articles @ sedonainformation.com

My good friends Chuck and Phyllis Cline, owners and operators of Sedona’s famous Heartline Cafe, have graciously permitted the reprinting of selected recipes from Chuck’s marvelous cookbook, Recipes From Sedona’s Heartline Cafe.

Enjoy your cuisine explorations and stop by to taste the Chef’s magic at the Heartline Cafe next time you visit Sedona. There’s nothing like the real thing.

Linguine with Grilled Shrimp Puttanesca

Four to six servings

1 pound linguine

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers

¾ cup black olives

6 anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)

2 cups ripe tomatoes, diced

¼ cup parsley

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

Linguine

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and toss with one tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

Puttanesca Sauce

In a large sauté pan, heat the one-half cup olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat until scent of garlic starts to expand, one to two minutes. Add capers, black olives and anchovies and sauté for two minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, and two tablespoons thyme. Continue to sauté until tomatoes soften and create a sauce-like consistency.

Add pasta to this mixture and toss well to thoroughly coat and warm pasta. Leave in sauté pan to keep warm while grilling shrimp.

Brush shrimp with olive oil. Grill over medium heat until cooked through, about two minutes. Because shrimp overcook quickly, it is important to cook them until barely white inside, remaining very moist and tender.

Presentation

Divide pasta among four pasta bowls or plates and arrange shrimp on top. Garnish with remaining teaspoon of thyme. At The Heartline, we serve this dish with foccacia bread.

Around Sedona

 Joel Gilgoff, associate broker, president
RE/MAX Sedona

What’s Happening:

http://www.sedonaaz.gov/tourism/acEvents2.aspx
http://www.sedona.net/index.cfm?Render=EventCalendar_ViewEvents

The first Friday of each month continues to be a special event at 15 Sedona art galleries. Stop at any gallery and hop on the free trolley to see all the rest. For information call 282-3809.

Yavapai College has an extensive 2007-2008 community events season with everything from the Prescott Pops Symphony to the annual Cowboy Poets gathering.

For information visit www.yc.edu/communityevents.

City Business:

The City of Sedona has approved a $17.7 million bond issue which will enable construction of a City sewer in the Chapel area, drainage improvement to the Chapel area, drainage improvements to the Harmony/Windsong area in West Sedona plus the City’s contribution to the Phase 2 Highway 179 reconstruction.

Sedona’s ban on very short-term vacation rentals has been reinforced with a new ordinance making the advertising of short term rentals as well as the act of renting on a short term basis, illegal. Violation of the ban is a Class 1 misdemeanor and can carry a maximum fine of $2,500 and up to 6 months in jail. The City is serious about enforcing this ban on rentals of less than 30 days.

The City of Sedona has hired their first Senior Advocate. With more than 25% of the city’s population over 65 years old, the city felt a responsibility to provide a contact person for information about services in the city, county, state and federal agencies both public and private to this segment of the community. Anne Leap, a Sedona resident since 1998 and a 30 year veteran of a career in social services, has been hired for this position.

New Developments:

Camp Soaring Eagle is being built on 55 acres of land adjoining the Verde Valley School. This free camp will give children with serious illnesses a chance to “soar like an eagle”. Campers will be able to ride horses, fish, hike, climb and swim in the new Olympic size pool. The camp will also include an amphitheater, place of worship and an indoor recreation center. The camp’s annual operating costs will be funded entirely by charitable contributions. For more information visit www.campsoaringeagle.org.

City of Sedona has approved a change to its’ community plan to allow Fitch Industries to develop a hotel, conference center and new amphitheater on the grounds of Sedona’s former Cultural Park.

Developer Paul Galloway has plans to transform the dirt lot next to Walgreens on Highway 89A into a beautiful mixed use development. The project known as Kallof Place will include 14 commercial units as well as 13 residential condominiums. Paul also has plans for major developments along Highway 89A west of Dry Creek Road and east of Airport Road.

Highway Construction:

We recommend that during ongoing construction of Highway 179 visitors coming to Sedona from Phoenix come via Highway 260 (Hwy. 17 exit 287) – proceed west to Hwy. 89A – then north to Sedona. This will avoid any possible Hwy 179 construction delays.

The contract for construction of Phase 2 of Highway 179 entering Sedona has been awarded. Phase 2 contains the area from Back O’Beyond Road to the “Y” intersection with Highway 89A. This four mile stretch will include a new bridge over Oak Creek plus a new pedestrian bridge just north of the current Oak Creek bridge. Southwest Asphalt Paving will begin work around the 1st of January on the $39.9 million project. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009. The contract calls for no closures of the road.

Grants totaling approximately $1 million have been awarded for highway enhancements in the Phase 1 area of the new Highway 179. The grants will be used for landscaping, benches, bike stands and pedestrian lighting. However, no money has been allocated for ongoing maintenance of these improvements. The residents of the VOC area will be voting on the creation of a new taxing district to raise funds for ongoing maintenance.

