Mary and Karen come for a visit

This weekend Mary and Karen came from D.C. and Mary braved some serious airport delays - thanks MB!

Here are some photos of us in Sedona where Mary tried cactus for the first time and got a beautiful photo from a local artist at a co-op. To make the most of our Sedona experience, we took a rowdy jeep ride up into the preserve. We couldn't stop laughing as we bounced around and tried to take in the natural beauty while holding on for dear life. Shaken not stirred, we drove up to a vortex to watch the sunset and get a nice view of the mountains. From there we rode up through Oak Creek Canyon to take in the scent of pine trees and snow. Before starting back to Phoenix, we stopped at a bar in Flagstaff to get cookies and drinks - fuel for the trip home.


If Friday was a day of adventure, Saturday was a day of pure decadence. We started the day by relaxing in the spa at the Phoenician. We liked the "quiet room" best because it had a peaceful fountain, comfortable chairs and a very relaxing vibe. Vowing to maintain our spa aesthetic and forgo everything other than nuts and berries, we promptly headed to Scottsdale and had Mexican food and ice cream sundaes at a place called the Sugar Bowl (very aptly named). As it turns out, the spa aesthetic isn't attractive enough to overcome the urge for ice cream...

Saturday afternoon we spent some time walking around the galleries in Scottsdale and took a free ride on the town trolley. After a little more walking and some relaxing at home, we went to a wine bar to toast the end of our Phoenix weekend.


Mary headed home early Sunday morning and Karen and I took a drive up to South Mountain. It was raining (the first time I've seen it rain since October) so we couldn't hike around. Still, the drive was nice and the view from the top was pretty amazing.

Thanks Karen and Mary - come back soon!