And so ends another adventure......

"I'm growing older but not up

My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck

So let the winds of change blow over my head

I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead"

(Song by Jimmy Buffett:  "Growing Older but Not Up")

.....and so ends another great adventure in the Valley of the Sun.  Dana and I finally arrived home 2 days ago after what seemed an eternity on the road.  Actually it was 13 days.  The visit with our dear family along the way was not as planned as Dana came down with a bad flu and was mostly bed ridden.  She lost 4 or 5 days of the return trip but is now almost completely recovered.  Barry's health is holding up.

These past 3 months has been fantastic.  Our  2013 Adventure in The Valley of The Sun has provided us with a treasure trove of fantastic memories.  Our shared and individual experiences include seeing new and familiar sights when travelling to and from Arizona, spending time with family in the resort, bike riding in the desert, coaching tennis, golfing, hiking and running in some of our favorite desert parks, new hikes (to Flatiron, the top of the Superstition Mountains), extensive birding (125 species in Arizona), visiting old friends and also making many new friends.

 So here we are back in Victoria.  It is April and in spite of Barry's concern that we would return to cold rainy days it is actually sunny and warm.  When we arrived home on Saturday afternoon we were overwhelmed by greetings from neighbours and friends who welcomed us back to the neighbourhood.  We are truly blessed to live in such a great community.

So, it is back to life in Victoria for us.  It does feel great to be in our own home.  Once again when we arrived home we were awestruck by the size of our house, at least compared to our temporary home in Arizona.  We are both determined to downsize and reduce our footprint.  No telling what that will lead to.  No plans to sell everything and be "full-timers" as the RV'ers call themselves.  I think just reducing some of the clutter and "stuff" that we have accumulated over the years will be a good start.  We are asked about our plans for next winter.  Are we going back to Arizona?  The answer is, "How could we not go back to Arizona"?  It seems that after 3 years of being snowbirds the need to migrate south in the winter is very, very strong.  So, yes, that is the plan.  Stay tuned for another Adventure in the Valley of the Sun in 2014.

This is the final post of our 2013 adventure.  I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog posts as much as we have enjoyed writing them.  Until next time, Ciao!

The long road home......

Last night we stayed at the Marriott Springhill Suites in North Las Vegas.  Beautiful room.  What a treat it was to stay in a suite that was almost as big as our park model in Mesa.  This room had a walk in shower that was large enough for two.  Like it is said, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".  Ha!

We woke this morning to sun, high wind from the north and plummeting temperatures.  When we departed North Vegas it was about 40F but felt much colder.  The trip north on highway 93 was long.  Very long.  We drove into a stiff north wind all day.  We stopped for coffee several times and had a lunch stop in Ely, Nevada.  It was here that we succumbed to the reality of the season and changed from shorts to long pants, fleece, jackets, gloves and hats.  Barry is still whining and Dana is still being positive.  Barry is contemplating his first bike ride in the rain and Dana is thinking of planting early potatoes.  It seems that Dana's shipment of seed potatoes from West Coast Seeds was delivered to our home on Victoria 2 days ago.

A couple of bird highlights for the day were several sighting of Rough-legged Hawks and Red Tail Hawks.  Also, we saw a large flight of snow geese heading north.  Personally I think they will settle down somewhere in Nevada and wait for better weather.  This would be very sensible unlike what we are doing.

Tonight we are in Twin Falls, Idaho.  The sign down the street indicated that it was 36F at 8:00 p.m.  With the wind it felt like 26F.  It is supposed to drop to 25F tonight.  Dana said that it will be much warmer when we get to the coast.  I am clinging to that thought.

Tomorrow our plan is to drive to Cle Elem, Washington.  This is another 500 plus mile day.  We are feeling the effects of inactivity.  Just a couple more days and we will be somewhere we can get the bikes out and ride, ride, ride.  We can't wait for that.

Ciao!

Elegant Trogon - Star of the show!

Today was our last day of birding in southern Arizona.  It was another outstanding day.  We added 9 species to our year to date list, which now stands at 125.  Plus we saw some of our favorites.

We departed Green Valley around 8:00 and travelled south to Nogales, Az, then northeast towards Patagonia, Az.  We made 3 stops to search for birds.  Well, actually the stop at Mrs. Patton's house cannot be described as "searching for birds" as all we did was sit in the backyard and wait for the birds to appear.

Our search for the Elegant Trogon was the highlight of the day.  We found him at the Patagonia Lake State Park.  We had a bit of a problem finding him.  The direction to the location of the bird was a bit vague.  We overshot the turnoff for the bird and had to double back on the trail until we spotted what looked like a stream crossing that would take us to the trail where the bird has been spotted.  Sure enough once we got across the stream in the right location we spotted a few birders through the trees.  Within no time we got to the location and there he was, the Elegant Trogon.  Elegant certainly describes the bird.  I have included a picture so you can see for yourself.  Once again, it is not my picture.

One observation we made of the area we were birding in is that it seemed we had gone back a month of so.  There was very little green vegetation, except for some of the cottonwood tree that lined Sonoita Creek.  The elevation of the area was around 4,000 feet and this must have been a factor.  Also, we are not sure if they got the winter rain that we got in the Valley of the Sun.  All this could have impacted the variety and number of birds in the area.  While we were thrilled with the 9 new species, overall we were a bit disappointed in the variety.

