Crystals and Vortexes and Nieces, Oh My!

What a treat we had today. My niece, Erica (Debra's daughter, who goes to school in Phoenix), joined us for the day. Here she is enjoying some coffee in our hotel room and modeling the anklet I found for her mom.

To prepare ourselves for the spiritual work ahead, we first stopped in Sedona at the crystal and gem store.

Here's a little idea of the different stones they offered. Yikes! Completely overwhelming but lots of fun to pick and choose. Each one addresses something different, brings different energy into your life (at least according to those who believe in these things). While we were there, we all had psychic readings done. It seems that all is well with all of us, which certainly was good to hear!

Fortified with several purchases and our destinies well aligned, on Erica's suggestion we headed off to Jerome, a former mining town once known as the wildest town in the west. Now it seems it's a haven for artists and other free spirits (to put it kindly). Apparently their town motto is, "we're all here because we're not all there." Quite apt. Don't get me wrong -- it's a completely charming little town that's quite a lot of fun to walk around in. It's just not exactly playing with a full deck, if you know what I mean.

We had lunch at the Marmalade Cafe. So yummy that we had scarfed down our sandwiches before Max got a chance to get a bite.

It was a happy lunch, as you can see.

Then it was back to Sedona to get ready for our expedition to the vortexes. (Okay, I would say vortices but apparently out here that's how they pluralize the word. And who am I to argue?) The approach to Sedona from Jerome was stunning.

We arrived in plenty of time to meet Taz, our guide for our jeep tour. This picture really doesn't do him justice at all.

He was in full cowboy regalia, down to the leather chaps and spurs. Because of his own purported Cherokee background, he emphasized the Native American aspects of the vortex experience. I liked that a lot more than all the new age talk I've heard. There was something about it being sacred ground that goes back centuries that was particularly appealing.

The experience is hard to convey, especially because it is different for everyone. For myself, I found that when I gave myself over to it, I found it extremely calming to just sit and take in my surroundings. Here is some of what I was viewing, from the epic to the most detailed.

We had arranged to meet some of Erica's friends for drinks and dinner. However, everyone's plans got messed up due to road construction that seriously bolluxed things up. Our plan to go back to the hotel before dinner instead became sitting in a traffic jam and cleaning the dust off ourselves with handi wipes.

We made it to the brew pub and were eventually joined by Bruno and Dirk, two charming gentlemen who know Erica from fencing (the sort with epees, not the sort where stolen goods are transferred). As they explained, one's a coach and a referee; the other's a referee and a coach!

We had a rollicking good time, then sent them on their way. And now it's to bed to settle our psychic energy and get ready to head to California in the morning.