Last Tucson Pictures

I love color.

Bisbee- Second day of our trip

Our hotel in Bisbee- cute old inn.

Castle Rock-view from our hotel.

Our inn!

Downtown Bisbee.

Tombstone- First day of our trip

Margarita at the saloon.

People in costumes in the street.

The bedroom of a man who did odd jobs at an inn in the 1800's- apparently he mined in his quarters.

Sunset in Tucson.

View from our hotel.

Finally my summer can begin!

I'm in Arizona, enjoying my first day of vacation. It feels wonderful to have no responsibilities (except a research proposal I will probably put off until the last minute). This summer was brutal, and one I hope never to repeat, but a lot of good came from it. It really emphasized what great friends and parents I have, with all the help they sent my way. I was able to take a few memorable trips camping with friends and family, though they were short. My dad pointed out that I probably did a lot more than someone who had twice the free time I did.

So not all bad, but like I said, no plans of repeating it any time soon. Instead, I'm focusing forward. Nine more months and I will have finished this degree, then there is a huge question mark for what I do next. The plan is to move where Leo is, wherever that is, but we won't know the location until next spring. Makes it harder to plan ahead, but I don't mind living in the moment for a little bit.

The current moment includes sipping a strong bloody mary in a cantina in downtown Tucson. Leo has a tricky math problem to deal with, so we started the day in Cafe Passe, an adorable coffee shop with a quaint veranda for covered outdoor eating. He studied while I tried to figure out what sort of trip we would want to take next weekend. When my hip protested so much sitting we walked along for a while before coming to an art market (Old Town Artisans) where I browsed while Leo found a spot to do his homework.

Tonight the plan is to check out the Glow Festival, an art show depicting luminescent artwork at a farm a bit out of Tucson. I'll post pics when I have some. We're trying to figure out the rest of our itinerary. In the way of things, Leo was given a bunch of work to do as soon as I got here, but I'm just happy to be with him and relax. There is a yoga studio just blocks away from his apartment that has all classes $4, so I'll go there while he is in class. I have also found that all public pools in Tucson are $2 admission, so I think I'll keep myself pretty entertained while he is doing school or tutoring. There is also that pesky research proposal, but we'll see when that happens.

A day with my family at the dunes

This is actually my view when I left.

Wind farm!

E. Wa has some of the prettiest sunsets.

Our spot for the day.

Safety first for Wesley :)

Smooth water and a private beach.

Wesley helped pack up.

Another angle on that sunset.

Good times were had.

Loves the boat.

Olympic National Forest

View from Hurricane Ridge.

My baby deer friend!

Hiking up to Lake Angeles.

Tired from hiking straight up for 3 hours.

The view was worth the climb.

Another shot.

I got all artsy again.

Little stream on the way down.

Cool tree that had been stripped of bark in some places.

Our tent site. Basically you can't have anything out because it attracts animals, so that is why it looks so austere.

Early August Trip to Port Angeles

Sitting on a dock on the bay.

We got art-y during our 12 mile bike ride.

One of my favorite pics from the trip.

A gorgeous day.

Triumphant in our biking adventure.

Wallace Falls Camping Pics

Wallace Falls is a state park in Gold Bar, Wa. It has some pretty beautiful views, and I'd recommend people check it out. Overnight camping is $20, so that's what I did at the end of July :)

Our site!

Siting the rocks with feet in the water when I took this pic.

Beautiful.

I was glad to get the chance to to do an overnight with my friends Renee and Alisha. This summer has been the epitome of "grab any free second" and take advantage of it. I will be heading back to Wallace Falls at some point soon, it is just too pretty not to visit often. More camping photos to come, as I did two days in the Olympic National Forest in early August.