Tag: postaweek2012

Our Hometown Olympians

I have always loved watching the Olympics and cheering on the USA.  In 1992 the Summer Olympics held a special significance as two recent graduates of  my alma mater, Stafford High School, were selected to represent the United States in Barcelona. 

Mark Lenzi graduated from Stafford High in 1986.  He had been a wrestler in high school, but he switched to diving after watching Greg Louganis win Olympic gold in 1984.  Mark joined a nearby diving team and quickly excelled in the sport.  He went on to dive for Indiana University, winning two NCAA  Championships. In the 1992 Olympics, Mark competed in 3-meter diving.

Jeff Rouse was a couple of years behind Mark, graduating in 1988.  Jeff had been swimming since the age of 5 and had set national age records at the age of 11.  He swam in college for Stanford University, specializing in the back stroke.  In the 1992 Olympics, Jeff competed in the 100-meter backstroke and the  4 x 100 medley relay.

Having two local residents competing in the Summer Olympics created quite a stir.  We live in an area where football and basketball dominate the local sports scene.  However, the entire community was proud of our local Olympians and prayed for their success.

Remarkably, both men returned home from Barcelona victorious.  Mark won the 3-meter diving competition, becoming the last American man to win a Gold medal in diving.  He returned to the Olympics in 1996 and won a bronze medal in his event.  Jeff came home from Barcelona with two medals–he won Gold in the relay and Silver in his individual event.  He bettered his results in the 1996 Olympics, winning two Gold medals.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of their Gold medal performances in Barcelona. To the best of my knowledge, Mark and Jeff are the only local athletes to have achieved Olympic success.  It is amazing that they graduated from the same high school and they competed in the same two Olympics.  We are very proud of our hometown Olympians.

Sadly, Mark Lenzi passed away earlier this year.  Jeff Rouse lives in our area and is a valuable member of our business community.

Sneak Peak at Reconciliations

The following excerpt is from my second novel Reconciliations, published by Oak Tara in November 2011.  I hope you enjoy it. 

If you would like to read a longer sample, please email me at susan@susaneball.com.   Reconciliations is available on Amazon and Christian Book Distributors.

Josh took a deep breath. “If Christine were in trouble, would you help her?”

Kevin stopped chewing and swallowed hard. “Why would you ask something like that?”

“Just answer the question. Would you help her if she needed you?”

“If you mean financial trouble, no way. Absolutely not. I was more than generous with her in the divorce. If she can’t handle her money, that’s her problem.” Kevin had been blindsided when Christine left him. It had taken him a long time to get over the hurt, and he had no intention of allowing her to hurt him again. And he was certain she would, if he got involved in her life.

Josh shook his head. “No, I mean if she were in real trouble and had no one else to turn to. Suppose she was in a bad relationship with a creep who treated her bad. Would you help her get out of it?”

Josh had Kevin’s full attention now. “You’re not just supposing, are you?” Although Kevin tried desperately to sound nonchalant, he was dismayed by the concern he felt for Christine’s well-being. “You know something. What’s happening with Christine?”

“I saw her the other day.” Josh dropped his voice and scanned the restaurant, as if afraid someone might overhear them. Kevin recognized Josh’s mannerism—he acted like this whenever he was about to tell Kevin something he’d rather not have to say. “Lisa and I were shopping, and we ran into her. She was with a guy—Larry something or other. She said they’re living together.”

Kevin scowled. “Of course she is. Christine has always been able to find a man to take care of her, at least for a little while. Unfortunately she usually picks losers. He’s probably the next guy in a long line of losers.”

“She seemed skittish, like she was in a hurry to get away. And she kept tugging at her sleeve, pulling it down to make sure her forearm was covered. When she raised her hand to wave good-bye, her sleeve fell back, and I saw a large bruise on her arm.”

“Maybe she bumped into something. Christine’s clumsy. She was always banging into the dresser or the bed post and getting bruised.” Kevin didn’t think a little bruise was anything to be concerned about.

“No,” Josh shook his head adamantly. “It looked like someone, I assume Larry, had grabbed her hard. I saw impressions of fingers on her arm.”

Kevin was alarmed, but there was no way he was getting involved in Christine’s domestic problems. “Christine’s a big girl,” he said flatly. “She can take care of herself. If this guy isn’t treating her right, she can move out.”

