Summer Visitors

We had a few visitors this summer: Emily, who stayed for the entire month of July, and Tanya's parents, who stayed only a few days.  Regardless, we had a blast with everyone!

Our jaunt to the Grand Canyon was an awesome escape from the summer heat of Tucson.  Emily and Tanya got to see the canyon for the very first time!

Emily was completely astounded by the magnitude of the canyon -- but who isn't?!

Since the weather was so amazing (on the rim, at least), we decided to camp out.  It turns out that our campsite was a bit occupied.  Whoa!!

That was, officially, the closest I had ever been to elk.  I was speechless!

On the drive back from the Grand Canyon, we decided to make a pit stop in beautiful Sedona.  After some obligatory shopping, we grabbed a beer and watched a thunderstorm roll in.

When Tanya's parents got to Tucson, we escaped the heat by driving them to the top of Mt. Lemmon.  That place never gets old!  Windy Point is a great place for photos.

So cute!

First Seder

Tonight we attended our first Passover Seder at the home of our some of our friends!  It was a great experience, and we both learned a lot and drank a lot of wine.  I think I could totally be Jewish...

Here we are with Brie, Esther, and Erin -- three fellow Postdocs from the U of A.

And, yes, there is a lamp in the backyard.  Don't worry about it.

Birds of Prey

Today we took advantage of one of the most fantastic activities offered by the Desert Museum: the Birds of Prey show.  Ravens and falcons and owls...oh my!

In case you couldn't tell, the owl was my favorite. :)

"San Diego, first discovered by the Germans in 1905."

One of our favorite aspects of living in Tucson is the close proximity to California.  In fact, even before we moved here, Tanya had a grandiose plan to drive out to San Diego once a month for surfing.  Although that plan never materialized, we did finally manage to make it out to San Diego for a short trip over Spring Break.

What was the highlight of our short trip, you ask?  The breweries, of course!  We visited the Stone Brewery for the second time -- yet managed to be too late for a tour...again.  However, we did get to enjoy a wonderful dinner and a few beers...

...and a few more beers.  The very next day, we paid a visit to the Green Flash Brewery, home of West Coast IPA!  What a great time. :)

Finger Rock Trail

When researching good hikes in the Tucson area, I read that the Finger Rock trail is one of the steepest, most strenuous hikes in the Santa Catalina range.  So I decided to conquer it.

The Finger Rock trail is named after Finger Rock: a rock which is shaped like an index finger, pointing skyward.

However, from a vantage point closer to sea level, the finger is barely visible!  The next shot was taken from the trail head.  (The summit, a.k.a. Mt. Kimball, is the wooded mountain in the distance.)

By the way, the review was spot-on.  The trail is, indeed, steep and strenuous...but the views are spectacular!

That morning was particularly foggy...so the distant Tucson Mountains seemed to float over the city.  Amazing!

But perhaps the best views are from atop Mt. Kimball, where one can see Mt. Lemmon, Oro Valley, and BioSphere 2.

Oh, and by the way...today is Misu's birthday!  Happy birthday, Su Bear!!