ZION NATIONAL PARK
Zion is another National Park carved from the Colorado Plateau.... sandstone layers, casting great
evening shadows, the Virgin River still carving its way along, lined with the cottonwood trees! The huge crowds here prompted the introduction of a shuttle system to the various points of interest and trail heads.... very convenient and "green". We hiked to Emerald Pools to view the waterfalls, seeping from the sandstone, creating lush greenery and flowers on the canyon walls. Two men, near eighty from Wisconsin, followed us up the steep trail for over an hour in pretty intense heat. They were, of course, in long jeans and long sleeved shirts, farmers maybe? We chatted back and forth, not certain who was inspiring whom. I spoke to them about grey hair and gravity! Janet joked with them about a Starbucks at the end of the trail. They said, "They'd be more thrilled with a good brewed beer right about then, is what they were thinking!" One reminded Janet of her Uncle Irv, calm and had a sense of humor! Good ole' boys, just keep on keepin' on in life!
I did a solo hike to Hidden Canyon that included some bouldering, climbing up logs, till I felt I could go no farther safely. The silence was noticeable even by me!! Getting there required a ledge walk on slick rock with a chain railing....thank you park service workers or C.C.C!
John Wesley Powell on Zion.... "All of this is the music of waters"
Grand Canyon National Park
This was our third visit here, but the first on the North Rim! We biked and camped in a beautiful pine forest with such a fresh scent and hiked the rim in the eve at sunset. I hiked one of endless side canyons named the "Bright Angel" with enough switchbacks and canyon length to create a fourteen mile one way trip to the river below. I ambled down only about two miles taking in the flowers and geology. It was a busy Saturday, so the trail was an expressway of people. The arduous trip back up was accented by the trail of waste coming from the mule train of riders I followed. Mix that with the heat and you can imagine........... Janet was happy she had stayed with Silver!
Animals we have seen: The Kaibab squirrel with a black fur, white tail, and funny large ears eluded us. We had seen hundreds of squirrels over the past six months, but this one we only saw "stuffed" in the visitor center ......until the last morning as we were driving from the park and there he was.... on the side of a tree! We only caught a glimpse and I commented that it was probably my Dad's spirit saying "surprise!" Others were the mule deer, a lizard with a "preppy sweater", a golden mantled ground squirrel that moved like lightening, and a coyote.
Written by a Grand Canyon surveyor in 1900, trying to take in the size of this place "dimension means nothing to the senses and all we are left with is a troubled sense of immensity."
People we have met: A couple in their sixties who had just completed a year in the Peace Corp. in Belize. They taught there, but were quick to learn themselves that "other countries want to be told of our democracy but let them take what they want from it and don't you Americans try to change how we do everything."
Thoughts and a Poem by Janet:
I always said after I moved to Colorado, "Yes, the mountains are beautiful, but my Mother's face and spirit were much more beautiful and I missed her so!" I became so sentimental this May! I have worked on a poem dedicating it to her. I am dedicating it to Ty's Mother who is turning 88 yrs. young on the 30th of May! Also I am dedicating this to another Mother, her sister, Aunt Roberta who will be 90 yrs. young in June! They made a difference for all of their families!
Excuse me as I divert from our trip to honor Mothers! (Didn't know how to double the columns)
Mom was the scent of her lilacs in May,
so breathtakingly sweet!
Her smile was as bright as the poppies
she so adored.
The roses were the color of a few special
dresses she wore,
always being a lady, like her Mother Lilly,
was so important to her!
The Memories.....oh sweet memories of
our delicate rose!
Her garden......her earthly diversion from the
daily rigors of housework and us kids.....
The color of hope in those huge, shiny tomatoes..
certainly multiplied with her daily caress......
and the work of those tomatoes, beans, corn,
and strawberries awaiting to be canned in those
antique Mason jars to store in the ole' basement cabinet!
The peeling, the slicing, the dicing,
the blanching, sterilizing jars, the straining......
went on and on and on........on those hot summer days,
all were a part of this favorite dance in her favorite room!
The grapes on the vines demanding to be jam....
........sweet, so sweet as heaven must be!
