With all the economic and political changes of this last year, we we're looking forward to the escape that being with family for the holidays would bring and couldn't wait to get to my hometown of Tucson, AZ.

We narrowly escaped a vicious storm driving out of San Diego and were greeted with 80 degree temperatures once we got into Arizona. Along with the perfect weather, the Sonoran Desert's beauty was quickly apparent as we came across this Christmas Tree Cactus with a tiny barrel cactus peeking through:

 We even came across the following quote from John Muir that really captured the essence and purpose of our travels:

Our visit to Tucson was not just a chance to see incredible wildlife and scenery, but also to visit really incredible friends before we left. Throughout the week, we went dancing, ate a specially prepared Kenyan dinner, and sipped some killer wines (2007 Darioush Shiraz from Napa Valley, a 2007 Clio 'El Nido' Red Wine from Jumilla, Spain and a 2001 Ladera Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon).