Royal Palms

We have been spending a fair amount of time in Arizona this year.  Our hands down favorite place to
stay is the Royal Palms in Scottsdale.

It was nice to escape winter for a bit.  All the flowers were blooming and the temps were pleasant.
We hope to go back at the end of this month when the orange trees are blooming.  When our kids were growing up, we would make a trip to Phoenix every Spring Break.  My husband is a baseball fan, and some of the baseball teams are in Phoenix for Spring Training.  I'm pretty content to lounge by the pool.  There is nothing quite like a city that smells of orange blossom.

We have stayed in many different resorts in the Phoenix area, but the Royal Palms is always the one we love the most.  I love the architecture and the way the paths meander from one outdoor room to another.    The spa is also quite nice.

 Unfortunately, while we were away this winter, there was a deep freeze at our Texas house.  I follow the Austin, Texas garden blog - Rock Rose - so I wasn't surprised to come back and find the garden looking rather dreadful.   My orange tree survived, as did the Fig Vine, but the Sago and Fan Palms look half dead.  Hope they can rebound.   As I type this, a deer is just outside my window.  So many things I have planted have become expensive deer food.  I can't bear to keep them out though.  What a treat to see them come up from the lake to graze on my lawn, and everything else:-)  Part of the joy of living in the countryside.

Photos By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman
Sotto Il Monte