Oak Creek and Red Rock

Here is a photo of the running water in Oak Creek curving towards Bell Rock.

I took this photo on a hike into red rock park. It was a very pretty spot.

A special photo for my Mom's special day as it is her birthday today! Happy Birthday!

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Devil's Arch in Sedona

Here is a photo of Dave standing on Devil's Arch in Sedona.

We hiked all the way from the paved road and left the car since it was Dave's car and it did not have enough clearance to drive down the dirt road to start the trail.

We hiked and hiked on several trails before getting to the right one that was to Devil's Arch.

I would highly recommend for people to hike to Devil's Arch, as long as you are not afraid of heights. As you can see it is quite breathtaking.

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Moon Rise Over Red Rock

Here is a photo I took of the moon rising over the red rock of Sedona.

What better view than red rocks and the moon.

I want to go back and try to photograph the full moon at night with the red rock and stars with light thrown onto the red rock so you get the magnificence of the entire scene. We shall see.

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Prickly Pear Tunas at Mii Amo Spa

Here is a photo of Prickly Pear Cactus with its tunas turning slightly purple.

This cactus is located at the entrance door to Mii Amo Spa.

The fruit of the prickly pear cactus are called tunas and you can make tea, margaritas, candy, or syrup from the tunas.

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The Water Feature in the Kiva

Here is a photo of the water feature located in the center of the circular kiva at Mii Amo Spa.

The center of the water feature is made from petrified wood, which is wood in Arizona that has turned to stone. How does that happen? The minerals penetrate the wood; the minerals solidify and turn hard and then it turns into stone.

There is a large white crystal placed in the top of the petrified wood where the water bubbles up and then runs slowly down into the base of small pebbles below. Can you hear the water? You can see the red sand raked in a circle around the water feature.

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The Crystal Grotto at Mii Amo Spa

Here is a photo of the inside of the crystal grotto at Mii Amo Spa. It is shaped like a kiva.

Note the colors and design. It is very modern.

It is a circular room with one circular skylight to the universe. The floor is red sand from the red rock area.

Ceremonies and classes are conducted in the kiva. Or, you can just sit in it by yourself and absorb the room's energy.

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Crystal in the Kiva at Mii Amo Spa

Here is a photo of a Crystal rock that is strategically placed in the kiva at Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort in Sedona.

Yes, this spa also has a kiva to tie in to the sacred area of Boynton Canyon and the Native Americans who have lived in this area for hundreds and thousands of years.

The kiva is located along the zen-like hallway I showed in an earlier photo. It is a cool place to sit and take in the world. I will show a photo of the inside of the kiva tomorrow.

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Outdoor Pool at Mii Amo Spa

Here is a photo of the outdoor pool at Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort.

What a view. And they will bring you drinks and food.

A great day to spend the afternoon is to watch the changing sky and colors on the red rock while swimming and lounging at the pool.

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Mii Amo Cafe

Here is a photo of the Mii Amo Cafe at Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort.

You can eat indoors or outside. We usually pick this table to see the beautiful red rock view from the window while we eat wearing bath robes since we are eating between spa services.

As you would imagine, Mii Amo Cafe serves healthy, fresh food. Yummy!

The spa has spa casitas attached to it and special deals that go with the casitas but we never stay in the casitas. We prefer staying in the larger resort casitas which are nestled into the red rock and have more privacy and wonderful patios to sit and take in the beauty of the red rock of Sedona.

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Indoor Pool

Here is a photo of the indoor pool at Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona.

Mii Amo Spa is truly a very cool and reinvigorating place to go. Book your long weekend now! Seriously. We try to go once a year.

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The Lounge at Mii Amo Spa

Here is a photo of the very comfy lounge area where you can read or take a nap in between spa services.

I love the nooks and the spa also has a big fireplace with couches and chairs to snuggle in if you like.

The Enchantment spa, which is actually called Mii Amo spa has a lounge area to wait in upstairs when it is close to the time of your appointment for a spa service.

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Hallway to Enlightenment

Here is a photo of the hallway in the Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort. Don't you love the decor? So Zen and tranquil.

You walk through the door in yesterday's photo and turn left down this wonderful path.

Along this path is a kiva, indoor pool, comfy room to lounge in, women's locker room, men's locker room, and the fabulous Mii Amo spa cafe at the very end.

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Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort

Here is a photo of the front entrance to Mii Amo Spa at Enchantment Resort. It is an uplifting front entrance for this door to tranquility.

This is one of our absolute favorite spas to go to for a rejuvenating weekend.

As you will see over the next few days, the architecture and design are inspiring. It fits in quite well with the red rock surroundings.

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Breathtaking Mountains in Sedona

Here is a photo showing the view of the mountains on the hike down from the Indian ruins as we head towards the spa at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona.

There are many hiking trails around the resort. The resort will provide you a picnic lunch or wine and cheese for your hike.

Boynton Canyon is known for being a sacred place. The lighting at sunset is magical.

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Hiking Path to Indian Ruins

Here is a photo of the hiking path to the Indian ruins I have been showing from the previous few days.

