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John Burrow |
As the calendar moves through February, I'm reminded of two wonderful trips
last year in February and March.
The first was a long weekend in Arizona. I met my friend Vicki from
Cincinnati in Phoenix to explore the Scottsdale area. Our definite
highlight, after landing a Mercedes sports car at the rental counter, was the
annual Arizona Fine Arts Expo. It's running again this year, January 12-March 24, and I can't recommend it
more highly. It was nothing short of a kaleidoscope of truly
mesmerizing works of art. Strolling from one display to the next, impressive
talent and techniques lured us into a trance.
Lauren Knode,
Dawn Normali, and
George Jones stood out,
using brilliant contrasting colors of the southwest to infuse energy and
raw emotion in their paintings. Knode's luminous landscapes and delicate
flowers intoxicated, Normali's rich desert scenes captured the stark mood of
the setting, and Jones' stunning animals in motion leaped from the canvas. So
much to savor that we spent much longer than planned. Worth every minute.
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The Mercedes Sports Car
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George Jones
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Dawn Normali
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We also put forth our best effort to sample recommended restaurants in the
Scottsdale area. All were worthy of the visit, but the elegant
Persian Room won best of the show. It’s a slam dunk if you're in town and want something different.
The oversized, ornate wood doors were the first hint that this place was
special. It's a two-story, elegant room dripping with jewel-colored fabrics,
and a wrought iron staircase leading to a loft of luxury dining upstairs.
Furniture in dark mahogany wood shades was accented by classical Middle
Eastern designs, setting the mood of the spacious setting. The authentic cuisine was a
celebration of taste and harmony, the perfect match for the other world
atmosphere, both alluring and welcoming. The cocktails were equally pleasing and
generous. A toast to the proprietors for creating memorable decor and food.
In March last year, a most worthy treat was a trip to
Oaxaca. My friend Doralece from Virginia Beach invited me to join her for a
culinary tour offered by Les Dames d'Escoffier International, an organization
of female chefs and women in the beverage and produce industries serving fine
dining restaurants.
From the very first day to the last, the best of Oaxacan food, arts, and crafts
dazzled. On the night of arrival, Oaxacan fabrics and clothing were showcased in
a fashion show held in our hotel courtyard, a setting reminiscent of a
Shakespearian play. The ancient stone gazebo, sculptures and artifacts offered
the perfect backdrop for the parade of local models, elegant and graceful as
they struck stunning poses in designer garments.
A former convent, the Quinta Real Oaxaca is a Unesco Cultural Heritage of Humanity hotel with four centuries of
history in its interior. A must consideration if you are planning a trip to
Oaxaca, considered number one or two of the most desirable destinations in the
world by at least one highly regarded travel magazine.
Each day of our tour featured a cornucopia of world-class cuisine created by
chefs throughout Oaxaca, a world-class culinary region. In addition,
traditional candlemakers, figurine painters, and Mezcal producers demonstrated
their crafts, and instructed us how to make our own samples, an immersive
experience which led to a range of creative results!
Finally, Dan and I outdid ourselves in June 2023 when we traveled to
Arizona for a Colorado River rafting trip through the entire
Grand Canyon. It was a dream of his, and
he wouldn't go unless I came along. I had my qualms because I'd done half the
trip years ago, and thought it might be wise to avoid it some 40 years later.
I loved the original voyage with all the adrenalin pumped by the rapids. This
time, with the assurance of a motorized raft, I agreed to go along. It may
have been our best trip ever! The fact that we could even do it, getting on
and off the huge inflated raft being the hardest part, was an accomplishment.
We slept outside under a million stars every night except one, which
threatened a repeat performance of the day's downpour. We lugged our gear on
and off the boat, set up and took down our own camping area, peed in a plastic
container the size of my yogurt container at home during the night, and walked
through the brush to a semi-private outhouse for more serious elimination
during the day.
There were three major highlights of the trip -- our GUIDE JJ, the fellow
RAFTERS, and the RAPIDS!! Everyone was extremely congenial, with a shout
out to the nine teenagers from Alaska and Arizona. They were Awesome kids. We
were propped on our benches holding onto grab ropes for the rapids and
sat on the floor with grab ropes for the more challenging ones, which produced
a bigger and longer roller coaster ride. But the world famous Lava Falls put all the
others to shame. Our guides were extremely experienced in reading the river
and calling the shots when it came to maneuvering through those badass rapids
and boulders. The mighty Lava Falls on the last day, and well worth the wait.
I would compare it to the height of an earthquake which keeps on quaking. I
kept my eye on JJ, and she kept her focus on the water!! It was thrilling. We
told our kids and grandkids they need to do that trip!
What we brought home with us, besides a broken toe, bruises, and very dirty
garb, was an appreciation of the Grand Canyon as one of the true wonders of
the world. We hiked into deep canyons with Caribbean colored water and
cathedral caverns that were once the sacred settings for Native American
ceremonies, we slid down rocks into an offshoot of the river with its own set
of fast moving water, and we camped and ate next to the mighty Colorado every
day and night. The water had been dangerously low the week before, but was
perfect for our trip, thanks to the management of the dam -- except for one
morning. We lingered at camp until after lunch before the water level returned
and we were able to push our two rafts off land. It gave us the perfect
opportunity to pose for our group photo in front of one of the rafts. We are
grateful for the experience, and learned that climate change is affecting the
Grand Canyon just as it is other precious places on the planet.