Looking for Arizona
by Rick Vanderpool

It was February 14, 1928 in Phoenix, Arizona. Valentine’s Day, and the baby was quiet as the young mother walked a few blocks from the small, cramped, rented row house and stood at the edge of the desert, facing the distant mountains. Her husband was taking “the cure” at a nearby sanitarium.

My father was born a week later, and shortly after that, his father’s tuberculosis eased by the healing Arizona climate, the family returned to Missouri.

Until March, 2004, that story was my only connection to The Grand Canyon State, except for a couple of quick trips passing through, on the interstates that tri-sect it, plus a short visit to see my parents when they returned to reside in Globe for a few months in the late ‘80’s. My wife and I fondly recall Sedona…

On St. Patrick’s Day, 2004, I completed five days of visits to all 15 Arizona counties – hardly just another Dutchman, lost in the wonder and beauty of the state, but rather a reverent discoverer and recorder of much that is the magic of this place.

My montage repeats its name a hundred times – each image a vivid memory, and an invitation to return soon. Enjoy!