we cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are
Author: Tonya Takes Thailand
I'm just your average gal figuring out her way through the second half of life that decided to follow a calling to Thailand. Now back in the USA due to covid, seeking nature for further direction.
Coming back from Florida, I was missing my Sedona. She was travelling with her sisters in Arizona over her birthday and I wanted an excuse to catch up. We decided to grab salads and cosmos for lunch and do a little home decor shopping. Sedona has been a great help to me transitioning my empty nest. I recently purchased a new-gently used sofa and wanted pillows to help the coloration work.
My sweet Baby B and our cosmos which were to die for.
I noticed George was back at the empty nest and was finished with working, so I asked if he wanted to join us. We ordered him a salad and of course a second round of drinks for ourselves.
He then became our chauffeur and drove us to Home Goods where we grabbed a few decorative pillows and a throw. Then we headed back to the condo to find they perfectly worked! No returns needed.
Driving Sedona back home, we decided to pop into the Comfort Station where mixed drinks are served deliciously on draft. It was such a gorgeous day, we didn’t want it to end.
Selfie at the outdoor seating.
Sedona then took photos of George and I together on the bench which turned out so cute.
Was a great day. I wanted to post to not forget that sometimes a random small local day can be equally as soul filling as the adventurous ones too. Make the best of your time here and know money is just energy. It comes and goes. Life on the other hand may end before you can live it.
This trip has been on my calendar for months. Ever since my 2023 year recap, Debbie and I decided we needed to step up our game a bit and not repeat the hike from hell. Debbie saw on TikTok a video where someone flew out in the morning, went to a beach all day, then flew back that same night. She asked if I would be willing to do that with her…..and of course my answer was YES!
I put the ownership on her to find flights, and the minute she did, I confirmed. At the time we booked it, the weather in Ohio was its usual cloudy-grey- chilly- depressing winter day. I couldn’t wait to put my toes in the sand.
Everyone kept saying- ‘why not spend the night? I just wanted a beach visit with a friend. An excuse to do nothing but catch up and soak in the Vitamin D. Others would say- ‘what if the weather’s bad….then we would get a drink and visit a museum- the point was, to be together on an adventure. We had no idea what could happen and it didn’t matter. We would make the best of it regardless.
We both knew we would be a hot mess returning, so we decided to take before an after photos. This is the before. Not sure if it’s better honestly because we left the house at 4am. This is as pretty as it gets at that time 🙂
We both crashed hard on the flight there and woke up to this view. Yes please!
At the airport we were welcomed by this giant flamingo. It was too early in the morning for Debbie to go pose with the kids. What a fun sculpture.
Our flight was on time. We took a couple trams at the airport to the rental car service and since Debbie convinced me to download the app, we discovered our car was already allocated to us. We only needed to go pick it up in the slot #assigned. Could not have been easier. Things were off to an excellent start.
Driving toward the beach via Apple Maps, following Kerry Washington’s very confident and affirming voice, I found myself calling Debbie “Zoe” and screaming for her to snap photos out the window at the views. Zoe and I usually are travelling together and we are used to always being alert when in the passenger seat to snap a photo. Debbie was juggling between being a navigator and taking a photo and mentioned that this was a bit annoying. But hey, she captured this one of the city.
This perfect sign, also thanks to Debbie’s quick passenger window view, welcomed us to the beach!
We found parking on a dead end street right by a public beach entrance. The Universe was showing off making everything so easy. We found a breakfast spot and brought our clothes in to change in their bathroom.
Coffee, pineapple mimosa and a bloody mary- fantastic way to celebrate this beautiful Florida sun filled day.
We walked out and were so happy to see the white sand and Pier 60 in the background. The sand was cool beneath our feet, not scorching hot you usually get in the summer.
We needed shade, or at least for sure I did, so we went up to the closest rental options and rented a cabana and two chairs. Was a gorgeous blue sky day!
Our location was the only spot on the beach that had a liquor license. They had a tiki truck that drove around and made mixed drinks for the patrons. Only downside was when they parked in front of our view for about 20 minutes. But it was great people watching!
There was a lifeguard nearby and tons of rental activities for families. The water was freezing when I first stepped into it, I couldn’t believe there were people swimming. But by the time we left around 4pm, the water was at a much more comfortable temperature.
