Tag Archives: Gila Bend

The Road to Diamond, Day 101: A Book In The Rocks

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Posted by on in Community, Family, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

March 9, 2025, Yuma- Many years ago, one of my students told me that it would be very worthwhile to visit Picture Rocks Petroglyph Site, on her father’s reservation: The Tohono O’odham Gila Bend Band, about 20 miles west of the transportation hub known as Gila Bend.

I spent an hour or so with my overnight hosts, talking of a variety of topics, then went to Penny’s grave site. There, I found that the water for flower vases has been turned off and the restrooms at the National Cemetery have been closed. Whether this is part of the DOGE downsizing, or merely a water conservation measure, is uncertain. I just used some water I had in the Sportage, and left the flowers in vase at my angel’s site.

I found that my excess energy needed to be brought under control-with several little hiccups occurring, while I was fueling the SUV. So, a few deep breaths later, I was good to go. Traveling along some back roads towards I-10, and over to Buckeye, then down AZ 85, I had ample opportunity to get a grip on any impatience that may have been under the surface, and managed quite well. I’m sure that those on the receiving end of my patience were quite grateful.

I stopped at Picture Rocks, some 33 years after my student told me about them. It is a hidden gem, and then some. The petroglyphs are of two styles: Archaic, meaning they are primitive and were done by people who lived there before the Huhugam (ancestors of the Tohono and Akimel O’odham) and Gila, the work of the Huhugam. I walked around in amazement at the wealth of drawings on the south side of the rock mound, from its base to its summit. For whatever reason, there are no inscriptions on the west or north sides of the mound. It is fortunate that the mound is cordoned off, and visitors look at the petroglyphs from a short distance. Thus, there are no “Becca loves Jamison, 2022” and such.

Here are six of the scenes that I found at Picture Rocks.

Man vs. Bighorn sheep, Picture Rocks, AZ

A hunting expedition, Picture Rocks, AZ
View of the summit, Picture Rocks, AZ
Busy day in the village, Picture Rocks, AZ
More busy times, Picture Rocks, AZ
News from bottom to top, Picture Rocks, AZ

The scene is best viewed in person, but you get the “Picture”. (couldn’t resist).

Through A Winter Wonderland to A Big Rainbow House

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

December 12, 2022, San Diego-

It’s always a pleasant scene, in Pine Valley, CA.

After a blissful sleep, with my spirit operating on another level, while the body enjoyed complete rest, I left the well-furnished microhotel, known as Palms Inn, took a nice breakfast at Space Age Restaurant and bid farewell to Gila Bend. Friends in Yuma were busy, so I blazed on to Pine Valley and Major’s Diner, enjoying a winter scene from Jacumba to near Alpine. The above Merry Christmas whiteness is in front of Major’s.

A scant hour later, I was at this gem of a hostel.

Samesun Hostel, Ocean Beach

Samesun(pronounced same sun) is everything implied by the name. The mostly young crowd welcomes all, honours each person’s space (as I write this paean, two groups are enjoying one another’s company, and when I am ready to rejoin them, there will be room.) Part of this is the vibe of Ocean Beach, which I last visited in November, 1980, before Penny and I met. I remembered how well people got along here, in front of one of San Diego County’s nicest surfing beaches. Having felt tension at the last hostel where I stayed, a mostly older male facility downtown, on my last visit, it was just time to seek a younger and more tolerant vibe.

Here it is: The big rainbow house, called Samesun.

San Diego’s largest peace sign, at Samesun Hostel

A new friend named Johnny, from Chicago, said he chose the hostel after seeing this icon, after arriving here from a Venice, CA weekend. Johnny and I talked of the Grateful Dead and the Doors, for a while, then I headed to the surf show-just down the street.

A lone woman surfer tries her Ocean Beach luck.
Incoming tide at Ocean Beach
Gulls gather together, for comfort.
The surf, agitated by this latest storm, Ocean Beach.
More majestic surf, bathes the rocks, at Ocean Beach.
Rear view of a breaker, Ocean Beach.
Lone male surfer, who rode five waves while I was on the pier.

Realizing that I needed to move my car from the commercial zone, I bid both of the surfers well and headed back. Once Sportage was safely in a space near a church, I came back to the hostel and saw this:

Affirmation, at Samesun Hostel.

So does Ocean Beach join Little Italy, Old Town San Diego and La Jolla, as a welcoming place in one of my favourite large cities. So does Che and Chloe’s Pizzeria, where Chloe herself welcomed me, cheerfully, this evening, join Harbor Breakfast and Filippi’s, as a staple of any San Diego sojourn. I will have much to ponder, this evening, but in a good way and in excellent company, by a warm bonfire pan-a Southern California standby.

Throwback Thursday and Desert Shrimp

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, collaborating, Family, Personal Values, Slow Food, Spiritual, Striving

December 6, 2018, Prescott-

Thirty-eight years ago, today, I met the woman who would change my life, immeasurably, for the better.  Penny and I met in a crowded and very simple house, in Zuni, NM, on the night of a house blessing (known as Shalako). We shared a chair, taking turns sitting down and nodding off, during the all-night ceremony.

We ended up sharing everything else, for close to thirty years, all but one of those years as husband and wife.  As I’ve said before, she’s still looking out for me, in ways large and small, since her passing in March, 2011.

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Above, we are flanked by my parents, on our wedding day, June 6, 1982.

We shared many of the same tastes in food, among other things.  We both appreciated healthy and unadulterated ingredients. So, I think she would have liked Desert Sweet Shrimp. https://arizonashrimp.com/

I purchased a pound of these gems, over a month ago, and made two great meals out of them.  The first order of business, when preparing shrimp for a fine repast, is to shell the Caridea (the correct name of the creatures which are bred in this series of well-derived ponds, in Gila Bend, AZ).  Shelling can be done in a variety of ways- the easiest of which is to soak the shrimp in beer, for 8-10 hours. This leads to the shell falling off, almost automatically. I chose to shell each one individually, sans bier, so as to get a feel for the relationship between the shell and the flesh.  Deveining follows, no matter what method one uses for removing the shell.  Deveining means removing the receptacle holding the shrimp’s fecal matter, so it’s a VERY important step.  The Caridea are then rinsed, at least twice, before being added to a recipe.  It took me an hour to properly prepare the shrimp for cooking. Below is an image (Courtesy of Arizona Shrimp Company-all rights reserved) of the actual shrimp that I purchased.

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I prepared most of the shrimp in sopa de camarones (“shrimp soup”), using green onions, chili powder, turmeric and sea salt.   It’s been a favourite of mine, since I first ate it in Puerto Penasco, Sonora, nearly forty years ago.  I used the rest in a small scampi dish, using a recipe posted on In Diane’s Kitchen, https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/114793426/posts/27651 , on September 13.

Both were exquisite meals, which gave me sustenance for over a week.    I hope to visit the actual facility, during a few days in the West Valley and Gila Bend, right after New Year’s.  I also hope the company will continue a presence at Prescott Farmers’ Market, next spring and summer.

This is the first of a series of posts honouring the festive, and deeper, aspects of the great December holidays.    NEXT:  Prescott’s Acker Night.