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Spent a lovely day setting up our tents and stuff at sweet Manzanita (little apple) campsite in the Coconino National Forest, not far from Sedona.  We even went wading/swimming in Oak Creek, where we had a little private area. Towards evening, we visited with Noel’s old high school friend Linda, and visited her parents in their stunning home in Sedona.  Then we explored Sedona a little and ended up eating dinner with Linda at “Etch,” in L’Auberge.  Amazing food, very elegant and lovely atmosphere, and sort of an extreme switch for us to be camping and swimming, and then get all dressed up and go out for a really nice dinner, then come back to a tent.  

Spent 2 days at a ranch in Utah.  We went for a great 3-hr, 10 mile horseback ride–I’ll post pics when I can.  It was really wonderful until we were almost at the ranch and my horse decided to canter instead of trot–I have no idea why–I certainly hadn’t signaled him to canter.  Somehow both my water bottle and myself ended up in the [thankfully] soft dirt.  Someone from the ranch caught him and brought him back to me and helped me back on.  But oh, man, we are all aching, from using muscles we haven’t used in a long time.  Other than the fall, we had a great time there.

We have been really, really out of touch.  As I’ve said before, wifi has been super sketchy or absolutely unavailable, and with no phone service in a lot of areas, we can’t even access our cellular data.  That said, we have been doing some amazing things.  We are at the Grand Canyon now.  Yesterday, as we were arriving, I got all choked up, because this has been on my bucket list for a while, and now, here we are.  It is so unbelievably beautiful, and yes, scary.  I have a thing with heights and standing on the edges of high points.  Or when my family members do risky things. I had a bit of a panic attack yesterday when Dalia and Sophie got close to the edge to take selfies.  Anyway, we got some great shots, which I will try to post.

I haven’t posted anything in a while but we have been so busy with so many amazing things! We stayed one night in L.A., and met up with my best friend Hope who happened to be in the area touring colleges. We took her and her mom to Universal Studios in Hollywood, which was really awesome. Sophie wanted to see Dunkirk, the war movie with Harry Styles. There were luxurious electronically reclining seats and we sat in the third row! It was a good movie. Then we hit Las Vegas which was fun but also kind of hectic and overwhelming. And HOT. We stayed in Circus Circus Hotel and Casino right on the strip. It was very crowded and loud. After that, we went to Zion and Bryce National Parks which were absolutely breathtaking. The calm nature was such a nice change from the high intensity of a city like Vegas. Now we are staying at a ranch in Utah, and we rode horses for three hours this morning! It was absolute bliss, so serene. There are beautiful striped mountains surrounding us, and at sunset they glow bright red and orange. I am really looking forward to our visit to the Grand Canyon tomorrow! 

-Dalia

Arrived 7/20 in LA to our friend Byron’s lovely house in Sherman Oaks.  We met Dalia’s friend Hope and her mom Andrea, who were visiting colleges, and joined them for dinner at City Walk @ Universal Studios.

Then we saw Dunkirk, which had just opened, in City Walk’s absolutely lovely, clean movie theatre, with reclinable cushy seats and stunning bathrooms.  Most comfortable and luxurious movie theatre experience ever!

Today (7/21) we had breakfast at Brighton Coffee shop in Beverley Hills, then walked around the Santa Monica Pier, for one last bonding with the Pacific and the left coast, then began our eastward journey towards Vegas.  

Happy birthday to two of my best friends, Trixie and Marta, who just happened to have been born on the same day in the same year, in Canada and Poland!!!  Boldog szulinapot és sto lat!!!

We’ve just arrived at our crazy hotel, Circus Circus.  Kind of overwhelming, hot, noisy, and crowded, but our room is very quiet and cool.  Pics to follow….

