Nodding Donkeys and Windmills of Sunray, Texas

Saturday, 3 January 2008

I remembered it being called a donkey. There are a lot of this kind of donkey in Sunray, Texas. I understood the water pumpjack is colored blue. This is an oil pumpjack.



The only windmills that I know of are the ones in Netherlands. These turbines are also called windmills and I understand they covert the wind energy into electricity.

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Friday, 16 May 2008

Last place of interest to visit before we drove back home - Petrified Forest National Park - located near Holbrook in Northern Arizona.

Painted Desert is beautiful!

The Newspaper Rock

The colorful Teepes

Petrified Forest

Agate Bridge: The petrified tree trunk

Agate Bridge: The petrified tree root

The skeletons of the animals that once dwelt in the Triassic Park.

An imagery model of what the Triassic Park had looked like?

Southwest Soaring Museum, New Mexico

Friday, 16 May 2008

Yesterday, driving westward from Tecumseh, Oklahoma, Mike & I visited an entertainment museum - the Roger Miller Museum - located in Erick, Oklahoma. Today we had the opportunity to visit a soaring museum - located on Route 66, on the east side of Moriarty, New Mexico.

We were not allowed to take pictures at the Roger Miller Museum. Today, I am allowed to take as many pictures as I wanted to, of anything in the Southwest Soaring Museum.

I didn't know I am interested in planes until today, amazed by the different kinds of sailplanes and gliders.

From the outside, it looked like a big warehouse

First plane I saw entering the museum was this "Little Bird 1". I guess it is built for any little child to feel what it is like in a glider!

The collection of gliders

The oldest glider in the collection: Northrup Primary Glider (built 1929)



2nd oldest glider in the collection: Franklin P-S-2 Glider (built 1930)

Hang Glider

This is an interesting piece: Benson B-8 Modified Gyro Glider

A model of what the place would look like in future.

N.B. What I also enjoyed also on this visit is playing with Duffy.

The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries, Groom, Texas

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Travelling along the Interstate 40 in Groom, Texas, we could see the white cross from far away. It has been claimed to be the largest cross in the western hemisphere but after checking the internet it is now the 2nd largest. The cross at Effingham, Illinois is 8 feet taller, standing at 198 feet.



There were 13 bronze sculptures, depicting the different scenes from the time he was condemned to death until his body was removed from the cross.

Station 1: Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judaea.

Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross.

The Last Supper in front of Station 12 - Crucifixion of Jesus and the 2 thieves.

Chief Yellow Horse Trading Post, Lupton, Arizona

Monday, 12 May 2008

It is located at the Arizona - New Mexico border, along the Route 66 and Interstate 40. Chief Yellow Horse Trading Post is too prominent to be missed because most the stores and signs were painted in yellow!

Mike took every opportunity to practise his bagpipes, for the funeral on Wednesday 14 May in Oklahoma, but couldn't stay long because the wind was blowing too hard.



The animals and eagles looked real from the top of the rock formation where Mike was practising his bagpipes. I can't make out what the white and black colored animals were.



Sure like to visit this place again if we drive this way again. We didn't get to visit the fort because it was closed. I wanted to take pictures of the distinctive yellow color of the stores but the wind was so strong and pushing me.

A Valentine's Day, A State's Birthday & a Friend's Funeral

14 February 2008

Last year, a friend sent me a story about Valentine's Day that it was originated in the 5th century.

Arizona, born on February 14, 1912, as the 48th state in US, is 96 years old! The sixth largest state in US, 114,006 square miles, is the leading copper producer in the nation. It was once the largest cotton producer in the country.

In the small community, 11 miles south of Holbrook city, the first woman Commander in the Arizona Wing of the Civil Air Patrol was laid to rest. Helen Lois Crofford, born September 1, 1932 in Mesa, Arizona, died Friday, February 8, 2008 in Mesa, Arizona.


Friend's Funeral

She was a friend of Mike. Upon hearing the sad news on Tuesday 12 February, we decided to drive there to attend the funeral service on Thursday 14 February. Being a long drive (6 hrs) we decided to travel Wednesday 13 February and stayed a night at Holbrook.

It was my first experience of an LDS funeral service and witnesssing the dedication of the grave. I am grateful for that experience.

Strangely it felt more windy and colder during the Concluding Service & Interment at the Woodruff Cementery. Altogether, I had 5 layers of clothes, 2 of which were jackets, on my upper body, and 4 layers of clothes on my lower body! The winds were so strong that I have to hold on the hood of the jacket! My hands were so cold even though it was hidden under Mike's flying gloves. It reminded me of the climb to the peak of Mt Kinabalu (Sabah Malaysia) almost 30 years ago!

Mike braved the weather, wearing his CAP uniform and kilt, playing "Going Home" and "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes, with his bare hands. He was not asked to play for Helen's funeral service. He wanted to. It was the least he could for a departed friend. I was touched.

Sedona

It was past 3 pm. We were in no hurry to drive home to Yuma. We have 4 and an half hours drive left. Since we were passing the city of Sedona, we decided to see the red rocks, one of Arizona's tourist attractions.

The sandstone formations were indeed stunning!

We thought of visiting the original town of Sedona but instead stopped on the way to visit this neat looking craft shop called Son Silver West.

What catches my eyes most are the dried chillis!

