Mom just returned from Phoenix, Arizona. I loved it there. The heat of the summer was relatively mild while we were there. there were no mosquitos to attack me whenever i sat outside on my hotel balcony. that is a plus in my mind!!!

highlights of the trip:

beautiful J. W. Marriott hotel; the Marriott actually has timeshares that adjoin the hotel called Canyon Villas if you ever want to check on Interval for getaways. they are two bedroom villas. they are only half built out so far and plan to finish the first phase of build out this year. maybe by next summer there might be some available inventory for getaways. they enjoy all the amenities of the hotel and spa. sitting outside one morning around 545 AM(yeah the time difference really played havoc on my sleep) i watched the sun come up over the mountains (spectacular) and the bunnies were playing around me as well as the birds and hummingbirds.

phoenix airport has some real beauty associated with it. the ceiling looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright lamp and some of the walls by the escalators reflect the boulders and red rocks of the area.

everything in Phoenix appeared clean - no litter. we went on a tour on wednesday to the Heard Museum and along the way we drove through several neighborhoods. lots of different types of housing but mostly stucco. We also passed through an area where Frank Lloyd Wright had built several homes. The tour guide said they were selling for a pretty penny now when they change ownership. Saw the Wrigley mansion that is now a private club and also the Barry Goldwater home (none of you probably know him - he was a prominent politician many years ago).

The Heard Museum is fantastic. Not a large museum but a real tribute to the Native Americans. We didn't have nearly enough time at this museum so just hit the high spots. They have a fabulous museum gift shop which you can view online at www.heardmuseumshop.com
the jewelry was fabulous but pretty pricey. I bought a CD of native american music (mostly instrumental) that is wonderful. This museum represents all the native american tribes in Arizona. There was a very sad side to this museum tour. Back in the early 1900s (i believe was the timeframe) the americans decided the best way to integrate the native americans into our%2