Planes, planes and more planes...

These boys can spend hours looking at them. This was a really rare one. I was told to go get a picture of it. I got several, but this was my favorite.

And there is a small one in front of a big one.

This one had a bunch of propellers.

This is a really big one, and it's from Ft. Worth!

This one has a big nose.

I'm sure the guys know what each and every one are, but not me. I just tag along to take pictures.

And there are a bunch of planes to take pictures of here!

Pima Air Museum

Jeff, CJ, Papa and I went to the Pima Air Museum to take a look at some old airplanes.

Doesn't he look good flying the plane?

This was a bit scary - wouldn't want to crash land in it.

Isn't that a cute little plane? I certainly wouldn't want to fly in it though!

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.