The northernmost roundabout in the Phase 1 project has opened at Back O’Beyond Road. This is the first of 12 planned roundabouts in the Highway reconstruction project.

The Sedona Visitor’s Center remodeling is now complete. The center has a much expanded visitor service area and will soon have electronic kiosks to service the needs of more than 300,000 annual visitor center walk-ins. The building is really beautiful – stop by to check it out on your next Sedona trip.

Possible new developments in the city:

Two office buildings and 40 units of lodging across the street from the Les Springs Subdivision in West Sedona.

A possible 48 unit residential condominium project called “Falls at Oak Creek”. The project will include the redevelopment of the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge property along SR 179.

A 9 lot single family residential subdivision called “Seven Vistas” located at the intersection of Badger Drive and Lynx Drive in the chapel area.

A possible new 7 lot single family residential subdivision located just west of the Basha’s shopping center on Payne Place.

A new 20 unit motel to replace the existing 14 unit Red Rock Lodge located north of uptown along 89A.

A possible 11 unit single family residential subdivision on 4.8 acres off Schnebly Hill Road.

Remodeling of the old office building/gallery space on Schnebly Hill Road at the junction of 179.

Possible development of an assisted living facility to be located on the northwest corner of SR 89A and Bristlecone Pines Road.

Possible condominium conversion of the Vivienda Apartments located on Jordan Road.

Possible conversion of an existing apartment complex on Coffee Pot Road to condominiums including construction of additional units. This would require a zone change.

Miscellaneous Around Sedona:

Tiger Splash, Out of Africa Wildlife Park’s newest attraction, opened to the public on September 29th. This ½ hour daily show features wild tigers playing with their trainers in a large custom designed swimming pool.

The Barking Frog Grille which recently opened in West Sedona has just opened “The Reserve” featuring southwest cuisine, steaks and seafood, contained within the same facility.

Blazin’ M Ranch Chuckwagon Dinner Show is celebrating its 13th anniversary. The ranch owned by the Mabery family since 1966 has nightly performances of a cowboy musical suitable for family members of all ages. This is a fun thing to do while visiting Sedona. For more information, visit www.blazinm.com.

In preparation for the opening of the new Red Rock Forest Service Office on Highway 179, the forest service has closed the Mormon Lake Ranger Station.

A new gallery has opened in Jerome. The Stahlcraft Gallery features custom steel furniture in a Frank Lloyd Wright, Stickley, Arts and Crafts motif. The gallery also features several local artists’ work in charcoal, oils, stain glass and glicee prints.

Saturday nights are Art Walk Nights in Jerome. The 30 participating galleries and studios feature ever changing art, music and other talents. For information visit www.jeromeartwalk.com.

A new entertainment venue has opened within driving distance of Sedona. Tim’s Toyota Center, located in Prescott Valley, will feature top name entertainment easily accessible by Sedona visitors and residents. Upcoming events include Dorothy Hamill in Broadway on Ice, Andy Williams Christmas Show, Blue Man Group, Tom Jones, Alan Jackson.

For information visit www.timstoyotacenter.com.

A new restaurant has opened in Sedona to excellent reviews. Elote Café, specializing in regional Mexican cuisine, is located at the Kings Ransom Hotel on highway 179. They are open for dinner only Tues-Sat from 5pm.

The Museum of Northern Arizona is hosting their 18th Annual Trappings of the American West Exhibition. Trappings presents a showcase of functional and fine art of the American Cowboy. This juried sales exhibition featuring the work of 75 artists from 14 Western states will run through January 6, 2008. For information see www.musnaz.org.

The Sedona Dream Theater, located in the former Super Vue Theater in the Village of Oak Creek, is now open. This new venue will present live acts as well as independent and commercial feature films. For schedules visit www.sedonatheater.com.

Petrified Forest National Park is a 2 ½ hour drive northeast of Sedona. This is one of the few parks that has experienced a dramatic drop in attendance. It has some very interesting nature trails which include many areas of petrified wood and remnants of the dinosaurs which roamed this area.

The Goldenstein Gallery, located in Uptown Sedona, has just doubled in size. The gallery featuring contemporary works of art and custom furnishings is a must see on any visit to Sedona.

Have you ever heard of the Verde Valley Sinfonietta? The Sinfonietta will perform their 2007/2008 concert series with three different conductors. The first concert led by David Cripps of Flagstaff will be held December 15th and 16th.

A new Italian dessert place has opened in the Hillside Shopping Center. Zelo Cosi features Italian coffee and sodas, antipasto salad, smoothies, panini sandwiches and lots more. They also have WIFI available.

