And Then Everything Changed

I've been home from my Arizona/Grand Canyon trip for a week today. It was a wonderful experience that I enjoyed with son Mark and wife Melody. We flew to Phoenix and drove to Flagstaff, Sedona, and Grand Canyon from March 10-15, coming home to self-quarantine for control of COVID-19. (Self-quarantine to a quilter is not as hard as it is to other people.)
   Yes, we took a helicopter ride to see the canyon from several vantage points. This was my first flight, and I highly recommend the helicopter ride for the best experience. Words cannot describe the sense of wonder that we were overcome with at the sights of this wonder of nature. Smiles, tears, and prayers!

  Melody and I were sitting in the front seats beside the pilot. We could even see below our feet.

 

 

 Only one of the spectacular views. This one reminds me of a caladium leaf, one of my favorites.

At a lookout post there was a relief map of the canyon. 

On the last morning at our Airbnb Hidden Hollow in Flagstaff, we woke up to a beautiful snowfall. My room was on the third floor, up in the trees, so the view was quite spectacular.

   We took all precautions for washing hands and wiping surfaces during the trip, but the Phoenix and Dallas airports were "business as usual." As the news worsened, we knew we could have been exposed unknowingly, so we were glad to self-quarantine when we got home. 

   My kitties were glad to have me home. They looked rather pitiful as I was leaving.

   I've been taking walks in my neighborhood every day for exercise. The temperature has been between 50 and 80 with one day of rain, which really beat down my azalea blooms. Other bushes will bloom for us to enjoy, though.

    Linda and I finished a Quilt of Valor top I had started several months ago. A Pine Belt Quilter member will quilt it on their longarm machine.   

  I put the facing on a large free-motion quilted flower and worked on a smaller one. Quilting was a great stress reliever during the week.

 

 

   There is a desperate need for medical supplies, and quilters and sewers all over the US are pitching in to help. We cannot make surgery-grade N95 masks but these fabric ones can help . In light of the horror of the situation, it is helpful to think we are doing something--anything--to ease the burden. Our doctors, nurses, technicians, EMTs, first responders are putting their lives at risk. We are ever grateful and humbled at the dedication and service they provide.