Today is the last day of my two week vacation and it has been wonderful. I return to work tomorrow after a blissful and relaxing break, ready to return to work, but a bit sad that my free and easy days are ending. I really liked being able to wake up without an alarm, go to the movies and shop during the weekdays when not many people are around, and read much more than I normally do.
And last week I took a lovely road trip to Springerville to visit my grandparents and bask in the beauty of the mountains. Below are a few photos from my trip.
Every trip to Springerville starts with a ramble around my grandparents’ property to touch base with my roots.
Down to the pasture –
Through the barn –
And a peek out the back door to admire the sunset –
This trip I also took a scenic drive down AZ-273 to the tiny town of Alpine –
Watched my brother race his dwarf car in Show Low, AZ (he’s in the blue car) –
Spent time at Nelson Reservoir, enjoying the silence and peacefully reading –
And took one last walk at my grandparents’ house, this time to the saddle shed –
I absolutely love this part of the world and have resolved that I’m going to make many more frequent visits than I have in the past. It refreshes my soul, clears my brain and inspires my creativity.
My mom had surgery the day after I got back and is doing very well. She was able to leave the hospital a day earlier than anticipated and is resting at home. She had a knee replacement on her left knee so has lots of pain, but is resolved to start walking as soon as she can and is looking forward to her physical therapy sessions. I’m so grateful that everything went well. Thanks for your kind and caring well wishes for her swift recovery!
What part of the world inspires you?
A Certain Fondness 
Beautiful!
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It really is, Claire. I love it.
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What a pretty sunset! Hope you can hang on to some of your relaxed vacation feelings as you head back to work.
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Oh thank you, Lauren! I went back yesterday and tried to not stress out over everything I’d missed while I was gone.
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What calming images for a Friday night & the start of the weekend.
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I’m glad you could feel some of the calm that Springerville brings to me. Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend.
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That looks so lovely, I can see why you feel such benefits and I hope that the effects stay with you. And I hope that your mom does well with her new knee. My mother had two successful hip replacements and a couple of her friends have had knees. I gather that it’s a big op and it takes time to settle down and adjust, but that it’s well worth it.
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Yes, I think it was more serious than any of us realized, but she is doing really well. She’ll just have time to get used to this knee before she has to have the other one done!
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Lovely photos, thanks for sharing 🙂
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It was my pleasure, Sam. Thanks for coming by!
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It sounds like a wonderful vacation, and your pictures are gorgeous.
I’m not a morning person and I hate alarms going off too! I love being free of them on vacation.
The ocean always inspires & energizes me. I only live 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico but I don’t get to the beach as often as I planned to when I moved here.
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Oh, lucky you to live so close to the ocean! I love the ocean, too, but I think mountains and lakes are more my ‘thing’.
I’ve wished all of my life that I was a morning person, but I think I’ve finally accepted that I am a night owl 😉
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Lovely. It looks like parts of Scotland, if your great grandmother lived there she would have felt quite at home.
It’s great that your mom is recovering well, she has the right attitude anyway! I hope you managed to get some reading done.
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I would definitely love Scotland then!
I did get some reading in – I finished 3 books, which is really good for me as I am a slow reader.
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How beautiful this area is! And I am so happy that you got to get away and relax. I am also glad to hear that your mother’s surgery went well. I always enjoy visting New England, especially Vermont and the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. I feel very relaxed and refreshed when I am there, especially in the fall.
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I have a dream of visiting Vermont someday. I’ll bet it is just ravishingly beautiful in the fall!
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