We were entertained by these black headed seagulls who chattered and fought a lot over whatever they could find on the beach.
Selfie snapped prior to leaving.
This was the view from the water up to our cabana. I loved the royal blue accent of the hotel.
Debbie could tolerate the sun a lot better than I could. I literally covered my body in 70 proof sunscreen. Poor Debbie had to apply it on my back as I was super fearful of getting burnt.
Debbie spotted two burn marks on my thighs and made sure I knew that was not her territory to cover 🙂 My back was fine. I couldn’t escape the sun so I buried my legs in the cool sand. Felt like a kid again.
If anyone doesn’t think 70 proof sunscreen is worth it, you need to witness my burns on the spots that I missed in coverage! My skin is a walking ad for sunscreen. Now 4 days later, it is just starting to fade and feel better.
Another passenger seat capture, gorgeous tree with such a reach.
Back at the airport I admired this gigantic beaded tapestry hanging on the walls.
And the ladders displayed from the ceiling. The texture and symbolism created.
We changed out of our suits in the airport bathroom and wiped down with paper towels to get as much sand off as we could. Our day trip was perfect. Honestly. Not a thing I would change. We were mellow, had a couple drinks, caught up on each other’s lives with a view that was priceless.
The after photo. Not bad. Hair pulled back, sun-kissed faces.
View as we took off on the flight back. Inspirational sunset haze.
Unfortunately we were on a flight with returning young girls who attended a cheerleading competition. It was not fun. The parents seemed inattentive to the point where the flight attendants announced to remain seated, “and this includes children”. There needs to be kid free flights and breweries soon to be invented for my intolerance level which continues to lower with age. Thank goodness for my new noise reduction ear pods.
Debbie scored us exit row seats which was fabulous. We had a rare seat open both there and back so at least we were as comfortable as we could get. I think no one wants to sit in the exit row anymore for fear of the doors flying open 🙂 Debbie also overhead on the way there that there was a group of women doing the same thing we were. On the way back one of them sat behind us and we heard there were 10 of them total.
It’s been a hot minute since I have gotten on to blog. After returning from Arizona in March, I babysat an adorable tea cup puppy who wore me out and reminded me what a huge responsibility having a dog is- then straight to babysitting Jack, the brown loveable pitbull in Louisville.
I took on more work at my past company and am now overwhelmed with life decisions, time management and trying to keep sane. April is always a doozey regardless with taxes (which always give me anxiety for no reason), renewing driver’s licenses’, and birthdays (mine, my twins, and George’s!)
I had a couple of weekends scheduled prior to taking on the extra work hours and I was determined to prioritize them. Not use work as an excuse to cancel. Spending time with friends is why we all work so hard. Making memories is a priority as I age in life and sadly watch others fall to illnesses way too young. A gentle reminder of time and the non guarantee of it.
I’ve made two amazing friends in La Grange, Kentucky, a super fun couple, Angela and Dale. George and I put a weekend date on our calendars to host them up in Cincy for an evening out of brewery hopping. After all, Cincinnati is a brewery mecca whereas Louisville is a bourbon haven.
It was a perfect sunny April day so we started out in Norwood at Fretboard.
George and Dale doing their flights.
This was the first stop of many.
This location is a renovated area in Norwood that used to be a famous playing card factory. Its adorably decorated accordingly.
I made the three of them pose by the playing cards. George is a bit dramatic.
A cool shade wearing selfie to remember the moment. Hi Wire was celebrating its one year anniversary so there was a DJ, booths selling crafts and kids amuck.
Cheers to HiWire. I ended up buying a plant that came in a face planter wearing glasses. Just another challenge to keep alive.
We headed over to MadTree next as the sun was setting .
Yep, Angela and I getting goofy. George warned me to slow down a bit. Angela and I bought matching hunter green tees. I was due for a new one. Can’t wait to wear them together and watch the sunset from her patio this summer.
Headed downtown to Rhinegeist Brewery, a Cincinnati must see classic. We lost Dale for a moment who later texted he made his way to the roof.
Honestly these guys are so much fun and easy going. Was so glad they road tripped up.
The one thing about this brewery is they never have food. We bought a pretzel to tie us over.
