Sunday, March 17, 2024

Awesome Weather, Wildflowers, and Washed Ashore

Corona de Tucson

March 

Daffodils are the birth flowers for March.  They bloom in early spring symbolizing new beginnings, happiness and joy.  They are one of my favorite flowers.  


March is my birth month and this year to celebrate, Joe and I spent the morning at Tucson Botanical Gardens.  This is a wonderful time of year to meander and enjoy the beautiful colors.





There are two new exhibits at the Gardens.  

Antartica is an exhibit of large scale images of ice-shrouded mountains, graphic explorations of deep blue ice shaped by wind and water, and intimate studies of penguins and other birds who call this daunting environment home.  Antartica is described as the highest, driest, coldest, and windiest, continent on Earth and the world's largest desert. In 2021, photographers Catherine Harold and Vicky Stromee traveled to this formidable outpost to capture the beauty of the landscape, icebergs, and wildlife.   


The detail in these large scale images is so clear, the colors are so vibrant, and the action is incredible.  My photos of them do not reveal their beauty...so worth a visit if in this area. This exhibit is on display until June 30.  
    


Washed Ashore  is an exhibit of larger than life sea creatures constructed entirely from debris collected on beaches.  In ten years, Washed Ashore has processed over 35 tons of plastic pollution from the Pacific Northwest's ocean beaches to create over 85 works of art.  

Sebastian James the Puffin

The sculptures are beautiful, whimsical, and shocking all at the same time. Familiar items like buckets, shovels, water bottles, and flip flops are intentionally placed to convey the importance of keeping beaches clean.  This exhibit is also on display thru June 30.
 

Priscilla the Rainbow Parrot Fish


There were all sizes and colors of jellyfish hanging throughput the gardens.  



Edna's Cafe is temporarily closed as the Gardens is making some changes to their on-site cafe.  In the meantime, Porter's Patio Cafe is serving breakfast  (8:30 - 11 am) and lunch (11am - 3pm daily).  


Charly's BBQ and Grill, a popular food truck at taprooms around Tucson, is preparing up a yummy menu of breakfast burritos and buttermilk pancakes or pulled pork sandwiches, Sonoran BBQ chili dog, ceasar salad, and smoked chicken wings.  We each had a pulled pork sandwich and fries. The fries passed the "very yummy" taste test and the pulled pork sandwich (served on a toasted bun with awesome Texas sauce and a hint of slaw) hit the spot.  It's been a really (really, really) long time since we had pulled pork.  Chef Carlos Guerrero has a long career in the business and was banquet chef at JW Marriott Tucson Star Pass Resort & Spa before he sprouted the idea of Sonoran-style barbecue  and began his own business.  

We also spent a morning at Catalina State Park this week.  

Romero Ruins is a quick loop just under a mile with historical land marks that guide visitors thru several centuries of human history.  One of several Hohokam villages in the Tuscan area is nestled in the shadows of the Catalina Mountains within the state park boundaries.  The Hohokam lived at this settlement continuously from AD 500 to 1450 with as many as 125 to 200 people living here at its peak around  AD 900.  Their settlement spaned the entire ridge upon which it sat...about 15 acres.  The trail winds thru where their homes once stood as well as a hill where ancient trash is buried, and an oval-shaped depression used as a ball court.



The trail gets its name from the remains of  a more recent structure built by rancher Francisco Romero sometime before 1850.  The ranch is described as a lonely 12 miles from Tucson which endured many Apache raids.   The Apache claimed this ridge as their hunting range. The Romeros occupied the ranch for a dozen or so years before moving to the Tucson area.  Mr. Romero built several buildings on his ranch, but only one has been partially restored (the original walls were seven or eight feet high) to emphasize the doorway, fireplace and size. 


 

Although the trail is short and easy, it not only offers a bit history, it also offers beautiful views... 
A row of beautiful saguaros along the ridge with the Catalina Mountains in the background...

spots of color...

Lupin growing along the trail...

and wildlife.

A baby lizard not more that two inches long...

The Romero Loop was a warm up as we also hiked the Canyon Loop Trail.  It is my favorite trail in the park.  It isn't a long trail either at 2.5 miles, but packs in a lot of beauty.  We always go counter clockwise and enjoy the ridge before taking the 90 steps into the canyon.  The ridge offers wide open vistas and we are so happy that signs of the Big Horn Fire in the summer of 2020 are fading away.  


 

As we descended into the canyon we heard the sound of flowing water...always a welcoming sound in the desert.  






The climb out of the canyon is much easier in this direction.




And what a gorgeous surprise we had as we rounded the corner...






Another beautiful Arizona day in the memory book...flowing water and poppies along with the warm sunshine and spending the morning outside with Joe was the perfect combination.     

