What's for dinner?

We had quite a feast in Tucson. CJ had heard of a Tur-duck-en from Uncle John, so we tracked one down and Uncle John cooked it.

What is a Tur-duck-en, you ask?

It looks like a turkey, but under the turkey outside is a duck and chicken inside. It was tasty, but I think we all decided to stick with a plain-ole turkey next year!

Doors

Do you ever wonder where doors lead?
Hacienda del Sol had lots of pretty doors that I felt compelled to take pictures of them,

and think about what is on the other side.

And my favorite one was so colorful!

I didn't go in any of them though. Maybe next time...

Hacienda del Sol

Jeff decided we needed a break from the chaos for our anniversary so he planned a night all by ourselves at this lovely resort in the foothills north of Tucson. It opened in 1930 as a prep school for girls.

Enrollment was about 28 girls, with a staff of six teachers.

Some of the country's most famous families were on the roster, such as Vanderbilt, Campbell, Maxwell, Westinghouse and Pillsbury.

The library still contains some books from the school.

In 1948 it was converted into a guest ranch, attracting Hollywood's most notable stars including Clark Gable and John Wayne.

Legend has it that the Casita Grande was a favorite hideaway for Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn!

Thanks hon! A relaxing night all by ourselves at this wonderful place was wonderful! Can we go back next year?

Shuttle Bus

Since the boys didn't want to walk the 3.8 miles uphill to the top, we rode the shuttle.

First you have to wait for one. We had hoped to get there right in time to hop on, but that didn't happen.

Here one comes!

The boys wanted to ride on very back. Good thing it's warm in Tucson!

We saw many sights along the way,

including a face in the rock.

Sabino canyon is a beautiful place,

with lots of color even in the middle of winter.

Sabino Canyon

In the eastern foothills of the Santa Catalina mountain range is Sabino Canyon.

A paved road runs 3.8 miles into the canyon, crossing Sabino Creek 9 times. The only vehicles allowed on this road are Shuttles and Park Service trucks.

So to get to the end, you either walk or ride the shuttle.

Nomadic Native Americans from the Clovis culture, about 12, 500 years ago, used the canyon to hunt and fish. Later, the Cochise, Hohokam, Pima and Tohono O'odham people made the canyon home.

Sabino creek begins 6, 000 feet above the desert floor in the pine forsets of Mt. Lemmon. It travels 10 miles through the canyon before reaching the desert, where it eventually sinks into the ground.

Today, over 1 million people visit Sabino Canyone each year to enjoy the beauty of the desert.

Best Dam View

The first geocache we found was called The Best Dam View, which was an entirely appropriate name! David was the first to spot the cache. Yay David!

The boys found a few fun things in there and left some goodies of our own.

After putting it back where we found it, CJtook a little rest and contemplated the dam.

What a nice little oasis in the desert.

Playing in the water

OK, rather playing by the water. Too cold to play in it.


After we got back to Arizona we spent as much time outside that we could.

We went hiking and geocaching in Sabino Canyon, which is a beautiful oasis in Tucson.

Water runs through there most of the year, making it a fun place to explore.

Or to meditate.

CJ had to walk out on the dam.

And out across the rocks. CJ and Matthew had a great time exploring Sabino Canyon.

Cousins

We are back in Tuscon with Papa, Deena and the cousins from Maine. It's good to see everyone!

CJ and Katie had fun playing DS games with David and Matt.

They would play all day though,

so we had to go out on adventures to get them to put it down!

Good thing there is lots to do in Arizona!

Happy Trails!

It's time to leave Texas behind and head off to our next adventure.

Hope you had fun meeting the animals on the farm

and playing in the snow! We sure did!

So for now, it's off into the sunset. See you tomorrow in another state!

Bubba

Meet my little brother Brad and his wife Desda.

I wish we lived closer so we could see them more often.

Miss you bro!

Going, going, gone...

What looked like this in the morning,

is gone by the afternoon.

Snow in North Texas usually sticks around for part of a day.

Just the kind for me! Yes, that is me in that picture. Katie borrowed my camera for a bit.

Goodbye snow, hello sunshine!

Snowmen

Katie had a blast building snowmen.

Baby Frosty,

Pinecone,

and Frosty were all hanging out with her by afternoon.

Boy, that was hard work!