I'm back!!!

And from outside.

And the view from the other side.

Last stop on our way home, the funky little town of Jerome, built into the side of the hills.

There were some great little shops here but we still had a 2 hour drive back and it had been a long day. Would love to go back and explore!

And who can resist a little shopping while you're there! Fashion Square Mall in Scottsdale, located in the heart of "Old Town Scottsdale"

Inside the mall - they even have valet parking!

That's it - two trips in two years and there's still so much more to see! I visited one small nursery while I was there and picked up a few succulents. I was on a quest to find an Agave americana 'Variegata' - saw them planted in some of the landscapes and they were incredible. Smallest one I could find was in a 2 gallon pot and there was no way it would fit in my luggage :( I now have a whole new desire to have a 'potted' Agave collection - so many to choose from - and oddly enough I arrived home to find the latest Horticulture magazine with an article about guess what? Agaves!! LOL

Thank you so much for sharing Debbie. They are some really lovely shots. I laughed when I saw the name of their mall because Fashion Square Mall is the name of the mall nearest to me.

I also loved the saddle bar stools in the pic of the restaurant. Would have never thought of doing that. So interesting.

Looking at your shots with people in them helped to show the magnitude of what lay before us. WOW!!! Is the Grand Canyon a Natural Wonder of the World? If not, it should be.

I think that I will take you on my next trip so that you can serve as photographer. All good shots.

Oh yeah Holly, I am going to try and find the time later on to go and see what all you have posted about your recent trip.

Ruby

WOW! What an incredible vacation you had! Gorgeous pictures, incredible landscapes, scary drives through treacherous mountain switchbacks, delicious Southwestern food, shopping, but the best part of all was being together with your family! Thanks for sharing your wonderful vacation with us.

thanks- that gave me a mini flashback to our trip. and ideas for another.

LOL Shirley, I like that description - fits our travels perfectly! Rick and I visited Phoenix in 2001 but didn't have much time to explore as we were there for his back surgery. When my son first decided to move to Phoenix, I couldn't understand why?? Now that he has shown me some of the beauty in that area, I have a whole new appreciation for it :)

Ruby, the restaurant with the saddle stools was the neatest little place. It was like an old saloon and there were dollar bills covering all the walls with notations on them by customers from all over the world! They have a really unique menu with cute descriptions - we had Cackleberries (eggs) for breakfast. Just found the link - Superstition Saloon http://www.tortillaflataz.com/index.html. Unfortunately they don't have any pictures of the restrooms LOL Can't remember how they were identified (Ladies/Gents), but something with a comical cowboy reference. The "stalls" were half doors with paintings of 'headless' saloon gals on them so you could add your own head and get someone to take a picture of you! My daughter took one of me but I was laughing so hard it was the worst picture and sorry to say you won't see that one!! LOL

Your sunset picture at South Mountain is probably the most beautiful one I've every seen. Especially with the saturated colors that look as if the sky was dipped in paint. I would definitely enter that picture into DG's Contest next year.

Treacherous mountain switchbacks seem to be a common place "out West". We encountered some harrowing twists and turns (with NO guard rails) many years ago when visiting Kings Canyon and Yosemite Nat'l. Parks in California. You definitely don't want to be on those roads at night!

Thanks Shirley, I wish we hadn't been in such a rush - the sunset changed so much from the time we first headed out on our trek. If I could have just sat in one spot and taken a dozen pictures, each one would have been different!

Finaly had time to sit and enjoy the pictures. What a great trip. Thanks for sharing. The pictures from the Grand Canyon sure bring back memories. I so very much wanted to hike down into the canyon when we were there but knew that was not an option for me.