Tucson, Arizona

We have visited Tucson many times and we were happy to return in October to petsit for friends who were going on vacation. Rox is a friendly little cockapoo who loves to go on walks and check out all the places where other dogs have been. Trill is a black cat with a white patch on her front. She got her name because she likes to be scratched while she eats and she makes a trilling purring sound while doing so. While in Tucson we also got to visit with friends and family, and we had an early Thanksgiving dinner in early November. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.

We were in Tucson for Halloween and many of our neighbors decorated their homes and yards.

Our neighborhood was near the edge of the desert and there were lots of great walking spots nearby. Walks near the end of the day often featured spectacular desert sunsets. The fall weather was perfect for walking.

Our neighborhood was located at the base of the Tortolita Mountains and we were a very short drive from the Tortolita Preserve. This 2,400 acre park has set aside a beautiful undisturbed habitat for native desert plants and wildlife. The Sonoran Desert is naturally verdant, with large stands of saguaro, cholla, palo verde, mesquite, and other desert plants. The preserve has an extensive trail system and Charlie enjoyed hiking there on many occasions.

Saguaro National Park has two separate units on the outskirts of Tucson, one on the east side and one on the west side of the city. Both preserve spectacular stands of saguaro cacti. We visited both the east and west units on separate days and enjoyed some of the trails through the beautiful desert.

Tohono Chul is a desert botanical garden on the north side of Tucson. We enjoyed walking through their desert gardens and we had brunch at their restaurant. We sat outside and the local bees were very interested in our food.