New birds and their location:

Patagonia Lake State Park

• Bullock's Oriole
• Chipping /sparrow
• Lucy's Warbler
• Elegant Trogon

Mrs. Patton's House in Patagonia

• Lazuli Bunting
• Scott's Oriole
• Pyrrhuloxia (male and female)

Patagonia - Sonoita Creek Preserve

• Black-chinned Hummingbird

Highway I-19, north of Tubac (just before CBP Checkpoint at Chavez Siding)

• White-tailed Kite

Elegant Trogon

Tubac hawk watch, and much, much more....

Another amazing day of birding in southern Arizona!

Dana and I left Green Valley at around 8:00.  We were destined for Patagonia where we hoped to spot the Elegant Trogon that has been resident there for a couple of weeks.  On the way we planned to stop in Tubac and hopefully spot a Common Black Hawk.  Boy, did our plans change in a hurry!!!

We did stop in Tubac, 10 miles south of Green Valley, but what we found exceeded any expectations we might have had regarding the Common Black Hawk.  We were fortunate to find "ground zero" of the migration Hawk Watch that has been going on since March 1st.  An avid birder has been set up in the County Park in Tubac every day this month and is recording the annual Black Hawk migration.  We arrived at the County Park at around 8:45.  We found the fellow and 6 other birders already scanning the horizon for hawks and vultures.  They welcomed us and in no time included us in the observation.  At 9:15 the main event began.  First there was a Zone-tailed hawk rising into the sky on the horizon to catch the thermal highway north.  Then suddenly there were one, then 2 Common Black Hawks.  Then a Gray Hawk could be heard calling from the cottonwood trees that line the Santa Cruz river adjacent to the Park.  Over the next 30 minutes the action was fast and furious with 8 Common Black Hawks clearly observed.  A pair of Gray Hawks thrilled us with their aerobatics as they flew over the trees next to the park.  Also observed were 4 Zone-tailed hawks, 60 Turkey Vultures, 13 in a single "kettle", 2 Black Vultures, 1 Red Tailed hawk, 1 Cooper's Hawk and 1 Northern Harrier hawk.  Wow!  That was way cool.  To think we just dropped in to see if maybe we could spot a single Common Black Hawk and then to be part of the observation of all these magnificent birds.  I can't tell you what a thrill it was.  But wait, there is more, much more.....

During the Hawk Watch we observed a Cassin's King bird sitting on a fence not far from where we were set up for the Hawk Watch.  Then, a couple of Vermilion Flycatchers showed up, maybe to watch the show???  Also, we observed a Ladder-backed woodpecker in a tree adjacent to the park.  All this, before coffee break!

When it appeared that the daily migration of hawks and vultures was over we headed into Tubac for coffee and a rest.  We decided that birding in Tubac was so hot that we would delay our trip to Patagonia and spend the rest of the day birding the Juan Bautista De Anza Historic trail that runs along the Santa Cruz River near Tubac.  I mean, after the thrill of seeing all the birds before coffee this morning any other sightings would just be icing on the cake.

Our luck did not run out with the sightings of 8 Common Black Hawks.  In fact, it got better.....  Here is a list of the birds we identified between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.:

Vermilion Flycatcher (male and female)
Say's Phoebe
Black Phoebe
Yellow Warbler
Lesser Gold Finch
Northern Cardinal (male)
Yellow Rumped Warbler
Bewick's Wren
Gray Flycatcher
Rufous Backed Robin
Bridled Titmouse
Broad Billed Hummingbird (many)
Ruby Crowned Kinglets
Green Tailed Towhee
Bell's Vireo
White Crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White Breasted Nuthatch
and, the grand finale....  Gray Hawk sitting in a tree!  That was awesome!

We are now at 116 species for our year to date list.  Tomorrow we will definitely go to Patagonia and hopefully spot the Elegant Trogon and a few more species to add to our growing list.

The day ended as it has the past 2 with us lounging pool side at our hotel.  You know what?  This birding thing is alright......  Ciao!

Here are few pictures from the day.  Enjoy!

Hawk watch at County Park in Tubac, Az

Barry watching a Green Tailed Towhee 

The Gray Hawk we spotted in the trees along the Santa Cruz River

Colourful mystery bird in Tubac.  Anyone want to help us with identification?

Good-bye Mesa, hello Green Valley

Whine, Whine, Whine.....  Parents hate hearing, "Are we there yet"?  Dana got just a bit tired of hearing, "It is raining back home", and "I know we are going to freeze when we get home".  So, in a bid to head off the inevitable, rain and cold back home, we departed Mesa on the 18th and headed south to Green Valley, Az for four days of sunshine and birding.

Let me back up a smidgen.  As planned our final days in our 400 square foot home in the RV Resort was spent packing, cleaning and saying good-bye to many dear friends and neighbours.  Unless you have had the snowbird experience it is hard to describe the connections one makes with other snowbirds.  On the 16th we attended our last neighbourhood block party.  St. Patrick's Day was the theme.  Many were in a celebratory mood.  Dana and I were celebrating too, kind of.  We were happy to be there among friends but we were also a bit melancholy knowing that we were soon to be departing and not knowing for sure if we would return to 14th street next January.  Sunday, the 17th brought more packing and cleaning, and visiting.  We had a lovely dinner at my brother's place and got a chance to do a bit of reminiscing and speculating on the year ahead.  Mid-morning of the 18th we were all ready to go.  Final good-byes were said to Lila and Leroy, Scotty and Rosie, Mike & Darlene, Kelly & Donna and Kevin, Sherry, Mike and Emily who are on spring break and showed up the night before, and others who happened to wonder by our unit.  Then, it was time to head out of the park for the last time in 2013.

