Arizona

I had the joy of seeing the state of Arizona for the first time. It was wonderfully hot and three days there just wasn't enough. We went for my husband's cousin's wedding, but had a little time and a rental car to do some exploring.

Botanical Gardens
The cacti had many flowers and the contrast between the flowers and the sharp spines was an obvious picture of my life - lots of harshness with a bit of beautiful mixed in. I think it's why I took so many pictures. This I thought was the best. I'm working on trying to see more beauty in my everyday life.

In the midst of all the cacti was a little butterfly world. They had misters in this world, which made it feel a bit cooler than the surrounding areas. The butterflies just sat there, waiting to be photographed.


This little guy quickly became my friend. I took many pictures of him because he just sat there and smiled. He must have thought that I was just as interesting as I thought he was.

A spiny little cactus amidst the rocks.


Papago Park - This is my new favorite place in Arizona. Not that I've been to a lot of places in Arizona. This part of the park is literally called Hole in the rock. It's a very short "hike" to the top. I don't think you can really call it a hike because there are actually stairs carved into the rock. You sit right in the middle of the hole and an amazing breeze blows right through as you stare at the vast flatness that is Arizona. It was the highlight of my trip and worth every penny for the rental car.




I have also added a new favorite tree to my list of favorite trees. I just like them all! The Palo Verde is the state tree of Arizona. It is an amazing tree. It has green bark because it has chlorophyll in it. If it gets too dry and the leaves fall off, it is still able to make its' own food. Amazing! Here I am looking at the teeny, tiny leaves. I just adored the tiny leaves.