Kartchner Caverns

Kartchner Caverns, originally uploaded by Jefferson Todd.

I'm with Ashley today. She planned a great day trip for us to Kartchner Caverns.

Jefferson Todd
(sent from my BlackBerry)

Here we are at the front of the park. Unfortunately they didn't allow any cameras so I'm not able to show you how amazingly beautiful it is inside the cave. There are two tours and we only took one and we're planning to head back for the next one sometime this year.

Chillin' at Lux on My Birthday

I've had a wonderful birthday so far. It started off with Ashley surprising me with balloons and a big sign on my car before we met up for coffee at Starbucks.

Then I hopped on the light-rail to head to downtown Phoenix and check out Lux. It's a coffee house that I have been wanting to see for a while. The place has been packed for the last 2 hours and the owner was so kind to give me a free coffee on my b-day. I think I'll be back again.

Four Peaks Brewery- Best Brewery

Four Peaks Brewery has officially won JT's Best Brewery of All Time Award! It's my favorite place to grab a cold brew and hang with friends. Plus they have stellar food to go along with a great brew like their Kiltlifer Ale.

Wurstfest - Oh how I miss thee...

I was only able to experience one day of Wurstfest in New Braunfels before I had to hop in my moving truck and get back to Arizona. I do plan on visiting next November so I can join in more of the festivities.



If you're ever near New Braunfels, TX during the first half of November, be sure stop by and check it out!


Mikie had a fun time introducing me to this wonderful 9 day salute to sausage.

My Travels Back to AZ

These are from a few months ago, but I thought I would post them. I took these photos on my way moving back to AZ after a summer in TX.

Let me introduce you to Louis M. Martini

This has been on the top of my list since my friend Bruce told me about it this summer and Ashley, her family and I have been enjoying a few bottles the last few weeks.

It's a wonderful Cabernet, but it's sibling from Napa Valley is even smoother. If you're in the Phoenix area, pick up a bottle from Total Wine up at the Desert Ridge Marketplace to get the best price.

What's With Turnarounds In Texas?

I just don't understand why you would design a road system that constantly requires you to make turnarounds. And then to make it easier on everyone, you add more roadways designed specifically for turnarounds.

I personally thought that Texas had one of the worst road systems that I've seen.

Any thoughts?

The Quarry Market - San Antonio

Anne Geddes

Anne Geddes, originally uploaded by Jefferson Todd.

I'm at Phoenix Symphony Hall listening to Anne Geddes present her history.

Jefferson Todd
(sent from my BlackBerry)

Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale Arizona.

The Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona is a beautiful place to have your wedding. Spring and fall are beautiful in the summer and this place resonates with desert beauty.





And the view in the evening is stunning!

Gruene and the Gristmill

If you ever happen to be driving near New Braunfels, TX be sure to take a break and visit the old district of Gruene and the Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar.




The Gruene district is very rustic and includes the old Gruene Dance Hall which is where George Strait got his start and claims to be the oldest dance hall in Texas.

Texas Rain

La Jolla Randomness

Sea Caves in La Jolla, CA






Around town

Matches

Life is easier...with an Eye-Fi card

I've been wanting to blog about this for a while but haven't had the time until now. There is a new product that I LOVE and its not the iPhone (for all of those who know me well). It's called the Eye-Fi card and it fits nicely in my small point and shoot camera.


This card connects to your home wireless network and will automatically download your photos (no wires) to your home computer and also to another online service if you wish (such as Flickr, Facebook, Smugmug). It's just amazing how easy it is to get the photos back onto my computer.

And the best part about having them also upload to Flickr is that I can easily share them with friends as soon as I get home. And I also have a nice backup of my photos online just in case a hard drive crashes.

Here's a sample: I took this photo of a drink and then it recognized that my computer was on the network and started downloading it.



It's little things like this that help make my life a little easier.

First Fridays - Nov

Here are a couple more photos from a First Fridays event in November.


This guy is out here every First Friday working on this mural that includes The Wizard of Oz.
It's so neat to see it progress each month.

First Fridays

Phoenix's First Friday Art Walk has become the largest monthly art walk in the nation which is surprising because downtown Phoenix doesn't have much to offer on a regular basis. Here is a photo from a previous trip down there. This last Friday was packed. It is amazing how this even has grown over the years.