Greetings from Tucson!

Wow. So, after an entire day (starting at 4 am) of traveling, I'm finally in Arizona! It's sunny and 60 degrees, and at 6:15 pm, still bright out. Feels like 8:15 pm though, and I'm pretty exhausted. I inadvertently set the alarm for 3:30 am, and didn't need to get up until 4, so that was something of a bummer. And I tried to sleep on the plane, but it was a fitful sleep and cramped to set the least. I'm not a tall person, but being squeezed in the middle seat on a 4 and 1/2 hour flight felt like being squeezed into a sardine can.

I've never been in the Southwest. It's pretty crazy. Palm trees and cacti abound. Saguaro's jut up all over the mountains and stand on the ridges, looking like spines. The mountain themselves are so different than anything on the East Coast. On one side of the road, you'll see a dusty, barren expanse with large, rocky, craggy mountains jutting up. On the other side of the road, and entirely different looking mountain, green and looking much more verdant. Even the McDonalds, Walgreens and Target's are more interesting here, housed in adobe buildings with red tile roofs. I can't even believe I'm in the same country. I keep expecting to see some large body of sparkling turquoise water: I've have been "south of the border" before and the scenery is reminiscent of parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatamala (primarily the palms and cacti!) But these mountains! So incredible. The really tall ones have snow on top!

So tomorrow begins a day of beads. Tonight it's time for a little food and a margarita...I should sleep like an unbound sardine...