazing!

We stopped for many photos, enjoyed a red dragon fly on the tip of a red rod of glass in the midst of some cactus though none of our cameras were powerful enough to capture it.  I hope it stays in my kaleidoscope of memories and comes back often.  The photos that follow display some of the beauty of our morning.  It was impossible to pick one favorite.

 

 We took a good two hours, sat a few times, used the restrooms and stopped for a cold tea and a snack where there were some tables and shaded bench areas.  The garden with the Chihuly art installation did not disappoint.  We had randomly struck the right timing to catch the exhibit while we were visiting and we were all happy to have shared it together.

One of many varieties of cactus at the garden.

Takami, Toshiro and Wei - break time!

 We enjoyed cooling off in the car and proceeded to lunch, a great Vietnamese restaurant featuring some delicious PHO (noodle type soup with meat of choice and Thai basil, bean sprouts and lime.)  The restaurant also featured bubble milk tea, also called boba tea, and although I had heard about it, I had not tried it.  I thought the creamy tea was delicious, probably because it was too sweet.  I didn't care for the large pearls of tapioca in it, although Takami really liked them.  I believe these bubble teas are, or were, the rage in Asia.

Lunch was fun, but a little sad, as our time to share with Takami had to end.  We said farewell to her, and went back to Wei's house where we had a brief dip in the pool.  It was hot and we were tired;  a nap sounded like a good idea.

Wei found some free time to get his bag packed.  He had actually volunteered to be our guide and driver for the next two days to head north to stay one night in Sedona, Arizona and then head on to the final destination Flagstaff, Arizona.  There were no volunteers for cooking! For dinner, we all agreed, KFC it would be - easy, inexpensive, and tasty.  We took advantage of being home based and washed our clothes before heading into the final, fun-filled days ahead of our vacation.

Stay tuned for the next adventures in Kaleidoscope, Part IV. 

Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part II

The saga of our two week vacation continues, as Amtrak's Sunset Limited left on time from Los Angeles and carried us uneventfully to Mariposa, Arizona over night.  We were on such a high as we waited for our train.  When you are older, perhaps it's easier to comprehend how special it is to have that elated feeling.  Children have excitement all the time, but childhood feelings of wonder seemed to be what I felt about the new things we had seen and shared with an old friend and a new friend.  We were off on such a good start, what might lie ahead?  (Read Kaleidoscope, Part I for the beginning of the saga.)

Arriving in Mariposa early in the morning meant that we had missed views of the desert vistas, but now we were in the midst of the new landscape, as we took a taxi to Sheraton's Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in the middle of an Indian Reservation.  Seeing the dryness was actually scary, especially the dry riverbeds.  Someone on the train had called them arroyos, and I was reminded I was in very new territory, even the language was new.  But these arid surroundings were a different kind of beautiful, and we were in awe as we passed by many of the large saguaro cactus (pronounced sah war oh).  We even saw some tumbleweeds.  I was almost ready to get out on a horse and RIDE with the wind blowing through my hair.

Instead we enjoyed the luxury of being pampered, although there was a stable nearby if we chose to ride.  Although we had to wait to get into a room, we were surrounded by total serenity, something the hotel was obviously seeking in its artful design of the place.  I am most happy to say some over-achievers had been very busy getting this place together and they accomplished the feat.  Large open areas, high ceilings and a huge, authentic copy of a sacred waterfall in the lobby, set a most peaceful scene.  One of the staff explained these details had to be approved by the Indian Council and that down to the bedding in the rooms, chair coverings and carpet, all the patterns and themes were authentic to the Indian tribes' symbols from their environment or used in daily life, like basket weaving and pottery designs.

