The Superstition Mountains near Lost Goldmine Trail. 

Here is a saguaro with a definite, distinctive character.

A forest of saguaros near the the Lost Goldmine Trailhead.

 The sihlouette of a saguaro.

Dinosaur Mountain near Gold Canyon Ranch. 

The Phoenix area's new light rail system (Albuquerque's wet-dream!)--this is the farthest station east in Mesa at Main St. and Sycamore.

Looking west down the rail line on Main Street in Mesa. 

Approaching the doors to get on board! 

The inside of the train. 

The rail system stretches across the Valley of the Sun--from Main and Sycamore in Mesa to 19th Ave and Montebello in Phoenix.  Here is the listing for all the stops. 

This is one of the trains at the far west station:  19th Ave and Montebello.  A one-way ride across the valley takes about an hour and a half. 

Our train that brought us back to Mesa.

The skyline of Phoenix. 

When we first moved to the Phoenix area in 1989, we lived in the Pine Garden Apts in Mesa.  Those were the days of cheap rent and cheap food in the grocery stores; Phoenix was an inexpensive place to live--it was just under one million people in population.  Today, the story is much different--it's an expensive place with a population of over three million.

In 1991, we bought this house on E. 8th Ave in Mesa.  It looked a whole lot different then:  there were only two tall palm trees in the front yard (which are still there, but the other trees block them out).  There was no fence; and the car port was not enclosed to make a room like it is here. 

Lincoln Elementary School ... where three of my kids began school:  Vernon, Krystal and Robyn.

This was my favorite Chinese buffet when living in Mesa--I can't believe it's still there!  In fact, when I was in a convenience store here in Albuquerque one day, I heard someone talking about the China Panda Buffet in Mesa and how good it was!  It's located in the southeast shopping center at Country Club and Southern.