6x6

My grandmother was a wonderful woman. I'll always remember how she drank tea in the morning, and I would always try it and never liked it. Now I do. For breakfast she'd have cinnamon raisin toast with butter on it, or waffles. I'd sit there and fill each and every little square of my waffle with syrup, then my little cousin Kara would want the same on hers (not very little anymore, now she's a senior in high school, time flies).

My grandma taught me to love Shirley Temple and Marlon Brando, Audrey Hepburn movies and Wheel of Fortune. We had tea parties and I'd help her water her plants. I loved days with Grandma Dot. She used to pick me up from Kindergarten and take me to get "pink ice cream" as I called it. We would see movies at PV Mall when there was a theatre there, and always check it they were rated 'G.'

Among many things, she taught me how to knit. I always used to watch her knit things, she had a special wicker basket she kept under a table in the living room. She'd knit while I watched Peter Pan or The Little Mermaid, I loved those movies.

When I got old enough she took me to Joann's and bought me my very own needles, and pink yarn. I was pretty bad at it, the rows were tight and uneven, but I was determined. Now I own about seven pairs of knitting needles, ranging from bamboo, to metal, to plastic.

I cried the first time I walked into Joann's after my grandma past away. I wanted to knit a beanie but I didn't know how to. The sales woman probably thought I was strange because after she showed me where the beanie knitting looms were, I started tearing up again.

Now as Christmas is coming closer than most of us are realizing, I remembered one tradition I did with my grandma. We'd knit 6' x 6' squares, and donate them to the Church of Joy in Glendale where a group of women would sew them together and make blankets for people living on the streets.

I'm making my first square of the season, and thinking about Grandma Dot. It almost doesn't seem right that Wheel of Fortune isn't on right now.

Fall, or don't.

Autumn is here, although you can barely tell in the good ol' AZ. It was in the late 80's today, at the end of October. I wish the temps would "Fall" a little more. One way you can tell it is Autumn: hiking season has opened up. A very eloquently spoken friend said, "It's like the state fair, except without all the fried stuff." It only comes around once a year, and it's a beautiful thing.

Lately my adventures have taken me to the bottom of the Havasupai: a trip that has been practically 20 years in the making. My mom is a lot of things, a great mom, a talented teacher, an avid outdoors-woman, and a backpacking guide for the Havasupai. Which pretty much equals: B.A. She has hiked it two to four times a year, since I was two.

The first time my brother went down the canyon, he was six. That was about the time I started hearing the question, "When's Briana going to go down the canyon?" So off I went.

I was fortunate to have my good friend and track buddy Jake along for the trip, along with about 8 other people in the group. We stayed at a "happening" motel in Williams, I do believe at one point in time, it was a happening joint. The asian couple that ran it were quite entertaining. They were nice enough to give refunds to the group members who found crickets under their pillows, so very generous.

Friday morning we drove to the trailhead, marked our bags, and headed out for the 10 mile hike down to the campground. I'm proud to say Jake and I hiked eight miles in two hours. We even passed a few groups, lets just say not everyone knows hiking etiquette. Like the middle aged man who started walking faster when he realized he was about to be passed by a blonde, ah well. I'm hoping he got over it.

We saw the most amazing waterfalls and camped at the sweetest campsite I've ever been to, and I've been to dozens (my garage looks like a mini-REI to say the least). The home-made Indian Tacos were well worth the $8, I could so go for one right this second.

After our 4-mile day hike on the second day, my blisters set in. The count quickly went from 2, to 4, to 7- between my two feet. I sat with my feet in the stream crying, not my most happy moment.

The next morning, a 4:30 wake-up call. We packed up our tents and gear, and hiked out at 6 am. By then, with every step I took it felt like little knives stabbing my heels. With a few stops and band-aid changes, Jake and I made the ten mile hike out in 5 hours, I was very proud of us considering the condition of my feet.

We proceeded to have the best burgers and fries any of us had ever tasted, on Route 66. We listened to oldies in the car ride home, it was like we went back in time to quieter days.

Sore and bruised from the rock climbing I did today, I'm so happy it's Fall. I'm so happy I didn't fall off the rock today, Im happy I didn't fall on the trail down the canyon. I may fall when it comes to keeping my desk clean, or being motivated with schoolwork at times, but hey...I'm just glad it is Fall.