Le Grand Canyon

I have talked to dozens of lifetime Phoenix residents who say they have never been to the Grand Canyon. It is one of those things where you think you always could go if you wanted - the canyon ain't going nowhere. But if you live in Phoenix...as far as I'm concerned the best thing about living in Phoenix is having places like Sedona and the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon a mere few hours drive away.

Victor and I made it a two day trip. We spotted in Flagstaff on the way up and walked around Northern Arizona University where the deciduous trees and exposed stone of the school buildings gave me nostalgia for the east coast. We stayed the night in Williams, a one stop light town whose main drag is made up of Route 66 (yes that Route 66). The drag is mostly bars and southwest souvenier shops. I stopped in one that advertised '100s of hot sauces 'round back'. The picture below is of JUST ONE WALL. Out of three. OMG.



We spent the next day at the Grand Canyon National Park. For the most part we stuck to the rim trail, but near the end of the day we ventured maybe a third of mile down a trail that eventually leads to the bottom of the canyon. The shortest trail to the bottom of the canyon is 7.5 miles, and the park highly discourages people from attempting the round trip in one day. There was a sign at the trailhead that said "Getting to the bottom is optional. Getting back to the top is required."







While we were watching the sunset (hence the golden edges below) some lady came up behind us and asked if we would like her to take a picture of us...small and nebbish.

Leaving home (again) tomorrow

My life looks a little like this these days...I just looked over my shoulder at my room in this house and thought: how did my stuff get back here? It looks a lot like it did when I was getting ready to leave in July. Clothes on the bed and floor, open suitcase, hesitation about what will fit.

There has been a strange non-passing of time in the house since I left this summer. More on that later. Tomorrow I will sleep in my 6th bed in two weeks.

Things I hate...

"Chick Flicks" that reward misogynists with smart, caring, capable women in the end because the men have "changed." These portrayals help to perpetuate dysfunctional relationships and abusive treatment of women.  They make every man seem redeemable and keep women from taking action in their situations because they come to believe that, if they suffer long enough, he will see the light, and they will live happily ever after. 

Also highlighted in this movie: sex-crazed women willing to ignore a man's reputation for mistreating partners in pursuit of a good lay. Priceless.

I also hate being the only one in the room who is outraged.

Something else

Macci, another woman I have stayed with on this trip was telling me about why she thinks her mother never worried about her when she was traveling the world in her younger (and current) years. She said her mother subscribes to a worldview which Macci called: 

Mothers Without Borders.

The idea is that basically, in life, whenever something truly terrible happens there are "mothers" (Macci pointed out that sometimes these mothers are not even female...) all over the world who are able to swoop in and offer comfort to you when you are in need, no matter where you are, no matter what you need. Just thinking about such a thing makes me feel safer in the world. I think there was too much emphasis on wariness and being self-reliant when I was growing up. I mean it's certainly important to be aware and independent, but in my life experience so far, I must say that a surprising number of people have helped rather than harmed me. I'm working toward trusting in the world a little more these days.

Eva Mondon

I stayed two nights in Putney, VT (Sunday/Monday) of this week. I was haphazardly on the phone with you on my way to Eva Mondon's house. Eva is someone who is listed in the Quaker Traveling Friends Directory (read: couch-surfing Quaker style), so I had emailed her beforehand to find out if it was alright for me to stay with her. She said yes, and that she would have a meditation group meeting at her house just before I got there, but that we could have dinner together afterwards. She signs her emails, and evidently her mailbox, "evaeva" and answers her phone, "you've got eva!"

Dinner reminded me a lot of you! Kale, beans with cheese, tortillas, sweet potatoes, all with a bit of rice wine vinegar.

Anyway, Eva and I talked a lot while I was there. She is someone who seems to know (and take care of) everyone in town, and she made two or three phone calls on my behalf to help me build my contacts in Putney. She is sort of elderly, and has Rheumatoid Arthritis, so she is a little less active than she used to be. But, she's been all over the world and has done wonderful peace work and community building her whole life. 

There is a sign above her garage door that says "A room in the house of the village." That pretty much tells of her life in Putney. She says she never locks her door, because about once a year someone might come through and stay at her house in the middle of the night, because they know she's here and need a play to stay. She told me that she often sees people biking through Vermont at the food co-op and she'll just invite them to stay with her and have a shower or camp outside or whatever. She's not a woman who has very much, but she shares everything she has, and in turn, people share with her. She told me that she received hospitality all over the world when she was younger. Everywhere she went people welcomed her in. She said that the hospitality in this country is pretty pitiful and that everyone is always so scared to welcome strangers, but she's not been swayed. 

I am always thankful to find people who advocate taking a chance on people, and trusting in the inner-goodness of things. It makes me feel like it can work. I mean, I certainly benefitted from her kindness. She had a man named Fletcher over for breakfast Monday morning (a weekly tradition) and a decent group of people from her tai chi class for dinner. She said she just wanted to me to meet EVERYONE. Meals were simple, but with great company. All wonderful people, all really engaged with their world. Not distracted, not disinterested. 

Anyway, Eva gave me her "card" when I left. Evidently someone else had it made for her.  It reads:

EVA MONDON

storytelling * matchmaking

advice sought and unsought

advisor to the lifelorn

word of mouth

Let's be sure to visit her together some day.

Six Shooter Bloody Mary

My favorite hot sauce so far has been the Arizona Gunslinger Chipotle Habernaro, so when I was at Frys yesterday I decided to give their Jalapeno Pepper Sauce a try. (Highly recommended, btw). On the back of the bottle there is a recipe for the six shooter bloody mary, which in addition to vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice and the hot sauce includes club soda and beef bullion. Moo.

Despite our bad experience with bloody mary, I want to like the drink. Its alcohol. With vegetable juice. How could I, of all people, not like it? I can't tell if substituting whiskey would make it better or worse (though if you have to ask that question about mixed drinks, the answer is usually the latter). While doing research on this very important question I came across a cocktail called the Crying Game: Absolut Vodka, Bailey's Irish Cream, Grenadine, Jack Daniel's Whiskey, Kahlua, Rum, Tequila, Tomato Juice.

P.S. The picture is of the "cowboy hat caddy". Welcome to Arizona.