day trip

started in the valley with cacti and visited strawberry, pine and payson to visit family. my cousin is building his first home from the ground up and as i walked around it and noted all of the materials and work that had already been finished, i was in awe. it is such an amazing feat just to build a home, and everything else we build today from microchips to skyscrapers. i was also reminded of the use of one's hands, arms, legs, torso, feet, eyes and brain as opposed to a machine doing all or most of the work.



couldn't say i'd ever seen a sign quite like this so i had to capture it...











...and the views from my uncle's house are breathtaking.











fresh, clean(er?), crisp air...dogs that walk in the middle of the street, that don't run away from their owners and that make you go around them...people know each other wherever they go...towering conifer trees and clumps of brilliant, white snow here and there...winding, curvy, two-lane roads...a great escape from big city life and somewhat of a step back in time...

btw...for a weekend getaway or longer at my family's cabins and for some unique, locally made honey at a very humble roadside stand. the wild mountain pecan is unbelievably decadent!