This is copied directly from the Resort's website, to give proper credit to the right Indian Council. "The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa was designed to be an authentic representation of the Gila River Indian Community's heritage and culture.  The architecture, design, art and legends of the Pima (Akimel O'otham) and Maricopa (Pee Posh) tribes are celebrated in every detail at our Chandler hotel, indoors and out."  Their website is: http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com

The lobby of this gorgeous, 500 room hotel was two stories high.  Driving up through a long drive of cactus and desert landscape led to the entry lobby which was actually on the second floor. This top level had wings leading off to rooms, a large seating area and fireplace, and the glass wall beyond the balcony was two stories high.  Through the glass one could view gently rolling grounds with few trees, the green areas of  the golf course and off to the left, stables.  A bar and the base of the large waterfall,  with more seating and tables was down below on the firsts level and also overlooked the outside areas.  Hallways to restaurants and wings to the hotel rooms on the first floor led off these open areas. Outside, the patio with tables and chairs and a fire pit overlooked two large pools and 2 hot tubs,  and plantings of various cacti and succulents.  What is not to like?  The staff were attentive and anxious to hand out bottles of water which we took gladly.  Newbies to the dryness, we drank as if we had been seeing mirages after hiking in to the oasis here.

After sitting on the patio for a bit and watching some hummingbirds, we decided to try out the pool while we waited for our room.  Taylor, who smilingly wheeled out our luggage to access swimsuits and bird books, was glad to be of service.  Of course, I am sorry to admit it, but I don't use the best tactics in packing, and so we had to haul out all the bags to search for the SUNSCREEN.  I still am thankful for Taylor's good service, though I did suggest he might have called out to the pool ahead of us and warned them that we were heading their way.  He shared a very good-natured laugh with us on that one.

We had only been there a couple of hours, and I was counting new birds and thumbing through my bird books to get them identified.  We had told the staff we were on the hunt for roadrunners, but assumed they would not be around the pool. The staff assured us they saw them often on the drives around the property.  Instead we saw gila woodpeckers eating at the tops of the saguaro cactus, great tailed grackles coming up on the chairs to beg for food and making many noisy calls, and also yellow-headed blackbirds.  These last are beauties, but we had seen them before so I could not actually add them as new sightings.

The pool, of course, had a bar and cafe and we had a very nice lunch of salad and sandwiches, and enjoyed the pampering we were giving ourselves.  By that time we finished, they had called us, and we were able to head up to the room and take a respite from the sun and heat.

We didn't want to spend much time in the room, perhaps a roadrunner was awaiting us outside.  The hotel offered free shuttle service via a small bus, and also small boats via the canals that had been built on the property.  We decided to take advantage of  the rides and look for the speedy birds.  The bus had screens on the windows to keep the hot sun off, and while we enjoyed learning tidbits from the drivers,we found the boats which were merely covered on top were much easier to use for sight seeing.  We saw lovely cactus and the surrounding areas,  and more hummingbirds and woodpeckers,  but no roadrunners.

For dinner that evening we took the shuttle on the canal and went to a neighboring business called Rawhide.  It was a small replica of a Western town, with little shops catering to tourists, a couple of places for snacks and ice cream and the family style restaurant "Rawhide".  We enjoyed a hearty meal of fried chicken, and a pasta with salad, and were entertained by live music from a guitar player singing oldies but goodies.  It was pleasant, but time to call it a night so we returned on the bus shuttle.  Tomorrow was going to be another relaxing day.  We had no set plans except for dinner.

We breakfasted at the golf course, had a wonderful Fry Bread with Mexican style eggs and toppings,  and were grateful for wonderful weather to eat on the patio.  We were bird watching and also watched the golfers and their carts already out in the coolness of the morning.  Our server was a wonderful fellow and since we were the only ones out to eat that early, he took the time to chat with us and tell us more about the area.  It's a wonderful thing to have TIME to listen and exchange conversation with others.  As we all know, everyone is so busy on their workdays and schedules, it isn't always easy to just share some easy conversation.  The two days at the resort were just so pleasant because we could enjoy many exchanges with those around us.

Then it was time to go to the pool.  We didn't want to be out at mid-day when the sun was getting so hot.  The grackles, blackbirds and hummingbirds were all out again, as we read through some magazines. We shared a salad before we went back to the room .  We had had a large breakfast, and had some exciting dinner plans, so a light lunch would hold us.  We took one last boat ride but no roadrunners, and returned to rest up and get dressed before dinner.

