The year is 2009, one of the things that keeps drawing us back to Santa Fe, New Mexico is Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) and her wonderful pieces of art. In 1998, a year after her museum opened, we were fortunate to see her collection of 106 paintings. It is a rarity the number of paintings that were assembled in one place and probably will never again. It was truly inspiring, honor and privilege to have seen this once in a lifetime showing.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum located at 217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM. Jimson Weed was on display for the first time in eight years, following its return from the White House.
Georgia O'Keeffe's church in Abiquiu where she lived.
Donna with Napoleon Garcia who knew and worked with Georgia O'Keeffe when he was a youngster. He did many errands for her and is a terrific storyteller of his adventures with O'Keeffe.
Georgia O'Keeffe's pueblo in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Tours of her home may be arranged with the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation.
O'Keeffe used this type of landscape near her home as subjects for many of her paintings.
Rams Head, White Hollyhock and little hills.
White Calico Flower.
Oriental Poppies 1927
Jimson Weed 1936
Datura and Pedernal 1940.
In the background is her signature mountain, The Pedernal, which appears in a number of her paintings. In the next photo down, I am standing in front of it.
Allen standing in front of The Pedernal Mountain, the signature mountain for O'Keeffe's paintings. Do you supposed she stood at that spot where I am standing to paint that mountain?
Santa Fe, New Mexico is the crossroads for good food, art work and awesome sunsets. There are 14 exceptional museums and historic monuments for the cultural experience of those that are interested and in addition, Santa Fe is teeming with shopping and rich in history. Santa Fe is the oldest Capitol City in the United States turning 400 in 2009.
Donna with her water bottle ready to take in the sights and sounds of Santa Fe and lunch too.
The New Mexico History Museum that opened in 2008 is devoted to exploring New Mexico history through new research and recent insights of curators, artists, collections managers, educators, historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and ethnohistorians --work that will inspire lines of inquiry and exhibitions for years to come. We learned our history lesson that day.Our favorite RV Park in Santa Fe perched on a mesa with a 360 degree view. The park is family owned by Florence-Ruth Brown and was originally homesteaded in 1935. She was born in Santa Fe, her family was originally from Illinois.
Our coach sitting on her pad in Zinnia 2. Note the clouds and the sky. This is the best place to view sunsets that we have found.
This is a Spanish Broom plant growing at the entrance of Santa Fe Skies. It has been widely introduced into other areas, and is regarded as a noxious invasive species in places such as California and Oregon.
In Bolivia, the plant is known as retama, and has become very well established in some areas. It is one of the most common ornamental plants, often seen growing along sidewalks in La Paz. Under the Spanish influence, those cultures have adopted the belief that retama can be used to ward off evil. Sprigs of flowering retama are often kept in the home, and street vendors will often lay a flowering branch of retama on top of their booths when they close up shop for the night.
One of the most colorful stores in Santa Fe.
The Native American Artisans Program under the portal on the Plaza brings many forms of talents in jewelry, pottery, leather work and sand paintings. These artisans must pass a rigorous examination of their works authenticity. More than 4,000 artisans have qualified for the 70 available spots, which are determined by a daily lottery. These are members representing 23 Nations of Native Americans.
The central meeting place in Santa Fe is the Plaza.
The Saint Francis Cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886 and designed in the French Romanesque Revival style. Although its design contrasts the surrounding adobe buildings, the cathedral remains one of Santa Fe's most celebrated landmarks.
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI officially elevated the church to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Historic La Fonda on the Plaza has been described as “the essence of the city’s exuberant soul. It’s architecture, history, furnishings and ambiance reflect the evolution of the city and the Indian, Hispanic and Anglo cultural mix unique to the region.”
When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel.
Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.
The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today.
Moving away from the historical sights, It's time for some R & R, we went for our ice cream fix.
She's ready to do it...
Castro's Restaurante, 2811 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM. In our view, the best New Mexican food in town and at reasonable prices. Favorite spot of the locals.
Blue corn taco and enchilada, side of rice and beans.
vegetarian enchilada with pinto beans $7.00
Castro's has the largest sopapillas in Santa Fe. Drizzle the honey on it and go for it. This comes with the meal at no charge.
My favorite, flat New Mexican enchilada with green chili and egg on top $7.00 + 1.00 for the egg.
These mountains are prevalent around the Ghost Ranch.
We filled our eyes for the day and found our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
And the best sunsets anywhere.
What a way to end the day. "Hasta la vista" from Santa Fe.
