author friends

We have two friends who have published books this year--BESIDES our daughter, hers isn't actually out yet, coming later this year--but these are available and I ordered them both from Amazon as soon as I could.  The first one by long, time friend Ruth has been a labor of love for her for well over 10 years.  She taught school on the Navajo reservation many years ago and also worked for a Christian mission organization here in the Southwest called AmeriTribe.  She is now retired and living in Grand Rapids, Michigan and did this very exhaustive study of Christianity and the Native Americans, tribe by tribe.  She says it wasn't meant to be for academics but would be a worthy handbook for anyone to understand how God brought the native peoples into his fold.
  The second one was also a story that unfolded as Donna Walter began to research her family history and find her relatives in Russia.  Her ancestors are Germans who settled in the Volga River in an area of Germany that became Russia post war.  These people were cut off from the rest of the family and for many years no one knew anything about them.  Donna made a trip to Germany, met a cousin and together they found family and learned their story of hardship and loss during Russian rule.  I have only begun to read it but it is a fascinating story.
  I have great respect for anyone who can actually write a book and tell their story and then get it published.  Watching Stephanie go through the process and all she has had to do was amazing.  Calls for determination and perseverance.  I will no doubt post a lengthy blog when Steph's book hits the book stores. 

Singing along

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This little video makes me laugh out loud!  Lia is watching a video and is trying so hard to sing along!  She is doing it.  Getting into it big time.  What a sweetie.
  Guess what, I am going to get to see her (and Doug and Tammy) in two weeks!  We are going out to Shanghai for a visit.  Sent off for our travel Visas yesterday!!

Western Music Festival

We spent a fun day out at Old Tucson Studios enjoying a special event they hosted--Western Music Festival.  Just walking around enjoying the western ambiance and going from venue to venue listening to some really good entertainers.  Saw Rex Allen, Jr. perform songs of his own plus songs and stories from his famous father.  Sang Arizona's official song, also, which is truly western.

Bill Gantz is a local songster that we enjoy and have followed his career since we first heard him.  Sings a lot of old favorites and plays a really awesome guitar.  The best performer had to be Bill Barwick out of Colorado.  He has a "Sam-Elliott" look and swagger plus a great voice and a great show.

We came away with a better impression of Old Tucson Studios.  Was a long time since we were there and always thought it was a bit tacky and out of date but they have been working on it. Noticed several improvements and upgrades.  Might be worth giving it another try sometime.

And then tonight we went across town to the Gaslight Theater for another fun show.  This is a silly melodrama called "Arizona Smith and the Temple of Doom" obviously a spoof on Indiana Jones.  A lot of laughs and some great singing and dancing to boot.  Free popcorn on all the tables besides so what could be better!

 

 

The Suguaros are blooming.  Had to stop along the road and take a picture of one that was actually hanging down over the road

 

 

 

 

Big Jim: The evolution of sand trout

Big Jim: The evolution of sand trout

Cactus blooming in my neighborhood

This happens to be a spectacular year for cactus bloom for some reason.  Guess we got moisture at the right time or conditions were just right because everyone's cactus are outdoing themselves.  These are Trichocereus.  They aren't mine, they are in my neighborhood so I went walking around today with my camera to capture them.  They won't be around long.  The blooms open at night and they last maybe through the next day and then they are gone.  The prickly pear cactus are just getting started also.  Every one I see is loaded with buds.

 

 

 

I have not seen one with such a dark pink color before.  Gives you an idea how big the flowers are in comparison with the plant.

 

 

 

 

New window

Will just installed "my" new window in the kitchen.  He did a beautiful job and it looks amazing.  He used clear textured glass that diffuses and lets the light in.  He put an agate slice as an accent and it just fits our Southwest home.  He has another one to make to match it that will go on the other side of the little alcove.

 

 

Spring in Tucson

We went to Tohono Chul this morning after church for brunch/lunch just because we hadn't been there in such a long time and I wanted to see the spring bloom in the park.  It is such a nice space, I forgot how pleasant a spot it is for lunch and a stroll.  Probably missed the peak of the wildflowers but there is plenty in bloom.  All of Tucson is in bloom right now.  So nice to come home to see that.  The Palo Verde is in full swing and the washes are neon yellow.

Lest we forget--we are in the desert and this guy was out enjoying the day also!

Last morning, Crossing the border, dust storm

 

 

Our last morning "gather up" session.  Getting our last day instructions from Dan.

Was a chilly start as the Pacific fog rolled in over the vineyards.

We only had 40 miles to go through the Guadalupe Valley to reach Tecate. . .

 

and the border crossing.

And then we sit in line and wait.  Guess we can be glad it was only an hour.  Hugs all around, promises to keep in touch, sad good bys and then we were off for Arizona and home.

As soon as we got onto the freeway in the mountains west of El Centro we ran into the wind and dust storm.  All the complaining we did about the driving in Mexico and we encounter our worst driving conditions coming home!!  The wind was very gusty but the good thing about it was that it was a straight west wind which was pushing us instead of a cross wind which would have been less fun.  There actually is a car ahead of us in this picture but you just can't see it.  It got even worse for a short time near Gilla Bend, AZ but then wind changed slightly and the air cleared somewhat and we made it home ok.  We've heard about hazzards of blowing dust but first time we ever experienced it.  Kinda like driving in a midwest blizzard.

 

Guadalupe Valley and Baja wine country

This is day 28, our last full day of our tour of the Baja California.  We’re slowly making our way back to the border.  We’re traveling through the Ensenada area so its fairly urban and populated.  Big agricultural area with lots of corporate farms.  They are still picking strawberries in the same fields that they were three weeks ago—its still mind boggling to see how big the fields are. 

  Just past Ensenada  we leave Mexico hiway 1 and take a spur road, hiway 3 that takes us into the Guadalupe Valley.  This is the Baja’s wine country.  We stopped for the day at an RV park that is run by a children’s school for the deaf called Rancho Sordo Mudo.  We heard the story of the school and its beginning by an American whose own son was deaf.  Mexico’s deaf don’t have the opportunities that Americans or Canadians afford them and the work they do here is so needed.

  Our final outting was a wine tasting and tour of L.A. Cetto Winery.  It Sunday, a beautiful spring day so the winery was very busy with people out to enjoy the day.  We had a fun tour guide who told us all about the wines they do here and the history.  Cetto was an Italian that began making wine in Tijuana and did especially well during prohibition being  so close to the US.  Now its located here surrounded with miles of grape fields and today run by his son, L. A.

 

 

 

Day 27 traveling

This is probably the longest travel day of the entire tour of the Baja.  We left the Sea of Cortez and Bahai de los Angeles at 8am and did not arrive at days end until 4pm.  We'd been on this road on the way down and made some stops so today we kept trucking north.  Finished the day near San Quintin near the Pacific.  It is considerably cooler now that the winds are coming off the ocean instead of the desert and Sea of Cortez.  Vegetation varies from flat scrub land to lush desert highlands.

Its a beautiful drive

Mario is looking good!

These Cordon cactus are mammoth.  I thought the saguaro were huge until I saw these guys.

There was one stretch of road where there seems to be a shortage of government owned Pemex gas stations so you see people along the road willing to sell you gas.  You don't see it often but I have a feeling it happens a lot off the beaten path and in small towns.

The heart of the Baja.  Took these during a lunch stop along the road.  You can see some of those strange "Boojum" cactus again.  I swear they look like something out of a Dr Suess book.