Forty six descriptive photos of Sedona’s pioneer days are on display at the Arizona Memory Project website. The images are entitled “History of Sedona” and were created by Sedona Historical Society volunteers. You can view the images at www.azmemory.lib.az.us.

Sedona Chamber Music is celebrating its 25th season of “magical music in the red rocks”. This season includes 10 concerts featuring 3 Grammy award winning ensembles and artists. For information and schedules see www.chambermusicsedona.org.

Events continue weekly at Red Rock State Park. For information call 282-6907.

Positive Signs for our Real Estate Market

Any time you go through a market like the one we’ve been through the last 15 months, you start to look for any signs that things may be turning around. Locally, three Real Estate companies either shut their doors this week or announced they were shutting their doors. They obviously weren’t nearly as optimistic as I am about the market beginning to turn around, but let me share with you my reasons.

First of all housing traditionally is directly effected by the rate of Unemployment. Nationally and locally unemployment numbers are below 5%, which means most people who can are working for a living and everyone needs a place to call home. Here in Sedona the unemployment numbers will always remain pretty constant, but what I’m really looking at here is what the Phoenix unemployment is like? That picture is still pretty positive although if you read the Arizona Republic you would think that the housing market will single handedly ruin the economy. Since the economy in the Valley appears relatively healthy you can bet that people with money will start looking for bargains.

Which leads me to my second positive sign. In the last month I have had multiple conversations with people who say things like “Man, if I had some money I would snap up four to five properties and just sit on them for a few years.” Now granted, these conversations have been with Realtors who have no money, so at this point it’s just idle chatter. But I have seen this type of talk before and it usually occurs right before people who actually have money see the same thing and start to purchase some of these bargains. When people who have worked in the industry for a long time are seeing some bargains, you can bet they will be able to convince some buyers of that as well. It’s almost like having insider stock tips (not that I have ever done that). Don’t get me wrong, I am not predicting a quick return to a sellers market but I am betting that despite all the negative news in the press about the credit industry, we will see a stronger fall for sales this year than last year. It may just be a hunch but at least it’s an educated hunch. By the way, I almost did this newsletter on the Credit Industry shake up but frankly it won’t really affect the Sedona market real significantly so I just couldn’t see spending a lot of time explaining to you why, once again, the media has magnified a problem beyond belief. I’ll just share this with you, sub prime loans account for less than 10% of the entire amount of loans out there. Of those, about 50% are in trouble and much of that is due to scheduled interest rate adjustments on ARM’s which the industry is already beginning to address to help ease the pain for some consumers. Bottom line; don’t lose any sleep over this one.

Once again, if you need to sell in this market, trust the company who understands and can spot the trends. If you want to buy right now, it may be the best time to purchase Real Estate in Sedona for a long time to come. Either way, the experienced agents at Coldwell Banker First Affiliate armed with the best resources in the industry will be happy to help you make the right decision.

Tod Christensen
Designated Broker
Coldwell Banker First Affiliate

Around Sedona

September / October 2007
Joel Gilgoff, associate broker, president
RE/MAX Sedona

What’s Happening:

http://www.sedonaaz.gov/tourism/acEvents2.aspx

http://www.sedona.net/index.cfm?Render=EventCalendar_ViewEvents

Fiesta del Tlaquepaque returns on September 8th from 10AM to 6PM. Admission is free. The 34th Annual Fiesta will have continuous entertainment from folkloric dancing, flamenco dancing, arts and crafts, food, mariachis and plenty of kid’s activities.

The Annual Coconino County Fair is open August 30th to September 3rd at Fort Tuthill County Park 3 miles south of Flagstaff.

The first Friday of each month continues to be a special event at 15 Sedona art galleries. Stop at any gallery and hop on the free trolley to see all the rest. For information call 282-3809.

Sedona is again planning a Western Americana Day. This year’s event will take place on Saturday September 22nd at Sedona Airport. Featured will be airplanes, classic cars and a community festival.

Sedona Jazz on the Rocks tickets are now available. This year’s annual highlight event will begin Tuesday 9/25 and run through Sunday 9/30 at various venues and locations throughout the Sedona area. The highlight of the weekend will be an all day jazz festival 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM Saturday 9/29 on the grassy knoll of the Radisson Poco Diablo resort. For tickets and information visit www.sedonajazz.com.

Yavapai College has an extensive 2007-2008 community events season with everything from the Prescott Pops Symphony to the annual Cowboy Poets gathering. For information visit

www.yc.edu/communityevents.

City Business:

Sedona Red Rock High School has initiated their own hospitality program. Sedona’s work force includes 7660 workers employed in hotels and restaurants. More than 60 Red Rock High School students are enrolled in this program which was developed by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. If these students decide to pursue a career in hotel or culinary arts they will be welcome additions to the Sedona economy.

The Sedona City Council has unanimously endorsed the latest proposal for “Barbara’s Park”. Plans for the 2 acre park include an open air shaded venue for 300 people. The project is being funded namely by private donations.

