Sedona Arizona with Jan & Connie - Train Trip & Airport Vortex

For something different, we decided to catch a scenic train ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad.

The inside of the train was air conditioned and very comfortable.

The outside areas were great too. They had nice covers overhead to protect us from the sun, as well as benches to sit on as we watched the scenery go by. I spent most of my time outside feeling the wind in my hair and watching the beauty pass by.

Connie enjoying the scenery


They served us ice cream on the train, but had to get it from another train passing by!

Connie, Jan and I outside enjoying the scenery

It was a great afternoon. Very relaxing and enjoyable.

We returned to Sedona in the late afternoon, so we decided to try and find another Vortex. This time we went looking for the Airport Vortex...it is, naturally, near the airport. We located it and climbed up to enjoy the view. Unfortunately, Jan had worn sandles on the train and didn't have hiking-type shoes on, so she went a small way up the mountain. As Connie and I reached the top and saw the view, it was enough to humble and inspire us...we didn't need a Vortex, but I guess we were in one.

Connie at the top of the Airport Vortex

We sat and enjoyed the quiet and peace, then walked back down to the car.

As Connie and I walked down to the car we came across this peace symbol written with small stones. Our shadows fell across the symbol and I asked Connie to join hands with me and take our picture together in peace.
Connie and I have a mysterious deep connection with each other. Each of our lives has been very different, we disagree on many things...like, she is a Republican and I am a Democrat...yet our lives always seem to be "bumping" into each other. There is something deep between us and niether one of us understands it, but we accept it and are glad for it. She accepts me as I am (altho at times would prefer I change!) and I accept her as she is (altho at times I prefer she change!). This photo of the two of us strikes my heart, because it is not of our actual image, but it is an image of the shadow of what we are...and that is a mystery.

Sedona Arizona with Jan & Connie - Merry Go Round

There is a reason it is suggested that you rent a four-wheel drive when you go to Sedona! Every road that leads to a beautiful place is dirt. A regular car would have a hard...and sometimes impossible...time getting to all the wonderful locations.

And so...we headed up the dirt road...


It was a beautiful drive...
and along the way we saw Cowpie. There were several trails enticing us to hike up into Cowpie, but we were determined to reach Merry Go Round.


We finally made it to Merry Go Round...and such a beautiful view! Here Connie and Jan sit on the edge of Merry Go Round. If you are brave you can climb all the way around it!

A view of Cowpie from Merry Go Round...Sedona is so very beautiful!

We stayed up there for quite a while watching the tourist come and go...and in between the beauty of the silence of nature.


Here is a view looking back toward Merry Go Round as we drove back down the road.



As we traveled home I saw the moon in the crystal blue of the late afternoon sky. Peace came over me. The earth is such a beautiful place and we are so fortunate to be here having the experience of enjoying this great place called Sedona.

Sedona Arizona with Jan & Connie - Cathedral Mountain

Naturally, where there are women there is shopping! Connie traded her time share for an absolutely wonderful condo/spa experience. The units were next door to a very creative and unique shopping area that was filled with tiny clever gift stores, galleries and restuarants. FUN!

The shopping area had all kinds of sculpture throughout its gardens...when I saw this frog I just HAD to get a picture of Connie throwing it a kiss...you see, she once collected frogs and now she can't get folks (including me) to stop giving them to her!

Our first adventure outside of town took us to this unique shopping area where we enjoyed a nice rest for our feet in their rocking chairs...

After our rest we decided to go in search of a Vortex. Now, any of you that don't know about Sedona and Vortex's have been living in a cave. There are Vortex's all over Sedona. These special places are suppose to be areas of spiritual connection...and so we set out to find one...

We were told that there was one in the general location of the Cathedral mountains...and so we hiked, and hiked, and hiked...

We finally gave up and decided that between the three of us we had enough spirituality to create our own Vortex, so we sat down and meditated. We were so in tune with "the powers that be" that some birds even came up to us...we saw that as a good sign since our last name, Vogel, means bird in German...so we must have been on some sort of good wave length! HA!

We said adios to the birds and hiked back to the parking lot to have lunch.

Of course along the way we saw many beautiful flowers blooming...and I just couldn't resist taking pictures...
More to come....

Cuz'n Trip to Sedona Az - Botanical Garden

Connie, Jan, Cheri and I were the four girl cousins that grew up together in the San Francisco bay area. Connie and I are one year apart, so we had one adventure after another and became very close. Cheri and Jan kind of got left out...Jan being too old and Cheri being too young. However, as we reached that wonderous mature age of our lives where age no longer matters, we decided it would be fun to have a Cuz'n Trip to reconnect. Our first trip was in 2006 to the south west in Connie's motorhome. The picture below is of the four of us with our Happy Camper T-shirts while visiting Zion National Park.


Our next trip, in 2007, happened because Connie had been after us for several years to join her on a trip to Mexico to see Copper Canyon. The previous year Cheri had a bad experience in Mexico and didn't want to return to that country again. (She got extremely ill..Montezuma had a big revenge!) So, she decided not to join us.

