On Sunday night we decided to go camping in the Tonto National Forest, just south of Pine, Arizona. This gave me the opportunity to wander the forest finding great photo opportunities. Here are some of my favorites:
Posted in Travel
Tagged camping, flowering cactus, nature photography, photography, Pine, Strawberry
This weekend we had the chance to experience the Museum of Northern Arizona‘s Zuni Festival from the point of view of volunteers. Friday night was Member’s Night and I worked the silent auction table while Jay helped out in the kitchen. Member’s Night is always my favorite. I always see people I know and the museum members come out in style, wearing fantastically elaborate Native American made jewelry. The elite museum members will actually wear pieces of jewelry that were made by artists at the show. Of course, as a volunteer at the silent auction table you have the opportunity to compliment the women and hear the story of each piece of jewelry and the artist who made it.
I also love working the silent auction table because you have the chance to get to know the other volunteers at the table. As a team, you are responsible for an important fundraiser, and the silent auction volunteers take their role seriously. We pay attention to how the pieces are presented, try to encourage bidding, and watch the clock carefully, making announcements about how many minutes are left to bid. It’s a fun volunteer opportunity and I look forward to the Hopi and Navajo Festivals later this summer.
The Zuni tribe is from Zuni, New Mexico, just over the border from Arizona east of here. In addition to making pots and jewelry, they make what are referred to as fetishes. These are small carvings of animals, made from stone. These days they buy the materials at mineral and gem shows and then use a large motorized grinding wheel to carve the figures. The carvings are adorable, some as small as a large blueberry. Each animal has a story and represents something. Common animal fetishes are badgers, bears, eagles, and turtles.
The Zuni Festival is the smallest heritage festival at MNA, but the event was well attended and the artists brought outstanding work to sell. We were also excited to see more young people involved in the dances. I was told that the dancing traditions had skipped a generation, with the older generation finding little interest from their daughters, they started passing down the tradition to their granddaughters. I don’t know if this is true, but it was supported by the age range of who was performing.
Posted in Uncategorized
Left to right, Sharon, Eleanor of the Made in the Shade Beer Festival, Steele Wotkyns, Jay, and our friend Terri who was visiting
Just wanted to share a couple of photos we took this week while doing the Flagstaff Ale Trail. The Ale Trail is basically a walking tour of the breweries in Flagstaff. You get a passport and a souvenir silicon pint glass and then at each stop you get discounts. I have written about the Flagstaff Ale Trail before on the blog, and this week we had the unique opportunity to check it out with one of the founders, Steele Wotkyns. The Flagstaff Ale Trail has only be around since December and we enjoyed brainstorming ways to expand the Ale Trail and make it even cooler. Check it out this summer when you can do a brewery patio tour!
Our home at the Expo
This week was a blur as Jay and I worked at the Expo from Wednesday until Sunday (and Jay went back Monday to help clean up). Our week really was fully consumed by working at the Overland Expo as campground hosts. Jay’s parents came up from Phoenix for one of the days of the expo, so that was a nice treat.
Monday I went back to my regular job, which is getting busy as we get ready for the next AmeriCorps term.
Volunteering: We both worked all 7 days this week and did not have the opportunity to volunteer except for Sharon’s continued promotion of the 20th Annual Made in the Shade Beer Festival.
Beer of the Week: A New Belgium Fat Tire in a bottle that was offered to me for free by a three year old at the Expo (she was assisting her father in outreach). Also, Mother Road was one of the sponsors of the expo and I enjoyed their Twin Arrows Brown Ale on tap.
Something New: We learned at lot at the Overland Expo this week – Sharon got to drive a Evoque Range Rover on the 4-Wheel driving course! On Wednesday, Jay gave his first speech at Toastmasters.
Highlight of Being in One Place: Being locals for a large event like the Overland Expo, we had the chance to give out dinner recommendations and directions
Video of the Week: We didn’t take this video, but it’s a nice look at the Overland Expo
From Thursday to Sunday, we were living at Mormon Lake as Campground Hosts for the Overland Expo. Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend:
Sharon and Jay with Michaela from Meet, Plan, Go
Our home from Thursday to Sunday
I didn’t get a chance to get here much, but there was an awesome Adventure Film Festival
I took this photo on Friday when sustained high winds had toppled many easy ups and tents, but this camper appeared unfazed
One of the many victims of Friday’s high winds
The expo brought together all kinds of campers and travelers including this bus camper who termed his rig the “poor man’s RV”
Lots of great dogs in the campground
If you have ever seen a Honda Element, you get why this is funny
Most campers came Thursday and stayed the whole weekend
There were also a large number of motorcyclists, with a moto village and a riding arena
The camel trophy guys had a skills area where they demonstrated building a bridge and building a raft
The skills area turned out to be a good place for kids to get involved and learn how to tie knots and lash trees together
In this case the kids formed a great team for undoing rope
The bridge was a success!
