Jackie, James, John, and Marc checking out kaleidoscopes in the shop NELLY BLY.	Jackie and John standing underneath a cool Pterodactyl model on NELLY BLY's back porch.	Marc, Sophia, and Steve checking out SteamPunk kaleidoscopes in NELLY BLY.

TUESDAY - Exploring the colorful mining town of Jerome

Tuesday morning I woke up with a sour stomch: I suspect that the culprit was the extra sauce I ordered with my Seafood Bruschetta at DAHL & DiLUCA the night before (note to self: don't do that again!). Irritatingly, my stomach felt uncomfortable most of the day :-( I drove over to Marc's house to pick up everybody for our adventure in Jerome. Jerome is a former mining town that the Hippies converted into a cool artsy place around the 1970s. The town has several art galleries and fun touristy places to visit, which we did.

Our 1st stop was the kaleidoscope shop NELLY BLY. Steve really took to this place, along with the kids. The shop even offered SteamPunk Kaleiodoscopes.

Steve and James walking into the LAUGHING MOUNTAIN shop.	Steve, James, John, Jackie, and Marc checking out the merchandise in LAUGHING MOUNTAIN.	Jackie and James checking out hats in LAUGHING MOUNTAIN.

After overdosing on kaleidoscopes, we moved on to LAUGHING MOUNTAIN, which offered some beautiful jackets made in Nepal. They also sell lots of curious niche items like knives and colorful Birthday cards. James ended up getting a Davy Crockett Raccoon hat.

The front entrance to the JEROME GRAND HOTEL and ASYLUM Restaurant.	Sophia coloring, while John makes suggestions, at the ASYLUM Restaurant.	James coloring, while Steve talks to Jackie and Marc, at the ASYLUM Restaurant.

By this time we were starting to feel hungry. So we made our way back to my car. On the way we made a brief stop at CADUCEUS CELLARS, so Steve could find something for his brother Rick. Then we hustled into the car and drove up to the JEROME GRAND HOTEL. The hotel features a great restaurant called the ASYLUM. Among other qualities, the ASYLUM features amazing views out to Sedona and even the San Francisco Peaks just north of Flagstaff. They offer great food: I got the fried calamari with aioli sauce and spicy grilled chicken wings, which tasted fantastic. Although I suspect that the spicy chicken may have upset my sotmach a little while later... :-( Marc and Jackie got the Stack Salad with chicken, James and John got hamburgers with a fruit salad, Sophia got a cheese sandwich with french frieds and grapes, and Steve ordered a BLAT (Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato) but got a BLT (Bacon Lettuce Tomato; our server forgot the avocado). The kids dragged their feet about eating their fruit, as usual!

The left outside of THE MINERS PICK ROCK SHOP in Jerome.	Jackie and Marc checking out the rocks and crystals at THE MINERS PICK ROCK SHOP.	Sophia, John, and James checking out the rocks and crystals at THE MINERS PICK ROCK SHOP.

After thoroughly enjoying our lunch, we drove back out to THE MINERS PICK ROCK SHOP, a rock and crystal shop. Marc in particular was curious about the shop, but we all got into the spirit of checking out the rocks and crystals. Sophia got herself a small heart-shaped Rose Quartz.

Steve, Jackie, Sophia, Marc, John, and James outside the art studios at the former Jerome High School.	Sophia walking away from a totally cool tie dye painted sporty car parked at the former Jerome High School.	Jackie, Marc, Sophia, John, Steve, and James regrouping in the parking lot of the former Jerome High School before we leave.

Our next and final stop in Jerome was the former Jerome High School, now a group of art galleries. We saw the High School Graduation Photo of a friend of ours from the Sedona International Film Festival, and boy he looked younger (well his photo was from the 1970s, so he aged a little bit)! We wandered around the galleries for a while. I met a guy named Christian in 1 of the galleries. He saw my Fuji GA645Zi film camera, and we got into a cool discussion about film photography and drum scanners and DUGGAL'S Photo Lab in particular. Christian recommended them, and they sure look good. The digital HD-C prints and film developing with contact prints definitely interest me. Christian told me that he was a former Hasselblad shooter (way cool). His gallery partner does beaded artwork, which was a little less exciting for me than talking about film photography.

After saying goodbye to Christian, I hooked up with the gang, and we departed for home. I dropped everybody off at Marc's house and went home to catch up on e-amils and relax. After about 2 hours to recharge my batteries, I returned to Marc's house and visited some more, while James, John, and Sophia played Nintendo Wii. We watched recent episodes of LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER and THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE. Lots of laughs, although I slept through some of it. I eventually said my goodbyes and returned home. And such was our adventure in Jerome for Tuesday.