“Yeah, I guess.” But Josh didn’t seem convinced. “Thought you should know. That’s all.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m sure Christine will be fine.”

Despite Kevin’s assertion that Christine was no longer part of his life and none of his concern, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She’d hurt him deeply when she left him after he caught her with another man. His pain was increased when he learned she’d been involved with two other men during the final months of their eleven-year marriage. Since their breakup, Kevin had one serious girlfriend while Christine had, according to the rumors, gone from one bad relationship to another. She was showing her true colors, and Kevin told himself he was glad to be rid of her. Yet the thought of some guy manhandling her disturbed him more than a little.

Kevin knew Christine Miller was a wild child the moment he laid his eyes on her. That had been part of the attraction.

Helping Marine Veterans Start New Businesses

Yesterday I had the privilege of participating in a program at Quantico Marine Base to educate Marines on the steps required to start a new business.  The program, Boots to Business, is designed to assist Marines who are transitioning out of the Corps to evaluate whether entrepreneurship is right for them, and if so, to assess opportunities and write a business plan.  Yesterday’s class was a 90-minute introduction to business ownership which I taught.  Those Marines who want to explore business ownership further are able to take an 8-week online class which will culminate with them having written business plans.

 

Me teaching Marines at Quantico the basics of business ownership.

My father served in the Marine Corps for 26 years and retired while I was in college, so Marines are near and dear to my heart.  It was a privilege for me to be asked to be a part of this program.  In my job as a business consultant with a Small Business Development center, I assist people daily to start or grow their businesses.  I love helping people fulfill their dreams of owning a business.  Since my office is located about 20 miles south of Quantico, many of my clients are veterans.

As we tell the Marines in this program, veterans make great business owners.  Many of the skills, attitudes, and attributes they learned in the military are keys to success in business.  These include teamwork, leadership, self-discipline, respect for rules and authority, respect for subordinates, patience, persistence, and making do with limited resources.  Veterans make of 6 percent of the American population but 14 percent of business owners.  Military service is a key factor in business ownership success.

Some of the Marines in yesterday’s class have already started businesses or are returning home to join family owned businesses.  Others are just beginning to explore the idea of starting or buying a business.  The government has provided for SBA resources partners, such as Small Business Development centers and SCORE offices, to assist them in exploring business ownership, starting a business, or growing an existing business.  The Marines I met yesterday were intelligent, thoughtful, and enthusiastic.  I am sure that each of them has the experience, abilities, and passions to be a successful business owner.

An Unplanned Day of Rest

Last week I read a blog by life coach Marie Wetmore  http://mariewetmore.com/2012/07/05/a-day-of-rest-key-to-your-happiness-and-well-being/.  Marie suggested that we would all be happier, healthier, and more productive if we plan a day of rest each week.  I couldn’t agree more, even if I don’t always follow that advice.  After all, God dictated to us that we should set aside one day per week, the Sabbath, as a day to worship Him and to rest. And in the story of creation in Genesis, we are told that God worked for 6 days and rested on the seventh.

Of course, as a Christian I go to church on Sundays and spend the day rather leisurely, but it certainly isn’t always a complete day of rest.  A typical Sunday for me involves doing a couple of loads of laundry and a trip to the grocery store so that I am prepared for the week ahead.  Yesterday was not planned to be any different from my usual Sunday, although I had managed to do laundry on Saturday.  In mid-afternoon I did a few errands, including shopping for groceries.  My intention was to cook a large dinner with planned leftovers for some lunches during the week.  However, my best intentions were interrupted by a severe storm.

Just as I was gathering the ingredients for dinner, I noticed a nasty storm brewing.  I decided to wait a few minutes as I didn’t want to chance the power going out with dinner half-cooked.  We lost power a week earlier for about 18 hours after a derecho (a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms–no I had never heard of it either before experiencing it last week) hit our community.  Within minutes the storm struck bringing with it a 20-minute hailstorm.  As expected, the power went out and remained out for a few hours.

This is what my yard looked like after the hailstorm yesterday.

