Friday, March 5, 2010

Friday 5 March - Bobcat tracks maybe?

Joanne and I woke at the same time, just before dawn. We chatted about things while we had our tea and she had a snack of cereal.
When the sky started to lighten we went for a walk. she was wearing some sandals that had the thing in between the toes and could not wear them very long as they caused pain. So we were walking down the road with Jo occasionally being barefoot. we walked to the top of the hill and down the other side. there is a stretch of desert in-between the two roads and Jo braved putting on the sandals for crossing it. we saw tracks and thought they looked odd, not like a dog.
Maybe they were bobcat. the ground was still soft from all the rain we had had a few days ago I took a picture and would it check out online when I got home. We saw many birds and heard coyote yips in the wash.

When we got home Jo went to practice her guitar, she is very good. We all had breakfast when Mary and Ron came out. Ron had an appointment at the doctors about his toe that morning and Mary an appointment that afternoon for her hair. Jo and I decided to go and walk the hieroglyphic trail . We had both done this trail before but she had never seen water in it let alone waterfalls.
We made a grocery list and Ron left for his appointment promising to pick up chinese for lunch on the way back. we listened to music and sang along with the songs that we knew. we also talked with the landscapers about the names of plants. the mesquite tree, the Apollo verde, the agave and the aloe, the big surprise was the jumping cactus. It seems that the fuzzy cactus that is everywhere, If there is a vibration large enough , it will cause it to throw its barbed spines So it throws or jumps at passers by. Talk about ignorance is bliss. I had last week taken a picture of a birds nest inside what was actually a man eating plant.
In no time Ron was back so we had a great lunch and headed out to our hike. Ron dropped us off just before the parking lot so that they would not be ate for Mary's appointment.
The weather was summer. It was very warm around 75F and sunny with clear blue skies, only a few cirrus clouds way up high. When we got to the parking lot and headed up the trail Jo ran ahead of me, for someone who is 8 years older than me she is in very good shape physically. I continued up the trail and thought maybe Jo had gone up to the hieroglyphics that some pictures on google earth had shown me were just past the waterfall. I did not get quite that far the last time I was there. She had seen them but not with water in the canyon when she hiked up there. I took some photos of flowers and the scenery which is so beautiful. Popcorn flowers, Fiddleheads and Blue Dicks. I also started to see how many jumping cactus there were. The gods of the desert must certainly have been looking out for me to not have disturbed that cactus lat week when I had got the shot of the three birds eggs in that nest. I had my hand right inside so my arm was totally surrounded by spines.
Just then Jo called put my name. I stopped and looked around but no one was there. I called out to her to ask her where she was thinking I had imagined it or maybe it was an echo from the canyon but no one answered. I turned to continue up to the canyon and behind me came Jo. she had taken a different trail to see where it went and then had caught up to me!
we continued up the trail together. When we got to the spot where I had not been able to go forward she said that I was at the hieroglyphics and pointed out where they were. Right across the stream in plain sight. She then showed me hot to get over to them. On the trail the heat had been getting higher but next to the water it was definitely cooler and there were some folks getting right in to cool off. We played in the water with our hands. The water was not cold like in a mountain stream in the spring.
We headed back with only 35 minutes to go before Ron and Mary were going to pick us up. at one point Jo went ahead of me so that they would not leave without us. I did try to jog in the clearer sections but running downhill on a gravely rocky path is dangerous and I don't know how Jo did it. I swear, she is in such good shape. It is a good thing that she did go down ahead of me as Just as she got there Mary and Ron were there. They did not have to wait for long waited for very long, only about 10 minutes. Poor Jo got a blister on her heel though, from wearing her mom's shoes.
when we got home we sat out on the patio drinking cool drinks and eating oranges while Jo played the guitar. it was lovely. then supper of chinese and icecream for dessert. a little TV and off to bed.

