Our visit to Seneca Lake was wonderful and so relaxing! We had an excellent wine pairing dinner with my parents, Phil & Kathleen, and Kathleen's parents. Here's the menu to make your mouth water :)
Artichoke & spicy crab gratin - Sauvignon Blanc - Paul & Sarah
Baby spinach, spring pea & fresh pesto salad - Pinot Gris - the Porters
Argentine beef kebabs with chimichurri, fingerling potato salad, grilled asparagus - Pinot Noir & Merlot - the Gillios
Thick cut bacon with dark chocolate drizzle - Prosecco - Phil & Kathleen
Engagement Photos
We finally booked time with our photographer Rebecca Hansen to shoot some engagement photos. After deciding against the Arnold Arboretum (the forecast was rain), we had a fun session by the Frank Gehry building at MIT.
Eastbound
Here are a bunch of photos from our drive across the country. We left Tucson and drove through the South, making stops in El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Hilton Head, DC, and Brooklyn before pulling up to our new place in Holyoke.
Our Wedding Website
Paul has worked very hard to complete our wedding website, complete with our registry information! Here is the link to check out:
Zion National Park
Last weekend was Sarah's Bachelorette Party. She and 8 of her friends danced the nights away in Las Vegas.
I decided to get out of Tucson as well, so I hopped onto Sarah's flight to Vegas. We got a rental car and after dropping Sarah and Suzanne off on The Strip, I drove north towards Utah.
I was going to meet my buddy Walter, who was driving from Salt Lake, and we planned to camp and hike for the weekend in Zion National Park.
The park opened its shuttle bus service that Friday, and we hit all the major trails. We covered around 25 miles over the weekend, traversing several thousand feet in elevation.
The highlight for me was Angel's Landing, a precarious climb to a ledge with 1500' vertical drop-offs on all sides. Hidden Canyon was another gem and not nearly as crowded as Angel's Landing.
I wanted to hike upstream in the Virgin River to the famous "Narrows" where sandstone walls 800' high converge into a slot canyon 8' wide. Unfortunately, the river was running too high a volume, and the trail was closed.
I guess that means I'll be returning! Anyone wanna join me?
I decided to get out of Tucson as well, so I hopped onto Sarah's flight to Vegas. We got a rental car and after dropping Sarah and Suzanne off on The Strip, I drove north towards Utah.
I was going to meet my buddy Walter, who was driving from Salt Lake, and we planned to camp and hike for the weekend in Zion National Park.
The park opened its shuttle bus service that Friday, and we hit all the major trails. We covered around 25 miles over the weekend, traversing several thousand feet in elevation.
The highlight for me was Angel's Landing, a precarious climb to a ledge with 1500' vertical drop-offs on all sides. Hidden Canyon was another gem and not nearly as crowded as Angel's Landing.
I wanted to hike upstream in the Virgin River to the famous "Narrows" where sandstone walls 800' high converge into a slot canyon 8' wide. Unfortunately, the river was running too high a volume, and the trail was closed.
I guess that means I'll be returning! Anyone wanna join me?
Long Overdue, 2011 so far...
Hello friends and family. Sarah and have been quite busy this year so far and both of us have neglected the blog. I think our photos will have to tell the stories that we've missed. Here are some slideshows of our latest happenings.
Imperial Dunes
Last weekend we went camping with Eric, Casey, & Jackson. Our destination was the Imperial Dunes of southern California. The dunes are just across the border from Yuma and spitting distance from the US-Mexico border.
The Buses brought along some ATV's which is how we toured around the sand. The dunes stretch 45 miles from the southern end of the Salton Sea in California to just over the Mexican border. They're about 6 miles wide and when you're within them, often all you can see is sand. They range from rolling little bumps to mammoth wave-like piles well over 100' high!
As we sped along these huge dunes like we had wings, I couldn't help wonder how different it might be to cross them on the back of a Camel.
Back at camp the dogs patrolled and Jackson hopped about his playpen. We grilled some delicious meals, relaxed, enjoyed the campfire, and amazing starry skies.
The Buses brought along some ATV's which is how we toured around the sand. The dunes stretch 45 miles from the southern end of the Salton Sea in California to just over the Mexican border. They're about 6 miles wide and when you're within them, often all you can see is sand. They range from rolling little bumps to mammoth wave-like piles well over 100' high!
As we sped along these huge dunes like we had wings, I couldn't help wonder how different it might be to cross them on the back of a Camel.
Back at camp the dogs patrolled and Jackson hopped about his playpen. We grilled some delicious meals, relaxed, enjoyed the campfire, and amazing starry skies.
Thanksgiving Roadtrip!
