Daddy's take the kids to the Desert Museum

the cats are away... the mice will play ! - isn't that the saying? except in this case the cats are our wives... and the mice are the daddy's with the kids. Heidi and Brooke Puente were away this weekend at a women's retreat for our church. Nick and I had planned long ago that we'd take the kids to the Desert Meseum saturday morning. This was a first visit for my kids. The DM is about 14 miles exactly west of downtown Tucson Arizona - over and behind the Tucson Mountain Range in the lush sonoran desert. I've posted a few photos of the current state of the wild desert between downtown and the DM. It was a beautiful morning - 75 degrees at start and 90 by the end around 11:00am. Desert Meseum is very different than the zoo. Here we saw Lobos (spanish for wolf), Coyote's, snakes, beavers and crazy desert animals in their natural habitats. Much to my surprise the kids LOVED it. We'll definitely be going back.

#1 - a view of the monsoon rain rich sonoran desert - green as can be


#2 - a view up "Gate's Pass" that you go over coming from downtown Tucson


#3 - at the top of "Gate's Pass" looking west back towards Desert Mueseum


#4 - some sorta neat Owl on this handlers arm


#5 - Nick Puente with Elizabeth (3) and Joshua (18 months)


#6 - Me, Avalonne (3) and Leighton (19 months) sporting our "Air Force Academy" shirts from Uncle Dylan !


#7 - Another of the Puente's


#8 - Elizabeth with eye protection in the dinosaur dig sand pit


#9 - Joshua


#10 - Joshua pointing out the big horn sheep!


#11 - Avalonne (right) and Elizabeth (left) overlooking the water habitat


#12 - getting the girls attention


#13 - an attempt at direct flash - didn't like it but got good smiles from the girls


#14 - Great cross-processed feel for the colors and such - ambient light


#15 - Leighton - in the dinosaur dig - with the brush


#16 - Leighton exploring the rocks - processed with "old Skool fast" @ 45%


#17 - Leighton the big boy walking everywhere on his own and holding "water self"


#18 - Great Leighton Capture - love his EYES (Click on photo for full size versions) totally worth it in this images case!


#19 - Leighton admiring his surroundings at the Desert Meseum


#20 - Avalonne doing the same as Leighton - loved the sun on the hair


#21 - Avalonne being a kid