Fortunately, it was early enough that it was still light outside.  Steve was at a movie with our oldest son Chris, so I was home alone.  Without electricity, I couldn’t cook, watch television, or surf the web.  I concluded that my only option was reading a book on my Kindle.  Since reading is my favorite pastime, I thoroughly enjoyed my unplanned hours of rest.  I immersed myself in a book for a couple of hours, until I estimated that the movie would be over.  Then I texted both Steve and Chris telling them to pickup dinner on their way home.  It was only after Steve had come home with fried chicken that he reminded me we have a gas stove, which continues to work in the absence of electricity.

Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, I’m sure I knew that the stove worked–especially as he mentioned it several times during the previous power outage.  However, we didn’t actually use the stove while the power was out and the information didn’t really process in my brain.  I should probably mentioned that we moved into this house recently and we have never before cooked on a gas stove.  I am still getting used to the peculiarities of this house and to cooking with gas.

I’m glad that I didn’t realize that I could have cooked dinner and had it waiting for Steve when he came home from the movies.  The hours I spent relaxing and reading were hours of rest that I needed.  He was relaxing at a movie and I relaxed at home.  Today I feel more rested and less stressed due to my unplanned day of rest yesterday.  I have to agree with Marie Wetmore that we all need a day of rest, or at least an afternoon of rest, regularly.  We need to unwind and recharge.  I hope that I make Sundays a day of true rest in the future.  I believe my work days will be more productive because of it, and it will allow me to catch up some good books I’ve been planning to read.

My Night at the Sleep Clinic

I spent last Friday night at our local sleep clinic being evaluated for sleep apnea.  I was evaluated about 12 years ago and told that I stop breathing 65 times every hour.  I was given a PAP machine to gently blow air into my nose and keep my breathing passages open.  However, the mask interfered with my sleep more than the sleep apnea, so after a few months I gave up on the mask.  I now know that I should have worked with the technicians to come up with a solution. The timing was bad as we moved from Florida to Virginia about 6 weeks after my diagnosis.  In the past few months, both of our twin sons have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are using the breathing machines.  Progress has been made with the masks and the machines in the past decade, so I decided to give it another try.

I arrived at the sleep clinic at 8:30.  Soon afterwards, the technician began attaching monitors to various parts of my body.  Most were attached to my head and face; others were attached to both legs, my chest, and my back near my kidneys.  By the time the technician was done, I looked a lot like this man.

Once I was completely wired up, the technician helped me into bed.  It was difficult to find a comfortable position, but I did manage to go to sleep.

I should probably mention that a major storm hit while I was being prepped and we lost power.  The backup generators kicked in and things proceeded smoothly until 3 a.m. when the AC went out.  As difficult as it was to sleep with so many attachments, it was impossible once the temperature began to rise. Thankfully, I was scheduled to be awaken at 4:30, so I didn’t have to combat the heat for very long.  It was a great relief to have all the monitors removed and I was thrilled to be allowed to jump in the shower.  As I shampooed my hair, I was startled by an alarm going off.  A peak into the bathroom informed me that it was the fire alarm going off.

I assumed that the power must have come back on and triggered the fire alarm, so I continued with my shower. Within a minute, a female technician was knocking  on the door, urging me to come out.  I quickly finished and dressed.  Of course, there was no emergency.  After 15 minutes or so of standing outside, the fire department arrived.  It took another 20 minutes for them to give us the all clear.  I was very happy that I had decided to finish my shower.  Several of the other sleep client patients were still asleep when the alarm went off and stood outside in their pajamas with the monitors still attached.

By 7 a.m. I was headed home.  While this will probably stand as my most eventful trip to the sleep clinic, I do not expect it to be my last trip.  If the study reveals to the doctors that I do suffer from sleep apnea,  I will have to spend another night there so that I can be fitted for a sleep mask and the technicians can adjust it to my needs.

I don’t like the idea of sleeping with a breathing machine for the rest of my life.  However, it is preferable to being tired despite sleeping 7 – 8 hours a night.  It is also preferable to dealing with health issues or a possible early death due to sleep apnea.  So, I will make a real effort this time to adjust to the mask, if it is prescribed.

Girls Ministries Honor Celebration

Last night our church held its annual Girls Ministries Honor Celebration.    The Girls Ministries program includes seven club and ministers to girls from birth through high school graduation.  Our preschool clubs, Sunlight Kids and Rainbows, also includes little boys.  The Honor Celebration marks the end of our “academic” year in Girls Ministries and celebrates the achievements of each girl and boy in the program.

