Bloomington Indiana

Besides doing some yard work, getting everything ready and thought through for wedding, we've been doing fun stuff. . .like an afternoon in nearby Nashville, Indiana to check out Will's all time favorite stained glass store, other artsy shops and a candy store that has the biggest selection of licorice I have ever come across.
An after dinner stop at the infamous "Chocolate Moose" for Bloomington's best icecream.
A stop at Steph's tailor for a final fitting on her dress. She brought the silk fabric home from Singapore. Can't give too much away yet so how about the back of dress.
She is having a new deck built onto her house. Contractor promised it would be done in time for festivities but its cutting it close! Lots to do in just a few days, and today it rained so no work done. They better get cracking to finish!!
We made it out birding this morning at Griffy Lake, a lovely spot on the edge of town, before it started to rain. 
A song sparrow greeted us with a happy song.

Memorial Day week in Indiana

Here to spend a week with Steph and Reynard and maybe be useful in helping them prepare for thier wedding next Sunday! Going to be great. Couldn't be happier for them. We took a drive over to IU campus to get a peek at the lovely little chapel where the wedding ceramony will take place.
Also doing a little spring clean up and yard work to get Steph's house looking extra nice for all the company for the festivities.

Newly Hatched Baby GambleQuail

We have had two sets of Quail hatch out a brood in our yard in the last week.  This is the latest!  Not sure where she had her nest but the first batch nested in my big pot of Geraniums on the back patio.  No idea she was there.  And wouldn't have known except that one day I just happened to look out onto the patio and saw something fall out of the pot--and bounce!  And then another one popped out onto the bricks.  Then I saw Mom and Dad just beside themselves, making all kinds of noise and bobbing heads up and down trying to call the chicks out and then gather them together!  Once they leave the nest they are gone, unless Mom brings them back to our quail block to feed in back yard.  They are pretty skittish  so to get a good look at them is hard.  Its just the cutest.  Call them my chickens!!

There is a video on top and then two pictures.  Hope you can view the video, its the best.  Tough getting close enough to get pictures of these guys!

The girls!!

 More pictures of the girls!!  Those little babes are

growing much to fast.  Do love showing them off!

Black and white

My newest endeavor. I'm trying to get better at throwing-on-the-wheel. Am also using porcelain clay which makes it doubly hard for me. Porcelain clay is so soft to throw it takes a certain finesse to get it to not collapse while one is pulling up the walls. I haven't quite mastered it yet but keeping at it. And then I decided to use a fairly simple design and clear glaze to show off the pure white of the porcelain. I am happy with that.

I am also kinda into trees. Another landscape collage that is waiting for Will to build me a frame. This one is about 24 " x 30". I might add some more details to it so not calling it finished yet.

Morning hike

If we were going to hike today it had to be an early start so we were on the trail in Catalina State Park by 6:30am. Did about 5 miles. Discovered we could watch our progress with app on smart phone. Gives us not only distance but other info like elevation gain, how many stops for rest, speed, it can even monitor heart rate which is pretty interesting.

Came across this colorful guy. He posed for us a good long while.

And the Desert Willows are in full bloom. To me they look like little orchids.

Triple didgit heat

Pretty slow moving around here. It was 103 degrees here today and all week. This is way too early for this. It is normal for Tucson to get its first 100 degree day of the year around the last week of May, not the first.
But we are blooming! The Saguaro Cactus are bursting with buds and showing off.


Meanwhile the construction noise continues behind our house. Putting in water and sewer lines and plotting the streets of the new housing development.