We took Connie's motorhome down into Mexico and then Connie drove it onto the bed of a train. The train slowly meandered through the mountains until it reached Copper Canyon, stopping at little villages along the way. It was truly a wonderful trip and one of the highlights of my life. I love Mexico! I could do an entire blog on this trip..it was great! Below is a picture of the three of us in a resturant in Mexico.


This year, in April of 2008, Jan and I took up Connie's suggestion of a luxurious week in Sedona using her time-share at a spa. We spent the week being pampered, looking at art and hiking in the wonderful countryside of Sedona. After the April Cuz'n trip I went out to California to see Cheri. She was in bad shape, but I didn't realize how bad, because it was the last time I would see her before she died.

Due to our various schedules, Connie and I happened to fly into Arizona a day earlier than Jan so we spent the day visiting the Botanical Garden in Scottsdale. Truly a wonderful experience to see all those strange desert plants...and so many of them in bloom!




Connie and I had all kinds of fun photographing the flowers that were in bloom everywhere!

I never knew cactus could be purple!

Or fuzzy!

The colors, textures and shapes were inspirational...I felt like I had landed on some other planet and eveything was new to me.


When I was young and had just moved to southern Calif, outside Palm Springs with my new husband, I had a very hard time adjusting to the desert. Connie, who loves the desert, taught me how to see the beauty in it. Through her I came to see the desert as God's abstract expressionism and learned to love the shapes and forms. This botanical garden just reinforced that feeling.

Their butterfly garden was filled with more than butterflies...LOTS of children were in there too! It was fun watching the kids get so excited about an insect...but then, so did we!



And, of course, there were art installations in the garden. Connie and I had to join the kids in crawling around in what looked like a giant tumble weed...


It was a great day filled with the wonders of nature. If you are ever in Scottsdale be sure to stop by the botanical garden and enjoy it too!

The rest of the Sedona trip will follow in a later blog...time for me to go back to work!....

Celebration of Cheri's Life

I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to share the funeral with you, but this summer has been very hectic...I haven't been home for most of it.

I was not able to attend the Celebration of Cheri's Life due to the fact that I was in Europe at the time. Last year my granddaughter had the opportunity to spend a month during the summer traveling through various European countries with her history teacher and class. Jackie (my daughter) and I joined the group as helpers. We had a wonderful time. I was so glad that I had the opportunity to have this great experience with two people I love so much.

The morning of Cheri's Life Celebration, we found ourselves in Paris. I woke early and went to a church that had been built in the 1400's. It was a very simple church, but the stain glass windows were more recent. They had a cubist flare to them, so I think they were done in the 1940' - 50's. As I sat there thinking about Cheri and her family it dawned on me that they were all still sound asleep...they were still in the previous day by a few minutes! It was a strange feeling to know that I was up, the sun was up, my day was on the way and they had not even crossed midnight yet and gone into the day of Cheri's Celebration.

Anyway, as I sat there I turned to look at the stain glass window next to me and was overwhelmed with the importance of the image. I have posted it below. The window was of an angel who had broken the chains that tied her to earth...just as Cheri has. Tears filled my eyes, but a smile entered my heart. The image was a reaffirmation that Cheri had escaped the prison of her body and was free.
When I returned from Europe I found a CD in my mail from Connie with images of the Celebration. I know it is hard to remember to photograph when sadness fills the heart and tears fill the eyes, but Connie did a great job. I thank her for doing it, otherwise I would have never experienced the good bye to Cheri.

The event was held on the porch of Cheri and Tom's new home.

A few words were said and those who wanted to say anything special stood up and spoke. Again, I thank Connie for reading the words I sent to her to share with everyone about Cheri.

Cheri's family had also put together the story of her life on a CD of images with music. I also received that CD in the mail when I returned from Europe and tears flowed very hard and long while watching it.

Then a white dove was taken out of a box.





The dove was a symbol of Cheri's new life. Everyone touched the dove and said good-bye to Cheri.







Tom then released the dove.









As it flew to freedom everyone was in tears.











From Connie's photographs I felt that the ceremony was filled with thoughtful love for Cheri and what her life meant to her family and friends. Her family did a wonderful job and I thank them for honoring Cheri with such love.

One of the things about funerals and weddings is that it is often the only time "long lost" relatives see each other! Connie took several group photographs of the California Cuzn's...many of whom I hadn't seen since Uncle Paul's funeral several years ago. MMMMmmmmm...we really need to get together more often!

L-R: Glen, Charlene, Connie, John, Jan, Philip, Gary

L-R with spouse: Glen, Charlene, Dave & Connie, John, Jan
Phil & Kathy, Gary & Arlene

Jim & Linda
(Jimmy isn't a Vogel cousin, he is actually a cousin of Connie's - from her mom's side - but Jimmy, Connie and I were the Three Muskateers when we were young and to me he qualifies as a "Vogel" cousin just as much as any "Vogel" cousin out there!)

Maria, Jan, Concha
Maria and Concha are sisters. Concha is the ANGEL in our life. She spent several years taking care of Uncle Paul and then after Cheri's stroke she moved in with Tom and took care of Cheri. Her gentle loving care of Cheri was a blessing that has no words...she is truly a gift from heaven.

Kevin (son of Lori), Lori, & Lisa
Jan has four children - two boys & two girls - the two girls were able to make it up to the funeral.