Arizona.

And so our trip continued..From the beautiful shores of California to, what I thought would be, the dry, rather dead looking desert of Arizona. How wrong I was! Arizona is indeed a desert, but it possesses such charm and beauty! Someone once told me that they didn't think there was such a thing as ugly terrain. I was inclined to disagree at the time, but I'm beginning to understand what they meant. If you look hard enough, you can find magic in just about everything.

I also had a bit more fun editing this round of pics, and went a little 'Sepia' crazy... Normally, I'm content to just tweak the contrast and color saturation a bit, but some of those old desert-y towns have been around for forever and so I felt the need to enhance that :).

These pictures were taken at or near Tubac, Arizona (approx. 40 miles outside of Tucson). What made staying there even extra-special, was the fact that the golf resort encompasses a ranch started and owned by some of my ancestors- forever and ever ago. It's called the Otero Ranch and it was one of THE most relaxing, peaceful places I have ever been to in my life! Google it. We got to see a lot of the land and even took a tour of the original ranch house (built around 1789). It was sooo neat! :D
P.S. In 1959, Bing Crosby (LOVE him!), bought the ranch and helped turn it into what it is today. Score.

The old Tubac school which, sadly, we were not allowed to enter. Still, I think this is pretty much the eptiome of an old desert schoolhouse. :)

This church may appear ancient-esque, but it was actually built to accommodate resort guests. Deceiving...but still beautiful.

Crazily colorful tile, like the one on this staircase, was everywhere! So pretty :)

The original door of the previously mentioned ranch house.

The other original door and front entrance of the Otero Ranch House.

We made a friend :)

This picture is one of my most very favorites. Ever. In case you couldn't tell by the sheer ginormosity of it:). This is St. Ann's Catholic Church where, upon entering, my brother and I were asked to participate in a specific portion of the mass. We had no idea what that entailed however, and had to respectfully decline. It was a beautiful service nonetheless.