We were lucky to catch Disney’s Christmas Carol Train Tour in Williams, Arizona, do so when it comes your way. It is an interactive 40-city train tour including a 3D sneak peek of film footage from the upcoming movie “Disney’s A Christmas Carol. The Christmas Carol Train Tour is being launched with HP on board as the title and technology sponsor and driven by Amtrak. The tour takes about 30 minutes and is free of charge and geared to families across the country.
Among the highlights of the tour are authentic artifacts on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum of London; artwork, costumes and props from the film.
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking, performance-capture 3D motion picture event.
Quoted from the promo, "Ebeneezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey, revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late. Through the magic of performance-capture technology, Jim Carrey is featured as Scrooge and all of the Christmas spirits."
Robin Wright Penn
Jim Carrey plays four separate roles in this updated version of A Christmas Carol. Carrey portrays Scrooge, as well as the three ghosts (Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come).
Grand Canyon is a place that everyone should visit and enjoy. We have been there many times and will always drop by for a visit when we are in the area.
From the rim of the Grand Canyon you can see portions of the Colorado River with slow moving currents to rapid white waters, the canyon is considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world.
It is almost inconceivable that men and women explored this region in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Even today, it is quite a task with our current technology and equipment, imagine the insurmountable problems the early explorers had.
In two days, Donna and I hiked most of the South Rim for a total of 10 miles or so, at those elevations (7,000 ft.), the air is quite thin and plenty of stops and water are mandatory.
Several years ago, we did hike down to the first bathroom stop which is half way down the Canyon wall. This was not easy and as we viewed the trail from the rim this year, we’re glad we did but no more, we'll leave that to the young ones.
You can double click on the pictures you want to enlarge then to go back to where you were, click on the back arrow at the top left of the page.
If you look real hard, you can see the trail that Donna and I hiked to half way down the canyon.
It's Okay for these condors to be out on the ledge, they belong there.
It NOT O.K. for this young lady to be out of the ledge, she's an accident waiting to happen...
No wonder it is called the Grand Canyon because it is....
President Reagan was the 40th president serving two terms from January 20, 1981 to January 20, 1989. He ended his second term at the age of 77 still at the height of popularity. In 1995, he discovered he had Alzheimer's disease and communicated this to the American public in a letter. He died June 5, 2004. I can still visualize the images on TV of the people that lined the streets to his library to bid him farewell.
Front entrance to Ronald Reagan Library.
Bronze statue of President Reagan, we also saw one of him in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
President Reagan and Pope John Paul II met both at the Vatican and in the United States. It was during the Reagan administration that Washington and the Vatican established formal diplomatic relations.
The move had been delayed for years because of worries in the United States that it would violate the constitutional division between church and state.
Upon learning of President Reagan's death, Pope John Paul II paid tribute to him, recalling his efforts to bring down communism that "changed the lives of millions of people,"
President Reagan and Japanese Prime Minister, Yasuhiro Nakasone.
President Reagan at Normandy. President Ronald Reagan addressed veterans of the invasion at the place where it began. In his speech, he pointed out the valor of the Rangers, boys mostly, who scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc.
Reagan's Cabinet meeting table.
In 1981 Reagan said, "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." Do you think he was prophetic in that statement?
Allen and Donna standing near Air Force One.
72-7000 Delivered August 9, 1972 as a VC-137C to succeed SAM 26000 as the primary presidential aircraft known as Air Force One. SAM 27000 was flown mostly by President Reagan in his eight year term and was official retired by President George W. Bush on August 29, 2001.
The Oval Office.
Mrs. Reagan and the President awaiting world dignitaries for a visit.
A section of the Berlin Wall.
“ General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Reagan's final resting place at his library in Simi, California.
"I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life"
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004)
Good bye, Mr. President and Nancy, peace and harmony be with you always.
May 3, 2009 was a special night, these Chinese-American sports champions were being honored as the very best for their commitment and abilities.
All of us have participated in sports in way or another and we stand in highest admiration of these individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their dream.
We attended this evening to honor all the champions and to especially support our niece, Carol Jue, who was being recognized for her many sports accomplishments including Coach of the Year, NCAA, All Independents for 2005 and 2009. She is currently the Head Coach of Women's Basketball for Chapman University. She has taken the team to six play-off berths in six years with a overall winning record of 142-49. (Carol's in the blue dress front row)
Honorees in the Back row third from left, Michael Chang, International Tennis Hall of Fame; fourth from left, Lawence Hom, USC volleyball player and All American fifth from left, Kevin Kahn Wong, Olympian Beach Volleyball 2000 sixth from left, Jon Soo Hoo, Photographer, LA Dodgers, USC football, Lakers (white shirt) Honorees in the Front row, first left, Tiffany Chin, Olympian in figure skating second from left, Annie Yee, Laker Girl & Rams Cheerleader third from left, Cameron Inouye, WNBA referee, fourth from left, brother of Bob Chow, Olympian rapid-fire shooter, 1948 fifth from left, Carol Jue, Coach of Women's basketball, Chapman University sixth from left, Kim Ng, VP and Asst General Manager, LA Dodgers Absent was Norm Chow, UCLA football offensive coordinator
Carol Jue, Coach of the Year 2005 and 2009, Chapman University Women's basketball
Mr/Mrs. W. Jung, proud parents of Carol Jung Jue
The Gary Uyeda family; Debbie, Allyssa, Dianne, Gary and Jen
Jutta coined the word, "Six Pack", to best describe our group. One can say we enjoy each others company or one can say we like our beers. I think it is a little bit of both with a big tilt towards enjoying each others company.
