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| Red rocks outside of Sedona |
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| Sonia |
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| More red rocks |
Saturday morning Sonia, Chris and I had breakfast at Jenifer's store, La Grande Orange which was super. Sonia and I then took a tour of Taliesin West, the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright. Taliesin West is also the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation.
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| Taliesin West |
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| The view from the rear of Taliesin West |
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| Ed talking with Chris from the grounds of Taliesin West |
Saturday afternoon we met back up with Chris and toured the Desert Botanical Garden just outside of Phoenix. Unlike any other botanical garden I've visited this one features almost nothing but cactus. There are other desert plants on display but a really astounding number and variety of cacti.
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| Sonia and Chris check out the map of the gardens |
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| Chris and his Dad |
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| The sign says it all. |
Saturday night we had a birthday celebration dinner at a unique restaurant called Monarch Cafe. Christopher (not DeMellier) is the owner, the chef, the waiter, and the entertainment. Chris is a very friendly inventive chef who delighted us with his personality as well as the food he served. The menu is essentially whatever he felt like making that night. We chose from three entrees, braised beef short ribs with polenta, grilled salmon, or grilled shrimp with polenta.
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| Our table at Monarch Cafe |
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| A view of the interior with the kitchen on the left |
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| Jenifer had a good time. |
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| Chef Christopher was great fun and served wonderful food. |
Sunday afternoon we went to Goodyear, Arizona to attend opening day of Spring Training. We watched the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Cleveland Indians in a game that featured many players, lots of offense and a beautiful day.
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| A cool but sunny day for a ballgame. |
Monday morning Sonia and I headed out of Phoenix traveling up the Apache trail. This route goes through some of the most rugged terrain I've ever seen. We had lunch at Tortilla Flat a very small community which boasts a population of six.
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| Canyon Lake one of the lakes on the Salt River |
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| Sonia took our picture while I was taking scenic pictures |
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| Tortilla Flat |
We arrived home late Monday night after a very comfortable flight on Southwest.
Thursday evening came and we were on the road again this time to Fort Morgan, AL to spend five days with Sonia's family. Her mom and dad, Lynn and Ellis, invited us along with her sons Ryan and Alex. Lynn wanted Alex to have a relaxing vacation before he goes off to the Navy in April. He will be attending officer candidate school in Newport RI starting in early April. Ryan had never visited Lynn's beach house so it was a new experience for him. We had a great time playing cards, dominoes, walking on the beach, attending the Mardi Gras parades in Josephine and Gulf Shores. A lot of good food was eaten some of which I prepared.
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| Alex, Ed and Ellis playing Royal Rummy |
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| The beach as the afternoon fades toward sunset. |
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| Ryan, Sonia, Ellis, Alex and Chase following the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade. |
In addition to the pictures above there are a great many more on my picasa site. The Arizona pictures and the beach/Mardi Gras pictures.
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