lunch

Lunch time. Can you think of anything better than Korean Noodles! Jja Jjang Myun.

azaleas in New Jersey

I think I forgot how amazing spring flowers can be in the north. How could I forget as I was so proud of mine back in my Minnesota days. . .been gone too long. This neighborhood is stunning right now as everything is at its peak! Azaleas, dog wood, iris, lilac--you name it, its in a riot of color right now. I took Lilliana for a ride in the stroller and we nearly forgot to come home. We both had a good time.

This is what I woke up to this morning

Off to see grandbaby

Flew off to New Jersey today to spend some "grandma time" with Lilliana. Got in late so fun times Won't start until morning. Left Will behind in Tucson.

Ice is off the Santa Cruz

Tucson did it Sunday. Rather, the heat did it.
The mercury reached 100 degrees and then some, according to the National Weather Service's Tucson Weather Forecast Office.  The three-digit high came at 1:51 p.m. at Tucson International Airport. It topped out at 101 degrees.  The century mark arrived earlier in the year than usual, according to the weather service. It was the second-earliest day on record that Tucson has hit the 100-degree mark.  The earliest date was April 19, 1989.

One of the local TV stations has a contest every year for someone to predict the exact time and date that "The Ice is off the Santa Cruz."  They dutifully announced the winner on the evening broadcast last night.  I have explained this before and some of our "northern" friends will surely get it--like when does the ice come off of Lake Minnetonka in the spring. . .  The Arizona humor here is of course we wouldn't have ice on the Santa Cruz River anyway, but that the Santa Cruz is a dry river bed.  Makes us laugh, anyway.

Arizona Centennial

It's Arizona's Centennial year--1912-2012--and a number of official Centennial sanctioned events are taking place all over the state.  We went to a concert this afternoon that just happened to be held at our church.  Catalina Community Chorus entertained with songs with Arizona ties.  Lots of nostalgia--like, "A White Sport Coat, a 50's top hit by Glendale Arizona's favorite son, Marty Robins; "If I Fell", made famous longtime Tucsonan and former Beetle Paul McCartney; "Ghost Riders in the Sky" by song writer Stan Jones, born and buried in Douglas Az--and tons more.  Mariachi to show toons.  Local Channel 9 News Anchor, Guy Atchley narrated scenic photos of people and places of Arizona with human interest stories about the brave, the historic, and the curious.  Lots of good things celebrating Arizona.

We share the distinction with New Mexico as being the last of the continental states to be admitted to statehood.  We were just a territory up until then.  No one saw much value in this wilderness, I guess.

Golf outing

Spent a hot afternoon (hot as in weather, certainly not my game) golfing in a fund raiser for the Youth program at St Andrews Presbyterian church.  Its a beautiful and challenging desert course in Oro Valley with grand views of the mountains.  Thanks goodness it was "best ball" as we were all working really hard.  My teammates made it fun and of course it was for a good cause.

 My team, Donalee, Estelle and Connie

Way too much desert between the teebox and the fairway for me.  I lost a lot of balls.

Madera Canyon Elegant Trogan

We haven't made the time to go out birding for such a long time.  Spring is getting away from us and we needed to go now before we miss the total migration!  Up early and on our way to Madera Canyon, binoculars and lunch in the back pack.  Our timing was perfect as one of the first birds we came upon was this gem.

The Elegant Trogan is a target bird for Southeastern Arizona and the canyon was full of lots of birders hoping to see this guy.  Lots of people carrying cameras with very large lenses.  My little zoom did pretty well.  May not be quite as sharp and clear but you can definitely see the dynamite view he let us have of him.  They are not a particularly skiddish bird so if you are patient and quiet he will sit there for lengthy looks.  We think he was looking for suitable nest sites as the next picture he is poking his head into a hole in a tree to check it out.  Wonder if Mrs Trogan will approve.  Madera Canyon is a fairly reliable place to find the Trogans and we have been fortunate enough to see them several times, but it is still a rush when we find ourselves at the right place and the right time.

This little Painted Redstart has a bright red breast.  Another entirely Southeastern Arizona specialty that is delightful to find.  Just as loud as the more northern American Redstart but definitely more stylish with the contrasting red, black and white feathers!  And he continually flashes his tail to show off.

It got more and more "birdy" as we went up canyon and we had a fun and productive morning.  Stopped at a picnic area and ate our lunch and then drove back the 40 miles home to Tucson.

