Exploring the Apache Trail, Arizona

A few weeks ago we took a drive out on the Apache Trail with some of our dear friends to see the spring desert in bloom.

We made a quick stop at Lost Dutchman State Park to see if there were flowers in bloom there, but we were a bit too early for that area.  The Superstitions Mountians were gorgeously green though.

Spring in the desert is a beautiful thing, especially with all the rain we've had lately.

This is Canyon Lake.  We ate lunch by Apache Lake and also drove beside Roosevelt Lake.  It's surprising how much water is out there in the desert.

We made a quick stop at Tortilla Flat.  Cathy found a nice necklace in the gift shop and we picked up some drinks in the restaurant.  This is the second place I've been this year where the walls are covered with dollar bills. I think it's actually a clever way for the restaurant owners to make a few extra bucks.

Just look at these amazingly delicate flowers that bloom in the desert before it gets hot.  Wow!  Aren't they beautiful?

Then when we got out to take pictures of the flowers we came across this old rusted out can.  It's been a long time since I've seen a can that had to be opened this way, so I just had to take a picture of it.

 And look at this sea of lupines!  Wow!  The roadsides were filled with them.

There were poppies too!  Isn't this a sweet color combination?  Blue, white, and that butterscotch yellow!

Marshall had a bunch of new camera equipment that he was trying out, and I'll bet he got some great photos.

We stopped to see Roosevelt Dam (which I had never been to).  If you look down near the lower right part of the dam, you'll see two pick up trucks to give you an idea of the size of it.  It's massive!

This bridge is just beyond the dam.  Originally the road actually went over the dam, but when they had to raise the height of the it they moved the road.

And since we were running out of daylight we didn't have time to stop at Fish Creek or at Tonto National Monument, so I guess we'll have to plan another trip out there.

All in all it was a perfect day!

Have you ever been there?

Chihuly Exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens

One of the things we did on Easter Sunday was to go to the DBG in Phoenix as the guests of our friends, Cathy & Marshall. We had a chance to visit the Butterfly Exhibit as well as the Chihuly Glass Exhibit which was thru-out the gardens. The two exhibits are so popular that you can only see them with a reservation, so if you go, be sure to call ahead to reserve your time slot.

We decided to go from 4 pm to 8 pm since we knew that would be a good timeframe for photos. The weather was perfect too! We went from late afternoon sun, thru dusk, sunset and dark. Since it's a lighted exhibit in the evenings, it looked amazing in all the stages we saw. I took what seemed like a bazillion photos and I'm thinking of entering a few in the Arizona Highways Photography Contest. There are a lot that I like personally, but it's hard to come up with something truly unique for a contest. I may enter anyway just because I like the prize that they're offering and you just don't know if you don't try. We'll see...
First I want to share a couple of fun photos of our friends. Marshall spent quite a while waiting patiently for a good shot of this lizard. I'm sure he got a better shot than I did.

He moved around to a different angle so this stick wouldn't be in the way and the lizard actually moved and "posed" on a rock for him. All the people around us stood and admired the lizard and Marshall taking pictures of the lizard.

Then Cathy posed for this fun picture. Doesn't she look so sweet? Well she is! We're privileged to know them both. I'm so glad God brought them to Arizona and to Open Door. They're such a precious couple.

Here are a few of my favorites from that gorgeous day.

FLOWERS MAKE ME FEEL LOVED...

I know that there are probably very few people left who check my blog, since I've been so bad at posting. Hopefully it will get better. Flowers have been a big part of my life over the last few weeks and just I LOVE IT!!!
I love seeing flowers of any kind and feel truly blessed when I get the chance to enjoy them at home or in nature. They remind me of how much God loves us because He gives us gorgeous gifts like this that are here today and gone tomorrow. How much more must He love us since we're created in His image? Here are just a few of the ways that I was blessed by God's creation over the last few weeks.

The first two pics are of our front yard. Normally this is "desert landscaping" which is lots of rocks, some cacti and a few other plants. This time of year these gorgeous daisy-like flowers bloom and there are more and more every year. This year we also have several other kinds of purple flowers. It's amazing and we don't have to do anything to get them to grow!

The next 3 pictures of the blue succulent, fuchsia ice plant and orange flowers are from two weekends ago when Terry's dad (Terry) and his wife, Ginny came to visit from North Carolina. While they were here we took them to Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Lost Dutchman State Park near the Superstition mountains. It was too early for most of the flowers but there were a few nice ones and the base of the mountains was covered with a gorgeous carpet of green .

This past weekend we drove up to Lake Pleasant with some friends and hiked about 4 miles on the Pipeline Canyon Trail. The poppies were outstanding! Here are just a few photos that don't do it justice. You just had to be there. The last one has the reflection of the water from a creek below in the background...kinda artsy. I like it.

I also had one more unexpected encounter with flowers last week. On my first day of work at my new job, in the middle of the afternoon I had a delivery from the florist! It was this adorable bouquet of spring flowers in a big coffee cup and it came from Bruce, my boss at my previous job, and from the whole Catalyst team there wishing me all the best. How sweet is that!!!! It makes me smile just thinking about it. They are all so precious to me. I do miss them. Sad thing is that I took pictures of the bouquet and now I can't find the pictures. I need to keep looking and I'll post when I find them. I felt very loved.