Sandhill cranes

We hadn't been out to see our winter resident Sandhill Cranes in a long time and thought it was something Steph should see.  We left early so we could have breakfast at "Reb's" in Benson and still be out to Whitewater Draw by the time the flocks return from their morning of foraging in nearby agricultural lands.  I was sure she would be as impressed as we always are to see the thousands of birds fly in, flock after huge flock as they calmly settle down along the shore.  

Was a bit windy but we were dressed for it.  Went onto Bisbee and walked a couple of streets, poked into a few shops and galleries, stopped by the historic Copper Queen Hotel before we made our way back to Tucson.  Topped the day off with dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. Super day hanging out with Steph.

MIM

We drove up to Phoenix today for an overnight getaway. Our first destination was the Museum of Music. It's great.We started out together and then split up so we could each find our interest in the short time we had. We were all on overload when we left, it was really interesting and could return again.
   But we needed to get Steph to a yoga workshop that began mid afternoon. Will and I checked into hotel in Chandler, walked through a mall close by, then soaked in hotel hot tub and relaxed until we could pick up Steph.

Christmas

Judy Massey came to spend Christmas day with us. Did a traditional turkey dinner, cranberry salad, sweet potatoes. . .the works.  And, of course, Steph is here. Great day.
After a big dinner, we took a drive out into the desert and a short hike to Signal Hill.

She is here!!

Stephanie arrived yesterday.  Enjoying every minute of her visit.

Irene and me

Irene met Will and I for a nice Christmas breakfast at Tohono Chul Bistro this morning.  She was my first friend when we moved to Tucson 11 years ago and remains a dear friend.  Love you, Irene.

Harris Hawks in my back yard

Its not uncommon to see Harris Hawks in our greater neighborhood, many times we see them perched on power lines along Hardy Road but today a family was in our yard.  They were RIGHT THERE!! We were at the breakfast table when we heard one scream at his companion.  They usually travel in family groups so if you see one you will likely see at least one more.  First saw one on our wall, then another right above our bird feeder before they moved out to the desert behind our house where we watched a total of three birds for quite a while.

They were really being vocal.  When Will went to peer over the back wall to get a closer look, he saw two coyotes scamper away.  Made us wonder if the birds were screaming at the coyotes.  (And their call can only be described as a scream.)

We get frequent visits by Coopers Hawks, no doubt lured in for an easy kill by all my bird feeders, but these guys are something special.  

Home again

Another all day drive to get home.  Was a plesant day, however.  No problems on the road, retraced our steps successfully.  Lunch at KFC in Hermosillo.  Back on the road and watched the scenery go by.

One of the many colorful cemeteries we passed by still decorated from "Dia de los Muertos", this one outside of Magdelina.

Big painting of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico on the side of the cliff.  Her image is everywhere.

A vineyard near the city of Obregon  is huge.  Seems to go on forever.  Mexican wine is coming.

And then we got to the border. . . 

It took us almost 2 hours of creeping along in line to get up to immigration.  They have redone the Mariposa border crossing and added a bunch of lanes.  However, today, only 4 of the 15 or so lanes for automobiles were open.  Very annoying.  Now wouldn't you think that if they have the crossing lanes in place, the efficient thing to do would be to actually man them!