It began as a training group for the Great Aloha Run (8.2 miles) which is held annually on President's Day in February, however, after the GAR, we continued our training sessions and a casual friendship flourished into what we affectionately call the "Six Pack".
This was our final get together before we board our planes and bid Aloha to Bob and Jutta.
Aloha a hui hou (till we meet again)
left to right; Bob, Jutta, Donna, Allen, Nola and Ken
Donna and Allen checking out the buffet at Hale Koa Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii
Our dinner/show with Danny Couch at Chai’s Bistro in Honolulu, Hawaii was an evening to remember and cherish. Danny was in great voice and was energized by his many friends and fans that came to share this special evening with him.
Singing his mega hit “These Islands”, multi winner of the prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano Award, Danny took us on a musical journey, singing his late and early compositions of Hawaiian songs, contemporary, and audience requested songs that made him famous worldwide.
Couch is charismatic and connects with his audience in a very personal way with every song. Between sets, he took time to visit our table and we took the opportunity for a few Kodak moments with him. A special treat that evening was his rendition of “Phantom of the Opera” which froze the audience in melodic ecstasy from beginning to end.
Danny Couch singing "These Islands"
"Six Pack + Danny"
Left to right: Allen, Jutta, Donna, Danny, Ken, Nola and Bob
Donna, Bob, Jutta, Nola and Ken
Nola, Ken and Danny
Bob and Jutta
Allen and Donna
Nola and Ken
Danny and Hula dancer
Allen and Bob
Danny singing Phantom of the Opera
Danny singing "Happy Birthday" to Nola
left to right from rear: Shirley, Ken, Nola, Bob, Allen, Donna and Jutta
This is the Honolulu, Hawaii Tax Revolt Tea Party on April 15, 2009.
The Honolulu Tea Party is a grassroots group of citizens dedicated to defending the principles set forth by America’s Founding Fathers, specifically restoration of lower taxes and less government and preservation of economic opportunity and the Bill of Rights.
It was a beautiful spring day in Honolulu, Hawaii especially with a visit from our friends from Southern and Northern California. If everyone looks happy, it is because of the Red Mango yogurt and gelato we consumed with enthusiasm after a six (6) course dinner at P.F. Chang's. Left to right back row; Donna and Allen Left to right front row seated; Darlene, Robert, Pandy and Frank.
The gals were seated long enough for me to take this photo. Donna, Darlene and Pandy.
Ford Island Run was interesting as we ran past World War II bunkers, landing strips and a portion of Pearl Harbor where the Arizona and it support ships were moored. Compared to the 1940's, Ford Island is but a shell of what it was, however the air museum pulls you back into time.
Nola and Allen
Jutta and Nola after the Straub 10K
Allen, Donna, Bob, Jutta, Nola and Ken at Ford Island before the start
Donna and Allen at the 2009 Great Aloha Race, Honolulu, Hawaii on February 16, 2009.
It was dark at 4:00AM when the alarm clock rang to start the day. Donna prepared the oatmeal with raisins and sunflower seeds to give us the fuel to finish the Great Aloha Race of 8.2 miles from the Aloha Tower to the football stadium. After our breakfast, we walked to the Sheraton Hotel to board the bus for the ride to downtown Honolulu and Bishop Street. As we arrived at our destination, there were many buses unloading, we joined hundreds of others walking to our starting line. First thing is to find the porta-potties; you do not want to waste time waiting in line during the race. The race is an hour away, we walk around a bit, stretch as much as we can, and watch the military units as they begin their lineup for the race. Their battle flags are waving conspicuously in the breeze as they pass yelling cadence. We gave them a big ovation, and yelled “hurrah, hurrah”.