Last stop was a 10 pm reservation at the underground Ghost Baby. I’ve now been there several times and have never been disappointed. It’s such a cool venue. I chose this time slot as the band was said to be New Orleans style. They were on target! I couldn’t sit still, kept bouncing to their jam in my seat.
Underground cave turned gorgeous night club.
My cocktail literally made my lips numb. Yumm!
You can tell I’m getting sassy with this look!
We Ubered home and sat up for a bit munching on some apps until I literally was like, I have to go to bed. I was exhausted. Am so glad I live close to all these places! Norwood, Oakley, OTR- which all have grown into wonderful destination spots. I remember when Oakley only had an HQ and no other major stores. Now its filled with shopping and great places to visit.
Love sharing my city with friends. Can’t wait to do it again- there is so much more to see.
Well I named Baby B ‘Sedona’ for a reason. This is an amazing place that I will never tire of.
Sunday morning, our last day of our weekend escape, George got my butt into the car by 6 am so we could reach Sedona by 8 and enjoy a full day there. We watched the sun come up as we drove and I made him pull off at a vista point to catch the mountain view.
This was taken from the vista point rest stop on our way. It was stunning. While admiring the view I also noticed it was freezing cold and immediately started complaining that I forgot to bring a coat.
The sun was glaring through the clouds trying to make its way to warm up the Earth.
Only a couple hours north and the view completely transitioned.
We hit Sedona and I couldn’t stop taking photos out the car window.
I mean seriously. It’s unreal. Painted perfectly. A different landscape.
The red rocks are sprouting up in various places as if they were called to grow.
This rock formation reminded me a bit of Utah’s Arches.
The colors. The combination of warmth and greenery. Stick dark branches and puffs of greenery.
I read about this Cathedral and wanted to visit but it didn’t open until 9 am., even on a Sunday. This is one of the spiritual vortexes in Sedona. A place where energy aligns at right angles.
We drove through to get a sense of the town while most were still asleep.
We took Airport Road which has incredible views like this one along the way. The road ended at the top of a mountain with a $3 parking lot. We parked and started following the hiking trail. George kindly gave me his coat to wear.
Can I just say what a good man my George is. He never rolls his eyes at me or snarls at my remarks. Never makes me feel inadequate or less than. Allows me to babble on and on as if entertained. He is the most supportive, loving, generous man I’ve ever met. I feel so taken care of in his presence as if I was the most important human. This kind of love I hope never to take for granted.
We took the 1/2 mile hike down to the viewpoint.
And what a view. I was somewhat annoyed by all the rooftops as if they didn’t belong there, but can’t blame anyone for wanting to live close by.
Words cannot describe what you feel when you see the red earth, spikey cactus, and miles of gorgeous landscape.
The hike ended where you could climb even further up a rock formation for better views. Was interesting watching how quickly the children were able to escalate.
I struggled to not use every single photo I’d taken. It was simply gorgeous at every turn.
Once I got to the top of the rocks I sat down and took a photo of my sturdy hiking boots that have been with me since my very first US adventures. Purchased them in 2021.
As the clouds moved the lighting changed and yet again offered us new perspectives to breathe in.
George snapped this photo of me. Sitting. Wishing I was not surrounded by tourists getting too close to the edges pushing my nerves and interrupting my peace. But I understand. We all want a piece of the peace.
Wanted to capture the terrain a bit because it was not easy. Twisted ankles were bound to happen if you weren’t careful.
We decided to not do the full loop and instead go grab some food and figure out where to head next. During our brunch we figured out that most trail heads you cannot drive to and instead need to take a shuttle. They did not run frequently (about every 50 minutes) and only took 25 passengers at a time. We missed the first shuttle by 5 minutes. It was windy and cold, but I found if I hiked slightly downward, it was much warmer which is where I waited for the next 40 minutes.
This was the view from where I waited. Ya, I could sit her for 40 minutes.
We hiked another short trail called Soldier’s Pass which had a sinkhole called Devil’s Kitchen and also some iconic pools where people are known to swim.
This trail was crowded and tough to find a pace where you weren’t constantly overhearing someone’s conversation or trying to allow someone to pass.
I read a sign at the sinkhole saying it has expanded 40% in size since the late 80s so it was unstable and would continue to erode. I stepped away from the edge 🙂
I loved these agave plants. They added such spikey personality to the hike.
This sweet dead cactus still inspired me by its change of colors.
You just walk along in awe. I am sure there are other trails that are less busy but we hadn’t deeply researched and wanted a short trail that would not push either of our limits.
It was so windy when you were on top of the mountains and then warm as heck once below. Felt perfectly like my hot flashes at home. Coat on, coat off. Repeat.
The pools were quite dried out. Cool nonetheless. I am sure when it rains it would be beautiful.
Seriously picture perfect.
George and I hiked up high and hung out on top for a bit watching the people. There was a yoga group which was very cool. Others we could see climbing way off in the distance like ants on a hill.
On our drive out of town I asked George to do a full circle at the roundabout so I could get a close up of these two beauties one last time before leaving. He honored my request.
If I had more time and energy, I would have parked in this lot and hiked closer to this mound. This was my one last look as we headed back down south.
My daughters- Zoe, Sedona and Solaire are going out to Arizona to celebrate the twins birthday next month. I can’t wait for them to see where Baby B’s name originated. I absolutely love that the three of them are going together and hope they have the best experience.
Donkey crossing. Now that’s a new one. How many donkey’s had to get killed before this sign was put up? Things that make you go hmmmmm.
Flying home I was fascinated by the clouds. How they were billowing upwards I almost felt stoned watching them. I decided to apply for an airline credit card to earn 2 free round trip tickets with no black out dates or expiration. More adventures to come!
My daughters taught me to look up things via TikTok instead of Google. Explaining you will get more interesting advise and less paid advertisement options.
Several times the place, Cosanti, came up whenever looking into Scottsdale. Claiming if you are in this area, you should go see this store. It was 17 minutes north of where we were staying, but it was on my list- so off we went to check it out.
On the way there we passed million dollar estates and wondered where the heck google maps was taking us. Then in the middle of this amazing neighborhood, the sign popped up on the left. I guess we were in the right spot.
We pulled into the drive and the store was like a compound made out of clay.
I snapped this photo of the entryway. Wasn’t sure what we were getting into.
Every bit of this place was artistic. It housed hand crafted metal and ceramic windchimes, which were for sale, hanging from the ceiling. It felt magical. Like you were in a movie on a surreal set.
Places like this are destination stops for sure. George and I walked around separately taking it all in. I started on the hunt to find a windchime I could afford to bring home with me.
Some of the chimes / yard art larger pieces were 38,000$. If only.
There were tunnels that took you into different rooms. Most seemed for employees or artisans work.
All had different sounds based on their shapes and sizes. I finally found one that we both agreed on for $165.00. My token gift to myself.
An entire store dedicated to original works of art.
Imagine the sound of these beautiful chimes softly speaking as you walked through. Not sure who was the visionary for this concept or how it all began. But truly admire anyone who can create such a spiritually inspiring store.
As we walked outside, I noticed this tree and its contrasting bark with the backdrop of the cactus and pink facade. My eyes are open.
After running around Scottsdale, I had crossed off all I wanted to see. George then began adding new breweries to our list. He started a google map to record all the breweries the two of us have tried together and I think we are officially up to 69 on our count. (maybe more)
I at this point, was just a tag along for the adventure.
First stop was OHSO brewery. It was in sort of a strip mall location.
We had a lot of tasters and then asked the bartender where she would recommend us to go next.
The outdoor venue to this brewery was packed and everyone was eating. They must have had great food. Personally found their seasonal selection best on the beers.
Next stop was in Phoenix in a warehouse district that didn’t quite feel safe. They were closing by 6 pm which made sense. We only stayed for one flight.
It was like the old breweries when you sat in their warehouses and played games. It was fun to check out. Felt retro. Before breweries became the mega hits with the funding that they now have. This was just a seat in a warehouse next to the tanks.
Nobody was there but us and one other couple who couldn’t get a bean bag on the board (cornhole) to save their lives.
Every brewery we went to, recommended we check out the one named Wren. Which I believe is their state bird. It was in a modified home in another odd location.
This place was pretty busy and had a fun outdoor seating area as well. I grabbed a seat facing out and found it amusing to see Mother Mary in the alcove and the sunrays beaming into the bar.
