China - Chengdu, Branches at the Entrance to Kuanzhai Alley

Another sight to see at the entrance into the Kuanzhai Alley.  Rustic, lamp, branch pattern...this one ticks three of my favorite boxes.

China - Chengdu, Signage at Entrance of Kuanzhai Alley

Closeup of some signage, which can be seen in a broader view in the post of a few days ago (Aug 8th).  There are lots of keepers that can be classified as "rustic" since there are so many old - even ancient - structures in China.

China - Chengdu, Women in Period Costume

Even some who are not performers dress up in period clothing, which they rent, much as they do at the Renaissance Festival here in Texas.  We saw this in several locations, both in eastern and western China.

China - Chengdu, Street Performer

Much as they do in Europe, performers who pose as historical figures are around with a collection plate.  This guy was amenable to having his picture taken even though I didn't put anything in the hat...

China - Chengdu, Our Awesome Tour Guide

...and here is our first tour guide, who was every bit as earnest as he appears in this pic.  After getting our baggage at the airport the night before, he offered to help me with my baggage but I brushed him off thinking he looked a rough character.  This was before I knew what his role in the coming days would be.  As it turns out, he was a terrific fellow, very friendly and considerate of our needs.  He traveled with us for most of our journeys through western China, and accompanied his tour-guide chatter with singing and even recitation of poetry.  We observed throughout the trip that poets are highly venerated there, in the present day as well as ancient times.

Another shot of our friend below.  We learned to keep a sharp eye out for that blue stuffed bear wherever we went, as many of the places we visited were crowded:

China - Chengdu, Vendor Booths at the Entrance to Kuanzhai Alley

A frame that captures the entire line of vendor booths.  Note the policeman on the left.  There was one of those at every entrance and exit to this venue, watching the comings and goings of everyone very carefully.  There is no out-of-line behavior, thievery, or any of that kind of crap in the tourist areas of mainland China.

Standing where these booths are looking across the plaza yields this view:

China - Chengdu, Entrance to Kuanzhai Alley (Wide and Narrow Alleys)

Our very first activity in Chengdu was to visit this place, an ancient portion of the city that's been converted into quite the tourist spot.  In this picture the pavement looks wet, but it is not...just very, very clean.  Another shot below that features more of the vendor booths one encounters on the way in:

China - Chengdu, Odd Bathtub

Something else I like to capture on a trip is anything unique, unusual or different...at least from our perspective.  This is a case in point.  Who has ever seen a bathtub with the drain in the middle?

The lodgings booked for us on this trip were fairly upscale, even five-star in some places.  Even so, because of the currency exchange rate, a top-tier hotel room in China cost little more than an urban Hampton in the States.

Another of these tubs from later in the trip:

China - Chengdu, Another View from Above

The walkway at top is what caught my eye - would love to have taken some pics from that vantage point.

Learned a lot about the phone camera's capabilities - and deficits - on this trip.  Using your fingers to pinch out on the screen makes 25x zoom possible.  After a point the camera's anti-shake software kicks in, so shots are surprisingly free of the blur normally encountered at those zoom levels.  I tested this in one of the cities we visited, focusing on someone's balcony some distance away.  The residents had some clothes hanging on a line to dry, and upon discovering the presence of a lady's underwear I decided to delete the shot.

China - Chengdu, City Square

My brother-in-law's brother-in-law tried to get us to go on his trips for years.  He and about 40 of his friends would decide they wanted to go somewhere and see what's interesting in other parts of the world, so they'd pick a place and go as a group.  We didn't make any of them due to work or something else, but the stars finally aligned and were able to join them on this tour of mainland China.  Being in Taiwan anyway for the duration made it a relatively inexpensive way to see a part of the world we'd never visited before.

Must say I was unsure about what it would be like to stay in a communist country, and in the interest of not standing out or making myself conspicuous in any way, elected to leave the Bigger Cahoona home, a decision I would regret at times.  All of the pictures in this lengthy series were captured with an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Our first flight was to the colossal city of Chengdu, from the international airport in Taipei.  The pic above was taken from the 31st floor of our hotel, right on the square of the city.  Note the statue of Mao in the upper background.  I really, really wanted to go down there and wander around taking pics for a few hours, but could not due to the constraints of time; we were kept fully occupied from early morning until well after dark on most of the 16 days in the country.

Another view from the same floor below:

Williams, AZ - Night Shot of Train with Lights

A night shot that turned our pretty well considering it was hand-held with a slow lens.

I decided that this is enough of the Old West for now.  We'll jump to mainland China, then may come back to take in the Grand Canyon...