Now lets see if the little guy can make it…
The little guy made it all the way across but needed a little extra ramp building to get down
The raft took a lot longer to build but was also a success!
they also did other skills courses in this area, including vehicle recovery techniques
The Land Rover guys demonstrated how to right a vehicle
One highlight of the Expo was the driving course
Everyone came out to watch the big trucks take a turn on the driving course
This guy’s rig had the lowest clearance of any of the big trucks, but he still made it with minimal scraping
This little girl loved watching the big trucks. As one truck stopped before making it up the steep hill she said, “he’s almost there… I wonder if he’s afraid of heights”. So cute.
Lots of happy folks on Saturday and Sunday as the weather was beautiful and there was fun stuff to see and do
Sunday, after watching the solar eclipse with everyone at the closing BBQ, we drove away from Mormon Lake towards home with a beautiful sunset
Posted in Uncategorized
Jay at last year’s Expo
It’s time to get excited! All this week Jay will be out at Mormon Lake helping to set up for the Overland Expo. If you are new to the word “overlanding” it just describes the broad field of adventure where explorers travel by land. Most overlanders drive burly vehicles, but there are also off road motorcyclists, touring bicyclists, and folks like us who drive a small vehicle and tent camp. The Overland Expo is the largest gathering of overlanders and it brings together a truly inspiring group of adventurers. We look forward to reconnecting with friends we made last year and hearing their stories from the road.
A picture from last year’s Expo
Last year we attend the expo in Amado, Arizona and we are so excited to be part of the team that is bringing the expo to Flagstaff for the first time! If you come out to the Overland Expo this weekend, be sure to stop in and see us. We will be the campground hosts and will also be presenting as part of two speaker panels. If you come for the day it is only $15 and kids under 16 are free. You can purchase day passes ahead of time or at the gate.
A picture from last year’s Expo
Posted in Travel
Tagged camping, Conserventures, Flagstaff, Mormon Lake, Overland Expo, overlanding
This weekend we had the privilege of staying at the historic La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona with my parents. One of the highlights of the hotel was the enclosed garden patio. Here are several photos I took from the patio.
Posted in Travel
Tagged birds, Garden, La Posada Hotel, nature photography, photography, Winslow
This post is part of our semi-regular How To Series.
As regular readers know, Jay and I are engaged to be married and I am the project manager for this exciting event. Planning our wedding has given me an opportunity to find creative ways to get organized and save money. For both of those reasons, Google Documents are my essential allies in wedding planning.
Above is the finished example of the kind of free, nice looking online RSVP that you can create using a Google Form. Below I will show you how to create one step by step.
1) In order to create a Google form you first need a free Google account. If you use Gmail for email, you already have a Google account. If not, just start at http://www.google.com, click “sign in” and then “sign up”.
2) To start the form, sign into your Google Account and go to the Google Documents home page (click on “documents” on the upper task bar). Once in Google Documents, click on the red “Create” button, and then click on “Form”. That will bring you to the screen shown below.
3) An online RSVP is basically an online form or survey. You will need to think ahead of time about what you want to ask your invitees and how you want to ask it. Typical questions to include, “Will you be able to attend”, “Name of guests attending”, and “Do you have any severe food allergies we should be aware of?”. For each question you can choose between different types of answers, such as “text” or “checkboxes”. I used checkboxes for guests to mark yes or no for attending (see below).
4) For each question you can also choose whether or not it will be required. Required questions will show up on your form with a red asterisk and the guest will not be able to proceed until they answer the question. Sometimes it is helpful to offer the “other” option on a multiple choice question if the question is required. This allows for any scenarios you may not have anticipated (such as yes I can come, but only for 30 minutes, or I would really like to come but will not know until the day before).
5) In order to edit a question, click on the pencil icon in the right hand corner of the question box. In order to add a new question, click on “Add item” and select the type of question you need to add. When you are done editing each question, just click “done” and it will go from highlighted to white. You can always go back and edit or delete a question after you have added it.
6) Now comes the fun part. In order to make your online RSVP nice looking, you can choose from over 60 “Themes” that are already in Google Forms. Just click on the “Theme” button, next to “Add Item”. For my RSVP I chose a very formal classic wedding theme, but they have a ton of different themes to choose from.
7) By clicking on the theme it will generate a preview of your form in that theme (shown above). If you don’t like the look, just click “cancel” and try another one. If you love it, click “apply” and it will take you back to your form editing page.
8) When you are done with creating your form, just close out the window to go back to your list of Google Documents. You will see the name of your form at the top of your list of documents. Click on the form and it will bring you to a spreadsheet like the one below.
9) The spreadsheet is the tracking document for your form. Whenever someone uses your form to RSVP, their responses will show up in this spreadsheet, including a timestamp of when they responded. This is one of the best things about Google Forms since you can quickly and easily access the RSVPs and then you can even download the spreadsheet into Microsoft Excel or another data program to manage the list and create mail merges for name tags or thank you notes.
10) In order to actually see your completed form and get the link to send out, click on “Form” and then “Go to Live Form” (from the spreadsheet screen above). This will bring you to your form online (shown below). You can then copy and paste the URL/web address for the form to send to your guests. Of course, I would recommend creating a hyperlink if you are sending the link by email (LIKE THIS) or even creating a Custom URL through a link shortening site such as bit.ly if you will be writing the link on a paper invite. If you have questions about that, please let me know in the comments.