 So, here we are in Green Valley.  Green Valley is located about 45 miles south of Tucson.   Other than the fabulous birding opportunities there is very little, no I'm being kind, there is nothing in Green Valley to write about.  So, I won't.

Birding in southeast Arizona is terrific.  There are many hidden valleys, Riparian Preserves and Nature Conservency protected areas to explore.  Then there are just the open desert areas that attract hawks and other raptors.  Today, the 19th, we explored Madera Canyon.  The number of species of birds present was not overwhelming but in the few hours that were there we added 11 new species to our bird count for the year.  Barry had been stuck at 95 species on his year to date list.  Today he blasted through the 100 mark and ended the day at 106 for the year.  Today the new species included:

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet
Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
White Breasted Nuthatch
Hermit Thrush
Bridled Titmouse
Acorn Woodpecker
Painted Redstart
Mexican Jay
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Wild Turkey
Gray Headed Dark Eyed Junco

I have included photos of the some of the birds we saw today.  I did not take the photos.

Tomorrow we will be off again in search of birds to add to our lists.  In particular we will be on the lookout for the Common Black hawk (not an attack helicopter) and the Elegant Trogon.  Wish us luck.

White Breasted Nuthatch

Painted Redstart

Acorn Woodpecker

Bridled Titmouse

Family fun in the sun and rain.....

Last week began with back to back bike rides on Monday and Tuesday.  It was fun but not nearly as much fun as having Dana's sister Erica and friend Sandy visit us from Tuesday to Friday.  While they were only here for  3 days we packed in quite a lot of activity.  btw: I am including sunning by the pool as activity.....

We picked the gals up at the Gateway Airport on Tuesday afternoon.  From the airport we went direct to their hotel which, through good planning on Sandy's part was only 5 minutes from our resort.  We hosted Erica and Sandy for dinner and returned them to their hotel.  Food seemed to play a fairly prominent role in the next 3 days as, surprise, all activity was planned around the next meal or snack, including happy hour.

On Wednesday we went to the Gilbert Water Ranch to explore the Riparian Preserve and see what birds were on hand.  We spent the morning searching the bushes and ponds.  It was great fun.  We went back to the resort for lunch.  After lunch Barry went to tennis, the last practice for the year, and the gals went off to enjoy the pool at their hotel.  In the evening we went to the Blue Adobe for dinner.  Note to diners:  Ordering "Christmas" salsa means you will get red hot salsa with your mild green salsa.  HOT, HOT, HOT!

On Thursday morning Barry went to support the 1.5 tennis team who he has been helping coach since January.  It was the teams last league matches of the year.  They won 6 out of 8 matches that morning.  There were a lot of smiles from players and coaches.  The gals headed out to hike the Wind Cave trail at Usery Mountain Park.  We had lunch here at our park model and then went back to hotel to enjoy a few hours in the sun around the pool.  In the evening we got take out pizza from Vito's.  Because it was so warm were enjoyed happy hour and dinner at our patio table in our patio/carport.

Friday was a weather event.  As predicted by the weather forecasters the temperatures dropped and the rain came down in buckets.  As we have said before, weather here is very dramatic.  If you like drama, Friday provided plenty.  Rain, hail, lightening, thunder and high wind.  However, we jumped on a break in the action in the morning and raced to the Salt River for some terrific birding.

And then, just like that, we were heading to the airport Friday afternoon to drop Erica and Sandy so they could catch their afternoon flight back to the Pacific Northwest.  3 days had just evaporated.  While were unable to convince Erica and Sandy to stay for a few more days, we did send them off with smiles on their faces and just maybe a bit of colour in their cheeks.  We hope that they will let others back home know that this is a great place to visit....hint, hint....

Here are a couple of pics from the week.  Enjoy!

Dana, Erica and Sandy at the Gilbert Water Ranch 

Hail on the road up Usery Pass road.  Okay, this is not that exciting but it certainly was at the time.
  Dana was driving and wisely pulled off the road to let the "event" pass.

This Shire foal is 5 days old.
  We spotted him at a small farm that is next to the Gilbert Water Ranch.

A week to write home about....

This has been a great week it has been here in the Valley of the Sun.  My health has returned to near normal which has allowed us to kick it up a notch.  The weeks summary of activity is as follows:

Cycling - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday.  Total of 220 kms.
Birding - Tuesday at the Gilbert Water Ranch
Hiking - The epic Siphon Draw/Flatiron trail on Friday
Cultural event - Saturday -  55th Annual Indian Fair and Market at the Heard Museum.

It seems that with the passing of every day we look at the calendar and realize that our days here are short.  When we wake tomorrow we will have 14 days to enjoy our winter home before we begin our trek north to the cold wet remnants of winter.  Madelyn wrote to us today and told us of the joy of seeing the first Daffodil of "Spring".  Dearest Madelyn, I am overjoyed that your spirit is lifted by the sight of a lone Daffodil.  It was 80F here in the desert today.  We now seek shelter from the hot sun.  The grapefruit tree outside our park model is covered in buds and will soon flower.  The thought of  leaving here to return to the Pacific North West where April showers are cold and endless though they give way to May flowers, or perhaps more showers.   Oh joy!

