Skip to main content

A Day at the Arboretum






The mountain cities north of us show off an array of fall beauty.  Our family decided to get in the midst of all the yellows, oranges and reds as we drove up to Flagstaff, Arizona, a few weekends ago.  We visited the arboretum!




























*****************

A new exhibit features butterflies.  We had to carefully enter one of the greenhouses and watch where we stepped as fragile butterflies freely landed, sometimes on us!










****************


This photo features the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona.  Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona stands 12,633 feet.



We experienced perfect weather that day and enjoyed getting out in the fresh air on this little hike at the Arboretum.  It is a special memory of a day with family. 


"While the earth remains, Seed-time and harvest,
 And cold and heat, And summer and winter,
 And day and night shall not cease."
Genesis 8:22




Labels:

Comments

  1. LindaNovember 13, 2016 at 4:47 PM

    Beautiful photos. Looks like a great time! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. SandiNovember 13, 2016 at 4:53 PM

    Love love love the zebra butterflies!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nancy ChanNovember 13, 2016 at 7:19 PM

    Just the right time to enjoy the beautiful colours of fall and the butterflies. I would love to visit a butterfly farm. We have one in the highlands but its been a long time since we last visited it. What a lovely zebra butterfly you have there!

    ReplyDelete
  4. bettyNovember 13, 2016 at 9:22 PM

    Looks like such a beautiful place to visit and enjoy time together as a family! Living in Phoenix, one forgets the seasons do change in other parts of Arizona (though I should remember that from my time in Prescott :)

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  5. CherylNovember 13, 2016 at 11:09 PM

    What a beautiful day you had together! Seeing the beauty makes me think of the song, "God's Coloring Book". So pretty! Thank you for sharing, Mary! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pam WilliamsNovember 14, 2016 at 5:08 AM

    Sounds like a place I would enjoy. I especially love butterfly houses. It is so magical when they land on you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. NancyNovember 14, 2016 at 8:14 AM

    Family time in a beautiful place; what fun and memories to boot....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mevely317November 14, 2016 at 11:05 AM

    Stunning! .. You lucky ducks, you! :)
    I just wish Blogville had a 'scratch-and-sniff' app!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marilyn @ MountainTopSpiceNovember 14, 2016 at 5:54 PM

    What a lovely way to spend such a pretty day together! Loved the pictures of you and your sweet family, truly precious memories indeed, and how special to see the butterflies too!

    ReplyDelete
  10. a joyful noiseNovember 15, 2016 at 12:01 AM

    Your photos are awesome and such a wonderful family fun time too. Thank you for sharing with us here a Tell me a True Story.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ifeoma SamuelNovember 15, 2016 at 5:42 AM

    Lovely photos Mary! I'm so happy you are well😘It's been ages....
    Blessings to you

    ReplyDelete
  12. CeilNovember 15, 2016 at 2:19 PM

    Hi Mary! What a precious photo of hugs!! I love that!
    I've been to butterfly enclosures, but have yet to have one land on me. It is fun to see them fly around though. I enjoyed your photos of them too.
    Isn't God so creative and generous?
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
  13. caryjoNovember 15, 2016 at 3:06 PM

    Loved seeing this!! Made me SMILE!!! And REJOICE!! Bless you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. bailiNovember 16, 2016 at 5:48 AM

    hope you enjoyed the colors of fall from so being among them .
    loved your photos dear .

    ReplyDelete
  15. Creations By CindyNovember 16, 2016 at 7:03 AM

    Awe...looks like so much fun What great pictures. Happy Thanksgiving. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  16. RCUBEsNovember 16, 2016 at 7:38 AM

    Nothing beats the beautiful hues from nature! How wonderful to see you and bro. Tom still so close with your children, no matter what age. I pray my son would always cling close to my hubby and me too ;) And he still is despite being in college. We're grateful to God for the bond that comes from His love. I didn't know that butterflies smell with their antennae and taste from their feet? Oh God, thank You I don't taste things with my feet! :)

    I'd like to think we are in the process of transformation here like a caterpillar in cocoon and when our time comes to be Home, we'll be like those butterflies that will emerge beautiful!!!

    So many things to be grateful for...He deserves our thanks and praises. Happy Thanksgiving to you sister Mary. God bless you and your wonderful family! Hugs...

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousNovember 16, 2016 at 2:29 PM

    I love it up there! A year isn't complete without a trip to Williams for me!

    What a gift to spend it with family. Good for you! Wonderful shots!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...
23 comments
Read more

Abba's Lap

I noticed a behavior pattern in little Amy, twenty months old, that I want to imitate.  She moves fast engaging in one toddler activity after another spinning like a whirlwind from one room to another.  Yet, she pauses,  intermittently , long enough to get refreshed.   I want to be like this grandchild of mine because she knows where to go and how to get comforted. Amy moves at record speed, putting more miles on a pedometer in one hour than my accumulated weekly workouts at the gym.  She can build a skyscraper so tall, I wonder why those bright pink Lego’s don’t topple to the ground as she continues to stack just one more piece on top. I learned never to leave the room to get another cup of coffee.  Once, when I returned, I found her climbing past the couch with hands and feet reaching for the living room drapes. She has a consistent habit that I admire.  In the midst of her activities, as she moves robustly from one play...
51 comments
Read more

A Surprise at the Mall

I lost touch with a writer friend.  I missed her and her cheerful blog posts.  We met up in a most unusual way!  I’m still in awe of how it happened. I finished my shopping at the mall and took a short cut to get to the parking lot.  The path led me through the food court.  The smell of Chicken Fajitas stopped me in my tracks.  I planned lunch elsewhere, but now I followed my nose. I chewed my first bite of chicken taco salad when, out of nowhere, a loud redhead moved rapidly past the tables and into the booth with me.  “I know you !”  She shouted.  I pondered if I knew this crazy lady.  Did she mistake me for someone else?  She shouted louder and stuck her finger in my face:  “ You’re Mary; you have a blog called Pile of Smiles and you live in the Verde Valley .”   It took me a second to compose myself.  I stopped chewing my food.  I know I stared too long at her face and then she said:...
48 comments
Read more