Day 2: Phoenix, AZ

We were up early . . . the time difference from Texas had us up at the crack of dawn and ready to hit the trails!  We grabbed a yummy breakfast at the hotel, loaded up our bags (changing hotels), and headed outdoors to explore the desert!  In fact our first stop was the Desert Botanical Gardens . . .

We saw this fun guy as soon as we entered . . .

I almost squealed in delight when I saw the quails.  The last time I was in the area I saw a mom quail and her babies trailing behind her.  The botanical gardens really were a beautiful place to visit . . . who knew the desert would be so colorful?

When I saw this photo, I laughed . . .

. . . I had forgotten he poised for me.  What a character!  And not to be outdone . . .

We were amazed at all the tall cactus . . .

Colin is almost 5 feet tall so this one is tall but not the tallest.  I also enjoyed all the tables set up that had educational information about the cacti!  Did you know that a ten year old Saguaro Cactus is only about 2-3 inches tall?  Pretty amazing that it takes soooo long for them to grow.  We all really did enjoy the time walking around the gardens.  They had a butterfly house too . . .

Colin tried his best to get one of the winged friends to land on him but no such luck!  The place is huge and rather warm outside but there are a lot of water fountains throughout the area.  The next stop was just down the road, Hole-In-The-Rock . . .

. . . the kids were loving all the climbing and my heart rate was high!  Why do kids not have any fear?

We were all hot, dirty, and hungry and when in Arizona where do we always go eat?

You guessed it, In N Out Burger.  While there are several in Texas, it is still a Arizona/California tradition.  We loaded up and headed for the next hotel.  The kids were beyond excited because we told them the hotel had a water park!  What's not to like?

We would spend the next two nights at the Hilton Squaw Peak Resort.  I admit I was a little excited too!  It took the kids about 20 seconds to change and head out the door for the River Ranch Water Park . . . and that is where we would stay for a few hours.  I was determined to not get sunburned the first day (it always happens) and thankfully I did not.  We relaxed for a bit and headed out for dinner.  Tonight we had plans to slip away and have dinner with a fellow teacher and friend from our time in Vilseck Germany.

Two of the nicest, most giving people we know.  Sue and Dan always helped organize a Christmas gift program for kids at an orphanage in the Czech Republic.  It was my favorite time of year when Sue would come around with the cards of items the kids asked for as gifts.  It always put life in perspective when I read their list . . . they would ask for basics such as soap, deodorant, scented lotion, make up . . .basic need items that we buy all the time.  I know the kids at the orphanage loved when they came to town bearing presents and Happy Meals too!  We sure enjoyed catching up . . . it had been over 10 years . . . and really enjoyed the yummy meal too!  When we returned to the hotel, the kids headed for the pool and the adults chatted without kids under foot.