Getting Warm

I hope that my friends will take this not as a chance to gloat, but rather to entice all of you to visit Arizona in the near future.  I know that when Phoenix is 110 for weeks, it is not pleasant.  But 75 in January?  What's not to like?  Sedona has 4 distinct seasons - a few chilly winter days (and even some occasional, short-lived snow), spectacular spring with wildflowers in bloom, a warm/hot summer with very little humidity (and not the extreme heat of the Phoenix area), more flowers and cacti in bloom, and an autumn that can rival any in the midwest.  Yes, we have deciduous trees here, including maples and oaks that blaze against the azure autumn sky.  Convinced?  I hope so!

My visit on Saturday to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix did not disappoint.   It is an amazing place, with more types of cacti than I knew existed on earth.  There were a few things in bloom, such as the Fairy Duster (native) and Aloe shown here:

Fairy Duster

Aloe (not sure which type)

The state bird of Arizona, the Cactus Wren, shown here atop his spiny perch:

 There are several types of Cholla cacti here, and I think this one is Silver Cholla - I love the way the sun is shining through the spines:

This little Round-Tailed Ground Squirrel is one of many critters who inhabit the Sonoran Desert:

These little guys burrow in loose soil under Mesquite trees and Creosote bushes.  They are omnivores who eat green vegetation and insects.

A few years ago, there was a phenomenal exibit in the garden of sculptures by Dale Chihuly.  It was one of my all-time favorite exhibits ever.  I've long been a fan of his work, and seeing  these specactular pieces in the desert environment was a feast for the senses.  I was lucky enough to see it under the bright AZ sky, and again at night when the pieces were aglow under the stars.  This piece is one of 3 (all similar, different sizes) that are on permanent exhibit at the garden.  They catch the sun and explode with light.

  Desert Tower (one of 3) by Dale Chihuly

I hope I've made my case for all of you to head to the southwest.  Although the house will be a "work in progress" for a while, the casita is here and ready for guests!

Getting Busted

Busted up, that is.  The last few days have been hard, literally, on my butt!  I slipped and fell in the yard of the new house - guess a loose rock just jumped up and tripped me.  Ouch.  Despite fabulous t-shirt weather here in town, winter is still very much in evidence in Oak Creek Canyon.  While attempting to hike up at West Fork there yesterday, I fell twice.  The trail was snow covered but seemed crunchy enough for traction.  NOT.  About 2 minutes in, bam, on the ground.  Ouch again.  After the very precarious first creek crossing, I spotted a cute snowman built along the creek.  On my way for a better look and a photo, bam, down I went again.  Both of these falls were on level ground!  This fall was by far the worst.  What does it  mean when you land on your ass so hard that you get a headache?

Upon reaching the 2nd creek crossing, I realized my trail had ended for the day.  The rocks were covered with ice, and one skinny, snow-covered log was not going to serve as a bridge.  I did wander around a while to take some photos (none of which turned out very well), and I reluctantly headed back to the car.

We've been having a great time at the new house - planning and getting ideas for redecorating.  Yesterday, I pulled up all of the tragically teal carpeting in the living room.  Wow, even the bare padding is an improvement!  Our first project will be to update the kitchen - new appliances, countertops and paint.  A bit overwhelming with so many decisions to make, but it will all come together eventually.

OK, I am so over getting chickens!  I started cleaning the chicken coop and wondered why that ever sounded like a good idea.  Heck, I don't even like eggs.  With a lot more cleaning and sanitizing, I plan to convert the coop into a potting shed.  I'm excited about working on the yard and getting some great native plantings in, and it will be fun to have my own little work-shed.  There were many birds around - Juniper Titmice, Canyon Towhee, Western Bluebirds...and this bird nerd can hardly wait to get the feeders set up and the binoculars ready.

The house is officially ours - Ken took his first nap there today, in an old hammock left by the previous owner.  Proof that it is meant to be!

I'm sorry for everyone stuck in the IL deep-freeze this week.  Below zero temps, wind chills even worse - any wonder why we can't wait to move to Sedona?   And we hope we'll have many visitors!

Getting Back on the Trail

After 3 months of sloth and gluttony, I have broken the spell!  Have walked the Great Western trail the last 5 days in a row.  Yahoo!  Feels great to be out in the cold, fresh air.

Two days in a row, Marcia and I enjoyed great views of a male Belted Kingfisher.  What a beautiful bird!  He flitted from tree to tree along the creek.  We were disappointed not to see him actually fishing, but did see him once with a small fish in his beak.  Cool!  We'll be watching and listening for him.  The pic below is from Google - wish I could take credit for it...

Amy and I enjoyed a wonderful walk on this beautiful Sunday.  About 28 degrees, bright sunshine, and no wind.  Perfect!  Amy made a great discovery - beavers are back!  A few years ago, we would regularly see signs of them, and even saw the critters on a moonlit night hike.  They "disappeared" some time back and we were sad to no longer see them.

Today, Amy spotted some lodges in a marshy area south of the trail.  And then, just below us off-trail, 3 trees that had been chewed!  We made our way down the slope - a true nature nerd does not mind getting caught on thorns, slapped by brarnches, slipping and sliding down a brush-covered slope.  Well, maybe we mind a little...

Using my phone, I got these 2 pics of the "evidence."

There were many tracks around the trees, and on the snow leading to the lodges.  However, I think the slightly warmer temps melted some of the snow, distorting the tracks.  I think this might be a hind foot, but it was hard to tell.  Will be watching for fresh tracks next time we get snow!

We also saw some pheasant tracks, 2 deer, and lots of deer, bunny and squirrel tracks.  A great thing about a dusting of snow - everyone leaves evidence!