This is a big week coming up.  Erica and Sandy will arrive on Tuesday.  Planning is underway to find interesting and fun stuff to do while they are here.  I am sure there is hiking and birding involved, and perhaps a bit of down time at poolside....

We spent yesterday at the Heard Museum.  This is the second time we have taken in the Annual Indian Fair and Market.  It is difficult to describe the scope of this event.  There is an amphitheatre which is used for Indian dancing, story telling and music.  We were able to watch several artists.  We wandered through part of the market.  The quantity and quality of the merchandise was amazing.  There were carvers, weavers, artists, jewelry designers and makers, glass sculpture, pottery, etc.  Native Indians from across the U.S. and Canada were represented.  We also had a tour of the museum.  This museum is fully dedicated to Native Indians, their culture and history.  If you are in Phoenix this time of the year I strongly recommend attending this event or visiting the museum.

Here are a couple of pictures from our day at the Fair.  Enjoy!

Flag of the Apache Nation

Flag of the Yavapai-Apache Nation

Sculpture and glass work by an artist from the Quinault Nation in Washington State

Dancers from the Navajo Nation

  

On Top of the Superstitions Mountain

Here we are at the top.

I could very well have titled this post "Climbing to the top.  One boulder at a time"; or, "What a great view.  How the hell do we get down?"; or, "Holy crapola.  What were we thinking?"

Yesterday, Dana and I, together with 3 friends tackled the Siphon Draw/Flatiron trail.  I have include several photos from the hike/climb.  You really must enlarge the photos to get the feel for what we endured/tackled/accomplished/survived.  Dana and I are experienced hikers having logged many, many miles in the North Cascades, Mt. Baker National Forest.  All of our hiking is normally done on trails, mostly of the clearly defined type.  The Siphon Draw/Flatiron "trail", and I use that word in most general sense possible, was hands down the toughest hike we have ever attempted and completed.

The Siphon Draw trail begins in The Lost Dutchman State Park and is approximately 2 1/4 miles of mostly gentle grade up into the Superstition Mountains.  The official trail ends in a box canyon in a large bowl called "the basin".  Most hikers make this their destination and after a few minutes of rest  return to the Park.  Others, us included, tighten the laces on their hiking/climbing/trail shoes, have a small snack and a drink of water and proceed up a steep rock slope which marks the beginning of the unofficial "Flatiron" trail.  This is not a conventional trail rather a series of rock walls and slopes connected by boulders and loose rock.  Over the next 8 tenths of a mile we climbed and scrambled gaining 1,500 feet in elevation before we reach the top.  Oh, by the way, just when you think you have had enough, and I certainly did several times, and you can see the top, you are faced with one last obstacle, a 15 foot wall of rock.  It took us several several minutes each to pull ourselves up the rocks but we did and the pay off was "priceless".   Elevation on the Flatiron ridge is approximately 4,800 ft.  This is not the highest climb for us but as I said, physically it was the toughest.

From the Flatiron ridge you can see Phoenix to the west, Pass Mountain (Usery Park) to the north west, the San Tan Mountains to the South west, the Catalina Mountains to the south, and I actually thought I caught a glimpse of Mt. Lemmon to the South (probably not....).  We did not take a picture of the vista because there is no way my little camera could capture what we saw.

After a good rest and lunch it was time to consider getting down off the mountain.  I admit to looking at the flat surface of the ridge as an excellent Heli-pad.  I did however keep this thought to myself.  The climb/scramble down to the Basin was less treacherous than I thought it would be.  Dana and I stuck together the entire way down.  While normally downhill hikes take about half the time of the uphill hike, this one consumed very close to the same amount of time.  In fact it took about 1:45 to go up and 1:30 to come down.  This should give you an idea of the challenge we faced finding our footing and hand holds both up and down the mountain.  Once back at the Basin we took a timeout for snacks and a couple of photos.  As you can see, there were smiles all around not only for what we saw at the top but for making it safely down the "trail".  From the Basin we strolled our way back to the Park with memories swirling in our heads of the magnificent views from Flatiron Ridge and of the obstacles we faced in order to complete the return trip.

If you are ever in the Valley of the Sun, and you want a challenge, Siphon Draw/Flatiron is something to consider.

Enjoy the pics.  Don't forget to enlarge them for the full effect!  Ciao!!!!

These are the Superstition Mountains.
 The jagged outcropping to the right of the center of the photo is Flatiron Ridge, our destination.

Dana and Neil at the top.  Yes, Dorothy, that is snow, and No, you are not in Kansas any longer....

Neil on the final climb.  

Dana on one of the many rocky climbs.
If this looks straight up it because it is!  Yes, there is a "trail" here somewhere.....

What goes up, must go down.  Somewhere in the distance is the Basin.

Happy hikers resting at the Basin after returning from the top.

And the Oscar goes to.........

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Dana
Best Director - Dana
Best Overall Performance - Dana

Welcome back sports fans.  Where have I been you ask?  Read on.....

I last posted on the evening of Valentine's Day.  What occurred after that post, I'd soon forget.  My health took a sudden downturn.  We're talking a few hours.  3 days later I emerged from my bed to begin several days of recover from a mysterious illness.  Without Dana's 24/7 support I would not have recovered so quickly.  If anyone is concerned, thank you but all seems to be fine.  We'll just accept the mystery and move on.

