A few years back I took a trip to Phoenix: can't really remember why this trip - I have often gone there for art supplies and so on. On this particular drive, I returned to Catalina by way of Casa Grande National Monument: nothing unusual about that either. The "back way" south via Casa Grande is the direct route to Catalina anyway, and as I'm an archaeology buff, and much intrigued by the Hohokam, I always stop at the ruins.
This was late Spring: June 3 according to my journal, and in Chandler (south of Phoenix), I stopped to view a large lush cornfield. Corn, which has an inexplicable attraction for me...I got my friend that was with me to take my picture in front of the field, and this is it. Unfortunately it is a polaroid, and has discolored and faded in the intervening years.
Then drove on to Casa Grande, and did my usual wandering around the mysterious compound, and looking into the windows and doors of the main ruin: the tallest prehistoric Native American structure in North America that exists (as a building: the mounds of the eastern Moundbuilder cultures are constructed differently).
I am surprised that they let you go right up to this amazing structure, but they do. You can touch it, and as I said above, look in it's windows and doors.
As I looked thru the north door I "saw" an older woman, seated just inside on the elevated floor. I knew this must be a vision of some kind but I saw her clear as day. I did not feel the least but afraid or otherwise disturbed by this apparition. This woman was wearing a bright yellow cloth or blanket wrapped around herself. She had a large basket in front of her. The interior of the Casa was different: in good repair; new, I guess, and the roof was there (As you can see it obviously isn't now! The Park Service has taken great pains to preserve the Casa Grande, building the enormous shelter over it to preserve the adobe walls from further washing away: they say at least one story of the building has washed away.). This roof was far above, but I could see it clearly, made of beams and branches. All the walls of the place that I could see were plastered smooth, too.
The woman indicated she had something; a gift? for me...but she wanted me to give her something first. What to give?...Then the answer popped into my mind immediately; and seeming so appropriate at that - I gave her the lush field of tall corn we'd stopped at earlier.
She smiled. She put it in her basket. Then she rose, and stepped away, picking up the basket as she did so. Just before she moved out of my sight thru the narrow doorway, she suddenly tipped the basket forward in her arms, and thousands and thousands of turquoise seed beads rained to the floor: bouncing, scattering...making a rain-like sound as they fell.
My friend was standing behind me, and told me that as I saw this; he had an impression of water running down the wall, and two women in turquoise dresses working; gardening, off to the side next to the Casa.
Shortly after I got home later that afternoon, it rained: very unusual for early June in Sonora.
