Final Days of Fun in Phoenix

You might have noticed that these last few days haven't featured much gallivanting.  But you can rest assured that we have been enjoying our time here in Phoenix. We've just finished three special days where we concentrated on time here with family and friends whom we rarely see.  And, what fun we have had doing just that!

On Saturday, Aunt Susie hosted a lovely get together, where Marty's cousins, who live nearby, popped in to say hello, rekindle memories of past days, and catch up on today's lives.  

As you can see, it was a beautiful day with brilliant sunshine.  The locals thought it was a bit chilly while we found it to be a regular heat wave compared to what is happening back home.   My brother and his wife just so happen to be camping nearby, and they joined us as well for the camaraderie. 

On Sunday morning, we bid fond farewell to Aunt Susie who had so graciously hosted us for the week.

We headed to Scottsdale, where we met up with my cousin Tina and her husband David, and we had a delightful dinner at a place called Oregano's.  Before we knew, time had flown by, and we were soon saying our good-byes and heading to our hotel that is near the airport.

As you can see, the view from the balcony isn't bad....

However, the noise from the airplanes is a different story.  Let's just say that it wasn't quite what I expected.  But I'm hoping that the convenience of the location will make up that in the long run.

Today is our last day here in the area and I must say that we couldn't have asked for a better finale.   Our adventures involved spending the day with my BFF from high school, Tammy, as well as her husband.  An added treat was the company of her father, who just so happened to be in town this week.  And, anyone who knows him can attest to the fact that one would be hard pressed to NOT be entertained in his presence.  He might be ninety, but he certainly has not lost his charisma.

Since it was another beautiful sunny day, Tammy suggested that we head out to Riparian Preserve which is nearby, to admire the various waterfowl.  This place is actually a hidden oasis, located near a library, and is a series of ponds that were developed for groundwater recharge.  

It didn't take long to discover that this place is loaded with ducks.

And they were quite interested in seeing if they could snitch a snack or two from an innocent passerby.

Red winged black birds perched in trees,

and these tiny quail were busy scurrying all about.

There were several different types of ducks.  Here you can see Ring-necked ducks.

This American coot decided to put on a bit of a performance,

and he showed off his greenish legs while doing so.  

This appears to be another Ring Necked duck, but his bill is much bluer than the others that we saw. 

and we spied a stately heron, all the while wondering what the soft pillow like piles in the background could possible be. 

Well, it wasn't long before one of them raised a head, and, much to our surprise, we were looking at a flock of what appears to be pelicans!

And along the way, we kept passing little bunnies hopping here and there. This couple was probably as intrigued by us as we were by them.

I must say that the visit to this preserve was the perfect ending to our trip. 

Marty managed to get one last glimpse of his favorite cactus.

And I was able to spend a full day enjoying the company of this special friend.

As always, time flew by quickly, but I feel blest to have had the opportunity to experience so many memorable moments this week that we will certainly cherish.

I hope you enjoyed this week's adventures!  Thanks for following along!

 

Enjoying the Beauty of Phoenix

We awoke to another beautiful day in Phoenix but decided to forego rock climbing and head into the city instead, to see what sites we could enjoy.  Our first stop was the Japanese Friendship Gardens. 

You might be able to tell from the photo that this place offers peace and tranquility to the viewer.  It is located near high rise buildings in the city, but is a little oasis offering a lovely respite from a hectic world. 

The story behind the garden is simple.  It was proposed in 1987, by the mayor of Himegi, Japan, as a joint project between his city and Phoenix, to reinforce the bonds between the two cities. It continues to be a work in progress as the landscape undergoes more changes in development. 

Swimming in the pool of water are Koi, some as old as 30 years old, brought here originally when the garden opened.

There is a paved trail that encircles the pond, and we set out to enjoy what the garden had to offer.

We certainly were not disappointed. 

Along the way, we noticed some unusual floral displays, and upon asking one woman about her's we soon learned that the 14th Annual Ikebana Exhibit was happening this weekend, and the artists were arranging their displays for the competition today.  I'll admit that this was an art form of which I was completely unfamiliar, but we were both impressed with the beauty that was presented in so many unique ways.  

Here are a few examples:

As you can see, there is quite a variety of medium, style, and position,  and the garden background was the perfect venue to enjoy such displays.

It didn't take long, however, to circle the pond, and we were soon enjoying the last views prior to exiting.

From here we decided to venture out to Dobbins Point, located south of the city.  That involved a very long, switchback road, that eventually led to a summit  in South Mountain Park.

Believe it or not, it was actually rather hazy today, so the clarity of the vistas weren't all that sharp,

but it was still fun to drive to the top to appreciate the variation in landscape and to admire Phoenix from a distance. 

We headed back down the road, into the city, towards Heritage Square, as I was interested in taking a peek at Rosson house. When we got to  Heritage Square, we soon learned that the parking garage was an "event only" admission, and we were directed a block away to another garage adjacent to the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium.

That actually played to our advantage, as we were able to capture this photo on the raised crosswalk from the garage.

But it wouldn't be the only one that we spotted.

The walk to Heritage square offered some interesting sites as we passed two science museums along the way.  Marty managed to capture a photo of this old train engine that was exhibited in the glass wing of one of the buildings.

The heritage clock added charm to the square, 

and it stood in front of a building adjacent to the Rosson House.

The Victorian structure wasn't open for touring, but it was certainly photo worthy, don't you think?

The square is directly across from Arizona State University and I was impressed by the architecture of the buildings, and how pristine it looked.  

I was also a bit surprised to find it to be like a ghost town, so I can only presume that students are on break of some sort.

By now, our tummies were grumbling, so we went in search of a place to eat. 

We ended up at Carcara in the hotel Sheraton just down the street.  It was fun to see the place all decorated up for the upcoming super bowl festivities.

Note the Steeler emblem above Marty's head. 

It was equally fun being among the buzz of activity as we sipped a refreshing drink and watched the scurrying people come and go, most with some sort of NFL or Super Bowl emblem upon their shirts and jackets. 

After we finished our meal, we made our way back to the car, passing the beautiful St. Mary's Basilica with her lovely gardens, along the way.

It was a lovely day, and this was just enough gallivanting for a day, so we headed back to our home base to spend the evening with Aunt Susie.  

Another brilliant day to add to our adventures. You really can't beat that, can you?