Busy, Busy June to Texas and Colorado

In the middle of June we made a camping trip to the northeast corner of Arizona and Cortez, Colorado. Larry sat his butt on the Four Corners Monument.

I spotted a new bird for my classification file. It's a Green-tailed Towhee, a long bird generally 7.25 inches long who frequents dense brush, chaparral, and high plateaus.

We visited the Mesa Verde National Park with the Texas Bauers. Larry's brother Bob, wife Penni, son Brandon and daughters, along with Uncle Paul toured the area by car and train. We drove up close to classic textbook geology. The higher altitude bothered me but by the 3rd day I was better and then it was time to go home. That country is very beautiful.

The next trip was back to Texas. My mother Eunice and I accompanied Jennifer, 3 grandchildren and the newest Yorkie of the family, Lola, who is being adopted by Jen's mother in Texas. We dropped them off and then Eunice and I toured SW Louisiana before visiting our family in Deer Park, Texas. They had a birthday celebration for Larry's 94 year old Uncle Paul with a crowd of 18 or so at a local restaurant. We took Jen and the kids to catch the ferry at Galveston and feed the birds that follow the ferry. They had great fun leaping in the air to throw the bread and watching the swooping bird show. After a stop at the beach we viewed the devastation caused by the hurricane. It's still a mess there. In Louisiana I drove to a remote wildlife refuge and scarred my mother (she likes the cities) and saw only dragonflies so numerous and huge that I thought I was in a prehistoric movie. I panicked and ran to the car waving my arms about to distract them... after I took their picture of course. There are some old beautiful buildings in Lake Charles but the tour of their old cemetery was a disappointment as I could only find 1 angel to photograph. The weather down there is as hot as Phoenix but soooooo humid. What a relief to be back home and dry out my skin again! When you come to visit me bring lots of lotion!

A VISIT FROM THE GRANDCHILDREN

Last Wednesday the grandkids came for a visit and today is the last day. Howie will come after work to whisk them away. The first day had a few hiccups, not to mention a throw-up in the pool. That was in the evening after the car's dead battery was replaced and we had juggled car seats and kids back and forth from in front of the dentist office with the truck.

We've had shopping trips and late popcorn nights with rentals from the video store. Our trip to the zoo was fun but way too hot and we left hungry with 1 scrapped knee. The 500 piece puzzle was just completed last night. The computer got a good workout. Last night after 11 P.M. I tore Brayden away from it and he cried himself to sleep. The toy room was heavily used. You can nearly recognize it's other life as the living room. I think the maple blocks I bought 33 years ago have given me their money's worth. Bruce is not allowed in there so Sophie learned to say "open gate". She sings and plays in there for hours.

At the zoo Luke, Larry and I juggled drinks and cameras. Luke was most impressed with the wandering chickens in the kids section. The 2 chicken photos are Luke's.

Bruce has loved the excitement and he faithfully stood guard during our meals waiting for the fallout, intentional or otherwise. Sophie gets that little smug smile and then I know he's getting a treat. Luke has been the watchful, helpful, instigating playful brother who can keep them entertained for long periods of time if he chooses.

It's been a grrrrrreatttt visit. Thank you Jen and Howie!

May and it's too hot.

We've just had a record heat wave for May and the thought of 4 months of this weather over 100 degrees is mind numbing. Thank goodness for this mini monsoon respite just now. It's overcast and you would think it's going to rain but it probably won't. I know it won't last.

This will be the first year since 1987 that the family car will be in the garage when I want to get out during the day. That in itself is a real treat. I won"t need gloves to touch the steering wheel. Yeah!!!!!!

Since our Texas trip we've been to Las Vegas, meeting up with Larry's Aunt Harriet and Uncle Glen from the Bastrop, Texas area. It was a great visit and I think the highlight of the sights for me was the butterfly house at the Bellagio. Larry took a splendid photo of a blue butterfly. We meant to go back with a different lens but didn't. Maybe next time.

Yesterday I took my mother Eunice to the airport for her annual trip to Pennsylvania to attend her class reunion and visit friends. This is her 59Th? shindig. Wow!

OFF TO TEXAS, YIPPYIOKAIYE, A ROAD TRIP!

Oh how I love those long, lonely, lazy days driving to Houston. No traffic to speak of until Houston. This time we detoured through some fantastic back roads and we stopped alongside the roads to shoot wildlife, flowering yucca and wild flowers. Okay, sometimes I had to shoot pictures out the window at 60-70 MPH but we did more spontaneous stops than EVER before. Check out the updated convertible in the dusty town of Van Horn. The next morning we took a scenic road to Fort Davis. Larry had not been there since he was a little person. Farther along highway 90 we toured Judge Roy Bean's Visitor Center where he became a legend practicing his own brand of justice. We spent an hour at one Texas rest stop that had nature paths and a playground for the kids. Wow! The days we spent at Bob and Penni's new house in Deer Park were filled with family, good food and lots of challenging card games. Many thanks to them for a great visit. On the way home we spent a night outside Austin with Larry's Uncle Glenn and Aunt Harriet and got caught up on their family news. All in all it was almost a 2 week trip. It was

great!

