Sunday

  Church was special this morning!  4 times a year we "do" Service Worship. Instead of traditional church in the pews, we take part in planned activities that minister to our community. Today celebrated 10 years of doing that with a prayer service called a Concert of Prayer to reflect and look ahead and plan for future.  Very worshipful.

      Tucson temperature reached 100 degrees today!! Way too hot, way too early!!  Going to drop again this week but this taste of summer reminded us that it's getting close to time to move into RV for the summer! We ARE counting the days--We plan to be gone in 10 days!!

  But for today we decided to spend the afternoon in an air conditioned theater. Went to see "Hello God, it's me, Margaret." It was a sweet, feel good movie! Those Judy Bloom books came out in the 70's and spoke to my kid's generation but every age can remember difficult preteen years and relate. 

 Stopped for take-out sushi for dinner at home. Fun Sunday.

Random Pictures

Saw these two under a bird feeder in Madera Canyon in broad daylight!! A wild turkey and a Coatimundi--nether one was at all concerned that they had drawn an audience. Closest I have ever been to a Coati.

THAT is a nest of a Painted Redstart in the ground snugged up against a tree root. We just happened to see her bringing nesting material and packing it inside. Amazing to watch.

A sweet little warbler-see why it's called Painted Redstart.

On a hike along a stream on Mt Lemon. Heating up in the city so time to head up the mountain to hike in cooler temps. Made a day out of it,  had a very nice lunch at Sawmill restaurant in Summer Haven. 

More cactus blooms. The Palo Verde are finally in full bloom and all the washes and boulevard trees are neon yellow!

Lovely new school pictures of the girls! Aeri. . .

And Lia 

Saturday

One last chance to get together with Pete and Alice before they had back to their "summer home" in Sioux Falls, SD. Went to (my favorite) Cup Cafe downtown for breakfast and had a lovely time. By the time we finally left, we could have ordered lunch!

First Saguaro of the season blooming on my street

And then this!! That is what happens when you get in a hurry and try to fire a really nice piece before it is completely dry! A gazillion pieces. Luckily was only thing on that shelf so didn't take out anything else. Sweep it up and start over!

Up and Away!!

We got the winning bid on a Hot Air Balloon ride a while ago and today was the flight! It was enchanting--I wanted to never come down!! 

We had to meet our crew at 5:15am, where they drove us out to open field for launch at 5:45. Now that is the way to see a sunrise!

Will and I, and another couple and our pilot ready to launch!

Coming down we could see our shadow!

While the chase crew picked up the balloon we enjoyed a Champaign breakfast!

Drive into Tucson Mountains at Sunset

Blooming Occatio next to a huge Saguaro Cactus

Petroglyph site called Signal Mountain a short hike near a picnic spot.

Sunset over the valley from Signal My.

This Coyote watching us watching him!! And then he was gone!

April days

Quiet Easter, just the two of us. Lovely Easter service at St Andrews and then onto  Easter Brunch outside seating at Hotel Congress.

Hosted an end-of-year pot luck dinner for our Fellowship Group. This is our Tucson family, been meeting together, praying together, studying together, sharing, eating, laughing together-- Some faces new, some have come and gone but core group has shared our lives for going on 18 years!

All in my neighborhood!

Day out in the country

Up and hiking the Linda Vista Trail at sunrise.  We are finally getting our "normal" April weather--warming up for a perfect hiking day. Two hours to make the loop trail. Bird song and blooming desert made it a grand morning.

Got back to the parking lot and then decided we needed breakfast. Picked a restaurant out in the country in rural Marana. Only to find the restaurant closed--WHAT!!--so farther out to the next one. Along farm roads and fields we spied a flock of migrating  Ibis foraging in an irrigated field, along with a Black Necked Stilt!

AND a close up view of a Burrowing Owl along an irrigation ditch.

 The day ended with a very moving Good Friday service at St Andrews. 

Car delivered, Day in Milwaukee, Flight home

Delivered Susie's car in good order!  Made it across country without mishap, however we needed to stop and do a quick clean job after "living" in it for a week! 

So fun to spend a day with Susie 

And then it was time to fly home. We had layover in Denver which gave us a moment of pause. Snowing when we landed but was wet snow and not accumulating so turned out to be no problem. On time flight home to Tucson. 

Quite a contrast, clear blue skies, sunshine and of course empty bird feeders. 

Weekend in Bloomington

Just hanging out for the weekend. 

Lovely Saturday brunch at Sam and Rebecca and Nel's house.

Spring is showing up in Indiana. Although strong winds on Friday got us to take notice. Tornado actually happened 60 miles away --all good in Bloomington.

Visited T C Steele home and garden museum in Brown County. American Impressionist painter who lived and made famous from his Brown County hilltop home. Died in 1926 but legacy still honored at this Indiana State Historic Site

Always a trip to eclectic Nashville, a artsy town with shops, galleries, restaurants and interesting things to check out. We have a favorite candy shop that sells all kinds of licorice. 

Downtown Nashville.

And then there is the Final Four basketball tournaments this weekend.  We cheered for Iowa as they beat favored South Carolina Friday evening, in Women's run up to final game. We are planning pizza tonight while we watch the Men go at it! Nothing will be quite as exciting as watching Iowa girls last evening.