4 March Thursday -





Can a person get tired of perfect weather? I slept in today until 730. Ron and Mary got up early around 830. We all had breakfast together and then Mary and I started the crossword puzzle. Mary and I went for a walk and Mary took my picture next to a lovely acaia tree I think. When we got back we worked on the crossword again for a little while and then it was lunch time. cooked up some pork chops and rice. Mary made the salad. We talked Arizona taxes and the economy after lunch and then Ron joined up for a little stroll down the road. on the way back we met Scott our neighbour and talked with him for awhile. we were bushed by the time we got home and decided to take it easy on the patio. cool drinks of water and gingerale in the sunshine. After a rest we finished off the crossword the whole thing. we were a great team. dinner was fried rice and salad for dinner. I had a veggie burger and Ron and Mary had some of the pork with their fried rice. . we listened to celtic music until Joanne came around 830, It was great to see her. the trip had been fine. there was a young girls soccer team on the plane but they were very well behaved. Jo brought her guitar with her and I am looking forward to hearing her play. We sat around the table talking until around 930 and decided that we were all exhausted from the day full of activities so said our goodnights with sweet dreams and hugs.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Wednesday 3 March - Lupines and scorpions

Woke early to clear skies again.
Blogged and researched animals and plants.
Had breakfast with Mary and Ron, and then Mary and I started the crossword for the day. When we got a word I would play the yodeling pickle that I had picked up at the Opry the night before.
They went to lunch with the rotary club at the golf club and I wanted to go down to the little mall and do some things so they dropped me off at the mall and I headed out to get some photos of purple flowers out along the highway that I had seen the night before on our way to the Opry.
I did not have to go far but I did nave to cross the highway. Luckily there were lights just down the road and it was a divided highway so once I figured out the traffic pattern it was easy to get across to where the little flowers lined the road. Desert lupine. Smaller than our lupine but just as pretty.
I walked a little ways down the road but decided not to go too far as it was getting warm and I was getting thirsty.
At the mall there were trees were in bloom with large yellow flowers. I will have to find a book of desert trees and shrubs.
I bought stamps and mailed the postcards that I had ready.
A quick expedition into Bashaws for some more postcards and then I checked out the Jack in the Box menu but they did not have anything vegetarian that I wanted. I ended up going to subway for lunch. Wrote out 5 more postcards and mailed them too. Then Ron and Mary were there to pick me up and we headed home. I found out that the Governor of Arizona was the guest speaker. It was a very interesting talk according to uncle Ron.
When we got home after having a nice quiet drink of cool
water on the patio, Ron got the hot tub going and we went into the hot tub. It was lovely and fun. Ron could not go into the tub as his toe is not supposed to get wet after the operation on his toe. He just put one foot in and enjoyed our company he says.
On our way out of the area Ron saw a scorpion on the patio. every day in Arizona is a new adventure. I had been going around the outside of the house with bare feet on the sidewalks but now I will wear my sandals all the time.
Jo called and she is coming tomorrow at around 630 at night. We were all excited, that will be so nice.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tuesday 2 March - Mushrooms and Moss Happen

Another gorgeous sunrise. I had an early breakfast of bean salad around 7 am because I woke up at 430 am. I blogged until around 830 and then looked at houses for sale in the area on the internet.
Mary and Ron were not out until around 930 today and after breakfast Mary and I went for a walk around the circle.
She is telling me lots of things about my father and grandparents. 'Poor Bob he was always in trouble, even if he didn't do it, which was
sometimes true,it did not matter, he still got in trouble for it.' 'In the morning all the kids in the family had to be quiet until grandma had her coffee that grandpa made for her'.
Uncle Ron had told me earlier about how grandpa helped bring wagon trains out to Edmonton from North Dakota in the 1890's. We had a lovely walk and there were even more flowers blooming than yesterday.
Before lunch we went over to the nieghbours, Scott and Terri, and Uncle Ron gave them two bottles of wine for the block party that is going to be happening in two weeks . We will not be here for it but wanted to let them know that we would if we could. Very nice people.
After a lovely lunch of pasta and bean salad I went for a wander through the wilds of the neighbourhood, into the empty lot across the street and in behind the house into the wash. I found mushrooms. They were not big mushrooms but I was surprised to see them at all. I also saw some scat that I could not identify to any domestic pet so I took a photo and figured that when I got home I could look it up. Raccoon is what I figured it out to be.
there was a leftover of water in the wash making a pretty kind of pond and there were footprints in the mud. Coyote and deer were there for sure but what else I could not say. Maybe a raccoon. I found out that they are in the area and can be quite a nuisance. I would like to see one though.
I continued my forays into the thickets and little trails. There were lots of birds; quail, cactus wren, I even saw a verdin, a very cute small bird with a yellow head. It was to fast for me to get a photo. Bunnies all over the place. Moss too growing under the thickets. will wonders never cease.All that rain brought out things that I never thought that I would see in arizona.
That evening we were going to the Arizona Opry. My first Opry. I remember Minnie Pearl and the Grand Old Opry. It is a dinner theater style where everyone does more than one thing. the fellow who showed us to our table was the very tall guitar player, Bill Wells. (I bought his CD) Well it was marvelous. They served a big dinner, mine was vegetarian, and then there was a two hour show. There were about 8 members of the band and they all seemed to be able to play all the instruments.
I liked Michael T. Hermsmeyer too. (I bought his CD) He played fiddles, banjos, guitars and horns too. George Staerkel was the leader or MC, and he used to be in the Tokens, the group that did 'The lion sleeps tonight'.(I bought that CD too) It was all great fun. I picked up a necklace , a vase and a yodelling pickle. we got home at around 1030 and went right to bed, tapping our toes in our sleep no doubt.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Monday First of March - Cliff chipmunk

