Outdoor peace

As we drove through the lower desert of Southern California this morning, Jim commented on the fact that he was enjoying the scenery. I looked around and saw scrub brush growing haphazardly on dirty colored sand and jagged rocks. I thought of all the beautiful countryside we have driven through in the past several weeks and  wondered how he could find that landscape even interesting, let alone enjoyable. And then he said that it reminded him of the home of his youth. The environment in which one is raised must seep deep into the soul of a person. Give me the rolling corn fields of Iowa any day!

Because some politician decided that it was important to share his virtues with us on the phone at 5:30 in the morning, we were off to an early start. It actually ended up being a blessing because we arrived in Sedona, Arizona in the early afternoon which allowed plenty of time to enjoy the area. The rock formations are beautiful. We noticed the way all the homes and commercial properties are built to blend in with the landscape. We visited the Chapel of the Rock which is a beautiful Catholic Chapel. The architect took outdoor peace and brought it inside. God, everywhere.

Tonight we are in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tomorrow we hope to check one more thing off our bucket list.