Williams, AZ - Fall Colors

As we'd gained altitude driving to Williams in the latter half of October, we got to see some pretty good fall colors.  This and the two pictures below were captured on the hotel grounds the morning after we arrived:

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #8

The shootout...

Once this performance was over everybody made their way to their assigned railcars to begin the trip. These actors stood alongside the tracks on our way out, waving and wishing us all a good journey.

But they weren't done with their day's work.  Each afternoon as the train makes its way back to Williams, these same guys and girl gallop alongside on horseback, firing their pistols into the air, whereupon the train creaks to a stop out in the middle of nowhere.  Then, playing the part of bandits, complete with handkerchief-covered faces, they dismount their horses, board the train and go from car to car "robbing" the passengers of assets and sense of security.  Of course it's all an act, and a way to gather tips for their entertainment services.  I put some money in my shirt pocket so that it dangled halfway out.  When one of the "robbers" got to our car I raised both hands, protesting that I didn't have any money to steal.  Naturally he saw the bill hanging out of my pocket and snatched it away.  I regret to say that it was just $1 instead of a ten or twenty.

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #7

The faceoff...

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #6

 

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #5

It appears that our little guy is somewhat sad at the passing of their companion...

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #4

Here is our heroine again, the first to die:

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #3

There was only one female among the actors, but she was just as tough as the rest of them.

Naturally I focused on the revolvers they used, some of which appeared to be Rugers:

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #2

Of course you can't have a shootout without someone shooting out, and they had a half-dozen or so actors to fill those roles.  This little guy caught my eye right away, being a midget, which I think added to the authenticity of the performance, as surely they had midgets in the Old West.  He was a key player, appeared to enjoy what he was doing, and we thought did a good job.

Williams, AZ - Shootout Shots #1

The idea behind going to Williams is that you spend the night in the hotel at the train stop, then board early the next day.  This we did, but about a half hour before boarding they performed a 15-minute Old West shootout, complete with fake storefronts.  I made sure to sit at the top of the spectators' bleachers so that the Bigger Cahoona could get to work.

One thing I noticed right away was that the windows opened up to the parking lot beyond, showing cars, pedestrians, etc.  This takes a lot from the immersive experience, and I'm considering making a layer of some western scenes from the Canyon, placing them behind the storefronts, then sending this pic, modified thus, to them as an encouragement to at least place something to look at besides automobiles.  We'll see whether I actually get around to doing that and, if so, whether they'll even take a look at a pic sent from the thousands of tourists that email them every year...

Grand Canyon - Getting There

Since we were at our daughter's for a good two months, and since the parents of our new grandchild needed time to themselves, a couple of side trips were planned.  Our first was to Sedona, which has already been posted here.  The no-brainer choice for another excursion was the Grand Canyon for a longer stay of four nights and five days.  How could we not do that?  But first we had to GET THERE.  Since I didn't relish the prospect of driving and the potential of running into overcrowding on the road, we first drove to Williams, AZ, then hopped on the train you see above.  Williams acts as a sort of "Park & Ride" for those seeking an alternate way into the park, with a bonus of entertainment on the way.

While there wasn't much to see outside during the ride - mostly just high desert scrubland - each car had a guide of sorts that kept us informed of what we were looking at, and the history of various sites along the way.  Then a guy with a guitar was moving from car to car, picking and singing old cowboy songs.  It really was a nice alternative to driving.

We reversed course on the way back from the Canyon, this time springing for one of the bi-level super luxury cars with windows on top for better views.  We were very disappointed, however, because alcohol was served and flowed freely; they were treating the ride as a big party with whooping, hollering, etc.  Since we're not drinkers, and are averse to whooping and hollering in public, we retreated downstairs, which was decked out as a quiet lounge with big, soft couches.  This was a great reprieve from the party going on upstairs, and as a bonus the train conductor also used this as his mid-trip lounge, and we learned a lot from him regarding the history and ownership of the train itself.  He broke away to park our ride, and when it stopped at the hotel we spent the night before driving back to Chandler the next day.

So this is how we traveled to and from the Grand Canyon.  As for our time there, these posts will be divided based on where we went and what we did.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Sunset Endcap

This sunset pic might be an apt way to conclude the posts from our walks in the neighborhood around our daughter's house in Chandler, AZ.  Lots of beauty and interest to be found even in the city.  Next stop: the GRAND CANYON!

