Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Sunday brought a beautifully "cool" high of 90 degrees and overcast skies -- a very welcomed break from the intense sun.
It's funny -- In Minnesota, we lived for sunny days and now we live for clouds.  As Mikel says -- there's just no pleasing us!

But I digress...

We got to attend church together, which is always refreshing.  Desert Springs Bible is just around the corner from our house, and it was great to be able to check it out as a family.  We especially like the size of the congregation, and the teaching is solid, so we have agreed we would like to attend there more.  I am especially hungry for us to engage in a church community - probably amplified because I'm not working. I am specifically praying that we will find some married couple friends, and I hope church is a good place to do that.  Calvary EFC in Rochester leaves some really, really big shoes to fill, but I am trying to be open and look forward to how God will choose to use us in a new church home in Phoenix.  It is a particularly difficult transition for me, I am finding...

After church, we couldn't wait to get outside and take advantage of the pleasant temps.  We leashed up the pups (they could hardly believe their luck) and struck off on a lovely walk that lasted more than an hour!  I snapped a few random pictures around our neighborhood, for anyone who might be curious about where we live.

Ready to rock


Our house


I'm getting used to the pink rooftops -- kind of like how I had to get used to the various colors of siding in MN




Some of the palm trees think they are pineapples.

I had no idea there were so many varieties of cacti!

Green trees.  I call these Dr. Seuss trees.

Our neighborhood even has a couple of small greenbelts where the pups can run off leash.

Scarlett, as usual, is more interested in hunting lizards than chasing a ball.

Thankful for this lovely, much-needed weekend of rest and time together.  

Sights to See

This weekend was one of the first (if not THE first) where Mikel was off and it was just our little fam in town.  We were excited to get out, see some of the city and just spend some time out of the house together.

Started by going to the SeaLife aquarium in Tempe.  A small but entertaining aquarium, it was the perfect size to stroll through with Nolan.  

They don't allow flash photography, so some of the pics are a bit dark.

See his little reflection?  He was really taking it all in.

This room's walls were just giant, fluorescent tanks all the way around with these radiant blue fish.  You could pop your head up into the tank through this globe, and Mikel snapped my pic inside.  (Judging by the height, I think it was more-so intended for little kids....)

 ???

 Little stingray family

Wide eyed!

 Mikel said these fish were just napping.

Tiny jellyfish.  

This aquarium's jellyfish display is impressive but also a little psychedelic.  A big, mirrored hallway with each tank morphing gradually into various colors.  I admit, it did make the jellyfish super mesmerizing -- and not just for Nolan.

Seahorses are so pretty.  Did you know that male seahorses hatch and carry their young in a little pouch on the ventral side of their tails until they are ready to be released (birthed) into the water?  

Sounds like a deal!

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Then it was Nolan's nap time, so we buckled him in and took off down the highway for a little joyride. 

AppleMaps said there was some kind of green splotch an hour-ish to the east, so we made our way that direction - and wow, were we rewarded for our curiosity!  Photos just don't do these mountains and valleys justice.  Had to enlarge a few of my favorites.

 Lost Dutchman State Park and the Superstition Mountains

These trails are popular to hike during better weather.

We continued east and came upon the Apache Trail - apparently the oldest highway on our continent, and covers some of the most rugged terrain in Arizona.  It climbs and twists up and up and up through the Four Peaks Wilderness area.  The hairpin turns and lack of guard rails kinda freaked me out in some sections (shouldn't have watched that 20/20 episode about treacherous roads the night before.....) -- but man, it offers some incredible views.  

And Mikel handled the Jeep just fine, despite my armchair quarterbacking.

When they say narrow bridge ahead, they mean narrow bridge ahead -- as in, one lane.

We don't want a boat; we just want friends with a boat.

I like this shot.  Who knew the desert wilderness could be so beautiful?  

God is an amazing sculptor and artist.

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Lastly, we stopped at this little ghost town on the Apache Trail called Goldfield.  A real 1890's mining town at the base of the mountains, it's been restored for tourists.  It was cute - and actually offered a number of attractions.  (Might as well leave the pics big for this part too.)

In the souvenir shop...  Anyone else just want to open the doors??

Love my husband who can't pass up a sample.  :)

A sign by the fudge said, "Buy 8 pounds and get the 9th pound FREE."  barf!

An unexpectedly interesting attraction was the Superstition Reptile Exhibit.  A python, rattlesnakes, gila monsters, scorpions, tarantulas......  Gross - and fun!  We actually found it was well worth paying the 6 bucks to see.  The lady who works there was super knowledgable about the animals and seemed to really be proud of the display.  

Here's hoping this is the only way we encounter any of these delightful creatures.

This burmese python was super active while we were there -- slithering all around and sticking its tongue out.  We were fascinated!  And I love its color.  Very en vogue.

The lady said she feeds this python huge rats.  When we asked how big, she held up her hands to roughly the size of a miniature wiener dog.

Diamondback

Such a boy thing.

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When we came out, the clouds had blown in and it was time to make our way home for bath and bedtime.  What a FUN day we had!  So very thankful for my two guys and for the blessing of a weekend together.

(I saved the best pic for last.)  :)