Saving baby quail

Here's heart warming story. . .got me going anyway.  Anyone who has been to our house know we have several quail in the back yard and we have such a good time watching them scratch and feed under the bird feeders.  This spring we had one nest in the big flower pot on the patio--she was there last year also.  Well, Monday was the day she hatched her brood and suddenly we had 8 little chicks running after Mom in the back yard.They are SOOO cute--little puff balls.  Well as it was getting dark on Monday eve, the last we saw of them they were huddled up against the back wall in front of a heavy mesh screening covering a hole in the wall for rainwater to drain into the desert.  Next morning I was up early and peeked out there and they were in the same spot. . .and not moving.  I crept closer, still no movement and realized they were all laying stretched out with their little heads through the screen.  I thought they were dead.  Mom had headed out into the desert and since her DNA doesn't get screening, I am sure she was trying to coax them through the hole and they were trying their hardest but couldn't fit and that is where they spent the cold night.  I picked them up and they all fit in the palm of my hand--I wanted to cry.  Well, suddenly I realize they are almost dead, but NOT QUITE.  They are limp and stretched out but their little mouths are quietly, slowly gaping.  So I whipped them into the house, put them on a wash cloth in a pie plate and dug out an eye dropper.  Slowly as each little mouth opened and closed I tried to place a tiny drop of water in their little beaks.  One by one their little throats started to constrict as they took in a bit of the water.  Then I placed another cloth over top the plate and set them in the sun.  Well, to shorten the story a bit, wasn't long and the strongest one was actually "peeping" and struggling to get to his feet.  At this point, I took them back to the backyard where I found them and set the covered dish with the 7 little chicks (one did actually die) close to where I found them and walked back to the house.  Within seconds Mom heard them calling and was there, clucking away.  Then Dad showed up and added his two cents and pretty soon a couple of them tumbled out of the dish.  I had to leave for my morning yoga class and when I got back a couple of hours later, the dish was empty and the 7 chicks and Mom and Dad were skittering across the yard.  Last night I notice Mom stayed with her chicks--she learned her lesson--and today they are doing fine.  The are really skiddish so we try to stay a long way away and watch them with binoculars.  I can't tell you how good it felt to actually save those little guys! You have to look closely in the pictures to see the little dust balls but best I could do with my zoom.

A collage of Lilliana

That's our grandbaby!!

Finish line

Good finish!! 4 hours, 22 minuets, 19 seconds to be exact.  He had a good time.  Was pretty happy with his time.  He counted and only 7 people who were his age or older finished with a better time--that was the most important statistic.  Something like 1400 riders today.  Everyone got a medal, he got a silver one--gold medal winners had to finish under 3 hours 45 mins!  Go Will!

el tour de mesa

I'm blogging from Mesa, Arizona this morning and posting a pic from our hotel room. We came up yesterday so that Will could ride his bicycle in a one day, 70 mile ride around Mesa and surrounding hills. We got here in time to check in to the ride, get his official number and timing chip, figure out the route and find our hotel. . .which is just two blocks from start point. Then drove out to Apache Junction to have a wonderful home cooked Greek dinner with Markos and Elaine Georgiou, and a couple of very pleasant hours of conversation enjoying their amazing view of the Superstition Mountains.



They are out there biking somewhere. Since it was a 6:30 am start, and practically still dark (well it felt like it) I did not see him off. I slept in, had a nice leisurely buffet breakfast and now plan to walk over to finish line and watch the festivities. Its only a race for the "big bikers" but Will is trying for his personal best. Might be a challenge as the winds are strong this morning and from the SW which will make the last half a work out.

Roses and a miraculous healing

I've always been surprised at how well roses grow in the Southwest.  Mine are at their peak right now.  Unfortunately they don't last long in the Arizona sun so I go out and pick each morning's new blooms before the hot sun does its job on them.  Rose bouquets belong in the house anyway.  They will naturally die back during the hot summer months and then again in, say, October and November they will raise their glorious heads again.

I have a real Arizona story for you.  I have been suffering with an painful eye condition and returning to my eye doctor daily to try to stay on top of it.  I had such pain in my eye and he was treating me for an infection and was convinced that was a continuing problem.  Well, yesterday I went to a different eye clinic and different doctor and this dear, sweet man immediately found a CACTUS THORN embedded in the underside of my eye lid!! He removed it and I had instant relief.  Can't believe I endured 7 days of this amazing pain.  I was mostly home in a darkened room holding my head for a week--just a tad ticked at my opthomologist for not figuring this out. Keep saying that I felt like I had something sharp in my eye. . . .well a cactus thorn is about as sharp as it gets.  But, I'm back and life is good.

Quiet week on Maya Court.  Mostly because I have been nursing an eye "thing" for a week now.  Started with what I thought was something blown into my eye, then eye doctor said it was scratched, next day infection showed up, infection cleared but pain still persists--corneal neuropathy was the last term used but am getting no relief.  Light sensitivity is the worst, painful to be out in sunlight--besides the scratchy feeling that something is in my eye.  Poor me, hope for relief soon.

I did have a nice lunch with my friend Alice this week and she paid me the nicest complement.  She took one of my photos (of Mexican Poppies blooming at Catalina State Park) and sent it in and had it printed on canvas so that it looks like an oil painting.  Pretty cool.  She's going to take it home with her and put it on her Brandon, SD wall.

I am looking through my photo albums now, looking for pictures to put on canvas for myself!

Trichocerus

Woke up to this beautiful bloom this morning.  Its my pride and joy, a Trichocerus cactus that is a day blooming cirus but the blooms only last one day.  I've been watching the buds swell for a couple of weeks and this was the morning.  You just want to pull up a lawn chair and stare at it as it is so grand and so fleeting.  But there are two more buds so in a couple of weeks I will have an encore.

This is the bud--yesterday!!