Fitch Industries (who are currently under contract to purchase the former cultural park land) has settled its long running dispute with Yavapai College. The plan agreed upon will allow Fitch to trade 5.4 acres of its property for the 5 acres of Yavapai College’s property on the former Sedona Cultural Park site. The contract also resolves all past agreements between the college and the Cultural Park. Fitch Industries as of this writing has not yet purchased any of the Cultural Park land.

Marie Brown, the first employee of the City of Sedona, recently retired after working 19 years for the City. Much of the time Marie worked as Sedona’s City Clerk and ended her career as the Assistant City Manager.

The City is considering making several of the uptown streets one way. Van Deren Road and Wilson Road are narrow and difficult to traverse with fire equipment or other emergency vehicles.

New Developments:

Highway Construction: We recommend that during ongoing construction of Highway 179 visitors coming to Sedona from Phoenix come via Highway 260 (Hwy. 17 exit 287) – proceed west to Hwy. 89A – then north to Sedona. This will avoid any possible Hwy 179 construction delays.

The Sedona Visitor’s Center remodeling is almost complete. Completion of the total remodel is now scheduled for the first week in September (the kiosks will follow a month or so later). When complete, the center will have a much expanded visitor service area and electronic kiosks to service the needs of more than 300,000 annual visitor center walk-ins. The building is really beautiful – stop by to check it out on your next Sedona trip.

Possible new developments in the city:

Two office buildings and 40 units of lodging across the street from the Les Springs Subdivision in West Sedona.

A possible 48 unit residential condominium project called “Falls at Oak Creek”. The project will include the redevelopment of the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge property along SR 179.

A 9 lot single family residential subdivision called “Seven Vistas” located at the intersection of Badger Drive and Lynx Drive in the chapel area.

A possible new 7 lot single family residential subdivision located just west of the Basha’s shopping center on Payne Place.

A new 20 unit motel to replace the existing 14 unit Red Rock Lodge located north of uptown along 89A.

A possible 11 unit single family residential subdivision on 4.8 acres off Schnebly Hill Road.

Remodeling of the old office building/gallery space on Schnebly Hill Road at the junction of 179.

Possible development of an assisted living facility to be located on the northwest corner of SR 89A and Bristlecone Pines Road.

Possible condominium conversion of the Vivienda Apartments located on Jordan Road.

Possible conversion of an existing apartment complex on Coffee Pot Road to condominiums including construction of additional units. This would require a zone change.

Miscellaneous Around Sedona:

Janeen Trevillyan, a volunteer for the Sedona Historical Society, in concert with Lisa Schnebly Heidinger (great-granddaughter of Sedona Schnebly) have written a 127 page book on Sedona’s history. The book contains chapters on Sedona’s first families, farms and orchards, tourism and travel and the Schnebly family. The book is entitled Images of America: Sedona.

A new Italian dessert place is opening in the Hillside Shopping Center. Zelo Cosi will feature Italian coffee and sodas, antipasto salad, smoothies, panini sandwiches and lots more. They plan to also have WIFI available.

Javelinas on Parade, Sedona’s public art project, will continue on display through November 2007. Javelinas on Parade, a 104 page book of photographs and stories, is now available for sale. The book is available at the Southwest Inn or on the Javelina website www.javelinasonparade.com for a cost of $20.00. Proceeds from book sales will be used to support Sedona’s art community. The project will culminate on November 10 with a gala auction scheduled to be held at the Sedona Hilton. Limited tickets are now on sale. Contact the chamber of commerce for information.

Casa Rincon Restaurant has closed and the building has been sold to the owner of the Cowboy Club, Tom Gilloman. A new restaurant named The Barking Frog is now open. The Barking Frog (named after Tom’s brother’s former restaurant) serves an extensive menu of southwest dishes including an extensive wine menu.

Forty six descriptive photos of Sedona’s pioneer days are on display at the Arizona Memory Project website. The images are entitled “History of Sedona” and were created by Sedona Historical Society volunteers. You can view the images at www.azmemory.lib.az.us.

Sedona Chamber Music is celebrating its 25th season of “magical music in the red rocks”. This season includes 10 concerts featuring 3 grammy award winning ensembles and artists. For information and schedules see

www.chambermusicsedona.org.

The Northern Arizona’s Opera’s Luxury Home and Classic Car Tour is scheduled for October 6th and 7th. Visitors may tour one of a kind luxury homes while viewing beautifully restored classic cars parked outside each unique home. For information call 284-3034.

The Verde Valley Home and Business Expo will bring together merchants from Sedona, Camp Verde and Cottonwood on September 8th at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds located in Cottonwood. Last year’s event had 80 exhibitors displaying to over 1200 attendees. This fun event is a great way to meet your neighborhood businesses and get some great deals on many local products and services.

