{Our Staghorn Fern - Platycerium Bifurcatum Back Outside}

Our baby Staghorn Fern - Platycerium Bifurcatum is back outside in the garden! We brought it back from dear friend Natacha in Miami, last year June.

 Looking happy after its overwintering time in the green house.

Photo got taken on May 19.

From the link below you can see how Pieter had the tree cutters slice off a part of this trunk where it is tied to.

One day it might become too big for bringing back and forth to the greenhouse...

But till then, we enjoy it!

Related link:
{Our Staghorn Fern - Platycerium Bifurcatum} | previous post by me

{New Rose Arbor on High Heels}

Sure, our entire property is on a slope so there hardly is an even spot. This resulted also in placing our New Rose Arbor on High Heels!

Eden Vienna 7.5-ft. Vinyl Arch Arbor

Quite expensive...

But we found ours for a lot less: Hayneedle Eden Vienna 7.5-ft. Vinyl Arch Arbor and even with free shipping.
Searching on line can often yield surprising bargains!

Our pond has an overflow into the creek and Pieter still had some of those 6" Pvc pipes so his idea was for filling them with concrete and letting the Rose Arbor's feet stand (with of course the vinly 2 x 4s inside the legs) partly in the concrete.

It was still during the very wet season. This was April 13, when I took these photos.

Bird & bat house visible to the left.

This little 4-wheel Utility Cart is handy for towing things around.

On May 19, our two new climbing roses got planted.

I'd seen on María Cecilia's blog post from Casa Dulce Hogar in Chile, her incredible pink Eden Rose: Pierre de Ronsard roses (and clouds) and wanted to know if there also was a white variety.

Yes, I did find them at Roses Unlimited in Laurens, South Carolina, where Pat Henry & Bill Patterson offer a very extensive collection of all sorts of roses.

We also bought other roses from them, Jardins de Bagatelle a very fragrant hybrid tea rose in a cream color.

Excellent plant material and perfectly boxed up with their pots secured in a genial way!

Very healthy roses! Far better than the usual bare root shipment.

Our happy Eden white or Pierre de Ronsard roses!

Now we just have to wait for the first roses to show up and grow along this beautiful Rose Arbor.

Here you also get to see a detail from the redone wood trail which got extended a little for this Arbor.

That's how it looks from the other side...

Again a bird house visible on that holly tree.

Speckie-girl is making sure that the new roses are protected!

Do you have a Rose Arbor?

Related link:

{Cashmere Words of Wisdom & Update} | previous post showing the wood trail being redone.

{Red Rock Country Sedona Arizona}

Yes, this time around we did get to visit those special highlights in Sedona, becoming part of those annually nearly 4,000,000 visitors! 

Driving up from Scottsdale, Arizona via Freeway 101, onto Interstate-17 and than Highway 179 we passed through Village of Oak Creek where we saw the above Courthouse Rock

The above map was handed to us at the Hyatt Pinon Pointe, A Hyatt Residence Club and you can view it on SedonaTV ←(click it) and from video you can get map.

Next in Village of Oak Creek we got to see Bell Rock, with still a glimpse of Courthouse Rock to the right...

We did follow Highway 89A, from the Hyatt to the West and took a left on Upper Red Rock Loop Road (seen at left), towards Red Rock Crossing and Crescent Moon State Park...

Photo taken from Upper Red Rock Loop Road with a stunning view of Cathedral Rock!

We also learned that for making the BEST photo, you probably have to try doing so over the entire day for selecting the best hour!

Here we are at Crescent Moon Ranch ←(click it) - Coconino National Forest

You pay an entrance fee of $ 10.00 per car.

That's it!

Yes, we opted for this easy trail type, as Pieter had heart cramps at the end of January and we did not dare to go for the strenuous 7 mile hike UP on Cathedral Rock from the other side.

It was so very bright and sunny that I am but a light blob here in this photo in front of the Water Wheel

Here I am on the trail and you can see that the trees almost fully did bud out, on March 26. That way they very much do obstruct the view of Cathedral Rock from this point.

Pieter just loved this very special tree that we found along Oak Creek...

Once we walked past the tall trees, we could clearly see the majestic Cathedral Rock!

Quite a sight... This is Red Rock Crossing with Oak Creek flowing in front of Cathedral Rock

Oak Creek was beautiful as well!

This is just taken from a video I made, showing Pieter making the above photos...

Here we are on Chapel Road...

Sign saying there is additional parking ahead...

This is Chapel of The Holy Cross ←click it

Below you find a photo from the inside of this special Chapel.

Photo credit: Flickr Dave Toussaint

Great architecture by Marguerite Brunswig Staube and it seems to be huge!

We did not go inside, as it is quite a bit of a hike from the parking lot and might have been too strenuous on Pieter...

Below you find excellent videos with far better images, to understand Sedona's beauty!

Related links:
{Sedona, Arizona - Hyatt Piñon Pointe} | previous post by me
{Scenic 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona, Arizona} | previous post by me
Sedona: The Spirit of Wonder, Original IMAX Movie | BEST video to watch Sedona's beauty!
Arizona Travel Video Guide | Incredible video about Arizona and its Red Rocks
Red Rock TV | link to video with great info and images of Sedona and its Red Rocks
Secret Sedona | Youtube video with great images