From Planet Earth to the Heavenly Stars!

Can we just say WOW?  okay, we will... WOW!

Just returned from our visit to Mt Lemmon and the University of Arizona's Star Gazing program.  We weren't sure what to expect of the day... and trust me, we were not disappointed at all.

We left just after lunch for a leisurely drive to the summit.  So much to see, take pictures of, an unsuccessful geocaching attempt, and then reaching the snow at the summit.  So many pictures, as you can imagine... just a few of them below.  There are rock formations everywhere and most of them, if you use your imagination, look like caricatures of make believe characters. 

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Then at 4 o'clock we were met by Travis who was to be our guide and all around star gazer nerd (his description of himself)... who was really fun and knowledgeable!  We looked directly at the sun through a telescope and didn't hurt our eyes... and saw sun flares & spots... spectacular... Sorry, no pics, as my camera is not built for that stuff.  Learned lots about the observatory up there and all the telescopes.. The area and facility used to be used during the cold war as a radar facility.  None of that stuff is there anymore, but many of the buildings and domes are now be used to further Astronomy and teaching folks... regular folks, not just PhD's and astrology students.  Pretty darn cool.

 How bout this rock... looks like a face...

 Hunting for a geocache... Jerry goes down the steep hill...

 I'm yelling at him to get back up...he's trying to assure me that he wouldn't put himself in danger... mind you, later he was hanging on one of the limbs... btw, we never found the cache...

Thimble Rock on the left... and the Canyon below called Bear Canyon 

 I see this as a sculpture of people... hugging... and then a monster on the right... weird, I know...

 One of the signs we were no longer in the desert!

 The winding road!

 Jerry, always out on a limb!!!!

 Snow Ball Fight!

At the summit of Mt Lemmon

 Snow is melting... no skiing, but folks ride the chair up for the views...

 Travis, our host

 The telescope was phenom

 This smaller telescope let us view the sun...

  Sunset

 This is how my camera took the pic...

this is what it looked like through the telescope... and even when using binoculars...It's called the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters)  This is only a tip of what we saw and learned!

And Evening at our New Home for the Next Bit of Time

Well, after the date snafu, we are finally at our abode for the next bit of time.  The views this evening have been gorgeous.  I can't even imagine to think what morning will be like.  

We were pretty tired by the time we got all unpacked... Jer checked the pool and it was perfect for us to take a dip... Felt so good!  Nice low key dinner with some wine and cheese and fruit and some crackers... so good and simple! 

The view at Sunset from the pool area... so pretty... 

 From the front as the sun was going down..

 We see the twinkling lights of the city... 

Fun Times with Friends.... and Frustrating Time with Trip Planning!

Jer and Brent golfed on Saturday while Nan and checked out the HUGE street fair at the Desert College and then cruised and shopped at the El Paseo Shopping District in Palm Desert.  Oh the damage that can happen to wallets in that area.  We were just kinda bad, not a whole lot bad! 

Drove back to Thunderbird Golf club, hoped on a golf cart and found the guys out golfing.  So fun cuz I got to see the course... and some of the homes of famous folks that live on the course...

Beautiful homes...

We left Rancho Mirage headed to Peoria, AZ to visit with more friends... As life has it, their schedule was changing but they still wanted us over... We arrived, and though they were not home at our arrival, they left a pitcher of Margarita's in the frig, wine and snacks so we could make ourselves at home.  Even had RSVP's for us at a local restaurant!

Had a great brekky the next day with them and we did some catching up.  Then... off to the next stop... But, first, Jerry put the Pizza on the Engine to warm up as we traveled on Tucson.  I was nervous about it at first, but finally felt comfortable with the idea.  Rode for over an hour with the Pizza there, outside temp in the 80's and you know what????  The pizza was barely tepid.  I guess Volkswagen encapsulates the engine pretty well!

Now, about the next stop... we arrived in Tucson, bought a few groceries just to get us started in the house the next morning.  Drove up to the house... and, I'm embarrassed to admit this, I had rented our house from 2/16... we arrived 2/15... So frustrated, tired and mad at myself... Madly checked for 'hotel points' I had on where we could stay that evening... aha.. Embassy Suites had a room for us, close by... and fortunately, the points covered the expense.  So, today, at 4 we will move in...You know, this takes guts to admit that screw up to you all... I hope you know that!