Slide Rock State Park’s Apple Orchard will be going organic. The park contains about 10 acres of apple trees. The process of going from chemical fertilizers to organic status typically takes about 3 years.

The Sedona Film Office has been busy fielding requests for location shoots in Sedona. Recent projects include a print shoot by Getty Images, a Grisley Peaks Films independent feature, an SUV commercial, a television series pilot and CBS Channel 5’s “Entertainment Weekly”.

Events continue weekly at Red Rock State Park. For information call 282-6907.

Why Housing Prices should not fall much further in Sedona!

If you have been reading this newsletter for longer than a year, you may recall it was about this time that we started talking about the RAPIDLY declining real estate market in Sedona. In comparing last June to July the Real Estate market dropped by well over 50% in one month and our long nervous spell began. Well, here we are a year later and I am here to tell you that many indicators point us in an upward direction. One of the things we do at Coldwell Banker First Affiliate is watch numbers, almost with an obsession, because it gives us the first glimpse for trends that we know will affect our customers. One of the numbers we look for are the number of pending sales in a given month. The lowest point for that number was September of last year. Since then we have watched a steady, although gradual, increase in pending sales.

It is my opinion that there are a number of buyers out there that have been sitting on the fence hoping that home prices would continue to fall. I think the worst is over for housing values in the Sedona area for two reasons, the first of which I’ve already mentioned and that is the steady increase in pending sales, which indicates a rising demand. The second reason I would not expect home prices to drop much further is the fact that Sedona is a resort market, and resort markets react differently to economic pressures than do traditional markets. The reason for that is that a much lower percentage of Sedona residents require a steady income to live here than in traditional markets. Many homes in the Sedona area are second homes, and of the primary residents many of them are retired and don’t need to rush a sale. There will always be people in any market who absolutely have to sell, but that percentage will not be as high in Sedona as it would in say Flagstaff.

Now, there are still many listings which are over-priced for this market so you may still see some of those homes reduce prices in order to come down to the market, but the market looks stronger now than it did a year ago and if I’m right about pent up buyer demand then we may very well have a very enjoyable fall selling season. The days of 25% annual appreciating home values may be gone but a strong healthy Real Estate Market may not be that far away.

Tod Christensen, Designated Broker

Coldwell Banker First Affiliate

Gentle Cleansing with Herbal Infusions

Living in a conscious and health conscious place like Sedona we are always hearing about cleansing our systems internally. This is a very powerful tool to staying healthy and vibrant; however, some of the methods for detoxification aren’t always as healthy as they could be. Using specific herbal infusions can be the gentle type of cleansing that honors you and your body. As we say good-bye to summer and head into autumn we are faced with a perfect opportunity to support our bodies and make room for increased vitality.

An herbal infusion is similar to herbal tea; we use most of the same herbs. Tea is usually steeped for 5-30 minutes. Herbal infusions take 4-12 hours, allowing for the water to have time to extract all of the high nutrient content from the plants. The nutrition that we receive from herbal infusions is second to none as it easy for our bodies to recognize the vitamins and minerals and assimilate them. All different herbs and parts of the plants can be used, depending on your desired results.

For a change of season “house cleaning”, I like to use Dandelion root and Burdock root. Roots help us stay grounded, allowing us to be centered as Mother Nature changes our external environment.

Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinalis) has direct actions on the liver, promoting detoxification and bile flow, removing accumulations, and reducing liver congestion. Since our liver has the not so easy job of processing everything that goes into our bodies, including emotions, stress, and outside energies, it is wise to offer this helper our focused support and healing intentions. As we release and let go of accumulated toxins in the liver, we re-open ourselves to the gentle flows of life. There is a reason it is called the “LIVER”!

Burdock root (Arctium lappa) will not only help cool the liver, it will also clean the blood and is a specific remedy for the lymph. One of the important jobs of the lymphatic system is to clean out harmful bacteria and organisms that could make us sick. Some symptoms of congested lymph include eczema, swollen glands, muscle aches and stiff joints. Burdocks cooling action promotes detoxification, removes lymph congestion, clears heat, and reduces inflammation.

Together, Burdock and Dandelion roots are a dynamic duo! To make an herbal infusion with these powerful allies, pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1oz. of the roots and let this sit for eight hours or overnight. Strain and drink cold or reheat, add honey or agave nectar to taste. Drink this pint during the day and try it out for one cycle of moon.

Kimba Kraft , the author, is a gifted Clinical Herbalist with a passion for healing and plant medicine. She invites her clients to share their stories in a safe and compassionate environment with the supreme goal of matching the person with the perfect plant allies. She feels that through plants we can access our true health and vibrancy, thus allowing our spirit to soar. Kimba also teaches classes on local plant medicines, medicine making, and healing through herbs. She currently does consultations in her office in Sedona. For more information please call or email.

