Last Adventure

Tuesday was our last adventure. We left the villa at 9:00 in the morning, boarded a van already filled with eight other people (nine including the driver/tour guide) and spent the day in the desert looking at plants that had the chance to bloom this spring because of the amount of rainfall received this past winter. This is not a yearly occurrence and something worth seeing when it rarely happens. We drove out to the Apache Trail and followed it around back into Scottsdale and arrived back at 6:00 in the evening. Along the way we went through a small desert interpretive trail, stopped at Tortilla Flats for lunch and saw the Roosevelt Dam. The road was wind-y, steep (!) and gravel. I certainly wouldn't do it in a rental vehicle or after a good rainfall! We learned a lot about cactus and got a fair number of pictures which was our purpose in taking this tour. Other than being crammed in the back seat of the fourth bench where Peter managed to bump his sun burnt head too many times, the scenery was incredible. We were the last picked up and the last dropped off. (We also graciously took that seat since we seemed to be the most mobile of the whole group.)

First Picture: Superstition Mountains we snaked our way through on the Apache Trail
Second Picture: Saguaro and Octillo Cactus
Third Picture: Prickley Pear Cactus which makes good ice cream flavoring
Fourth Picture: Tortilla Flats restaurant and bar which has wallpaper that is money bills from around the world
Fifth Picture: Roosevelt Dam

The rest of the story!

Now that we are back maybe I should finish up "the rest of the story" - the remaining few days of our incredibly short holiday. After the Grand Canyon trip we weren't sure what could top that.

On Monday we went to Taliesin West for the "Behind the Scenes" Tour. This was especially in honor of Peter's birthday and of course I went along to help him celebrate! I'm not sure what pics I should put on this blog - seeing as all pictures taken were strictly for private usage because of regulations. Taliesin West is both school and museum wrapped up in one. During our three hour tour (no we didn't leave dry land for those of you who remember the Gilligan Days) we toured the grounds, had tea in the still in use dining room, sat in the performance hall, cabaret hall, private living room of the Wright's, Frank Lloyd Wright's own office and the Sun Room built for visiting guests. We viewed the Wright's private day rooms and saw so much more. Frank Lloyd Wright was a short man - not much taller than me so all the seating was low. The gentleman had a well known viewpoint that anything over six feet was a waste of space and this showed up in the architecture and furnishing of Taliesin West! We ended the tour (by our choice) at the book and gift shop. Lego has even created a few sets for Taliesin, "Fallingwater" designed for a private client and the "Guggenheim Museum" in New York. Too bad we only had so much luggage space coming back! To know more or see more of our tour you will have to google or visit us!

One more tour left - that will be the rest of the rest of the story to come yet!

Just for Eric!

Mom and I thought you would find this interesting, son! These dealers are all in a row less than a minute from our villa! The photos were all taken while driving past!

Remember this boys?

We were just wondering if you boys remember the palms decorated at Christmas time in 1997, also in the Phoenix area. This photo was taken tonight. We saw numerous other locations with trees all lit up. I guess it is not reserved for just Christmas time!

The GRAND Canyon

God was so good to us today in enabling us to worship Him in a new way. We have never been to see the Grand Canyon in Arizona and so we took the four hour drive to see it. No disappointment at all. God did an unbelievable job in creating one of the wonders of the world! We were awestruck when we first saw it! This photo was one of the first taken at the first viewpoint. Good weather, good company :), and awesome scenery made worshiping Him today very easy!


The scenery was literally breathtaking! We cannot describe it in words! If a picture is worth a thousand words, then seeing it for real must be worth a million!

Enough said!

LOOK TONY!

Hey Tony and the whole Nelson clan! In our travels today in Scottsdale, we found this road sign that would be familiar! .... And wouldn`t you know there was a store with the same name right there too! Must be a good store if they name a street after you!

Here we are!

The sun is going down in this pic but before the light was gone we took a picture of the villa. I am on our little balcony (table for 2) looking west and counting the little desert rabbits dashing between bushes hiding from the birds of prey. Speaking of which, we heard an owl outside our suite early this morning.

Planning our trip to the Grand Canyon tomorrow (Sunday). Day after we are hoping to tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West home (how appropriate for the 19th!) and then Tuesday is all day tour of the Desert in Bloom. Who cut this trip short anyway!

Travelling Over the Fence Again!

We're going back to see the desert in bloom!

A Whopper

Look! Lorraine found the biggest Easter Egg yesterday!