House Renovations

First it was the roof. One too many leaks in the dining room, even though it doesn't rain much in Phoenix. We had to get it done.
Then we decided to insulate and drywall the cement block TV/computer room. In the process, we thought we'd replace the old windows with energy efficient ones. We also replaced the carpeting in this room and in all the bedrooms.
We love this room now.
The biggest renovation was the kitchen. We scrapped off the old wall paper and Phil sanded the ceiling and walls. What a mess.
We replaced the old formica countertops with granite, and the old ceramic sink with a black composite sink, and new faucet fixtures.
Before:
After:

We also replaced the large, dated florescent light with recessed ceiling lights, under the counter lighting and a pendant light over the sink.

The ceiling fan had to go!

We like the new ceiling fan so much better. Phil painted the kitchen with "straw" and the accent wall with "caramel latte", or as he calls it, burnt sienna.

Putting up with all the dust and work has been so worthwhile. We are really enjoying the changes.

Atascosa Lookout Hike

We've been interested in the efforts of the Sky Island Alliance to protect the habitats of the sky island area in southwestern Arizona. When they advertised a hike in the region, we jumped at the chance to explore another area of the state and to learn more about their work. After staying overnight in Tucson, we met at their office yesterday morning at 8:00 and carpooled to the Pena Blanca Campground, arriving around 9:30.

Then we drove to the trailhead. The hike was 6 miles round-trip, with a 1500' gain in elevation, to the fire lookout on the top of Atascosa Ridge. We were anticipating clear views of the Baboquivaris, the Sierrita Mts, the Santa Rita Mts and even into northern Mexico.

Unfortunately, the rain started, but we decided to push on. (picture below was taken by Phil)

We made it to the lookout and huddled inside to eat some lunch.

As we opened the door to hike back down, we were greeted with a blast of snow. What a shock! The snow turned to driving, icy rain. We were soaked. (picture below taken by Phil)

Our bedraggled group made it back to Tucson by 3:00. After a quick change of clothes, we drove back to Phoenix, where we encountered more rain. What a day!