ROADTRIP IN MAY TO BISBEE, AZ

Boot Hill Graveyard

Bisbee is in SE Arizona at an altitude 5000. We traveled with our friends Asghar and Kaye in their new auto. Arriving near the town we were drawn into Tombstone's Boot Hill.  I loved the prickley pear and cholla blooms and concentrated taking their pictures.

In the center of town we encountered the stagecoach giving tourists rides to experience travel as back in the old days. I'm  sure the paved roads don't really tell the whole story.

Bisbee is now a town for tourists.  The season was nearly over for them. The town is hilly and the streets are narrow. Most of the businesses were closed. 
The guys took a tour of the internal Queen mine while Kaye and I looked at the huge excavation created by the strip mine. There is a trolley in town to explore the sights of Bisbee.

waiting to go on mine tour.

open pit mine

entrance to mine

Larry relaxes in the lobby of the Copper Queen Hotel

Copper Queen Hotel on left.

We spent the night at Hotel Lamore and the next afternoon we headed to Ramsey Canyon only to find it was closed. Fortunately a few yards away a B&B had numerous bird feeders and we were able to add a few new bird conquests to our bird photo collection.

Black-headed Grosbeak

Acorn woodpecker

Lazuli Bunting

Broad-billed Hummer

Mexican Jay

Painted Redstart

 After lunch we headed home but saved time to explore the large BLM managed Empire Ranch. Wandering through the grounds I found many Barn Swallow nests built from mud on the ceilings in the barns and porches. I saw barn swallows sitting on power lines in Bisbee too but have no good photos from there.

BarnSwallows

 

Blue skies reflected on tin roofs.

Kaye and Larry

Asghar the gunslinger

I loved the fences and grasses on the ranch. The doors of outbuildings were all different. The main ranch house built between 1871 and 1874 had many additions added through the years as depicted on the poster

Another great road trip!

THE BEAUTY OF MARCH AND APRIL IN ARIZONA

South Mountain Park entrance near our neighborhood

Roses bloom in April and I'm always surprised we can grow them in Phoenix.

Hummingbird on our patio sipping nectar.

Larry takes beautiful photos!

Hedgehog cactus Bloom

Creosote Bush flower

 South of downtown Phoenix the Salt River divides the Nina Pulliam Audubon Rio Salado Center. We spent a morning there looking for wildlife. It's funny to have this nature sanctuary surrounded by the city and airport.

Claret Cup bloom

Larry walking among wildflowers

Prickley Pear Blossom

a closer look

I saw Larry on the bridge and thought it was snowing. Then I realized pollen was floating on the breeze.
This is that time of the year everyone begins to look for shady spots to park or stand. The Palo Verde Tree below provides some shade for the car.

MARCH 2012

EILEEN'S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH DISCOVERY!

Whaaaattttt? Oh ya, we were there in 2005

 OUR SPRING BREAK TRIP TO THE WORLD WILDLIFE ZOO MARCH 2012

This zoo is great! All the animal exhibits close to the pathways for a better view.  
Here we are ( except me taking picture) at the giraffe feeding station. Hmmm, Larry is missing too.

 It was hard getting a picture of our group. Everyone of mine showed the group looking at something and not at my camera. Larry took a lot more pictures than I did and if I showed all his great photos the blog would fill up quickly. Here's another group photo with Larry.

The exhibits are so close you must remember not to put your fingers through the wire fence. I forgot.....and nursed an ostrich bite for a for days.  I was taking his picture and trying to get my camera positioned without the wire showing. I discovered they are very fast and have good eyesight! I didn't notice the interest in my fingers.

no  wire in this photo.

 

In hindsight I realize he was zooming in for the kill.

Larry got a head shot and was no dummy if you notice the wire.

 Just to walk through this zoo and see all exhibits took all day. It was the perfect time of year to go.

Not much separating these animals from people in the picture below. Good thing they are not aggressive. I'm thinking they are wallabies.
















        

Goofing around

Howard's map was eaten by a deer in the petting zoo.

 The zoo has aquarium buildings, a large collection of parrots, a carousel and an
overhead ride as you 
see from above. We had a great day.

 

Bad hair day

beautiful circular aquarium

white tiger

 SOPHIA PLAYED T-BALL THIS SPRING

Larry had fun photographing all the games. The weather co-operated and we had a breeze and shade for most of the games.

Her team was a great group of kids.

Hard at work batting.

Practicing

Catcher with that fabulous pink glove!

THE WAY THINGS TURNED OUT!  I planted flowers at Eunice's house this month and took pictures around her neighborhood at La Casa Trails since many of the cacti were blooming. Since then we have moved Eunice over to our house permanently.

Cactus blooms that look  like tissue paper.

tiny flowers of a weed I could never get rid of.

I'm always amazed that roses can live here.

Wild flowers fill yards in spring.

 
I know she enjoyed all the activities offered over the last 6 years.  She especially liked the Red Hat Club outings every winter. I attended several recently and took a few pictures at lunch in Philly's.

Eunice under her RED HAT!

We had use of the clubhouse for a birthday party a few years ago.  She played shuffleboard and pool as well as attended many weekly doughnut meetings and pot luck affairs.

 


The grand children and I walked the neighborhood streets taking  pictures of all the yard adornments and flowers. Wildlife was abundant.  Eunice never did get used to coyotes strolling around but then who would? 
With the Superstition Mountains in the background and the desert so close it was a pretty place to live.

Sunset in Apache Junction, AZ

Luke and Brayden

Luke taking pic of globe and me taking pic of reflection

another type of bird in neighborhood

Eunice house on the left

Sohpie and her shadow

Quail perched on rooftops

Cactus wren