Thanksgiving

I have many reasons to be thankful this holiday season...the beautiful places I've been, my travels to come, my family and friends. My sabbatical so far has been amazing and I am looking forward to all of the new adventures yet to come.

My brother has been showing my Mom, Karl and me a great time. Karl and I joined him at his birthday celebration in Ft. Lauderdale, along with his friends, including four Miami Dolphin cheerleaders and the pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luckily only a few of you out there read my blog...a couple of the folks at my brother's gathering were very concerned about where the pictures I took would end up!

This weekend my brother is working at the NCAA basketball pre-season tournament at the Atlantis in The Bahamas. Since it is Thanksgiving, naturally, my Mom and I decided to join him. Karl thought it sounded like a good way to spend the holiday as well.

Atlantis is a pretty wild place...part beach resort, part waterpark, part aquarium, part Vegas casino and entertainment center. It would be hard to get bored here!

I haven't gotten too burned yet and I'm hoping to catch a UConn game before I leave...life is good. Well, I'll add some pictures and go back to enjoying my "vacation from my vacation."

Cheers, Kelly

Little by Little One Travels Far

So far my journey has taken me from Anchorage to Washington via Whitehorse, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan and on to Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Arizona (twice).

I had a great week last week in Tucson, AZ. The weather was wild. I got snowed on and rained on. Everyone kept telling me how unusual that was...The city was also alive with events...The All Souls Procession, one of the largest bike swaps in the country...and I attended a talk by Richard Kelly, the writer/director of my favorite move ever, Donnie Darko. He wasn't particularly impressive, but I still love the movie...Anyway, I am into quotes today...Here is my favorite from the film..."Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It's like some sort of superhero or something....Donnie: What makes you think I'm not?"

Here are some pictures (no rain or snow) from my visit to Saguaro National Park...And some fun facts.

The saguaro blossom is Arizona's state flower.

It commonly takes 47 to 67 years for a Saguaro to reach 6 feet.

Saguaros are a protected plant throughout Arizona.

Saguaros are the largest member of the cactus family in the United States (although according to some internet sources not the world's largest...The Cardon is...).

Next post from Fort Lauderdale!

"Little by little, one travels far" - J.R.R. Tolkien

Cheers,

Kelly

All Souls Procession in Tucson

Last night my Mom and I joined her friends and thousands of others at the All Souls Procession in Tucson. It has been an event in Tucson since the 1990s and this year's Procession did not disappoint!

The founder conceived of the event to celebrate and mourn her father's life in a creative way through performance art. This year, we saw a carnival event with musical acts, burning incense with funeral rites, political and social statements, and El Dia de los Muertos inspired floats and calaveras. Here are some of the photos...It was truly amazing!

Cheers,

Kelly

Roots

After a scenic and somewhat snowy drive from Sedona to Colorado with Butch Allen, followed by picking my Mom up from her trip to Turkey; I arrived home, in Summit County. I've had a great albeit short week in Summit. I visited the local Rotary club that sponsored my year abroad in Norway (20 years ago!), attended a ski conditioning class in a witch costume taught by world-class triathlete Andy Potts' mother, drank coffee at my favorite coffee shop, spent time catching up with old friends, and unfortunately, nursed a cold that I caught my first day in town.

Summit County is an ever-changing place and it always takes a while to familiarize myself with all of the new developments in the area. At the same time, much has remained the same. I always love getting personal updates from the folks that still live here.

Well, my Mom and I are off to Tucson, AZ via Pagosa Springs and Sedona tomorrow! I'm looking forward to getting back to the desert...