A great picture of me and how I was feeling at this point. Admired how they wallpapered their walls with their labels.
The next brewery, Roses by the Stairs, took us into a more occupied area. Had this cute mural in the parking lot.
George noticed a food truck outside and grabbed some tacos.
This place was annoyingly filled with dogs. Every table had a pet and all the pets snapped at each other and were not comfortable. As if this was a training ground for anxious pets. I couldn’t wait to get out.
Our flights are so fun. But I was getting a bit tired and just ordered a stout.
Selfie moment. Always have to document we were there 🙂
Our last brewery stop, Four Peaks, was my favorite. Located in a neighborhood, which was different, in a huge historic building. It was packed. We couldn’t eat inside unless we had a reservation, guess it was Saturday night.
Thought this sign in the bathroom was cute.
Their pretzel and dips were to die for.
Driving between the breweries was interesting. Maybe we should have done more research of cool neighborhoods in Phoenix, but it seemed desolate in parts. Like driving down Reading Road in Cincinnati. I wondered if there was an area like our OTR that was filled with more options in one location, but it seems everything was very spaced out with nothing in between.
Enjoyed my evening nonetheless. Just observations of a new city. The Phoenix airport upon arrival was also a mess with a 20 minute wait between trams that took you to the rental car location and another hour wait to get the rental car. I was happy we arrived in the evening, so it didn’t feel like a waste of a day”. Travelling always teaches me patience.
Zoe and I had such a great time on our electric bike tour in Caramel by the Sea last fall, I decided to book one for George and I in Scottsdale. With all that we saw on Day one, I wasn’t sure that the tour would really enlighten us that much more but it was an 11 mile ride, so we were optimistic.
The start of the trip. My butt started hurting immediately. I was not happy and remembered why I hated riding a bike.
We had electronic devices placed around our necks and ear pieces to hear the tour guide. This was an interesting touch and I thought for sure I was going to learn something. Our guide Andrew, age 36 going on 24, was randomly talking about nothing worth knowing. He’d comment about the housing prices and how places were touristy”. (I thought…does he know his audience?) He’d tell us where his friends and him hung out that were still not taken over by the tourists. When stopping at the bathroom, he noted he wouldn’t go into them because the homeless used them. It became a comedy show to George and I. How he said nothing positive about the city yet was paid to be a tour guide.
He told us how people in Scottdale buy waterfront property when next to the canal which he finds humorous. He also told us this river across from Tempe is filthy and they find dead bodies in it every year. It went on and on like this. Was so funny.
We stopped by the dirty river’s edge to look across at Tempe. They were having a music festival featuring Sheryl Crow. I was torn between spending money on the bike tour or the festival…..not sure I made the right decision there. But George and I planned to leave early Sunday to road trip so didn’t want a late night.
Someone fell off their bike at a turn, so we all stopped to wait.
There were a ton of the driverless cars on the streets of Scottsdale. We first thought they were mapping the area, but later found out they were the new Ubers. There’s an app to book them. Could’ve been a cool experience, but we had a rental car so there was no real reason to use them. We noticed on the bike tour that one of the driverless cars could not see us which was a bit scary as we were crossing the road.
Me and the giant bunny sculpture.
Noticed this car advertising the gallery’s street art. That would have been a fun shop to check out.
As we drove quickly past a ton of sculpture and points of interest, which our tour guide said he was paid to point out even though they were uninteresting, George and I decided to walk back to take a better look after the bicycle ride ended.
Another wild horse
And a bronze cowboy with his dog by the courthouse. Love the bolo, reminds me of my PaPa.
The LOVE sculpture you see in many cities.
The window of Scottsdale.
Looks like pioneer days with the staircase to nowhere in the background. This statue stood outside of a historic school house.
My favorite.
I imagine there is a lot of history here with the Native Americans. If you haven’t watched Killers of the Flower Moon, you really should. It was sadly enlightening.
I wanted to go to Scottsdale’s Contemporary Art Museum, which I read was very small but nice. Cost $12 each to get in and lasted about 15 minutes to cover all the rooms.
They were featuring a modern artist named Dorothy Fratt who was born on the east coast but loved to paint in Arizona where she escaped influence.
I enjoyed her colorful work.
