Looking for "classic information" about the White House and the presidential team? Here it is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/
Following the inauguration though, things will definitely heat up for Barack Obama and his Cabinet members. Is "change" really about to happen? How much "change" can truly occur during Barack Obama's current four year term? Will we, as individuals, be challenged, also, by our new president, to participate in bringing about "change" we desire? I think we all wonder just what "change" will look like under Barack Obama's leadership.
The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.
Charles Kettering
Mural in Cottonwood, AZ 2007One of my hobbies is taking pictures of murals. Above is a mural or "wall art" pic I took during a visit to Cottonwood, Arizona in 2007. (This week I will feature murals from my Cottonwood collection.) I think this mural is fitting for the upcoming week with Barack Obama transitioning from president-elect to United States President. What is my take on this mural's connection to current events? Our new President's focus will be on the condition of the United States and it's role in the world, and much of the world's focus will be on our new President hoping he will effect positive progress. Of course, the "true message" of this Cottonwood mural is in "the eye of the beholder". Cottonwood (the home of the above mural) is a bustling little town/city of 10,000+ in Yavapai County, situated between Prescott and Sedona-two popular Arizona vacation spots. I usually take Route 260 on my way to Sedona, which takes me right through Cottonwood and past turn-offs for Cornville and Page Springs. These days my visits to the area are recreational, but my first trip to Cottonwood, in 1991, was work-related. At the time I was working as a perinatal case manager and had the opportunity to visit young expectant women throughout Northern and Central Arizona. My job was to assess their medical needs and educate them on having a healthy pregnancy and how to utilize community resources for assistance. The goal of the perinatal program was to reduce premature deliveries and thereby save money for the insurance company. During one trip to this area of Arizona to visit a client, I accidentally stumbled into the Cornville/Page Springs area. It is a hidden valley that i
s lush and green and beautiful...like an oasis. I experienced an instant connection. Maybe it was the small town feeling, maybe the surprising, unexpected beauty? To this day I'm not really quite sure why, but a feeling of "returning home or to where I belong" is what came over me. At the time, a friend of mine and I believed we would, at some point in the future, be involved in facilitating a residential placement of some kind for "teens in trouble" in a ranch-like setting. As a result, I began saying to myself and others "I can truly see myself living here in this area someday". It felt like my destiny. A drive through Cornville and Page Springs "to look around and dream" was a yearly destination for me for years following that first visit. In the last ten years or so, Cornville and Page Springs have changed somewhat. Lush vineyards now thrive on the fertile land that was once home to livestock and crops. And the population has grown some too. I hold fond memories of this area, but the idea of a running "a treatment ranch" here has evaporated (for a variety of reasons). These days, my plans for the future include residing somewhere close to my daughter. She assures me that remaining in Arizona is definitely not in her plans. She dreams of living in New York City...talk about change!!! Last year, in a "last chance" attempt to discover if I could envision a future for myself in the Page Springs-Cornville-Cottonwood area, my mother and I took a day to visit real estate agencies and gather information about job opportunities. My mother and I are drawn to the area for different reasons, but desiring change we wanted to weigh the possibilities of relocating. Unfortunately, comparing the pros and cons of exploration, we had to conclude that a move to Cottonwood was not a feasible venture. For my mother, the negative was mostly the real estate, and for me, the negative was employment opportunities. The cost of living is comparable to Phoenix, but not the salaries. If I were to move to Cottonwood, and seek employment in a similar position as I now hold with Maricopa County, I would be taking a significant cut in pay. Not to mention, I found no jobs for which I qualify, paying a comparable salary. So in the end, I may not ever make this area (Page Springs-Cottonwood-Cornville-Sedona) my home, but it will remain one of my favorites, and definitely offers many reasons for anyone to return again and again to soak in it's amazing beauty and therapeutic surroundings.
s lush and green and beautiful...like an oasis. I experienced an instant connection. Maybe it was the small town feeling, maybe the surprising, unexpected beauty? To this day I'm not really quite sure why, but a feeling of "returning home or to where I belong" is what came over me. At the time, a friend of mine and I believed we would, at some point in the future, be involved in facilitating a residential placement of some kind for "teens in trouble" in a ranch-like setting. As a result, I began saying to myself and others "I can truly see myself living here in this area someday". It felt like my destiny. A drive through Cornville and Page Springs "to look around and dream" was a yearly destination for me for years following that first visit. In the last ten years or so, Cornville and Page Springs have changed somewhat. Lush vineyards now thrive on the fertile land that was once home to livestock and crops. And the population has grown some too. I hold fond memories of this area, but the idea of a running "a treatment ranch" here has evaporated (for a variety of reasons). These days, my plans for the future include residing somewhere close to my daughter. She assures me that remaining in Arizona is definitely not in her plans. She dreams of living in New York City...talk about change!!! Last year, in a "last chance" attempt to discover if I could envision a future for myself in the Page Springs-Cornville-Cottonwood area, my mother and I took a day to visit real estate agencies and gather information about job opportunities. My mother and I are drawn to the area for different reasons, but desiring change we wanted to weigh the possibilities of relocating. Unfortunately, comparing the pros and cons of exploration, we had to conclude that a move to Cottonwood was not a feasible venture. For my mother, the negative was mostly the real estate, and for me, the negative was employment opportunities. The cost of living is comparable to Phoenix, but not the salaries. If I were to move to Cottonwood, and seek employment in a similar position as I now hold with Maricopa County, I would be taking a significant cut in pay. Not to mention, I found no jobs for which I qualify, paying a comparable salary. So in the end, I may not ever make this area (Page Springs-Cottonwood-Cornville-Sedona) my home, but it will remain one of my favorites, and definitely offers many reasons for anyone to return again and again to soak in it's amazing beauty and therapeutic surroundings.
An informative website of the area: http://www.gatewaytosedona.com/department/category/VerdeValley
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