And that’s it! This process only takes a few minutes once you get the hang of it. There are lots of additional tweaks and tips that you can use to enhance your forms, so I encourage you to experiment. It’s free and easy and if you are a bride or groom to be this may be one big step on the way to wedding Zen!
Posted in Technology
Tagged DIY Wedding, Google documents, Google forms, How To, online RSVP, wedding planning
This week was filled with so many good things. My parents were in town. Jay went on an epic mountain bike ride on the peaks. My photographs were on display downtown in the Artist’s Gallery. Jay worked for the Overland Expo. I gave not one, but two speeches at Toastmasters. We had a great time at the first trail work day of the season. For a week full of joy and promise, it ended with sadness and uncertainty.
Jay at trail work
Last Wednesday, we had what felt like an opportunity of a lifetime. We interviewed to be the next Suburu IMBA Trail Care Crew. This is our dream job and we have been thinking and talking about it for more than nine months. Yesterday, we learned that we did not get the position. It feels like a huge loss. It was not just a job. It was the start of a five year plan. It seemed like the next logical step in our plan. A way to continue to travel together while still working towards our respective careers. It made sense. Now, without that opportunity we are staring at blank map. There is no clear path forward.
I am not afraid of a blank map, but the lack of direction is intimidating. I want to start to draw lines and form boundaries to bring a new plan into view. However, I am learning that sometimes it is most rewarding to just sit with the uncertainty. As I sit here, with knots in my stomach and unemployment looming in six weeks, I am comforted in the knowledge that I sit next to my partner. Together, Jay and I will untangle a way forward through this hairball of possibilities. Who knows where we will be in July, but we will be there together and will keep taking risks to live a full and meaningful life.
This morning, the first day of knowing that we have no defined plan, we went out together for a mountain bike ride. Without worrying about whether or not my mountain bike skills are good enough, I finally cleaned all of Soldier’s Trail. We had a great ride together, just enjoying Flagstaff and one another. It was actually one of the best days I have had in a long time.
Two of my photographs in the window of the Artist’s Gallery downtown
Volunteering: We participated in the first trail work day of the season with Flagstaff Biking Organization. Sharon gave a tour at Riordan Mansion. I attended a planning meeting and continued to work on social media marketing for Sun Sounds of Arizona, promoting the 20th Annual Made in the Shade Beer Festival.
Beer of the Week: Jay enjoyed the San Tan Devil’s Pale Ale and I enjoyed the Flagstaff Brewery Porter at Hops on Birch last night
Something New: My parents were in town for a Road Scholar trip and we got to take them to a few of our favorite restaurants and local sites.
Highlight of Being in One Place: Finally cleaning Soldier’s Trail — having a local trail that I can ride before work.
Video of the Week:
Trail building mascot
Saturday was a beautiful day here in Flagstaff and a great one to start off the summer trail building season with Flagstaff Biking Organization. Saturday’s event included support from the US Forest Service, American Conservation Experience, Absolute Bikes, Run Flagstaff, Fratelli’s Pizza, and Kickstand Kafe. With all of that community support, it’s no surprise that there was a great turnout.
The crowd on Saturday seemed like a cross section of the active involved folks of Flag. There were families with kids from age six to sixteen, young men that live for adrenaline and are part of the Gravity Riders group, couples who were enjoying a chance to work side by side, and older adults who showed the rest of us what hard work really looked like. On their website, FBO encourages people of all ages and ability levels to come out to a work day. The FBO rep (pictured below) reinforced this message by letting us all know at the beginning that shovel leaning was acceptable. He said that some people come out every month just to lean on their shovels and chat and that that is perfectly ok. Trail work days are as much about building the community as they are about building the trails.
I was really impressed how FBO took the lead in organizing the event, but then asked the volunteers who came to step up and form small groups with an experienced trail builder leading each team. Jay and I each had the opportunity to lead a small team, though as the day carried on and all of the volunteers got familiar with the techniques we all just spread out and worked where we were needed. With so many volunteers, the line of trail builders stretched out over at least a quarter mile. In all we probably completed over a half of a mile of brand new trail.
The trail we were building is an important connector segment of the Flagstaff Loop Trail. Once complete, the Flagstaff Loop Trail will be a 42 mile route that circumnavigates Flagstaff. It will provide connections and access to many other important trails in the area, including the Arizona Trail, Forest Service singletrack on Mt Elden and Campbell Mesa singletrack. Where we were working, the trail follows US Forest Service land, but in all it crosses many different boundaries, covering land owned by the City, County, US Forest Service, and even ADOT. There are great maps showing the proposed trail and how it connects the city.
FBO has planned trail work days every month from now until October and almost every month we will be working on the Flagstaff Loop Trail. If the attendance at trail days can stay at this level or grow, we should make very significant progress on the trail this year.
The next trail day is scheduled for National Trails Day (June 2nd) and we will be working on the Loop Trail near Ft Tuthill. The National Trails Day event is sponsored by REI, Absolute Bikes, and Specialized and is sure to be a big and fun event. I hope to see you out there!
If you want to see all of the photos from Saturday, check out this online album.
Jay Holt
sharontb