Walking among the projected images on the floor.
I truly loved Scottsdale’s art offerings to the public. It was a beautifully put together town with history, art, shopping, great food, baseball and nature. What more could you want for a weekend visit?
After crossing my two touristy goals off our Friday list, we decided to take a free trolley to the ballpark to watch a San Francisco Giant’s spring training game. We had no idea this was going on in Scottsdale during our stay, but George spent 10 years in San Francisco and was a huge fan. How could we pass up the small venue opportunity?
It was $35 per person to enter at the gate. I wondered if tickets were cheaper online or purchased in advance, but it didn’t matter. We were here for the experience and neither of us had ever been to a major league spring training game before.
The Cincinnati Reds were also in town but playing at a different ball park.
In the cloudless sky the sun was coming in hot! But the seats were great.
It was pretty cool seeing this game and walking the small stadium.
There were lawn seats available which is where a lot of families were camped out. We witnessed a couple of home runs. It was fun seeing the kids run to get the balls on the grass and then stay in that spot hoping for another to come their way. Innocence and simplistic joys in life.
We stood in line to have a worker snap our photo. Yep we are officially tourists here. No shame.
George got a baseball hat remember our moment. I was enjoying every minute of it.
We walked to the Goldwater Brewery after the game, while heading in the right direction to where our dinner reservations were for that night.
Both of our phones were running low on battery, so we sat near a plug and enjoyed a flight of beers.
I purchased this teeny marble rabbit at a gem store. The shop owner noticed my rabbit necklace and led me to a basket of rabbit stones. How could I resist. I kept him in my pocket and found I enjoyed having him along for the ride.
Cool mural disguising the metal wall.
We eventually climbed up to the balcony to sit for one more drink as the sun went down. It’s in these moments together that we recognize the simple life is best. A moment to talk with a less clustered brain. Breathing in the fresh air and the beauty life has to offer around us.
Mission Church was a historic landmark and now a small restaurant. This place was so dark inside even the younger people couldn’t read the menu. We all had our phone flashlights out with no way to know what was being offered on the menu.
I finally took a photo of mine so I could enlarge it more to read. They had the best margaritas of any place we went. Deliciously fresh, non chemical or sugar educed and knocked us on our ass. 🙂
After dinner we continued walking back and saw even more sights in the Old Towne area. I stumbled into another bar with some fun music playing, but George quickly steered me out knowing another drink was not what was needed.
This cowboy about to wrangle us in.
There was an entire street of nothing but galleries. Peering in at the variety of art each store displayed.
My gift to George was a weekend away in Arizona. Why Arizona? Flights were cheap and it was warm during this time of the year when I want to escape most from the Ohio clouds and depressingly unpredictable weather. Phoenix is the cheapest to fly into.
We decided to tour around Scottsdale, a town I hadn’t been to before except maybe driving through. People that heard I was going there kept saying it was high-end and they were surprised I picked that city. I went open mindedly and loved every minute of our time.
We stayed at this cool Airbnb about 5 minutes from Scottsdale and 15 minutes from Phoenix.
The perfect space. Adorably decorated and had the most comfortable bed I have EVER slept in. I should’ve looked at the mattress tag! But knowing I would rather spend money on another outing than invest in a mattress probably. Why are they are such an investment?$.
We grabbed an old fashion map of the town marking its points of interest as we walked around in the sun after enjoying an amazing breakfast.
There was art and sculpture to be seen everywhere. I loved these mosaic balls by the fountain.
Shops opened later. Seemed a lot of variety in the historic Old Towne area.
Horse sculptures inviting you to the wild west.
On our first date George and I noticed we both had green eyes. I later found an article that people with green eyes and negative blood type are really aliens. This has been an ongoing joke that we don’t belong here.
I wasn’t expecting palm trees, but enjoyed how they added to the architecture against the clean walls and desert cactus plants.
I made a lose itinerary, which is not really like me. But I wanted to hit a few key spots. After that I was open to explore. My first stop was the Desert Botanical Garden. It costs 30$ per person to enter, which is a bit steep, but for a good cause. Was well worth it in my opinion.
There was Chihuly glass plant sculptures welcoming you. I was happy to have recognized it from my learning of him in Columbus, Indiana and later in Oklahoma City’s Contemporary Museum of Art which is filled with his work.
