Deer Me

After yesterday's 1" of rain in about 12 hours, I was worried today's plans would get washed away too, but this morning dawned cloudy and dry.

We might have passed up the Grand Canyon Deer Farm in favor of higher-profile sights in Phoenix,

but a guy we met in our hotel elevator said it was not to be missed.

And he was right.

Leanne loved this place.

She was a little nervous about the deer being able to walk right up to her but she got over that real fast.

After the rains, I thought we'd be wading through muck and mire,

but the paths were paved and mostly mud-free. There were a lot of animals besides deer for Leanne to pet,

the miniature horse

and donkey being her favorites. She wanted to pet a llama that was near the fence line but we explained about "spitting" and she decided to pass. Smart girl.

Then we were off to lunch and the 2+ hour drive back to Phoenix. Before heading to our hotel, we stopped by the Rosson House, a restored Victorian mansion built by a doctor in 1890, and were fortunate enough to get in on a tour that had started 5 minutes previously.

The house was beautifully restored, with original ruby-red transom windows (the color came from gold dust used in the glass-making process),

and gib doors which opened upward like windows (don't think I've ever seen these before).

The lights were both electric and gas; the electricity grid was still fairly new and only came on at night.

None of the furnishings are original to the house.

This gorgeous coal stove came from a Tombstone hotel that was torn down.

I loved the dressmakers model and sewing machine in an upstairs alcove.

My favorite thing was this curved oak staircase. During the restoration, the crew found numbers on various parts - the entire staircase was a kit originally purchased during construction from Montgomery Wards!

Tonight we did homework (look at that nice kindergarten handwriting!) and taught Leanne about room service. She highly approves!

Tomorrow we head for home. I'm sad to see this trip end; Leanne turned out to be a fun travel companion. I see lots more trips in our future.