Thanksgiving

Dave says: For the week of Thanksgiving we headed down to Arizona for some sunshine. We enjoyed temperatures reaching the 70s and even low 80s and Alisha was even wearing her shorts. We went on two nice hikes with my mom and dad. The first involved a 4x4 experience out towards WoodPecker Mine to the east and we found an old mine although it turned out to be a different one. We were looking for some amethyst which we didn't find but my mom did come across an old pocket watch in the mining ruins.

The second hike was southeast of Phoenix and took us into Hidden Canyon for a really nice hike in the canyon including a section that slotted down pretty tight. On Thanksgiving we made it out to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum which is one of my family's favorite spots. The desert is really pretty out there we had a nice picnic. We took a walk on some of the trails and my dad even caught a snake which Alisha decided that she wanted to hold (more brave than me).

It was fun to spend time with family. We had a big Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle's house. We also made it to Christine's kids soccer games and to one of Daniel's band concerts. We stayed with my grandparents who always treat us really well when we are in town.

We also made it down to Tucson for a day trip to visit the U of A and connect with many of the great professors and students that we are friends. I still have research projects with many people there. Also, my cohort members Mike and Scott have both recently received job offers so it was fun to be there to congratulate them. Overall, it was an exceptional week!