respite at the Rim

Sunday's are always crazy busy. Randy leaves the house at 6:30 am... so the worship band can rehearse before the 3 services. He gets home around 2:30 pm... exhausted. Which is probably why pastors choose Monday as their day off. So yesterday after Randy got home, we decided that we needed to get out of the heat and head to the hills... the Mogollon Rim to be exact. Our favorite destination when we need to escape our reality and clear our heads!


We gathered up a few things... flashlight, camping chairs, bedding, pillows, water bottles, window coverings, battery-operated fan (my white noise), a few snacks, my journal books and cameras. We left Tempe at 3:30 pm (112 degrees) arriving 2 hours later at the Rim (65 degrees). I know! Where in the world can you experience a 47 degree temperature drop a mere 2 hours away!


We love the Rim. Did you know that the Mogollon Rim boasts the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world? It's true! So breathtaking and beautiful.


I can't even begin to tell you how rested I felt after only a few hours. I had not a care in the world... just me & my man... and God's awesome creation.



I loved watching the colors of the sky change as the sun was setting. There was a slight breeze as we sat overlooking the Rim. The perfect ambiance in which to share our hearts and hurts and then give them to God. We prayed for our children, our grandbaby, our parents, our church, our dreams, our future... all the while gazing at the millions of stars in the sky. So calming and peaceful.


We finally crawled into bed at 9:30 pm, all snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug... or in this case, all snug in my fluffy vintage sheets. Oh, and it got down in the 50's. I know!



In the morning we drove a couple miles to Woods Canyon Lake. Love this image of the early morning sun glistening over the lake.


I have not seen such exquisite thistle plants since I was a little girl in Wisconsin.



The pic below is a Century plant. They were all along the roadways as we traveled and in full bloom. Such a brilliant, vivid yellow.


We eventually made our way down to Payson so I could to get my free iced cafe mocha at McDonalds! Yes sirree, free every Monday in July. Good stuff.


We then took a little drive to Pine, AZ and bought me a jar of strawberry/ rhubarb jam and a jar of Cat Claw honey at this darling little stand in Pine.


After a late lunch at the Beeline Cafe, we were on our way home. Refreshed, restored, reenergized and well rested... all in a span of 24 hours.