Serve by Design

Arizona is home to the Mighty Saguaro Cactus. I enjoyed their splendor in the Saguaro National Park of Tucson. I’ve also seen thousands of giant saguaros dotting the landscape of the Sonoran Desert while driving Interstate 8 along the southern border of the state. It is only appropriate that the Grand Canyon State should designate the Cactus Wren as their state bird and make the Saguaro Cactus Flower the state flower. Arizonans are immensely proud of their cacti heritage! Credit: gettyimages.com There are several reasons why the saguaro cactus is so admired. It is stately in size and stands as the tallest cactus in the United States. Although it may take ten years to grow one inch, the average height for a saguaro is over forty feet. Biologists say they only begin to spread their branches or iconic arms after 95 to 100 years and this variety of cacti are not even considered mature until after 125 years! Further, the waxy and thick outer skin of the saguaros protects them from excessi...

Hot air balloons have been an entertaining fascination for me since Reece and Melissa moved to the Albuquerque area in 2006. Our visits have given us an opportunity to attend the annual International Balloon Fiesta several times. It is the largest hot air ballooning event in the world. There isn't anything to be compared to being on the infield of the park at daybreak for the "Mass Ascension" as hundreds of balloons are launched. Participants are sometimes requested to assist the crew in readying for launch by helping unpack the balloons and gondolas, pulling out the balloon fabric, holding the tie-down ropes, or helping to move the crowd out of the way when they are near launch-time. We have seen traditional balloons that are so colorful and expansive as well as special-shaped balloons that are featured on certain launch days to the delight of children and the young-at-heart. These depict comic, movie and theme-park characters in all shapes and sizes. Every early October...