Dear Sedona

Well overdue is this collection of observations and thanks to everyone, everything and every place that made the recent visit to Sedona a memorable one.

To the soldier at O’Hare,
Camouflage fatigues, a small, pink roll-a-board in tow, wearing a Hello Kitty backpack. Now that was a demonstration of bravery and execution of duty that went above and beyond. Thank you. For everything you and your fellow soldiers have done. I hope you had a great trip.

To National Car Rental,
You know, I just may have forgotten to pick up the car at the Phoenix airport save for your “friendly reminder” email. Makes me wonder how far I would have gotten on foot before I realized it.

To the Cozy Cactus Bed and Breakfast,
The Cowboy Hideaway Suite was great. Movie cowboy pictures and the little rug that looked like a pair of cowboy boots were nice touches. But I was not won over – it is still the pirate’s life for me. Not Roy Rogers or Gene Autry or Tom Mix; no, just call me Jack. Captain Jack.

To the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village,
Tlaquepaque? Not that this in an issue, you understand, but what if I had to stop and ask for directions? My midwestern, nee southern, speech patterns could not begin to deal with “Tlaquepaque.” I’m glad you were right on Highway 179 coming into town.

To Red Robin,
Your commercials are, well, annoying. But I have to give it to you, the burgers are really good. “Reeedddd ROBIN!”

To Rene,
How ever did you come to be located in an as-far-from-France-as-you-can-get place named Tlaquepaque? Nonetheless, what a nice restaurant.

To the lady singing from atop the red rocks,
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound... What a pleasant surprise, to hear that sweet sound wafting down from the red rock formations. It just made my morning. I trust you were blessed by the experience, as well.

To the Quil twins,
You got me through Day and Ny(te). It’s no fun being sick while you are away from home, but I’ll have to say, you guys helped.

To the guitar player at Rene,
You had me at the Adagio from Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez. It is haunting, moving and all-in-all, one of my favorite pieces. A nice touch to a pleasant evening at Rene

To Masked Rider wine,
You were chosen for the label. Just so you know.

To northern Arizona,
Nice touch, what with the rain and sleet and snow and wind and closed highways. Just like winter. But, as I have noted elsewhere in this blog, for that, I could have stayed in Wisconsin. Just so you know.

But weather not withstanding, it was an interesting three days in a beautiful place. With any luck, there will be another visit. And this time, we WILL make it to Jerome.