A Sunny Day in Phoenix

It's our last day here in the sunny state, and Marty and I were certain to soak up as much of the rays as possible today. But before I elaborate, are you curious about breakfast?

Eggs, sausage has browns, yet another delectable fruit bowl, as well as muffins and a Lemon Poppyseed bread that just melted in my mouth!  Actually, we haven't eaten the muffins yet, but I'm willing to bet that they will be scrumptious!

Honestly, I'd say that the best part of staying here is the breakfast.  It's kind of like Christmas morning....waiting to see what will arrive in that basket.  Only it's Christmas every morning!

I was kind of sad knowing that tomorrow we need to leave early and we will miss this daily excitement.  I wrote a note prior to leaving this morning, telling the proprietor that we wouldn't need breakfast tomorrow due to an early flight.

And, you know what she did?   She put food in the fridge for us to heat up, and she also left us bananas, orange juice, and more mini muffins!   How's that for a pleasant surprise!  Not sure if my body will be awake enough to appreciate the delectable treats, but I'll certainly try my best!

Now on to today's gallivanting adventure:  We started the day at Pueblo Grande Museum which is actually relatively close to the airport.

There's nothing quite like standing in a centuries old settlement, dating back as early as 450 AD, and watching planes taking off overhead.  And apparently the walls of the structures have needed extra support measures taken because the vibrations from the airplanes taking off have caused movement in the ground.  It's amazing that this structure stands at all.

The site is considered to be a National Historic Landmark, and it offers a fascinating insight into the Hohokam people who inhabited it from 450 AD thru 1450 AD when they seemed to have vanished.

This archeological site features the remains of platform mounds and intricate irrigation systems.  This map gives some idea just how widespread the irrigation canals were, some spreading as far as Glendale.

The Pueblo Grande platform mound is one of the largest known in the state of Arizona.  This is where the Homokan people lived and flourished.


A Hohokam ball court also stands on the grounds.  These were oval shaped with earthen embankments, making them unique from other cultures.  This area was used for ceremonies as well as games among the tribesmen.  This particular ball court at Pueblo Grande is one of the few that have been completely excavated by archaeologists.

There was a section with some recreated houses, set off in another section of the mound.

The gardens were set up to show how the Homokam used their unique irrigation systems in order to have water for crops to grow.  It is believed that the Hohokam cultivated more plant species than anomy other prehistoric culture in America.

There was a schematic in the museum that gave an interpretation of a mound civilization.

 The small Pueblo Grande museum held lots of artifacts not only from the local area, but from many miles away, which is how the archaeologists were able to determine that these people were tradesmen.

One of the unique items on display was a boulder from a Petroglyph.  These Rocks with their unique inscriptions are featured in the side of mountains near this area.

We never did have the chance to see any on the actual mountains.

When we were finished touring the museum,  we drove to Papago Park, which was only a few miles away.   Along the way, we passed the Tovrea Castle, Jewel in the Desert,  which can be spotted from the road.  I had tried to get reservations to tour the grounds, but the place apparently books up months in advance.

Certainly not something someone expects to see along the highway in the desert!

But these large red formations enhance the landscape beautifully.

And, here you see our intended destination:  The hole in the rock.

We ascended the trail, which was rocky but not too bad.

And the view at the top did not disappoint.

And, of course, we needed the selfie to document our adventure!

The decsent offered some equally beautiful vistas

Kind of looks like an oasis, don't you think?

And I couldn't resist one more shot of the mountain from this vantage point.

Isn't that bright blue sky just dreamy?

We decided that we had enough climbing for the day, so we headed towards Tempe Town Lake for a stroll along this waterway, and to check out the bridge that now spans this lake.

The bridge is beautifully constructed and is strictly for pedestrians and bicyclists.

And today, there weren't many people out and about, so Marty and I pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Gazing out from the bridge, I was surprised to see that the buildings seem to rise up out of the mountain in the city.