Today we had planned to return to cycling only to wake to 30 km winds.  So, to kick start our return to physical activity we elected to run our favourite desert trail run in Usery Park.  8km in 62 minutes.  A good sweat.  At the end of the run we were both winded and happily complaining of muscle soreness.  Finally we got in some good hard physical activity.

This past week has not been totally wasted, although at times that would be a good description of me.  After my meds kicked in and my recover was evident we began several days of birding.  For a novice birder like myself the weeks species identification has been remarkable.  I would suggest that even for experienced birders this week would be memorable.

Before I detail the bird count, I should mention that we were defeated in our last league Bocce Ball game.  The defeat came at the hands of 4 men who must spent most of their waking hours on the Bocce Ball courts.  One of the men, Mario, was born in Italy where he learned the game and played regularly. I won't mince words here, I was pissed that we lost.  The loss took us out of playoff contention.  In retrospect, and I do believe in being a gracious in defeat, regardless of our skill the team that beat us was far more skilled than us and definitely deserved to win.  If we meet them again next year I hope we crush them like bugs.

Now to the bird count.  My own total bird species count since January 1st is 91.  This past week it wasn't about numbers rather about adding a few new birds to my, and Dana's life lists.  We spent Tuesday morning at the Gilbert Water Ranch.  The birding there was terrific and we saw several beautiful birds that we had seen during visits last year.  While we added bird species to our yearly total, the life birds were yet to come.  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday found us walking the shores of the Salt River in search of some very beautiful birds.  It was during these 4 days that we saw our first of the year Northern Cardinals, Vermillion Flycatcher and Red Napped Sapsucker.  If these were the only species we observed it would have been a great week of birding, but wait, there is more.

New birds this week for both Dana and I are:

Spotted Sandpiper
White-throated Swift
Gray Flycatcher
Canvas-backed Duck
Gadwall Duck
House Wren
Western Bluebird
Green-tailed Towhee

All of these eight birds are, in their own way magnificent.  I admit to being particularly partial to the Green-tailed Towhee.  We, no Dana found a pair of these beautiful birds in thick under brush at Granite Reef park on the Salt River.  They were very shy and hard to spot as they were happy to scratch for their food out of our sight.  It took 20 minutes of standing still before we were able to clearly identify them.  Time well spent indeed.  The Western Bluebirds were another terrific find.  The colouring on these birds is very dramatic.  I have included photos of the Green-tailed Towhee and Western Bluebird.  Both photos were down loaded from the internet and not actual photos that we took.

This week we also saw some of our favourite birds in interesting settings.  I have included a couple of photos that took.  One is of 2 Great Egrets in a dead tree with Red Mountain in the background.  The second is of a Harris' Hawk family on a power pole.  This picture is not terrific but it was neat seeing 3 Harris' Hawks together.

Well, the show is about over for the day.  Tomorrow we will get up prepared to ride our bikes.  The weather is improving this week and we are looking to 80F by Saturday.  We hope to make the most of the warm days with riding, hiking, birding, etc.  The Show must go on.....

Enjoy the pics.  Ciao!

Western Bluebirds

Green-tailed Towhee

Valentine's Day in Arizona

Happy Valentine's Day!  I searched the internet unsuccessfully for a nice (PC correct) love poem.  Burns, Shelley, Atwood, Byron, Arsan (if you know her, ooh la la..).  I settled on our good friend Jimmy Buffett.  He has lots of great love songs and lyrics but I settled on "Come Monday" to be the lead for my Valentine's Day post.  I can't think that anyone would disagree with my choice.  Here are the full lyrics.  Hum along or sing it loud to your sweetheart......  "Come Monday It'll be alright, Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight......."


"Come Monday"

Headin' up to San Francisco
for the Labor Day weekend show,
I've got my hush-puppies on,
I guess I never was meant for
glitter rock and roll.
And honey I didn't know
that I'd be missin' you so.

[Chorus:]
Come Monday It'll be all right,
Come Monday I'll be holding you tight.
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
and I just want you back by my side.

Yes it's been quite a summer,
rent-a-cars and west bound trains.
And now you're off on vacation,
somethin' you tried to explain.
And darlin' I love you so that's
the reason I just let you go.

[Chorus]

I can't help it honey,
you're that much a part of me now.
Remember the night in Montana when
we said there'd be no room for doubt.

I hope you're enjoyin' the scenery,
I know that it's pretty up there.
We can go hikin on Tuesday,
with you I'd walk anywhere.
California has worn me quite thin,
I just can't wait to see you again.

Dana and I started this day with a fantastic hike with some new friends, Catherine and Merv. We hike a couple of trails in the Lost Dutchman State Park.  It was a short hike but the scenery was fantastic, the weather was fantastic and the company was fantastic too.  I have included several pictures that will surely support my enthusiastic assessment.

This afternoon "Cupid" showed up with some very nice "Mercedes"  red Roses and a nice bottle of Nobilo Sav Blanc wine for Dana, and me too.  As I post Dana is cooking Butternut Squash Ravioli.  We will enjoy this entree with a garden salad and a few slices of Greek olive Ciabatta bread.  Yummy!!!!  After dinner we will go for a nice walk in our park and then.......

Enjoy the pics.  Ciao bella......