I was thrilled to see the gardens were featuring artist Fernando Botero. His voluptuous figures are so recognizable.
There was a small indoor studio with a dozen paintings, a couple sculptures and a video playing about his life. He recently passed (2023) after working for over 60 years as an artist.
I believe everyone recognizes his unique work once they see it.
I don’t know why but it makes me happy with its soft inflated shapes.
Outside in the gardens were about 5 hiking trails that took you through various educated paths. We walked them all in about an hour and 1/2. It was a Friday so it wasn’t very crowded. The sun was just enough to warm you up, but not make you feel at all uncomfortable. Perfect weather.
The palms and the cactus.
From the gardens we could see the holey mountain which we were going to explore later.
This is exactly what I needed. New landscapes to inspire. Surrounding myself with nature differently than the bare branched trees back home.
Admiring the coloration of this cluster.
And the texture of this one.
Throughout the gardens were sculptures blending into the landscape.
Was loving the yellow ball like flowers on some of the trees. As we wandered the paths we also caught glimpses of birds and sand squirrels.
George, my muse. Check out the size of these cactus. You can also see in the background the mountains with the saguaro cactus standing tall, notorious in the Sonoran Desert. Was so cool to see as we drove along the mountains, but tough to capture in a photo.
I started to view cactus as sculpture after a bit. It does appear like art, so stiff and interestingly shaped.
Displaying how desert shelter was built, I climbed inside for a view.
Beautiful new views. USA has so much to offer. So many places to still see in this world and so little time and money to get there.
The infamous hole in the rock was a short drive away. We parked and followed the pathway up.
From a distance it didn’t appear to be that big.
But once you climbed through, which people took turns, it was a wonderful sight from the other side.
A tourist destination for sure, but I liked it. We later saw other holey mountains, less busy, with hikers laying out in their smaller cave like holes. If I’d seen that sooner, I may have planned a hike around that.
We sat for a bit and I captured this selfie which shows the sun on my cheeks.
A better view from below. It felt alien like. Nature never ceases to intrigue me. I’m always in awe that we are part of it.
George and I had the same thoughts on Christmas gifts to each other this year. More activities. More planned outings. Less sitting around and watching Netflix. When putting together our year in review book, I noticed how much I did, but without him. Of course he was running a business and busy with his own things, but we both wanted to be more purposeful with 2024 and he started it off by purchasing concert tickets to Aimee Mann.
I asked George if this was the same Aimee Mann that was in the band Til Tuesday who sang the iconic “Voices Carry”- the 80s pop hit that reinforced the fighter in all us women. He said no.
I started listening to his Aimee Mann on Spotify to see what kind of music she played. It was soulful and beautiful, usually in collaboration with other artists. The day before the concert I started researching more and found out it was her! Its just that George was a 9 year old boy when that iconic song came out and had no way of knowing. He only knew her for her acoustic work. But I was so excited!
We Ubered to Queen City Radio to grab a drink before the show. This bar is right around the corner. We later saw others at the concert who we recognized from the bar earlier. Guess they had the same idea.
I’d never been to this bar before but it was interesting. Huge really.
I imagine in the summertime before the FCC soccer games this place it probably packed.
Once in Memorial Hall, we walked up the spiral staircase to our center front balcony seats and were tortured by a solo comedy opening act who was difficult to hear.
Love the staircases here, reminds me of Europe. I’m so glad they restored this historic place for Cincinnati.
A special night, sporting my new top from Germany. My one big clothing purchase.
Aimee took the stage and looked great. Unfortunately her drummer was sick, so in her introduction, she said she apologized if any of us fell asleep, claiming she actually did once to Sade.
Her voice was incredible, but rhythmically all her songs sounded exactly the same. So I lost George. He dozed off.
The minute she left the stage and while she was coming back for the encore, we slipped past the still seating audience to make our escape.
We laughed about it as we walked over to Goodfellows for a slice. It was an A for effort. A night out we both enjoyed but not exactly as we anticipated. We have another concert coming up in April- will be sure not to have a cocktail prior 🙂
How I remember her.
Oh how we all mellow with time and wisdom in this life.
Tonya Takes Thailand 