Love

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.
That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business.
What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy if anything can.

Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Hike to the Top of Papago Park

On Tuesday morning, we drove towards downtown Phoenix and hung a right off the highway towards the zoo and the botanical gardens.  The parking lots were packed, so we drove around quite a bit before finding the parking spot meant just for us.  Then we began our hike.


Bean started out ahead but then everyone walked together after we made her wait.

This was such a beautiful morning.  No clouds.  Not too hot.  That big bumpy rock in the middle of this photograph was where we were walking to before we moved around to the backside to hike up an easier trail that didn't go straight up.

On our walk, we saw some cool cacti.


Owen liked standing on top of a rock to suddenly grow taller.

This photograph was taken behind our little rock and continuing to look beyond.  I love the saguaro cacti along the ridge.

Now back to our little rock to hike up.   LOVE the peepholes through these rocks!

Chloe and Grandma Sharon were already at the top of this trail and had hung a left past that last bush.


Finally got to the top and took a rest in the shade before walking through one of the larger and safer peepholes.

I made them stop and pose first, but I had problems getting the exposure and white balance set correctly and quickly after shooting out in the direct sun.  The boy child was restless.
Love looking through the peepholes out at the desert and palm trees below.

Love this boy who found his own corner to curl up in and smile for the camera!

Then he moved to the other side to cheese with the girl child.  So nice when they both cooperate and act like they like each other!

A view of the desert sprawling out from Papago Park.  Downtown Phoenix is off in the distance.  There always seemed to be a haze over the city.  Although, most of the time we were in the city and the haze seemed to be covering the mountains.

Chloe snuggled with Grandma Sharon for a minute before they both tried to find their way safely down from this perch.

Chloe was leading the pack to go back up to the main peephole so we could work our way back down off the rock.

Cool kids.  I hummed a little Collective Soul about letting heaven's light shine down as they were illuminated from behind.

Then they surprised me with some sweet kisses on each other's cheeks!  They were so utterly sweet to each other.  I wish it had been caught on video, or that I could have bottled it to be released judiciously at later dates when they work hard to aggravate each other to their wits end.  Not that they ever do that.


LOVE the silhouettes on this shot and the beautiful blue sky behind.  The Arizona sky seemed to get bluer the higher up I looked, no matter where we were or what day it was.

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