Snow!

That's right: it's the middle of March in Arizona, and it snowed for most of the afternoon. Granted, it's almost all gone this morning (and probably will be completely gone by this afternoon), but still. That's legit.

I gave my first couple official "talks" now. They are entitled "Freshly Foraged" and they tell all about the plant uses the Sinagua could have had for the local flora in the Verde Valley and how they were able to do more than just survive, but also utilize plants to enrich their lives. To introduce the idea, I tell a personal anecdote about mushroom hunting and how you need to know which ones are good and which are bad so that you don't poison yourself with your food. So far it's been getting pretty good reviews.

I went to Flagstaff on my days off last weekend and couchsurfed. It was pretty fun. The person I stayed with was a missionary kid whose parents had been Wycliffe Bible translators in southern Mexico for one of the indigenous groups down there. They took my to a caldera where the tallest Ponderosa Pine and Fir trees in the area grow, pointed out all the places where tornadoes of the years past had crossed the road and snapped trees like matchsticks, and showed me my first-ever-stopped-at roadside chapel. It was actually really cool - I don't know why I've never stopped at a roadside chapel before!

I took the Oak Creek Canyon road back home from Flagstaff, the one that twists and winds its way down the edge of the Mogollon Rim to Sedona, then flattens out in its descent to the highway, where I get back on and head home. The one where you never touch the gas, but often touch the brakes. Here, let me show you:

And that's just the top part. I think if you look closely you can see three of the switchbacks in this picture. Needless to say, it was very fun. But I don't think I would want to drive up it anytime ever. Not in my little car!

Well, I opened with snow, and I suppose I ought to close with snow, too. Here's a picture I took on my way out from work yesterday at Tuzigoot, looking out at the Black Hills, which could more appropriately have been called the "White Hills" yesterday! :)