She believes that when the physical body is healthy, we can allow our spirit to soar.

For consultations contact her at 928.300.8233 or email kkraft@myway.com.

Around Sedona

July / August 2007
Joel Gilgoff, associate broker, president
RE/MAX Sedona

What’s Happening: Click on the links below to get a current list of events in and around the Sedona area.

http://www.sedonaaz.gov/tourism/acEvents2.aspx

http://www.sedona.net/index.cfm?Render=EventCalendar_ViewEvents

The first Friday of each month continues to be a special event at 15 Sedona art galleries. Stop at any gallery and hop on the free trolley to see all the rest. For information call 282-3809.

Sedona is again planning a Western Americana Day. This year’s event will take place on Saturday September 22nd at Sedona Airport. Featured will be airplanes, classic cars and a community festival.

Shakespeare Sedona continues with Romeo and Juliet being presented at Tlaquepaque through July 14th. For information see www.shakespearesedona.com.

Sedona Jazz on the Rocks tickets are now available. This year’s annual highlight event will begin Tuesday 9/25 and run through Sunday 9/30 at various venues and locations throughout the Sedona area. The highlight of the weekend will be an all day jazz festival 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM Saturday 9/29 on the grassy knoll of the Radisson Poco Diablo resort. For tickets and information visit www.sedonajazz.com.

Northern Arizona University has an opening Monday July 9th of three separate exhibitions. For details see www.nau.edu/artmuseum.

Local photographer Robert Albrecht has several images on display in the Phippen Art Museum in Prescott. The Phippen Museum is located just north of Prescott on Hwy. 89A.

The 6th Annual Red Rocks Music Festival kicks off on Saturday 8/25 at 7pm at the Jewish Community Center of Sedona. For information visit www.redrockmusicfestival.com.

The Opera League of Northern Arizona Home Tour and Classic Car Show will be held Saturday and Sunday October 6th and 7th. For information call 284-3034.

“Local Color” is the theme of the Jerome Artists Cooperative Annual Summer Membership Show. The show features special works by all of their gallery members and will run through August 1st. For information visit www.jeromeartistscoop.com.

Yavapai College has an extensive 2007-2008 community events season with everything from the Prescott Pops Symphony to the annual Cowboy Poets gathering. For information visit www.yc.edu/communityevents.

City Business:

The City’s Roadrunner Shuttle service has carried over 40,000 people in its first 7 months of operation. The City has added summer van routes to the shuttle which will take passengers from the Uptown Municipal Parking Lot to the Sedona Public Library (located behind the Southwest Inn) with 12 stops in between. The new van route is mainly designed for local teens to get around during the summer but may be used by tourists as well. A day pass costs only $1.00.

The Sedona swimming pool located at the West Sedona Elementary School is now open for all to use.

Yavapai County has increased their construction impact fees to $3,400. The City of Sedona’s residential impact fees are $14,590, Flagstaff’s impact fees total $17,243. Many of the other local communities which currently do not have fees are strongly considering them.

Yavapai County:

The County approved an agreement with the American Safety Razor Company that will allow them to use the Burma Shave trademark on their road signs.

Sedona Shadows, located about 3 miles west of Sedona, has received approval to add 10 more manufactured home pads to its existing 210 sites on its 39 acre parcel.

The final plat for the Retreat on Oak Creek subdivision consisting of 38 single family residential lots on approximately 111 acres has been approved. The subdivision is located south of Red Rock Loop Road at the end of Loy Lane.

New Developments:

Highway Construction: We recommend that during ongoing construction of Highway 179 visitors coming to Sedona from Phoenix come via Highway 260 (Hwy. 17 exit 287) – proceed west to Hwy. 89A – then north to Sedona. This will avoid any possible Hwy 179 construction delays.

Construction on the new $10.5 million Red Rock Ranger Station and Visitors Center is ongoing with completion scheduled for early in 2008. The station is located on Hwy. 179 approximately 1 ½ miles south of the Village of Oak Creek. When completed, the building will encompass 25,395 sq. ft. and will service approximately 700 visitors a day. It will house 86 forest service employees plus visitor center staff and volunteers. The construction is running ahead of schedule at this time.

The Sedona City Council has committed to join a regional task force with the goal of making Sedona a bicycle friendly community. The committee will access current and future planned trails to make sure they are bicycle friendly and create signage and maps for the public.

The Fitch Company is holding public information meetings to discuss their plans for Phase 2 of the Cultural Park Land. Fitch is hoping that the city will approve construction of a hotel on the property which is currently zoned for only community facilities. I feel that the public will strongly object to this proposal.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a recent decision to protect the San Francisco Peaks from Arizona Snowbowl’s plan to expand its 777 acre facility and implement the use of treated sewage to make artificial snow. This 64 page ruling was issued in favor of a coalition of Arizona Indian tribes including Navajo, Havasupai, White Mountain Apache and several other Indian tribes. The tribes all claim that San Francisco Peaks is part of their sacred land.

