I had a lovely time with my family in Tucson. It was nice to have some time with my father and mostly we just hung out around the house. My twelve-year-old cousin once removed and I were the "kids" so I spent a lot of time playing in the pool and listening to stories about horror movies and boys. I was deemed appropriately cool. My aunt and I got up early most mornings (the only time of day when it was tolerable) to go walking/hiking on a nearby trail. One morning we saw two families of quail - teeny little quail babies are very cute. We also saw mule deer, lots of lizards and birds, mercifully no rattlesnakes. Before I arrived my aunt had fished two scorpions out of the pool and I spent the few days I was there terrified one was going to bite me (I never saw any others than the dead ones my aunt carried around in a baggie and trotted out to scare me.) One day we all went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, a zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden all in one. It's a place I remember enjoying as a child and it didn't disappoint this trip, despite the heat. Every day was in the 100's. Tuesday it was 109 and the day I left promised to be just as hot.

Now I'm back on the East Coast. After a brief overnight stopover at my apartment, I'm off to the woods of Connecticut. More hanging out. Different climate, different scenery, different company. Just as enjoyable I anticipate. It's raining now, but the weekend will be warm and sunny. Maybe we'll take the boat out on the lake.

I'm certainly getting my fill of nature this week. And family. And fun. Yay!

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 7:02 AM