Sunday, May 12, 2013

such a fine sight to see


happy happy mother's day! we are home now, from our four day road trip. chuck and i were discussing, as we (he) drove the many long miles there and back, why do some trips feel as though you've been away many more days than you actually are? it must be the amount of activity or perhaps even more true, the emotion in those moments...



 we began in california, our home. our first destination was joshua tree, where we spent one night


 took one long hike


 and had a nourishing breakfast before heading further east



 desert sights



 crossing the colorado river into...


 arizona!


 we are headed to tempe


 to ASU - arizona state university


 welcome to the 2013 undergraduate commencement!





 to see my youngest son graduate!!!


 the tears started first when he text me a photo two weeks ago, a picture of himself in his cap and gown...







 THAT'S MY BOY!




 congratulations graduates!







 my eldest and youngest sons (missed you erik!) ((my middle son is in nyc)



 my boy kyle, me, jacob the graduate! and nicole


 we took a zillion photos, i wondered if the camera could see my heart exploding with so much pride and joy


 there was a lot of this, cheers!  congratulations jacob michael, my son, now a college graduate. oh sigh.


the next morning, while the kids were at the pool, i googled yarn stores. only twelve minutes away, was tempe yarn!


i walked




 yipee!



 temps were in the high ninety's, so it was back at the pool for us too


 and later in the day, the desert botanical garden in phoenix


 we saw a cactus wren


amazing cactus displays



 cute critters



 and a funny roadrunner



next day, leaving tempe (still tears, is it ever easy to leave your children?)


 we took the long way home, heading north first, towards flagstaff


and took another early morning hike


 to agua fria national monument





 can you see what's on these boulders?


hee hee, good camouflage tiny toad


can you see chuck too? we climbed all over these rocks and through the canyon



to see what we could see, but mostly to find this rock art. here there are over eighty six individual petroglyphs, which are symbols that were pecked into the rock surfaces with hammer stones. native american people have lived in this area for at least 2,000 years.









we spent three hours, by nine o'clock the temperatures were already nearing triple digits, so we were on our way once again



 a stop for breakfast


 a sudden rainstorm!


 back across the colorado river


 welcome to california




we drove along watching this train for many miles, as it made its way forward, all along thinking about my young sons future and all it holds for him.
thank you husband for all you give me, and thank you for coming along, it is always such a pleasure.
xxx lori

60 comments:

  1. wow.....
    such an emotional trip!!!!!
    love, xxxx Ale

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  2. Congrats to your son. Your trip looked amazing as always. I love the last picture. It looks like a toy train. Thanks again for taking us along on your trip.

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  3. It looks like a wonderful trip! Congratulations Mama on your suns graduation - you made me tearing with your heart bursting with pride, what a wonderful occassion!

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  4. OMG! you were in my TOWN! all those places you went, I GO TO! lol i might have seen you on the street near ASU (where my daughter goes). what did you think of tempe yarn and fiber?? and the DBG?? :)

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    1. we love tempe! your yarn store was amazing, i loved all the spinning wheels and classes they offer, great selection of yarn too! dbg was incredible, but so hot, we should have gone earlier. it happened to be also national garden day so lots of people! how wonderful your daughter goes to asu, it's a fantastic school!

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  5. wow what a trip!!! my personal fave is the tiny toad on the rock. . .great pic!!!

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  6. What a lovely story. Your sons look so handsome and proud, you've clearly done a great job Mum!

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  7. Hugest congratulations to Jacob :)

    I'm not surprised you feel you've been away for a good while ... looks like you packed a lot in! And such gorgeous photographs, as always :)

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  8. Beautiful Post Lori and lovely pictures to match! Congrats to your Son - you must be so so proud!!! Your boys are so TALL! I can't imagine my boys getting any taller than my waist. And the roadrunner is so small. I always imagined them larger like they appear in the roadrunner and coyote cartoons :-D Mel x

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  9. Congratulations to you and your son - how exciting!

    Ironic (to me, anyway). While you were doing these amazing things in the desert, I was spinning some fiber I'd dyed. As it spun, I thought about calling it "desert bloom" - now I'm going to have to compare it to your photographs. (:

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  10. I could feel your pride and heart bursting to overflowing... and your tears. Life is fluid and we shift along with it, don't we? So happy for you Lori and thank you for taking us along with your gorgeous photos! Belated Happy Mother's Day -- you are definitely and awesome mom!

