Good, good, good, good vibrations....

I just had the most fantastic vacation in the US yet again with my Dear friend Cathy. Late August, we flew all the way to California to spend a week with Helen (Cathy's grand mother) and Jack (Helen's boyfriend) near San Diego. Helen has a house in Pauma Valley, at the top of a hill surrounded by avocado and orange groves.

I cannot start to describe the beauty of the place. The photos below speak for themselves. We had a fabulous time. Cathy was working and I did nothing but sunbathe, swim, walk and eat peanut butter and avocados (picked directly from the trees). Helen is an amazing woman. I shall not disclose her age but tell how she is a role model to me just as my grand mother Mimone. These old ladies are smart, energetic, curious, connected, stylish and I hope that I will age as gracefully as they do. Helen, if you ever read this blog, I would like to thank you very much for a warm welcome and making me feel so at home.

Following this relaxing week, there was another adventure ahead of us : the long awaited rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. We flew to Phoenix where we stayded at Gail's (Cathy's Mom) for 24h...

Now this is another of my favorite place in the US. Gail has one of the prettiest and most cosy house ever. I just love going there as I am always treated like a VIP, with a lot of kindness and generosity. Gail even understands my shopping craving & took me to Banana Republic (twice)...Thank you so much Gail for your patience driving us around, making me discover Little America and many other things...

We departed the next morning with Gail and Roger toward the Grand Canyon where we started our trip on the Colorado River. Again, the pictures will speak for themselves. I have been blown away by the immensity, beauty and magic of the place. No phone, no fax, no computer, no bed, toilet or shower (food was fabulous though !!)

I found two quotes (respectively by Albert Einstein and Clarence E. Dutton) that best describe it:

"The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true science"

"To the conception of its vast proportions must be added some notion of its intricate plan, the nobility of its architecture, its colossal buttes, its wealth of ornamentation, the splendor..."

Last but not least, I would like to thank Joel and June (Cathy's Dad and his wife) for helping us make this dream come true and organisazing the whole trip in the Canyon for us.