Classic views of the Superstion Mountains

Dana, Catherine and Merv

Valentine's Day Hike

Usery Park Trail Run

Two days on the bikes and we felt like a change of pace. We call it "cross training".  Others call it "nuts".  Or maybe call us nuts.   Whatever, today we woke to cooler temps and cloudy skies.  What a great day for a run.  We decided to run the 8k Blevins, Meridian, County Line, Ruidoso, Spillway, Blevins, Noso loop.  For a Saturday we were surprised at the lack of people and horses on the trail.  I think we saw 8 or 10 hikers/runners and a few mountain bikers the entire way.  The sun tried to peak out a few times over the 60 minutes that we were on the trail but mostly it was cloudy and a bit windy (of course!).

When we returned to the trail head we enlisted a local fellow to snap a couple of photos of us.  Included are those 2 photos.

That's it for now.  Tomorrow I am doing a bit of Environmental Research in the morning while Dana attends church service with Lila.  Yeah well, so it goes.......  Ciao!

There is no place like home when it's this far away.....

Once again I am behind in posting on our blog.  No excuse for it.  Just too busy, maybe a bit lazy.  Okay, that sounds like an excuse doesn't it.  Life here in the desert is fabulous.  The weather since the big rain two weeks ago has been outstanding.  Great weather and fun times.  Reminds me of the lyrics to a Jimmy Buffett song:

The weather is here I wish you were beautiful

The skies are too clear, life is easy today
The beer is too cold, the daiquiri's too fruitful
There's no place like home when it's this far away 
I need time for to play 
Time for to play 

Speaking of playing, here is a run down of our activity for the past week.

Rides:  5
Golf for Barry: 2
Birding: 1
Bocce Ball league: 1 (won that one.  Record is now 4 and 1)
Tennis: Barry helping out the beginner team and played with brother Mike on Monday
Shopping: Bike gear for Dana.  It's PINK and beautiful.
Church: 1  (That would be Dana....)
Street parties and Happy Hours:  Several.....

Bike riding here is amazing, and I have said that many times before but bares repeating.  Over the past 9 days we have rolled out of here 5 times and have logged 300 kms.  It adds up fast.  We continue to average around 27 or 28 kph (20 mph) on the rides.  Most days we beat into the wind on the outward leg and come home with a tail wind.  Today was different as the wind had changed direction and we went out with a tail wind and home into the wind.  We think we prefer a head wind out and a tail wind home but what the heck, it's cycling and it seems one is always riding into the wind so really, it doesn't matter too much.  It is just great to be out in the sunshine and dry weather.  Yesterday we had a bit of adventure when Dana not only flatted once but then had a blow out on her front tire.  She hit a sharp rock and "Ka-Boom", a dime sized hole in the tire.  Fortunately we were only 5k from home and 1k from the nearest Starbucks.  We walked the bikes to Starbucks and then Barry cycled home and returned with the 4Runner rescue vehicle.  Dana did a great of controlling the bike after the blow-out.  Fortunately we were on a straight piece of road and while we were travelling at around 35 kph at the time of the blow-out she was able to brake and stop in the bike lane.  Dana admits to be a bit shaken by the incident.  We replaced the tire later in the day and today we were right back out there.  Getting back on the horse is often the best cure.

After a short 12 year layoff Barry is golfing again.  Barry learned quickly why he gave up the sport in 2001.  Just kidding....  Really not much to say about golf.  It is a work in progress and when there is anything noteworthy to say on the subject it will be reported on the blog.  (Discern what you will from this brief summary.  Either way you take it, you will be right.......)

We birded at the Gilbert Water Ranch on Tuesday morning.  Not much happening but we did spot a pair of green Herons and a pair of Kestrels.  We also observed several Warblers but did not make a positive identification of any of them.  We are tempted to put forth a suggestion that all Warblers be required to display name tags, just like we do in our RV Park!

We won our latest Bocce Ball league match.  Our record is now 4 wins and 1 defeat.  Some team members are talking playoffs.  This last match was a dozy.  After 4 ends the score was 2 - 2 and it looked as if we would have a low scoring game.  Within 15 minutes our team was ahead 12 - 2.  10 minutes later we were down 13 -12.  We tied it up and then in the final end Dana scored the winning point.  Clutch!  Bocce Ball is not so much of a physical game but it is nerve racking.

Barry continues to assist in coaching the 1.5 Tennis Team.  It is a lot of fun.  Something to look forward to each Wednesday afternoon.

Dana bought some new bike gear this week.  I don't have any pictures yet but I'll just say she looks pretty fantastic in her pink jersey and pink vest.

Dana found time to attend church with our neighbour, Lila.  Barry was attending service at the "Tee to Green" church.  Dana took a couple photos of the interior of the church.  I've included one that will shows the understated elegance of the Chancel.  Surprising for a Catholic church (Barry's editorial comment).

Finally, our days seem to end with social gatherings.  Some organized, many more of the impromptu variety.  These gathers normally, and that is not really the word for it, begin with  Dana and I sitting on patio chairs in the street either having a late lunch or afternoon coffee/tea.  Soon one or two neighbours join in.  Then a few more join in.  Coffee/tea give way to wine and beer......  We have a lot of laughs and get just the right amount of sun.  The combination of vitamin D with "vitamin" B and W is wonderful.  The socializing is fantastic.  We feel very much a part of this small community on 14th Street.  Everyone here has accepted us as neighbours and friends even if we are only here for a few months.  I can't tell you how great that feels.  Well, I guess I just did.

I leave you with yet another verse from a Jimmy Buffett song.  Ciao everyone!

