St. George, Wind, Rain, Hot Chocolate - yes in the Desert

October is suppose to be the perfect time to visit St. George. I should know, I spent a 2 years living there trying my darndest to NOT come away with my associate degree. I remember how great the fall weather was in St. George, it is suppose to warm, hottish even, while people up North were turning on there heat and bundling up, we were running around in shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops.
This weekend we decided to go to St. George, I have been trying all summer find a time I could take Risi to see Les Miserables at Tuacahn. Tuacahn has become a a tradition for us, we first took her to see The Wizard of Oz 5 years ago, and have gone back every year since. We have seen Peter Pan, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and now Les Mis. They do an amazing job and never cease to leave us/me inspired. This year we came seriously close to having our much treasured tradition come to a halt. I had even resigned myself a few weeks back that it wasn't going to happen. Then we found a couple weekends we could take our family down and on top of that were able to stay in a beautiful house. (A couple of the owners of Tom's company has a house that is furnished and vacant, and they are kind enough to share) So, I check on line for tickets and the play is sold out - on Saturdays, not surprising it's the end of the season and the reviews for this have been fabulous. I managed to find some tickets, single tickets, but sitting back to back and on the very far end, but - in the front. I bought the tickets excited that we could at least go, and having been there did know that you can see really well just about anywhere. Tuacahn is so gorgeous, it's a red rock desert amphitheatre. I have seen Les Mis in Los Angeles, and then with the traveling broadway cast in Las Vegas and SLC, so, I was a little worried - but this was easily Tuacahn's most impressive production yet. Now - the weather, that was less than acceptable. I HATE being cold, I really hate it. And, Saturday night it was freezing. We had layers and blankets and still it was freezing. When I say freezing I mean Tom went and got us hot chocolate during intermission and mine was luke warm by the time it got to me. It was up North, winter cold, and I was not happy about that.
Earlier in the day I had things planned out, we would hike around Snow Canyon - great place to hike with small kids. We would wear them out, bring them back to swim and then take an afternoon nap. Yeah - right, no one likes to hike in the desert with high winds, and rain. So, I snapped a few pictures of the kids running around Tuacahn and then really within minutes they are pleading with me to stop and can they please go back to the house where there is a fire and heat. They did swim in an in door pool, and that helped wear them out, but there was no hiking and no afternoon nap. Wait, I think Tom found a spot on the couch with a game on. I was sad about the hike, I love desert hiking as much I love anything. I got my red dirt fix at the Dixie rock, I forgot to take my camera so no pictures of that.
A word about the 'Pom Pom' trees, when Risi was little she called Palm trees 'Pom Pom' trees and ever since then that's what they are called in our family. Robby was freezing his hiney off as I was making him stand by the little one - he loved that it was a baby pom pom tree.