Our plans for dinner at the resort's Ko' Sin Restaurant were special because we were dining with my friend from high school, his wife and granddaughter.  This trip started out with the goal of seeing new places, but combining it with meeting old friends turned out to be brilliant planning, if I do say so myself.  Although we had known each other since kindergarten, Philip and I hadn't seen each other for about 25 years or so.  We had both made it back to the same class reunion but now we had yet another chance to catch up with each other's lives.  We enjoyed a fine dinner, our spouses joining in and making a most interesting and lively evening.  Their granddaughter, I hope, had a fine evening, too, though I am sure she was glad to leave and do her own thing at home.  The evening ended on a high note, and not too late.

Philip, Kerri, Akasha and I enjoyed our little get together.

 

 

 

 

In the morning we packed our bags, and ate a final bit of food on the patio while enjoying the last of our bird friends.  We gave up on the roadrunner and said our "Goodbyes" to the friendly staff.  These two days had been planned to be perfectly relaxing because the coming adventures over the second week of our vacation would build to the finale at the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, Arizona.  Our adventure for the next couple of days would  again give starring roles to friends from the past in another new place, Phoenix.  This will be available to read in Kaleidoscope, Part III.

Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part I

For my regular readers, this post will make a move to the present time, and tie in my past years in Japan to life in the present. I had described the blog as covering 4 years of adjustments and adventures in Japan and related events.  The truth is that the past is always related to the present.

Kaleidoscope, there's just something that I like about this word.  It comes from the Greek meaning "beautiful form".   I love to look through a kaleidoscope, as fragments of glass in all colors jump and roll, clackety clack, then fall into a momentary place of random beauty.  I think life is like a kaleidoscope.  A moment in time, fragments of here, right now, and places and moments from long ago, collapse into a moment of joy, or another of the range of human emotions, and that moment is suddenly captured, only to be shaken and moved onto another moment in one's life.  All of my happenings are fragments floating in my subconscious, and as new random moments are captured, the kaleidoscope clicks into new patterns.  It is unique to me and only me, and your kaleidoscope belongs to only you. 

The joy I found in Japan, those random moments of beauty, continues my theme of gypsy at heart.  The stars aligned, hubby had vacation time, reservations at desired locations were made, friends across the country had free time to share with us, and suddenly we were off on a vacation to Los Angeles, California, and Phoenix, Sedona and Flagstaff, Arizona.  My kaleidoscope was ready to capture the added adventures.

We traveled via Amtrak, out of Union Station in Washington, D.C. and took the Capitol Limited overnight to Chicago.  A six hour layover there left time to go the mile to the Chicago Art Institute's outstanding museum.   I like to admire art, but my husband is a lifetime student of art, especially the old European Masters.  We spent a couple of hours there, though he could have stayed longer.  He gave the museum a thumb's up and can't wait for the next visit there to revisit some of his favorites and see the rooms we didn't see on this first visit.

Hat Shop by Degas

We went back to the station to board the Southwest Chief, which would take us from Chicago on Sunday afternoon and arrive in LA on Tuesday morning.  Yes, it's a long journey, but the scenery and the company for the points in between is outstanding. Just what exactly is there to do on a long train trip?

 Most trains have view cars with snack lounges and dining rooms with options like marinated salmon and steak with truffle sauce.  The meals are quite good and filling and tables always take 4 passengers, so unless your family of 4 is traveling together, 3 meals a day become chances to make new acquaintances from around the U.S. and abroad.  This trip had 30 some tourists from England who were heading out West to explore, a lost Russian I found downstairs looking for the attendant, and fellow Marylanders that we would meet up with again at the Visitors' Center in Sedona, Arizona.

