Corona de Tucson
April 16, 2023
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| The evening glow...we haven't had a lot of clouds this week. |
It's nice to have a day date. It's a day when we head to town...no appointments, no errands...just for the fun of it ! We hadn't been to The Lost Barrio in a couple of months and it's one of my favorite places to meander and browse. Gather:A Vintage Market was open for the April showing and the other stores along the street are fun, colorful, and offer a variety of old, new and unique things.
The patio is wonderful this time of year.
Saturday morning we were up early and headed north to Catalina State Park. The adventure for the day was a hike with Jamie and Andra. Neither one of them had been to CSP. It's such a beautiful setting and one we really wanted to share with them. Even the short drive from the entrance to the parking lot (which is really the end of the road) for the trails tugs at my heart strings !
The hike for the morning was Canyon Loop Trail.
It's a great trail that crosses several different washes, follows the canyon rim, hugs the creek, and meanders at the base of a hillside covered in saguaros.
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| The wash had just enough water to get our feet we. Lots of fun memories crossing this wash from years past... |
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| Beautiful mountain vistas on the rim... |
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| Looking down on the wash we just crossed... |
As we rounded the curve to drop into the canyon, lavender gave way to orange...no fields of poppies, but plenty blooming to put a big smile on my face !
And hot pink penstemons were blooming along the steps (there are 90 of them) that make the descent to the creek much easier.
I was so happy the creek had water...flowing water !
From the creek, we crossed the wash and followed the trail as it curved around the base of a hill.
Crossed the wash again...
and followed the path back to the parking lot.
We all enjoyed an early lunch at Tucson Tamale.
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| Nice to beat the crowd ! |
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| One green chili chicken tamale and one black bean and cheese tamale with a side of Mexican slaw and chips (the best chips ever!) and salsa. Yummy! |
Back at the oasis, we spent Wednesday morning with Jack at the vets. He had an EKG, a CT scan and his blood pressure checked. Hoping to hear from Dr. Huang mid week with the results. He was a good boy at the vets and did not have to be anesthetized. He was one tired little fella and went right to sleep on the way home.
The Bottlebrush tree in the backyard is about to burst open.
The owl finally showed him/herself.
And the rabbits...lots of them... have been enjoying the area on the other side of the fence.
The orioles have arrived and are enjoying the oranges.
And crane flies, better known as mosquito hawks at our house, have been buzzing around Tucson for weeks and finally made the news. There have been kazillions of them in the yard and the rainy weather is said to be the cause. And to make matters worse, it's mating season which explains why we find them on the wall or ceiling from time to time paired up. The good news, crane flies are not harmful and do not bite. They spend most of their life underground eating microbes which helps plants. Nonetheless, I'm happy when I see the birds dining on them for breakfast, lunch and diner !
That's a wrap on the week...a really nice week I will add. Red was a favorite color this week.
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| A male Cardinal in the bush on the other side of our fence... |
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| The Bottlebrush tree in the front yard... |
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| Begonias I potted on Wednesday... |
Until next time,
HAPPY TRAILS!
Love your blogs Gay--so happy!! You know so much about wildflowers, shrubs, birds and now bugs. Who knew whose pesky flying critters were crane flies--and I'm with you--it's ok that they become food for the birds! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Janna! I thought it was pretty cool to see the report on the local news about those pesky flying critters. Joe had just commented days before (after swatting a few off the ceiling) that they were everywhere! It’s a simple life these days…and we love it! Hope you have a great week too!
DeleteYour lunch looks delish! You're both in such great shape, you can't eat like that very often ;)
ReplyDeleteAnother nice hike with lots of blooms and running water to ford.
Hi Jeff! Lunch was yummy and the cafe itself is such a fun and nice setting. What I didn’t post…the cafe employs a full time bakery chef. We haven’t indulged yet…not sure what we are waiting for…but one of these days I’m going there just for something decadent!
DeleteAnother pleasant recap in the life of Gay and Joe....We love Catalina SP and it's hikes and birds. I remember our hilarious water crossings and my "great idea" plastic bags that didn't perform!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Sue…we love Catalina too! And had fun sharing yet another favorite with the kiddos. I do remember our funny water crossing with the trash bags wrapped and taped around our legs and chuckle everytime we go there. What nice memories!
DeleteWhat a great post Gay! I really have to get to Gather - it looks so wonderful. Glad to hear the lunch is just as good at the Cafe (which I love). That trail looks like so much fun. Wonderful to share it too. Your critters and flowers are always special. Thanks for naming the pink flowers - we see them along the Interstate and couldn't find their name :-)))))
ReplyDeleteHi Jodee and thank you! I really like going to Gather and all the other shops along the street and lunch at the Cafe makes for a very nice outing. We love Catalina State Park and it was fun sharing a favorite place with Jamie and Andra. When I take a photo of a flower with the phone, it will also look up the names. I used to spend hours researching what they were.
DeleteA Day Date sounds awesome. We only get them when we travel as there is just too much to do around here!
ReplyDeleteLove all the feathered and furred critters as well as all those flowers!
Hi Guys and thank you! Day dates are fun and we plan at least one a month, but sometimes we have an appointment or errand first.
DeleteWhen you mentioned which trail you were hiking I was wondering how you were going to be able to cross. Good news you could get across, sorry there wasn't much more water with all the drought. Oh, well, it worked well for your "day date." Love, love all the wildflowers!! Thanks for the photos. Would you include a photo of the full bottle brush tree!? I'd like to see how big they are. I am looking for a smaller, flowering tree for the front to replace the mesquite that fell down. Hope the news from the vet for sweet Jack is positive. Sending him positive vibes!!
ReplyDeleteHi Pam…I’ll send a photo & info in an e-mail. We have two different types of Bottlebrush trees. We love those wash crossings at Catalina & prefer them to have some water & not be bone dry…makes for laughs & loads of fun! Thanks for the positive vibes on Jack. Hope to know in a day or two.
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