It was fresh out with not a cloud in the sky that morning. The sun was coming up and the moon was going down. If I had a big enough wide angle lens I could have got both in.
I met one of the neigbours when I went out to get the paper. Scott and his wife were having a block party on the 21st of March and wanted to know if we had received the flyer in the mailbox. well we never check the mailbox so of course we had not. He took it out and it was very soggy. I told him we would not be in town then and were sad to miss it.
Then we talked Olympic hockey game. He was from Pittsburgh so was not so sad that the US had lost as the winning goal was by a Canadian playing for Pittsburgh.
After bloging and a yummy breakfast of waffles, I went on a hike up the hieroglyphics trail.
Ron and Mary dropped me off at the trail head which is about a 25 minute drive from here.
We decided on a pickup time of two hours after consulting with a group of people who had just come back. They said it
could be done an easy two hours. That would give me one hour up and one hour down. plenty of time. We had a plan.
I was expecting a gravel trail but this trail was more rocky and rugged than just plain gravel. I probably took twenty pictures of wildflowers in the first 100 feet.
The Desert was in bloom and
was getting ready to explode into more bloom with all the buds that I saw.
It was a steady incline up and was always clearly visible. It got rougher the higher up I travelled.
I came to a couple of trail markers. I took the left trail up the hieroglyphic trail. It was a good workout, watching
where you put your feet and at the same time trying to look at the scenery.
I tried not to stop too often as I wanted to get as far up the trail as I could in one hour.
As I was walking, whenever a group coming toward me would pass, if the path was too narrow, I always felt just fine stopping and letting them go on. That gave me a minute to rest and take pictures guilt free.
I came to a gate, the entrance to Superstition part of Tonto National park. It made me wonder what they were trying to keep in or out as the entire area was fenced. back at the trail head someone had mentioned cattle but I certainly never saw any cattle in this country. Poor cattle if there were any.
At about the halfway point up the trail I saw a group of folks just sitting around. My first thought was that they were on a group hike and the guide was telling them something interesting. As I drew closer I saw that there was someone hurt and they were administering first aid. A lady had somehow tripped, fallen and hurt her arm and they were putting a splint on it. Ouch.
I could see that it would be easy to trip on the trail if you were not careful as it was very rocky and
uneven.
There were lots of people
going both directions on the trail. Some would say to me in passing 'are you all alone? and in reply I would answer 'I'm never alone, there are lots of hikers on the path'.
In a few places it was wet and mucky due to the heavy rain that we got yesterday.
In preparation for the hike I had put on lots of sunscreen, brought
two granola bars, an apple and a bottle of water. My camera goes without saying. The jacket I was wearing was not really a hiking jacket but each of its pockets were filled with something and it all worked out. I wanted to wait until I got to the top to eat anything but I had water as I went. The sun was out and it was lovely.
At one point the trail comes to what appears to be an end at a large outcrop of rock but as I got closer I realized that the trial did in fact go right around and over the rock. I made me think of Indians in the old days who would seemingly disappear into the landscape.
after that the trail got more rugged. the trail became more rugged and more closed in.
The shrubs and bushes were bigger and closer to the trail and the sides of the mountain were steeper here. I could hear water down in the ravine, (do they call it a canyon?) but could not see anything. One consolation was that if you fell, which would be difficult to do, you wouldn't fall far as some bush, cactus or rock would stop your downward motion. Ouch.
A young boy in one group that passed me coming back down told me that there was a lot of water at the top. A big waterfall that was scary to walk around. I had visions of Athabasca falls. Then I thought, no, there was not that much rain yesterday and it would take a pretty big spring to create a falls that large. It was probably a good size waterfall for this area.
I climbed and clambered over rocks avoiding the woman eating prickly bushes and mucky spots on the trail. I could hear water on the left of the trail but cold not see it. Finally I went around a bend and there was a tiny stream tumbling over the rocks
below. It was very cute. hardly a raging torrent but I could imagine that there was a lot more of it yesterday during the rain.
The trail continued up and then you get to the falls. Impressive waterfalls in that they are in the desert. Refreshing definitely.
The trail was across the rocks that were more worn and sloped.
I did not go any further. It would have taken me a little while to work my way across and so I stayed at the end of the trail that was easier to walk on.
While I was there eating my apple I saw a chipmunk running toward me in the rocks. I quickly dug out my camera and when he got into a place where I could see him clearly I shot him, twice, with my camera. I hoped that the pictures turned out.
I took some more photos of the steep slopes and ridges with balancing rocks on them.
I wondered when it would fall and if anyone would be lucky enough to see it.
I checked the time on the watch that Mary had loaned me. It was 1245 so I was right on time. I headed back down the trail eating my apple as I went. It was a good apple.
The hike up the trail had been a good aerobic workout
and the hike down although a much easier workout, was still difficult in that you had to watch where to step so as not to twist an ankle.
On the way down I thought of the poor lady who had been hurt on the trail and I hoped that she had at least gotten to see the waterfalls and was on her way back when she got hurt.
There were some gorgeous views of the valley below. I made it back with a little time to spare and so went down a little path along the parking lot. There were more wildflowers blooming now that there had been when I first got there. Amazing.
Right by the trail sign there was a stone bench to rest on in the shade of a big saguaro cactus and a tree. Mary and Ron came just as I was getting another photo of a Gambels quail. They really are everywhere. when I got home I looked up the wildflowers and the chipmunk and found out that he was a cliff chipmunk and was very numerous in the Grand Canyon area.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Sunday 28 February -After the rain


