Arizona in April, 2026

My sister and I spent five days with our aunt, Erica, at her and our uncle T.J.'s home in Arizona, a little outside of Phoenix. While I captured the gorgeous sunsets and as many of the birds and wildlife as I could, there were lots of precious, cherished memories made. Long talks with our aunt each day, ice cream on repeat, swimming with Jen and getting stung by a bee I was trying to save in the pool, finding their high school 1980's yearbooks, a fun lunch out, banana bread and strawberries with our uncle on the last day, when he returned home from his own trip, and more. Really, these photos were an attempt to bring home as much of the desert as I could carry.

We saw three species of woodpeckers.

Jen with my favorite cactus, the pink prickly pear.

Jen asked for a few portraits with the Bougainvillea.

What a joy, to be so close to this Great Horned Owl!

The quail visit every day. I love them so much.

Evelyn has become our family rose. It honors my great grandmother, of the same name.

The woodpeckers drink from the hummingbird feeders, too!

T.J. and Erica, aka Auntie and Unclie.