The Irish potatoes to fill us up fast.....
the tomatoes, the carrots, the onions, and the
fat lady cabbage heads smiling so proud.....
all awaiting the older than old, stainless pot.
The magic potion was so steamy and HOT!
Oh, the rhubarb, so hardy and crisp to
make large, round pies of "YUM!"
Oh, a summer's patchwork of food to save
money and precious dessert for our tums!
A few rows of zinnias to punch up the color,
along with the magical spell of hollyhocks
for trim and some light thunder!
The trees Mom and Dad lovingly planted for shade,
also for their bird and squirrel friends,
just sharing God's space!
Those yucca plants growing straight up from
the center of the earth.....so so bound,
all a part of this patchwork on this, oh such
sacred ground!
Oh, the old, scarred up picnic table,
so silent sits
near the trellis of white
with a portrait of roses....
one of Mom's special delights!
The ole' clothesline Dad put in himself...
not even an earthquake dare budge...
with memories in colors clinging on
it so tight......
the flapping of sheets and towels,
Mom's apron in flight with a smile!
The ole' squirrel feeder would provide
Dad a job in those later years!
He would be generous with such......
strong words for those squirrels who
just might not partake of his feast of ears,
Dad so unselfishly shared!!!
The clothes Mom had made us
with the ole' sewing Singer machine,
her foot on the manual pedal,
her spirit full of dreams as she sewed
up those seams for her red-headed twin daughters!
Mom made us coats when we were 3!
She made us our dresses and slacks at age 11,
and then they were cousin Julie's
when she turned 7!
Oh, the cakes Mom would bake every May.....
painting and sculpting with those delicate
strokes of shades of pastels from her soul.....
carving fine flowers and special green leaves,
with joy in her heart and special art in her skills,
with frosting so smooth it would shine at her will....
for the graduates' success and her love for their families!
Mom marched daily onward as a true Christian lady!
a Member, since l946 of the Methodist Church ladies
and also a Home Extension Member, she also loved too!
and a proud member of the Legion Auxiliary for years!
Mom helped at a food shelter,
doing always for others!
because that's just what she did...... Did for others!
People and friends would say to us,
"Oh she is so so frail!!,"
and we would say back to them, "No, you
don't know our Mother, she is as strong as steel!"
Mom battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma
in her 40s and won,
later hip fractures, a car accident,
and T.B....and exactly one week away
from 89..... Dec. 3!
But hours before dying in her hospital bed,
she asked with what was left of her breath.....
Where's my paring knife???? what???
"I'm was going to cut up those apples
for the Thanksgiving pie!"
A lady with passion right up to the end!
We held her warm hand and sang, "Jesus
Loves Me!"
She looked lovely and peaceful in her gown
of soft blue,
laying beside her a red rose....from a dear friend who knew!
We said our goodbyes and let go of her hand,
heard a loud silence and felt a calmness,
and knew then Mom was with Jesus, Her Friend,
her Mother and Dad, her brothers David and Dallas,
whom she had talked about till the end,
but now peaceful again!
And let us all say, "Amen!"
Thank you Mom for walking us through your garden of integrity, of truth, of wisdom, of strength, of endurance, of generosity, and of humor!
Thank you for holding me up at night when I was an infant so that I could breathe, being affected by asthma!
Thank you for the many times you would worry about where Eddie was......even though we couldn't find him most of the time! And thanks for teaching Jane and I how to sew!
We loved taking huge plates of homemade candies and cookies to friends and people who had very little for their Christmas! And going with you to visit the elderly too!
Thank you for showing your generosity of spirit!
Believe me, your spirit is with us always! You will live on.............................................................
Your Great Granddaughter Zofia tells us, "I have Great Grandma's hands!"
We hope Dad knew how much we appreciated the fact that he did work hard, so that we could have a house and Mom could make her home! We were blessed!
Funny: Our campsite was surrounded by many huge ant hills. Having a popcorn snack one afternoon, I noticed one carrying away a small piece I had dropped. Would you believe behind him was another ant, carrying a Red Box movie!!!
A not so funny by Janet: Silver and my new Grand Torino bike, are as worn as the mountainsides, but Ty hasn't noticed! He just sees Mother Nature creations!
