Monday, August 8, 2011

Grand Canyon Pilgrimage - August 2011




I just spent the most awesome day at the Grand Canyon with my daughter and her friends.  It was kind of a last minute thing, they were camping up there for the weekend, would I like to meet them?  Hmm...how much gas is in the car?  Yup, I'll be there.  I really needed a day off from my worries and anxieties and I can't think of a better therapy than a day in one of the National Parks.  Of course the fact that I live only 90 minutes away helps, also.


 
Our adventure started in Tusayan, with a visit to the Indian PowWow Swap Meet.  While the younguns shopped for beads and baubles I chatted up some of the Navajo vendors and even found one with whom I shared a mutual friend.  I wished I had some spending money, because the silver, turquoise and beading was authentic Navajo, exquisite, and inexpensive.  Next stop, the IMAX Theater for a showing of Grand Canyon: The Movie.  I enjoyed the film for its reenactment of the Anasazi occupation and Major John Wesley Powell's river exploration of the Canyon.  Afterward we took in the Condor Encounter in the courtyard.  Hoping to see actual California Condors up close, we were disappointed to find out that only injured and non-flying California Condors were allowed and none were currently available.  However, we were entertained and delighted by the "smart" raven who took a dollar bill from an audience member and dropped it in the donation box; and the dancing crane.


    
Finally we proceeded to the park.  Prepaid passes are the only way to go during peak season.  Our cars were ushered straight into the prepaid lane and our entry into the park expedited.  The first stop, as usual was Mather Point and the main Visitor's Center.  Boy, have there been alot of changes in the six months since I was last there!  Extra parking, more bathrooms, and a complete remodel in progress on the visitor center.  I walked in and back out, making a beeline for the bookstore.  At least everything is still familiar there.  The boy and I picked up our summer visitors guides and stamped them with the commemorative stamps (free).  We browsed the new offerings, and played with the raven puppets, then regrouped with our peeps and went for a 2 mile stroll down the paved, safety-railed Rim Trail.



Several times we noted tourists trying to feed the squirrels.  Bigtime no-no!  Those cute little friendly furballs have fleas and ticks which will jump onto humans just as happily and transmit lovely souveniers such as bubonic plague, lyme disease and if little furball decides to bite, he could be transmitting rabies as well.  Not to mention that feeding them does them no favors, as they become reliant upon human handouts and will not survive the winter on their own.  Best to enjoy the wildlife with your eyes, not your hands!  Okay, rest now, my rant's over.

Though I much prefer to visit the Canyon mid-week in the off season, this particular Saturday was glorious.  There were crowds, but they were friendly and not overwhelming.  I think the presence of extra park rangers on the trails greatly contributed to the relaxed, genial atmosphere.  Our recent rains seem to have given the sky a more sparkling blueness, and made the air more fresh and sweet.  The view from the Rim Trail is dramatic.  Some spots drop straight down over 5,000 feet.  Others are deceptively inviting, yet treacherous and slippery.  You can walk the trail a hundred times and get a different perspective every time.



It was such a refreshing day, and totally occupied my mind, relieving anxiety, and relaxing tension.  Once back in my car at the IMAX, with a cup of coffee, I was ready to get back to reality, though perfectly willing to stay at the canyon if that had been an option.  I know that God, who made such a glorious wonder as the Grand Canyon, also cares about me and my seemingly insignificant troubles.  In getting my mind off of them for a day, I found some solutions and rediscovered gratitude.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Blind Side



Typical upper middle class (is there still such a thing?) soccer mom meets underpriviledged, homeless youth. Recognizes hidden talent and alternataive learning style. Takes child into home to shock and dismay of friends and relatives. Sound like an overused storyline? Possibly, but The Blind Side is based on actual people and events. The names are not changed, but of course the actors are more "Hollywood" than the real people.

Family and child adopt each other and love brings out the best on both sides. Child garners attention of college football recruiters. "Non-governmental-organization" tries to foil child's chances at a college scholarship, "in his best interests". Child defies non-governmental-organization and chooses to go to college he picks, despite the fact that it is the college his "white" family endorses. All ends well.

How often do special interest groups become enforcers "in the best interests" of a child, a monority group, the environment, (add your pet peeve here), while really serving only their own best interests? As Catholic Christians we are called to the Works of Mercy - shelter the homeless, instruct the uninformed, feed, clothe, give drink. We are not necessarily called to form NGO's with boards of directors and large staffed offices to carry out these duties for us. All of which require money to operate. I liked The Blind Side because it shows people doing what people should. Feeding, clothing, sheltering and educating those less fortunate. Not asking for a grant to do it with. Not sending out fundraising letters or taking up a collection at church. Not calling social services and pushing the job off on someone else. Just seeing a child in need, and quietly doing what needed to be done. Amen.

The Blind Side is availabe in several formats at http://www.theblindsidemovie.com//.
No compensation was received for this review. I borrowed the movie from our church library.