the Arizona Sky

Behold the classic Saguaro cacti in Arizona. 

I was so excited the first time I saw these. 

They look exactly like the ones I had always seen in books about the wild wild west. 

Bring me my camel. 

We missed the sandstorm although it looked like it was fast approaching. 

AZ or Cairo, the mountains look more like pyramids in the hot hot hot,
did I mention hot evening air. 

Little niece was so fun. We were resourceful in the hotel. We made ghost puppets from Kleenex, played improv songs on my ukulele about cooking breakfast on the hot sidewalk. I read her stories out of the Popular Science magazine which surprisingly held her attention. She’d say, “Oh that’s so interesting. Wow.” So cute - most of the time she had no idea what the article was talking about.

Not enjoying the Taming of the fro.

Arizona Attractions: 

1. Hanging out with family of course. 2. Grand Canyon of course. 3. Huge Cacti make the landscape look like a pin cushion. 4. Thunderstorms in summer. 5.  Tumbleweeds actually roll across the roads. 6. Sand dunes and 4-wheelers. 7. Roadrunners are alive and well. 8. Running in the rain doesn't make you cold. 9. Turquiose and feathers 10. Crystals, red rocks, and vortices in Sedona 11. Legends of cowboys, lawlessness, and Wyatt Earp. 12. Tombstone, AZ. 13. Spinkler misters on the eaves of buildings make you feel like veggies in a supermarket. 14. Ice cream is a matter of survival. 15. Mesas. 16. Gigantic open skies 17. Clear starry nights

Arizona Detractions:  

1. It did not get below 112 during the day. 2. My shoes actually melted! I had to buy huge flip-flops just to make it back to the hotel. 3. Deoderant, chapstick, chocolate cookies, fruit... everything melted. Nothing is safe. 4. The ipod found it inhumane.. (or intechane?) to work in such hostile conditions. 5. We had to freeze water in bottles before leaving the hotel. 6. No car AC, how did they live before AC?. 7. Not being able to be outside during the day. 8. Planned communities and prefab houses everywhere. 9. RV lots 

Obviously in this official synopsis shows the attractions win 17 to 9.
Every day seems to end in spectacular sunsets.

 We found fireworks on the way back near the border.

As we got closer, we saw a huge blaze on the horizon. Fire trucks were racing past. Apparently the fireworks caught fire and the entire field was ablaze. Luckily they detonate the show remotely, so no one was too close when the fireworks exploded on the ground.