Visiting the West...........Tucson that is!

 Cliff and Karen were going to see their grandson so we rode along with them.  This picture is of Texas Canyon on I-10.  Big, round rocks - weird, round just like Texas?!?!

 This is the driveway at Hal and Leslie's place in Tucson.

 Out the back of their home.  It has a great view of the mountain and is a peaceful place to sit.

 Picking fresh lemons - Ken was enthralled.

Thanks for sharing.  We ALL loved the fresh lemons.

Leslie took us up to Saguaro Forest.  This picture is at the front entrance to the visitor center.  We were told that about 1 in 100,000 Saguaro grow weird like that.  That can't be far off.  WE only saw the two  (and we are SUCH cactus experts).

I got a kick out of other weird saguaros with arms going every which direction.  The one to the left in the background is cool also.

At the Visitor Center at Saguaro NP

These two saguaros were too far away for Ken to walk.  Quite beautiful.  Hal was with us this day and he took the cousins in front of them.  They are about 24+ feet tall.

A closer look at them.

Hal joined us and we went to another forest up a canyon.  Of course I have no memory of a name I just know it was north and a little east of their home.
The layers of these rocks intrigued me.

We're at the top Ken hop on outa there.

When we got back down to the visitor center it was time for another lesson.  Hal is showing them how the cactus spine have a sheath on them.  I, of course, poked myself when I tried to see a sheath.  Figures.

They walk the desert every day and create trails through the cactus. This is up behind their house.  Leslie said just a few months ago there wasn't this many at the particular spot.

Now THIS is weird, but delicious.    El Charro's restaurant is in Tucson. 

Get ready to savor el Charro’s celebrated carne seca – juicy strips of beef marinated in lime juice and garlic and air-dried in wire cages on the restaurant’s roof – in just about everything but the dessert.

The best story from El Charro:

No one really knows who invented, or named, the Arizona-Sonora specialy known as the chimichange – a deepfried burrito – but El Charro does it up proud and crips and tell the best story.  In 1928, founder Monica Flin accidentally dropped a stuffed burrito in hot oil and began to cuss, but, with children present, caught herself and said “chimichanga” – Spanish for “thingamajig”.

On Sunday we took our bags and went to the farmer's market. It was wonderful.  We got some fresh roasted green chile and I made my version of a baked Chile Rellano

I wish we were closer to these - but then we'd have to put up with a city full of people. 

Hap put his camera on timer and we got a group shot.

Once in a while they have to cut it back so they can get through.  It was a great visit.  Hope we get to do it again another season.

Hal is making the path wide enough to walk through without "spinal" harm.