It's those changes in latitudes,
changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same.
With all of our running and all of our cunning,
If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.

Rainy days, sunny days, birthdays....

Dateline Mesa, AZ: Wednesday, January 30th, 2013.....

I have just received a less than subtle hint, and I'm interpreting here, an urgent request to post on our blog.  It seems that I have not posted since January 23rd.  My oh my, where do the days go?  Had I known that some of our friends and fans are relying on our blog, for what periodically passes as entertainment, and thereby bringing a little sunshine into there clearly dark, cold days, well I would have posted sooner.  To our friends and fans, and you know who you are (hint, hint...in the Yukon....) I offer you a thousand apologies and commit, once again, to be a bit more reliable in posting details of our adventures here in the Valley of the Sun.  Let me see if I can recall our adventures of the past seven days.....

TIME OUT!!!!   I wish to take this opportunity to wish brother-in-law Carl a very Happy Birthday.
............and many more!

I'm going to write a lot about the weather but before I get to it I want to tell you that one of the highlights of the week was a hike that Dana and I did this past Sunday.  We finally were able to get out in the desert after 2 days of intense weather.  We hiked one of our favorite trails in Usery Park following the near record rainfall here in the Valley of the Sun.  The desert was amazing.  Hard to describe but it was literally washed clean.  The colours were vivid.  The smell wasn't exactly what you would sense in a rain forest but it was very different than normal.  The air was also washed clean and enabled me to take this great photo of Dana with the Superstitions mountains as a backdrop.  Here is the photo:

Dana in the desert. (shirt by REI, Eyeglasses by Transition Lenses,
Visor by Nike, necklace by Michael R McKee)

Yet another weather event!  When we were here last year we had 2 days of rain from Jan 1 to March 21.  This year we have had rain on probably 6 days so far.  Rather than complain about the rain we are rejoicing!  This part of the American west has been under drought conditions for most of the past decade.  Rain here is rarer than goals from the Sedin twins at playoff time.  This past week found us more inside than out.  We did get in a couple 8k runs, 2 bike rides, a short birding trip to the Gilbert Water Ranch and I played tennis once, and coached tennis once and we did the hike in Usery Park on Sunday.  Okay, okay, we have not exactly been hibernating but with all the rain we have had to cut back on our riding and hiking as with the intense rain storms it can be dangerous to get caught out in the desert.

Weather fact:  This past Saturday we received 1.21 inches of rain.  The biggest single day total since a big storm in August, 2010.  This is a big deal in the desert although not so much in Vancouver or Seattle where 1" of rain is a morning shower.

I can't think of anything else to write about.  I sometimes have a writers block and I turn to writing about something familiar - Me.  Cheap self promotion you might ask?  Madelyn would certainly agree. Never the less, I want to tell you about my recent tennis exploits.  As you know from my previous posts my tennis playing is down to a bare minimum.  Sometimes once, or twice a week, and no league matches.  Thus far my knees are thanking me and I am able to enjoy cycling, hiking, dancing, running and other fun stuff with Dana.  So I guess Dana is thanking me too.  What I am doing to get my tennis fix is that I have volunteered to be an assistant coach with the 1.5 (beginner) tennis team.  While I have only turned out twice, it is turning out to be a lot of fun.  The head coach is having me instruct on serving, something that I actually seem to do quite well.  I work with the class on Wednesday afternoons for about 3 hours.  Not all the time is spent on serving drills and I get to help where I can with other aspects of doubles play (court position, strategy, etc.)  I am mindful that I far from an expert and am careful not to give instruction on aspects of the game where I struggle myself.  Like I say, lots of fun so far and it give me a chance to meet new players and give a bit back to the tennis club and help my old coaches.

That's about all for now.  Hope you enjoyed the post as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Keep safe out there.  We'll do the same.  Ciao!

Robin, back to the bat cave.......

Update on the Barrett-Jackson auto show and auction:  On the final day of the auction the "original" Bat Mobile, the one used in all 21 episodes of the show, was sold for $4.2 Million!  It was bought by a fellow in Tucson, AZ who when asked what he was going to do with it said, "I'm going to put in my living room".

Back to reality.......  Since I last wrote we have been doing more of the same old stuff.  Birding, biking, tennis, bocce ball (won our match on Tuesday.  We are now 3 and 0.), hiking, a bit of shopping and lots of eating good things.  Have I told you how great it is to wake up every morning and juice 6 or 7 oranges for fresh juice!  Mother Natures Elixir.  We buy the oranges by the 40 pound box ($14 for the box) at one of the local Citrus Orchards.  I digress....

Dana and I finally got out for a long hike last Saturday.  The weekend is never a good time to hike as it can be quite busy on the trails.  This day was no exception.  We chose to hike the Pass Mountain trail at Usery Park.  The trail is 7.1 miles and goes clear around Pass Mountain.  I'll describe the terrain as "up and down".  We got a late start and ended up hiking in the hottest part of the day.  By the time we returned to the truck the temperature was close to 80F.  We severely miscalculated the elements and ended up a bit short of water.  Funny how one thinks of themselves as experienced hikers and can still make rookie mistakes.  No harm, no foul.  We survived only slightly dehydrated.  The beer tasted mighty good when we got home.  I did take one photo on the hike to show the desert trail.  Make sure you click on the photo to enlarge it to get a better perspective.

