Arizona Day 2 – Botanic Gardens

On the second day of our trip to Arizona, we visited the impressive Desert Botanical Garden.  Since none of us are too familiar with the desert landscape, we were all really impressed at the diversity and beauty of the desert gardens.

As we approached the gardens, there were a mix of real yucca bushes/trees and glass ones made by the glass icon Dale Chihuly.  Stunning!

 

The purplish prickly pear-looking cacti on the right of this picture were my favorite. Their colors ranged from deep mauve to a beautiful teal.

So cool!  I think this photo was taken by Lara.  I compiled all our images, so what you’re seeing on the blog is a nice mix of photos by me and Lara and Kathy.

Who knows what this is…but isn’t the symmetry beautiful?

April certainly is a month for blooms in the desert.  And the contrast of the soft petals and the hard, baking rocks was stark.

Love how these caci seem to glow in the sun.

We enjoyed a visit to the butterfly exhibit.

Then I sat the girls down and asked them to let me take their pictures. I like this sequence of Jennifer:)

Lara’s expecting a baby boy in early June, and it was so fun to talk about baby names and to watch her belly shift and bump as the little one rolled around.

Petrified cactus?

Jennifer stretching?  Or perhaps imagining herself like a saguaro?

A few more pretty plants…

Here’s me and Jennifer…and a saguaro

Here we’re all pretending to be cacti.

Taking a moment in the shade.  It was about 95 degrees, and that sun is hot!  Amazing, though, how a few moments in the shade can revive.

Jennifer tries on some gourds.

This plant seems to say, “Don’t mess with me.”

Here’s me and Lara…perhaps discussing some nerdy camera topic.

Another petrified cactus skeleton.

We tried to have lunch in Scottsdale at a restaurant called Cafe Monarch, but they were closing.  The chef/owner sent us down the street to a great place ladies lunching spot called Arcadia Farms.  There, we had another tremendously good meal.

Just because I loved it so much, I’ll share the menu descriptions.  We ordered these three items and shared.  The salads came up as a favorite-meal-of-the-trip for some of us.  The only thing that would have made it better is if the mushroom and cheese tart was a bit bigger:)

• Raspberry Salad with Fossil Creek Goat Cheese
  organically grown baby lettuces, fresh raspberries, warm goat cheese medallions, jicama, carrots, and candied pecans with our famous raspberry vinaigrette
• OUR SIGNATURE Strawberry Chicken Salad
  grilled chicken, vine-ripened strawberries, mixed baby greens toasted almonds and poppyseed vinaigrette
• Wild Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Tart
  caramelized leeks, fresh baby spinach, wild mushrooms, mozzarella and Fossil Creek goat cheese with organic baby greens

After lunch, we stopped by an REI where Kathy and I got some new summer clothes and Jennifer found a great pair of boots.

Back at the house, we made cool drinks and relaxed by or in the pool.

Here’s Lara and her baby floating.

And here’s my spot at the pool side  Ahhh, memories!

 

After relaxing pool-side for the afternoon, we headed out to a restaurant called Pinnacle Peak Patio where they served ribs country-style.

Look at what cute footwear we have on!  Jennifer found those boots on sale at REI earlier that day.  And Kathy’s red Dansko sandles are embroidered!

Being a cowboy kinda place, ties are not allowed.  Hundreds of cut ties hang from the ceiling, and the floors are dusted with sawdust for dancing.

We shared orders of ribs and enjoyed their home brew root beer.  This table reminds me of a place we went to in Austin and also to a place we went to in Boston when we ate lobster after presenting our research at an Environmental Education conferences.  Red checked tablecloths often hold yummy food.

So ended Day 2.  A fun-filled day with good friends.