With the cooler temperatures quickly nipping at our heels, so is the need for a mandatory trip to Apple Annie's in Willcox. I feel a tradition in the making;) An hour-ish drive east brings us to slightly higher elevations, slightly cooler temps and countryside galore. We got to enjoy this trip with both of Jeff's parents this time, to the farm where we wandered through the apple orchards and plucked to our hearts content. Then we picked a bunch of veggies, a nicely shaped pumpkin. A trip to Apple Annies is never complete without a big ol slice of fresh pie and a heaping scoop of vanilla icecream. We also wandered through the corn maze where Jeff's tall physique was dwarfed by the massive corn stalks. Fun fun fun!!... read more

We have lived in Tucson for 3 years now and though Jeff has been to Kitt Peak with an astronomy class, we had yet to go there together. So, we decided to go. Kitt Peak National Observatory is a short jaunt east of Tucson, on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Depending on the time of day, we can actually see the observatory from our neighborhood; a tiny white dot beaming on the top of the mountains off in the distance. If you didn't know what you were looking for you would never realize it was there. During the day you obviously can't view the night skies. However, the world's largest solar telescope is located at the observatory. There is a viewing platform that allows you to take a safe gander at the star that keeps us alive, ... read more

We joined 400-some people for a hike. Among them were military, fellow veterans, firefighters, swat team, Raytheon employees, family members and friends, young & old. All were united on a sunny, early Saturday morning to hike to Bridal Wreath Falls in the Rincon Mountains in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. Before we all started the hike, a bagpipe player & the Color Guard did the opening ceremony with the National Anthem. We've done this hike before (&when water was actually spilling over the falls), but had never seen this many people on the trail and it was quite inspiring! The trail of people continued on for what seemed an eternity along the 5.2mile trek to and from the falls. Despite the heat and blazing sun, everyone seemed in good spirits yet eager to finish the ... read more

Roughly a 4 hour drive east of our house is the Gila National Forest, Gila Wilderness and within, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Once we were off the main highway and onto the Scenic Byway that leads to & through the park, we were engulfed by trees galore! The byway itself was pretty exciting. There were portions of it that seemed barely wide enough for two passing cars. Luckily for us, we seemed to be the only ones driving the road that day. There was still snow on the ground in places, but the sun was shining & the sky was clear & the brightest of blues. We were unable to park at the regular parking area closest to the dwellings due to the bridge being closed. The west fork of the Gila River had ... read more

*pronounced something like "suh-wah-ro" There has been TONS of precipitation in Tucson and the surrounding areas this winter. I mean A LOT! Granted, we've only been here for 3 winters so far, but we've never seen this much rain and snow this time of year. When a friend came to visit, it gave me the perfect excuse (like I needed one!) to go to Saguaro National Park--east side here in Tucson, again. The pictures say the rest...... read more