We're having beautiful weather this week.

Our neighbor's orange tree is blooming and it smells great. The bees are hovering and I have more than enough pictures now. The new Canon camera Larry gave me is such fun. HP has a woodpecker visiting his backyard. It's been fun trying to get a shot of him. Of course I'm posting a few new pictures. Bruce had a haircut and next week he's going to get snipped. He won't be a happy camper.

UPDATE OF MY PAINTINGS FOR EBAY

I confess. I haven't been painting enough. Sadly, the "LaCasa Trail wren and cactus" did not sell. (To have another look at that click on "older posts" at the bottom of the screen above the map. ) My new painting here is "LaCasa Trail flowering weeds and bee among the rocks". I'm deciding if it is ready! I've been taking a lot of pictures lately so I don't have a lack of reference photos. It's the discipline!

40th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TRIP TO DAN DIEGO

Surprise, surprise. We did not make the Grand Canyon trip this month as usual. I think the huge snowfall report scarred us to beautiful San Diego. The stop at a bit of Americana ingenuity at In-Co-Pah offered a chance to stretch our legs crawling on carved rocks and climbing the Desert View Tower built in 1922 to honor the pioneers.

The next morning a tour of the Cabrillo national park included the Point Loma Lighthouse. It's in an awsome location and gives a splendid view of the Harbor. The old lighthouse is on the bluff but a ride to the bottom allows you to see the new working lighthouse from a distance and climb around the tide pools. The surfers anchor offshore and provide great entertainment.

That night we ferried to Coronado Island and had dinner. Larry took fantastic city light photos.

We had a great trip!

NEW VISITOR AT OUR HOUSE

Tonight the rain has moved in from California. A most welcome sound that always makes me think of my old bedroom at home in Pennsylvania. The view through the maple tree there on the second floor was half a block long and I could watch the workers in the iron yard down the street. But it was the tree I loved. I could watch the rain drip off the leaves or stare at the icy barren branches in winter after a freezing rain. In winter the best thing was pulling back the curtain to discover a new white world in the morning before the snow plow came along. In summer the window screen allowed me to smell the rain and leaves. The beautiful autumn foliage of that tree was red and gold, colors you never forget. Playing in the fallen mess was so much fun. Each spring the brilliant green seeds appeared. You could spread them apart and stick them on your nose and run around like an alien. I've always thought those watery, atmospheric and colorful memories are the reason I love watercolor paintings.

Well tonight I can hear the rain falling on the atrium patio floor through the doggie door we had to insert for our guest this weekend. When HP and Jen's Yorkies had puppies last year, one in the litter of five was a giant. Luke named him "Bruce". At first Ellen wanted him but she took Ferdinand and Mimsie. I fell in love with him at the beginning but Larry wanted a bigger dog. Bruce has grown on Larry and in fact I heard him tell Jen he missed the kids and Bruce when we moved back home after their trip. Here's the problem...that Bauer family loves him too. So I'm not sure how it will turn out. Maybe he'll just have two homes! Lucky dog!

BIRTHDAY, DAY TRIPS AND BIRDS OH MY!

Wow. This week we toured the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix and were amazed by the Chihuly glass exhibit. Chihuly's work is in many museums worldwide and at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. There you can view his wonderful ceiling sculpture. I couldn't resist taking pictures of butterflies, squirrels and birds. I think the grey bird is a thrasher but I'm not sure which one.

Last Sunday many of you watched the Superbowl. We've always found it to be a good time to be out and about because of the fewer crowds. This year we went to the San Xavier Mission in Tucson. The scaffolding on the front of the structure has been removed until march when the renovation/clean-up starts for the right side. The inside is very busy and colorful. Outside I spotted a Gila woodpecker. Isn't he a beauty? That red spot on the top of his head helped me identify him. I can never resist the dove photo opportunity.






We had a birthday celebration for Sophie in January. She turned 2! How wonderful to have a granddaughter and such a girlie girl. Yesterday I got her dressed to do an errand while babysitting and she had on a navy dress with a pink hair bow and pink shoes and socks. As soon as she realized we were leaving she ran and got her spangled pink purse to carry on her arm.

Eunice and I were speechless for a moment.

WOW! IT'S THE VALENTINE AND ANNIVERSARY MONTH

To bring us up to date I must go back to the 10 days we lived in Jen and Howard's house and looked after the grandchildren and pets while they went on a cruise. They prepared us very well but the best thing Jennifer did was lay out all the kids clothing for all the days. She even had a note on every pile of clothes for them. So every day they had a message to read or be read to them which told them what their parents were doing that day. I think this made all the difference. No one kicked and screamed in a panic demanding their parents appear right now. Here are a few photos from our week.