Visting Tucson

Whoops- I've fallen down on the job of blogging our adventures again. It's not that I don't want to! It's been a very exciting time for us. Cecily started preschool in the fall and it's been magical for her. Maia is in heaven in first grade. Both continue to amaze us with their growth and curiosity. They started gymnastics in October, and we finally found a ballet class for Cecily- much to her absolute delight. I'll try to get some photos and stories of our "regular" life up soon. In the meantime, the girls and I just got back from an amazing trip to Tucson, AZ over the February school vacation. We stayed with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ted, who could not have been better hosts. I hope to have way too many photos and stories up by the end of the weekend... or week!

We traveled to AZ on Friday, February 17. Maia vaguely remembered being on an airplane from our trip to Florida for Sasha and Perry's wedding a few years ago. Cec was just a babe then, so she was very excited. The plane ride was mostly uneventful- the exception being Maia's exclamation, at full volume, of "that scared me!" each time we hit even the slightest hint of turbulence. Most of the other passengers found it amusing, though there was one person shooting me an evil eye across the aisle and clutching her armrests for dear life with each bump and bounce. We arrived in Tucson late and tired, and very happy to see Lisa and Ted. They whisked us home, and we awoke the next morning to beautiful blue skies and sunshine, and the desert- a new sight for all three of us! Lisa and Ted's house is a beautiful adobe house set in a valley amidst the cactus-covered mountains surrounding Tucson. We spent the morning getting to know the house, and then going for a walk through their neighborhood.

Their very cool house:

Sadly, we missed the famous Tucson Gem and Rock show by just a few days. Lisa, and her amazing taste, did not and one of our favorite details of her landscape were the gorgeous blue geodes she placed throughout her yard.

A gorgeous and humongous aloe plant in a neighbor's yard:

A very cool artist lives in a neighboring house and made these beautiful glass pieces to decorate the neighborhood:

We were fascinated by the many different types of cactus, being very, very careful not to get too close (a lesson Maia took VERY seriously. It took us some coaxing and promises that it was really okay to get her out onto the desert paths). I'm fairly certain this is a barrel cactus.

A teddy bear cactus:

In New England, our gardens are devoured by deer. In the desert, the nuisance is javelinas. Lisa has lost a few too many recently-purchased plants to the amusing animals, causing Cecily to be on the lookout for any evidence of javelina-naughtiness. She was quick to point out this prickly pear and it's tell-tale evidence of javelina chomping.

I think this is Brittle Bush, but... I could definitely be confused.

The mighty Saguaro- this is a pretty small one. We learned they start to grow arms after 60 - 80 years and most of the largest are between 150 and 200 years old.

These are Saguaro ribs- the inside of a Saguaro.

That evening we had our first, and very cool, sighting of a coyote in the backyard. I raced to get my camera and got back in time to get this decent shot.

Besides our neighborhood explorations, we spent part of our first day visiting the Tucson Art Museum. After a delicious lunch at their cafe, we ventured through their lovely exhibit of Frida Kahlo (Through the Lens of Nikolas Muray). The photos were stunning, of Frida and of some of her art. Cec and Maia adored the samples of her beautiful clothing, and spent much time debating which colorful garment they would wear to various occasions.

We collapsed that night, utterly exhausted and excited for the rest of the week.