Wild Wild West

With the beautiful weather we have been having (in the mid to upper 70s) I could not pass up a trip to Sabino Canyon last Wednesday. The day was overcast but still warm, which made it just right for hiking. As I was sitting on a rock along the Sabino Creek contemplating life .....

Just like to wild west - I suddenly had visitors.

They didn't appear to be outlaws.

 They stayed just long enough for their horses to drink the cool water - then rode on up the trail.

 It's nice having water running in the creek again.

Along the way I ran into this Saguaro scarecrow. It's quite interesting how old, dead Saguaros take on different figures and how they remain standing.

 It was sure nice getting out for an afternoon in the fresh, warm air and enjoy nature again. It's been awhile since I ventured out.

The next morning my day was greeted with a colorful sunrise. With the clouds moving in we had showers on Thursday and there is a promise of more showing up tonight through the weekend. Well I guess washing the vehicles is out for now.

Happy Birthday Michele

Michele, Jim's youngest daughter, turned 40 yesterday. Of course we needed to celebrate, so the family met at Vero Amore Restaurant in Tucson for a pleasant evening of good food, refreshing drinks and wonderful conversation to join Michele in celebration of her special day.

Michele with her beautiful smile as always.

 Now, here was one serious discussion.

The evening ended with Michele opening her birthday presents.

Happy 40th Michele. It was our pleasure to spend the evening with you in your special celebration.

Happy New Year

Nothing much was happening in Indio, so we decided to come back to Tucson on Sunday. We were met that night with a storm that left snow in the mountains around Tucson. Even today there is still a little trace of snow on the mountain tops. The high yesterday was 49 with not much better for today, so am staying inside and doing chores around the house.

Happy New Year - May you all create a beautiful year filled with many blessings of love, peace, joy, health and happiness. 2013 promises unlimited potential with all your desires.

A Merry Christmas It Was

I hope everyone had a wonderful, joyful Christmas! Ours was quite pleasant. The wind on Christmas Eve prevented us enjoying the outdoors; we scooted our cold bodies into the motorhome for the evening, but Christmas brought overcast skies and no wind, so it was quite bearable being outside.

We enjoyed an evening boat ride before we settled in for a BBQ turkey breast dinner. During our cruise we came across several boats decorated, which I think this one was the best.

The evening also provided us with another beautiful sunset.

The AZ Wildcats were victorious (just squeaking by) over SDSU last evening for a 12-0 record. Can we keep it going this Thursday against Colorado?

Caroling Motorcoach CC Style

The weather's been pleasant (in the afternoons), walks good, golf just so-so (some pretty ugly scores), wine tasty, boat rides relaxing, food great and how about those AZ Wildcats. A good match set for tomorrow night against SDSU.

Last night at the restaurant was Southern night. Of course we had to try the Fried Pickles and Fried Green Tomatoes, both were good, then with the main course of fried catfish, well I think that is enough fried food for me for another year. Tonight will be home cooking and of course Christmas day will be home cooking.

Yesterday while on the golf course we had a special treat of Christmas Caroling done MCC style.

Pictures taken with my iPhone so not great images, but you get the idea. There were 4 boats filled with carolers cruising the channel singing all the traditional carols. It was an unexpected treat even it didn't help the golf game any.

Expected high for today is 70 degrees, so pull out the shorts for an enjoyable afternoon on the golf course.

Back for the Holidays

We arrived in Indio late yesterday afternoon after an uneventful trip from Tucson to spend the Christmas holiday in a place where the weather promises to be enjoyable. The forecast is in the high 60s throughout our stay. It's the lows at night, in the low 40s, that keep it from warming up too much. It will hit its high about 2pm then start dipping back down. Now don't think I am complaining - compared to our dear relatives back in Wisconsin, we are in paradise. I've seen their pictures of snow on FB, no thanks, I'm just not a cold weather person.

We don't have anything new planned for this trip, just our normal walk/bike ride in the mornings (though it might be much later morning to let it warm up a bit), golf in the afternoon, either restaurant or BBQ, then start all over again the next day.

Our perfect day ended yesterday with a beautiful sunset. Got the grill warmed up for a couple of filets and after a couple glasses of wine and dinner, the day ended.

Joshua Tree NP

We are settled in enjoying a brew, watching BB on TV looking out over the canal watching golfers on the 5th green after a 180 mile scenic road trip through Joshua Tree NP. The park isn't too far from here, but we have never visited this area. So we decided a road trip was in order. We drove around through 29 Palms into the north park entrance. Most of the worthwhile sites are on the north portion of the park.

Here's Jim heading to the Skull Rock.

We drove to an elevation of 5185 to get a view of the whole valley.

We ran into a corvette club, beautiful day for a drive.

Here are the Joshua trees. It's not really a tree but a species of yucca. Joshua trees can grow over 40 feet tall at a leisurely rate of an inch a year. In the mid-19th century, Mormon immigrants had made their way across the Colorado River. Legend has it that these pioneers named the tree after the biblical figure, Joshua, seeing the limbs of the tree as outstretched in supplication, guiding the travelers westward.

 We noticed some rock climbers scaling the hugh rocks in the area.

 This gives you a perspective of how tall the trees actually get.

We made a full circle and came out the south entrance at I10 east of Indio. It was interesting, but not one of my favorite NPs. You probably need to experience it once, but that's probably enough. Enjoyed the trip and glad we got to view the area.

It will be a leisurely evening on the patio with leftovers for dinner. We are heading back to Tucson tomorrow to avoid all the traffic on Sunday. So our short trip will come to an end tomorrow morning. The weather has been beautiful, and a good time was had. But back to work.