When we travel long distances by train, we get a small room called a roomette, with one pull down bunk, and two comfortable, adjustable seats that make into a lower bunk.  There are several roomettes to a car, with a shared sink and toilet at one end, along with some larger rooms with private bathrooms, and on the lower part are additional bathrooms, a shower, a couple of more roomettes and one or two rooms with access for disabled passengers.  Attendants make the beds and put them up in the morning, and are happy to get meals from the dining room for passengers not able to handle the movement of the train, who might be unwell or unable to move freely between the cars. The attendants are assigned to one car and are generally pretty cheerful,  knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions and do their best to help with individual's needs.

We arrived on time in Los Angeles and were met by two wonderful Japanese gentlemen, one of whom was my husband's former boss in Maryland but is now retired and living in the LA area. The other gentleman was his guest and visiting with him for a few days before leaving for Tokyo.  I had some misgivings at first about 2 days with 3 older Japanese men.  Would I be in the way, while they talked quickly in Japanese and left me out?  Would I feel uncomfortable as the only gaijin  (foreigner in this set group?    Hah, those fears were quickly set aside, as instead every wish I had was granted and we were whisked off to the local tourists' hotspots.- first to Little Tokyo, then to Beverly Hills, Sunset Blvd., Rodeo Drive, and up into the hills where the stars live.

In front of Union Station, Los Angeles

Sunset Blvd. Best Western Hotel with cascades of bougainvillea 

They took us to their favorite Japanese eateries, ramen noodles for lunch and off to "Iccho", a super popular eatery in Torrance, California which has a large Japanese and Korean population.  At Iccho we had the best time and the best food, like my favorites agedashidofu, a fried tofu in sweet sauce, tonkatsu, or fried pork, a curry dish, chicken teriyaki and delicious eggplant with minced pork in a sauce.  We shared it all and finished it all, went back to our friend's home and called it a night.  The next day would be filled with activities as well.

We woke up and made some toast and tea and nibbled on ham and pickles as we got ready to leave for the beach and lunch.  I had requested dungeness crab and that wish would be deliciously fulfilled at a place on the pier at Redondo Beach.  First we admired the Pacific coastline, some surfers and pelicans and then went in search of crab!  We found a large restaurant offering Japanese style dishes,  and super-sized crabs.  We decided to order only one and share it, since it was 2 pounds, and ordered a seafood platter and a spicy squid dish to go along with it.  Again, we were not disappointed.  The crab and all the other dishes were wonderful. Then our new friend spotted a curlew playing in the surf just outside our window.  They were even helping me bird watch!

Friends enjoy good food and fun at Redondo Beach.

Wonderfully fresh dungeness crab!

The next part of the tour was to Venice Beach which is filled with tourists and locals and has the reputation as the hippies' hangout from the 60's.  I think some of them are still there.  We enjoyed the sights but the beach was windy and actually chilly.  I toyed with the idea of a temporary henna tattoo, but didn't take the time to explore that adventure.  I might still do that, if only to get a rise out of my sons and their families.  Grandma with a tattoo???   SHHhhhhh, I will save that idea for another time.

Artsy scene at crowded Venice Beach

We next went to the Japanese dollar store, DaiSo near our lodging in LA.  I found some notebooks, little kittens dressed in silk kimonos  for the granddaughters and a few uchiwa, large, flat, round fans for the coming summer.  And then it was back to our friend's home so the men could go to the jacuzzi while I packed for another night on the train, this time the Sunset Limited which would take us to Mariposa, Arizona, and the next leg of our vacation in the desert.

Life is a Kaleidoscope, Part II  is coming soon, as the vacation adventure continues.  I wish you all moments of joy as your inner kaleidoscope captures the various moments of your day.

WE ALL START SCHOOL

September had finally arrived and Brian, Nancy and I started school with the students when they returned after their August break.  The calendar year in Japan starts April 1, and school ends sometime in March. In Japan, students attend local elementary schools and local junior high schools.  But they study very hard in the 9^th grade to be tested and accepted into competitive academic high schools if they want to go to college.  Some students go to private junior and senior high schools. Some of these require a considerable commute by the student or parents send them to schools which have boarding facilities if the commute is too far away.

