Double Rainbow - Phoenix, Tempe Arizona

Hello to my readers and those of you who have happened by. First I'd like to apologize that it has been a few days since my last post, it has been quit hectic around here lately. From here on, I will do my best to post at least five times a week if not more.
Today I thought I would share a few photos that I was lucky to have captured. They are photos of two rainbows, one above the other. The second rainbow is a little bit more difficult to see as it is lighter but if you click on any one of the photos you will see it much better. I typically do not edited my photos unless they need to be cropped or what have you. But with these, I chose to blank out the name on the building that is in the photos, the only way I know how is though Photoshop. Other than that, I only cropped two of the photos as I was trying to snap as quickly as possible, rainbows can disappear rather quickly. I was absolutely stunned when I saw this, I have never seen a double rainbow before. Unfortunately my photos do not do these rainbows justice, they were so beautiful. I hope you find my photos to be as beautiful as I do. Enjoy!!

Entering Arizona ~ Crossing the New Mexico/Arizona border

Well, by now most of you already know that we love to travel, even if it is only within the beautiful state of Arizona. This past December we took a family road trip, my husband, our son, our dog and of course myself. First we headed to Atlanta, Georgia to visit my Dad and then we headed down to Florida for a visit with my Mom. Needless to say we drove, yes from Phoenix, Arizona, as I do not fly and have not since 2000. That is a whole other in and of itself, so we'll skip that for now. You can only image how many pictures I have from that trip, over 1,000. What can I say I love to take pictures, especially pictures of this spectacular country. The photos I have for you today were taken in January as we entered Arizona from New Mexico. A few of them were taken at a gas station between Tucson and Phoenix. I know that sounds slightly odd but Arizona is just stunning, even at a gas station.
One of my favorite things about Arizona are the uniquely beautiful rock formations. I've traveled the world, well to Australia and the Bahamas, but that still counts, right. But nonetheless, I have seen some beautiful nature, but Arizona's mountains are just breathtaking. It should honestly be a requirement for residents and visitors to sit back and enjoy the view because if you do not, you'll miss so much beauty. Again, I truly hope that you enjoy my photos as much as I enjoy taking in all that Arizona has to offer.

The Desert

My husband and I enjoy driving as often as we can. We always take our son, obviously, and our dog with us when we venture out of the city. There is something about the open road that is so relaxing and in Arizona the scenery is breathtaking. I grew up in New Jersey so when I first moved to Arizona it was quite a shock. I can remember staring at the palm trees, cactus and mountains every time we went anywhere, even to the grocery store. I was in aw of this beautifully state and its natural diversity. Before moving to Arizona I can remember picturing desert everywhere with the lack of "real" trees. I honestly thought that there was just dirt and cactus everywhere. So you can imagine my thoughts when I took my first trip up north. Wow, they have grass and pine trees, it even snows in the winter. I was absolutely amazed by Arizona's natural beauty. Now, my husband on the other hand rarely, if at all, left his little neck of the desert in Phoenix - that is until he met me. I love to travel, that's what my family did, we traveled. So for me to have to stay in one spot was just plain unbearable. When my husband and I, before my son was born, started our little ventures, we would go to places such as Chandler and North Scottsdale. Until on day I had this bright idea to drive two hours north to Sedona. And thus our mini Arizona road trips were born.
The photos I have to share with you today were taken on one of those little road trips in November 2007. Most of them I took hanging out the car window while my husband drove so they may be slightly blurry in spots. I did my best in picking the best photos of the 300 I took, so I truly hope that you enjoy them. I can't be too specific as to the exact location of this photos because they were spur of the moment shots in the middle of the desert. I can tell you that they were taken approximately between 20 and 50 miles North East of Phoenix on highway AZ-87. Please enjoy my photos and comment where you see fil.

Papago Park ~ Phoenix and Tempe Arizona

We went out on a family outing today to Papago Park. It is always a fun place to take our son and our dog. I took a lot of photos, which I always do, so this post has more than usual. Every aspect of Papago Park is truly amazing. From the beautiful red sandstone mountains, to its lakes and even the Phoenix Zoo, Papago Park is spectacular. I hope you enjoy my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

For more information on Papago Park and the wonderful history behind it, feel free to go to the City of Phoenix website by clicking on the title of this post,
or you are more than welcome to reference the links in my Related Links section of this blog.

Arizona Lightning

I took this photo during a lightning storm in Phoenix. It does not storm often in Arizona but when it does it is absolutely magnificent. I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I enjoy the real thing.

Mogollon Rim, Tonto National Forest

The Mogollon Rim is so magnificent. When overlooking the Tonto National Forest encompassing 2,873,200 acres, one feels taken back by its beauty. We travel up to St. Johns, Arizona about once a year to visit family and every time we feel inclined to stop at the Mogollon Rim. The view is stunning and it is so peaceful, I highly recommend this spot for those enthusiast or even for the amateur campers. If you are ever in the area of Showlow or Payson, the Mogollon Rim is a must see!!

Sedona, Arizona

To start us off, I thought I would share a photo from my favorite town in Arizona. Beautiful Sedona, Arizona is home to many gorgeous photo opportunities, even for the less experienced. This photo was taken by my husband who can barely use a camera, to say the least. We were driving down a beautifully scenic winding road when we felt the urge to pull over. We jumped out of the car and started shooting. This happens often in Sedona, there is not a moment when you do not feel the need to just stop and start taking photos.

If you would like more information on Sedona, Arizona, you may visit their official webpage by clicking on the title of this post or you may reference my Related Links section in this blog.