We got out on a couple of rides since I last wrote.  Riding down here never gets old.  Looking forward to riding again tomorrow.  We were going to ride today but both of us got up feeling a bit off and decided birding was a better option for the morning.  I spent the afternoon on the tennis court.  I have volunteered as a coaches assistant for the 1.5 team.  Lots of fun plus it is great to meet so many enthusiastic folks.

Birding has been pretty good.  In the desert you have to really look for life and what you find will often surprise and amaze you.  On our Pass Mountain hike we spotted a lone hawk circling not far from us.  From out of nowhere a red-tailed hawk came swooping in to, we presume, scare it away.  Then from again out of nowhere another hawk similar to the first one came along.  The red-tailed hawk then left the scene and the two Ferruginous Hawks circled together in the sky close enough for us to identify them.  Wow!  Finally a Ferruginous Hawk, no a pair of Ferruginous Hawks.  We reported the sighting to Sandy, the Usery Park "bird-lady" who told us that someone else had seen one Ferruginous Hawk last week.  Bingo!  We had our confirmation.

We also added the following birds to our list this week:

Snowy Egret (Photo included below.)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Kestrel
Juvenile Red-crossbill
Harris's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Costa's Hummingbird
American Avocet
Peach faced lovebirds
Wilson's Snipe
Green heron
Black crowned night Heron

Other wildlife sighting included 2 miniature horses in a miniature coral at the horse staging area parking lot in Usery Park.  I have included the picture because someone just might think they are cute.  Go figure.....

That's all for now.  Hot weather is leaving us for a few days.  We may even see a few showers on the weekend although they often indicate that showers are possible and they don't always come.  Must be because we live in a "desert".   To our northern friends and relatives, stay warm!  Remember, you can always put on another wool sweater.  Ciao!  Enjoy the pics.

Snowy Egret at the Gilbert Water Ranch

On the Pass Mountain Trail

Minnie horses....

 

Fast cars, girls, music and life in the fast lane.....

Warmer days have returned to the Valley of the Sun.  74F today, might be warmer tomorrow.  Like days of rain followed by a day of sunshine back home, everyone has all but forgotten the 5 days of freezing desert weather.  We are not quite to the "make t-shirts" to commemorate surviving the longest cold snap since 1988 (that is what the locals are reporting) but everyone is feeling a lot more lively now that the warm sun has returned.  After enduring the ribbing that we had colder weather than some parts of Canada I pledge to gloat less about our near perfect weather.

This past week was not spent entirely indoors.  We did manage to get in 2 quality rides, back to back, Wednesday and Thursday.  We rode 50k on Wednesday afternoon after getting a new rear shifter cable for Dana's bike.  On Thursday we rode 64k, half of which was into a 15-20 mph wind.  We did a 6 mile hike in Usery Park on Monday morning.  Barry had tennis practice Monday afternoon.  Tuesday afternoon we played our league Bocce Ball match, which we won 15-12. (Dana reports that "Barry shot the lights out!"  ...ah shucks :-) Barry played tennis Thursday afternoon.  Today was a day of rest.  We did attend our first block party today which this month was a morning coffee get together.  Friday evening Barry and his brothers went to the Barrett-Jackson car show and auction in Scottsdale.

Birding this week yielded a couple of new birds to add to our growing list.  At Usery Park we spotted a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, a Gilded Flicker and a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher.  Very exciting!  We are also beginning to see more hawks in the area but mostly on our bike rides when we do not have our binoculars.  We hope to soon get a better look at these guys to make a positive identification, although Dana is convinced they are all Red-tailed hawks......;-)

The visit to the Barrett-Jackson car show was a unique opportunity to see the classic car scene up close and personal.  For those not familiar with the Barrett-Jackson "industry" it is not something that is easily described.   This is a huge event.  We attended in the evening when we could get the "twilight" rate of $25.00 for entry.  I would put the crowd on hand at around 7,000.   I can summarize the event in two words: "excess" and "culture".  99% of the people attending these events are more or less ordinary working or retired folks.  1% are there to spend, spend, spend.  We saw one 1968 Camaro sell at auction for $270,000.  Late 1960's muscle cars went for between $70,000 for a run of the mill stock Barracuda to $110,000 for a 1965 Mustang.  Cars were being auctioned at a rate of 1 car every 6 or 7 minutes.  They would be rolled onto the huge stage and off faster than you could say Hooker Headers Batman.  This was the excess.  What was also on display was "car culture".  Having been through most of the displays at the show there is no doubt in my mind that we live in a car culture.  On display were not only every type of car and truck imaginable but all the accessories that go to make up the car culture.  This includes the clothes, jewelry, personal accessories, car toys, toy cars, etc.   2 1/2 hours was enough to over stimulate our senses but we departed happy that we attended the show.  It was an interesting experience.

This weekend we will sit back and enjoy the 75F weather (mini gloat...).  Sunday will be for football.  We are very disappointed that the Seattle SeaHawks lost their playoff game to the Atlanta Falcons.  That could have been a franchise turning point for the team.  As with our other sports team, we are left to say "wait until next year".....

With that I say Ciao!  I have included several photos from the week.  Enjoy!

Our Bocce Ball Team (Barry, Tony, Gayle and Dana)

Barry rolling the last ball, a counter, to win the match 15-12

1967 Camaro "concept" car

$2.9 million Ford Lotus

Barry and "friend" Rachel, Miss Arizona.  Yes, Rachel made my day...

Display of original Johnny Cash guitar

Can't have cars without gas pumps.