It is getting closer to start time at 7:00AM, the crowd swells to 20,000 and we are crowded in the street like sardines. At this time, Donna and I are separated as I am running and she is walking. The runners line up near the front of the pack. Mufi Hannemann, the mayor of Honolulu, gave his welcoming speech, the national anthems were sung in English and Hawaiian, the gun goes off and we are on our way.The road splits after Chinatown, I opt for the one closest to the ocean. We run by Hilo Hattie’s warehouse still bunched up although a lot of folks are walking at that point. The first high school band is at the service station and blaring away, I can hear some of the music but my Ipod is louder. We pass Alakawa Street and the Costco turnoff, then Sand Island Road before heading to Nimitz Hiway and under the freeway. We pass Lagoon Street then the entrance to the airport. It is a little cooler with the freeway overhead but the concrete is very hard which makes your legs tire. Up ahead is the first water stop, more bands and the EMT unit, someone needs their help as the runner is sitting on the ground and the paramedics are looking after him.
Most everyone takes a cup of water to drink or pour over their heads. Cups and water are littered everywhere on the roadway, you have to be careful not to slip and fall. We have reached the four (4) mile mark here, time to line up at the potty station, it is very frustrating to be standing there and the time is ticking away.
The next portion of the race is out of the shade and the sun is hot on the freeway as we head up the hill which is a gradual incline but when running it appears to be quite an obstacle, I can look down and see the new Navy commissary and if I strain my eyes I can see the image of the stadium, however I know it is 4 miles down the road. By now, my tank top is totally drenched from perspiration and I am wiping my eyes with my paper towel to keep it from stinging my eyes.
After the commissary there is a slight downhill stretch which is welcomed and I am also hoping for some trade winds, cameras are stationed there to take pictures which are included here.
We head uphill again then down then up and arrive at the gate of the Pearl Harbor and Arizona Memorial, there is another water station and band music, at this point the legs are really heavy and the breathing is labored, gotta walk to catch my breath, just 2 more miles to go. I see the opening of the Salt Lake Blvd cutoff and the stadium is looming large up ahead, the military units have already finished and lined up at the fence line to cheer us on as we had cheered them.
We are at the 71/2 mile mark when arriving at the stadium, the run is another ½ mile or so to the tunnel and the finish line on the field, the last ½ mile is the absolute worse and I was very glad to finish. As you can see, I am not as perky as the fellow in the blue 30 or 40 years my junior.
Our reward was a t-shirt, banana, bottle of water and a package of Hostess mini-donuts.
I finished in 1 hour 38 minutes and placed 23/128 in my bracket of Men’s 70-74 and Donna finished in 2 hours 24 minutes for 143/323 in her age bracket. She bested her last year’s time by quite a bit. She looks as fresh at the finish as when she started.
Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school in the desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 92.
Taliesin West sits within a pristine Sonoran desert landscape at the foot of the McDowell Mountains in North Scottsdale. It lies secluded from nearby residential development within the foothills of a range of mountains to the north. Taliesin West remains one of the few estates in the Phoenix metropolitan area which has been able to preserve desert mountain and open space for the benefit of its undergraduate and graduate programs in Architecture, K-12 students, scholars and visitors.
Many of Wright's most famous buildings were designed in the drafting room at Taliesin West, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and Grady Gammage Auditorium at Arizona State University in Tempe.
The weather was gorgeous for our visit to Taliesin West, sometimes the wind would come up and make trekking around the desert quite challenging. Most of the buildings were built by the students and their own living facilities were similar to living in a large tent built of canvas and a frame.
Another great and interesting discovery on our Cruise America Adventure
Fourth of July Oregon style with the youngest of the clan.
We had a great Fourth of July with the newest member of the family "Dottie Yang" (11 months), she laughed, she talked (ba'ba'ba'), she crawled, she fell, she cried, she swam with her mother and sister, she had her first bite of chocolate (she wanted more) and had a full day and finally called it a day 5 hours later.
Leading the Sousa marches on Fourth of July and having the best time! Oh, that white tank is harmless as long as she doesn't smoke around it, no need to be alarmed...
Georgia O'Keeffe's church in Abiquiu where she lived.
Donna with Napoleon Garcia who knew and worked with Georgia O'Keeffe when he was a youngster. He did many errands for her and is a terrific storyteller of his adventures with O'Keeffe.
Georgia O'Keeffe's pueblo in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Tours of her home may be arranged with the Georgia O'Keeffe Foundation.
O'Keeffe used this type of landscape near her home as subjects for many of her paintings.
Rams Head, White Hollyhock and little hills.
White Calico Flower.
Oriental Poppies 1927
Jimson Weed 1936
Datura and Pedernal 1940.
Allen standing in front of The Pedernal Mountain, the signature mountain for O'Keeffe's paintings. Do you supposed she stood at that spot where I am standing to paint that mountain?