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Succulent with Glowing Edges

The pattern here is what caught my eye, as I thought it might look good in Glowing Edges:

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Cat in Window

Published a cat-in-window picture from the recent cruise we took in New England.  They make pretty good subjects, but this one is a step up due to the serene atmosphere created by the furniture and foliage outside.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Work Truck

This truck, just down the street from Allison and DeQuan, was loaded up like this every night for the next day's work with various items, always piled high.  Gotta hand it to 'em...

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Flower Sprays

Everything in nature has its beauty - bugs, snakes, trees, cacti, mammals, birds... everything.  In the flora world, however, nothing can beat natural sprays of flowers such as these.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Praying Mantis / Fact Check Verification from a Valuable Contributor

Suppose these guys are found just about everywhere; pics here of some encountered in Taiwan and Japan.  This one was reposing on the front door of the kids' house there in Chandler.  They are pretty scary looking - even more so if you've seen them lightning-strike prey with those forearms.  And the way they cock their head up and swivel around to look at you seems a bit too personal...

It's in family lore that Bob, my oldest brother, when he was a little tyke, saw one on the handlebars of his tricycle and was terrified enough to scar him for life.  Will have to fact-check that one.

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FACT CHECK RESULT:  Bob responded with verification and so much more...

This is true and happened shortly after we moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in the summer of 1957 when I was five and before Jim was born.  I had no idea what was this giant ferocious bug that landed right in front of me on my trike, and I started screaming.  But what's not mentioned is that my friends and I later became enamored with praying mantises.  My best friend in Wilmington was Mike Farantino.  He and I would catch them in an adjacent vacant, overgrown field in Wilmington, and fly them like balsa wood airplanes.  They'd fly a distance and we'd catch them again.  One time we launched a praying mantis and it flew over our two-story apartment building (probably to get away), and we followed it in the air and went around and found it again.  You had to grab one behind the head because they could latch on to your finger and bite.  When launching you'd transfer your grip to under the thorax/wings and sort of gently throw it horizontally, and it would fly - sometimes pretty far.  We never harmed them and would release them when we were done playing.

In Jim's picture the praying mantis is green.  I don't know about Chinese insects but in Delaware they would change color from green to brown, and back, depending on the background.  I have seen them in Houston and Austin occasionally.  Here they seem to be mostly brown, although I know I have seen a green one in Texas too.

I attended a private Christian school in Wilmington (since closed) for grades one through three, and I started first grade at age five - kindergarten was not common them.  In second grade I took a praying mantis nest in a jar to class to show everyone.  Those nests look like a brown papery blob about half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter on a grass stalk or twig.  Fairly solid and somewhat crunchy.  Anyway, the thing hatched while I was there and somehow the jar lid came off (not my fault, I said and still say) and we had 50 tiny little mantises scurrying around the classroom all afternoon.  They come out very pale then turn dark brown, almost black, a couple of hours later.  The boys thought it was cool but our teacher and the girls in the class were not amuse.

Bob

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Palm Seed Pods

The seed pods on some sort of palm tree they have over there.  Koko ate some of these after they'd shriveled and fallen to the ground, which created a bit of a scare, but they turned out to be harmless.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Ornamental Yard Cactus

Another bear of a cactus.  Had to be very careful with Koko on walks, as she would want to get close to sniff and identify these strange new plants.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Prickly Pear Cactus

These grew everywhere where I lived down in Mexico ('80 & '81), and my friends there introduced me to the tunas, those red things that are actually quite tasty.  Unfortunately, they left me a little bit estreñido (you translate)...

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Disappearing Rain

One thing interesting about being in the high-and-dry desert is this phenomenon.  The sun is shining at an angle that allows us to see this rain falling from the could above.  It's pretty obvious that it's fallen about halfway to the ground.  I tried to trace its fall downward, but it didn't seem to change at all, even after the usual three minutes it takes rain to go from cloud to ground.  Why is this?  Well, as it turns out, it is so high and dry in the Sonoran desert that it never makes it all the way to the ground.  Yes, in some cases the rain evaporates completely before reaching terra firma.  Don't see that in Houston...

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Pima Park Willow Tree

 

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Succulent from Above

Like pictures of plants taken from this perspective, which remind me of this post, a favorite from the Houston Zoo.

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Sotol Cactus

I remember seeing these things in peoples' landscaping in Orange growing up; think maybe we even had one in our back yard.  Evidently this species of cactus thrives in humid, sub-tropical as well as dry desert climates.  Scientific name is Dasylirion graminifolium, commonly referred to as sotol or grass-leafed Dasylirion.  Not that I knew this while growing up...

Chandler Neighborhood Shots - Family Portrait