At one point during the day the rain subsided enough that I went outside to get a photo of some flowers and found a road runner right beside the gate to Mary and Ron's back yard. It was very wet and obviously unhappy at the rain that had been pouring down on it all day long. I could not believe my luck. That would have been my fourth roadrunner in two days and this time I had my camera with me. I took lots of photos of the poor bedraggled thing. I wondered if it was young, was it male or female?
Then I saw a female cardinal in the tree in their yard. I actually did not know what kind of bird it was when I took the picture, I looked it up in the bird book that Mary and Ron have. What a day!
I went in to tell Ron and Mary what I had seen. They were happy for me too. The Canadians won gold and I saw another roadrunner.The rain had stopped and the clouds were playing in the mountains, moving in and out and over the ridges and down into the valleys. The blue of the sky looked bluer next to the white and grey clouds.
A pair of ravens flew over. they were huge birds. It was gorgeous.
I took a lot of photos of the mountains hoping that some would turn out. Some did. I love digital cameras.

Mary, Ron and I played the CD's that we had picked up at the Celtic concert. I have to choose which one I like more, but I like them both. I like them both enough to have already downloaded them into my itunes library.
We watched the closing ceremonies after dinner and talked about walks in the area.
In a couple of days, when the ground has had a chance to dry up a little, I will go for a walk on the Hieroglyphic trail. It sounds like fun.
I had called the kids earlier but no one was home.
I tried again after dinner and got ahold of Shauna.
She told me that my two cats,
Buddy and Belle, missed me terribly.
She had to drive down Whyte ave and she said that it was crazy when the Canadians won the gold in hockey. That was to be expected.