A Red, Red Rose

Robert Burns

1759–1796

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear,

While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!

And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my luve,

Though it were ten thousand mile.

A friend recently told us that the first Valentine's Day with his now-wife, he considered the day something for school children, and didn't do anything. WOW! That was a one-time lesson! Neither Ron nor I could ever be called sentamentalists, but I do like at least an acknowledgment. Most often we've exchanged cards, small gifts, and red roses somtimes appear.

This year, we exchanged these cute cards:

Ron found me a book of crossword puzzles, and I concocted homemade strawberry ice cream filled with those little candy hearts with sayings that yes, school children exchange.

This year we decided to drive out to a favorite place for lunch, visited here in other contexts, Mormon Lake Lodge. It occurred to me that the restaurant might be seasonal, so I checked on-line before we made the 45 minute drive. "Open Year-Round", the website said. So, off we went.

There's always a nice view of the San Francisco Peaks on the drive north from Kachina Village, the subdivision where we live.

Getting closer to our exit.....

closer......

here we go!!!

We passed by Lake Mary, a major water source for Flagstaff, but like most AZ lakes, there's not a lot of surface water. Actually, "lake" in AZ is often more historical, or even wishful thinking, than folks in places like Minnesota are used to.

There's lots of nice scenery on this drive. This is a view of Mormon Mountain, home of a favorite summer hiking trail. The foreground is Mormon Lake. Another word used to describe lakes in AZ is ephemeral...[(adj) lasting for a very short time]. Mormon Lake is the largest natural lake in AZ, and has contained water in the past. The drought has caused it to be ephemeral for a number of years.

A quaint landmark greeted us at the entrance to Mormon Lake Village:

There were a few other cars parked near the Lodge, and in anticipation of lunch, we headed for the restaurant.

Despite the website information that Mormon Lake is open year-round, we unfortunately discovered that doesn't apply to the restaurant...

Fortunately, thanks to our solid snacking habit, neither of us were slavering. We had the dogs with us, so we took them for a short walk before heading back into Flagstaff for Plan B.

Maggie enjoys a good roll in the snow, and indulges whenever she gets a chance. This is the evidence: