This stretch of March being the time of the Baha’i Fast, I don’t eat or drink between sunrise and sunset.  There is still a lot of life to be lived, however, and so I headed down to Phoenix on Saturday morning, spending 40 minutes at Penny’s grave site, on the second anniversary of her funeral, placing a bouquet of roses and saying prayers.  While I was there, three or four people were power-walking around the rows of the grave section.  They looked rather other-worldly, and for all I know, they could BE from somewhere distant.  I went about my own affairs, though, and noticed two small buds of a bean plant sticking out of the ground at the lower right corner of her stone.  This, I take as a sign of blessing.  The plant is probably going to be plucked by the groundskeepers, sooner or later, but it’s a nice sign, regardless.

Afterward, I went over to Deer Valley Rock Art Center, about five miles west of the cemetery.  We had talked a few times about going there, while she was in the flesh, but it never came to pass.  Three time periods’ worth of petroglyphs may be seen in the igneous rocks at this site:  Archaic, Hohokam and Patayan.  The “archaic” people were those of the Clovis and Fremont archaeological periods.  The Hohokam, you may remember, built the irrigation canals and attendant farming villages that are still preserved at Pueblo Grande in Phoenix and several other sites in central Arizona.  The Patayans mainly lived along the Colorado River, between what is now Bullhead City-Laughlin, AZ-NV and Yuma.  They are the people who left petroglyphs in places like the Cerbat Mountains, east of Kingman and Grasshopper Canyon, in southern Nevada.

Here are some scenes of Deer Valley Rock Art Center, which is regarded as sacred by the Hualapai, Mohave, Yavapai, Maricopa, Pima and Tohono people.

The photos may also be viewed, and clicked-on to enlarge, at my flickr site:  www.flickr.com/lovingwanderer12.

The area where the Rock Art Center is located is known as Hedgpeth Hills, after a farm family who lived here in the late 19th Century.  The tops of the hills are accessible only to registered members of the above-mentioned Indian nations, and to park staff.

On Saturday night, I was back in Prescott, enjoying a Fast-breaker dinner of Persian cuisine, prepared by several of my Baha’i friends.  Persian food is largely based on rice dishes, but includes lentils, oranges, persimmons, lamb and chicken.  There is also a delicious eggplant dish, or two and, of course, baklava, in season.  The cuisine started 2,800 years ago, so I am sure this list is just scratching the surface.

Sunday afternoon, I felt the need to get out on the trail- any trail.  As it was 4 PM, and I wanted to finish by sunset, Flat and easy was the choice.  Peavine Trail’s northern extension, in Chino Valley, follows the old mining railbed on the east side of town.  I walked two miles in and did an about-face.  The area is badlands, ranch pasture and a few manzanita-covered hills.

It does have lunar qualities, somewhat, but there are also fine views of mountains further afield.  Below, is a view of St. Matthews Hill and Bill Williams Mountain.

The remaining days of Spring Break will offer more outdoor adventures.  Our weather will be fair, in the high 60’s and low 70’s, through St. Patrick’s Day.