Sarah and I had another great Thanksgiving with Eric and Casey in Phoenix.
I have to plead with Casey to let us make some of the food, and this year she said we should bring appetizers and dessert. The apps and Sarah's dessert were great, but my first attempt at baking a pumpkin pie was a bit of a flop. I'll do better next time! The rest of dinner was excellent. I was a big fan of the stuffing with chestnuts, great addition Casey!
Eric and Casey are great new parents and we took it upon ourselves to relieve them of a bit of Jackson-watching time. Armed with the camera and a few toys we shuffled around on the floor trying to snap a few photos and just enjoy Jackson's crawling speed. There were a few moments (with his parents encouragement) that the little guy was close to taking his first steps. I'm writing this post a week since and I bet he's taking little staggering steps right now!
We spent Thursday just relaxing, eating, and enjoying one another's company. On Friday we loaded up the cars and drove east to Saguaro Lake. Always few steps behind the 4 sniffing dogs we hiked a senic 3 mile loop that overlooked the lake and wound back to the parking lot.
After saying goodbye to Eric, Casey, and Jackson we drove north to Tonto Natural bridge. The bridge is an arched rock formation that was slowly carved by the brook winding through the canyon. Our original plan was to drive from Tonto to a campsite and spend Saturday rock climbing near Winslow, AZ. As we drove north, we discussed when we might find time to come back again for a trip further north to see the Grand Canyon. It only took a minute for us to realize that this was our best chance to get up there soon. A few hours later we had diverted our route and arrived in Flagstaff, where the temperature was dropping, and we found the ground blanketed in snow!
We cashed in some hotel points and found a dog friendly place. On Saturday we drove north and enjoyed a snow dusted trek along the south rim of the GC. Swinging back thru Flagstaff we found a hike into an old volcano and on Sunday we leisurely made our way back to Tucson.
We had a great trip and Holiday, I hope you did too!
I have to plead with Casey to let us make some of the food, and this year she said we should bring appetizers and dessert. The apps and Sarah's dessert were great, but my first attempt at baking a pumpkin pie was a bit of a flop. I'll do better next time! The rest of dinner was excellent. I was a big fan of the stuffing with chestnuts, great addition Casey!
Eric and Casey are great new parents and we took it upon ourselves to relieve them of a bit of Jackson-watching time. Armed with the camera and a few toys we shuffled around on the floor trying to snap a few photos and just enjoy Jackson's crawling speed. There were a few moments (with his parents encouragement) that the little guy was close to taking his first steps. I'm writing this post a week since and I bet he's taking little staggering steps right now!
We spent Thursday just relaxing, eating, and enjoying one another's company. On Friday we loaded up the cars and drove east to Saguaro Lake. Always few steps behind the 4 sniffing dogs we hiked a senic 3 mile loop that overlooked the lake and wound back to the parking lot.
After saying goodbye to Eric, Casey, and Jackson we drove north to Tonto Natural bridge. The bridge is an arched rock formation that was slowly carved by the brook winding through the canyon. Our original plan was to drive from Tonto to a campsite and spend Saturday rock climbing near Winslow, AZ. As we drove north, we discussed when we might find time to come back again for a trip further north to see the Grand Canyon. It only took a minute for us to realize that this was our best chance to get up there soon. A few hours later we had diverted our route and arrived in Flagstaff, where the temperature was dropping, and we found the ground blanketed in snow!
We cashed in some hotel points and found a dog friendly place. On Saturday we drove north and enjoyed a snow dusted trek along the south rim of the GC. Swinging back thru Flagstaff we found a hike into an old volcano and on Sunday we leisurely made our way back to Tucson.
We had a great trip and Holiday, I hope you did too!
Mt. Lemmon Overnight
Sarah, Burren, and I headed up Mt. Lemmon last Saturday to try out some of our new backpacking gear. It was our first official backpacking trip together. Other camping trips have been managed from the trunk of our car. This time we'd carry our gear in backpacks to a remote campsite, far from any other campers, woohoo!
Thank you for the birthday gift cards to REI!!! I used them to buy a blinking light for Burren's collar (she is otherwise invisible at night), chair conversions for our sleeping pads, and some small packable pillows. All added greatly to our comfort in the outdoors.
We found an excellent campsite on a high ridge with awesome views of the sunset and Tucson's twinkling lights at night. The ridge had the extra benefit of being heavily wooded which kept the wind to a minimum. At our elevation around 7,600 ft., we estimated how cold the air would become overnight. The overnight temperatures in Tucson were in the mid 40's during the week, so we guessed that Mt. Lemmon would be at least 10 degrees colder.