And, opposite, you can see the beautiful pointed hills in the background.

On our way back, we walked by the infinity pool which seems to flow from the Tempe Center of the Arts.  

And, by then we were pretty tired, so we decided to call it a day for our gallivanting. But before I close for the night, let me just pass on some interesting information regarding Saguaro cactus.  I may have mentioned this before, but it takes 50 years for one of these cacti to form an arm.

So, today, I realized that I was viewing pretty much an extended family of cacti when it came to age.

In the middle, at the bottom (where I must have inadvertently cut off the bottom of the cactus in my photo) you see a very small Saguaro Cactus.   I call that one the young' un. At the far left, if you look closely, you can see the tiny bud of an arm forming, indicating that that cactus has to be over 50 years old, probably the teenager in cactus years. In the middle are mom and dad, and in the far back, you can see the large cactus, being supported by wooden planks.  I figure that is the Grandpa of the Group. So, there you go, one big happy family of cacti, all in one spot. 

And, below you can see one happy guy enjoying them!

Just how much fun can you have in one day?

Apparently a lot, because we finished our day with a lovely dinner hosted by my best friend from high school, Tammy.  (I was going to say old friend, but that word seems to be a sensitive subject in my book as of late.) 

Memories to be treasured and fun that you can't measure!

How lucky is that?

Well, that's the end of this gallivanting adventure.  Glad you could follow along!  If I'm out and about anytime soon in the future, I'll be sure to keep you posted!

A Blessed & Special Day

Our day began with Mass at St. Francis Xavier church, which is only a couple of blocks from our B&B.  The surrounds were stunning and the Mass was inspirational.  The perfect way to begin this special Sunday.

After Mass we strolled around the campus just to take in all of the beauty around us.

The day was warmer than yesterday, and how nice to not have to don gloves upon walking out the door! 

Today was designed to be our ''visiting day" and that we did.

But, not before enjoying another fabulous breakfast delivered to our door!

Today our treats included little cinnamon rolls, french toast, quiche and fruit salad.  It was a good thing that we were walking back and forth to church!  We needed to burn some calories, for sure!

And, speaking of walking, I just have to mention something that has piqued my curiosity.

Are you familiar with this establishment?  The name is Dutch Bros.

Not to be confused with Dutch Boy, who used to make paint.  I only mention that because, upon first glance, that was what I thought the sign said.

Now, Marty and I have passed this place several times, as we have walked to dinner twice, and to church today.  And, every single time we walk past it, regardless of the time of day, the place has at least a dozen cars waiting to drive through to pick up an order. 

I mean this place is really hopping!  We realized, upon passing the place, that they sell coffee.  Oh....there are some little pastry items as well, but primarily coffee.  

Now, who is drinking coffee at 9:00 at night?  Well....at least a dozen people are, I suppose.  

I don't know what Dutch Bros is putting in those cups, but it must be some special stuff to draw such a crowd!  Perhaps we'll try a cup and see for ourselves just what the draw is. If we do, I'll be sure to keep you posted. 

In the meantime, we headed out to spend the time with family, and we were greeted with smiling faces and exuberant children, all who brought many laughs, hugs and happiness to our day.  

And what a great opportunity for Marty to have some fun with his selfie stick!

And, I must admit, that it is tricky holding that phone on the stick, as I decided to hold it for some shots with these cuties.

We were supposed to have a serious photo, but we must have skipped that one, as every shot has bunny ears sticking up on everyone.  But, really.....what fun!

Finally, Marty used my camera to take a photo of us with his cousins and their spouses.

Not bad if I say so myself.

The time was short, but brimming with warmth and love.  And really, can you can't ask for much more than that.  

Hello Dolly!

In case you couldn’t guess, we are once again out gallivanting!  This time, our travels take us to Phoenix to visit some very special people in our lives.

