Scottsdale

flying over calgary ~ flying over phoenix ~ driving up to our hotel ~ a bargain hunter's paradise (aka nordstrom rack) ~ morning coffee among the cacti ~ 

view from our room's balcony ~ happy canadians in the dessert ~ cactus garden

so we've just returned from New York and here I am writing about Scottsdale. random and a little out of sorts i realize. 

the fact of the matter is, we've been planning our new york trip for several months now, and were eagerly looking forward to it. but about a week prior to leaving, ryan had to go to scottsdale for a work related convention. I was lucky enough to snag a flight down to join him. thought I'd post pictures of that little getaway before delving into the new york recap. Because that, my friends, is going to take up a good chunk of our time :)

Anyway, let it be said here, once and for all...i love scottsdale. Yes, me and every other 60+, silver-haired snowbird. We all love Scottsdale. It's like the best place ever. So warm and red dirt coated, bathed in sunlight, ornamented with brilliant blooms and palm trees galore. and did I mention the cacti? Yes, cacti are simply everywhere. And they're fabulous! each one different. some exactly like you see in storybooks and childhood cartoons when a dessert is pictured. some short, plump and prickly. And then there are some that are 100% unruly, unconcerned with what constitutes for a classically good-looking cactus and instead opt for that whole gnarled, ruggedly intriguing and thorny foliage kind of thing.

yes scottsdale, and it's cactus population in particular, certainly do have a special place in my heart it seems.