2011 JULY THROUGH DECEMBER CATCH-UP

"I don't know why she swallowed the fly". That's what comes to mind when I try to explain how I abandoned this blogs monthly postings. So, feeling guilty that I started a new blog and am spending much time with it, I will try to update this family blog at last.




I'll start with July. Ellen and Mark took a fun vacation to Disney World in Florida. Wasn't it sweet they thought of us melting back here in Arizona? Of course no place is perfect and I'll bet their weather was very humid with a lot of showers.

Larry played with Luke's souvenir before he even received it. He's just a boy at heart!
I love my new Disney cup kids. Thanks from everyone!

During the summer our weather includes clouds which is a big treat, dust storms, and beautiful sunsets.
Here's a samplling of photos.

Here comes the dust

We'll hate leaning up!

It's nearly here!

It really is daytime!

This is more like it.

h

neighborhood sunset

 
The summer days for the grand children included a lot of fun. Here at our house there was swimming, computers, baking, blocks in the toy room and a lot of fooling around!

Bruce's family visits

puzzle marathon

Howard took the kids to a movie 10 times!

Brayden

Sophie

Luke

Yummy

We took a trip to the wonderful museum in Mesa, Az.

ARIZONA NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

3 STORY STORM ERUPTS EVERY FEW MINUTES

SOPHIE & BRAYDEN ON TV

PANNING FOR GOLD

A friend of mine produces barrel races and we took the kids along to our first race. When I asked them weeks later what they remembered it was the rider who fell off her horse. I couldn't figure out how the timing was done until Luke explained about the electric eyes on either side of the arena. They time the racer as they pass and the timing is quickly posted.

I'll bet that hurt.

nice! more men need to compete. just saying

Why don't the horses fall over rounding the barrel?

Knocking the barrel over is a disqualification for sure.

Our Sophie was born knowing how to pose for the camera!

Larry took over 800 photos. Wow!

In August Larry and I visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. It's a great place for birds too. So
I am posting my favorite shots of that day.

focus on our state flower of the saguaro cactus

with focus on the nesting dove

A gift store is available as well as a store to purchase plants. The Garden can host events and frequently have music nights to attend. Here is the link. www.dbg.org/

prickly pear cactus fruit

I really should look up dragonflies to know their specific names

Larry and I usually stay close enough to see each other which explains why most of the shots of him are framed with leaves.

Garden shop wagon of plants for sale

Now for the bird photos.

Finch

finch

3 finches

Quails drinking

Cactus Wren

White Winged Dove

lots of lizards run around

Thrasher

Larry took hundreds of hummingbird photos last year and they are all so wonderful it's hard to decide which to put in the blog. He has faithfully taken care of their food and they should pose for him!

The finches steal their food all the time.

This post would not be complete without a visit to the riparian park in Gilbert, AZ
www.riparianinstitute.org/riparian.cfmWhenever we visit my blood pressure must automatically go down. It's another world in this large metropolitan area. Very quiet, calming and entertaining.

Someone didn't get invited.

Okay, which foot are we starting on?

Deep in thought taking a sun bath.

Lots of dogs walk their keepers there.

He's always facing the other way it seems.

Ah, to soar like the birds. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

A gathering of European Starlings

Larry found the lovebirds this visit!

In September, 2011 we celebrated 2 birthdays. Eunice turned 89 and Eileen reached medicare age. Yea!
Eileen chose the patio at the sushi restaurant, Kona Grill. Eunice's celebration was at IHOP close to the great grand kids.

Guess you had to be there.

Ellen

Howard

Brayden uses chopsticks

These four shared the birthday dessert.

Shortly after school started Brayden and Connie had "Donut Day With Dad". They attend the same school and the dads work so Larry had the honor of attending.

 In late summer soccer started for Sophie and Brayden. What fun! At Sophie's first game the 2 teams kicked the ball down the field, rounded the corner and started up the field on the neighboring game. I'm sure everyone heard us laughing.

Brayden has an arrow over his head.

This might have been his favorite part of the game.

JUNE'S VISITORS

 We had a great visit with the grandchildren this weekend. Sophia and Brayden spent hours playing with all the toys and blocks building castles, houses and rooms for all their creatures.

Luke and I decided it was time to deconstruct the Christmas train village and he packed it all up until December. Great job Luke!

 While Luke and I rebuilt puzzles Bruce the destroyer wrecked trying to sit on them, Sophie worked on me. She painted my finger and toe nails and beautified my hair. Thank you Missy. I can't wait for my next salon appointment. I promised her we'd have a more colorful nail polish in the future.

 Larry's cousin Mary Ellen was here for a few days to greet her east coast buddies attending a conference in the area. Mary Ellen is on the left in the photo below. Her longtime friend Debra and her husband Corry had sightseeing hours available and they toured museums. Corry is an avid photographer so Larry and Corry had a boys day out to photograph zoo animals. We capped the whole visit off being their guest at Serrano's Mexican Restaurant. It was yummy. Thank you!

BACKYARD BIRDS BUTTERFLIES DRAGONFLIES FROM THE PATIO

 A quail family walked along the back fence today to my surprise.

Blossoms by the pool attracted a blueish purplish dragonfly.









Two beautiful butterflies frolicked among the lantana blossoms until our resident hummer decided they didn't need to be in his yard.

MY CAMERA HAS BEEN REPLACED THANKS TO LARRY

Last month Larry sold my old Canon and lens on EBAY. My new camera says it's a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSI with a Canon Image Stabilizer Zoom lens EF 75-300mm. Wow, the more often I write that down the better my chance is to remember what I have. So now I've been comparing my old photos with the new shots I've taken. It's not so easy to me. Things change like distance, atmosphere, time of day, time of year, and where is the sun when I'm taking the photo. I'm sure there are other variables I have not considered. Well, I'll take a look at new and old photos here in the blog.

 2 new photos taken at South Mountain Park on a desert walk

2 new dragonflies at the riparian

 This year I found swallows at the riparian and was able to find their resting place in the trees. They swoop over the lake and are difficult to photo. I think they are Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

 These next photos are from May 2010 and look like Cliff Swallows to me. I was not able to catch a shot of them perched.

 New Hummingbird photos below from the porch. We added another feeder which has caused our hummer extra work keeping freeloaders out of his territory!

 
  

Saguaros have bloomed again and this white winged dove seem to enjoy digging in them.

 This starling was standing across the yard this year, about the same distance as the finch from last year munching on the weeds we grew.
















Well,  I need an expert opinion to judge the results of my new cameras performance. What do you say Larry?