The Sedona Visitor’s Center remodeling is well underway. Completion of the total remodel is now scheduled for the first week in September. When complete, the center will have a much expanded visitor service area and electronic kiosks to service the needs of more than 300,000 annual visitor center walk-ins.

Open Road Tours has begun daily shuttles between Sedona and Flagstaff. The twice daily shuttle is aimed at people taking the Amtrack train into Flagstaff. For information, see www.openroadtours.com.

The Sedona Fire District is planning to issue up to $22 million in new bonding for capital improvements including a new fire station in the Chapel area of Sedona and eventually one in the Red Rock Loop Road area. The fire department feels that the upcoming implementation of round-a-bouts on Hwy. 179 will slow their response time and require more local fire stations.

A new development to be located on 4.45 acres at the southeast corner of Hwy. 89A and Pinon Drive is proposed to contain 28 residential units and about 50,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space.

Possible new developments in the city:

Two office buildings and 40 units of lodging across the street from the Les Springs Subdivision in West Sedona.

A possible 48 unit residential condominium project called “Falls at Oak Creek”. The project will include the redevelopment of the Oak Creek Mobile Lodge property along SR 179.

A 9 lot single family residential subdivision called “Seven Vistas” located at the intersection of Badger Drive and Lynx Drive in the chapel area.

A possible new 7 lot single family residential subdivision located just west of the Basha’s shopping center on Payne Place.

A new 20 unit motel to replace the existing 14 unit Red Rock Lodge located north of uptown along 89A.

A possible 11 unit single family residential subdivision on 4.8 acres off Schnebly Hill Road.

Remodeling of the old office building/gallery space on Schnebly Hill Road at the junction of 179.

Miscellaneous Around Sedona:

Javelinas on Parade, Sedona’s public art project, will continue on display through November 2007. “Javelinas on Parade”, a 104 page book of photographs and stories, is now available for sale. The book is available at the Southwest Inn or on the Javelina website www.javelinasonparade.com for a cost of $20.00. Proceeds from book sales will be used to support Sedona’s art community.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park (25 minutes south of Sedona) has just opened its first “community aviary”. The aviary will be a permanent part of the park and feature over 90 birds.

Casa Rincon Restaurant has closed and the building has been sold to the owner of the Cowboy Club, Tom Gilomen. A new restaurant named The Barking Frog is scheduled to open later in July.

Events continue weekly at Red Rock State Park. For information call 282-6907.

A new tourist attraction has opened at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Sky Walk is said to hover 4,000 ft. above the canyon floor with an 140 ft. long 10 ft. wide clear glass pathway allowing visitors to walk out above the canyon and peer down to the bottom. The sky walk is about a 4 ½ hour drive from Sedona over at least 17 miles of dirt road. If this is a must in your itinerary it can be seen on your way to Las Vegas. Cost for this short look is $75.00. In our opinion, the best way to see the Grand Canyon is to take an air tour out of Sedona Airport or Las Vegas Airport.

Julie Hyde, formerly of Quincy, California, recently moved to Sedona and opened Julie’s Design and Upholstery. She has over 22 years experience upholstering antique furniture to modern custom orders. For information call her at 204-5881.

Readers of AmericanStyle magazine ranked Sedona the #2 Small City in the 10th Annual Top 25 Arts Destination reader’s poll. Climbing three places from last year’s ranking, Sedona has appeared on AmericanStyle magazine’s Top 25 Arts Destination list 8 times since the polls inception. This is Sedona’s highest ranking to date.

The Sedona City Council endorsed an effort of a professional rock climbing team to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on July 4th. The team will be carrying a City of Sedona flag.

The Sedona Raw Café has reopened with Bliss Chocolate. The new restaurant is known as Café Bliss and Chocolate. The restaurant will continue to serve raw and living vegan items, daily specials and beverages along with raw chocolate and desserts.

Several new websites will assist you in obtaining the best airfare if you are planning to fly to Phoenix on your way to Sedona. Check out www.farecast.com, www.airfarewatchdog.com and www.kayak.com for deals on flights and car rentals.

