Arizona & So Cal

We spent a few days in late September in Tucson/Phoenix while John attended a conference. The hotel was great - set in the west Tucson hills, with views of the city and acres of surrounding desert.

I drove up to Phoenix to see Sara and family for a night, then came back and spent a morning hiking in Tucson Mountain Park with my brother Tom. We arrived back at the hotel just before it got impossibly hot (my opinion), but the scenery was worth every step, and the cold beer that followed helped immensely.

Here are a few pictures from that morning walk, if you want to see additional pictures click the title link above. Next up, Long Beach...

Fallingwater - peace and tranquility in the woods

We took a weekend to explore western Pennsylvania last month. After driving through miles of green rolling hills (they call them mountains) we arrived at the historic Summit Inn in Farmington, PA. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and located on a mountaintop, this comfortable old (1907) lodging has panoramic views of the surrounding area - lovely with the leaves just beginning to turn color.

The real reason for our trip came the following morning when we drove a short 1/2 hour to Fallingwater, the beautiful home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - and probably one of his best known. Built on the rocks and partly over a river, this place defines the word "cantilever"!

We took the short guided tour of the house and wandered the forest paths, but would love to go back and be able to do a more in-depth tour, it's a uniquely lovely and fascinating place.

Check the Fallingwater link in the paragraph above for more info, and don't forget to click on the title of this post for more pictures.

St. Michaels, Maryland

We spent my birthday weekend in St. Michaels, Maryland. Less than a two hour drive but it feels like worlds away. Sailboats, rivers, soft breezes, great food and a wonderful B&B to make it perfect! It almost makes getting older worth it!

For more photos, click on the title (St. Michaels, Maryland) above.

Shenandoah National Park

We spent a recent Saturday exploring Shenandoah National Park. I foresee more trips to this beautiful place, so green and peaceful.

This is Dark Hollow Falls, about 70 feet high, and the easiest of several waterfalls to hike to. It's downhill all the way! Unfortunately, the return is a little more work, but not so bad, and definitely worth the trip.

We found wildflowers along the way. The Lady's Slipper Orchids were at the end of their bloom, we were happy just to find this one.

I couldn't find the name of this pretty plant, but I will...

There were multitudes of violets and other similar little flowers... this may be a Dogtooth Violet, but I'm not sure...

There are more pictures, but I've discovered my link to them isn't working - will post when I've figured out the problem...

Visit to Gaia and Grandpa!

Sara, Coy, Brooklyn and Mason arrived just before Memorial Day weekend, and we made the most of the 5 days we had!  Trips to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the Aquarium, Great Falls (on the Potomac), movies and the Zoo provided entertainment and wonderful time spent together. 

We enjoyed every minute of their stay, can't wait to see them again!

As usual, for more pictures, click on the title above. 

Lainie & Jason in DC!

Better late than never, I think.  Finally, here are some pictures from Lainie and Jason's visit here in late April.  We had a great time, walked miles every day - museums, monuments, Mt. Vernon, etc... we also went to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. (and taste the Philly cheese steaks!)  Here are a couple of pictures taken while they were here. For more, please click on the title "Lainie & Jason in DC!" above..

Sara, Coy, Brooklyn and Mason were here this last week - will post those pictures in a day or two.

DC in Bloom

We survived the amazing Cherry Blossom dinner, and here are a few pictures of the beautiful trees that are blooming everywhere right now.  I didn't know there were so many varieties of flowering cherries, the profusion of blossoms in some areas is absolutely breathtaking.

If you'd like to see more, click on the "DC in Bloom" text above.