We also met Jamie and Andra for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory this week...a birthday celebration and a slice of Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple was calling my name.  No pictures as we were busy conversing, laughing and enjoying our yummy lunch and dessert.  Jamie and Andra surprised me with the prettiest flower pot and cacti which is now at home on our patio.  

 

Back at the oasis,

The Cactus Wrens continue to fuss...


Mr C adds a spot of color...
 

Sally and I enjoy the morning glow...


and Sally has no trouble figuring out what to do on a rainy Friday.


Until next time...

A late afternoon walk in the neighborhood...

HAPPY TRAILS!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

It's March Already...


Corona de Tucson

March 12, 2024 

Mica Trail at Saguaro NP East

After several e-mail's from our BIL who lives in Maryland reminding me very politely and patiently that we must be settled into February (our last post on Feb. 11) by now, I find myself sitting at the computer and trying to recapture the past few weeks.  I decided to take a break from blogging which turned into a much longer break than I had intended and find myself at odds trying to catch up.  Ronnie and Carol left Tucson on February 15, but not before we had some wonderful weather and one more great hike at Saguaro NP East.  We sure enjoyed our time with them...six weeks total between San Diego and Tucson.  

Mica Trail connects to Cactus Forest Trail and makes for a nice walk thru some beautiful desert and mountain scenery.  Afterwards, the four of us enjoyed a picnic in the picnic area with covered tables...sandwiches, apples (with yummy cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla dip), chips and animal cookies sure hit the spot.  We miss Ronnie and Carol and seem to be moving at a snail's since they moved on to Yuma.  



Joe and I spent one lovely afternoon at Madera Canyon.  Of course getting there on one of my favorite country roads is part of the fun.

Madera Canyon Road and gorgeous clouds...

We had no plans to hike but rather just to meander along the paths


and sit on the rocks next to the creek to enjoy listening to the sound of running water, listening to. the birds sing, while watching the deer enjoying an afternoon snack, and soaking in the warm sunshine.  It was so quiet...just the sounds of nature.




Madera Creek

At the end of February, our Mac Pro died.  The battery had swelled and popped out a few screws from the bottom of the computer.   We were told we were lucky it didn't explode!  The same thing happened a few years ago and it was repaired, but this time, there was no repair. It had to be replaced.  We decided on a MacBook Air.  Same size, but totally different.  In my opinion, if you don't upgrade often which is a never ending $$$$ then you get way behind on how to use the darn things. We attended a class last week which focused on the basics.  This week we will have to call the support help "on-line" number.  We much prefer a person to person help session, but apple does not do those.  We did manage to get our taxes done yesterday, but still can't figure out the spread sheet our budget is on...the format and formulas aren't the same.  

Joe had an eye check up and we made a stop at BK's for a dog, fries, and mostly the guacamole and chips.  Sally had a check-up and all is good.  Dr. Huang suggested Sally would benefit from a monthly injection of a medicine called Librela.  It controls puppy osteoarthritis pain.  Dr. Huang said we might not notice a significant difference in Sally's activity until after the second shot, but we did.  Our sweet little Sally was hopping around the house like a bunny within a few days and her appetite (which had dwindled down to almost nothing) returned to once again enjoying her food.  

Sally enjoys picnics too!

Another morning, Joe and I did the Freeman Homestead  Nature Trail at the SNP-E. It's an easy trail that passes by the remains of the Freeman family home built in the early 1930s. Stafford Freeman applied for a patent under the Homestead Act and was granted 640 acres to farm, graze, and mine.  In the early 1950s, the Freeman Homestead along with several home sites were purchased by the National Park Service.   The first part of the trail twists and turns thru the desert with Rincon Mountains in view. 




There is lots of information along the trail and I did learn something new...I had never thought about the thousands of spines on the saguaros before except to take note that you don't touch them.  

Saguaro skin is tough and waxy and pleated like an accordion so it can expand or contract with the amount of water taken in.  Those spines actually have a purpose too...to shade and protect these desert giants.  

And last week, we had a delightful visit with Janna and Mike.  What a treat it was to see them...its's been way too long.  They picked us up at our home and we road to Green Valley with them for lunch at Manuel's.  It was the highlight of our week with lots of conversing and laughing.  We sat on the patio for awhile when we got home...it was such a pretty day.  When they left, Sally spent the rest of her day wandering about the house looking for them...she likes company too ! 

We have enjoyed some walks...

Gorgeous weather...

The neighborhood Great Horned Owl...

A neighbor's yard...

Sunset walks are my favorite...

Back at the oasis, the Lesser Goldfinch are always busy and their feeder gets filled every morning. 





The Cooper's hawk stopped by for a visit...


and a Curved-bill Thrasher likes the butter bites.



February is peak mating season for coyotes. They have been very vocal the past few weeks.  


We keep a close eye on Sally these days...she loves lying in the warm rocks.


And I planted a pot of violas...they always put a smile on  my face.


This pretty much catches us up.  So until next time,



HAPPY TRAILS !