Sonja Says

Katie and I had a great pilgrimage, called that because this is the third time we’ve made the trip, to Tucson.  We met some of Katie’s Cactus Forum friends and toured the Sonora Desert Museum with them.  Ed, his wife Linda, and John, members of the forum, were a pleasure to visit with.  Their knowledge is vast and there is definitely no lack of enthusiasm where plants are concerned.  We did, absolutely, choose the right time of year to go as so many cacti and succulents were in bloom.  There was a visual overload.  It was stunning, also, to watch a cactus wren venture out of her nest in a cholla right next to the walking path, get food and return to her brood.  We spent the morning at the museum and then headed out for Phoenix as we wanted to avoid rush hour traffic.

We were in  Phoenix two nights.  While there, we were lucky enough to add several birds, seen only in that part of the US, to our life bird lists.  Each of us added a Phainopepla and I added a gray hawk which soared over our heads while we were driving from Tucson to Phoenix.

Pictured above are some of the many installations of Dale Chihuly’s glass art.  To see them among the plants of the Phoenix Botanical Garden was amazing.  It was an unforgetable experience!  Before seeing these particular creations, the only Chihuly glass I’d had any experience with was a large “sculpture” in the lobby of  symphony hall in Salt Lake City.  It goes from floor to ceiling and is orange in color.  Apparently there is a chandelier in the casino at Bellagio in Las Vegas, which is also beautiful.  We’ll definitely have to stop for a look on our next trip to Vegas.

Of course, when Katie and I hit the road, we’re also looking for good food.  This year we returned to Cafe Istanbul in Phoenix for more of their scrumptious lamb kebabs, baba ganoush, and gyros.  We were not disappointed; everything was the same as we remembered.  Baba ganoush with toasted pita bread would definitely be a great treat for guests and I just happen to have two recipes.

All in all, this was another super adventure.  We’re already looking forward to the next trip!

Thanks for checking out my ‘blog.  Hopefully the photos will enlarge when you click on them.  Uncertainty is still the name of my game when posting pictures.  I always enjoy receiving readers’ comments so feel free to let me know what you think.