Monsoon Skies In All Directions

Jeep Adventure Through San Rafael Valley

Buggy's Thirteenth

Bug celebrated her 13th birthday with a party last weekend.  She planned the entire celebration from the Mickey Mouse earred invitations to the games and crafts which included Disney Scene-It and decorating paperdoll princesses with a table full of items from the craft store.  Her dad ordered the cake - which was delightful (it had real strawberries in the center- yum!).

Sunset Through The Spines

First Uniform Inspection {mobile monday}

Ahh! This girl makes me proud.

Railroad To The West

Plenty Of Fun To Be Had {favorite friday}

[Monsoon Aftermath  -  August 2011]

Ahh!  Love these monsoon rains!

Happy Friday!

xo - Jess

Swimming In The Pond

Military Man and I took a short day trip southeast of here through Corral Canyon.  The trail was awesome - very different from what we're used to.  The road was manageable but tight, sometimes barely enough room for the Jeep.  It was green as far as the eye could see, but don't let the heavy clouds and vibrant foliage fool you - it was still HOT! - humid and we caught the wrath of several mosquitoes when we hopped out to let the dogs run around and take a dip in the pond.  Copper was in dog heaven - he swam across that thing and back several times.  He also attempted to herd Daisy into the deep end to join him in the joy of swimming, but she was not liking the deep.  She mostly stuck to the shallow end and spent a good portion of her time dragging her chin along the edge of the water... weird girl!

It was nice to get out and explore a place that wasn't steep rock climbing and desert scape for a change.

- Jess

Spectacular Monsoon Skies

I read an online rant the other day where the author claimed that self-taught "faux-tographers were ruining the industry" by over-saturating images and making colors fake, ruining expectations of reality for the viewers.  Well all I have to say is this person must not have ever seen a southern Arizona sunset during monsoon season because these colors are for real.  I did not change the color, add anything to them or edit them with the exception of slight level adjustment, and a file resize for internet upload.  These colors ARE spectacular and I feel sort of sad for the person that believes skies like this are not real.

Calves In The Field

 Snapped these big babies from the window as we drove by. 

My New Diamond

More Monsoon Clouds - The View From Our Backyard

Back To School Fun {mobile monday}

I'm sharing these back-to-school shots from my phone.  Back-to-school shopping and lunch at none other than Guerro Canelo's in Tucson.  And then there was Freshman Orientation and Open House at the high school.  High school?!!  Yes, that's correct.  We officially have a student in high school... just four short years to cram all this fun into... makes me a little sad. 

- Jess

San Rafael Valley Skyline

Have a great weekend!
- Jess

Spectacular Monsoon Cloud Formations

I pulled off the side of the highway to catch these before they disappeared with the sun last weekend.  I've missed the opportunity far too many times this summer.  We've had some incredible skylines since monsoon season began and I have not always had my camera with me.  Clearly I need to rethink how I travel so that I can capture more of these moments.

On The Road Again {mobile monday}

Good morning!  Today's {mobile monday} is straight from the dashboard of my car as I traveled to Thatcher, AZ to visit an old friend.  She gave me a wonderful tour of the farming town.  While I was there, I was able to photograph her gorgeous teenage daughter with her best friend at some unique locations around the valley. I can't wait to go back and visit again, its such a beautiful place.  I was even treated to a spectacular lightning show most of the way home.  You really can't beat the monsoon storms that roll through, they're simply mesmerizing and a sight to see!

xo- Jess

Pass It On. {favorite friday}

[New York City, May 2011]

We did it!  

We survived the first week back to school, and very much looking forward to the weekend.  

Have a great one folks!

xo - Jess 

Our Summer Activities, part 2

Here's a brief look at the second half of our fabulous summer break... it went by far too quickly, that's for sure! 
* Monsoon season was a bit of a bust again this year, only a couple of good storms brought any actual, measurable rain to the desert.
* The kids enjoyed some Circus, Circus! in Las Vegas as we met Grandma for a two-week trade off.
* Cousin Jacob came down for a two-week visit we went camping and swimming and played video games.
* Grandma Brunette taught us how to make homemade candy - lollipops.
* Copper and Daisy made a new friend while camping, Tank.
* Copper and Daisy also got a little down when the kids were both gone to Utah and when they were packing backpacks in preparation for going back to school.