We finally managed to visit dear older son this last weekend.  The drive to Arizona was uneventful – DH drove all the way, very relaxed, and nice.  Here are some photos of the terrain –  and I thought we lived in the desert:

Here I am! with my two adorable boys – so happy to be together 🙂

And I had to add this photo: 20 years ago – so happy to be together then too…

Ok, back to the trip…  Gravel seems to be a big landscape feature around here:

Finally, some color… Downtown Tucson. We had a wonderful brunch at a French cafe.  Oh, and I had to take this photo of the street – I found it very interesting that we were required to park backwards.  I think it was for the safety of the bikers or something.  I’m thinking around where we live, you can get a ticket for parking backwards?

Here is DD, at a stop on the way back – she is giving me the “look” for trying to take her photo:

We stopped at Quartzite on the way home to refuel.  Since we were making good time, we decided to check out this bookstore… Word of warning, the proprietor works in the buff! I was a bit thrown off, but pretended like it was all normal :). Funny thing, he is in the buff, but all the books are wrapped in plastic so you can’t peruse them – must be to protect them from the desert dust.

And here is a funny road sign – I had to borrow this photo from the web. DH seemed to think he was back on a German Autobahn or something.  Before I could get my camera ready, we had already passed the sign:

After finally finishing the digital graphic art barter project, and our tax info prep for our accountant, I thought we deserved a nice day outing to Palm Springs.  Had to get DD away for a bit too –  she was getting a bit antsy/nervous about college acceptances and such.  So, the three of us headed out to Palm Springs.  It was a beautiful day filled with antiquing, thrifting, walking around downtown, shopping, and eating!

Here are the windmills on our way to Palm Springs:

DD with Marilyn!

DD again with Marilyn:

Me with Elvis!

And a view of the moon outside the restaurant:

Great day!!!

My daughter and I finally made it to this years Glitterfest held in Santa Ana CA.  As art/craft shows go, I found it to be very unique.  There were a lot of amazing and creative artists represented.  It was sooo crowded, but I managed to take some photos:

My daughter fell in love with these crowns, tiaras, and headbands; I will have to have a go at making one sometime soon…

These vintage button rings were so cute!

And even better, Maria Grimes of Garden Path Beads was there.  When I started making lampwork beads, I came across many talented bead makers.  There are only a handful of bead artists that I admire, and Maria is one of them.  She is a skilled lampworker, and comes up with the most wonderful and unique ideas to incorporate into her designs.  Here is an adorable pig pendant I bought – “When Pigs Fly”:

We decided to go to LA and visit our older son in his new apartment.  Before that, we took a walk through his campus at Loyola Marymount University.  I think LMU has one of the prettiest campuses around.  Since it’s situated near the Marina, the air was cool and fresh:

Afterwards, we went to his apartment.  We met his very nice girlfriend :-), and went for lunch at a local Japanese restaurant.  A very nice day!