Filed under: Arizona, Art, Blogging, Cats, Photography, Valentines | Tags: Arizona, Art, Blogging, Cats, Holidays, Photoblogging, Photography, Sedona, Tony, Valentines
Amidst Valentine’s Day and Arizona Centennial Day, another minor exciting (to me) event occurred…the third anniversary of my blog, my blogiversary! The actual date was February 13th. My last post, The Valentine State, was also my 350th post. So…to keep my tradition going, I am having a little giveaway as I did for my first and second blogiversaries to let you know I appreciate you.
Above is the official first day of issue stamp celebrating Arizona’s centennial, the newest Forever stamp. That’s Arizona’s State Bird, the cactus wren, perched there. This commemorative piece can be yours! And, since that doesn’t seem like much of a giveaway, I’ll also enclose a little surprise, something else Arizona-y. And…I’ll enclose a print of one of my recent photos, either this one or this one, whichever looks better printed. Maybe not the most thrilling giveaway but, hey, it’s free!
Everyone in the continental U.S. is eligible by leaving a comment. As in the past (year one and year two), one of my cats will choose the winner. It’s really Abbey’s turn but the boy cats always horn in when she’s trying to do something constructive. The winner will be chosen on February 26th so get those comments in and tell all your friends!
See what my darling husband, Tony, gave me for Valentine’s Day? This was our first year married, although our 18th Valentine’s Day together. We had a long courtship.
Here is Paul McCartney’s original song, My Valentine, which you may have seen him perform on the Grammys last week.
“Um, where’s my valentine?” asks Google. “Shouldn’t that say, For My Google?”
Incidentally, the Arizona Forever stamp is available for purchase everywhere in the U.S. now. You should get some 
The stamp was done by Arizona artist, Ed Mell, and depicts Cathedral Rock in Sedona. Here’s another view of Cathedral Rock from last summer.
Thank you for reading my blog!
Filed under: Art, Phoenix | Tags: Art, Casio Clicks, Coffeehouses, Downtown Phoenix, Phoenix, Snaps, Tony
When Between Us
Ana Cristina Cesar
When between us there was just
a letter certain to come
complete
correspondence
the train the tracks
the window open
a certain landscape
without stones or
alarms
my high heel
balancing
the glass of water
the wait for coffee
I’ve posted that poem before on my blog, almost 2 years ago, but I like it and there aren’t that many poems that mention coffee so it’s back. The arabica coffee plant that I mentioned and photographed in that earlier post is now dead, sadly. They are hard to grow and it hung in there for a few months with constant misting but that wasn’t quite enough. So we won’t be growing our own coffee beans. Tony is, however, roasting his own beans now (in addition to buying his beans online from Peet’s).
The above latte and mocha are from Lola, “a hip local hangout with a fresh vibe” in downtown and uptown Phoenix.
Filed under: Arizona, Jewelry, Phoenix | Tags: Arizona, Downtown Phoenix, Jewelry, Phoenix, Religion, Tony
Hint 1
Hint 2
Hint 3
After 17 years of unwedded bliss, Tony and I are making it official on April 1st. No joke…really.
No, that’s not Arizona. Tony took this shot a few days ago from the plane on his way to Portland.
Mount Hood, called Wy’east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It is located about 50 miles east-southeast of Portland, on the border between Clackamas and Hood River counties.
The exact height assigned to Mount Hood’s snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 feet (3,429 m) based on the 1991 U.S. National Geodetic Survey 11,240 feet (3,426 m) based on a 1993 scientific expedition and 11,239 feet (3,426 m) of slightly older origin. The peak is home to twelve glaciers. It is the highest mountain in Oregon and the fourth-highest in the Cascade Range. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 percent, so the USGS characterized it as “potentially active,” but the mountain is informally considered dormant.
(Wikipedia)
These were taken with his point and shoot. I think they’re really pretty, especially enlarged. I told him he should start his own travel blog.
Back to AZ in my next post.
Tony is back from China–he has jet lag. We went out to dinner last night, hung out, and then he slept for many hours. The cats are happy he’s back but none of their celebratory photos came out.
So, it was a day spent around the house and in the yard. I’ve pretty much shown you everything in my yard over the last couple of weeks. These were just taken a few minutes ago while I was out watering.
One last, lingering look at beautiful Shenzhen in mainland China. Tony may have to return in 3-4 months.
Tony’s sister, Rosie, sent this photo of what their yard looked like yesterday (in the Chicago area) entitled “Why Tony Left…” It is kind of pretty, though…in a picture. I guess, since it’s technically spring, that midwesterners are getting tired of the winter weather.
And then there’s our sky in AZ (sorry if yours isn’t similar). The wind is picking up again, though, just like the other night.
Candace
