Timeshares.
If anyone ever calls and offers you a free night stay and other assorted gifts for sitting through a timeshare pitch, go for it. The place we toured put us up in a nice, dog-friendly hotel and we had to endure a 90 min sales pitch, not bad...
It was a great excuse to head to Sedona for the weekend. From Tucson the drive was just shy of four hours and we left right from work on Friday evening.
Sedona is breathtaking. I'm lucky enough to have visited a few times prior, but for Sarah and Burren this was an initiation.
Friday evening the hotel we booked wasn't for dogs, so we had a bit of a time sneaking her about. Of course our goal was complete silence from the pup, but she seems to be in a bit of a rebellious phase these days. Our goal was soon shattered with a low WOOF! That was our cue, and from there we set out on a nice, longer-than-usual, evening walk. We headed into town early on Saturday morning and with only one additional WOOF after our walk on Friday, no one seemed the wiser.
Before we left Tucson I researched a few hikes that would allow us to trek along Oak Creek, the creator of this stunning canyon. Saturday was perfect, Burren followed her retrieving instincts right into the Creek. At first her wet leaps were accidental, but as the weekend wore on she grew a bit more courageous and determined to follow us through water over her head. Even so, we could tell she wasn't too sure that it was a good idea :)
Sarah and I relaxed and allowed the lush, peaceful scenery to work its magic. We found some great eateries in town, and refreshing pools within the deep walls of the Creek.
If you haven't been yet, make sure that Sedona is on your list to visit someday!
Siblings Visit
This Memorial Day weekend we were blessed to have my brother Jon, his wife, Nancy, and their daughter, Ruth come to stay with us! In addition, my sister, Elka, was here visiting her boyfriend, Craig, and preaching at the Tucson UU church. It was great weekend of family and fun!
Friday night Paul treated us to a delicious feast of grilled pork AND chicken. We also utilized some of our fresh/local/organic CSA ingredients in our grilled vegetables and salad.
Saturday morning we got up early (Nancy got up at 3am Tucson time with Miss Ruth who was still on East coast time) to go check out the Sonoran Desert Museum. We saw many local animals like javelinas, lizards, and mountain lions. Ruth enjoyed pushing her own stroller and getting plenty of grown up attention. After the outdoor museum we went to El Guero Canelo to enjoy some tasty Sonoran hot dogs (hot dog wrapped in bacon with beans, cheese and lots of condiments). In the afternoon, we all donned our bathing suits for relaxation in the pool. We went to dinner at El Charro, one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in Tucson.
On Sunday, Jon, Nancy, Ruth, Paul and I walked to our farmers market to pick up our CSA share and enjoy the morning. Next we all went to see Miss Elka Cartmell Ladd guest preach at the UU church here. She did a great job and had a large cheering section. Sunday afternoon we watched Ruth and Burren play for a while before heading to 4th Ave to walk around and check out the interesting shops. We enjoyed yummy salads at home and chatted into the evening.
It was really great being all together even if just for a few days. We cant wait to be all together again in August!
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