 

Our Rainbow club is made up of 3 and 4 year old boys and girls.

 

From the earliest ages, the children are taught Biblical principles.   They earn badges by completing a unit consisting of 4 or 6 lessons and memorizing a memory verse for that unit. In the younger classes, those who complete the required number of units in their program graduate with “Honor” and are recognized as Honor Rainbows, Honor Daisies, and Honor Prims.  The older classes require additional work, including Bible reading, memorizing the Assemblies of God Statement of Faith, and being tested on all their memory verses to be recognized as Honor Stars, Honor Friends, and Honor Girls Only.

One of the highlights of the program is being crowned an Honor Star.  The Stars class is for girls in third through fifth grade.  To be crowned an Honor Star, a young girl has to read the entire New Testament, complete 27 units and nine Honor requirements.  Honor requirements include memorizing the names of the books of the Old and New Testaments, memorizing the Lord’s prayer, doing a study of the life of Christ, keeping a prayer journal, and memorizing several other scriptures.  It is quite a feat for an 11-year old girl to complete the requirements to be recognized as an Honor Star.

Last night four of our girls were crowned Honor Stars.  They are beautiful young ladies inside and out.  I am very proud of them and all that they have accomplished.

Three of our newly crowned Honor Stars with two of last year’s Honor Stars.

I have been privileged to be a part of Girls Ministries for more than 40 years, first as a girl in the program and since 1979 as a teacher.  The Girls Ministries program, as well as our boys’ program called Royal Rangers, impart truths of God’s Word to children at a very young age and prepare them to be Christian leaders in the families, churches, and communities. 

Having Sons = Trips to the ER

Having raised three energetic sons, my husband and I have made many trips to the emergency room. We recounted some of them as we sat in the ER last night with our son Jon who had been injured playing indoor flag football.  Jon went deep for a long pass, got tangled up with a defender, and fell headfirst into the wall surrounding the field.  Much of the wall is plexiglass so spectators can watch the game; however, this particular corner section was wooden.  Jon had a mild concussion, a sprained wrist, and a gash in his head requiring seven staples.

I should add that Jon is 25, married, and the father of a nearly 2-year old son.  Jon first decided to join the adult flag football league a year and a half ago.  He tore his ACL in the first game and had to sit out an entire year.  He played his first full season earlier this year relatively injury free.  This second ten-week season has been a different story.  He fractured his left thumb in a game three weeks ago but continued to play.  His team was playing for the division championship last night, so Steve and I decided we should go to cheer him on.  His wife Ashley stayed home with their little one. He played about 10 minutes before being injured.  Hearing his head crash into the wall, my maternal instincts kicked in.  I hurried down the sidelines to see him sitting up and alert, with blooding running down the side of his head behind his ear.  I knew immediately that Steve and I would be making the trip to the ER with him.

Jon’s latest injury required seven staples.

Since our sons are all in the mid-twenties, it would be logical for this to have been our first ER visit with an injured son in many years, but that is not the case.  We hurried to the ER in the early hours of a cold morning in January of this year after our oldest son Chris scalded his hand with hot oil.  (See Jan. 7 blog for details.)

When our sons were at home, we made numerous visits to the doctor’s office or the ER for stitches and occasionally to set a broken bone.  We had particularly a scary visit when Matt at age 6 got a twig in his eye; the eye quickly swelled and Matt screamed in pain.  After it was removed, he could not read even the largest letter on the eye chart. He had to wear a patch for two weeks and, thankfully, his vision was fine when th patch was removed.  The bloodiest injury was when Chris gashed his foot on an oyster shell.  Blood poured from his foot.  Because oyster shells are full of bacteria, the doctor could not stitch his foot.  The gash had to be left open and the foot soaked for several days to prevent infection.  It continued to bleed for hours.

Jon and Ashley are expecting their second son in October.   Their first son is as busy and active as his father was at that age and I sure the new one will be as well.  Although I wish it weren’t so, I have no doubt that these little boys will have their fair share of injuries and that Jon and Ashley have many trips to the ER ahead of them.  It’s simply unavoidable when you’re raising sons.

Living Through a Major Renovation

Steve and I moved recently into a home that, while relatively new, needed some renovations, particularly in the master bathroom.  We had hoped to have the master bath remodeled before we moved in, but for reasons beyond our control, that did not occur.  Thus, we find ourselves in the midst of a major renovation project.