Well... that night my thermometer read 34 degrees, and that reading was inside the tent. Outside was in the high twenties. You Northeasterners are saying "that's not so bad!" Yeah, well, we've adjusted to the warm desert and it felt very cold as we watched the sun go down. We headed directly into our sleeping bags after sunset. The bags are rated to 20 degrees, and while we started out cold, those bags warmed right up.
Calling Burren into the tent with us was a bit tricky. She was racing around in the woods following every smell and noise. I finally had to get back outside, chase her down, and drag her in. For all of the unnecessary gear we had, I neglected to bring a blanket for Burren. I foolishly assumed that the dog would be warm enough in her own fur curled up between our bags. For a few hours she shifted back and forth between Sarah and me. One shift too many and I woke up and realized that Burren was shivering and shaking all over. Naturally, feeling guilty, I gave her some of my covers and she eventually warmed up and fell asleep.
Doggie sleeping bag for next time?
Thank you for the birthday gift cards to REI!!! I used them to buy a blinking light for Burren's collar (she is otherwise invisible at night), chair conversions for our sleeping pads, and some small packable pillows. All added greatly to our comfort in the outdoors.
We found an excellent campsite on a high ridge with awesome views of the sunset and Tucson's twinkling lights at night. The ridge had the extra benefit of being heavily wooded which kept the wind to a minimum. At our elevation around 7,600 ft., we estimated how cold the air would become overnight. The overnight temperatures in Tucson were in the mid 40's during the week, so we guessed that Mt. Lemmon would be at least 10 degrees colder.
Well... that night my thermometer read 34 degrees, and that reading was inside the tent. Outside was in the high twenties. You Northeasterners are saying "that's not so bad!" Yeah, well, we've adjusted to the warm desert and it felt very cold as we watched the sun go down. We headed directly into our sleeping bags after sunset. The bags are rated to 20 degrees, and while we started out cold, those bags warmed right up.
Calling Burren into the tent with us was a bit tricky. She was racing around in the woods following every smell and noise. I finally had to get back outside, chase her down, and drag her in. For all of the unnecessary gear we had, I neglected to bring a blanket for Burren. I foolishly assumed that the dog would be warm enough in her own fur curled up between our bags. For a few hours she shifted back and forth between Sarah and me. One shift too many and I woke up and realized that Burren was shivering and shaking all over. Naturally, feeling guilty, I gave her some of my covers and she eventually warmed up and fell asleep.
Doggie sleeping bag for next time?
Fall Adventures In Tucson
Sorry we've been blog silent for a while here in Arizona. In the past month we got into the fall college football season attending both our first University of Arizona football game one weekend and then tailgating with buddies for the UA homecoming game another weekend. The tailgating experience was awesome, very similar to a Foxfield race, but a bit more family friendly :)
For anyone looking for deals on stuff you may or may not do/buy I highly recommend Groupon. Using a 2 for 1 Groupon, Sarah and I went on a horseback trail ride in the Catalina foothills. We had fun even though the ride was a bit too tame. I guess they're just not really keen to let a tourist try galloping their horses. The sunset as we rode back to the stable was spectacular!
We joined up with some of our Crossfit pals for a "Paleo" potluck one evening. The food was awesome, the silly feats of strength were entertaining, and Amanda's chickens were not nearly as fascinated with us as we were with them. I'm thinking we need to follow her lead and get into the egg business at the rate & price we're paying for healthy eggs these days.
We've hiked Madera Canyon a few times already but had yet to summit Mt. Wrightson. It turned out to be quite the trek. With ~4,500 feet of elevation gain from the parking lot, I stood on the 9,440 foot summit and had endless 360 degree views. The most remarkable feeling was the absolute stillness of the air on the tiny summit. I've never been at that elevation without constant wind. Interestingly, as soon as we began the descent the wind did pick up. We devoured our meager lunch and dreamt of dinner on our way back down the canyon. The 12 mile roundtrip hike took us about 6.5 hours and we slept very well that evening.
Finally, our Halloween costumes this year were last year's costumes pulled from the closet and dusted off a bit. Oh well, they served their purpose. We went to the costume contest at Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson with some of our neighbors. Our entourage consisted of Seinfeld's Kramer & Elaine, Hermione & Hedwig of Harry Potter lore, and Lara Croft & GI Joe. There were some great costumes, but sadly I shot very few photos. The contest winner was a dead ringer for Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America" and he had the impressions to boot.
That's all folks!
For anyone looking for deals on stuff you may or may not do/buy I highly recommend Groupon. Using a 2 for 1 Groupon, Sarah and I went on a horseback trail ride in the Catalina foothills. We had fun even though the ride was a bit too tame. I guess they're just not really keen to let a tourist try galloping their horses. The sunset as we rode back to the stable was spectacular!
