Keeping Up and Spring Break

Spring is here and everybody seems to be shopping.  Keeping my space full at Antique Plaza is like maintaining a punch bowl at a summer wedding!

Before we went out of town for spring break, I took several truck loads of furniture over to my booth, #52.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces!

SOLD

SOLD

This piece only weighs about 1,000 pounds, but boy was it fun to paint.

SOLD

And mirrors galore!

With all that work, I was ready for vacation.  For spring break, the counselor and I took the kids down to southern Arizona, visiting many sentimental sites for this family.  The counselor's dad grew up in St. David, a small town just outside of Tucson. It's a strange sort of beautiful.  Although the home is old and on it's last leg, to know it was built in the early 1900's and cared for the Lofgreen family makes it beautiful to us.

The counselor told stories, reminiscing about how he and his dad would through a tennis ball over the roof; back and forth for fun.  In the day, his grandma had a beautiful garden and flowers.

Now, the school across the street was the only place we saw green grass in the entire town.  The kids raced back and forth when the counselor and I noticed what appeared to be tiny white blossoms dropping to the ground like snow. 

 They literally were falling out of the sky.  We followed the sky path of "blossoms" to a giant cottonwood tree near a wash.  Let me tell you, this town is in a drought, so to find water next to this tree was awesome.

This giant tree was sending out these "spring snow flakes" from it's splitting pods and they were drifting onto the grass.

We gathered the kids and watched as the blossoms blew into the open air, eventually falling into our hands or onto the ground.  Knowing our families ancestors were near, the whole experience was very spiritual. It was like angel dust falling off their wings as they fluttered around us.

Eden found a branch and made some "snow" of her own.

We visited the town's cemetery and found some of the early settler's who were related to us.  Even Reef could read the headstones and look for the Lofgreens.  We talked about families, how they are eternal and we can live together even after we die.  I believe some of these family members can be our guardian angels.

Near the cemetery was a beautiful little creek. I love finding water in the desert and watching it create its path. 

The next day, we traveled to the Chiricahua National Monument.  This is the counselor's most favorite place in the world.  He loves these back hill ruins; voodoo stones or wonderland of the rocks and has been here many times to explore.  He really is happiest out in nature.

Four years ago, the counselor and I along with the kids did the 3.5 mile hike; however, two years ago, a fire swept through and hit many spots of the canyon. It was like seeing a friend after surviving a horrific illness.  We know how beautiful the canyon can be, she just has some diseased spots that need to heal.

We started at the top and hiked down.

The boys/men found all sorts of places to explore.

We had lunch by a small stream. 

I just love the sound of water, even if it's the tiniest water fall ever.

It was great at first, but then someone wanted to be carried out.

A true test of endurance and some sore calves afterword, but we did it.  At one point, I tied that little girl on my back with her sweater and she piggy-backed it out.

There are so many beautiful places to visit in Arizona.  What I love the most is finding the best of my children in each place we visit.

One last surprise was Cochise Mountain.  Do you see the Indian Chief in the rocks.  If you can imagine him laying down looking up at the sky with his fancy headdress, you just might spot his defined chin and protruding nose.

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