Home remodeling projects are never fun, easy, or inexpensive.  We have tended to buy newer homes and have generally limited home upgrades to cosmetic changes, such as painting or changing the floor coverings.  Our largest projects prior to the current one involved converting a screened porch into an office and finishing a portion of a basement.  Neither of those projects inconvenienced us much.

Renovating the master bathroom, however, is a totally different story.  Naturally, we had to remove all of our belongings from the bathroom and relocate them to the small guest bath down the hall. Since the closet is accessed through the bathroom, we had to empty the closet.  Our clothes are distributed among the closets in the three extra bedrooms. Unfortunately, for the sake of time, we did not perform this task in any organized manner. Getting dressed in the morning requires a search through all the closets for the desired clothing.

The existing tub and shower had to be gutted.  At the end of the first day of demolition, construction dust coated every piece of furniture in the master bedroom.  That night we vacuumed the carpet, dusted the furniture, and washed the bedding.  Then we covered every inch of the bedroom with plastic drop clothes.  Again this was done without proper forethought.  I wish I had retrieved clothing I would need from the dresser, but alas I did not. At least I know where the desired items are as I fight my way through the yards of plastic covering the dresser.  The first time we had to access the answer machine on the night stand, we moved it into the guest room, as well.

More plastic is adhered to our staircase and upstairs hall.  It keeps the debris off the carpet but not off our feet. I avoid going upstairs as much as possible because I don’t like getting bits of plaster stuck to the soles of my feet.  No matter how much we sweep, we cannot get it all up.  I look forward to the day we pull the plastic up and I feel carpet under my feet again.

Remodeling is messy, it’s inconvenient, it’s time consuming, and it’s costly.  So why are we putting ourselves through this process?  We do it for the end result, of course.  We are expecting to have a beautiful master bathroom that meets our needs when the remodeling is complete.  And although it feels like the remodeling has been going on forever, the entire project should be completed in only a few weeks.  We are willing to endure a short period of unpleasantness in order to achieve the desired finished product. We look forward to the day very soon when our master bathroom will be completed to our specifications and will once again be a usable part of our home. 

As I have watched the bathroom transformation, I have been reminded of the way God moves in us to transform our hearts and reform us to be useful for His needs.  Our old bathroom was operational but it didn’t meet our needs.  The old fixtures had to be demolished and the space cleaned of all the debris before the workers could install the new fixtures.  God has to rid our lives of everything that hinders His work before we can be fully useful to Him.  Sin has to go, of course, but also bitterness, pain, and unforgiveness.  When we give those things to God, He removes them from our hearts and fills the empty spaces with His love, peace, forgiveness, and understanding.  The old has to give way to the new.  The process is often messy and painful but the end result is more beautiful than we could have imagined.

I’m looking forward to the day that my bathroom renovation is complete and even more so to the day that my personal renovation is complete and I stand in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If your life needs a renovation, Jesus Christ is the answer.

Sneak Peak at Restorations

 

The following excerpt is from my first novel Restorations, published by Oak Tara in October 2010.  I hope you enjoy it. 

If you would like to read a longer sample, please email me at susan@susaneball.com.   Restorations is available on Amazon and Christian Book Distributors.

 

From her lounge chair strategically placed under the shade of a large oak tree, Karen looked up from the book she was reading and took stock of her family. Her husband, Jeff, frolicked in the lake with their youngest son, Kyle. Their middle son, Austin, had tired of the water and was playing Frisbee with a redheaded boy he had befriended. Trevor, the oldest, was trying to make small talk with a blonde in a tiny pink bikini. At twelve years of age, he had recently discovered girls and was wasting no time in getting to know the opposite sex better.

As Karen surveyed the scene, she felt a deep sense of contentment. It really doesn’t get much better than this, she thought. A lovely spring day at the lake surrounded by those she loved best. Karen picked up the romance novel and continued her reading.

After a while, Jeff brought Kyle to Karen and said he was going to swim to the small island in the middle of the lake. Jeff was an excellent swimmer, and the short swim out to the island and back posed no serious challenge. Karen occupied herself with toweling Kyle off and changing him into shorts and a T-shirt. She began gathering up the wet towels and sunscreen. It was almost time to head for home. When she cast her gaze back to the lake, Jeff was about thirty feet from shore and struggling to keep his head above the water.