We joined up with some of our Crossfit pals for a "Paleo" potluck one evening. The food was awesome, the silly feats of strength were entertaining, and Amanda's chickens were not nearly as fascinated with us as we were with them. I'm thinking we need to follow her lead and get into the egg business at the rate & price we're paying for healthy eggs these days.
We've hiked Madera Canyon a few times already but had yet to summit Mt. Wrightson. It turned out to be quite the trek. With ~4,500 feet of elevation gain from the parking lot, I stood on the 9,440 foot summit and had endless 360 degree views. The most remarkable feeling was the absolute stillness of the air on the tiny summit. I've never been at that elevation without constant wind. Interestingly, as soon as we began the descent the wind did pick up. We devoured our meager lunch and dreamt of dinner on our way back down the canyon. The 12 mile roundtrip hike took us about 6.5 hours and we slept very well that evening.
Finally, our Halloween costumes this year were last year's costumes pulled from the closet and dusted off a bit. Oh well, they served their purpose. We went to the costume contest at Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson with some of our neighbors. Our entourage consisted of Seinfeld's Kramer & Elaine, Hermione & Hedwig of Harry Potter lore, and Lara Croft & GI Joe. There were some great costumes, but sadly I shot very few photos. The contest winner was a dead ringer for Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America" and he had the impressions to boot.
That's all folks!
A Pennsylvania Wedding
Sarah and I were back on the East coast in September for my cousin, Mark & Laurie's, beautiful wedding. The ceremony was at an awesome resort tucked away in the Pocono Mountains. Of course the whole clan was there and I really enjoyed spending time with family that we don't see often enough. And, while a wedding is great for catching up, they are over in the blink of an eye, and it seems like there is always more catching up to do when it's time to go. That's life, we just gotta enjoy the time we've got right?!
It sure made me think about our upcoming wedding. How am I gonna remember it all? My plan is to recruit all of our guests to keep good memories to share with us as we forget things over the years :)
Here are some of those memories we'll keep for Mark & Laurie. Congrats you two!
It sure made me think about our upcoming wedding. How am I gonna remember it all? My plan is to recruit all of our guests to keep good memories to share with us as we forget things over the years :)
Here are some of those memories we'll keep for Mark & Laurie. Congrats you two!
Vegas Birthday!
This past weekend Paul took me to Las Vegas to celebrate the many things we have to celebrate, particularly my 25th birthday. We flew in Wednesday night (I had Thursday and Friday off work for Rosh Hashana) and went to a lounge on top of Mandalay Bay to take in a view of the whole city. Thursday we spent the morning walking down the strip, stopping in shops and casinos, and seeing lots of interesting buildings and people. We went back to our hotel, the MGM Grand, to enjoy the sun and the pool in the afternoon. That evening we got all dolled up and went to a fancy seafood place for dinner before walking to the Bellagio to see the fountain show and go to one of their night clubs. Friday was very similar to Thursday with the addition of a circue du soleil show and the subtraction of the nightclub. We also tried our hand at gambling a few times. While the tables were a little intimidating for me and the slot machines were a little too mundane, the computerized versions of blackjack were right up our alley. We actually finished the weekend up $2! On Saturday we drove to Lake Mead and rented a jetski. While timid at first, I slowly let myself get up to 50, 60 then 70 mph! We got to see the Hoover Dam from a very unique point of view and I got to experience driving Paul around. Overall it was a great trip!
Finding An Oasis In The Desert
Sarah and I found an awesome river canyon to the north of us that is remote and protected. In fact, there are no trails, foot travel is restricted to 50 people with permits, dogs & pack animals are not allowed, and due to these rules there is almost no trace of human presence there. We brought a cache of food, filled the camelpacks, and threw in our watershoes. Since there are no maintained trails the easiest way to traverse the canyon is mostly through the riverbed. Needless to say, your feet will be wet no matter which way you go. We crossed the creek countless times in the 7 mile round trip. While we did see a few other hikers, there was little else to suggest that we were not the first souls passing through. Living in the hot desert valley of Tucson I am always awed when we find these gems of greenery in the backcountry. Enjoy the photos!
Lunch!
Lunch!
Around & About
I have had a few work trips with scenic views in the past few months. I had some time on the way to the airport in both Colorado and Nevada to take a few photos and dip my feet in the local swimming holes. You'll see photos or video of Lake Tahoe and the Gunnison River.