Since out trip is relatively short, I decided to splurge just a bit, and book a room at the Maricopa Manor B&B which is on the outskirts of center city Phoenix.  And that just might be one of the best decisions that i’ve made in my life.

 The pool wasn't open, as it isn't heated,  but the waterfall is certainly cool!

You must agree that this place is just awesome!

Not only are the accommodations roomy and quiet, as part of the service, breakfast is brought to our suite in a carefully packed picnic basket, left outside our door at our designated time of choice. We were up fairly early this morning, being on East Coast time, so we headed out for a brief walk and when we returned, the basket was waiting.

I carefully unpacked the items inside.

Let me just tell you, that little quiche was unbelievable, the fruits salad fresh and delightful.  The bread was equally fantastic.  I’m a baker myself, and I can’t say that I’ve ever tasted blueberry bread that was so tender and delicious.  We decided to pack up the muffins for a snack later in the day, and when we did choose to enjoy them, they were on par with everything we had eaten in the morning.

Marty and I decided that we would try to squeeze in an adventure or two on this trip, so we headed out today, out of the city, and along the road toward the Superstitious Mountains.

We popped into a National Park for another view of those same mountains.

And you can see just how large that cactus is with Marty standing next to it. 

Our travels took us along the winding serpentine curves of the Apache Trail, but we were fortunate that this end of the trail was paved, so the drive wasn't too taxing.

Our destination was Canyon Lake, for a cruise on the Dolly Steamboat. 

Luckily, I had booked our tickets yesterday before leaving home, because we arrived to find the cruise sold out.

We decided to brave the cold and sit out on the deck.  The sun was shining, and we had packed for cold weather, and heck, we are used to 40 degree weather where we come from.  And we weren’t alone.  Everyone sitting out on the deck was bundled up.

Finally, the ship was boarded, and the captain announced that we were on our way.  We pulled away from the dock, and as we started to move, music was sounding around us.

Suddenly, I realized that I was listening to Louie Armstrong pelting out "Hello Dolly"!   Took me quite by surprise, but really.....how funny was that? 

 Despite the cold and the wind, this trip was awesome!

We hadn't gone too far when the captain informed us that there was an Eagle's nest on that fingerlike projection on the very left of this photo.  

Marty was able to zoom in with my camera and capture this

Pretty amazing!

The trip was certainly beautiful and interesting.  Just when I thought that we were at the edge, somehow, we would turn a corner, and lo and behold, there was more water to cruise along.

At one point, we spotted big horn sheep clambering on the side of a cliff.

And I was able to zoom in to get a better shot of them and I'm fairly certain that one turned his head so that I could get a shot of his better side. 

The remainder of the trip featured lovely vistas.

Cacti on the cliffs

and a formation that was described as a petrified elephant.  Marty took this photo because I just couldn't see what was being described.  Actually, I told him that I was willing to bet that if they hadn't told him there was an elephant image there, he wouldn't have seen it himself. 

He laughed.  And that reaction pretty much proved my point.

We were heading back when the captain mentioned, once again, that there was a bald eagle in nearly the same spot as on the way out, so I zoomed in on what looked like a giant bird to me.

It was a cactus growing out of the cliff.  So much for that.

We soon departed the cruise and headed back to Phoenix, along the serpentine roads, but pulled off to take a shot of this beautiful view. 

Marty pointed out that same fingerlike projection, in the shadow in the middle of this photo, that held the nest of the eaglets. 

 I laughed and told him that I was fairly certain that the 35 mm zoom on the camera wouldn't be helping me this time.

I was wrong.  Much to my surprise, I was able to catch mama eagle, on the top of the pillar, feeding her babies!

Much better than a prickly cactus spurting out of the ground!

I think that it is fair to say that our gallivanting adventure today was certainly worth the trip.  

And let me add, that our visit with family was equally entertaining.

And, you just can't ask for much more than that!  

Hoping for an equally exciting day tomorrow!   I'll keep you posted!