Arizona!

And continuing with the saga of our glorious trip to Arizona! We spent the night in Santa Fe (ahh), damp and cold. Sunny, sultry, HOT, New Mexico...Ha! :) But I had bought this beautiful blanket and it kept me very warm! Listen, $8! A keepsake from New Mexico that you can actually put to use! I still use it downstairs in my basement bedroom, and plus, it's very authentic when you play cowboys! ;)

Very nice! I believe it was made in Mexico, because I think Mexicans come up from down there to sell things.

Leaving beautiful New Mexico behind!

Arizona...watch out! The Updike's are coming!

Everybody, run! Hide! Quick! ;)

Getting into the RED of Arizona!
Yes, most of these are going to be of the landscape...

The part between Arizona and New Mexico. :)

Vermilion Mesas!

They were so huge! And SO beautiful!

Have you got your dose of mesas and rock plateaus yet? :D

Good, because there's more!

After lunch, we got lost a little and found ourselves out here. :)

But we got onto the right road.

I didn't have anything else to take a picture of...

And we LOVED being bored, because it means more self portraits!

LOL

I LOVE Hannah's face in this one!

Hannah got this one, I believe. It was taken through the window,

like most of these pictures are, and it did that somehow.

My camera has personality! It does weird things!

No explanation needed.

Happy faces! Ethan looks very squished!

Help! Murder! Mayday!
Oh, my leg!

Too sweet! :D
I don't remember how we got Ethan to do that...

Same here. I think I retreated into the pages of a book...

Ooo! My favorite part of traveling through Arizona.

We went up into the mountains and they looked like this!

Like my own beautiful Black Hills! Just more green

and lush and rainy!
And time for a story...:) I love stories!

We stopped at a mountain gas station for a rest and a snack.

As we headed back out to the suburban, I saw the most beautiful thing

I'd ever seen in my life.

Racing down the slope toward the gas station were two boys.

One a tall boy with light brown hair, and the other was a Hispanic looking

down syndrome boy.

He reached the end of the slope first and the tall boy gave him a big high-five, as if they'd raced.

They walked together, like they were best friends!

OK, so laugh at my poor story telling, but I have never seen anything more beautiful in all my life. As we neared Payton on the road, I'd added a little girl and white haired lady

named Samantha to the picture, plus a cabin the woods. :)

"What?"

This is what Ethan thinks of my story telling. :D

"No, seriously, Kayla, I liked it! really!"

There was a beautiful view beyond this bridge and we were on the wrong side!

Then...we leave the mountains and come upon...

The DESERTS OF ARIZONA!

My first time ever seeing those cactus, I know its name but I shall not

try to spell its name, for I will destroy it terribly. :)

"No, that's not what happened at all!"

Isn't it beautiful? :D

Now, I love that! I so wish I could go back!

And more Arizona!

And more...

And more...

and more...

And....!

YAY! WE MADE IT TO PHOENIX!

This was the last picture taken that day, because I was too excited about where my grandparents lived to worry about taking pictures of it!

More of that to come in the next post! :)

Have a great evening!