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  11. Oh goodness Lori- that pinched my heart - a few tears myself reading this post. You must be so very proud of your son - of your children and how wonderful that you have such an amazing husband that you can have so much fun with and travel with. Beautiful images- beautiful post.
    xo

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  12. Oh my, Lori, I know exactly how you feel. What a glorious day seeing your youngest son graduate and begin a new chapter...that's hard for us moms. The photos of the dessert are breathtaking, as usual, but I always have a smile when I see a yarn shop you've run into! You know how hard it is to not have your kids close and it makes days, like yesterday sad. My heart is always with you, XOXO

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  13. Ah love, how wonderful for your son! I can only imagine how proud you must be.
    Glad you enjoyed our state, sorry about the high temps. Also sorry I wasn't able to meet up with you. Next time!
    Can't wait to see what you bought at Tempe yarn.
    Beautiful images of your trip. As always they are so lovely it is as if we traveled with you. Love looking at Tempe through your eyes.

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    1. arizona is incredibly beautiful andi, we love it there, and the heat is fun in a way, it's part of the desert experiance! you really learn to love ac though! :)

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  14. Huge congratulations to your son, and what a wonderful post about your trip! You caught the atmosphere so strongly (so different from chilly graduations in UK cities that we have known!)...but that feeling of joy and delight is the same. You have such wonderful grown up sons, Lori, though you look so young! Loved the road trip pictures....and when you showed the California ones I could hear Joni Mitchell singing in my head :) The yarn shop was a real extra treat too, you are good at finding them on your travels! Thank you for sharing such lovely images.
    Wishing you a happy week.
    Helen x

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    1. i always hear that song too when we see that sign! so funny, the title of this post was inspired by the eagles song, take it easy, which i kept humming 'well, I'm a standing on a corner In winslow, arizona and such a fine sight to see...' :)

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  15. Wow, you packed a lot into a few days. Congratulations to you son, that is quite an accomplishment. Your desert pictures are lovely, it seems like everything is blooming this time of year.

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  16. Oh, Lori, thanks for sharing these amazing moments with us ... congrats to your son and to your whole family! As I work at a college, I know how powerful and meaningful these moments are.

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  17. Congratulations ♥ What an amazing road trip & Mother's Day you had xo
    Thank you for sharing your photos.

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  18. Congrats to you and your family. Bitter sweet when the youngest is done with schooling. Great pictures ! What did you buy at the yarn store?

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  19. Wow - Thank you for sharing - I needed that trip away :)
    Congratulations to your sweet boy - I love meeting up with my son and being dwarfed by him xxx

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  20. congratulations to your youngest son - who looks so much like hannah to me! what a handsome family you have. my goodness. you must be so proud. i can't imagine my future of boys turning into men, living on their own one day. your heart all over the world in different places. i need to cherish these days of light sabers at the kitchen table and crumbs all over the floor. i love having them near. i miss you lori! i hope we see each other soon again.
    xoxoxoxo
    big big kisses!
    by the way, you look beautiful in your dress. where is it from? i love your style!

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    1. it just goes too fast anushka, too fast. i thought of you when we drove through the desert, and how happy i am you will have a pool! good times and good memories will be made there!
      the dress is from here: http://www.bonitasummerland.com/#/gallery/

      next time your out here we should go!

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  21. p.p.s. loved the desert pics - nature and critters alike. and of course that you find yarn stores wherever you go - just like me. tempe yarn looks like a mecca!

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  22. so many great pictures...we're planning our trip to OR and CA right now ♥ those cacti and blossoms are just beautiful!

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  23. Lori, thank you so very much for being such a generous traveling blogger. I could definitely feel all the joyous emotions of the graduation ceremony and the special time for you and your sons. The photographs that you all took along the road and over the hills and by the streams are quite breathtaking in their beauty.

    Through your pictures, I have learned of the existence of beings that I would not otherwise have known. Birds, toads, plants and more. Again, I thank you for reminding me of how good the world can be. How lucky I am to have met you. xo

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  24. Lori...Happy Mother's Day to you!!!It must have been a really proud moment for you. Congratulations!!!Great trip and thanks for sharing. Great pics indeed! Have a great day!

    Shantana

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  25. Congratulations to you son, such exciting times ahead. Looks like a great trip. Happy Mother's Day!

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  26. What great pictures! Makes me want to take a roadtrip to AZ too, I usually prefer the tropics to the desert, but I may have to make an exception!

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  27. Hi Lori,

    Welcome back! Beautiful photo's of your trip and walks. They are so different from our country.

    Congratulations on the graduation of your son! I have never seen a graduation event like the one in your photo's. So many graduates. You have two very handsome sons. Do they both have a girlfriend? I have two sweet (and pretty) single girls at home ;-) You look fab on the photo's too. It must be LOVE! Do I spot Havaianas? A good choice!!!

