Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Futher Adventures in Wonderland

Our adventures in Wonderland, aka Arizona, continue.

Yesterday, Lloyd and I took Wendy and Randy to do the tourist thing in old town Scottsdale.  We were disappointed to find the museum there was closed, but there were lots of other things for us to see.



 I really liked this doorway to a shop selling western items.  The metal saguaro cactus and sunflower help the string of dried peppers guard the door.



The main corner of old town Scottsdale is graced by a lovely white shining mission dating from the early days of the settlement of the west.

By the way, Valentine's Day marked Arizona's 100th anniversary of joining the United States of America.  Happy Birthday Arizona.



Along the trail, Wendy and I met some lovely Mexican beaux.  Being the younger sister, I laid claim to the younger looking fellow.


While Wendy cozied up to the comfortably aged, bearded, long-haired fellow.  Aren't we happy girls!!!



Eventually though, Wendy and Randy showed their true natures and posed for their 'real' pictures!!

The doorway of this shop was almost as interesting as the vast array of western/cowboy/native american/mexican goods displayed inside.  It was a wonderful place to visit.  That's Wendy standing in the doorway.  And those of you observant enough will recognize the hanging chilies from a previous picture.



I loved this street sign.


There were lots of metal sculptures depicting life in the early days of the west but I'll just include one of them here.


Randy and Lloyd in front of a statue of a boy jumping up on a horse behind his father.

The old town Scottsdale is a beautiful place to visit.  Scottsdale is known for being inhabited by the rich and famous, and not-so-rich and not-so-famous, "the" place to live if you're socially ambitious in Arizona.  We drove past Mercedes, Mezaratti, Lotus, Lexus car dealerships, beautiful estates, grand shopping centres, and even a McDonald's or two!  All the while having fun in our low-brow way.

I like the way so many towns and cities in Arizona remember and honor their wild frontier origins. You're never far from nature in this amazing state.

After we left Scottsdale, we went to the Desert Botanial Gardens for some rugged desert sights.  It's different every time we go there.  I'll post more about it later.  Tomorrow we're heading to Apache Junction and Canyon Lake where we'll take a riverboat tour of the "Junior Grand Canyon".  See you when we return.

Pat

11 comments:

TARYTERRE said...

With your photos and descriptions I FEEL like I was there. Scottsdale is a delightful place, chock full of history. I bet the Desert Botanial Gardens were beautiful. Looking forward to hearing about Apache Junction, Canyon Lake and that riverboat ride. Have fun. ENJOY. Take care.

Raindrops and Daisies said...

Great photos Pat,
I really enjoyed looking at them.

So nice that you had a good day.


x Fiona

Holly said...

I love your photos! You sure do get around, you see more of Arizona than I do and I've lived here for thirty years!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

It sounds like you are having a wonderful time. I loved seeing Scottsdale. I have heard of it but never been there. Nice to see some flowers blooming there too. Here we are snow covered. Have a great time today!

Granny Annie said...

I have never been to Scottsdale but you make me want to go. We always enjoy Arizona.

just call me jo said...

I need to go to that Desert Botanical Garden. I've heard it's wonderful. You do get around, yes. Enjoy wonderland while you can. It's a little chilly in the desert right now.

RoeH said...

If you're going to Canyon Lake anyway, keep going on that road until you get to Tortilla Flat (and please check out the bathrooms at TF) and at that point the road becomes a dirt road all the way to Rosevelt Dam. It's passable but you will encounter some of most beautiful Arizona scenery you'll ever see. Really.

Magpie said...

I live here and you know more about what's going on than I do! I think that's fantastic. I'm going to talk to my cousin, Tracy, about the riverboat tour. Thanks for sharing your wonderful day with us.

BB said...

This looks like a really fun place. I love the pictures because it shows how much fun you guys all had. Love those two sexy men you girls flirted with!! Very cute. Can't wait to see pictures of the gardens.

Anonymous said...

Wendy is very forward, with her hand on her beau's knee!

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

What a great trip; nice little "town". I need a little trip!

Re the Little Biddy Num-nums: The marshmallow fluff was in the icing. I know there was icing sugar in there too but I didn't participate in any way other than to eat 3!