Picture Green Arizona

These are just a few of the many (many) pictures that I took with a Canon PowerShot while at The Botanical Gardens.

Arizona Road Trip

Michael and I took off February 29 for Arizona intent on visiting Mom (who is spending her first winter as a snowbird) and her dear friend Jane. We also planned plenty of golfing, playing tennis, discovering Diners, Drive-inns and Dives and attending two Temples.

After a day-long drive and overnight stop in Page, Arizona we ended up in Snowflake. We learned from our niece and nephew Tori and Jordan (who are involved in a internship in Snowflake) that the name of the town came from President Lorenzo Snow sending the Flake family to settle the area. As we were leaving the Temple Michael said, "Did you notice that our Sealer was a Flake?" Of course I did - but I wasn't going to say it out loud. It did make me smile though - a lot.

After leaving Snowflake we went through some interesting high-mountain towns - the saddest site was the mining town of Miami. The death of that industry has stripped more than the land. It was actually a little depressing. Later that night we arrived in Casa Grande to a wonderful Crab Louie Salad lovingly prepared by Mom and Jane.

The next week was a whirlwind of shopping, eating, sunning and playing. Trip highlights include driving to Quartzsite and visiting Grandma Midge who is 94-years-young (Grandma re-married on her 90th birthday so what does that tell ya)! As we left Quartzsite we traveled through the town of Hope and as we were leaving we noticed the roadside sign that read: You Are Now Beyond Hope.

On Tuesday, Michael and I went to the Mesa Temple meeting up with Uncle Len and Aunt Donna. It was so wonderful to be there and it was a treat for our eyes to see all the beautiful green grass, flowers and lemon trees. After the Temple session we found Joe's Farm Grill ( a Triple D location) in Gilbert for lunch. It definitely measured up to the hype. What a great day.

If you ask Michael what he enjoyed about the trip he will probably say the three days of golf and hanging out at the PGA tournament in Scottsdale. I, on the other hand, loved the Botanical Gardens, the Queen Creek Olive Mill and dinner at The Borderline. When you get a chance, ask Mom how she saved money with a coupon at The Borderline - smile!

Other Diner's, Drive-inns and Dives that we found on our trip include: Chino Bandido, Brandy's Restaurant, and Guiseppe's. Yum!

A special thanks to Mom for the wonderful food, loving hugs, fun adventures and a place rest (if you can call that two-inch mattress on an old sofa bed restful - again - smile). We love you Mom and we love Arizona too!