HERE THEY ARE..........

The visit was so short

but we had such a wonderful time together

talking about the upcoming wedding

and just catching up

They truly enjoyed the beautiful sunshine
(with lots of slathering of sunblock)
after such a harsh winter back East.

breakfasts on the patio


a wonderful dinner at a fabulous local eatery

The Spotted Donkey

How cute are these faces??

The night was stunning.

as we left the cantina
we spotted these sentinels
gathering to watch the sunset

.........and then
off they flew

xoxo

I AM JUST ON A LITTLE HIATUS..........

FIRSTBORN - SON -
AND HIS BELOVED AND BRIDE TO BE

ARRIVED VERY LATE LAST NIGHT AND WILL BE WITH ME
FOR ONLY A FEW DAYS.

I AM SAVORING EVERY MOMENT

AND WILL BE BACK WITH
ALL OF YOU DEAR FRIENDS,
NEXT WEEK.

UNTIL THEN........I WISH YOU BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE DAYS!!

XO rEllA

BEAUTIFUL SKY WINGS

I never tire of the beautiful vistas I am able to enjoy

on the way to work

on the way home

looking up over the house

Tonight was certainly not an exception to that.

I was so loving the sky as I came home I had to remind myself to
keep my eyes on the road.

In the driveway.....over to the mailbox....talking to my little bird on the phone
I had to say goodbye so I could hurry into the house and grab my camera
to capture the delicate sky wings.

They were everywhere!

Angels flying to and from all four corners.

This was the most magnificent one.

Absolutely HUGE

~

NOTES FROM THE empty NEST

My little bird.

She came

She worked

She flew away.

For the fifth year in a row my daughter flew in to help at the cafe

during the Balloon Festival.

Three insane days of mostly out of town customers

crazy blocked off streets making navigation through town interesting

looooooooooong hours

hard work and very little play.

We never could have done it without her.

People often ask us what is the hardest thing in running a cafe?

All five years our answer is the same.

"STAFF!!"

Finding and keeping.

So we really need all the help we can get for the two art fairs each year.


She flew in one day before the insanity began

which gave us a wonderful

Mother/Daughter day

We started at a fun and funky,
rather bohemian eatery in Phoenix called

Palatte
We arrived as the huge iron gates were being unlocked at 10 a.m.

and two stone angels greeted us as we walked up the steps






delicious banana coconut muffins
fresh out of the oven...so we had to take two home

ART POINTS THE WAY TO THE LAV

Yes, I brought the camera into the bathroom
How cool is this??

I think I'd like to do one wall like this at the cafe
Then off to the Botanical Gardens

to the Dale Chihuly exhibit

of amazing blown glass



carefully,

these were my favorites
they seemed like ethereal beings

artistically set

are you thinking 'body snatchers?'

amidst the flora, and cactus

under the brilliant blue sky

so stunning

me and my little bird

and now she is gone
This beauty was flitting about and leading
us to the butterfly garden

leaving memories

captured

on film

on paper

deeply in my heart