Friday, August 8, 2014

A Week Already!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
August 8, 2014

What a pleasant surprise the weather has been here in Moab. As excited as I always am to return to one our favorite places, I was dreading the hot temps August usually brings in this area. But, according to locals, this August  has been more mild than in the past. Yippee! The mornings and evenings have been very pleasant for sitting outside and I even found myself in a sweater as we lounged outside at coffee time today. The hottest time of day is between 2:00 and 4:00 and we all know what those hours are for...that's siesta time!

 Belle is quite at home in site M22 here at Portal. There is not a bad site here, but since this is an owners resort, some lots have more appeal than others. We like M30 and M18 also, but the pergola and sunscreen, comfy seating, and beautiful garden on site M22 gives this spot a "real home" feeling...just right for a three month stay!


We only have to take a few steps to enjoy the simple pleasures of nature in our own "backyard".  The hummingbirds have been zipping, zooming and hovering all around...and emptying the feeder!






The butterfly bushes have had lots of visitors too...

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly
 This beauty became Arizona's State Butterfly in 2001. It is only found west of the Mississippi in North America. Its wingspan is 3-5 inches with 4 almost parallel stripes on its wings. The innermost strip is the longest while the outermost two may simply be bars.


 
 
 
A Hummingbird Moth

There are about 125 different species of hummingbird moths in North America. They are all in the Sphinx family. These unique moths are active during the day traveling from flower to flower to sip nectar.



As it was getting dark a few nights ago, Wrecks began to get a little antsy on the patio. We had a visitor... 





This is the meadow behind Belle.

Of course, mama wasn't far away...

The Tan Clan is enjoying these cool morning and evenings too.





Sally had a vet appointment last Wednesday for blood work to check her thyroid and also a urinary PH balance test. 

As a result, she was prescribed a lower dose of thyroid meds and will return next week for another PH balance test.

She has lots more energy these days...


Pat Parelli
We did enjoy a presentation by Pat Parelli...a former rodeo bronco rider and all-around horse lover. Its a people-training focused on the study of horse behavior and horsemanship skills. If interested check out his web site, www.parelli.com for more info. It was very interesting and we saw first hand how one handler had amazing results with his horse Chole.

We also had ourselves quite a fun ride on Jax Trax this week. The Red Rocks 4-Wheelers Club will introduce this trail during the Labor Day Safari. Its an older trail that hasn't been used in awhile.

It wasn't all play...signs were corrected, painted and/or secured...


...and side routes/shortcuts were blocked to insure no one goes off trail.





But the highlight for Joe and I was meeting Ber.

That's Ber in the center of the photo wearing a white t-shirt and kaki pants. He just turned 90 and has been wheelin' for over 40 years!


Ber drove behind us...what a character he is!

He has a 1980s CJ7...what a character it is!







Ber nor his Jeep shied away from any of the obstacles...











 
 
Did you know there will be a full moon this week-end? Not just a full moon, but the largest full moon of the year. It is the moon's closest encounter with earth for 2014. And,  peak nights for the Perseid meteor shower are August 12-13. AND, guess what we have planned?
 
Have a wonderful week-end. Until next time, enjoy and...
 
 
...happy trails!

19 comments:

  1. Gorgeous new site:) You certainly have had many neat visitors. I love the butterfly! How adorable is that fawn! Enjoy your three months. Looking forward to your hikes and rides. Be safe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do love it here Pam...Wrecks and I watched the fawn until it got to dark to see it. Wrecks must have felt a common bond with the fawn...his ears looked like that when we got him...way BIG!

      Delete
  2. That is the sweetest picture of Sally, just want to hug her.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like a nice new site, enjoy you fun times there.
    Wonderful pics too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks George! We are so glad for the mild weather!

      Delete
  4. It's really great that the weather has been cooperating for you. And good news about Sally. You are going to have so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally is almost like a different puppy Sandy...she has been running and playing ball like she did several years ago!

      Delete
  5. Stunning nature photos Gay. Appears you are once again parked in a beautiful area. Also happy to hear that Sally is doing better. It can be a tad stressful finding good health care for our fur children on the road. Especially so when it pertains to more than just the yearly shots & check ups. Looking forward to reading all about your upcoming Labor Day trail ride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree about the vets Gayle...we have been very lucky so far. We found a wonderful vet in Cody, Wyoming...Colchester, Vermont...Colorado Springs and here in Moab...it always seems to be Sally with the issues.

      Delete
  6. What a lovely site you're in. Good shot of that hummingbird moth!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Judy...aren't those hummingbird moths amazing? I saw 3 on one bush...

      Delete
  7. Have been catching up on your travels. I can't even begin to express what beauty you are seeing. Your pictures are so crystal clear, the images are breath taking.

    I love your new site.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you JO...everywhere we go it's beautiful! I could never pick a favorite.....

      Delete
  8. Love the pictures of the hummingbirds. They move so fast. It's hard to capture them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's fun trying Jeri. Sometimes I just get lucky. There are a lot more photos deleted than ones I keep...but that's half the fun, isn't it?

      Delete
  9. Love all your butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and the Tan clan. All gorgeous.
    Trying to catch up with your travel as I had company for a week. We were having too much fun ourselves, that I had no time to take a peek of what everyone is doing.
    Glad Sally is back to her normal self, being cute :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have enjoyed being home and relaxing in such a nice spot MonaLisa! Those humming birds are keeping me busy filling up the feeder!

      Delete
  10. Such beautiful sights! It's so funny that you posted information about hummingbird moths. I read just last week that the caterpillar stage are the huge green horned caterpillars that absolutely destroy my tomatoes. Do you know if that is true? It was on Facebook, so I'm not 100% sure. :-) hope Joe is better!

    ReplyDelete