Montezuma’s Castle to Meteor Crater

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Jutta Engelhardt at Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

With Caroline back at work, Jutta and I took off for a day trip north. Our first stop was Montezuma’s Castle National Monument.

The cliff dwelling high on a sheer rock face known as Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

I stitched 14 images together to create a detailed look at the cliff dwelling. The image on my computer is 11,255 x 5,239 pixels in dimension. Tours are not offered of this fragile monument, so the best one can do to see more details is either bring binoculars or take a super hi-res photo.

The cliff dwelling high on a sheer rock face known as Montezuma's Castle National Monument in Arizona

So you can have a better sense of just where this precarious cliffside castle is situated.

Jutta Engelhardt in Leupp, Arizona

Without much of a plan, we continued north until reaching Leupp, where we stopped for lunch at a roadside stand selling mutton stew – a Navajo favorite.

Leupp, Arizona

Those snow-capped peaks on the left are next to Flagstaff, but that’s not the reason for the photo; my mother-in-law has rarely seen Navajo cowboys on her visits to America.

Donkeys near Leupp, Arizona

I guess they’re not totally wild donkeys, as I don’t think they’d approach us if they were.

Meteor Crater Natural Landmark in Winslow, Arizona

Our last stop on this impromptu journey was Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.

Desert Botanical Garden

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Jutta and I visited the Desert Botanical Garden today in Phoenix, Arizona. At only 9:00 a.m., the temperature was already over 90, and the Garden was not overwhelmed with visitors. The Garden was far more beautiful than I imagined for this time of year. Many cacti are in bloom right now, including an incredibly large flower blooming on the Echinopsis Cactus.

A fierce looking bug staring me down from inside a flower of a Barrel Cactus at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

The photo above, though, is from the Barrel Cactus, whose bloom had this fierce-looking monster of a bug staring me down before it leaped 20 feet or more and attacked my mother-in-law with savage brutality, leaving her wrinkled and a bit stooped over.

A squirrel at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Through the carnage, my mother-in-law still enjoyed the dangers the Botanical Garden had to offer; tomorrow, I’ll post information regarding her near-fatal encounter with “THORNS”!

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

Attention: all of the photos in this post were updated in 2023, while only the image with a bug was in the original post. The text above this is the original that was written back in 2005 while this part of the post is part of the 2023 update.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

I’ve added the extra images to better represent the day.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

And other than that, have nothing else to add to the memories of that day.

MyPublisher

JWise Photo of the Day

A screenshot of Mypublisher.com which we just ordered a 12x16 inch deluxe photo book from

After much toiling, the order for a 12×16 inch Deluxe Photo Book was ordered this evening from MyPublisher.com. We whittled the more than 4500 photos taken over three vacations during 2000, 2003, and 2005 down to 130. These photos had to be color-corrected, resized and laid out. We are presenting the book to my mother-in-law’s granddaughter Katharina about her grandma’s travels in America.

This is the first book we are printing with an online book publishing service. While the basic service is reasonable, we quickly surpassed the number of pages allowed and started adding many more, driving up the cost of the book. If the book turns out in good quality and we have it in time before my mother-in-law’s departure, then all will be well. I will post in-depth details regarding the entire process as soon as we see the results from MyPublisher.com.

Santa Barbara with Jutta

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Visiting Uncle Woody and Aunt Ann in Santa Barbara, California

After Disneyland yesterday, we drove up to Santa Barbara to spend a little time with my Uncle Woody and Aunt Ann. They took us for German dinner, Jutta’s first German food in America, and, as usual, packed us up with a trunk full of lemons, drinks, TP, food, and miscellaneous stuff. Our visit was short, but my aunt and uncle enjoyed meeting my mother-in-law for the first time.

Jutta Engelhardt in Los Angeles, California

On the way home to Phoenix, we stopped at Tommy’s at Rampart and Beverly Boulevards, and while it is famous to Angelinos, it was Jutta’s introduction to the chili cheeseburger, and it definitely won’t be as memorable for her as for others. That might have to do with what happened just after eating her burger on the way back to the car when a man in a wheelchair offered to have his photo taken with my mother-in-law when he saw my camera and as she got into position, he offered a goose on her butt, that was first and funny enough, it elicited a good laugh.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt in Los Angeles, California

While a typical stop for Caroline and me, my mother-in-law had no idea what boba tea was, but upon learning it was sweet, it was good enough for her, though she found the tapioca balls kind of awkward.

Mother-in-Law at Disneyland

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Disneyland in California

Up early on Saturday and second in line at the gate waiting for the park to open at 8:00, this was Jutta’s first time going to Disneyland. Our first ride was on an old-fashioned car that delivered us to the top of Main Street and then we walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Jutta Engelhardt with Tigger at Disneyland in California

After riding Winnie the Pooh, Tigger embraced Jutta, letting me snap this nice picture.

Caroline Wise and Jutta Engelhardt at Disneyland in California

Meet Dumbo, Eeyore, and the wicked mother-in-law.

Jutta Engelhardt at Disneyland in California

To be honest, here, Caroline was of the opinion that we were probably wasting our time taking Jutta to Disneyland as this “Isn’t really her thing.” Well, put a churro and Mickey Mouse ears on anybody and they’ll be a convert.

Jutta Engelhardt at Disneyland in California

We can’t really know if Jutta was really happy here but that smile while riding a horse on the carousel sure seems legit to me.

Caroline Wise, Jutta Engelhardt and John Wise at Disneyland in California

Maybe she was just enjoying hanging out with us and is able to put it on, but if you knew my mother-in-law, she’s a terrible actress so I have to go with the idea that she blended right in at the Happiest Place on Earth.