My First Impressions of Arizona

My parents had been living in Mesa, Az. for many years (10-15) before I finally visited them.  When my boyfriend (now my husband) heard I had never been there he insisted on taking me.  My parents were very excited to finally be able to show me their home and their new state of residence.

And I was finally excited to be going.  After departing the airplane I noticed that the Phoenix Airport seemed small and more congested than our two Illinois airports.  Not impressed yet.

Driving from the airport to my parent’s house didn’t instill much excitement in me, either.  I did note that things seemed “cleaner” from my highway view.  I enjoyed the highway “wall decor.”

I don’t remember the exact moment when I saw a mountain.  But I do remember my Mom pointing out Camelback Mountain to me.  This was the first time I had ever seen a mountain!  That was a “Wow!” moment.

My next memory of that first visit was when my Dad insisted we go to Tortilla Flats.  I was kind of afraid of the winding roads to get there and the little restaurant joint we ended up at after that trek.  But it was fun and this was my other exciting moment.  I realized that I had never seen a real saguaro cactus.  And here they were, lined up on hillsides like an army ascending.  I was mesmerized and realized that I had only seen this kind of landscape on television and at the movies.

Hmmmm, Arizona was kind of cool!

It’s downright cold here in Oak Lawn, IL, with a temp of 24 degrees and a windchill factor of 12.  Brrrrrrrrr!  On the bright side, it is much warmer than last week and is a very sunny day.  It’s 73 degrees in Scottsdale but feels like 80.  I can’t wait to return!

Photo by atridem