7/22

Glad to be out of LV.  I know that plenty of people enjoy that scene, no judgement, but it’s not for me.  Maybe it was just our hotel, but it was totally crowded with loud confused families making their way through crowded confusing hallways, with small loud screaming children, gambling and seeking entertainment.
Something else that made me sad and a little nauseated was walking down the strip and seeing homeless people right next to such opulence and conspicuous consumption.  

At least we found a great Italian spot to dine and slept well in our cool, quiet room.  We are so blessed.
Btw, we stopped at a different hotel on the old strip this morning to get coffee at Starbucks after waiting much too long at ours, and the whole vibe much more chill.  So maybe it was just our kooky hotel on the new strip that was nuts.

We are now in Utah, at Bryce Canyon after visiting  Zion National Park. Zion was STUNNING.  If anyone is into photography, definitely pay this area a visit.  Hard to get a bad shot, even on an iPhone.  

L
This is much more our style:  fewer people, stunning views, nature out the wazoo, quiet and gorgeous.  No long lines, no cranky tourists.  I’m at the little pool at our campsite (a pool!  I know, right?) and there are only a few families, French, Swedish, and American, and they are all pretty chill.  Baruch Hashem.

7/18

Dalia, Noel, and Sophie took a nice long surfing lesson this morning.  It was way too cold and windy for this Florida native, so I watched the lesson and took pics (chicken, baak, baak).  

Then we headed south to camp at Arroyo Seco.  The drive was absolutely stunning, with beautiful tree-covered mountains and huge vineyards.  California actually reminds me a lot of Italy and Israel in that way:  it’s hard to take a bad picture here because it’s so gorgeous.  Same with the food–we’ve been really lucky.


7/19

Spent a beautiful night at our campsite in the Arroyo Seco forest.  There’s something so peaceful about cooking, eating, cleaning up, and sleeping in the woods.  No rushing, no cell service, no internet.  Just beauty, plus the sound of the crickets and bullfrogs (just like at our house in ny!).

Later…..

We found Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara.  Stunningly gorgeous weather, just the right amount of sun for basking and the right amount of wind for sailing and parasailing.  First we saw lots of parasailors, and then over 20 sailboats.  This place is just gorgeous.  Just watching all the boats and kites makes me happy.  We also ended up getting a great dinner right on the beach.  I want to move here. 
Noel kept trying to contact our next campsite, but they didn’t answer–we think it may be closed due to recent fires, since they’re in that area.  ☹️ So we found a motel that has both internet and showers, both of which we respect greatly.  👍🏼  Good night, Santa Barbara! 

We’ve spent a great few days at my dear friend Diana’s in the Mission district.  Talk about location!  We have seen SF at its prettiest and warmest.  (Diana always says that whenever I visit her here, the sun comes out. 😀). Needless to say, it has been wonderful being with such a dear friend during such a sad time.  

It has been great for our girls and Noel, too, to get to know both Diana and her daughter Lila better.  We have had the opportunity to visit with my dear friend and old flatmate (and doula for both births!) Lauren in San Rafael, Noel’s cousin Jonathan and his wife Karen in Fairfax, Diana’s mother Marilyn and Noel’s cousin Ellen in Berkeley, and Noel’s old Tomov dance troupe friends at a reunion in Oakland.  Noel and the girls also went to what sounds like a great J Cole concert on Friday, while I stayed home and had a sweet Erev Shabbat with Diana and Lila.  Pics to follow…
7-17

We reluctantly parted from dear Diana and Lila this morning–best friends and hosts ever–and just met our old friends Cynthia and John for lunch in Los Gatos.  We are wending our way south to Monterey and Carmel Valley for the night.  

Later….
Monterey was gorgeous–we walked on the beach and collected a few rocks.  I hope that’s legal.  Now we’ve arrived at our little lodge in Carmel Valley for the night.  It’s very sweet but has no usable wifi to speak of.  I think the universe is trying to tell us to disconnect…

Tomorrow Noel and Dalia have a surfing lesson and I will find something else to do with Sophie, possibly the Monterey aquarium.