I have seen dried chillis being sold in bags and sold by weight, but not hung up in bunches like these!

Celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Earth Rat

Monday, 4 February 2008

It wasn't Chinese New Year's Eve and it wasn't Chinese New Year either but it was Family Home Evening. Since it was only a couple of days to the Chinese New Year (Thursday 7 February), Brother/Sister Ott decided to celebrate it and invited us to join them and their family for dinner.

There was no Chinese New Year festive atmosphere in Yuma. As of the year 2000 census, only 1.5% of the population of 77,515 in Yuma were Asian. So the past days were just like any other ordinary day.

I was impressed with Brother/Sister Ott's enthusiasm in the Chinese tradition. I was also impressed with the decorations they had put up: lanterns outside and inside the house, peach blossom flowers, oranges, angpows, chopsticks and different types of the festive's decorations.

Sister Ott looked good in the dark liver-colored Malaysian Baju Kelawar, standing at the tables that she has set, for the dinner tonight. Brother Ott wore a bright red shirt. They knew that red was the most important color during the Chinese New Year and that 'red' chased away evil and brings in good luck!




Sister Ott said he was a Filipino Santa - that was what his name tag said. And he is because he wore a traditional Filipino shirt - Barong Tagalog. I liked him! I thought he was a Chinese fisherman to me!



What would you wish for the Chinese New Year? What about "Beauty", "Kindness", "Wisdom" and "Knowledge", not forgetting the "Happiness" and "Prosperity" that you would usually greet another on this occasion.




Wishing all my Chinese and non-Chinese friends a HAPPY and PROPEROUS New Year with (1) the blessing of beauty in our eyes to see beauty in people and things in our lives (2) the blessing of kindness in our hearts to render kindness to whoever he/she/it may be (3) the blessing of wisdom in our brains to choose the right (4) the blessing of knowledge in our soul to better ourselves in whatever role we play in the family, home, society, organisation and country.


Tuesday, 5 February 2008

I considered this as part of our celebration, just being together, Brother Ott, Sister Ott, Mike and I.

Brother/Sister Ott thought I would like to go to the beach at Oceanside California since I come from a seaside city. They were right. I loved the familiar sight of a seashore, sea beach with its fine sand and the sound of waves. I would loved the feel of the breeze against my cheek, if it wasn't that cold! I like the place. It was peaceful, clean, organised and not crowded when we visited.




The pier reminded me of the Miri Jetty. People board boats, to work offshore, at the end of the Miri Jetty. Here, people eat at the restaurant located at the end of the pier.



That was not a statue! The pelican was alive and kicking. It didn't move a single bit even when we stood close to it. It must be so used to people walking on the pier and enjoyed the attention it get. Or it could be eyeing the baskets near the fishing rods that were leaning against the rails of the pier, to see if there were opportunities of a free meal.



Anyone for surfing in the cold water? Not for me! I do not know how anyway and I am not interested either.



I like the pier both ways, going out to the sea and coming back to the land



Apart from the few surfers in the Pacific Ocean, I didn't see any other swimmers. There were only a few people, including ourselves, walking the beach. It is a beautiful clean beach.

According to what I gathered from the internet, 4.5 million people visited Oceanside annually and 2.7 million beach visitors were from Memorial Day (May) to Labor Day (September) - the summer months!

The beach lifeguards were definitely taking their holidays now. I thought I passed only one lifeguard tower along the beach and I thought there was no body inside it. The rest of the towers were parked alongside each other near the pier.



I wouldn't like to come here between May-September when the beach would be bustling with visitors. Today was almost heaven to me - sunny, green trees, organised, peaceful - minus the a little too cold breeze!


Wednesday, 6 February 2008

The last day with Brother/Sister Ott for this visit. I am happy we iced our wonderful time with them with a visit to the temple together.

Brother/Sister Ott were the missionary couple who had prepared me in 2006, to enter the temple for the very first time the same year, but did not get to escort me. Who would have known that we would make it up, in their home country this day?

I love the San Diego temple. I think the structure is beautiful.




Don't mind to go again, if the opportunity arises!


Wednesday, 6 February 2008

Today was Chinese New Year's Eve and I wished Lian and Yean were with me for dinner. They would love this place.



Mike & I had a late and filling lunch at the San Diego temple cafeteria, thinking that we would just head back home. Dinner was not in our plan but after visiting the Asian Market and not wanting to be caught in the rush hour, Mike suggested to patronise the Seafood Restaurant that our friends at home had highly recommended.

Oh! I love the Asian Market - plenty of fresh seafood and other meat. There were plenty of choices of Asian products too! I see mostly products from Thailand & Vietnam. I see food stuff from Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, China too but little of Malaysia. I would have love to stay in the shop longer. It was in the supermarket that we decided to celebrate Chinese New Year on Thursday and have some friends over to join us.

Crazy Buffet? Don't know why they called it such? It was buffet alright but crazy? Maybe because of the price. It wasn't that cheap. I thought the price was reasonable and the food was good. If I know we were going there I would have reserve my stomach. I love seafood and I didn't feel like eating much more meat as I was still full from lunch. Instead I went for fresh fruits instead - first time I ate so much fruit in one meal! Mike enjoyed himself with the seafood there!

Thanks, Mike, for a wonderful Chinese New Year time with Brother/Sister Ott and the impromptu Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.