Acknodded – to acknowledge someone by nodding one’s head in the direction of the individual being greeted (rather than a wave or hello)

Artifake – something that appears, at first glance, to be an artifact (e.g., when you find a piece of pottery that turns out to be a rock sliver)

Benitization – after Benito, the Sedona street samurai of 2000-2001, and his weird improvised words

B^{3 –} Buddha cubed

Canyonette – a small canyon

Cavortium – area of activity where a group of people are cavorting

Cowboy cairn – a rock on top of a Coor’s can, or vice-versa

Forest cerveza – the Forest Service

Flateau – a small, flat spot

Geologer – an individual who studies geology, (e.g., Wayne Ranney)

Gourmasian – fine, Asian cuisine

Heartwork – homework that involve heart lessons

Hysterical marker – a fictitious highway marker substituted for Historical markers

an “Itsmy” tern – a selfish bird

Laisical – lazy and lacksadaisical

Mini-Mesa – a small mesa, derived from “Mini -Me” in the Austin Powers movies

Metamorphart – a fart that changes from it’s original inocuous form…to worse

Operational medium – the type of ground that is therapeutic to a recent surgery or operation

Overnoxious – overbearing and obnoxious; or when ya got bad gas

Peripheral knowledge – a sixth sense that provides information from the unconscious

Picturine – picturesque

Predecestor – people who came before us

to “Roget” someone – use vocabulary that is above someone’s knowledge

Santa-fake – SantaFe-style houses that are not truly adobe; rather, plywood and plaster

Stormlet – small, local storm

Swamplet – a low, wet area; small swamp or big puddle

Undercake – whatever is underneath (e.g., a t-shirt under a dress shirt; an underlying layer of rock

My good friends Chuck and Phyllis Cline, owners and operators of Sedona’s famous Heartline Cafe, have graciously permitted the reprinting of selected recipes from Chuck’s marvelous cookbook, Recipes From Sedona’s Heartline Cafe.

Enjoy your cuisine explorations and stop by to taste the Chef’s magic at the Heartline Cafe next time you visit Sedona. There’s nothing like the real thing.

Chuck’s notes: This was our prize-winner in a local chili cookoff.

Moroccan Lamb Chile

Six to eight servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 small red onion, diced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

1 teaspoon turmeric

10 threads saffron

1pound leg of lamb, boned and diced
into half-inch cubes

2 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
(drained if using canned beans)

1 cup red lentils

1/2 cup Roasted Peppers

2 cups crushed tomatoes

3 cups Oak Creek Nut Brown Ale
(or similar)

1/2 cup raisins

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

kosher salt and pepper to taste

fresh mint and sour cream for garnish

Lamb

In a large stewpot or Dutch oven, saute the garlic and onion in the olive
oil. Add the ginger, turmeric, and saffron. Saute until fragrant.
Add the lamb and stir to brown it. Add all the remaining ingredients
except garnish. Simmer, covered, for two hours or more,
until lamb is very tender.Taste and correct seasonings.

Presentation

Garnish with fresh mint and sour cream, if desired,
and serve with Potato Flatbread.

Bobbi L. Moore is a long-time resident of Sedona who is a certified NLP instructor and master practitioner, has an extensive background in family counseling, and uses massage therapy in conjunction with other modalities for helping individuals attain harmony and balance in their lives. “Little Miracles” was originally published in the Sedona Red Rock News. Re-published on www.SedonaInformation.com with the express permission of the author, Bobbi L. Moore.

I started to write these articles because I wanted to read and have others read something that was about the special everyday things in the world. When I heard her say that she liked the articles, it gave me a warm and lovely feeling all over that spurred a wonderful memory.

My children and I had just come back from a weekend at my sister’s home. I heard the girls screaming in their bedroom and I quickly ran in. They were pointing to my daughter’s dresser drawer where our cat Juniper had given birth to the largest litter of kittens I had ever seen.

Juniper had already delivered and cleaned almost seven kittens when we arrived. Needless to say, she was fading fast. I had the girls get me a warm cloth and I helped clean the last kitten and put her with the rest of the litter. We all petted and comforted Juniper. I left, only to be called for again. When I returned there was yet another kitten coming into this world.

If you’ve never seen a baby of any kind being born into the world, you’ve been missing a lot. As I watched that tired mother cat straining to give birth to her new kitten the miracle of it sent chills up my back, smiles into my heart, and a feeling of awe that I can’t quite describe. My daughters were speechless. They stood there with an expression of wonder in their faces, their eyes wide open and tears running down their cheeks.

I reached down and pulled gently on the next kitten with each contraction. Juniper was too tired to deliver this one, let alone clean it and move it. Slowly the kitten emerged into this new and very different world. As we cleaned it we all began to laugh at the same time. Juniper just laid there with a contented grin on her face.

All of us come into this world one way or another, some kicking, some with the help of others, some rushing forward head-first, and it’s always the same miracle, the miracle of the constant cycle of life.

Yasha, my old ballet teacher, used to say that watching the new things in life is what kept his aging body young. He loved to play with children and babies for hours. He’d get down on the ground and show them the mysteries of life around them - birth, life, death, and birth again.

There are so many types of births. The birth of a child, the birth of an idea, the seasons of Mother Earth rebirthing over and over, the birth of a planet, and the birth of that tired little kitten that filled me with miracles, mystery, and awe.