Father and son intent on whacking that air hockey puck

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Originally uploaded by mjpatey

A wonderful 9 days in Arizona! We enjoyed the fantastic hosting/guiding/touring services of Pattie and Paul in their Sedona townhouse, stayed two ...

... days at the Grand Canyon, and spent an afternoon experiencing the astronomical wonders of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Each and every day we hiked for four hours. If we had not, we would still be carrying the weight of that delicious southwest cuisine! We'll have these memories for a long time! Thank you, McGovern's!

Pausing to absorb the spiritual energy of the vortex at Oak Creek Canyon.

Look at me! Thanks, Pattie, for helping me with my fear of heights/edges. I would have missed so much.

Sunrise at the Grand Canyon

One of our hikes took us on a trail where we saw Petroglyphs (carvings into rocks) from thousands of years ago.

Sedona is an area of great spirituality. We saw many fields of dolmens along the way.

Dolmans are created with seven balanced stones, and are an expression of one's inner peace.

Ed creates his own

This was a hot day to hike but we really wanted to do "the Cathedral". This is the most photographed rock formation in the US and is truly amazing.

Did he make it to the top? You'll have to read on . . .

Some "teenager" elk braved their way onto the lawn outside our lodging, and I was lucky enough to get a few shots.

Sunset begins a magnificent transformation of color . . .

The picture many have waited for (including me). ME CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE SOUTH RIM OF GRAND CANYON. Notice the tight grip on Ed's knee!

S-N-O-W along the road as we made our way to Flagstaff.

An afternoon side-trip to Flagstaff provided Ed with the opportunity to fulfill a long-held dream.

We toured the Lowell Observatory where, among other things, Ed reveled in seeing the Alvin Clark 24 in. telescope (1896) and hearing that it is still used today. This site houses Lowell's mausoleum, the Pluto telescope, several other telescopes and many educational and research buildings. Ed was in 7th Heaven!

Imagine coming out of your townhouse every morning and seing this beautiful sight as you hop into your car!

The view from the church on the hillside. We all made it up there and the church was magnificent but . . .

the ramp leading upto the church was absolutely torture for those of us who have height/edge anxieties (me). I rushed along the middle of the road and dashed into the church!

Will we ever get there?

Beleive it or not, Ed and I made it up 90 percent of this mountain. Hats, sunscreen and many bottles of water were the order of the day.

Ed was mighty careful about where he sat!

After a morning of hiking up Red Rock Crossing, we paused for a photo.