Students are not driven to school as a rule.  They walk, or use public buses, trains or ferries.  Some ride their bicycles and after age 16 may ride a snazzy scooter.  Some have commutes using ferries and take their bikes or scooters to travel the rest of the way, or use public transportation.  They are in school from 8:00 a.m. through 3:30 and, some stay for extra study until 5:00 if they are studying to test into colleges in their senior year.

Teachers in the high schools start with one class in the tenth grade and stay with that class through the twelfth grade.  This is great for the students who like their teachers but it can be a long three years if they do not. Teachers all stay until at least 5:00 p.m.  Homeroom teachers fill the capacity of guidance counselors as well, and often share responsibility with parents when problems arise.  Teaching in Japan is not an easy job by any means.  We ALTs, however, left at 3:30 with the students and we had time for a social life after work.  I personally felt that was a huge perk, especially after having worked full time with college classes a couple of nights a week. 

We were each assigned a schedule to visit several schools 4 days a week with one day in the office.  Nancy was employed by the city school district and could walk to most of her schools right in Kaseda. She went primarily to junior high schools, a couple of elementary schools and some adult classes offered in the evening through the city government.

Brian’s main school would be in Kawanabe, a beautiful town a 20 minute bus ride away and also Satsunan, more of a trade or technical school in Chiran, just beyond Kawanabe.   Chiran was historically famous for its community of samurai residences with walled streets and also as a base for kamikazi bombers that targeted American ships in WWII.  He had a junior high school with the furthest location, a good one hour bus ride each way to Bonontsu.  It was  a seaside village with a beautiful protected harbor filled with fishing boats, and previously mentioned as the filming location in the James Bond movie, “You Only Live Twice.”

My main high school would be the highest-rated academically, Kaseda High School, where most of the students aspired to go to college.  I would also take buses to junior high schools in Oura Cho (town) and Kawanabe.  I had two other high schools in Kasasa, which was beyond Oura Cho, and Makurazaki City.  I would go to Kaseda High School at least 2 times a week, and the other schools very generally twice a month. 

Kaseda High School

The office staff at Kaseda High School

Closeup of Chrysanthemum Bonsai tree in the photo above

Makurazaki was my furthest school, about 45 minutes due south of Kaseda. A large, very old city, it stretched out along the seashore on one main road.  It was famous for processing smoked tuna and smoked mackerel.  The smoked tuna was used to flavor soups, especially miso soup and the mackerel was used similarly but has a more oily taste. When the bus entered Makurazaki, the smell of smoked fish could be over-powering. The scenic ride from Kaseda was mostly downhill through low mountains covered with green cedar trees and went through a small village.  Because of the bus schedules, a teacher was always assigned to drive me to back to my apartment at the end of the day.

A group picture of the teachers at Makurazaki High School

Makurazaki High School was a magnet school for students planning to work on tuna boats or planning careers in communication for the shipping trade and also fish or seaweed farming and harvesting.  The students there were almost always in dormitories, and they looked like they worked hard and were tired from living away from home.  

They were not as motivated to speak English but we worked on communications in English via email with a high school in Germany.  It was the only place that I saw email in use in Kagoshima schools, but I am sure more schools were using it.  I only went there twice a month.  It was an old school and not as comfortable as Kaseda High School.   Directly on the ocean, it was cold and damp in winter.  The bathrooms were old and not as clean as I would have liked, and I would be there all day and only go to a couple of classes.

But the up side was that they had several teachers and office staff that were friendly and always up for a bit of laughter.  I could go outside in good weather and enjoy beautiful flowers and views of the open sea from the back of the school.  In the spring they prepared a big surprise for me.  They let me go out in a very large lifeboat with the students and a teacher while they practiced rowing.  I didn’t see any life jackets but we didn’t go out very far. 