You can see the steps of red rocks that are part of the path. The greenery along the path with all of the trees and plants makes the steep hike quite enjoyable.

Over the next few days I will share with you photos and our favorite experiences at the Enchantment Resort and Spa in Boynton Canyon in Sedona, Arizona.

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Hiking and Contemplating Life

This photo shows me sitting next to the Indian ruins from yesterday's photo and I am looking out into part of Boynton Canyon.

We hiked up to these ancient Indian ruins from Enchantment Resort. For the next few weeks I will share with you this great area in Sedona, Arizona.

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Anasazi Ruins

Here is a photo of some ancient Indian ruins in Boynton Canyon, Sedona.

One of our favorite places to go is Enchantment Resort and Spa in Sedona. It is off the beaten track back in a deep canyon that is sacred to Native Americans.

We never want to leave the property as they have great hiking, a great spa, spa cafe, and there is such a special spirit in this canyon.

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Indian Ruins Under Red Rock

I love the beauty of the red rock in Sedona and the Anasazi Indian ruins make this location a special place.

Look at the workmanship in the ruins in this photo. They located this home under the shade of the red rock cliff walls.

I think it is time for a photo series so I will share one of my favorite places in Sedona with you over the next few days.

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Chuckawalla

Look at the photo of this interesting lizard.

This is a chuckawalla lizard and they live in the Southwestern desert.

They can swell their bodies up with air to block themselves into tight locations so that predators cannot pull them out.

I like the angle and perspective of this lizard. He certainly looks prehistoric.

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Two Lovebird Parrots

Look at who showed up in my backyard yesterday.

It was hard to believe but I had four peach-faced lovebird parrots in my backyard walking on the ground playing with sticks, eating seeds and flowers and making that loud bird noise.

I can hear the lovebirds sound from anywhere in the house, but they are not always easy to spot in the trees. They have very good eyes and camouflage very well.

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Orange Sky

Nothing like a photo of a brilliant orange Arizona sunset to start your day off right.

It is hard to believe how colorful Arizona skies can get at sunset. it is the desert dust that gives us these fabulous views at dusk.

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Circle of Flowers

And here is my favorite pincushion cactus with its popular circle of pink flowers.

How does it do that?

This cactus blooms occasionally and then it has this ring of flowers and it is a perfect ring. Nature is amazing.

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Arizona Falls at Sunset

Here is a photo I took at Arizona Falls when the water was running.

The water falls over the small dam and over the equipment that you can now see in this photo.

It is had to take a photo of the running water and making sure the equipment in the back is clear.

Enlarge to feel the splash of the water in your face.

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Pomegranite Plant

Today I share with you a macro photo of a pomegranite flower and pomegranite.

I like the details of these flowers and pomegranite.

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Emu Bush

Here is a macro of a flower on an Emu bush.

Emu bushes are also called Valentine bushes. They bloom in February each year.

From far away, they just look like a mass of red color, but nothing fancy.

When you get close and take a macro photo, you see these fabulous details and tiny tendrils shooting forth from the flower.

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Palo Verde Sunset

Another gorgeous Arizona sunset with purples and oranges to highlight the night.

The tree is a Palo Verde tree growing on the side of Camelback Mountain.

We are looking towards South Mountain and Ahwatukee.

Happy Saturday!

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Ladybug in Cholla Cactus

Who got stuck in my cholla cactus?

A ladybug that's who.

At first I thought it was so cool to find this brightly colored ladybug in the cactus. I started photographing it from far away, and then I moved closer and closer and the ladybug did not fly away.

I finally realized it had gotten stuck. Dave of Costa Rica Daily Photo was present for the rescue. He took a toothpick and ever so gently kept working the ladybug out of the cactus until it flew away. It was very tired from struggling to get free and the problem was it could not open its wings to fly as all of the cactus spines were preventing flight.

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Rock Cairn in Sedona

Since we have been sharing photos of signs based on theme days, I thought I would post this rock cairn as I think it is a pretty cool sign.

I like it when I am hiking and I see such interesting mini-works of art.

The rocks are almost ready to teeter off. Whoever built this rock cairn would also be good at building a house of cards.

Life is temporal and so are these rock cairns.

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Odd Shot: Phone Booth and Sign

I almost posted this photo for the theme day yesterday of funny signs.

Most of us recognize the yellow phone book as a sign to make a phone call at a phone booth. This was the most unusual phone booth I had come across in a very long time.

We were staying deep in the canyon in Sedona at a bed and breakfast and this was the phone service that you could use.

Look at the cute lamp, green chair, and the cute little structure the owners built for shade when using the phone. This was quite the odd shot at the Briar Patch Inn along Oak Creek Canyon at Sedona.

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Theme day: Funny Signs

Here is a photo of an odd sign for theme day.

This sign is located at Enchantment Resort and Spa in Sedona, Arizona.

Do you think that they chose 12 and 1/2 for the speed limit so people would pay attention to the speed limit?

Or did they have a committee who could not agree on 10 mph or 15 mph so they finally split the difference and used 12 1/2 mph?

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

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