    Happy week!

    Madelief x

    Madelief x

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    1. :) i've seen your beautiful girls, i think my two unattached sons (one that is not pictured) would love to meet them! did i tell you my eldest son (kyle, with the black shirt)and i traveled through holland together? it's a shame we didn't know each other then!
      yes! havaianas, slim, sand grey/light golden dressed up for me! here's a link, they are really pretty:
      http://us.havaianas.com/womens-flip-flops/slim.html

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  28. Beautiful photos! And congrats to your youngest for graduating from college! That's huge :) I see so much warmth in your family photos and it just makes me smile!

    hugs and love,
    Tracy

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  29. amazing photos---as always, but this time, I think I could also hear your heart singing!!!!

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  30. You must be so proud! So lovely....all of it! xxx

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  31. Looks like you had a wonderful trip. Congratulations to your son. What a lot of students, it must be a big university.

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  32. congratulations to you son! Well done! And happy mother's day to you as well. I love seeing you with your kids, it echoes my future I think :) Traveling and seeing my kids!!

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  33. Oh, lovely! Our hearts do swell with love and pride. I'm nearly certain that mothers hearts are more flexible than others to allow for growth as we move through life with our bairns. Congratulations!

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  34. This is so beautiful. I think the camera did indeed capture your happy, proud heart, and your words did, too. :) Also, wow! What gorgeous kids you have. They all look like models! Well done, mama.

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  35. You must have been on a corner in Winslow Arizona? I think I have today's earworm now...
    What a wonderful trip, congratulations! Love the photo of you with your handsome sons, all beaming.

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  36. Wow! What a time ~ what a milestone!

    "we took a zillion photos, i wondered if the camera could see my heart exploding with so much pride and joy" Oh, I know that feeling, a one in a million feeling. And deserving of a zillion or so photos, at the very least!

    Ummmm, and I really like that you found a yarn store on your trip :)

    Congratulations and blessings to all!

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  37. congratulations to your son! and to you, mama, for being there and celebrating with him. i can only imagine how proud you must be.

    xo

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  38. oh how lovely lovely lovely, you have such handsome sons and family - this is a "I-almost-got-teary-also" post thinking of our loved youngsters moving out into the world. oh my....

    and your trip home looks wonderful.

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  39. Congratulations, to both you and your son! Education is such a wonderful gift!

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  40. Beautiful! Your post is brimming with warmth and excitement. How proud you look! Your sons are so, um, handsome!
    And you photos of the critters and wildflowers! Thanks you for the inspiration.

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  41. Congratulations! All best wishes!

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  42. Joy shines through each photo! Congratulations to your boy.

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  43. So I must share, after all our funny coincidences last summer and then meeting you briefly in Fairbanks here is another funny coincidence: My sister just graduated from ASU last week as well!!!! I couldn't make it to her commencement (right during the middle of my finals) but my parents were there. How exciting! Congrats to you and your son!

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  44. Wow. You sure have hot...I mean nice looking boys. ; )
    I love how much you love and treasure your family.
    XO

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  45. Awww that gave me goosebumps, the pride and joy came at me through your images. I was amazed at the scale of the graduation, so many graduates! Congratulations to you and your son. Julie :)

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  46. How wonderful dear friend! Congratulations!!
    xo

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  47. Lori, Just catching up. Congratulations to your son! You have such a wonderful and beautiful family! xoxo

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  48. Congrats to son and proud mom ;)

    Your hikes always make me smile as I watch them unfold before my eyes in living color. And your smile always makes me smile too :)

    xo
    Lo♥

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  49. Congratulations!!! And I'm delighted to see that your son was at ASU. My "Mountain Man" is a professor there! We know those cacti and cactus wrens well.

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  50. Congratulations proud mamma on your son's graduation - and what a beautiful part of the world to explore~

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  51. Loved this!! Oh the gorgeous pictures!

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  52. Congratulations, Mama! And a huge congrats to your youngest. That is my alma mater, which makes him doubly smart ;) And thank you for making my home look so pretty. Next time we will have to meet for yarn and tea.

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  53. Congratulations!!! How exciting!

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  54. What a wonderful trip. I love how you always get in some good hikes wherever you go. Congrats to Jacob! You certainly don't look old enough to have such big boys! :) We will be taking our oldest to Colorado this summer for his first year of college. Yikes! I will be a basket case leaving him I'm sure. So nice that you found such a lovely yarn shop in walking distance. Wherever we roam, I always look for yarn and craft shops, too. Wishing you a wonderful day! Tammy

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xoxo lori