“Jeff! Hang on, Jeff! I’m coming.” Karen’s heart pounded in her chest as she raced to the dock and grabbed the life ring. She tossed it in Jeff’s direction, but it fell short of his reach. She pulled on the rope until she could reach out and grab the ring and toss it again. Karen threw it over and over, as far as she could, but each time it landed a little short. Jeff was only able to get his fingertips on the ring once before it slipped from his grasp.

“Help us! Someone, please help us!” Karen yelled at the top of her lungs as she continued to throw out the life preserver.

A man and woman had been walking around the lake and heard Karen’s screams. The woman called 911; the man joined Karen on the dock, offering his assistance. By this time, Jeff’s head had disappeared in the murky water. The man dove in but didn’t find Jeff.

The man and woman stayed with Karen and the children, as the rescue divers searched for Jeff’s body. There was no hope now. Karen pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “You did everything you could,” the woman told her.

“It wasn’t enough.” Karen sobbed and repeated over and over, “It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.”

*******

“It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.” Karen Harper’s plaintive cries awakened her from her sleep. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her curly auburn hair was drenched with sweat. What’s happening?

Bolting upright, she opened her eyes and tried to focus. The room was dark. She reached out until her hand found the nightstand. She felt around for the lamp and turned it on.

“A dream. I was only dreaming.” Karen breathed deeply, trying to slow her racing heart. She closed her eyes again and shuddered. It seemed so very real. She could feel the warmth of the sun and the sand beneath her feet. She saw the panic on Jeff’s face as he realized he was going under and the scared faces of her children. Enough. Her heart was racing again. She shook herself and tried to clear her mind of the horrible dream.

If asked, Karen would say she never dreamed. She knew, of course, that everyone dreams, so certainly she must. But she could never recall having dreamed. Nightmares, however, were a different story. She could recall nightmares in vivid detail.

As she sat in her bed, trying to make sense of this nightmare, Karen recalled one from several years earlier. In that nightmare, Karen’s extended family had gathered for a reunion. The children were playing ball and running around, while the adults sat in lawn chairs eating hamburgers and catching up on each other’s lives. Suddenly, her father grabbed his chest and collapsed on the ground in front of her. She had crouched on the ground beside him and sobbed into his chest as he died.

Her sobs had awakened Jeff, who gently took her in his arms and stroked her head, whispering, “It was only a dream.” It had seemed so real that it took several minutes before Jeff could convince Karen that her father had not suffered a heart attack. “Your family has never even had a reunion,” Jeff had reminded her.

Even after all these years, she could visualize her father as he lay on

the ground gasping for breath. Despite the fact her father was still alive and well, Karen’s pulse quickened anytime she thought of that nightmare.

This morning Jeff was not there to comfort and console. This nightmare, while not based on reality, was accurate in its conclusion. Jeff was dead. He had been for nearly two years. Karen had tried to rescue him and had failed miserably. For the first several months after his death, she had been haunted day and night by the horrible series of events surrounding Jeff’s death. She had frequently awakened with a start, as she had this morning, frantic to save him.

Over and over, she had been plagued by questions for which she had no answers. “Could I have saved him if I’d tried harder? Is it my fault he’s dead?” “If I had been a better wife, would Jeff still be alive?” As time passed, she had to set aside her constant thoughts of him. There was nothing she could do for him now, except raise his sons to be the men he wanted them to be. As a single mother to three young boys, Karen had no time for guilt or self-pity. She had to provide for her family.

Grand Canyon Photos

Here’s a few pictures from our recent trip to the Grand Canyon. The pictures cannot capture the vastness and enormity of this beautiful spot. Standing on the rim looking in the canyon is breath-taking.

I had not expected trees to grow in the canyon.  Many spots are barren, but in other places trees grew abundantly on the walls of the canyon.  Such was the case in this spot near Mather Point. You can also see the layers of red rock in this picture.

  We were surprised by the variety of color in the rock strata.  In contrast to the brilliant red rocks in the last picture, these rocks looked as if they had been bleached white.

 Our first elk-sighting was unexpected and exciting. We were walking around the rim near the Aavapai Point, when she walked out of the woods several feet from us.