Parker Canyon Lake
While sneaking out of the Tucson heat, Sarah, Burren, and I found ourselves relaxing at Parker Canyon Lake. Can you believe its actually cooler south of us? The lake is only about 10 miles from the Mexican border. Little Burren had a blast swimming and roaming around the trees and grass, a rarity for her in this desert.
ENGADGED!
Sarah said YES. I was pretty sure she would, but there's nothing so sweet as really knowing!
The place was Sarah's favorite beach in Falmouth, on Cape Cod. She had been going there since she was a kid, and when we started dating she brought me along on many occasions. It became a place that instantly evoked memories of relaxing together in the sun and rollerblading hand-in-hand. One year ago I said to myself, that when the time came, that would be where I would ask Sarah to marry me. When the time finally did come just a month ago, I asked her to take a stroll down the beach. When we ran out of beach I knelt down in the sand asked the question that I had been dreaming of asking for a long time. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The ring was my Grandmother's, and the stone in the ring was carried from Australia during WWII by my Grandpa. Pretty cool story. You can see a photo of the new setting that Sarah helped me pick out, it's a keeper.
Here are some of the photos from our travels. Our itinerary in a nutshell; TUS to NYC via air, NYC to BOS via bus, BOS to ROC via car, ROC to TUS via air, we should have found a train in there somewhere! I hope we were able to see everyone that is reading this, and I look forward to seeing those of you that we missed.
Here's a video for my Dad. Nice kayak sir!
Here is Molly, she can really long jump off our dock!
The place was Sarah's favorite beach in Falmouth, on Cape Cod. She had been going there since she was a kid, and when we started dating she brought me along on many occasions. It became a place that instantly evoked memories of relaxing together in the sun and rollerblading hand-in-hand. One year ago I said to myself, that when the time came, that would be where I would ask Sarah to marry me. When the time finally did come just a month ago, I asked her to take a stroll down the beach. When we ran out of beach I knelt down in the sand asked the question that I had been dreaming of asking for a long time. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The ring was my Grandmother's, and the stone in the ring was carried from Australia during WWII by my Grandpa. Pretty cool story. You can see a photo of the new setting that Sarah helped me pick out, it's a keeper.
Here are some of the photos from our travels. Our itinerary in a nutshell; TUS to NYC via air, NYC to BOS via bus, BOS to ROC via car, ROC to TUS via air, we should have found a train in there somewhere! I hope we were able to see everyone that is reading this, and I look forward to seeing those of you that we missed.
Here's a video for my Dad. Nice kayak sir!
Here is Molly, she can really long jump off our dock!
Drinking The Kool Aid?
I don't know if you know this, but Sarah and I really love our CrossFit gym. We talk about it constantly. To each other, and to most everyone we know. It helps that most of our friends here in Tucson are CrossFitters, and we're trying to convert the ones that aren't :)
Additionally, we have decided to try eating the Paleo/Primal diet.
Luckily we have YouTube to help explain stuff visually.
CROSSFIT
PALEO
Additionally, we have decided to try eating the Paleo/Primal diet.
Luckily we have YouTube to help explain stuff visually.
CROSSFIT
PALEO
Mom's Visit
It was really wonderful to have my Mom visit last month. We had a fun and low-key weekend together in which Paul and I really got to show her some of our everyday lives. Saturday we went for hike up at the top of Mount Lemmon. The highlight of this was finding the lookout tower where a retired firefighter lives in a teeny "cabin" with windows on 3 sides watching for forest fires. The firefighter invited us into his home and chatted with us for about 15 minutes, offering us breakfast and sharing the answers to any questions we had.
On Sunday morning we walked to the farmer's market to pick up our CSA share. Mom enjoyed seeing all the hustle and bustle of our Sunday morning market as well as what we get in our CSA. Since Mom was visiting, it wouldn't of been right to skip church so we looked up our UCC options online and found a very small, social justice oriented congregation with a progressive service and female minister. We all enjoyed it.
On Monday Mom got a taste of Crossfit. First she came to watch Paul and I workout. Mom saw us complete a workout called, "Grace," which is 30 power cleans (135 lbs for Paul and 65 lbs for me) for time. That made her nice and nervous for her own turn. Then she got to participate herself - spending a session with a trainer who designed a work out just for her. She had lots of fun and got a good idea of what Crossfit is all about. I'm proud of her for being so enthusiastic and really giving it a try.
Later, Mom came into school and got to meet my kids and see me in action. She spent lunch with us, learning names and trying to hear everyone as they talked over each other to get her attention. She got to read some books to the kids and walk with us to the pool for afternoon free swim, where there was more "look what I can do!"'s.
Paul and I loved having you here and can't wait for the next visit!
Up The Creek In Sedona
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!
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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