Friday, December 5, 2014

It was a warm Thanksgiving

For over 20 years while in the Air Force I did everything I could to spend Thanksgiving at home.  Now that I'm retired, I enjoy spending Thanksgiving away.  We decided to spend our holiday in Tucson this year.  It was a very good choice according to my sun loving husband.  We enjoyed 83 degree weather on the official holiday but the entire week was beautiful. 

We are Holiday Inn fans so choose that chain when we can.  This was the sign on the back of our door in Gallup.  Yikes!  What could be happening that would cause the room rate to increase to that amount?!


We enjoyed our drive over the White Mountains even though it seemed like we doubled back and forth many times.


Every day in Tucson was spent enjoying nature.  Saguaro National Park where we never tired of looking at the saguaro cactus.


Botanical Gardens where we especially enjoyed the butterfly garden....

 
......and the itty bitty blue frog.
 
 

Old Tucson where many of Mike's favorite TV shows and movies were filmed. 


Colossal Cave where we learned cottonwood trees provide late November beauty.


The Tucson Zoo where we enjoyed watching the newest addition to the zoo: a not yet named baby girl elephant.  She was born August 2014 and weighed 245 pounds at birth.  She had such a personality -- full of mischief. 


Of course, I brought stitching with me.  Here's one project I worked on.  I plan to choose sashing and border fabric and hope to have them sewn into a wall hanging next week.


Today I'm writing the pattern for Camp Runamuk.  My friend designed and stitched the blocks.  I sewed them together and am drawing the pattern templates and writing instructions.  I'll post a photo as soon as the weather clears so I can get a good photo.