The Lion King

We managed to get some escape time this weekend and trekked down to Tucson. For six months, I have been gazing wantonly at the Lion King tickets tacked to the corkboard in our kitchen. FINALLY, last Saturday, we got to see The Lion King (the Broadway musical based on the movie).

What a captivating show! To begin, the lights extinguished and we sat in the pure darkness of the theatre. Then the theatre door on the left opened, and I remember half-scowling in that direction, thinking, "You got here late, buddy, wait it out until the first scene is over." Suddenly, the door on the right opened. Music began from the faintest congo, spiraling up to an African chorus, and a procession of animals marched in from both directions as the lights in the theatre rose. I felt the goosebumps dotting both my arms and up the back of my neck.

The show was spectacular. I picked up the soundtrack from iTunes last night so I could enjoy hearing it while I'm hacking away code at work. I also got to experience lemon Eegee's -- a slushie that has real lemon pieces in it, and incredibly refreshing. We had just enough time left Sunday afternoon to catch the tram at Sabino Canyon. Unfortunately, the tram only went to two of the usual stops, because the rest of the roads winding into the canyon were destroyed by this past monsoon season. I took a few pictures, and I'll put them into Picasa this week to compare between last November and this past week.

The week before, we hiked the Superstition Mountains, taking the Peralta Trail all the way up to Freemont Saddle, which had a gorgeous view of Weaver's Needle. I'll post pictures from that hike as soon as I get them sized down in Picasa.