Beer, Backgammon and Desert (I mean the sandy one!)

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There is a small possibility that this entry will be restored - only small.
Well here I am coming out of a very different/wierd/tiring weekend. We went down to Tucson on Friday afternoon with Mark to meet a few of his friends and have a couple of nights out. It took about 90 minutes to get there which seemed to pass quite quickly watching such unusual (for me at least) scenery go by. For miles and miles all you could see were cacti and mountains (and the state prison at one point - talk about high security!)

When we got to Tucson, we got the full Arizona State University tour from mark. It was graduation weekend too, so there were plenty of people around. The Uni there is massive and so different to Sheffield Uni. The size of the football stadium was incredible too, it must hold 15-20,000 people which is crazy for a university team. I did enjoy seeing the campus but the weather didn't make it too comfortable. The sun was balzing down and it was impossible to find shade, but thankfully we didn't get burnt/ill.

Next stop was a pool party for one guy's graduation. Was less of a party though and more a few people sat by the pool
The Stadium
Don't even ask why the picture is like this, I have no idea.with beer and a bbq, not that I am complaining, everyone was very nice and generous so it was all without cost. Eventually we made it to where we were staying. The guy (also confusingly called Mark but who I will refer to as 'Voss' - his surname for ease) was marks Near Eastern Studies lecturer but who definately wasn't stuffy like most of my lecturers. He lives in a nice house a couple of blocks from the campus, so prime location and it was definately decorated with a middle eastern vibe. He was very hospitable and put an 'All Americal Cookout' on for us on the second night although we didn't eat until after 11pm. We got back from the desert museum (more on that later), a few other poeple came over and we sat round relaxing and having a few beers ect. (ect meaning chain smoking hookah pipes..well, everyone except me!) while he taught us to play backgammon. I never imagined that was how I would spend my saturday night but it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Friday night was something else. The bar we went to 'Mavericks' was like something out of 'Dukes of Hazard', there were Stetsuns
Ho-down!
Check out the santa-sleigh/saddle themed disco ball too!and denim everywhere and a country band on the stage. I really couldn't believe my eyes when I walked in. It was fun though and Vicky got to learn how to 'two-step'. I managed to avoid any dancing, instead being bought drinks by Mark's friens who had just graduated. I still have no idea what they were, but I do know they involved Jaeggermeister. Vicky got roped in for one too but I think she liked it.

On saturday we went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum which was amazing. It is just full of the wildlife and plants from ther area. Some of the animals were amazing, and some hard to believe actually live in the wild here like the mountain lion. Even the Coyote looked sweet (but I'm glad they kept them apart from the Roadrunners which were suprisingly small!) I'm sure Vicky has mentioned the Javeanas too, wild desert pigs, and yes they are as bizzare as that sounds! I think I liked the beavers best, they just looked cool, but it was equally good to see a Black Widow spider up close. One of the best bits though was seeing the hummingbirds. They are amazingly
A Cardinal
Where the AZ Cardinals got their name from.fast and impossible to photograph (although I did manage to get one) they are so small too. Again the heat was excessive (over 100 degrees) when we were walking round, but it was worth it to see it all. I think we're almost getting used to it now, not that you ever fully could, at the highest, it was 111 degrees fahrenheight or 44 celcius this weekend.

One last thing, on sunday morning we went to a French cafe for breakfast which is nothing special to wrie about (although the food was good). I just thought I would mention that French Toast here is sweet??? They make it with sugar, it was very strange, also nice but nothing beats dad's savoury version at home.

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Photos

Flowering cactus
It wasn't all animals. You wouldn't believe this came out of a cacti!

The Stadium
Don't even ask why the picture is like this, I have no idea.

Ho-down!
Check out the santa-sleigh/saddle themed disco ball too!

A Cardinal
Where the AZ Cardinals got their name from.

Room with a view
Checking out the mountain lion.

Dirt Devils
These are the mini tornadoes that kick up over the desert.

Little dog on the prairie
One of the prairie dogs relaxing

In flight
A humming bird in flight

The Bat Cave
This picture is only here accidentally, we did see them at the museum but they didn't do much.

A pleasant evening of Backgammon
Mark, Mark and me (also Vicky behind the camera).

Inside the house
Playing Backgammon on Sunday morning.

Comments

[Aaron Lowry]

Vicky
You need to add Vegas! Even just some of your amazing pictures. Xx