Navajo Weaving

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt at Fiber Factory learning how to set up the loom for making a Navajo weaving

Out at Fiber Factory in Mesa, Arizona this evening Jutta and Caroline began the first night of lessons with Shari Monsam to learn how to make a Navajo rug. The first step is learning how to set up a loom, no easy task. This is Jutta’s first-class ever taken with her daughter but won’t be the last as there are another couple of workshops I set up for the mother-in-law to do while on this visit to the United States. The hardest part for Jutta was listening to the instructions in English and learning specific technical weaving terms she wasn’t familiar with.

Hike and Horse

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt hiking up North Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona

The mother-in-law is in training and today’s exercise involves hiking up North Mountain near where we live. It’s not a long hike but it is a test to see how she feels after scaling this puny mountain. She makes it as high as the trail will let her go and is treated to a wonderfully clear view of the downtown Phoenix skyline. Jutta is in training for an attempt next month to hike into and more importantly, hike out of, the Grand Canyon.

Jutta Engelhardt on her first horseback riding lesson with Celia at Chile Acres in Tonopah, Arizona

Off the trail and on to another trail of sorts, the horse trail. It was time for another horseback riding lesson. First though we had to get my mother-in-law her first pair of blue jeans – $9 at Walmart. Caroline lent her a pair of boots, Celia supplied the hat and I offered an extra lift to get Jutta back into the saddle.

Mayor and Baseball

JWise Photo of the Day

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and Jutta Engelhardt at the Phoenix Public Market

Left home early this morning to head into downtown Phoenix to the open-air market. The first stop was to stop in and say hi to Jimmy and Celia of Chile Acres, they are down here every Saturday selling eggs. As we walked around we crossed paths with the mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon. I stopped him so as to introduce my mother-in-law to our mayor. Jutta was quite surprised because had never met a mayor in all her years in Germany but come to America, and there they are just strolling through the market.

Caroline Wise and her mom Jutta Engelhardt attending a spring training baseball game

Our next stop was out in Glendale to take Jutta to her first-ever baseball game. And how else could she better appreciate America’s great past time? With a beer and hotdog, that’s how. Our seats were perfect just behind the catcher but between the three of us, we didn’t much have a clue as to what was really going on so after the third inning and enough beer and hotdogs we took off.

Kahekili

JWise Photo of the Day

A performance at the Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts paying tribute to Kahekili the sacred Maui chief

The last performance of the month for us to attend was at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. Tonight featured a dance and music group from Hawaii that told the story through their performance of the great and sacred Maui chief Kahekili. Jutta attended the show with us and enjoyed the opportunity to see a slice of Pacific Islander life and mythology that is rarely if ever performed in Germany. These cultural moments that transport Caroline and me out of the drab confines of what would otherwise be a very boring city are mini lifesavers.