Greetings Family and Friends,

It is almost impossible for me to believe that it has been 25 years since Kona passed away. She was so loving and vivacious — she enchanted everyone who knew her. At least I have many photos to refresh my memories of our time together.

I have shared many photos with you from Hawai’i, Arizona, and many of our favorite golf courses. This time I am sharing one from Petrified Forest National Park (which includes part of the Painted Desert) in Northern Arizona). Kona, my parents, and I explored this area, enjoying many natural and historic locations — eventually including Walnut Canyon, the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam Bridge, Las Vegas, and Lake Havasu City (including the famous London Bridge) before returning to Phoenix.

As I am sure you guessed, this photo captures Kona sitting on a piece of petrified wood that we found in the park. Each piece is like a giant crystal, often sparkling in the sunlight as if covered by glitter. The rainbow of colors is produced by impurities in the quartz, such as iron, carbon, and manganese. Over 200 million years ago, the logs washed into an ancient river system and were buried quickly enough and deep enough by massive amounts of sediment and debris also carried in the water, that oxygen was cut off and decay slowed to a process that would now take centuries.

Minerals, including silica dissolved from volcanic ash, absorbed into the porous wood over hundreds and thousands of years crystallized within the cellular structure, replacing the organic material as it broke down over time. Sometimes crushing or decay left cracks in the logs. Here large jewel-like crystals of clear quartz, purple amethyst, yellow citrine, and smoky quartz formed.

Our time together was all too short but we sure made the most of it. How many of my friends have visited Petrified Forest National Park? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? We are only on this Earth for a relatively short time. Make the most of it — love, love, and more love.