The boat was heavy, and the students did a good job of getting it turned around to go back to the dock.  I was glad it was a short ride because getting seasick would have been a sure thing. We were sitting three across and I was next to the teacher, who was always wearing a smile but didn’t speak English.  He suddenly started speaking excitedly and then smacked me a good one on the hip.  The gaijin was sitting on the rope we needed to tie us up as we came to the pier.  It was not really as embarrassing as it was funny, and the students could not hide their laughter.  I felt a little sorry for the teacher, but we were both laughing pretty hard, too.  I wonder if he is re-telling the story or keeping it to himself.  Oh, yeah, I am sure he enjoys repeating it.

About once a month, a principal would come from an elementary school and personally chauffeur me from the office to spend just an hour or two in the gym with three or four classes of students and their teachers. The adults spoke little English but we sang songs such as “The Farmer in the Dell” and played games like “duck, duck goose”.  The students were shy at first, then laughing and running and having a good time.  After fun and games I would go to the office with the principal, and the office lady would bring in some green tea and a piece of Japanese cake (Okashi) or rice crackers (senbei) for both of us. Then he would drive me back to my apartment. 

This seemed quite formal, because no one could speak English. Bows, greetings, smiles, but that first visit seemed long and tedious.  I had already learned a smile could go a long way in terms of communicating.  No matter how I felt, I smiled. I learned that it was up to me to make it fun for the kids and the adults. If I made it easy, everybody had a good time. 

Soon I wore my biggest smiles for the kids, and made a big show of using the words loudly and repeatedly as we played games and sang songs. Each successive ride with the principal seemed more relaxed for both of us, and the principal seemed to wear a bigger smile each time, too.  They always paid me extra, which I tried to return because I got a monthly salary and travel money, too.  They must have thought I was nuts to try and return it, so I finally accepted it , and used it to see more of their country or for a couple of nights out at the "Southern Cross".

Getting up and going off on a bus was like an adventure in and of itself.  I had stayed close to home but now I sat on the bus, and paid attention, making sure I got off at the right stop.  I usually had a block or two to walk from the stop. On each of the rides, I found new sights that became favorite views, and I would intently anticipate and relish each of them as I passed. 

My favorite ride was to the junior high school in Oura cho.  It was a short ride but it was along the sea coast with mountains in the distance.  Besides a beautiful bay, it passed an area where fish were laid out on nets to dry and be packaged for markets.  They were small and looked like sardines.  I seldom saw more than a few boats out to sea and they were all small fishing boats.  I did not see sailboats or pleasure craft.  I was beginning to realize I had made a good choice on my application.  We could pick rural or city preferences.  Since I grew up in a small town, the choice had been easy.  But I did not expect such raw beauty.  It soon became a treat to visit the other schools, and I enjoyed each journey along the way.

An appreciation of the countryside, the mountains and the sea paved the way for me to develop feelings for this new place.  The language, food, religion, and culture were so different from my own, and yet this beauty was now becoming more familiar and carving a place in my heart.

The dynamics of the teachers and the students were different in each school, and I would soon learn that some wanted me to work with them more than others and often for good reasons. These will be given more detail in later posts. In the meantime, just showing up and smiling was working well for all of us.  Teaching tips and adjustment problems were scheduled to be addressed at a mandatory three day conference scheduled for mid-September in Kagoshima, and over 100 ALTs from the entire province, including those based on islands would attend.

 We would have meetings to address our adjustments and any problems, panels to provide teaching tips and a lot of networking and sharing of the best places to eat and where we might find necessities  or brands of items we needed.  It also seemed a bit like a paid vacation because we would have travel money to make our own hotel reservations and to pay for the food we would eat at places of our choosing.  

The meetings would be led by senior ALTs because the JET Program encouraged that one year contracts be renewed for a second and a third year.  This conference would be a chance for all of us to meet all the new and returning ALTs in Kagoshima.  I was really looking forward to finding out more about the city and meeting everyone.   I had met Maria and a couple of others in Tokyo, and Nancy, Brian and Mark would all be there, but  the other 100 or so attendees would be new to me.  My admiration for the JET Program would grow with each of these conferences.  They were providing support we all needed, respite from routine, and they were also allowing us to see new places around the country.  I never grew tired of seeing more.